I was asked to make and decorate a cake for a friend’s surprise birthday party. As I am better at sewing than decorating cakes I couldn’t resist the temptation of sewing a ‘bow tie’ to decorate the cake with!!
There is always something that needs sewing………………………..
Had another fabric buying ‘fix’ just recently and purchased this blue and pink stretch cotton. I used a Vogue pattern V1353, made it a little longer in the skirt, (I don’t have the legs for short skirts anymore!) and added a little more to the bodice length to accommodate my longer back measurement.
Whilst constructing the dress I thought about adding a little piping around the neck and armholes thinking this would enhance the finish of the dress and pull out the colours, but I couldn’t decide whether to use blue or pink for the piping?
So, I used both!!
Well, I have now returned from our extended honeymoon holiday travelling around Europe. One of our stops was at Zargreb, Croatia, where I just couldn’t help myself and bought a couple of lengths of fabric. This is the first one made up into a summer straight skirt and because of its many colours it can be teamed with a number of coloured tops!
It will forever be known as my Zargreb skirt!
About 18 months ago I got engaged to my wonderful man, Ted, and since then I have spent many months thinking about and designing my own wedding dress. My engagement ring is an aqua marine and this was the deciding influence on the colour for my dress.
The main body and skirt of the dress is made from a duchess satin with a lace underskirt decorated with pearl beads which just shows through at the front, I also used the lace for the 3/4 length sleeves and finished the edging around the neckline and top sleeve with more of the lace edging. The back has a laced up panel and by using 4 laces it created a lovely finish I think. It has a structured boned bodice with 12 boning channels and a hook & eye fastening at the back to keep it secure, it was very comfortable all day.
I was unsure of the weather and how warm or cold it might be on the day so I made a bolero jacket to go with it. I used piping to edge continuously around the collar and front and lower edges and also the shaped sleeves. I then added some lace inserts in the sleeves to reflect the skirt of the dress.
The dress and jacket is underlined with both silk organza and a brushed cotton for warmth and of course fully lined.
I also made some lace and fabric flowers which were added to my bouquet.
I have been very busy of late teaching sewing workshops and making curtains for customers so I have not had much time to sew other things. But I have made a couple of Pannier inner bags for some fellow motorcyclists and friends.
They have a Honda with some very oddly shaped panniers, cut away at the back to accommodate the exhaust and other ‘bike bits’. Firstly I made a ‘toile’ in some cheap fabric to perfect the fit before cutting into the the proper fabric. I transferred the pattern to paper and cut out the bags from a black cordura fabric, this is a strong fabric designed for making bags etc. I stitched some reflective piping around the edge and a double opening zip for ease of access. The seams inside the bag were bound with a heavy twill tape to help give strength to the seams and a 5cm webbing adjustable shoulder strap for carrying.
They were delivered yesterday, ready for their next adventure to Europe.
Some friends of mine asked if I would make them some new curtains for a bedroom they were decorating and giving a new lease of life to.
They chose and hung a striped wallpaper on one wall and purchased matching ready made curtains and bedding in ivory and black, however the purchased curtains were not wide enough for the window which is when I was asked to help. The curtains needed to made wider to fit the window but not look as though a extra bit had just been added to the sides, so I set the old ‘grey matter’ to work!
After conferring I purchased 3 plain fabrics in ivory, black and a pewter, stripped the lining and tape from the purchased curtains and split them into 4 pieces. I then added alternating stripes of the 3 colours to the middle and sides to make the curtains to the required widths. They were then and finished along the leading edges with black borders.
To continue the theme I made the valance with more stripes of the 3 colours, the addition of black lower border added the finishing touch. A slip cover for the headboard again with a black border, a bed throw and a couple of cushions completed the look!
I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the recipients were overjoyed
I had a pair of jeans that had shrunk in the length but as they were a good fit otherwise I decided to shorten them to make them into a ‘capri’ length. It was a great success and I have worn them quite a lot in the recent warm weather!
However the 2 ‘legs’ I had cut off were lying around waiting for me to either throw them out or do something with them. I have also just purchased a Betty Boop embroidery design from the internet and was wondering what to do with that too. So I thought I would try out the design and used one of the ‘legs’ from the jeans. The design is so big that it took over an hour to stitch out, I was quite thrilled with the result but then thought ‘what can I do with it now?’ I went to bed that night and contemplated it!
The result of my contemplation was to make a bag using the ‘legs’ and a contrasting fabric for the lining etc.
The Sew Today Magazine has a regular feature asking for readers to submit photos of garments that they have made and are proud of, well I was very proud of Tracy’s wedding dress so I thought I would submit some photos.To my surprise they are in this months magazine!!
I have been out fabric shopping again, yes I am a bit of a fabric addict, and came across a black, white and grey stretch lacy fabric that I thought would make a long top to go over a pair of trousers or leggings. So on Sunday morning I considered the options of teaming my lacy fabric with a black cotton lycra and some black stretch lace trim I had in my stash.
The lacy fabric only has a one way stretch so I had to be careful in which direction to cut out the pattern pieces. The stretch should be placed around the body for ease of getting the garment on and off. I cut the back bodice, lower front bodice, top yoke and upper and lower sleeve pieces from the fabric. I cut bands from the black lycra to go across the bust and the sleeves. As my stretch lace trim is only 1.5 inches wide I stitched lengths of it together to create wider bands for the bust and the lower sleeve.
All cut out I was eager to start making it up and the best machine for this is the overlocker!! I stitched together the bands to create the complete front bodice along with the sleeve pieces. I then attached the front and back bodices at the shoulder seams and cut the neck band from the black lycra. After trying on the garment to assess the shoulder width and armscye curve I was able to set in the sleeves. The sleeve and side seams were stitched in one and I added more lace trim to the hem of the top and sleeve and hey presto a pretty modern top was born in less than 3 hours!!!
In 2011 my partner and I went on an extended motorbiking holiday around Europe visiting some 15 countries over a 3 month period. Now as you would expect, there was a lot of forward planning, route maps to do, accommodation to book, bikes serviced, and of course the packing. Although we both ride our own motorbikes packing space is very much limited and space is at a premium!! But as much as I enjoy the riding experience on foreign land the one thing I dislike is climbing onto a bike which has a wet saddle! The damp somehow has a way of seeping through to your nether regions and can make for an uncomfortable ride! So I set to and made waterproof covers to solve the problem!
The main body of the cover is made from a very lightweight waterproof fabric and to give it a bit of style I have added silver reflective piping both along the top of the cover and around the edge. To secure the cover in place when in use elastic/velcro straps have been attached to enable the cover to be fastened to the handle bars, rear grab handles and the sides of the bike near to the foot pegs. When not in use the cover is folded up and attached to its own zipped waterproof bag which is velcro fastened to the top box and has an additional security strap to prevent it from falling off. It looks very neat, does not use up precious pannier space and also doubles up as an additional back rest when carrying a pillion!
We found them to be very useful, not only did it keep my bum dry but we could also hide our helmets from view underneath the covers and seems to make the bikes a little more secure somehow! Voila!
We had so many comments about the cover and how useful it is since we returned that I now make them for fellow motorbikers to enjoy and they can now be purchased, if you would like one just let me know!
