SweetMyrtle

needlesspost ~ round 2 'Blooms'

 

Last year I took part in a s l o w embroidery project called #Needlesspost,  a 'pass it on postal embroidery project inviting collaboration through needlecraft between strangers' I wrote about round 1 here

Round 1 was to start an embroidery using a third of the cloth leaving space for two further collaborators to add to the piece. I really enjoyed round 1 as I found it so freeing, to start something knowing it would be passed on.  Round two felt different. Here I was to add to the work started by Debbie. Debbie had created a beautiful embroidery and it felt like such a responsibility to take over. I wanted to honour what she had done whilst adding something of me, but  I didn't want to ruin it!

 

 

Debbie sent me a letter and a green rose ring which I wear often.

I set to playing with some felt and thread.  Debbie had named her piece 'Circles'. These circles said flower centres to me  so I began to create some 'Blooms', first playing and positioning and then rejigging until it felt right.

 

 

 

 

Magic cat loved laying on it when I was trying to take photos though I was careful to keep the jelly beans and sherbet dib-dabs for the next recipient, away from him. I had a lot of fun and was interested to see how much colour I had used, especially as my contribution to round 1 had been fairly muted blues. When i finished I sent off the embroidery to Amanda, who sent it to I don't know who. The final result can be seen here. along with some of the other finished embroideries.

Amanda Wayne and Ellie Shipman who instigated the project are planning an exhibition  at some point and I think also a future project. All very exciting. I am really looking forward to meeting some of the other contributors and seeing all the embroideries displayed.

 

Flower meadow dress

My latest make is a dress ;  )

early last year i took a trip up to the wonderful Fabrics Galore shop in London with my sewing partner Alice, my dear friend Janet Clare and one of our lovely sewing class students Kate. It was an enjoyable trip and we all came away with lighter pockets but lots of delicious fabrics to work with. One of my purchases that day was 2 metres of pretty floral cotton lawn. When i chose it i was thinking it would make a wonderful kimono style dressing gown.

I finally took it down from the shelf in my studio, just a month ago and decided to use it to make another New Look 6184 . My original dress was unlined but as cotton lawn is very lightweight i decided to line it. When i started cutting into it i had forgotten that i only had 2 metres and this dress needed almost 3. The full skirt version has 4 side panels and i was 2 short so i searched the internet in the hope of finding the same print. i was so lucky as Minerva fabrics had some!

The dress  is a pretty straightforward make. i love that all the shaping is at the neck, in the four pleats, so no darts to stitch. the pattern is fairly quick to sew up too and gives instructions for facing the neck and  binding the seam with bias binding. As well as two neck variations the pattern comes with two skirt options. the full skirt, which i opted for, is made up of 7 panels so a few seams to sew and neaten, but it is all doable. I had double to sew though as i was lining it which took a little longer.

There are a few methods one can use to line a dress and i chose the method of leaving the side seams and centre back seam open and sewing the lining to the main fabric at the neck and the armholes. After clipping the seams i turned the garment right side out by passing the bodice through the shoulders. This can be confusing the first time you do it but it works brilliantly and with a little additional understitching means that the neckline and armholes are beautifully finished off.

After i had sewn up the side seams i checked for fit, then added the skirt and a concealed zip at the centre back and finished off the seam. I must admit that i neatened all my seams with my overlocker for speed as i was itching to wear it. Then i just had the hems to sew;  i machine stitched a narrow hem on the lining and used a hand sewn herringbone stitch to finish the hem on the cotton lawn. I love my new dress and when i wear it i feel like i am wearing a fragrant flower meadow. i seem to have a thing about flower meadows it seems  ; )

now i just need to finish off my jenna cardigan to wear with it.

sewing for the home - the 'Flower meadow' blind

last year i bought some beautiful cotton lawn locally. i fell in love with the print of gorgeous pink flowers on the blue and crisp white background. 

I decided that i would use it to make a roman blind to hang in our bathroom so  that each morning i would be greeted by  it's cheeriness and i could make believe that i was bathing in a fragrant flower meadow!

I started the blind last summer then for some reason put it to one side as work and other jobs took it's place. I remembered recently that this uncompleted project was still in a bag under my work table so out it came. I only had the Velcro, rings and cord to add and  the baton to fix up and it would be ready to hang.

Meanwhile over on twitter i saw that Amanda from Sew Deputy was using the very same fabric to make  herself a Ruby dress. We exchanged tweets and Amanda said the fabric reminded her of the TV program Rosie and Jim. We then reminisced about Rosie and Jim which our children had enjoyed watching when they were younger. So my flower meadow blind nearly changed into my Rosie and Jim Blind!

we still have my youngest girls Rosie and Jim dolls plus a duck, not the real one from the program but a wooden duck i got at a car boot sale which i am strangely fond of and who always seems to to survive any de-cluttering i do.

i love my new blind and it really does freshen up the bathroom and  my man even let me borrow his new drill so i could put it up.

Amanda finished her Ruby dress and managed to snap a picture next to a barge! for those of you that remember the program you'll understand why. Do go and have a look at her creation.

If you love the fabric then White tree fabrics  sell it, although i think after Amanda made her dress they sold out, but i see it is now back in stock ; )

Needless post ~ round 1

a few months ago i spotted a link on Ray Stitch's facebook page about  collaborative embroidery project which intrigued me. once i had followed the link which stated that this was a 'pass it on postal embroidery project inviting collaboration through needlecraft between strangers' i was hooked, i signed up straight away for #needlesspost

my motivation for getting involved was that i love to collaborate. Also although i sew for a living i am not an embroiderer, so for me the idea of personal experimentation and engagement excited me too, you know, pushing myself outside my comfort zone, and of course i knew it would be fun. so i stepped into the unknown and made a start.

I wanted to use what i had. i am lucky to have built up supplies over the years of buttons and threads and it felt good to use them.  Each participant was asked to choose some fabric, no larger that 50cms x 50cms and to embroider something. the project embraces the 'slow' so we were to hand stitch whatever we wished on to about a third of the cloth leaving space for two further contributors to add to the art work we had started.

I found a piece of cotton which had once been part of a bed sheet and starting stitching.

Faced with a blank piece of cloth is rather like a blank page. it can feel intimidating, yet also full of possibility.

i started thinking about waves and sea as scrolls, perhaps with words embroidered, but then i felt the need to add a few scraps of fabric to cover some of the white. on reflection perhaps i needed this to  lessen my fear of the 'white page'.  a spiral started to emerge * i love spirals* so i then decided the best approach was to work instinctively without over thinking and to allow a design to  appear, and to enjoy experimenting with the type of stitching i am drawn to.  My personal embroidery inspirations are Jude Hill's beautiful stitched stories. I also  love sashiko and Japanese boro textiles and kantha quilting which all use  little rows of straight stitches, to either mend or add decorative detail.

The large embroidery hoop i was holding the cloth securely in, once removed, left a contour of a circle which i defined with couched down thread. it started to take on a moonlike feel... i stitched some 'craters' and then decided to add fabric behind and cut away...  it really was fun to just experiment, also adding rescued buttons from my stash.

i kind of didn't know when to stop then i wondered if i had used too much of the cloth, but no, two thirds were left.

when i had finished i packaged up the embroidery with some sunflower seeds from my garden for Steph who i was sending the piece to and dressed the parcel with some dried lavender also from my garden. i also made a card with one of my photos and wrote her a wee note.

round 1 was finished. i thoroughly enjoyed the process and loved that it felt expansive and non precious. Creating something that you know you will giveaway is really freeing, a gift. sewing love into each stitch.

i  can't wait to see where Steph takes the piece next and how it evolves over the next two rounds.

i then waited for a delivery of round two of #needlesspost which i will blog about shortly, and share with you how the process for me continued.

 

making gifts

Now i have finished work i am enjoying sewing gifts.

These are Morsbags which are simple cloth bags, designed as an alternative to plastic bags. Because of the availability of plastic bags since the supermarkets sprang into action in the 70's people seem to have forgotten to use cloth bags. My parents generation always used cloth and many still do. ( & mum had a brown shopping trolley which me and my sister used to argue about who had to pull it! )

A movement was set up in 2008 by Clare Morsman to raise awareness of how plastics pollute the environment, break down and end up in marine life. She created www.morsbags.com sharing a great tutorial on how to make the 'Morsbag' and suggesting ways to create 'pods' and community groups to make them en masse and give out free to members of the public.
They are super easy to make and can also be made from upcycling fabrics from curtains or worn house linens. The fabrics i have used were from small sample curtains in the remnant bin at my local fabric store. The bags are great as they fold up small and are perfect to keep in your car glove compartment or bag so you always have one when you go out.
If you fancy making one then check out the Morsbags Sociable Guerilla Bagging site.

opportunities and being brave

sometimes opportunities and invitations to step outside our comfort zone present themselves to us.

being offered an opportunity to write a book was one of these times (massive learning curve), and also giving a talk to a large group of senior women was another (i was petrified).

these opportunities often come out of the blue and require a little (a lot of ) bravery to say' hell yeah, lets go for it', even if we have no prior experience and those little voices in our heads say, ' you can't do that, you'll be rubbish, what are you thinking?!'

i had such an opportunity a few weeks ago; an invitation by the inspiring and beautiful spirit that is Jamie Ridler to be a guest on her Creative Living Podcast. at first i thought, does she really mean me? Despite these feelings and knowing that i am not the most succinct speaker and thinking, do i have anything to say?, I replied and said, yes please. As someone so inspiring to me  the excitement of chatting to Jamie seemed to outweigh my fear.

Jamie has recently taken up sewing so she was curious to find out about my sewing life.

I, in usual fashion, asked the Universe to guide me and just allow the conversation to unfold.(this always seems to help me feel grounded and less scared when trying new things). Jamie is so encouraging and up beat that  i knew i was in safe hands.

We had a great chat including discussing whether creative people are also practical and how sewing is a journey so we must remember to be kind to ourselves as we learn. You can hear our chat here;

I want to say thank you to Jamie for her invitation, as for me personally i often struggle with finding my voice and by the simple act of her wanting to hear my story and valuing that i had something to offer and to share, she has helped me grow in confidence, so thanks Jamie. X

the Big Draw

Last week I was lucky enough to be involved in the Big Draw at an event at my local Art centre. Illustrator Emily set up in the gallery creating life sized monsters with the kids and my creative sewing buddy, Alice and I set up some sewing machines in the foyer and invited visitors to have a go at drawing with the sewing machine.

The technique for drawing with a sewing machine is called freehand machine embroidery or free-motion embroidery. It has become very popular in recent years and is the technique favoured by Cornish artist Poppy Treffry who has written a book on how to do it. Other UK artists who use this technique include Jane Lyndsey from Snapdragon, who creates beautiful wildflower cushions. my good friend, Janet Clare, who combines it with applique and quilting.  Linda Miller,who uses just stitch and creates highly detailed filled in pictures,  the amazing Lou Gardiner  who used it in a free-form artistic way layering with fabric and adding paint and the lovely Sarah from Lotus Blossom, who creates the most amazing stitched birds.

Here are some pictures of  our visitors creations from the drop in.

I had a few requests on our Alice And Ginny facebook page asking to explain how to set the machine up for this technique. The setting on your sewing machine is exactly the same as a traditional darning setting. Older machines will have the darning process explained in their sewing manual.

here is the process;

1.  Locate the feed dogs (the metal teeth which sit within the throat plate under the presser foot) which take up the fabric during normal sewing.

2. Cover (with a plastic cover) or drop the feed dogs (some machines will have a sliding knob to do this, so check your manual!).

3. Remove the standard presser foot and attach an embroidery or darning foot. If you don't have one you will be able to go to your machine manufacturer or local sewing machine shop and order one that fits your specific model.

Some artists recommend you stitch without a foot attached. This is possible but the foot helps hold the fabric in place and also helps  you keep your fingers safe as you can see more clearly where the  needle is.

4. Put in a new needle as this process doesn't behave well with a blunt one!

5. Place your fabric into an embroidery hoop to keep it taught. If your fabric is thick you may not need to do this. Applying a stabiliser (temporary interfacing)to the back of your fabric helps avoid puckering but it is not always essential. 

6. Set your machine to straight stitch and stitch length to zero. Loosen the top tension through the needle slightly to avoid the thread snapping.

7. Position your fabric under the needle and lower the presser foot. Hand wheel the needle into your work to find your starting point.

As the feed dogs are covered or dropped you will need to manually move the fabric whilst controlling the speed of the needle using the foot pedal.

Tips:  Move the fabric side to side or up and down and in a circular motion. Do not turn or twist the fabric or the thread will snap. Get into a rhythm. Keep your fingers out of the way!

Try drawing circles and swirls to get warmed up then have a go at your name in joined up letters.  It really is a case of diving straight in and having a go.

Once you are confident with the technique you are aiming for regular even stitches; if your stitches are too small you are moving the fabric too slowly and pressing the foot pedal too fast. If you have long stitches, you are moving the fabric too fast and pressing the foot pedal too slowly. 

It will take a bit of practice but it’s great fun and highly addictive too!

 

My final advice is to leave perfectionism at the door; this techniques creates a very sketchy feel and takes some time to master but when you have practiced it can be used to write messages, embellish applique and on your quilts to create that wonderful free-motion quilting effect. 

Enjoy and do let me know if you have tried this technique and how it was for you. I would love to see what you create.

Gx

two September birthdays

As well as my beau turning 50, our quirky smallest girl turned 14 earlier this month.

She started guitar lessons (with an amazing teacher) last year and has been using her dads guitar so we thought it was time for her to have her own. She was very clear about the style she wanted; a cutaway with pick ups for an amp and with a matt finish. We were so lucky to find a second hand guitar that fitted her taste and size from our local guitar shop in excellent condition.

As in family tradition, i also made her a birthday pressie. We recently spied a metre of a cute strawberry print cotton twill in a local fabric store and as she really loved it, it ended up in my shopping bag.  She fancied a pinafore dress so drew me a picture of what she wanted. i took some measurements and set about creating it. We are both really pleased with how it came out and my  invisible zip (at the side) really is invisible (she took a while to find it), so a good result from a pretty remnant.

I really do love making gifts ... i am starting to think about christmas... (not long off), are you?

It would be lovely to share some ideas for homemade gifts. i did run a few posts last year about this but kind of fizzled out in the busy run up to the event. Maybe i should start earlier? anyone up for it? Let me know and we can start sharing ideas and linking up.

OWOP ~ One Week One pattern challenge

Last week i took part in One week One Pattern challenge  'OWOP' hosted by Handmade Jane (originally set up in 2012 by Tilly & the Buttons).

The idea being to choose one dressmaking pattern and wear the different variations you have made from it everyday for a week.

I wasn't sure what to chose at first but decided that as my new fav pattern is the Hot Patterns 1054 Classic Nouveau pants i would chose that. Even though i only had one pair in linen i thought it would spur me into making another pair in some tougher fabric.

Day 1  - Dressed comfortably for work on Saturday in linen Pants 1054 with brown belt. worn with a red silk printed blouse from East (in sale), my fav old olive slip on sandles and some wooden beads given to me by a friend.

Day 2 - A relaxing Sunday, in the linen Pants 1054 with a vest top, cardy and an old fav scarf tied around the waist and comfy sandles.

Day 3 - tidying the studio. Same linen Pants 1054 (aired) and a blue t shirt (50p car boot bargin)  with brown thin belt and brown sandles.

Day 4 - Running my local monthly sewing cafe. Same linen pants 1054 (aired again) Pink t shirt (dug out from back of drawer), cardy and a fav scarf (love the colours & never worn it like this before) and my olive slip ons.

Day 5 - New brown cotton twill trousers, just finished (thank goodness as i couldn't have worn the others everyday!) The fabric was from Caroline at Croft Mill Fabrics. I am really pleased with them and they will be really hard wearing so i will be wearing then in place of jeans (wanting to make a denim pair now too!) Worn with a blouse i made using New Look 6808 (pattern hacked to create buttons at the back) and pumps.

Day 6 - Dog walking with a friend - New brown Pants 1054 worn with old walking boots ( & i mean old - they are 24 years old! still ok despite nearly being ruined by my 16 year old who borrowed then to go paintballing). Worn with my check jasmine blouse & purple cardy & my fav wooden beads.

Day 7 - Final day at home in new brown pants 1054 (again) wearing a blouse i recently cut down from a beach cover up. (i will get more wear out of it this way).

Final thoughts about the OWOP challenge;

1.  it made me think creatively to find different  ways to style one pair of trousers (or 2 by the end of the week!)

2. that wearing the same trousers 4 days in a row felt skanky (they were aired but even so!)

3. the challenge motivated me to finally make my  'land girl' pair.

4. i found things in my cupboards that i had forgotten about.

5. wearing scarves around the waist feels beautifully bohemian & i will continue to do it.

6.  finally it was a lot of fun and it has been great seeing everyone elses outfits too.

channeling my inner hepburn

a few years ago i was seduced by this dressmaking pattern from Hot patterns. i love 1930's and 40's fashion and loved the period vibe of the trousers or 'pants' as they are called, so ordered the pattern from Susan at Sewbox. The following post shares my inital thoughts when making the toile over 2 years ago, leaving it as i thought they would never suit me and then my revisiting the pattern and finishing the trousers a few months ago.

Hot patterns is an independent  pattern company that i had not previously used . Based in the US, it was set up  in 2005 by Trudy and Jeremy, both originally from London who focus on easy wear high fashion styles plus some lovely vintage inspired styles.

I was looking forward to trying the pattern. It came in a useful large envelope with the multi-sized pattern printed on durable strong pattern paper. I have to admit that i was a little disappointed that there were no illustrated instructional steps and only wording as i am a visual learner as are many of my students. Sewbox do now mention this and advise that the patterns are not suitable for complete beginners. On looking at the hot pattern website it looks like they are addressing this and starting to add illustrations too. The pattern is rated advanced beginner, and details a fly zip, some easy to make belt loops,  a curved waistband and the turn ups.

When i make patterns usually freestyle and check up on techniques i am less confident with in one of my sewing books. The instructions state the process of putting the garment together and anticipate that you had already made a muslin (toile) before starting to check for fit; this is something i would definitely advise, especially when using a new pattern company.

One mistake in choosing this pattern was to think that my legs were as long as the drawn models on the front, not so, i'm afraid! My advice to my students is to always do an image search for the pattern you are wanting to make as this gives a real version of what the pattern looks like made up on real people with real proportions. it can also help with showing variations in different fabrics.  Sadly this search didn't throw up many images so i started with my toile. (still thinking my legs would look fabulous and long!)

Since making more clothes for myself these past few years (before this i made for others mainly whilst working as a costumier), i have learned more about my own proportions; my natural waistline is actually very high (and my crotch very low), which can make it look like i have short legs! I am still working on being objective about my figure and trying to enhance the good bits... it is a learning curve and so much harder to do on oneself. i think i much prefer to make for others. having said that i would love a totally  me-made wardrobe.

The toile (made to a size 14) showed that i needed to add 5cms in the crotch length to accommodate my high waist. As i also have a hollow back i needed to shape in at the waist and took 2cms out of the centre back.  I made the toile in calico and have some terrible pictures which i am not sharing.... i  then recut the garment in some linen which i had brought really cheaply as light damaged stock from a mill shop and set to making it up.

I then got to a stage where i thought that they just didn't suit me and what was i thinking. The design is a full leg with large turn ups but they felt like clown pants... i got disheartened and put them to one side and there they stayed for hmm, about 2 years.

A few months ago i took them in the the dressmaking class i co-teach, for a laugh really, and also to illustrate that we all get it wrong sometimes . I put them on and my teaching collegue said she liked them, i was shocked. She fitted them on me and she agreed that the turn up was too large so i reduced it to 2.5cms and set about completing the alterations, adding the waistband and finishing them. I have to say that they are so comfy and i really like them now ; )

 

I found a lovely belt which finishes them off perfectly and they go well with my new Jasmine blouse from Colette patterns. Here i am unleashing my inner 'land girl' digging the spuds in my brother in laws vegetable garden. I now want to make some in a harder wearing cloth so i can wear then for veg volunteering at my local CSA. maybe i will make some proper land girl dungarees too?

I am learning more about my own figure and starting to find clothes that suit me and 'feel' me so my advice to myself is to keep on making and to use my friends experience to gain a more objective perspective and also to be my 'fit buddy'.