Last Makes of 2019

I was not too much into sewing this month. Kiddos asked for stuff with their current fav characters so I got them matching fabrics and they both got what they wished for (both Ottobre patterns)-

Pyjamas for Junior - had to add some white  jersey as I only got 1m of the Mario fabric

Elsa dress for Young Lady - original was designed for wovens but they didn´t manage to convince me to use another pattern

Sleeves have contrast facing - not sure if she´ll ever flip it up

Recycle

Once upon a time there was a pair of leather pants. Nobody liked it so it was laying around for years. Then I came and put it into my sewing stash - leather is expensive and the fabric itself was in good condition. Too it apart and stored it for a while.

Then I got some wool to try. I started with a simple rectangle. 

Then I thought I could make a bag. And so it was. Here it comes the upcycled bag - made of 100% natural fabrics. The lining is the cheapest Ikea cotton you can get (2 EUR/m).

Pocket was on the back of the pants

Clear Elastic

Here´s an addition to my gadget list. I started to use it not long ago and it´s a great little invention for ruffling and such. I also have a ruffler foot but that requires a lot of calculations which I´m not very good at.

Clear elastic is also known to keep shoulder seams stable.

It´s available in many places  - I got it from Aliexpress but it takes a while - so take that into consideration.

So to use it I just prestretch some. It does stretch when sewn so if you miss this step you´re probably end up with something too loose.

Then cut to the size I want my final length to be+5cm for the ends, hold it against the fabric (which needs to be ruffled) and sew (you´ll need to stretch the elastic while sewing).

I usually set my stitch length to the longest possible - 6mm. Then just sew along. The good thing is it stretches and even if you were not 100% precise you still have room to fix. 

Since you´re basting with it when using for ruffling you can just rip it off and remove the basting stitches or if it´s on the wrong side you can also leave it in. I prefer to rip it out no matter what.

So here´s my final piece  for Young Lady - 

Pattern Ottobre 1/2013 Circus Horse

Quickies

I realized my Young Lady likes leggings. They also cost a lot if I´d buy them and the fabric is most of the time totally boring. Cool thing is you can make one in 15-20 minutes. It takes 3 seams+inserting the elastic and hemming. It takes minimal fabric too so perfect for using up leftovers.

A while ago I made a jersey tunic for her too and had some leftover of the fabric. Now that the tunic is too short and is given away I used the leftover for another pair of leggings - this time full length with a little extra. Pattern from Ottobre 1/2014.

The label at the back is a very important addition. That´s how she knows which side is the front. I ordered once 100 pieces of if. Never thought I´ll actually use most of them.

Sweater for Non-Knitters (Free Pattern)

I like So-Sew-Easy´s patterns generally. They´re easy to make, easy to hack and easy to adjust. I also needed a sweater of some kind. My fabric had a bit less drape (being a cotton jersey boucle) and was a bit heavier than the original intent but I find this worked also perfect.

Cool thing was that it take about 1 hour to sew the sweater + some prep to cut the pattern.

The cats are sequins are sewn onto a stiff tulle which I applied with a narrow zigzag stitch.

Sequins flipped

Fold Over Elastic

Fold over elastic is easier than I thought. I already failed once - many years ago - but also failed to make a search on how to do it.

Finally I figured out how to do it - here are some useful tips on how to sew.

The pattern I used for my project was So Sew Easy´s Empire of the Sun Dress which is a free pattern. The pattern comes in a layered format. It´s worth to go through the instructions on how to print it as it´s becoming common with download-patterns and saves time when assembling and cutting the pattern.

I used a medium weight viscose jersey and needed about 2m-s. I think it would even work nicer with something which has a busy pattern - that covers up the elastic casing which is very visible on mine. A lighter fabric would make it more drapey.

It´s a great dress - front and back are identical.

I also gave away a big bag of scraps and fabrics I´ll never use for charity. Now I can fill up the space again with great new stuff :)

My Favorite Sewing Gadgets

I´ve come across a few things I found very useful during my sewing career. Here´s a few of them - and the reasons why. What are yours?

1. Bodkin for threading elastic
There are 2 versions - I use the wider one more.

Wide version

Narrow version

2. Wonder Clips
Some fabrics don´t like pins as either they´re too delicate or every pin would leave a mark. I used clips a lot - they can be bought in bulk for little money. I have both Clover and no-name versions but I could not tell any difference in quality.

3. Bias Tape Makers
I have a set of 4 - they´re available from China as well as branded ones. These are of great help when you need to do a lot of binding.

4. Air erasable marker
I didn´t like using chalk - the lines tended to be too thick. These markers are great for any time - they disappear with time (darker colors take longer) or with a few sprinkles of water.

5. Silicone finger protection for ironing
I was burning my fingers so many times with the steam iron while making tapes or ironing smaller pieces. Those times were over with these.

6. Chalk roller
My latest discovery. These are great for fine lines and work well on most fabrics. Wouldn´t use them on very fine fabrics though as it has a little wheel with teeth which distributes the chalk.

Last Makes of April

Maxing out stashbusting - made 2 T-shirts of the same fabric and using up the last scarps of another project.

I used the patterns already a few times so it didn´t take too long to finish these . I found the long sleeve too boring by itself so I had to add an iron-on.

The short sleeve is a real mix of leftovers - the ruffle is not exactly as I imagined so we´ll see how it wears.

Burda 2/2013 Model 126 long sleeve version

Ottobre 2/2017

Conquering Feared Silk

I bought 2m-s if digital print silk 2ys ago hoping one day I will have the guts to cut it. Being it sheer did not help with my fear for a while but time helps.

So when I realized I have no coverup for the beach and wanted to have something non-poly I made up my mind.

I used the Boho Chic Tunic Free Pattern from So Sew Easy and tweaked a bit. I cut the front in 1 piece as opposed to have a seam int he middle and didn´t leave an opening on the sides neither in the front.

Husband says this cut makes me look chubby -  he might be right so I might not use the pattern again but it´s still a nice piece for the beach.
Choosing an easy pattern was a wise idea - no new technique just sew as you go. I did French seams all over to avoid the seam showing through.

Stash Busting On

I had a few fabrics I wanted to turn into wearable items this season. One of them was a crashed fabric 50% cotton, 50% linen, 5% silk and 5% PE. I hate ironing so it was a very nice choice for a long sleeve something. Originally meant to be a dress but ended up as a tunic from Burda 2/2013 Model # 121. It ended up a bit hacked - I added a sash and eliminated the neck opening as it´s loose enough and I was lazy. I love the end result and it will also be great for holidays as it´s extremely light (and unexpectedly a bit sheer too).

As the nice spring weather came I realized Little Lady have almost no light pants to wear. I turned the leftover of my holiday skirt for her - this time cut in the right direction. Pattern from Ottobre - used a million times already in different setups (like here for carneval or here for PJ pants or here for jogging pants).

Both of these items are great for beginners as well.

Save Your Hopeless Projects

Once upon a time I had dreams of making dresses using Tanya Whelan´s dress book. I had the perfect fabric for a dress with a 6-gore skirt and princess seams without the waist seam. As always I didn´t so any muslins and went straight to my fashion fabric. Was a big mistake - it turned out to be way too big. I started to rip off all the seams (yes, all were ready by then except neck and arm binding and zipper insert) and got tired of it. I was also too fast in some places and cut into the fabric.

The pieces were laying on my desk for a year or so. Then the idea came - don´t give up on it, make the skirt then. And so I did. Cut the skirt off and finished it. Nice summer skirt in super easy. I was so happy at the end not to lose the fabric completely (I really like it) and tapped myself on the shoulder for being such a genius. A bit slow genius but still one.

Original plan without the waist seam

And what it ended up being

More Summer Stuff

I´ve used this pattern a few times already - this time in cotton knit. I have to admit the fabric for this pattern needs to be viscose or something with a very nice drape. Somehow the cotton knits I´ve used didn´t come out so nicely on the neckline. The pattern is a free download.

Cotton knit

Viscose knit

Ezt a mintát már használtam, de azt hiszem a legjobb nagyon jó esésű anyagokból varrni. A mostani darab pamut jersey, de valahogy nem olyan szép mint a régebbi változat viszkóz. A minta ingyenes letöltés.