Make It Sew

Gingerbread layer jar

2011-12-18T18:46:00.002Z

So this post is nothing to do with sewing. Sorry about that.

I made this simple Christmas present with the dry ingredients to make gingerbread. Printed out the recipe (one side how to use the provided ingredients and the other the full recipe). The little jars have the golden syrup in them. It will still need an egg and butter adding to it. And this is what you get when you cook it:

Mixer applique

2011-12-18T15:30:00.002Z

So the voting was spread across facebook, my office and half of my sisters. I had 5 votes for patterned, one vote for plain, and one vote for patterned but in the direction of the plain one (thanks Lisa).

So patterned it is:

Decisions - mixer

2011-12-14T18:55:00.004Z

Please help. I can't decide which material (or rather which side of the material) to use for this applique. Plain or patterned? What do you think?

Surprise Pay It Forward

2011-12-07T13:53:00.000Z

A new post from Threading My Way popped up in my blog reader this afternoon and I got very excited.

Pam is making a surprise something for the first three people to comment on her blog. I just commented. And was the first person to comment. So at some point in the next year I should receive someting from Pam. And in return all I have to do is promise to make something for three people myself. So if you want something made by me then comment on this post.

Here are the rules:

I will make a little something for the first 3 people that comment on this post. It will be a surprise and may arrive at any time in the next 365 days. (Yes, a year. Good things come to those who wait!)

To sign up to receive a gift from me, you must play along too. Pay it forward on your blog by promising to send a handmade goodie to the first three people that comment on your blog post.

You must have a blog.

After commenting on my post, you will need to post this (or similar) on your blog. If you haven't posted in 48 hours, then the next commenter will be chosen.

I don't know if three people will even get around to commenting on this, but I will say that if you find this post 6 months from now and only 2 people have left a comment, you can still be commenter number 3 and get a random goodie from me! When you comment, I'll email you and get your address and then you will get something from me sometime before next December 2012.

Remember to leave a link to your blog and a way to contact you so that I can get your address to post your surprise.

And if you don't fancy something from me or there are already 3 comments then make your way backwards through the links. There are quite a few that don't have 3 comments yet.

Self-Stitched September 2011

2011-09-01T20:35:00.006+01:00

After the dismal failure of my last challenge, I have decided to try a different sort of challenge. I am going to join in the Self-Stitched September challenge over at So, Zo...

I am going to wear at least one thing made by me every day in September, and to make it harder I'm also going to enforce a no repeats rule. I will include accessories, but since this is 'stitched' things (as opposed to Zoe's Me-Made March challenge) I will not count my jewellery unless it involves stitching in some way.

Unfortunately September rather surprised me this year (really, where has the year gone?), and so it was half-way through the day before I realised that I was supposed to have started the challenge. Fortunately I spent last night shortening a pair of trousers from a new suit (11.5cm shorter - wow), so I managed not to fail on day 1.

Bag in Progress

2011-07-25T15:06:00.000+01:00

I found this in the bottom of a box of fabric I'm saving for other uses. After a few minutes of attempting to uncrumple it, I figured out what it was. It's a Keyka Lou pixie bag, in progress. The outer shell and inner lining are complete, even with a cute button attached and an inside pocket. All it needs, if I remember rightly, is a strap or two and then sewing up!

But what it needs before that is a damn good iron.

Cross-stitch sampler

2011-07-25T15:03:00.000+01:00

This is a quick project to complete which goes no way to explaining why it has been sat in my room for the past 6 months, waiting to be finished.

This is an embroidery sampler using one of my favourite quotes from Gosford Park (Dame Maggie Smith FTW). All it needs is pressing, the back sewing up and then framing. GET ON WITH IT, BECKY.

Stripe Granny Blanket

2011-07-25T15:01:00.000+01:00

Every year when University Challenge starts, I have to have a crochet project to work on whilst I watch it with my Dad. Sad, but tradition.

This is my latest one for the new series of UC. Just a stripe granny blanket taken from the tutorial by the lovely Lucy at Attic24. So easy and fun to use up all my different coloured yarns that are taking up far too much houseroom.

Box of crochet

2011-07-25T14:59:00.000+01:00

Whilst clearing out my room of lost things today, I discovered this box of granny squares in 3 different colours. I completely forgot I had them. I don't have any more of this wool, I think they were a scrap-buster project during the last series of University Challenge. There aren't enough to make a blanket, unless it's one for the dog of course, but equally there are too many for just a cushion. I haven't tried any configurations of them yet though, to see what ideas I can come up with.

Single Girl Update

2011-07-25T14:55:00.000+01:00

Since I last blogged I made a lot of progress on the Single Girl graduation quilt. All of the quilt blocks are complete and pressed and ready to be embroidered.

I started to embroider the quotes on one square using a hoop. Unfortunately it didn't come out looking as professional as I'd hope because I just couldn't get the fabric tense enough.

This is test #1 with the hoop. I tried two rows of quotes and the whole thing just wasn't working, the stitches began to bulge in the wrong places because they were tense in the wrong places. Disaster. So I put that to one side for later unpicking.

Test #2 was much more successful. I was given by my aunt a large free-standing embroidery/needlepoint stretcher frame. It's massive and takes up a large part of the living room but it held the fabric taut and allowed my stitches to become much finer and even. Because of this you can actually clearly tell that the quotes are written in my hand writing, too.

This is test #2. Much better and less crumpled by the hoop. I completed one full circle of quotes but it took me a loooong time to do it. Not that it's a problem particularly but I don't know, since this will take me so long to complete even one square fully, whether this is the right process. I could stick with it or, alternatively, I could unpick what I've done so far and complete the quilt, then on the back of it embroider a handful of the most important quotes I've picked.

At the moment it's just hanging up waiting for me to make a decision, however.

Cushion (S-a-D, day 13)

2011-07-13T22:10:00.003+01:00

Item: Cushion.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers wool patchwork kit.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: wool patchwork kit remains + cushion pad £1.50.
Complexity: Meh.
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 13.

I made another cushion:

This one uses a zip. I need to buy another now as I have plenty of this fabric left to make more cushions. I've only got the one more pad though, so I either need to buy more of those or make something else with the rest of the fabric. Ideas anyone?

It took me a crazy amount of time to make what is a very simple cushion cover. But I really like it, and if I wasn't forcing myself to do something every day then I wouldn't have even started on cushion covers.

I'm particularly pleased with the zip as I covered the ends and figured out how to do it all by myself without the help of google or anything. :P

Pathetic (S-a-D, day 12)

2011-07-13T11:59:00.002+01:00

I managed to sew a whole two seams. Wow.

I have both sides of the cushion cover now made. I still need to add bits to cover the zip ends and sew the whole thing together.

That really shouldn't take more than a day, but at the rate I'm going I'm not promising anything.

Half a cushion (S-a-D, day 11)

2011-07-12T08:08:00.001+01:00

I have now made one half of a cushion. I might even get it finished tomorrow.

Bare minimum (S-a-D, day 10)

2011-07-11T19:31:00.001+01:00

I did some sewing! I know, impressive.

Well, by sewing, I mean that I overlocked a single edge of a piece of material.
And then pinned a zip to it.

But if it weren't for this challenge then I wouldn't even have done that. At least now the overlocker is out and I've got the right bits of material available.

Excuse (S-a-D, day 9)

2011-07-10T08:08:00.003+01:00

Another day, another excuse...

My parents are still here. We were busy laying a new patio for most of the day. And they are sleeping in my spare room AKA my sewing room.

I did manage to buy a zip so I can try making a zipped cushion cover, so that's sort of something towards sewing, right?

Cop out (S-a-D, day 8)

2011-07-09T08:11:00.002+01:00

All I did today was buy two new cushion pads and drape bits of the wool fabric over it to decide what design to make on the next cushion.

That's sort of something towards sewing, right?

My excuse is that I was working in the morning, and that my parents are down and we were busy pulling up my old patio in the afternoon. And by 'we' I mean my parents were and I was standing around watching and not really knowing what to do.

Cushion (S-a-D, day 7)

2011-07-08T09:49:00.001+01:00

Item: Cushion.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers wool patchwork kit.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: wool patchwork kit £5 + cushion pad £1.50.
Complexity: Hmm.
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 7.

I made a cushion:

It's really quite pathetically simple, and it took me far too long to figure out which folds to make.
I made it without a zip, so there's an extra width of fabric to fold over the cushion pad to keep it all in place.
I had to make a few adjustments to the size and it's still probably slightly too big for the pad but I'm really happy with it.

Straight Pinstripe Skirt (S-a-D, day 6)

2011-07-07T06:11:00.002+01:00

I clearly didn't think through this challenge name - that's a really unfortunate acronym.

Item: Straight pinstripe Skirt.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers linen off-cut.
Pattern: Vogue 2218.
Purchases: linen £7, lining £2, zip £1.40.
Complexity: huh? or possibly gulp.
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 6.

I got a lot done today, but unfortunately not enough to finish so I didn't get to wear it to the garden party today.

What I did get done:
- Pockets designed, cut, neatened and attached.
- Lining side seam cut open and extra strip added in. I feel fat :(
- Lining and outer attached together.
- Slit neatened by attaching lining to outer fabric.
- Realised that the lining and outer fabric don't quite line up for the slit at the waistband. Hoped it didn't matter because I'm not sure I can be bothered to fix it.

It's going to be wait-and-see to find out if that last point is going to require additional lining alterations. I really hope not. It's not out by much so I'm hoping I'll get away with it.

Straight Pinstripe Skirt (Stitch-a-Day Challenge, day 5)

2011-07-06T08:20:00.000+01:00

Item: Straight pinstripe Skirt.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers linen off-cut.
Pattern: Vogue 2218.
Purchases: linen £7, lining £2, zip £1.40.
Complexity: Still thinking huh?
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 5.

I had to start by fixing up the overlocking that I'd messed up. I'd caught a bit of material in the stitching that I shouldn't have. At least this time I didn't put a hole in it.
I then sewed the darts, tacked the seams and tried it on. It fits. Phew.

Unfortunately I only have until about 1 o'clock tomorrow to finish it off and I have to go to work. It doesn't look promising.

Straight Pinstripe Skirt (Stitch-a-Day Challenge, day 4)

2011-07-05T08:30:00.001+01:00

Item: Straight pinstripe Skirt.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers linen off-cut.
Pattern: Vogue 2218.
Purchases: linen £7, lining £2, zip £1.40.
Complexity: I'm still thinking this will be a huh?
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 4.

Well I was very glad for this challenge yesterday as without it I would have done nothing. I tried on the now looser lining and pinned up the zip and I think I'll get away with it. I also cut out the outer fabric (wider than the pattern), marked up the pattern markings and overlocked the edges.

One day left to finish this. Hmm. We'll see.

Straight pinstripe Skirt (Stitch-a-Day Challenge, day 3)

2011-07-03T22:00:00.000+01:00

Item: Straight pinstripe Skirt.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers linen off-cut.
Pattern: Vogue 2218.
Purchases: linen £7, lining £2, zip £1.40.
Complexity: I suspect a huh? but I've barely started yet.
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 3.

Lining pattern markings transferred.
Edges overlocked.
Front and both back pieces sewn together.
Tried on.
Realised I've put on more weight than I thought since I last made this pattern.
Seams re-sewn closer to the edges.
Unpicked original seams.

Well I'm glad that I started with the lining anyway.

Straight pinstripe Skirt (Stitch-a-Day Challenge, day 2)

2011-07-03T21:03:00.002+01:00

Item: Straight pinstripe Skirt.
Source: Cotswold Woolen Weavers linen off-cut.
Pattern: Vogue 2218.
Purchases: linen £7, lining £2, zip £1.40.
Complexity: I suspect a huh? but I've barely started yet.
Challenge: stitch-a-day day 2.

I have cut out the lining pieces (which was easy), bought the zip (two actually one the right colour in the wrong size and one the right size in the wrong colour) and set up the overlocked (hard due to not being able to find the black thread anywhere - it turns out it was in the first place I looked but I didn't notice it).

New fabric

2011-07-02T15:00:00.002+01:00

I can't stop buying tea-towels. I really, really don't need any more fabric but when I saw this pack in Wilkinsons for £4 I just couldn't resist. Any ideas on what to make with apple print fabric? I'm very tempted to make an iPad/iPod/iPhone cover except that I don't own any of those things.

Who would want polka dot sheets? Me apparently.

Lovely fabric. I'm thinking bag lining and a one-day top. I'm NOT thinking sheets. Why would someone want this for a sheet? It cost me £7.99 for a king-size flat sheet.

After a trip on Wednesday with my sewing class to The Cotswolds Woolen Weavers I have ended up with yet more fabric for my stash. Oops. But it's so pretty, see:

Grey pinstripe linen £7 for 90cm.
The purple wool strips were sold as a patchwork kit for £5.
The set of 5 linen squares was £6.
I'm going to make a skirt from the grey pinstripe linen, and cushions from the purple wool strips. I am hoping to get the skirt made by Wednesday since I am going to meet up with some of the people who were there when I bought the fabric. This is an improvement over my usual fabric shopping where I have no plans for what to make. Of course, I don't know what I'm going to use the linen squares for yet but they're quite large so I think they might end up as lining for something.

I also bought a pair of large handmade buttons for £4.95:

I'm planning to use them as a focal button on a bag.

Camera Case Wristlet in black and white dots

2011-07-02T08:00:00.001+01:00

Item: Camera Case Wristlet.
Source: Fabric stash (a tea-towel).
Pattern: Keyka Lou Patterns Camera Case Wristlet.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.
Challenge: Stitch-a-day day 1.

I started this before Christmas and had the pieces cut out and interfacing sewn on, but I did all the sewing today. I think it's a very cute little bag and I think I'd make it again however I think that it is probably of limited use because it really is quite small. I don't think that the velcro isn't in quite the right place, there is a large gap at the top of the bag when it is velcroed shut, however I also don't think the velcro is really necessary as the ribbon holds it closed.

New Sewing Challenge for July

2011-07-01T21:54:00.001+01:00

Since I have managed to get out of the sewing habit I am going to start a new challenge suggested by Becky a while a go: a stitch-a-day.

My thing-a-day challenge ended up being lots of small things so that I could fit them into a single day with a few larger things here and there. I don't want to do the same again so instead I'm doing at least one stitch a day, or at least one thing towards sewing every day.

I can't promise that I'll blog every day, but I hope that when I do I'll have some decent sized pieces to show for my efforts.

Stupid collar, one-day tops and luggage tags

2011-07-01T20:33:00.000+01:00

So the shirt is not going well. All was good up until I came to sew on the collar. On my first attempt the sewing machine tried to eat the collar. Second attempt I managed to catch a load of extra material in the seam. Third attempt I managed to catch slightly less extra material in the seam. So I decided to put it aside for a while and sew something quick and simple instead:

Item: Luggage Tag.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Same as day 29.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

It's made from left-over pieces of my shirt material. It's not quite as stand-out-ish as my first tag but it's still going to be pretty unique. It's a simple fold-over design with a clear plastic section to put the personal info in.

After making this I was again enjoying sewing and didn't want to go back to that damned shirt, so I went looking through my fabric stash for bright fabric to make into another luggage tag. The fabric I wanted to use I had ear-marked for another one-day top and I didn't want to go cutting bits off only to find I'd cut the wrong bit and couldn't make what I wanted to make, so instead I went ahead and made the one-day top so I could figure out how much fabric I had left over.

Item: One-day top.
Source: Abakhan.
Pattern: Self-made pattern from the original one-day top that started this whole thing off. See About The Challenge.
Purchases: I think it was about £5.
Complexity: Hmm.

I varied the design a little. Instead of putting in darts to shape the top I went all Marissa and did a pinch and cinch but wrapped a bit of fabric around the cinching bit because I thought it looked nicer.
I should also confess that despite the name it took more than one day to make. I did all but the hem in one day though. I left the hem because I wanted to take the unhemed version into my sewing class to figure out how to make a version with a hem straight with the grain. Keep reading to see why.

Once I'd made (most of) the top I had lots of left-over fabric to play with and so made another luggage tag.

Item: Luggage Tag.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Same as day 29.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Yawn (it gets easier every time).

I then went on to make yet another one-day top in a rather more complex fabric:

Isn't it gorgeous?

Item: One-day top.
Source: Fabric stash (originally came from The Fancy Silk Store in Birmingham - how great a name is that?).
Pattern: Self-made pattern from the original one-day top that started this whole thing off. See About The Challenge.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Err.

This one-day top took three days to make, but I love the fabric. It was a little strange cutting out fabric with the hem line already decided and it took me hours to cut out the two pattern pieces. I was so scared to cut the fabric. Once it was cut out though it went together pretty quickly. This one has the pinch and cinch wrap and also slits at the bottom of the seams.

Single Girl Graduation Quilt - Introduction

2011-04-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone! Long time no see.

I haven't posted here since last year, and I certainly haven't sewn on more than perhaps a button since then. I have loads of excuses, none of them interesting. Now my focus is on getting myself back into sewing after such a long break, and finishing some of my works-in-progress.

The one thing I really want to finish is my Graduation Quilt. It's a Denyse Schmidt pattern called Single Girl - it's meant to be a modern take on a wedding ring quilt, but less wedding, more independent woman. Its only flaw? It's very challenging to make.

Here's where we get into my X-Factor-esque explanation of why I need some motivation to finish this quilt:

I bought the fabric, every fat quarter in the Hope Valley line, when I was writing my dissertation last year. It sat on my desk for months while I slaved over those 12,000 words, and was to be my treat when I finished the project. Sound idea, but it never really came to fruition. While I was writing my dissertation my Mum was undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer - looking after her, trying to finish university, and holding down a part-time job in my dream career took its toll on me and I never got very far with my quilt. In the evenings, when everyone had gone to bed and I couldn't write any more, I would sit and cut out all of the pieces.

Mum recovered, I managed to hand in my dissertation (with an incredibly generous deadline extension, thank you eternally Dr Frank), and my quilt got left at the brink of being pieced together. I tried to revive my interest in it sometime last year, and joined all of the ring quarters together, and that is where the quilt has remained ever since.

I want to finish this quilt, just for me, as a memory of what I achieved in 2010. I thought if I wrote a blog about my progress and regularly updated what I've done I'd have no excuse not to finish it. My Mum is all clear of cancer, I got a promotion at work and not only did I complete my dissertation but it allowed me to graduate with first class honours. I'm Supergirl, I just need to finish my quilt.

So, what's the next step? I've got a poly-cotton sheet to use as the background for the rings, it just needs a hot iron, and then cutting out all of the pieces. This may take a while, so I'd better go get started!

Eventually, when the top is completed, I would like to embroider some Charles Dickens quotes onto the quilt - either around/inside the rings, or possibly scattered over the back of the quilt if they don't look right on the top. My dissertation was called 'Condemnation, Salvation and Redemption: Morality in the Works of Charles Dickens', so I think some of my favourite quotes is a nice way to commemorate it, and my Mum can help me embroider it. It might make her happier than me getting a Charles Dickens quote tattoo, anyway!

Patterned Shirt. With extra procrastination.

2011-03-29T13:31:00.003+01:00

Item: Shirt.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: New Look 6952.
Purchases: Nothing yet, probably buttons.
Complexity: Gulp.

If there is anyone still reading this blog, you'll have noticed that the finished sewing projects are few and far between at the moment. I have been doing things, I've just not been finishing them. In order to help me rectify this I'm going to post progress on my current project, which I'm hoping will keep me focused so that I'll manage to actually finish this one.

This is the pattern I'm making: New Look 6952. I'm making view A.

Step one was to adjust the pattern - big boobs are not a good thing when it comes to sewing.

The original pattern is on the right, and the adjusted pattern on the left. That's three weeks of work there. That's how slow going my sewing has been.

Step two was to cut the fabric. This started with folding the fabric, which ought to be a simple job given that it's a repeating pattern. Unfortunately that's not how it turned out; I swear that the squares aren't square. Anyway I now have everything cut out bar the sleeves, which I want to lengthen first. More adjustments. Yay.

And The Winner Is ...

2011-03-26T17:55:00.001Z

... Jan.

Thank you to everyone who kindly donated.

Japan Quake Appeal

2011-03-17T10:43:00.007Z

After reading Very Purple Person's recent blog posts I have decided to take part in the Japan Quake Appeal in association with A Bit Of This And A Bit Of That by doing a raffle.

I'm raffling off the following items, most of which were made during my crazy thing-a-day period:

reversible bag and key chain (Day 24 and Day 28)
jeans bag (Day 20)
mice pincushions (Days 21 and 22)
tissue case (Day 17)
coin purse (Day 5)
patchwork string (Day 31) to tie up a selection of random craft magazines

And, following Jo's example, I'll be adding a new item for every £50 worth of donations I receive.

How to enter:
Go over to http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/ (United Kingdom) or http://www.globalgiving.org/ (USA) and make a donation. (if you need help with donating then read Jo's post here). Save a copy of your receipt - you'll need this if you win the raffle.

Every £3 ($5) donation buys you 1 raffle ticket. You can enter as many times as you like.

Once you have made your donation, come back to this post and leave me a comment telling me how much you have donated (how many tickets you have bought) and your receipt number.

Make sure you leave a way to contact you in the comments, the simplest way being your email address (if you are worried about spam you can write it as name(at)hotmail(dot)com). I will post the winner on the blog on the 26th, so if you don't leave any way for me to contact you then please check back to see if you've won. I'll give you a couple of days to get in contact before picking another random entry.

The raffle is open to everyone, anywhere in the world.

The raffle will close at 12 noon (GMT) on 26th March and the winner will be drawn at random and notified by email.

Please note: this raffle is being held on this blog, in cooperation with A Bit of this and a bit of that. We are in no way affiliated with Global Giving, that's just our chosen method of getting funds safely to the affected area.

Jo has posted a list of links to all the blogs taking part (each requiring separate donations) so if this prize doesn't interest you then look at the other prizes on offer.

Post-Christmas Catch Up

2011-01-19T21:20:00.006Z

I'm finally getting round to updating the blog. I can now reveal the top-secret items. And I managed another two weeks of items. Unfortunately that meant I fell short of the one-a-week until the end of the year by two weeks. Plus I never did finish the top I started in week 3. But still, I'm happy with what I did manage, and either everyone was very happy with their Christmas presents or they were too polite to say that they weren't (we're ignoring the fact that my little sister abandoned one of her presents just a few days after Christmas at our parents house, not bothering to take it home with her - okay, so there were extenuating circumstances).

First the reveals:
WEEK 4
Item: Pixie Handbag.
Source: Fabric stash + tea-towel.
Pattern: Keyka Lou Patterns.
Purchases: £2 tea-towels + 70p magnetic clasp.
Complexity: Hmm.

I'm very happy with this. So much so that I'm disappointed that my little sister liked it. I want it for myself and am intending to get round to making one.

WEEKS 5 AND 6
Item: Lots of Pockets Tote.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Keyka Lou Patterns.
Purchases: Magnetic clasp for 70p on each bag.
Complexity: Hmm.

I like these. I really like the denim for the bag, it's a nice heavy fabric. The black and pink one is for my big sister, and the checky one is for my Mum.

Week 7
Item: Pocket clutch.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Keyka Lou Patterns.
Purchases: Magnetic clasp for 70p.
Complexity: Err.

This wasn't pretty. It doesn't line up properly when closed and just looks wrong. I can see where I've gone wrong and at some point I might even go back and fix it. For now, I've had enough of sewing bags.

Then the additional weeks:

WEEK 10
Item: Rice hand warmer.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: No Big Dill (via Very Purple Person).
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

My little sister is currently living in Malta. This is a nice hot country for holidays. And that seems to be the time of year that the accommodation is set up for. It is still much warmer over there than here - but she has no heating, so I made her this little microwavable hand warmer.

I'm really happy with it. It gets to a nice temperature, feels lovely (it's like one of those stress toys - I can't put it down), and I'm really happy with the look. I tend to be very unadventurous with the things I make and I had expected this was going to be a simple square bag, but when I started looking at the fabric I decided to use the denim from a pair of worn out jeans (left over from day 20). I was intending to just use the flat fabric but in a rare inspirational moment decided to leave the seam in as a feature. I know that this doesn't sound impressive in any way, but for me this was a huge moment - looking at the flat fabric and seeing the end result before it was all put together. I'm getting there - slowly.
I'm also happy with the contrast with the ribbon, they look like they were made to go together.

This is the present that my sister so thoughtlessly abandoned. Of course, that's not at all true: she lives abroad and getting her stuff home involved a plane trip with strict luggage allowance. Also bear in mind that she went out to Malta in the middle of the summer with no winter clothes, so her suitcase was rather full of more important items (also it's surprising how heavy rice is).

WEEK 11
Item: Key ring.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Tutorial from Creative Little Daisy.
Purchases: 30p for split ring and 10p for D ring.
Complexity: Yawn.

Okay, so nothing new to see here: some fabric cut from an old pair of jeans and a bit of ribbon. Exactly the same fabric and ribbon as for the hand warmer - I liked the two together so much I used them again. This was my Dad's Christmas present, and I have no idea if he's using it or not.

Louise Week 9

2010-12-21T13:04:00.003Z

Item: Key ring.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Tutorial from Creative Little Daisy.
Purchases: 30p for split ring and 10p for D ring.
Complexity: Meh.

This is the same key ring as I made on Day 28, but this time I added some text with my sewing machine. I love the fact that I have letters on my machine - they get used very rarely but are great when they are.

This is part of the Secret Santa present made for the IT guy at work. The slogan seemed appropriate. In case you can't read it in the picture, it says "No. I will not fix your computer."

Louise Week 8 - After

2010-12-01T18:30:00.000Z

Erm, so, you might notice from the photos that there isn't a whole lot of sewing involved this week. In my defence these are a present for my sewing tutor, and I made them myself - that counts right?

I can't guarantee there'll be any more sewing this week.

Now if I've done this correctly this should publish when I'm at my sewing class on Wednesday.

Louise Week 8 - Before

2010-11-22T11:38:00.001Z

Source: Fabric stash.
Cost: None.

This week I will be using up fabric left over from week 4.

Let's hope it's more successful than last week.

Louise Week 7 - Before and After

2010-11-22T08:31:00.002Z

Item: CENSORED.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: CENSORED.
Purchases: 70p for CENSORED.
Complexity: Err.

Teaser photo:

Look familiar? This week I used up the left-over fabric from week 5.

Unfortunately, this item didn't turn out great. And I mean that literally: I snipped too close to the stitching so when I turned the item right way round it was a little frayed in places. I also messed up the placing of one of the pieces meaning it looks kind of lopsided. It's still possible to be rescued, but I've had too much Christmas shopping to do to fix it yet.

It might get fixed before Christmas, or it might get binned and a new present made instead. We'll see.

Louise Weeks 5 and 6 - After

2010-11-22T08:28:00.001Z

Item: CENSORED.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: CENSORED.
Purchases: £1.40 for CENSORED.
Complexity: Hmm.

I have finished both of weeks 5 and 6 but unfortunately they are both still top secret as they are Christmas presents.

Here's a little teaser:

Louise Week 6 - Before

2010-11-09T08:09:00.003Z

Source: Fabric stash.
Cost: None.

I've had a busy week (work - boo) and a busy weekend (parents' visit - yay) and so I have managed to make exactly no progress on week 5. The fabric isn't even cut out. But not to worry - I have a cunning plan. I'm going to make two of the same thing, but in different fabrics, and hopefully I can then manage to catch up (excepting for week 3 which is still unfinished).

Louise Week 5 - Before

2010-11-04T07:06:00.003Z

Source: Fabric stash.
Cost: None.

Another before shot, another pile of fabric. Thanks to everyone at my sewing class last night who helped me to finally make up my mind about which two fabrics I was going to put together.

Yes, that's another tea-towel.

Louise Week 4 - After

2010-11-04T06:59:00.004Z

Item: CENSORED
Source: Mix of new purchase and fabric stash.
Pattern: CENSORED.
Purchases: Tea-towel shown in before shot + CENSORED.
Complexity: Hmm.

Okay a lot of this week's after shot is censored as this item is going to be a Christmas present.

The best I can do is give you a teaser shot:

Louise Week 4 - Before

2010-10-28T08:16:00.005+01:00

Yeah, I know that week 3's after post is missing. I'm having some overlocker issues (and some laziness issues if I'm honest), so I'm going to jump over week 3 for now and come back to it later. It's already taken two and a half weeks to do something that was supposed to take one so I'm going to stop letting it block me going on to the next item.

Source: Local Shop (Home Bargains).
Cost: £1.99 I think.

Yes, they are tea-towels. I loved the fabric and couldn't resist. You'd be surprised by what you can make from so little fabric. The wallet that I made for Day 27 was made from tea-towels too.
I'm planning on making something that doesn't need an overlocker so I really don't have any excuse this week.

Becky Week #4 - Before

2010-10-26T13:32:00.000+01:00

Item: Brown linen trousers
Source: Tesco sale
Price: Less than £5, I can't really remember.

These are really comfortable trousers and for once they fit me around the waist. But alas, they are too long for midget Becky. Time to turn up my first pair of trousers!

Becky Week #3 - After

2010-10-26T13:28:00.000+01:00

Item: Laura Ashley dress (BEFORE)
Source: Ebay
Cost: £2.99 + p&p

Well, I chopped it in half and turned it into a top. The bottom just didn't look right as a skirt.

I really don't know how I feel about this one. It's a little shorter than the tops I normally wear. I haven't worn it out anywhere, although that's more a consequence of it not being warm enough to wear to work without a thermal vest as well (not sexy).

But still, I learnt something from it. Rolled hems are really difficult when it comes to jersey, but they are possible with a lot of pressing. I think we'll count this one as a success, but maybe not a resounding one.

Louise Week 3 - Before

2010-10-19T08:43:00.003+01:00

Source: Local Shop (K&A Charles).
Cost: £3.99/metre x 2 metres.

I'm so embarrassed about this. Week 1 was a day late, week 2 didn't even get as far as cutting fabric. Let's see how I get on in week 3 as I try to make what I should have made last week.

Louise Week 2 - After(ish)

2010-10-19T08:36:00.003+01:00

Item: Pattern.
Source: Dot-and-cross paper from sewing class.
Pattern: Based on existing wardrobe item.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Hmm.

Yeah, I know - not even slightly what it should be. I've been feeling quite ill and wasn't up to doing too much. I had intended to spend most of Sunday sewing and in the end spent it sleeping instead. But I did force myself to finish the pattern, and I really ought to be able to manage to make the pattern up this week. Of course, since I've not made anything from the pattern yet I don't know how well I managed to copy the shape - I guess we'll see next week.

Becky Week #3 - Before

2010-10-18T21:46:00.000+01:00

Item: Laura Ashley dress
Source: Ebay
Cost: £2.99 + p&p

Brace yourself for this monstrosity.

This is a drop-waisted (eurgh) Laura Ashley (yet again) dress made out of a sort of brushed cotton. It's really not doing anything for me I'm afraid, but it was very cheap for Laura Ashley and I figured I could use any excess fabric for other sewing projects.

The plan? Hack this thing in half and try to salvage either a top or a skirt, because seriously? It's the most unflattering thing ever, and you'd have to be shaped like a house brick for it to even come close to fitting.

Becky Week #2 - After

2010-10-16T09:37:00.001+01:00

Item: Yellow jersey Laura Ashley t-shirt dress (BEFORE)
Source: Ebay
Cost: £0.99

So, reinforcing the seams really didn't take long; what took longer was finding thread the right colour.

As for the waistline, I couldn't find a way of cinching it in without making it impossible to pull over your head. Safety pins made it look really strange in the back, and I didn't want to resew the side seams and make it into a wiggle dress I could only waddle in.

So I settled for the BIG BELT. I love big belts but I don't wear them all that often. But I think in this case it looks OK.

Now, to the moment of truth...

Here I am at work again. And yes, I was collecting flowers. Oh my life is so hard. I actually think I'll wear this one a lot this Winter, with chunky knitted tights and looooong fingerless gloves. What do you think?

Louise Week 2 - Before

2010-10-11T22:21:00.003+01:00

Source: Local Shop (K&A Charles).
Cost: £3.99/metre x 2 metres.

I was trying to figure out how to show the see-through nature of this fabric, when I decided to enlist some help from Wuffles.

Unfortunately all I've managed to do so far is to take a before photo since I was late finishing last week's post. I haven't even pre-washed it yet: that will go on overnight and will hopefully be ready to play with tomorrow night.

Louise Week 1 - After

2010-10-11T22:11:00.003+01:00

Item: Pixie Handbag.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: Keyka Lou Patterns.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Err.

Finally. That seemed to take forever. This wasn't a particularly hard pattern, but I did find it pretty tricky. I think it'd be much quicker and easier next time I use the pattern.

Points to note for future bags:
- Use two straps, not one.
- Make sure the ribbon is attached properly.
- Put the magnetic snap into the lining side of the flap, not the top. Idiot.
- Wait until it's done before starting to panic that it looks rubbish.

That last point is because as soon as I put the first black top panel onto the patterned fabric I decided that I didn't like it. This isn't the first time I've done this. When I first started putting the panels together on a 9 panel embroidered skirt I was making I hated it, but as soon as I'd completed all 9 panels I loved it. I was determined not to be put off this time, but I think I let it slow me down. And yet again, now that it's finished I like it. Phew.

Louise Week 1 - Not After

2010-10-10T20:35:00.002+01:00

I just cut a hole in a bit of the fabric that really wasn't supposed to have a hole in it. I'm giving up for tonight before I make a worse mistake: you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the after.

Becky Week #2 - Before

2010-10-10T15:18:00.001+01:00

OK, here we go again.

Item: Yellow jersey Laura Ashley t-shirt dress
Source: Ebay
Cost: £0.99

Apologies for my face. By this point in the evening I'd worn about 6 different outfits and was getting kind of tired of having my photograph taken.

There isn't much to do to this dress, actually. It's pretty shapeless though. You can't tell in this photo but the hem is unraveling at the back and some of the seams need reinforcing, which is pretty basic stuff. But as for the shape, I don't know - I may just do a Marisa and get my safety pin on rather than do any tacks, otherwise the whole thing might be too tight for me to actually get inside.

Becky Week #1 - After

2010-10-05T14:07:00.001+01:00

Item: Blue Laura Ashley dress with full circle skirt (BEFORE)
Source: Ebay purchase
Cost: £0.99 + p&p

Well, this one didn't take long at all. Most of the time was taken up trying to mark the circle skirt to the right length to cut. I spent about an hour standing on a coffee table whilst my mother marked the length of the whole thing; sorry Louise, I don't have any photos of that!

I cut the new length, and then did a rolled hem. I also chopped off a little bow that was on the neckline, which really added nothing and made it seem quite old-lady-ish.

Here's the results!

A lot less bridesmaidy, wouldn't you say? These photos are after I came back from a work leaving party, so yes - I've worn this out in public!

And any dress that twirls like this is a success. I think the length is perfect - it's not so short that I'd be self conscious, but it's just leggy enough to be noticeable. At the party a few people said that they liked the dress, and that it wasn't too flower girl, and even one of the labour team said 'crikey! You've got legs!' This, for me, equals success.

And there really is no point in working in beautiful places if you can't snap a shot of yourself with a kick-ass background. I often spend my time in floral dresses reading books from a library in a very suspicious manner, don'tchaknow.

Week #1 is done!

Louise Week 1 - Before

2010-10-04T22:30:00.003+01:00

My before picture is not really as dramatic as Becky's. I suspect the "here's a pile of fabric" before photos are likely to get old quickly.

Source: Fabric stash.
Cost: None.

Becky Week #1 - Before

2010-10-02T09:58:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone. Here goes nothing!

For my first week, I thought I'd try this little number.

Item: Blue Laura Ashley dress with full circle skirt
Source: Ebay purchase
Cost: £0.99 + p&p

I couldn't decide what to do with it at first. I tried it on when my Mum and her sister were around, and they spent three quarters of an hour just stroking the material and telling me I mustn't cut it up and I look adorable as I was.

WRONG.

Seriously, look at me. I am not happy. Excuse the black socks, and the expression on my face, I'm trying to come to terms with the ignominy of wearing what appears to be my Grandmother's sofa. On the other hand, I did really really love the pockets - any dress or skirt with pockets I immediately fall in love with.

So, in light of any real advice I took my problem to Facebook and asked if it was OK to chop a load of material off this thing. Here are some of the opinions I got back:

"i say go for it! it's a really cute print as long as it has a modern shape, maybe chop the sleeves off too"

"It is very handsome. But I suggest chop chop chop away! Adapt, adopt and improve!"

"The dress is lovely, but I am in agreement with you. Shorten it and it will be a stunning summer dress."

And most importantly, the opinion of my esteemed sewing challenge colleague Louise: "I'd definitely go with shortening it. I love the sleeves as they are so I would want to leave them. Also, if you shorten it, think what you could do with all that left over fabric."

That was enough encouragement for me to happily disregard the opinions of my family. So this dress is getting the chop!

Preview!

2010-09-15T21:45:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone! It's Becky here.

Come October I'll be joining Louise on this sewing challenge, working on one project a week. Hopefully we can post a before picture and an after post, but until then Louise is itching to see the stuff I've gathered to work on! So here's a sneak preview of some of the pre-loved ebay items I've picked up that I'll be trying to make wearable in this day and age.

A lot of the items are Laura Ashley, for pretty much one reason - for the cheapness of the outfits (they are horrendously 1980s) you get a quality piece of clothing, in some very floral fabrics (which I love) and a lot of the excess can be used for alternative sewing projects.

I try and get things as cheaply as possible, either from sales, charity shops or ebay. My only rule is that it has to be a fabric I really like, with the potential to be wearable on a day-to-day basis. A dress might only cost £1.50, but it's £1.50 wasted if I'm only going to wear it once! So expect to see a lot of floral stuff!

Here's a few of the things I've got planned once October starts. I'll also be posting these on my Facebook account and copying across some of the opinions I get from there.

Thanks, and happy sewing!

Day 31

2010-09-08T20:44:00.004+01:00

Item: Patchwork String.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: mairuru's blog.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This is one of my favourite ideas for using up fabric scraps. You can use really quite small bits of fabric, and the more you put in the more the end result varies. A single fabric version of this would be dull.

I had intended to make a bracelet from this as shown in the site for the original instructions, but it so doesn't work:

There's too much fabric and some of it is quite stiff. But it does look great (if rather blurry) tying up a bundle of fabric:

I might have to use this if I ever get round to putting up shelves in my sewing room to put material on. It's also a nice simple little item for my last day.

Yup you heard right: it's over. I can't quite believe that I've made something every day for a month. I'm regretting those adjustment things that I did back at the start: it would have been nice to have really made something every day, but I know that if I hadn't included the adjustment items in this, then they'd still be sitting in a to-do pile somewhere, so I guess it's a good thing really.

Overall I'm really pleased with having achieved this. I do need to confess to technically failing though. For a while in the last week I was behind by a couple of days. I just got too busy with work to be able to do something some days. But I did catch up, so it's not all bad. I have no idea how Marisa does it.
I also have to say that I'm glad it's over. To be able to go to bed of an evening when I'm tired - heaven. Having said that, I'm looking forward to one thing a week. I want to carry on with what I'm doing, just at a pace where I can take a bit more time and make sure that I do what I want, rather than what I have time for. I've been using the reversible bag, for example, and am really regretting not having put pockets in - but I didn't have time. I have been thinking about adding some button holes to the bag, and making a few little items to button on to the bag - like little purses that would act as pockets. I have a feeling that it would look really stupid though.

Anyway, goodbye for a couple of weeks and then I will be back on a weekly basis and will be accompanied by the lovely Becky.

Day 30

2010-09-08T12:00:00.002+01:00

Item: Fabric Envelope.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Sew Mama Sew
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

I'm going to jump straight to the pictures:

I love this. I have no idea why I made it: what possible use to I have for an envelope made out of fabric?, but now that it's done I think it makes a great little bag. Look it's even holding my fabric for tomorrow's item.

It was surprisingly simple to make, and I want to go make more now.

Day 29

2010-09-07T18:16:00.003+01:00

Item: Luggage Tag.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Tutorial from Fat Quarters.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Hmm.

Although this is a fairly simple project and uses up more of my scraps, it is not a filler. I made this because I need a luggage tag and I think that this one is going to be pretty unique so should make my bag stand out.

It folds over to keep the personal information hidden, and the straps loop through a button hole to keep it closed.

Day 28

2010-09-07T18:11:00.005+01:00

Item: Key chain.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Tutorial from Creative Little Daisy.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This was another last minute filler item. I made it in colours to match the reversible bag from last week.

Day 27

2010-09-07T18:05:00.004+01:00

Item: Wallet.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: Very purple person's Wallet Tutorial.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Huh?

Today I'm continuing my love for very purple person's tutorials with her wallet tutorial. It's taken me several days to finish. I adjusted the pattern to make it slightly taller because I wanted to be able to fit a passport in it. It meant that I got a couple of extra pairs of credit card pockets too, although I also got a couple of pairs of credit card pockets worth of bulk to sew through. I used a magnetic catch too.

Overall I'm quite happy with this, but it's not very tidy. Some (okay, all) of the straight lines aren't parallel to each other and the binding is all over the place. But I will definitely be using this wallet.

Day 26

2010-09-07T18:01:00.004+01:00

Item: Pin cushion jar.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Craft Pudding's tutorial.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This was just another filler item, but I love it. It is so handy, and cute. I used one of those miniture jam jars, which just about fits in pins. Plus I got to play with super glue, and who doesn't like risking sticking themselves to random objects?

Day 25

2010-09-07T17:58:00.003+01:00

Item: Bookmarks.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

A simple one today, because I started making something else and got too confused / ran out of time. Here are a pair of bookmarks in different styles from the same material:

They have a plain pink backing that doesn't clash quite as horribly with the stripy ribbon.

Day 24

2010-09-02T11:11:00.004+01:00

Item: Reversible bag.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: Very purple person's reversible bag tutorial.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Err.

I'm revisiting Very Purple Peron's tutorials and have made the reversible bag.

I used the same light blue fabric used for the culottes from days 4 and 14, and some dark blue material that was cut off the bottom of a pair of shortened curtains. I like the dark blue outside and light blue lining, but I'm not too keen on the reverse.

One problem I'm finding with the deadline of one thing a day is that I'm rushing things more than I'd like. I really ought to have put some pockets in this, but didn't have time. I did force myself to take the time to include some of the labels I made yesterday, and I really like the effect. I'm not too sure on the pinked edges (is that the right phrasing for something cut with pinking shears?), I almost folded the edges under, but again, I was looking for the quick and easy as it was getting very late.

What I'd do differently next time:
- include pockets, probably using opposite colours (i.e. a light blue pocket on the dark blue side, and a dark pocket on the light side).
- include a magnetic snap closure.

Day 23

2010-08-31T22:07:00.004+01:00

Item: Labels.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: Stamps and ink: £15.27. Wow, that's crazy.
Complexity: Surprisingly hmm.

If you think some of my previously days projects have been cop out simple things, then you've seen nothing yet. I've been wanting to put labels into my sewing items for a while but haven't figured out exactly how to do it, but today while buying a zip for the thing I was supposed to make on day 18 I managed to find a fabric ink pad. Finding lettering that I liked was rather more complex, but this one was quite cute. The only issue is that there's only one of each letter which limits what I can write. Anyway here's the result:

Now all I need to do is to sew them into something.

And finally: Happy Birthday Mum.

Days 21 and 22

2010-08-31T16:52:00.003+01:00

Item: Stargazing Mice.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Sew Hip issue 11.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Hmm.

These were supposed to be doorstops according to the pattern, but I wanted to reduce the size of the pattern pieces to make pin cushions instead. Not a problem I have a printer/scanner combo thingy, which means I can do a photocopy with reduction. So I traced the patten off onto plain paper (one A4 piece for the ears, and A3 for all the other pieces), and photocopied with reduction. It worked with the ears, although the print out was very faint. I tried for the A3, and although a piece of paper came through I couldn't see any ink on it. And then the printer decided it was out of ink. That was almost the end of that. A while later I came up with the idea of scanning the images into the computer, reducing the size on screen and tracing from the screen onto paper. unfortunately with no ink in the printer, the all-in-one thing wouldn't let me choose the scan option. Obviously. Stupid machines. A while later again I hit on the idea of initiating the scan from the computer rather than the printer/scanner end. This worked. Phew and yay. Much faffing around on the computer pasting the halves of the A3 sheet together (it's only an A4 scanner) and trying to scale the two pattern pieces in the same way, then I managed to trace off the pattern and I was on my way. Finally. The good thing about making these as pin cushions was that I was able to use up some more fabric scraps. Much sewing later and I had these two cute little creatures:

My only problem is that they are too cute to stick pins in. Well that and the fact that they don't really want to stand up. I think I should have weighted down the back a bit.

Wasp update: Done. Phew. He turned up at 11:30.

Day 20

2010-08-31T16:47:00.006+01:00

Item: Bag.
Source: Worn out pair of jeans.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Hmm.

This required a little bit of thinking about, but was really quite simple. Just cut squares around the back pockets of the jeans. Cut two squares of lining fabric the same size. Sew the lining squares to the top of the outer squares, then sew right around the edges leaving a small gap to turn through, turn and stitch the gap closed. The strap were made from a long strip down one of the legs. I put a button hole in the end of each strap and put a little heart-shaped button on each side of the bag the attach the straps to, and I ended up with this:

Along the way, I also ended up with this:

I'm not too sure about the end product. I like the idea, but I think that I should have added a magnetic fastener on the top, and I think that I should have used two smaller buttons on each strap as I don't like the way the strap sticks out from the bag around the button.

Wasp update: Wasp man rang and he's coming round on Monday between 9 and 10.

Day 19

2010-08-31T16:44:00.004+01:00

Item: Purple top (straps).
Source: Existing wardrobe item.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Yawn.

I still haven't bought a zip, so another back-up project.
I have a top whose straps have a habit of slipping down off my shoulders. Very annoying. With the addition of a piece of ribbon and two press studs I now have some little loops to clips around my bra strap.

Open:

Closed:

Seriously, how fantastic an idea is this? Why don't all top comes with them as standard? I found this tip out from my sewing class and I can't believe how obvious and simple a solution it is.

And for anyone who doesn't want to do sewing a safety pin can do the same job: put the pin through the top and slip your bra strap through the opening before closing it.

Wasp update: Wasp man didn't bother turning up.

Day 18

2010-08-31T16:42:00.002+01:00

Item: Scrunchie.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

Yeah, I know this is a bit rubbish. It's not what I'd intended to make today. I got as far as figuring out the pattern pieces for my intended item, only to realise that I didn't have the right size zip. So I gave up and went for a quick and simple thing instead.

I hadn't realised before just how difficult it is to take a photo of the back of your own head.

Wasp update: I rang the wasp man, who said he'd come round this afternoon, so I left work early only to get a phone call saying that he wasn't going to come because it was raining (it makes the powder less effective). He's coming tomorrow instead.

Day 17

2010-08-25T22:28:00.001+01:00

Item: Tissue Case.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Very Purple Person's Tissue Case Tutorial.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

I stumbled across Very Purple Person's blog when I googled for wallet sewing patterns, and now I'm hooked. I have read her entire blog in a single day. There are so many ideas there and some fantastic free tutorials, so well explained. Go look. Seriously. Now. See? It's great isn't it?

Anyway, I loved the multi-fabric examples, and wanted to do the same thing, and it gave me the perfect excuse to ease my way into patchwork of sorts, and use up some of my bag of scraps. Of course, before I could do that I needed to fix my sewing machine. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, and eventually resorted to RTFM. Unfortunately before I could read the manual, I needed to find the manual. And that meant braving the loft. Da-da-da-daa. Okay, going into a loft would not normally need a drum roll, but there are wasps living up there. Eek. At this point I need have a brief aside for my Mum. If you're not my Mum please feel free to ignore the next paragraph.

Mum: stop panicking. I'm fine. I didn't even go into the loft. The box of instructions is right by the hatch. I just poked the hatch up and grabbed it. I even waited after poking the hatch up a bit to see if I could hear buzzing. And I made sure that I could slam the hatch down and run away if I needed to. Very safe. Really. I've got the phone number for some pest control people. I'll ring them; promise. Love you?

Okay, where was I? Oh yes, instruction manual. Annoyingly it turned out that the manual wasn't even in the loft, it was in a pile of sewing papers in the sewing room. Argh. Anyway, after much faffing and worrying I ended up taking out a single screw, using the lint brush and an air blower aerosol to clean out the bobbin area and hey presto it all works again. But it didn't leave me with much time for doing any actual sewing, so I'm back to an easy project. Right, back to the project...

I grabbed a few fabric scraps in various shades of blue, joined them together with a straight stitch and used pinking shears to stop the edges fraying. Here's my joined fabric and lining, and yes the the fact that the joins aren't square to each other was deliberate. I didn't have time to make sure they were all perfect, so I went deliberately the other way.

Then I followed the simple instructions in the tutorial and ended up with one of these:

Of course, I don't actually need a tissue case, so does anyone have any ideas what else I could use it for?

Day 16

2010-08-24T22:09:00.001+01:00

Item: Headband.
Source: Fabric scraps.
Pattern: Sew Hip, issue 19.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

After sewing until this morning yesterday, I felt the need for something a little more relaxing today and so I went for some hand sewing. If I'm honest, I also wasn't feeling up to investigating what's wrong with the sewing machine.

This was a chance to use up a little bit from my carrier bag fabric of fabric scraps that are just a little too large to consign to the rubbish bin.

Because hand sewing is so much quieter than machine sewing I also got to catch up with some TV. And here it is, modelled by the lovely wuffles:

And a close up:

Day 15

2010-08-24T13:21:00.001+01:00

Item: Wrap-around skirt.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: Sew magazine, issue 9.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This pattern is from the March issue of Sew magazine, and I have been meaning to have ago at this pattern even before I got the magazine - it was shown in the previous magazine advertising the next month's issue. And yet I haven't got around to doing it until now.

I have several different fabrics that I could have made this out of and making a decision was tough: making decisions has never been my strong point and trying to imagine what a finished item will look like from a piece of material and a pattern? well, I've finally come to realise that I'm never going to be able to figure out that skill.

Anyway I finally decided to take a risk on the embroidered fabric, but then realised that it was more see-through than I'd thought and went for a safer alternative of the light green.

This is a really simple pattern with just a few simple seams to sew. Since it is a wrap-around, the fit doesn't need to be perfect, which helps when you're trying to make it up in one day.

Unfortunately, I didn't actually get to finish this one. Today counts as a big fat FAIL. Well, more of a small skinny fail really as the skirt is kind of wearable. I had a problem with my sewing machine when the tension started going all wrong and it failed to make any buttonholes, so the skirt is currently fastener-less. It's held with safety pins in the photo. Hopefully I'll manage to figure out what's wrong with the sewing machine tonight, or this challenge will come to a rather abrupt end.

And I'll finish with a big thanks to Clare for reminding me about this pattern.

Day 14

2010-08-24T13:17:00.001+01:00

Item: Cute Culottes: The Return.
Source: Day 4.
Pattern: Sew Hip magazine, issue 19.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Gulp.

This is where we left off with the culottes:

These things are also the reason for the quick and easy item of yesterday: I started with the unpicking yesterday, but didn't get very far with the re-sewing.

Step one was unpicking. A lot.

Step two was to sew the top of the waistband (the correct top this time). Then to overlock the exposed bottom.

Next I had to redo the folds for the pleats. This is the point that took forever. I lost track of how many times I refolded and tried on those things. Oh, and pins are sharp and painful.

Once I'd figured out the right amount of pleating, I could attach the waistband to hold it all together.

Then it's button holes, which I managed to mess up. The one-step button hole is so great, but sometimes I miss the four-step version on my old machine. The problem with the one-step is when you manage to bump the trigger thingy with your finger, the machine thinks it's got to the end of the button hole way before it should. Resulting in more unpicking. I really embraced my seam ripper this weekend.

I eventually got the buttonholes sorted, then put the buttons on and I'm done:

I decided against pockets, mainly because if I'd tried to add pockets then this would never had been finished.

Day 13

2010-08-24T12:59:00.001+01:00

Item: Vest top.
Source: Existing wardrobe item.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This was a last minute panic item: I have a size 18 vest top, but not a size 18 body, so this needed to be taken in quite a bit. I took 2 inches off the sleeves, and an inch in each side.

The before photos were, erm, interesting. This is the best that I managed. You can just about see where it's been pinned at the shoulder and side.

I ovelocked the sleeves to neatly get rid of the excess fabric, but just sewed an extra line in the seam down the sides, giving a very wide seam which worked just fine. I sewed the seam with a zig zag stitch since this was a stretchy fabric. And now I have PJ tops to go with yesterday's bottoms. Yay.

I can only apologise for the quality of the photos. I even had the good camera for the after shot, unfortunately that doesn't counteract being half asleep.

Day 12

2010-08-20T22:00:00.004+01:00

Item: Pyjama bottoms.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: None / Sew Hip, issue 7.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

Although the 'pattern' for this one kind of comes from a magazine, it really comes from an existing pair of pyjama bottoms - the magazine explains how to copy the fit of the existing item. This is great for me because my current pair are starting to go into holes.

I used a really soft cotton that I purchased with Becky at Birmingham rag market.

I tried really hard to take a photo of these but the camera didn't want to play. This was the best shot:

Things didn't go quite according to plan: when tracing the existing PJs, I forgot about the stretching out the waistband bit. This meant that although they fit perfectly when on, they are a bit of a struggle to put on in the first place, on account of my hips being larger than my waist. The good thing about this is that I didn't need to bother putting any elastic in the waistband. Still, I'm happy with them and think I might make a short pair too - with the extra width and elastic this time though.

Day 11

2010-08-19T21:15:00.001+01:00

Item: Child's tunic.
Source: Fabric leftovers.
Pattern: Sew Hip, issue 5.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This is a little tunic top for a 4 year old. I'm sorry to say that it is hideous. This is the second top that I've made from this fabric and it really just doesn't work. I liked it yesterday as part of the obi belt, but in large doses it's overpowering. I think this top would have been cute if I'd made it out of the pink fabric with the flowery fabric as the accent, but I didn't have enough pink fabric for that. Oh well, we live and learn. I've made this pattern before with more more successful fabric:

This top is going to go to a church-run charity that my sewing class supports. The clothes get sent to third world countries, or to wherever the latest world-wide crisis is. This is a great way to:
- use up left over material (This top cost about £1 to make. Although I used fabric that I already owned, it was a large enough piece of fabric that it could have been used on another project, and can't really be classed as 'left over'.)
- practice your sewing, perhaps trying new techniques
- get a chance to make up pretty girly frilly things without having to have any little girl relatives (or cute boy things, but let's face it what we all really want are the over-the-top girly frills that only baby girls can get away with)
- give to charity

So if you have any left-over fabric, please consider making something up and donating it to your favourite charity.

Day 10

2010-08-18T22:18:00.001+01:00

Item: Obi belt.
Source: Fabric stash.
Pattern: Based on Sew Hip, issue 6.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

It got to 8 o'clock and I realised that I hadn't started any sewing yet, so I changed plans at the last minute and decided to try a belt made from fabric scraps.

This is based on a pattern in Sew Hip magazine, but using the overlocker to make the seams and then not have to bother making each of the strips into tubes or worry about trying to figure out faggoting. I also did an overlocked rolled hem around the edge. I'm starting to get used to them now.

Here's the after shot:

And here's an attempt at shoeing it worn, using the hold out the camera and blindly guess where it's pointing technique:

Day 9

2010-08-18T22:08:00.002+01:00

Item: Strapless top.
Source: Existing wardrobe item.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

This lovely top fits just fine.

The only problem is that I'm just not a fan of the strapless, constantly pulling up the front to make sure your boobs don't fall out, look.
I'd also like to point out two things about this photo:
- The tan line isn't that bad in real life.
- How cool is my new spotty watch?

The solution to this problem is simple: a quick rummage through the crazy big fabric stash for some suitable white fabric.

(I had to split it into two piles to take the photo as a single pile just kept falling down.)

Cut a couple of wide strips; fold strip over and sew long edges together to make strap shapes; press seam open; flip them inside out (I hate that task); and attach. Then unpick, reattach, unpick again, and go for third time lucky. Seriously, this should have been simple, but I just couldn't seem to figure it out for some reason. Well, at least eventually I got to this point:

I resorted to taking my after shot by holding my camera phone in the air and not being able to see the screen. Not the best way to take photos.

And now I can enjoy wearing my top with no more worry than the fact that it is white and will clearly be stained within a small number of minutes of wearing it - I'm just that sort of person.

Day 8

2010-08-17T07:08:00.001+01:00

Item: Linen trousers.
Source: Existing wardrobe item.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Yawn.

I bought this linen suit from the oh-so-posh George. Since it cost so little I didn't care about the slight fitting issue. Can you tell where the problem is?

A quick measure against a pair of trousers that already fit me, some tucking under and pressing, then a quick hand-sewn hem and ta-da:

I can only apologise for the quality of the photos today. I was using the self-timer on the camera on a mobile photo that didn't want to stand up.

I am aware that the sleeves on the jacket probably ought to be altered too, but when you're as short as me, all jacket sleeves are this length. I'm used to it.
As a side-note I wore my top from day 6 today and nobody pointed or laughed. Yay.

Day 7

2010-08-15T16:13:00.002+01:00

Item: Knickers.
Source: Stained t-shirt.
Pattern: Made it up based on a pair of M&S undies.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Meh.

I've had this t-shirt for ages. I've not been a size 12 for a long time, so I've probably had it even longer than I thought. However, it has an unfortunate stain on the front.

So I thought I'd try reusing the fabric to make something I've wanted to have a go at for ages: making my own underwear. I'd love to have a go at making my own bra, but I'm going to stick to the rather simpler option for know and make some shorts-style knickers. The plan was simple: turn the t-shirt upside down and use the hem as the waistband of the shorts. I then cut out the shapes for the front and back, with overlap on the gusset. I overlocked the ends of the gusset and sewed them down, during which this happened:

Whoops. Then I needed to take in the sides as they were too large. Then put a gathered rolled hem around the legs. I think this is called picot edging, and I'm going to pretend that it was entirely deliberate and not just because I was pulling on the fabric too much. And I ended up with:

I'm ridiculously pleased that I managed this, despite the fact that they don't fit all that well - they really need some additional elastic: the stretchiness of the fabric isn't really enough on its own. I still think that I'm quite some way from making my own bra. One day.

Day 6

2010-08-15T09:52:00.002+01:00

Item: Strappy top.
Source: Fabric Stash.
Pattern: Made it up based on a top I made that was itself based on a top I owned.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Hmm.

Since it's the weekend and, at least theoretically, I have a bit more time, I wanted to make something from scratch. However, I didn't actually start until about 7PM, so I probably should have changed my plan. Well I'm glad I didn't. Here's what I started with:

and here's where I ended up:

This top is based on the one day top that started this challenge (have a look at the About The Challenge link). I made a pattern from the outline cut into the fabric for that top, then applied it to what little was left of the same fabric, but with the strap bits folded down as I didn't have enough fabric for them. It turned out that I hadn't done a great job on the pattern as I had to take the top in massively, but it's certainly better to have made it too big than too small. Once the body fit I went on to think about straps. I had intended to make some strappy straps from the same fabric, but it was getting late and I started looking for short-cuts. I tried various bits of ribbon and pinned this one to the top and then had a very confusing video chat on messenger with my Mum and Dad in order to get a second opinion on whether the ribbon was fun and colourful and brightened the top up, or just looked stupid. So I was sat in front of my computer talking and waving to the camera and my parents were sat in front of their computer typing, since they have neither camera nor microphone. It's very disconcerting talking to someone who can only type back. The end decision was that the ribbon ought to be wider but I went with it anyway, hoping to have enough left over to add a second band and make it wider: I didn't.

The side seams were french seams, but then I remembered that I probably had some pink overlocker thread, found that I had and decided to do the hem as an overlocked rolled hem, which is not only pretty but quick. I also overlocked around the top before attaching the ribbon which meant that I didn't need to hem at all.

Day 5

2010-08-13T20:59:00.001+01:00

Item: 'Coin Purse'.
Source: Fabric Stash.
Pattern: Sew Hip magazine, issue 17.
Purchases: A 30p zip.
Complexity: Meh.

I wanted to do a from-scratch project today, but I wasn't up to anything complicated after the culottes. I decided to give Sew Hip another chance and followed their instructions for a simple little zipped purse. What I really liked about this design was the D-ring on the tab, which just made the whole thing appear a little less home-made. (Home-made is good for cakes, hand-made is good for clothes.)

Here is my starting point:

And this is where I ended up:

I'm quite happy with it. If I make this again then I'd change the following:
- use a smaller D-ring
- trim the excess from the zip before turning through so that the top corners sit better
- cut the lining fabric shorter than the outer fabric so it sits neater inside

I was very glad for the blog today. I really had to force myself to start this one, but as ever I enjoyed making it and am happy with the result.

Day 4

2010-08-13T07:58:00.002+01:00

Item: 'Cute Culottes'.
Source: Fabric Stash.
Pattern: Sew Hip magazine, issue 19.
Purchases: A 30p zip.
Complexity: Argh.

I did it. Woo. I'm just going to cut straight to the after photo:

Unfortunately this turned into a bit of a nightmare project, and the end result is unwearable. The biggest problem is that the waistband is curved meaning that the top of it is longer than the bottom. Of course, it should have been that the top is shorter than the bottom so that the flared shape of the culottes continues even in the waistband; the way they are now they flair at the bottom and at the top which is ludicrous.

This would be the point where I pass the blame. But it was kind of my own fault really. I figured out that the waistband would flair and that the wide part should be attached to the culottes, but I checked the pattern over and over and followed what it said. The zip instructions should have given me a clue really. Point to remember for future reference: the people who write patterns are human and make mistakes too. Don't blindly follow instructions and switch off your common sense.

There was another problem with these: the size, they were way too big for me and unless I managed to drop 4 dress sizes without noticing then something went wrong. Tempted as I am to blame the pattern, I think that I folded the pleats incorrectly. I ended up having to put an extra pleat in to make it anywhere near the right size.

The good news here is that in fixing the waistband I will get the opportunity to retry the pleats. But since I have finished the thing to the pattern I'm counting this as my sew thing for today and will attempt to fix it as some other day's project.

The other lack of common sense on my part was that I didn't think to alter the pattern to add pockets. These things really need pockets. Well too late for that now. No actually it isn't. Hmm, I may have to think about this. I'd have to take out at least half of the side seams (which are overlocked), but when I've already committed to taking out the entire waistband that doesn't sound so bad. Just the alterations to this could turn into a major project.

I don't really have a before picture for this one, since it started out as a flat piece of fabric, but here's where I was on Day 1:

And here's me trying to decide what buttons to use:

Day 3

2010-08-11T22:06:00.001+01:00

Item: 'Cute Culottes'.
Source: Fabric Stash.
Pattern: Sew Hip magazine, issue 19.
Purchases: A 30p zip.
Complexity: Argh.

Is anyone else getting bored with this? The zip is fully in and the crotch sewn up. The waistband is prepared but not attached. Another fail. :(

Revised Item: Short-sleeved shirt.
Source: Existing wardrobe item (someone else's wardrobe).
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Yawn.

After yesterday, this really feels like a cop out, but I do have a good excuse: I got distracted watching the first episode of Sherlock on the iPlayer. I don't think this really needs much of an explanation; if it does just read yesterday's.

Day 2

2010-08-10T21:19:00.002+01:00

Item: 'Cute Culottes'.
Source: Fabric Stash.
Pattern: Sew Hip magazine, issue 19.
Purchases: A 30p zip.
Complexity: Argh.
I unpicked the zip from yesterday and tried again, this time using instructions from Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. It doesn't look all that different, but it does fit together a little better and is in the correct way round. I got to the point of having pinned the seams together below the zip when I realised that yet again there was no way this was going to be finished today.

Revised Item: Short-sleeved shirt.
Source: Existing wardrobe item (someone else's wardrobe).
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Yawn.
A friend asked me to sew down the sleeves on this shirt for him a while ago - when I say 'a while' I mean over a year ago. This challenge is definitely helping me to stop putting things off. There's nothing really wrong with this shirt, just that the turned up cuffs aren't sewn down and have a tendency to want to un-turn.

This is a really simple job of just sewing round the edge of the cuffs. And I managed to mess even that up:

Attempt number two went better:

There's also a black version of this sat on my to-do pile. We'll see how the culottes go tomorrow, but don't be surprised to see a repeat of today.

Day 1

2010-08-10T19:55:00.001+01:00

Item: 'Cute Culottes'.
Source: Fabric Stash.
Pattern: Sew Hip magazine, issue 19.
Purchases: A 30p zip.
Complexity: Argh.

These were already partly made up. I was at the point of sewing the fronts together. Problem number one was that the instructions told me to sew from the notch down, except the pattern didn't have a notch. Problem number two was that I couldn't figure out how to put the zip in. It appears that the instructions are faulty; I don't think that is me passing the blame: they tell me to sew both halves of the zip to the right hand side of the culottes. Anyway, I got the zip in. It's clearly wrong. I gave up and moved on to something easier.

Revised Item: Purple Top.
Source: Existing wardrobe item.
Pattern: None.
Purchases: None.
Complexity: Yawn.
This top gapes just a bit too much for comfort and I have been meaning to sort it out since last year. I always wear it with a vest top underneath, but when the weather is nice enough to wear this, it's usually too nice to go layering your clothes.

The solution is a very simple hand sewing of the gap. Yeah, my hand sewing isn't so neat. Mind you, neither is my machine sewing.

And the final thing:

Also, check out the self-cut fringe. Why is it that no matter how often you do this, there still gets a point when you think it would be a good idea to try again?

What's it all about?

2010-08-10T19:44:00.000+01:00

This started when I got fed up of sewing projects dragging on and decided that I was going to attempt to complete some kind of sewing project every month for the next year. I then saw an article in Sew Hip magazine about Marisa and her blog New Dress A Day and immediately felt pathetic in comparison. For anyone who hasn't followed the link, Marisa has given herself 365 days and $365 to create 365 outfits from old clothes. It took about two days for me to get hooked on the blog. And then I got sent away for a day with work, one day turned into four days away from home. Not a big deal but the last day of July was one of those days and I had left my July sewing project at home. Being inspired by Marisa I didn't let that stop me, and bought some fabric and thread, copied the design of a top I had taken with me and borrow a sewing machine. That was my first one day sewing project.

Then I pointed out the link to the blog to Becky, who foolishly replied with "This is utterly brilliant. I'm thinking me and you need to do something similar. :D" Much emailing back and forth ensued, and within the space of a day the following plan had been launched:

9 August 2010 - 8 September 2010
Louise: idiotic one thing a day challenge
I will undertake to complete one item of sewing every day for a month. Not every item will be from scratch. This is one a day people, and I still have a full-time job. Some will be simple alterations to clothes already in my wardrobe, and some will be small items. Hopefully I’ll manage a few ‘proper’ things in there too.

1 October 2010 - ???
Louise and Becky: one thing a week
There will then be a two week break, and then we will both undertake one item of sewing a week until the end of the year, or possibly for a full year - the deadline hasn't been fully decided yet - we only started discussing this yesterday, give us time.

My main focus is split between reducing the ridiculously large pile of fabric I have and making sure that the clothes I already have in my wardrobe are things that I will wear.
Becky is focusing more on getting back into sewing, customising vintage eBay purchases, and encouraging me to do stupid challenges like this.

For this first crazy month, Becky has agreed to be my virtual cheerleader. If anyone else wants to join the squad please do so, the virtual pompoms are free. I'm guessing I'll need a lot of encouragement not to give up.