Sewing
The Disappointing Trousers
This week I tried out a zero waste trouser draft I came across on Pinterest. Actually, it wasn’t a draft – more like a sketch of an idea. (This isn’t the picture I had but it’s very similar.) The problem was, I didn’t realise that these trousers are intended to be baggy. Really baggy. They…
Read More2016 The Year That Was
Welcome to my first post for 2016. 2016 seems a long way off now, but I’m still writing “16” and crossing it out for “17”. Each year I keep a record of the things I sew. Do you do this? Maybe a private Instagram or Pinterest account, a blog, photos tucked away in a folder…
Read MoreA Christmas Day dress
Ladies, Do you like to whip up a new outfit especially for the Festive Season? How nice it is on Christmas Day to slip into a new dress you’ve made yourself, ready to greet the visitors, drink in hand! I don’t make a new outfit every year, and some years my choice has been thwarted…
Read MoreVintage buttonholes
Are you a person who likes sewing buttonholes? If you do, I bet you have a machine that makes Really Great ones. If your machine makes so-so buttonholes or you’ve had problems with it, it’s hard to get enthusiastic. My “everyday” sewing machine is a 1964 Singer that doesn’t make buttonholes. Instead, I select different…
Read MoreCelebrating corduroy
Do you love wearing corduroy? I do. It’s a feel-good fabric that oozes comfort, warmth, and happy 1970’s nostalgia. This Friday the 11th is National Corduroy Appreciation Day, as proclaimed by the (currently in recess) National Corduroy Appreciation Club. The date, 11/11, is the number that most resembles corduroy. Yes, I know what you’re thinking,…
Read MoreA good old fashioned Country Show
There are few events, apart from bushfires and clearing sales, that bring country people together so well as a Country Show. I visited our one-day show, and there was lots to see as there is with any show…shearing competitions (as above), animals, farm machinery, all manner of agricultural produce, cake decorating and the hotly-contested fruit…
Read MoreLike or loathe it: topstitching thread
Topstitching is an great way to emphasise a construction detail, hold seam allowances flat, hold interfacing in position, or to add interest to plain fabric. It also reinforces seams, and I heard that topstitched garments require less ironing! I’m a bit of a topstitching evangelist these days -I really love the look of it- but…
Read MoreSewing mythbusters: twisting thread
I’ve just tested a theory I heard of a long time ago and always wondered about. The theory is: When handsewing, does thread threaded from a spool twist more than if it were threaded from a bobbin? In other words, does it matter which end is knotted? Have you ever tried this to see? I…
Read MoreShortening a metal zip
Shortening a metal zip is a little tutorial for you to file away until you need it. Use it for shortening separating zips for jackets. How did I learn to do this? One season, the designer I worked for used a lot of zips in her range. Zips were IN. She did zip fronted jackets,…
Read MoreWinter shorts finished
Last week’s winter shorts are finished and ready to go. In fact, I wore them this morning. It took four fittings and a lot of unpicking to transform them from Danny DeVito sized trousers to Liz Haywood sized shorts. The drawback to cutting down a large garment into a smaller one is that, in terms…
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