Any sewing aficionados? I need a stitch and bitch...

[IDontMindMarmite]

Now I know when the Sewing Bee is on, there are loads of super talented ladies who would be a gold mine of information! It'd be great if we could gather. Maybe even have a section to ourselves in "In the club". If this thread doesn't die a death anyway. Please say I if you are in favour!

So over lockdown the sequel, I thought i'd actually get my sewing machine out. I sound like someone who has a clue - I don't. I was gifted a sewing machine years ago. I've made two pairs of curtain tie backs since. I've been to a class or two (made a cushion under supervision! And a canvas bag) but can't say i've truly got the hang. It's getting my head round the machine more than anything. It scares me!

Now though, i've decided to tackle mal fitting clothing. I've put darts in DH's shirts using youtube tutorials. I'd like to adjust some of my tops but would love someone to ask - do you only dart shirts? Youtube tutorials for tops like I have do a different method where you pin and sew a new side seam. Also, can I just use pinking shears to trim the excess fabric instead of doing a final zigzag stitch or is that too lazy?

Any general chat welcomed.

The first time it drove me bananas but my top tip us to cut it way beyond the end of the fabric.

I’m sure it repays the effort - piped collars look so smart.

@seizethecuttlefish - I forgot to ask earlier what sort of embroidery you were thinking of doing on the cushion. Hand embroidery isn’t too difficult if you write the name with a disappearing pen and (say) chain stitch over it.

@MoonlightInVermont that's all I need to do. I'll look up chain stitch. Thanks.

Love the quilts. My mum does quilting and made me a lovely one for a significant birthday. I just don't have the patience.

My machine and I had words, yesterday, when it made a complete horlicks of the top stitching around the neck of my whale top. The stitches were far too close together when I was zigzagging seams as well so I've changed the needle, given the race a de-fluff and, fingers crossed, it won't balls anything else visible up for me.

@seizethecuttlefish - I’m not much of an embroiderer (apart from school PE kit!) so there may be better stitches to use, but chain stitch is easy to do and would be quite tactile.

I am in adequate but pretty slow sewer.

I'd love to know what these overlooking feet attachments for a sewing machine look like I wonder if I have one? Could anyone possibly post a pic please as I have a bag of random feet that go with my machine but no instructions? Well I probably had instructions at some point but goodness knows where they are now.

I have a dress cut out from the assembly line -I think it's called the cuff sleeve dress and it's really different construction from other dresses I've made, and maybe I'll get that sorted today

Despite being a slow sewer I make pretty much all of my clothes now bar a few T-shirts and vests. I tend to make a couple of dresses each season and I've been building my wardrobe up nicely over the last few years. I also wear a lot more dresses than I used too.

But in these times of covid and withwinter is coming I would like To make more tops and trousers. But I'm rather blessed in the Booty department & so many of the patterns I see arent sufficiently sized.

Dress that's cut:

theassemblylineshop.com/products/cap-sleeve-dress-sewing-pattern

Waiting for a bigger size to be released

theassemblylineshop.com/products/almost-long-trousers-sewing-pattern

I've just seen TAL are Releasing a free PJ Peyton the Sunday bracket instead of the Black Friday sale brackets - it's a nice idea to make some for the kids for Christmas as Someone mentioned up thread

@toomuchlikemyusername how's the dress going?

Love the details of that, @theclitterati

I don't wear dresses. I own 2 that I wear as tunics, very infrequently. My next project is this as the top, though, and depending on how it turns out, I'm tempted by the dress length, for summer. merchantandmills.com/store/classes/make-the-fielder/

[quote seizethecuttlefish]@toomuchlikemyusername how's the dress going? [/quote]
Pretty well thanks Cuttlefish. Front interfacing had to be unpicked in part as I caught the fabric up in one place - gah!

Sleeves attached at shoulder seams. Onto the bodice seams now but that's a job for tomorrow. Slow and steady....

This is my overlocking foot and the stitch I use on my Toyota @TheClitterati

Lovely thread and pictures, everyone. I haven't made anything for ages and ages as I've had a pretty terrible year so far and my motivation is in the basement, but here's a scrappy string quilt I did manage to finish a
long while back. You sew each block onto thin paper with a very short stitch and then tear it away later.

@JohnLapsleyParlabane

This is my overlocking foot and the stitch I use on my Toyota *@TheClitterati*

Thanks!

Does the foot actually have a blade on it?

@Halsall, I really love your quilt! So clever .

, @TheClitterati- I always wondered what it was and how to use it!

@TheClitterati no blade, though I believe they do exist

Well I can show my face on here again after my recent fails. I successfully tapered in a pair of store bought trousers and now they fit beautifully! Yay! This is a big confidence boost for a nervous newbie like me.

Because I was scared (of ruining them) the whole time, I just finished the seams with a regular zig zag stitch but I've seen this in my instruction manual. Why is it called a double overlock stitch? Would this be a better way to finish a seam? And you can use either foot? I have several tops to tailor next and if this is the best way to finish a seam then I'll try to be brave and give it a go.

That stitch just uses the regular zigzag foot (j) on my brother, presumably because you trim it, after

And I've just finished my top bar thing in ends and a final press of the hems. Really pissed off about this - if only my machine had chosen somewhere less visible to have a hissy fit. Got stuck going over every seam and the zigzags are too spiky because it was nt feeding properly.

Lesson learnt, clean machine more and change needles more regularly. If it was woven I'd re-do it but I don't want to risk ladders.

Finished!
I had to give my buttonhole foot a deep clean to get it to do the auto buttonhole thing.

They look lovely and cosy. I must put piping on my list of things to attempt because it's such a nice way to add contrast or texture.

They used to be an enormous flannel sheet - I made blue pairs for both DC and they love them.

IDontMindMarmite It's called a double overlock stitch because it sews a seam in the normal way and overlocks the edge of the material, so you get double strength.

(Why does autocorrect always think 'sews' ought to be 'sees' and 'overlocks' ought to be 'overlooks'? Grrr)

Up cycling makes 5yem even better.

I had a lovely Morris & Co duvet set that got rather worn around the edges, over the years and my mum recently turned it into a dressing gown. I've kept a duvet cover that's white with a blue striped panel. All that's wrong with it is that the striped panel has shrunk so it doesn't sit right. I shall probably use up the white bit for toiles but I'm hoping there's enough of the striped stuff to copy my Seasalt apron.

Thanks @Halsall,

Anyone who has done overlocking before, is the picture correct in saying that you use that double overlock stitch then trim off the excess fabric? Does it matter which foot is used? The picture seems to suggest not?

The overcasting foot has a guide for running along the edge of the fabric.

Just checked my manual and it lists the stitch you selected as a joining stitch. Say, if you had a raw edge on the right side, hence the ordinary foot.

The actual. Overcasting stitches are different. And sorting through my feet, this afternoon, I realised I have one missing but 2 zipper feet :/ I won't complain, as my machine was a proper black Friday bargain. My mum has just paid more than twice as much for the new version of it.