Stitch and bitch thread #3 Sewing is harder than it seams

[NutellaEllaElla]

And i'm very glad to have you clever sewists to selvedge what's left of my dignity .

Your shirt looks so fab, @PickAChew!

I’ve had a week off the sewing and am itching to get back to my machine. Got a commission from my brother for a new sweatshirt, so fingers crossed I can make him something that fits!

Jaycotts are £75 for overlocker servicing and a mobile engineer I found quoted £55-65. Interestingly I found a receipt for a sewing machine service I had on my previous machine back in 1999 and it was £49 so prices haven’t gone up too badly.

My old overlocker lasted a few minutes on our local free stuff FB group and it was collected today. That’ll free up space for the new sewing machine which I’ll get in a couple of weeks. I’m going to get round to fixing the lovely old singer one of these days as well and I’m going to dig the antique treadle machine I bought for £1 out of the garage for a bit of TLC as well

I only paid £110 for it! I would resent £75 for the service.

I paid £60 for mine and it was a bit battered so I preferred to put my money towards a new one. The new owner is prepared to pay it but she’s paid nothing for the machine

Have you used the Fibremood Feliz website itself @TooExtraImmatureCheddar? They've got various examples of the dress in different fabric - I love the needlecord version. I've made their Norma blouse before and would say that their instructions can be a bit sparse so definitely make a toile first to figure out the construction. They've often got sew along videos as well.

I bought their Rya oversized shirt/jacket for 69p the other day from an offer but would need to find the right fabric for it.

I've hardly touch my sewing this week except to unpick the zip I fitted last week as I stitched it too far down. The waistband proving problematic as there's a lining and the piping too to consider so the innards are in a right mess.

Knits don't tend to fray but single knits do roll and finishing the seams together prevents the lumpiness that can cause.

@Ulysses

Have you used the Fibremood Feliz website itself *@TooExtraImmatureCheddar*? They've got various examples of the dress in different fabric - I love the needlecord version. I've made their Norma blouse before and would say that their instructions can be a bit sparse so definitely make a toile first to figure out the construction. They've often got sew along videos as well.

I bought their Rya oversized shirt/jacket for 69p the other day from an offer but would need to find the right fabric for it.

I've hardly touch my sewing this week except to unpick the zip I fitted last week as I stitched it too far down. The waistband proving problematic as there's a lining and the piping too to consider so the innards are in a right mess.

Thanks Ulysses and everyone else who commented - will have a look at the website. I like the sound of needlecord!

I finished my toile! I made it up fully as I actually loved the fabric and I'm definitely keeping it. I wore it out last night. I will don't have a working overlocker and it was a toile so I never finished any of the raw edges. I never stabilised the seams either.... It feels like a really solid fabric though, nothing approaching fraying yet.

I plan to make it in a black ponte, but I'm also super keen to make more stretch winter dresses. Can anyone recommend a pattern? How do you go about finding one?

That looks fabulous!

I’m terms of finding patterns I tend to look at the pattern houses that seem to work for me first and move on if nothing takes my eye. I’m no expert in stretch patterns yet but there seem to be more of them than woven at the moment.

What sort of thing are you looking for? I’ve found a few stretch patterns in Ellie and Mac that tempted me but I’ve not made them yet. 90s dress I’m looking at you

Thanks! I do love it.
I am looking for long sleeved dresses that I can wear for work with tights. My work is more casual then formal.

The V&A website have some nice Mary Quant dresses which I think are Jersey but I was put off by the colour coded pattern (I don't have a colour printer and you can't separate the layers) and the necklines.

That's a lovely dress, @NutellaEllaElla! I really like the colour and it fits beautifully.

Thanks @Tinuviel, fit was a piece of cake. Maybe it's the stretch Vs woven thing?

Thanks for mentioning Ellie & Mac, I can really see a cool "everywhere dress" happening.

Lovely dress! Looks great.

I've spent the day making the Closet Core Morgan jeans with varying degrees of success. My spatial awareness has totally gone to shit and I'm finding the written instructions really hard to follow, but it's me, not them. Am currently unpicking the waistband because I sewed the wrong side together 🙄 I also cut identical back pieces rather than mirror image; thankfully I have enough fabric for a second pair so can make use of that mistake. Almost there, ironically the button fly was the least tricky bit. I will probably have to make the legs narrower as they're supposed to be a slim 'boyfriend' cut but they look massive from the knees down.

Why has your spatial awareness changed @dubyalass? I found spatial awareness the single most difficult thing to learn when i started sewing and still do. I've cut out identical pieces when I should've cut mirror before too.

I’m not sure I really had it in the first place! I am perimenopausal and it seems to have made me so clumsy, and I struggle to work out how things will look, which way is up, that sort of thing. I’m rubbish with written instructions , but if you show me how to do something, I’ll get it straight away. Anyway, I’ve unpicked the waistband and will redo it tomorrow. What a faff!

Also I normally cut from folded fabric but the instructions said not to due to leg twist (?) with denim. A new one on me!

Also I normally cut from folded fabric but the instructions said not to due to leg twist (?) with denim. A new one on me!

I have a few pairs of jeans from Primark where the outer side seams twist towards the front of my leg after I've worn them a bit.

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar - This might be too late, but I've made the Fibremood Feliz. I used viscose twill. I LOVE it, and wear it all the time! I think it definitely needs to be made in something with a decent drape.

It's a pretty straightforward pattern to make (I didn't do the rolled up sleeves, I made 3/4 sleeves and put elastic in the cuffs).

The trickiest part is the collar, especially if you haven't done a collar before. I'd recommend doing a dummy run, just of that bit, as unpicking small fiddly bits can be a PITA and make it harder to re-do if the material has then frayed a bit, or stretched slightly.

Hello! I’ve been sent over here from S&B.

I’m hoping to get the E&M 90s dress done this weekend. I’ve printed the pattern and washed my fabric - but keep getting thwarted by migraines.

Ooh @AlphabetAerobics I’ve been talking about starting that one for weeks now. Perhaps this may be the inspiration I need

@kittykarateI think mine might do that, I've gone wrong on the notches somewhere and the outer sides are shorter on the front but ok on the inside :/

I'm coveting the Papercut Nova jacket but baulking at the cost of boiled wool. I don't like synthetics so am going to have to save up, or maybe find some old blankets in the chazzer to practise on before I commit to £75 on fabric for a single item

[quote ReviewingTheSituation]@TooExtraImmatureCheddar - This might be too late, but I've made the Fibremood Feliz. I used viscose twill. I LOVE it, and wear it all the time! I think it definitely needs to be made in something with a decent drape.

It's a pretty straightforward pattern to make (I didn't do the rolled up sleeves, I made 3/4 sleeves and put elastic in the cuffs).

The trickiest part is the collar, especially if you haven't done a collar before. I'd recommend doing a dummy run, just of that bit, as unpicking small fiddly bits can be a PITA and make it harder to re-do if the material has then frayed a bit, or stretched slightly.[/quote]
Thanks Reviewing! I haven’t bought material yet so it’s good timing. I haven’t made a collar before, or buttonholes, so there’s lots to learn on this. A toile might very well be a good idea! The drape part was what had me dithering - am now looking at tencel twill. Picking fabric is so hard!

Sew Me Sunshine and Fabric Godmother both have a good selection of viscose twills. I haven't used tencel twill before so don't know how it compares.

I altered the Feliz and made the skirt a 2-tiered one (made it shorter than the pattern and added a gathered tier), so I didn't follow it exactly. But the bodice was unaltered.

If your machine has a 1-step buttonhole setting, buttonholes are a breeze.

I bought a fancy new machine just for the button holes. Worth it.