Stitch and bitch thread #4 I needle the help I can get.

[NutellaEllaElla]

Continuing our supportive little group until we run out of material

Poundfabric order arrived yesterday. The batik fabric is a lot softer than the batik from Poundametre. I think some strategic interfacing in the yoke and front placket of the jacket I'm planning will be necessary to give it a bit of structure. I want it to look like a jacket rather than an overshirt.

I’ve been ruthless with my t shirt drawer again. Most of them are off to the charity rag collection but 3 barely worn and much hated M&S T-shirt’s are going to find a new life as knickers. 😂

It's delaying tactics. At some point I’ve got to make a decision on an outfit for the reunion

First pair nearly done and I’m really pleased with how the picot elastic turned out

That elastic is amazing!

It’s the easiest elastic I’ve ever worked with. I got it from an eBay seller
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10mm-Picot-Edge-Elastic-various-styles-Decorative-Edging-Lingerie-Underwear-/324443850527?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I bought a clearance pack of 30m of odd lengths at the same time. The shortest length is about 1m. Straight to my saved sellers list

They look brilliant, Jins! A great idea for old t-shirts or scraps of jersey.

My Poundametre fabric has finally arrived. They've substituted one fabric (ordered navy, they've sent black) but that's fine. The navy Madras check is beautiful, and the other two will be ideal for festival/going out clothes.

I also got some fab African wax prints from Rose Fabrics. Not proper handmade wax print, but good for some trial efforts before committing to more expensive wax print.

Just got back from a week away, during which I'd left a knitted jumper blocking on the dining table. It's a good fit and I'm really pleased, although I might need to iron out the bumps from the pins - I don't have proper blocking pins.

Is it wrong that I'm quite pleased that Jins knickers look quite comfy?!

Question for you all - has anyone ever made bunting? I popped into Fabric Land today while waiting to pick up DS (who annoyingly arrived before I'd really had much chance to browse) and noticed they had some very patriotic Union Jack fabric. How big would you make the triangles if you were making bunting to stretch across the road? It feels like a fairly quick and easy make, plus I could add in various scraps of leftover fabric that I've already got, just no idea what I need quantity-wise.

I’m not a bunting person @BookShark but this seems a useful guide
www.wikihow.com/Make-Bunting
I think it would be quite efficient in fabric use being triangular.

They are very comfy knickers. I’ve made a few pairs and was delighted to find that there was adequate coverage. Kiki briefs if anyone is interested in stashbusting or there’s a free (if you subscribe to the newsletter) pattern here. Acacia underwear . I prefer the Sinclair pattern for versatility.

Is it wrong that I'm quite pleased that Jins knickers look quite comfy?!

Haha nope! I have never worn anything other than big comfy knickers. Not for me your dental floss thongs.

I don’t mind too much about how high the rise is but I absolutely must have decent coverage at the back. I used this pattern for bikini bottoms as well but I made them higher rise with a control waistband.

I’ve decided to make the McCalls pattern I got free from Minerva for the reunion. Annoyingly I can’t find any finished garment measurements but online reviews say they’ve sized down. I’ll measure the pattern pieces to be certain but 50 pages are printed ready to stick together

@BookShark street sized bunting should be a triangle that would just fit in an A4 sheet IYSWIM.
Reasonably small seams so it doesn't bunch too much in the point and trim excess near the point to keep it sharp.

By the way, bunting cannot be hung across the street, only in line with it, to allow access for emergency vehicles if necessary.

My best tip for bunting is don’t cut the triangles first! There’s a quick method where you place two fabrics right side together, mark long diagonals, sew either side of the marked lines, then cut. That’s a terrible description, but Google/Pinterest should get you to a better explanation.
It’s so much faster than making each individual triangle separately.

Thanks for the bunting advice all - thankfully I worked out the quick method relatively early on after spending far too much time cutting the first triangles!

Interesting about not hanging it over the street, as that's exactly what I've been asked to produce. Would definitely make life easier if I can do smaller lengths (after being laughed at for buying 50m of bias binding today) so will check that with the other party planners.

I went to the Crafting Live show at Sandown Park today with high hopes. Came away with a few cross stitch sets and general disappointment that it was so much focused around paper crafts, with the few fabric stalls being generally disappointing. Which wasn't a major disaster as it only cost £7 and is a whole 10 minute drive from home. But somehow this meant my route home was via Fabric Land to buy all the things I didn't manage to buy yesterday. And have now invested in some drawers to house my ever-increasing fabric stash!

This is a fascinating tip, I've yet to find a tutorial but I'll keep it in my pocket for future reference.

Sorry, I can’t find the quick bunting tutorial I originally used (it was about ten years ago), but this link is similar: Knotted Cotton.
I definitely sewed mine in bigger pieces, so it was like a big harlequin diamond pattern with several rows. I think it was one metre pieces of fabric making four rows of triangles. Lots of long straight lines of sewing, rather than stopping and starting.
I found it really efficient for both time and fabric. It works best with nondirectional patterns.

I’m halfway through sticking the 50 pages together and I’ve changed my mind. I’ve been looking at finished dresses on Instagram (it’s a bit of a cult dress) and while I love it and will definitely make one for the summer I think the statement sleeves are a bit full on.

So it’s back to the drawing board

I have a confession to make - I've bought some dresses to wear to a summer wedding in July. I could have sewed something, but I just couldn't find something that inspired, and then I'd have to find fabric. I'll be wearing one of these depending on the weather www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/product/women-hana-tajima-textured-cotton-volume-sleeved-dress-447346.html (navy) or www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/product/women-paul-joe-tiered-sleeveless-dress-437690.htm (brown). Both have plenty of space for a large wedding breakfast.

And I still haven't put a stitch into my dungarees, all the bits are still sitting on my book case.

I made my first bag over the weekend. It's slightly wonky but I was happy enough as a first attempt. Some useful lessons learned. My first ever button hole which is very nearly where I wanted it!

My next bag will have a zip which is also new for me!

That's really lovely, @GnomeDePlume! I love the colour. Zips aren't as scary as you think they are - just a bit fiddly but bags generally are quite fiddly!!

That’s a great bag! I’ve been tempted by bag making a few times.

I'm still undecided on what to make for the reunion so I’ll probably just wear something I already have.

I popped into Abakhan yesterday for some interfacing and picked up some gorgeous black stretch lace and some black Lycra so another Barrett bralette is on the cards

I’d be thrilled with that as a first attempt @GnomeDePlume it looks really neat.

I batch cut about 10 childrenswear projects last week and I’ve sewn 3 in the last few evenings - most of them from free patterns. I’m really pleased with these shorts - they’re the kids City Gym shorts from Purl Soho.

Now I’m trying to decide what I should make next for myself - anyone made the By Hand London Jenna dress?

I've made the BHL Anna and I will size down considerably for the next one - it's huge on me! So you might want to bear that in mind.

No sewing here, I'm away for work a lot at the moment so I've managed to cut out a couple of things on the odd nights I'm home, but the actual sewing will have to wait till I get back.

I've made the Jenna dress a couple of times and it's a favourite and I get a lot of wear out of them. I was a bit wary of the bias cut for the skirt but it's worked out really well. I did make the longer version and added in another tier to it, so it was more midi length.

There's a tutorial on the By Hand London website that's easy to follow and suggests a couple of ways to do the sleeves.

I could do with making a couple of adjustments, such as making the neckline a tiny bit narrower. I really like the square shape but it's set a bit wide so my bra straps can be on show unless I'm tweaking it. It is quite roomy in the bust whereas everything else is a great fit, so needs a good bra.

Oh, I put in the zip in the first time around but realised I never needed to use so omitted it the second time. The zip was a bit tricky as you need to be mindful of the bias cut so it was a bit of a relief not having to do it.