Stitch and bitch thread #9. I have pressing concerns

[NutellaEllaElla]

Welcome welcome!

I've not made anything for ages after I screwed up the same thing twice. I'm gonna have another blimmin crack at it though! I've reconnected with another hobby and work is seriously getting in the way of everything I want to do, darn it.

@Daffyyellow
@rivercobbler
@bookbook
@FletchingStraight
@Tinuviel
@Karatema
@Brefugee
@kittykarate
@Greaterthanthesumoftheparts
@FriendsDrinkBook
@123ZYX
@SparkleHard
@FarEast
@Dellabob123
@Twobluechickens
@SBAM
@InMySpareTime
@Jins
@CrimsonAlligator
@MontyDonsBlueScarf
@Bouncydog
@Hoogieflip
@GonnaGetGoingReturns
@Subolooo
@SleepingisanArt
@GnomeDePlume
@Chewbecca
@Ingefae
@Rosenspants
@Cynderella
@PickAChew
@Wildernesstips
@Pastabest
@BlackAmericanoNoSugar
@Frumpyunicorn
@WickDittington
@Allthegoodnamestakken
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@SheWasASkaterGirl
@Isabelle70
@Twwodoorsaway
@FloofyBird

Loosely woven fabrics can stretch on the bias quite significantly@MorriganManor and while it has its uses, it can be quite a nuisance!

Ohhh, could be that then! I'll have a play around and adapt it then. It's a small piece and I have plenty of fabric left. Thank you

Re Janome machines ….mine is similar to the 725 inasmuch as it’s the 7025 which is a Janome made specifically for John Lewis. I love it.
https://www.johnlewis.com/janome-7025-sewing-machine/p231340608

Maybe worth looking at?

I am away and took my machine with ( in UK) and sewed up a nice easy Rae skirt. Same fabric as a top I made (PaperCut Pinnacle top) … although together I think they look a bit over ditzyfied!

Too much ditzyness!

Nice ditsyness!

No more ditzy than a dress in that fabric would be, only more flexible.

Lovely finish there @Jins !

That’s really nice @Rosenspants and I don’t usually like anything ditsy. I think you can easily get away with that.

@Rosenspants I don't believe there is such a thing as to much ditziness that is lovely! and very versatile. I hope to get my new patterns printed out at the weekend so I can start on one of the tops. I still need to finish my shirred dress but it's so cold here currently I am not feeling motivated to do it as I know it will be months before I can wear it.

Also, I am wondering if I want to brave a stretch fabric at some point soon!

@Rosenspants that is lovely and definitely not too ditsy. Although I’m a big fan of ditsy so arguably it’s not ditsy enough 🤣

I’ve finished my coverup although it’s way too long at the moment and way too voluminous to be worn at that length. I’ll take off the width of a tie belt first and then decide how short to go. It’s going to come in handy for our visit to Turkey as a few of the places we plan to visit require a degree of modest dressing.

I’ve ordered some black viscose as a couple of tops I made a few years ago have been worn to death and need replacing. I’m looking forward to seeing if I can improve fit and finish now I’ve developed a few more skills

@CrimsonAlligator The Ogden cami looks perfect. I wonder if it’s tricky to make.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie The Ogden cami is a doddle to make. It’s my staple summer top and this year I made it into a dress which is a really straightforward hack.

I’ve made them in cotton and in viscose and the first thing to do is to stay stitch the neckline as it stretches out of shape very easily. I usually lengthen the facings by a couple of inches as they hit mid bust for me but shortening them would work too, depending on your fabric. Take care with the straps, it’s easy to twist them when joining the pieces together. My top tip though is don’t skip understitching - even if you intend to top stitch.

A lot of reviews recommend shortening the shoulder straps which is hard to do after the garment has been completed. Sadly the only way to know if you need to shorten them is to toile it. For my Ogden dress I put elastic inside the straps which helps them stay in place - I think it was 90% of the length.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie, I agree with Jins, the Ogden is a pretty straightforward make.

The straps were way too long for me. I went for a not particularly elegant solution and just cut off the excess and put a new seam in at the shoulder. You may find the straps are fine for you. I think it comes down to where your bust apex sits, rather than how tall you are. I’m 5’10, so don’t often need to shorten things, but always have to move bust darts up.

After shortening the straps I also had to lengthen the facing as the top clearly didn’t sit where the designer of the pattern had envisaged it to be. If you don’t want to toile, you could just add a few inches to the facing and remove it later if you find you don’t need it.

I also widened the straps, which makes them easier to sew. There’s tutorials online, but it’s really easy.

Thanks so much, both. I haven’t done facings before and the straps look a bit fiddly but one to add to my, ‘To try’ list.

I’ve got lots of patterns now but keep sticking to the same 3 (Indigo, Safiya and a New Look bias cut skirt) because patterns and instructions scare me!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I’ve made an Ogden…in fact when I’d not been sewing for very long. It wasn’t hard. I’ve found with facings, I’m getting better over time. I’ve made a right mess of them but am (very) slowly improving with practice.

Coverup finished but I’m feeling a bit meh about it. It drapes but not enough which is down to the fabric. It works so it’ll go in the beach bag.

I was planning on making a shirt dress with long sleeves for my hols as a mosquito protection measure but I nipped into Tesco last night and there on the sale rail was a lovely viscose shirt dress that looks perfect. Bargain at £8.50 - I couldn’t make it myself for that price.

Black viscose has arrived so I’ll get that prewashed today.

Oh - yesterday I walked past Abakhan without going in!

@NutellaEllaElla @123ZYX @Allthegoodnamestakken @BlackAmericanoNoSugar @Brefugee @Catnipcupcakes @Chewbecca @CrimsonAlligator @Daffyyellow @DiggoryVenn @DiggoryVenn @Frumpyunicorn @GnomeDePlume @Hiddendoor @InMySpareTime @Isabelle70 @Notthatcatagain @MorriganManor @frankincenseandoranges @OperationalSupport @PrincessofWells @ShoAndSew @twobluechickens

Hi everybody I'm a very novice sewing I hope uou don't mind me joining this chat, just want to ask for suggestion for someone who is novist like me to what projects, books I could start. I'm also based in east london.

Welcome @Lifesingflowers we're at all sorts of skill levels here.
Several of us use YouTube to help learn techniques.
Don't try anything too fiddly to start with, start by making things with easy straight seams until you're confident with using your machine.

@Lifesingflowers if you want to sew clothes, lots of people start with Tilly and the buttons (often abbreviated to TATB). It's all quite loose fitting, so if that's not your style you'll want to move on quickly, but the instructions are good and the patterns are fairly simple. Choose something that needs woven (rather than knit/ stretch) fabric and choose some cotton fabric to sew with

Welcome @Lifesingflowers East London is a great place to see - you’re close to a lot of fabric shops!
I recommend Walthamstow market for inexpensive fabric while you get to grips with things.
Have you a machine and equipment already?

Tilly and the Buttons has a book called ‘make it simple’ which has nice clear instructions. I also rate Waves and Wild for thorough instructions with patterns that turn out exactly as pictured.

Oh, and if you’re not on Instagram I’d recommend it, looking up patterns to see how they look on different bodies and in different fabrics is so useful, and following pattern companies will often show you sewing tips.

Yes I brought a machine and some basic equipment@OperationalSupport

Welcome to the thread @Lifesingflowers 👋

My top tips for the first few projects is:

• make something you actually want to wear
• check the difficulty level!
• choose something that isn’t too hard to fit (skirts are good)
• use cotton (woven) fabric for your first projects. Patterned fabric generally hides mistakes better than plain fabric…
• ideally choose a pattern with an online sew along/ online videos. A lot of the indie pattern companies do these
• look at the finished pattern measurements and compare those to an item of clothing that fits you well. Some companies will have you making patterns that are a couple of sizes too big which is not that hard to rectify if you have some sewing experience. As a beginner though, it’s so frustrating to spend time and money making something and ending up with a sack!

I’ve recently been really impressed with the instructions of Friday Pattern Company. They have sew alongs for most, possibly all, of their patterns. Watching those will help you understand how to put their patterns together. Most pattern companies will have some beginner friendly patterns, but not all have clear instructions. Tilly and the Buttons are another company that has clear instructions & additional info on their website.

Welcome @Lifesingflowers ! Search youtube for the pattern name/number and you’ll often find sewalongs on there. I much prefer watching someone than trying to read instructions.

Hi everyone

I love the skirt and top @Rosenspants
Welcome @Lifesingflowers everyone has already given great advice. Mine would be to sew things you actually want and that inspire you. I started with a tote bag in straight lines using a youtube tutorial before progressing to clothes

Ii have finally managed to get some sewing done with a toile of the estuary skirt in some rather fetching green curtains; I am planning on making a start tomorrow using a linen mix.from fabworks. I am glad I made a toile as there are some new to me techniques, I have decided on in seam rather than patch pockets and I want to lengthen it by about 6cm. The curtain fabric was a dream.to sew it was so stable I have a feeling the linen will be much trickier!

@Lifesingflowers make sure you take your measurements as a shop size 12 often bears no relation to a pattern size 12.