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
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@FloofyBird

Shall we just quit our jobs/other responsibilities and dedicate all our time to sewing and other hobbies?

Yes, I could quite happily sew, a bit of gardening and spend a lot more time woodworking 😁

I could definitely fill my time quite happily if I didn't work!

Thanks for the tag and the new thread @NutellaEllaElla. I’m just back from holidays and wore a couple of my me made dresses which was nice. We had a few days in Lisbon and discovered several lovely fabric shops which was a great surprise, so I filled a few suitcase gaps with some fabrics. One shop had loads of 1.5m lengths at very reasonable prices, some only a couple of euros. Would have been rude to not buy really. So this week I plan to start with a piece of white cotton with a checked effect and make a shirt. (Tessiti Arkie). Not made it before so we will see how it goes!

I actually managed to squeeze in some sewing before the Sewing Bee started last night. I've nearly finished the top, just have to sew in the neck facing, add the zip, then add the sleeves and hem the sleeves and bottom of the top...

So not much to do 😆 my work definitely uses up sewing time.

are you me??!! i really need to get some more time in the garden, and have a few woodworking things to fix/finish

is there a convo about the Sewing Bee?

I haven't seen one aside from in FWR. There usually is but feel free to discuss here.

very happy to discuss it here.
So what did everyone think? the pattern challenge really revealed some weaknesses, i thought.
And the MtoM not brilliant in most cases

Usually in ep 1 you find a few that you think are at least Semi-Final material (haha) but this year I'm a bit "meh"

I tend to agree. No one outstanding as yet!

There's a Sewing Bee dedicated thread in Telly Addicts.

Anyway, I thought the initial challenge was a nightmare - you know it's too tough for the time given when no-one actually completes it fully. I get annoyed at 'set up to fail' challenges on bake off - while a little jeopardy through time pressure is good, it feels like a dick move to ask for the impossible on episode 1. Though maybe I'm extra against that challenge because it was full of things like buttonholes and top stitching, all it needed was a zip and it would have been the full trifecta of my bad techniques.

I watched it on iPlayer last night. Nobody outstanding yet nor any sign of a solid performer but it’s too early for me to call it. There were some massive errors that I can totally see myself making.

Awful first task. Princess seams, topstitching, plackets and buttonholes all in the same garment. I really liked some of the dresses in the made to measure though.

In terms of sewing I’ve shortened my viscose linen trousers and repaired a seam on a top and that will have to do as we’re off for a long weekend in the rainy north west. When I’m back I’m hoping to get some more stash busting done alongside looking at some favourite patterns to see if I need to drop a size and do a FBA. I did a huge print order at CLC for all views and sizes of 5 patterns I keep on making

thanks I'll hop over to Telly Addicts to find the Bee discussion so as not to clog up this thread.

:)

Just cut out the trousers part of my Meryl jumpsuit so I’m looking forward to sewing those up tomorrow and adding the top. I’ve also added elastic to the legs of five new pairs of pants which kept riding up and were really uncomfortable. Now fit really well so that’s saved them from the bin. I don’t have any plans this BH weekend which is a treat, so I might cut something else out too.

I am desperately trying to finish a dress for my daughter before we go away but can't find a safety pin small enough to thread the narrow elastic through the casing despite knowing that we have loads kicking about the house somewhere!

Do you have something like a wool needle that you can secure the elastic to with stitches, @Frumpyunicorn ?

Have you got a hair grip? You could poke it through the elastic then tape the end so that it doesn't get caught

Thanks, I managed to get a smaller one from my mums so will be able to finish this evening.

Does anyone quilt? I am going to try again (3rd time lucky) to make quilted drawstring bags for my camera lenses. The last attempts went wrong because it came out too small, after quilting it. If I quilt a larger piece than I need, is it ok to cut it down after and overlock the edges? Also, i've got wadding which i've doubled over to make more cushioning but it moves a lot while quilting it. Any ideas? Maybe just have more than I need and trim it down after?

i watch a lot of quilting videos (I just love Donna Jordan) but i don't actually want to make a massive quilt. Yet.

For the camera bag - if you can find some curved Safety pins to dot all over the fabric while you sew, that would keep it in place. Also use a walking foot so that the bottom and the top are being pulled past the needle at the same rate. Failing that, tailor tacks might work, or a small stitch dotted around the fabric, just to hold it all in place while you machine.

And yes, i would quilt quite a bit more than you think you will need, because the actual quilting really does reduce the available quantity of sewing.

Overlocking or binding unfinished edges should be ok, or even adding a lining? Treat the quilted fabric as the main fabric, and just line as usual?

argh I’ve made a real mess of sewing the bodice to the skirt of a dress. Plus I’ve accidentally used teeny tiny stitches. I’m in seam ripping hell!

Great advice, thank you @Brefugee.

Yes, you need to factor in about 5-10% shrinkage as you quilt and have your wadding. And backing fabric wider than the top then trim everything to the size you want. You could overlock or bind the edges. If you don't want too much bulk at the seams, you can trim some of the wadding back.

And definitely pin or hand baste so it doesn't move. Long dressmaker's pins will do the job of steadying everything but you need to be careful not to stab yourself. You can get spray glue for basting but it's not cheap and it's messy and noxious.

Can anyone recommend a pattern for a casual blazer? Long, lined, not fancy.

https://papercutpatterns.com/products/luna-jacket?variant=39450661847106

i love this but maybe not long enough?