Stitch and bitch thread #10. There’s a pattern here

[NutellaEllaElla]

Time for a new thread as the weather starts to turn.
Welcome back oldies and come on in newbies!

@Brefugee
@PickAChew
@BlackAmericanoNoSugar
@Bookbook
@Allthegoodnamestakken
@SewingBees
@Twobluechickens
@kittykarate
@Jins
@Chewbecca
@CrimsonAlligator
@InMySpareTime
@MeAgainAndAgain
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@Rosenspants
@OperationalSupport
@Twobluechickens
@Frumpyunicorn
@Hiddendoor
@PrincessofWells
@Isabelle70
@Daffyyellow
@Sewliketosew
@Lifesingflowers
@123ZYX
@Faffadoodledo
@MorriganManor
@GnomeDePlume
@Isabelle70
@DiggoryVenn
@Wilma55
@ZebraD
@Frankincenseandoranges
@Catnipcupcakes
@Tinuviel
@Karatema
@Nameohnameohname
@Outandabout43
@Thesugarbumfairy
@DuchessNope
@ShoAndSew
@Notthatcatagain
@Spaceman101
@Karatema
@Twwodoorsaway

Phew! I can crack on with something more badly behaved, now. Quilting it is another project for another time.

You all make some wonderful quilt projects. I love the colours in that @PickAChew.

My friend/neighbour is into quilting in a big way. She’s always amazed that despite producing large quantities of fair sized remnants I have never expressed any interest in quilting 🤣

That's really pretty @PickAChew. I admit that I find quilting less fun than piecing, I send about 80% of my quilts out to be quilted now. I read somewhere that you should allow about the same amount of time to quilt as it took to make the top, but I piece like a demon and quilt like an easily-distracted sloth so it takes ages for me to quilt something.

I've started two new quilts, one of them is going to be for a friend who will turn 60 next autumn. She is the teacher in the sewing class that I go to, so I will be making it right under her nose without her knowing. I love being sneaky. I've been asking for colour opinions from the class and making note of the options that she likes.

Thanks. It's my first quilt top and I like the meditative aspect of piecing but I can tell close up which coloured strip I did last because I was obviously past caring about pointy points 😅

Love the sneakiness, @BlackAmericanoNoSugar

That’s beautiful @PickAChew . I also like your curtains 😁

Thanks, @twobluechickens the curtains are a recent buy from John Lewis. I'm going to have to take them down, sometime because the edges aren't holding a crease and they are annoying me. I'm just trying not to notice for now as they're ring top and massive!

Gorgeous colour combination @PickAChew!

I love the quilt, @PickAChew You must have endless patience. What is the difference between quilting and piecing?

To give myself a break from fastenings and zips, I have enjoyed the simplicity of the Emporia patterns reversible dress and have made one for my little toddler DGD. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but not bad.

The piecing is making the patchwork, so sewing back together all the little bits of cut up fabric. Quilting is. Layering it up with batting and a backing and stitching a design into it through all the layers.

That little dress is extremely cute.

I've been cutting out Linden sweatshirts and tracing the Jalie Zoom joggers pattern. With much shorter legs, much higher rise and extra room for a tummy, of course, so it's not a quick job. Must remember to also alter the pocket bags to fit...

This is adorable!

gosh i miss making little dresses like that. Lovely job @Rosenspants

and fab quilt top, @PickAChew

we have invited 4 people to give them a Traditional Sunday Lunch this weekend (2 are chefs, one is a bit of a foodie, i am lucky to have my own high-class chef)
But i realised we have no nice place mats, so have been using my stash. It's basically an art-deco style gold printed fabric, with gold velvet boarders. I am using iron-on fleece, and an old sheet that i dyed navy a long time ago (it is really good quality high thread count cotton) as the backing. I am covered in bits of velvet bits :)

Lovely little dress @Rosenspants

I’m trying to resist buying the trench coat pattern that’s in the E&M sale whilst looking at adjusting a pair of tencel combat trousers I picked up off Tesco’s sale rail for a fiver last night. The combat trousers need a lot of adjustment as they are too big, far too wide in the leg and have no elasticity in the waist so I’m unlikely to wear them even when adjusted. I think I’ll take them back. Life’s too short sometimes

The trench coat pattern remains unbought and the combat trousers have gone back.

No sewing because DH has decided to paint the hall and it’s been impossible to reach my sewing space as all the materials and dust sheets are being stored in the doorway. Now he’s finished I’ve forgotten what I was planning. Two lengths of jersey are now out of the stash, 3m of white, floral cotton Lycra which is lovely but too see through for T shirts etc so it’s destined to become nightwear and undies, possibly a superstar lounge bra if there’s enough stretch.

The bright pink with navy stripes is way too bright for everyday clothes but it’s only two way stretch so no good for activewear. I’m at a loss to know what to do with it. Possibly a beach coverup of some sort

I happened to have just enough denim left from a previous make to use for the M&M Quinns - how fortuitous! All cut out apart from the interfacing, plus I don’t have a buckle for the back adjustment thingy so might have to add that later. Need to choose buttons too.

I’m just back from a week in Italy, where I visited a small, but incredibly well stocked haberdashery. I reckon they must have had somewhere between 100-150k buttons and surprisingly strong views on what each of those should be used for.

My initial choice of some pretty standard brown buttons was rejected as “not suitable for women”. Other choices were rejected as not the right size, not the right thickness etc etc. After all staff had become involved and stated their views, we eventually reached a compromise and I managed to leave the shop with two lots of buttons that more or less met the staff’s approval.

It made an interesting change from shopping online 😂

Do you actually like the buttons, @CrimsonAlligator or will they sit in your button box forever more, only coming out when you feel the urge to reminisce?

Deciding on buttons by [opinionated] committee sounds like one of the circles of hell 😂

That sounds adorable Crimson! I love that sort of thing. So eccentric.

It was an interesting cultural experience for sure and yes @PickAChew I am pretty happy with the final selection.

The one on the left was picked by DH, to the dismay of the staff as it’s “not for men”. I picked the one on the right, which is “not suitable for women”. We’re such rebels 😂

I’d love to work there. I could combine a love for haberdashery with an occasional fondness for being judgemental. I would silently applaud rebelliousness though

I’m just back from a week in Italy, where I visited a small, but incredibly well stocked haberdashery. I reckon they must have had somewhere between 100-150k buttons and surprisingly strong views on what each of those should be used for.

Reminds me of the button shop in York - not the opinionated staff, though! But you can't really just browse there - you need to have an idea of what you want, and ask, because they have so so many buttons!

When I'm in Sydney, I always go to a wonderful button shop that is amazingly, surviving the gentrification (think London rents) of the slightly down-at-heel area where it's situated. They have a wonderful range and I always buy sets of 6 buttons on spec, as it were. (Oh dear that's how I have an attic full of fabric too - on spec ...)

many years ago there was an absolutely beautiful button shop (some were yer actual gold and some with real diamonds) in Düsseldorf. They just had racks and racks of them. And then some glass cases like a jewellery shop with the really posh ones in (mostly too ugly for me)

I don't think i ever bought any in there (mostly bought my sewing supplies from the weekly market in Holland)

I need to choose buttons for my Quinn trousers. Did the welt pockets yesterday evening and they were surprisingly easy! Was dreading it but I think doing them in a stable fabric helped.

Where do you recommend buying fabric from London?