Stitch and bitch thread #11. Where the puns are only sew-sew

[NutellaEllaElla]

For sewists old and new. Join the fun, let us know what you're working on.
I apologise for not having been around at all. I've been away all footloose and fancy free but now i'm back and have NO NEED TO BUY NEW FABRIC. I must use what I have.

@PickAChew
@Hiddendoor
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@OperationalSupport
@Daffyyellow
@ShoAndSew
@kittykarate
@RainbowWife
@GnomeDePlume
@Twobluechickens
@123ZYX
@BlackAmericanoNoSugar
@CrimsonAlligator
@Just4thisthreadtoday
@Frumpyunicorn
@Jins
@Lifesingflowers
@Yalz
@sewsewsewyourboat
@bookbook
@YellowAsteroid
@MarmiteWine
@Castlerigg
@IDareSay
@NotMeNoNo
@Toyotatallula
@Crispynoodle
@Hiddendoor
@Rosenspants
@TashaTudor
@InMySpareTime
@Isabelle70
@SpryCat
@Funnelfa
@OperationalSupport
@ChoccyJules
@Mygreyhair
@Marcipex
@DiggoryVenn
@ClearHoldBuild
@50IsTheNew21
@Heavybuthopeful
@HollyBerryz
@Chuchoter
@Placemats
@TorturedParentsDepartment
@PrincessDonut
@Shirtyllama

May he be blessed by the gods of sewing✨

i shouldn’t be this excited for the return of a 40 year old sewing machine that I’ve never used to make anything but I am. Anything that can stitch through 10 layers of denim deserves a place in my sewing room. Can’t wait to see how it handles. I’ve saved my next jeans attempt for its return.

The other positive to come from this is that I’ve found a truly excellent technician for the future. His background is the maintenance of industrial sewing machines but knows his way round domestic ones. I like a man that won’t be beaten by a problem as well, it would have been so easy to have declared it end of life.

If there are compatible parts available, they're usually fixable, @Jins -even some of the plastic parts which used to signal the real death knell when they degraded can be replaced by 3D printed parts, now.

It’s back and he’s not charged me because it’s not properly fixed, it just sews a bit. Tension is slightly off and the feed dogs aren’t really working as they should. It’s just a really tired old machine. I’ve still got the Singer 99k working well for heavy duty with a retro feel and I’ll keep my eye out for a heavy duty mechanical at a good price.

I’m having problems logging into Facebook which means I can’t peruse marketplace for second hand sewing machines. My bank balance is probably grateful for this though!

Happy New Year all!

I haven’t sewn in ages despite moving in the summer and now having a bigger sewing room - it’s also my office as I now work from home and I’ve seriously lost my sewing mojo.
I’m definitely on a buying ban as I’ve got more than 100 metres of fabric in the cupboard, all sorts of stuff, plus plenty of notions and patterns.

I’m a bit frozen with indecision and not sure how to get myself going. Any suggestions for how to kick start myself?

I am making bunting from scraps. For my front door which is sad and naked now Christmas bunting has been put away

Decision made and the husqvarna will be going for spares or repair. I’ve invested too much time on it. I’ll pick up a heavy duty machine at some point in the future.

Kick starting sewjo is tricky @OperationalSupport i usually find a mystery box cures mine but in your case it’s best avoided. Stash sorting is my other helper. I usually find something in stash that I’d like to turn into something

@OperationalSupport I usually find that a browse on pinterest usually sorts that out!

I managed to get into Facebook eventually (ugh, soon remembered why I hated it) but marketplace had lots of sewing machines for sale. Nothing that particularly took my fancy but quite a few industrial machines and a coverstitch that I am deliberating over. I would like a second machine for topstitching jeans so need something robust.

can anyone recommend me a 1/4 inch presser foot for my brother for quilting
Amazon keeps giving me all sorts of stuff

I bought this set @Brefugee. Does the trick and the stitch in the ditch foot has been useful.

My FB marketplace is full of tempting machines but my general rule is not to buy second hand unless I know the person I’m buying from. The husqvarna confirmed that. I would like a heavy duty workhorse, I’ve got the old singer but that’s just straight stitch.

They have these in JL though it's more for piecing. I had a similar one for my Pfaff an used it all the time

Hello , have been a bit busy with life recently , but have managed to do a bit of sewing . A dolman slouchy top for my DD1 from some left over fabric I bought last year , and have started making bits for the Woolly Hugs craft sale ( bags and craft rolls mostly ) . Having to make another cubic bag , as DD1 asked if she could have the one I made .
what is good news for me - DGS needs a new hoodie , and would love a minecraft themed one . We searched high and low for some cotton lycra with a suitable pattern . The only one I could find was on Etsy for ££££££££££ . Or Spoonflower in the USA with no insurance for it not arriving . Then DD1 found some from a business in Canada . I took a punt . It had a flat rate shipping of £12 , and wasn't sure if it would incur customs tax , but factored that into the price . I ordered on the 9th , and it arrived today - no customs tax ! Win win ( I also ordered1000m guterman sew all thread for £6.47 - an absolute steal) . So chuffed - its called Riverside Fabrics

My Mitchell trousers are almost finished, just the hems and some hand sewing to do, but they are a bit small, annoyingly. However all the trousers that I’ve made recently have fit perfectly at the time of making and then been too big after a day’s wear. So rather than letting them out (annoying, because I’ll need to re-bind the waistband), I’m going to wear them tomorrow and see what happens.

Also annoying is I bought some cotton interfacing and used it on my Cleo blouse. Hadn’t considered that it might shrink in the wash! So the rest of it has gone in with a laundry load in the hope that it shrinks as much as it needs. Doubly annoying because I’ve also just used it on the aforementioned bloody Mitchell trousers which are already a bit small and don’t need any additional shrinkage! Bah!

I went to my sewing group today and started the baker boy hat. My fabric is thick wool tweed and will need a good hard press before topstitching. I hadn’t taken my ham, and also the iron there is shit, but I did as much as I could, and now that it’s started I’ll continue with it at home.

The first copy of the simply sewing subscription that was my Xmas present to myself arrived and the 3 patterns that came with it were a bit disappointing. A pinafore, a sling bag and a men’s shirt. Might have a go at the shirt at some point just to say I’ve done one but the rest can go. Roll on next month.

I’ve made adjustments to the Sinclair Metro pull on jeans and the fit is now perfect. I had to make a huge back rise adjustment as I have no bum. Next pair will be in stretch denim all being well, I used a denim style knit for these and it wasn’t ideal. I’ll still wear them around the house though

Not sure if people are aware but
'the UK distribution company for Simplicity patterns and Simplicity Limited has gone into liquidation'.

Apparently, this means that once stocks of some patterns provided by Simplicity (Simplicity, Mccalls, KnowMe and Vogue) have gone (for now) there is no way to reorder more. Advice is if you have a pattern you have your eye on it maybe prudent to purchase it sooner rather than later or keep your eye on stock levels.

So sad. I know the US side has been picked up by a new company but it's not a great time for local sewing/fabric shops due to cost of living and this latest blow will not help.

In the current climate, rescuing a distributor of American products probably isn't an attractive proposition to investors 😕

I had heard something about this. I have seen a couple of things that are tempting so I might treat myself.

It’s very rare for me to make a big 4 pattern and even rarer to buy one so I’m on the fence about stocking up. Probably explains why fewer McCalls and Simplicity patterns are included with magazines nowadays.

I’ve finally finished packing my sewing space and just have the bare essentials available to keep me occupied during the wait for a plasterer. I’ve got a few patterns that have been printed but never made so I’m going to see if I can use some remnants up with them.

I am relatively new to sewing, so I have been using the big 4 patterns. (no other dressmakers in my family). I found it easier in the beginning to use the paper patterns and I really like some of the Knowme designs.

Silver lining I did want to be able to draft my own patterns, so this is a good kick to get that process started and get over my lack of confidence when it comes to using print at home/PDF patterns.

I ordered the mystery box of stretch fabrics, and it arrived today. I’m pleased with the contents, there’s enough for a few work tops, a skirt or two, and a couple of pieces that might be enough to make dresses for DD. There’s a piece that feels like a slip, to wear under a dress, so that’s what I’ll make, which will be a new thing for me. I absolutely love the egg fabric, but DD does too, and she’s more likely to wear it than I am, so she’ll get a T-shirt out of that. There are only a couple that I’m wondering what on earth to do with, but overall I’m really pleased.

Let’s not talk about the fact that I did not need to increase my stash by 10kg. I definitely need to do some sewing!

That’s a nice bundle @Castlerigg. I got the white with squiggles and the shiny black as well. Haven’t made anything from my bundle yet as I’m still working on a jeans toile but I’ve got a couple lined up for t shirts and tops. I got a massive length of sweatshirt stuff which is crying out to be a loungewear set but it’s baby pink which I don’t wear. Might have to overcome my aversion to pink and make it up anyway.

@JinsYou could always dye it? Those Dylon washing machine dyes (the oval pods) are brilliant, I’ve used them several times, although it could get pricey if there’s a lot of fabric. You could sew first and dye after, but be aware that the stitching usually doesn’t take the dye, so any top stitching etc would be visible.