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

i rethreaded my overlocker today first go with no tears.

Please clap.

i made some gift bags for DHs birthday presents, using some of his old shirts, some fabric i had lying around and part of an old quilt cover. I had a lot of fun doing that.

Woop! Well done @Brefugee !

I finished off a couple of tops that needed hemming that have been in the to-do cupboard for a while. Next up is a dress (also from the to-do cupboard) and fixing a pair of gloves that I've worn a hole in.

Well done @Brefugee ! Such a great feeling.

I am planning to spend tomorrow sewing. Midway through a bag and fancy making another.

I’ve made another cubic bag and I’ve almost cracked it. This one was in needlecord and I used a chunkier zip which seemed to help it keep in shape better. DH has claimed it.

We’re off for a few days so there won’t be any sewing for a while. I’ve got a pattern for a sling bag that I want to have a go at and I’m starting to think about warm weather clothes. I’ve got some patterns that I’d like to try but haven’t got round to.

Has Ellie and Mac stopped doing the weekly sale patterns? They used to be a source of inspiration even though I rarely bought one

@Jins I've not had any Ellie and Mac sale notifications for ages. Love Notions are still doing their Friday specials though.

I've managed a couple of jersey tees on my overlocker, still need to hem them. I have loads I want to make but not getting much time for sewing at the moment.

Well done @Brefugee! I need to sit down with mine and have a serious chat about tension. I just can’t seem to get it right!

However, I have used it today to make a practice t-shirt for DD, to check sizing / get my eye back in / stash bust, before I make one in the fried egg fabric from my Knighton box. I haven’t sewn with knits in ages so didn’t feel confident enough to wade straight in.

I did use my cover stitch though, for the first time, and I’m delighted with it! I was quite intimidated by it, but it was actually fine, and I’m really pleased with the finish. Pic when it’s approved - ignore the colours, they’ve gone a bit weird. It was lilac tie-dye fabric that DD would have loved if I’d used it when I actually bought it.

that stitching is lovely and neat. Am envious of a coverstitch but i just don't think i'd get the use out of it.

I use woolly nylon in the looper of my coverstitch so I lose some of the neatness. It’s great when it’s behaving but mine objects to any slight change in fabric thickness.

Where does one find woolly nylon? I keep hearing about it, and a woman on a YouTube video said it was best for the coverstitch looper. I have some of those moon threads which I thought might be it, but on checking it seems they’re polyester.

Empress Mills claims to have some https://www.empressmills.co.uk/woolly-nylon-thread but... they don't actually say what it is made of.

80S bulk thread is what I have. I think woolly nylon is probably the US term. It does work well though and I’ve started using it in a bobbin for topstitching neckbands on my sewing machine.

I keep seeing this pattern now in my SM, I shouldn’t have looked at it.
Looks quite good as a summer wedding guest dress and I like the wrap waist bit. Not sure what it would look like on 5ft 2 me!

I liked the look of it but I had to unfollow her on Instagram because I found her so annoying. It looks good on everyone I’ve seen it on.

I managed to get some sewing done this weekend, I made the Helen's Closet Winslow's and I am really happy with them.

That v neck version looks like my dream dress. It’s incredibly similar to a Laura Ashley dress I had back in the 80s. I’m tempted but I’ve got a pattern backlog I’d like to clear.

I have a roll of curtain fabric in my hallway and the gamble paid off. The colour is perfect for the living room and there’s enough texture to give a little interest. For £30 I’m very happy. I’m now pondering buying a heavy duty basic Singer purely for this project. My fancy pants computerised Necchi handled the last curtain making session very well but it did complain a bit at times. I had hoped the vintage Husqvarna would fill the heavy duty gap but it won’t so I’m left with my old Toyota and my vintage singer 99k. We’ll see. Even if I include the cost of a new machine three pairs of full length curtains for under £300 would be a bit of a bargain.

Packing my sewing space is nearly complete although I’ve got a few lengths to make T shirts still accessible. I’ve decided to use this time to make all the adjustments I’d planned to pattern pieces. Love Notions ones will be easy as I’ve worked out that instead of faffing around moving darts I just need to add length above the dart or bust line on all of their patterns. I’ll still need to lower the waist but I’ll do that on the fly. I mean it’s clear from all the tester pics that LN patterns are designed for a very different shape to mine but Ive still bought them.

I sorted out my overlocker tension issue - it wasn’t tension at all, it was the blade position, which I had forgotten you could even change. I also made the shorts to go with the practice T-shirt, they just need elastic in the waist, and hemming.

@jinsmy friends at work liked the pattern so I am thinking of purchasing. The only thing putting me off is that it takes just under 5 metres of fabric and they recommend linen.

Afternoon
I have been too busy to do any sewing recently sadly , but I am just popping on to ask . Has anyone used Muna and Broad patterns ? My daughter has seen a pyjama pattern by them , and I am quite happy to make , but at $16 I want to make sure they have good instructions and pattern drafting!
www.munaandbroad.com/

I've not made anything by Muna and Broad - the pyjama pattern looks good, but a bit boxy. Gentle googling shows some positive feedback about them, but I couldn't find an example of their instructions.

They have some sewalong/tutorial stuff for the PJs on their youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@MunaandBroad/videos

Thank you @kittykarate , will take a look . Its exactly the sort of pjs she likes and wears , and she is worth it 😀

I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole on fitting. I made a T shirt using the adjustment I thought would work and I still ended up with wrinkles and pull lines from underarm to bust point. There’s loads of room, I definitely don’t need a FBA and there’s plenty of room around the armscye. So the next place to look is the shoulder I guess. All of the T shirts I’ve made are perfectly wearable, wrinkles or not. It’s a pointless exercise but for some reason I’m driven to eliminate this issue.

Gorgeous slip dress pattern in Love Sewing this month. It’s bias cut which I tend to avoid as they often use more fabric but I’m tempted with this one.

@Jins I’m always tempted by the ‘MyFit’ range of apostrophe patterns. You buy the pattern (approx £10) and then it is generated to your measurements and fabric characteristics. Might be worth a try if you’re having fit issues? https://apostrophepatterns.com/collections/myfit-patterns/products/myfit-tee

@WWomble thanks for the reminder. I picked up a book on fitting the other day which has given me some pointers but it might be worth me getting the myfit one as well

Oh Gawd! I’ve just bought another Knighton mystery box. At least I’ll have plenty of fabric for T shirt toiles.

The fitting issues are definitely connected to shoulder angle and upper bust. I think I’m going to have to try my old trick with LN of sizing down and doing a FBA. It’s not strictly needed as I’ve got a sewing cup size B but I do have a fairly high underbust measurement so I should gain some space in an area that needs it. I can’t get over how ridiculous this project is as I’m making bog standard t shirts and I’ve never had one that doesn’t have a wrinkle somewhere or other. Hopefully I’ll learn something to apply to more complex woven project fitting. What I have learned though is that I’ve bought my last LN pattern. They used to fit reasonably well if I took the stupidly high waist position into account but at a size smaller they just don’t work for me at all. A couple are still great, allegro bottoms are bang on and it’s hard to go wrong with a rhapsody but the rest just look like too much work. I’ve put the ones I’ve had printed into a CBA pile and will try some others first.