Pins and Needles Book

I have many needle books, some I've made, some I've received, some I've purcahsed and yet I always feel like I need another.  I love needles too and I don't like to mix them up, I want to know where my size 11 Straw needles are for applique or where my Tulip piecing needles are for binding, so I tend to store a needle book with a project with the corresponding needles and pins inside.  Like any quilter, I have a lot of projects on the go, hence the need for multiple needle books!

I couldn't resist Kim Kruzich's (Retro Mama) new #PinsandNeedlesBook Pattern, I bought it whilst it was still on offer.   I haven't sewn one of her patterns before but I could see she had all the details I like- zip pockets, binding, clasp.  I used a sweet scrap that I received from Tori in a swap and the rest of the fabric are vintage and feedsack scraps.  So me of these tiny pieces have been in my stash for years, too precious to discard.   I made the smallest size and the only change I made was to add a prong style snap with Prym pliers. 

It's a very detailed pattern, nineteen pages and lots of words and photos, so you need to focus on the features you want to include and scroll to each relevant section.  As well as the zip pockets that I've included, there's also a slip pocket option and a different strip style outer included.

I love a little make and I was really happy with how this turned out.  Practical and pretty!

Kim is in the process of organising a #pinsandneedlebook sew along, check her Instagram feed @retro_mama for updates!

Sunday Selection: A Catch-up & Some Stitchy Things to Discover

There's been too much stuff going on for my liking.  I like a quiet life, no drama and lately, we've had a family member's newly diagnosed health issues to deal with and my work commitments have been intense during the same period so a usually calm little house has been hectic.  It's settled down now, said family member is doing well.  In between events,  I've recently found some wonderful sewing links, reads and listens that I wanted to share and I thought this could be a regular thing every other Sunday?

Podcast

So starting with the links, Love to Sew is a sewing community podcast run by Helen Wilkinson of Helen's Closet clothing Patterns and Caroline Somos of Blackbird Fabrics which usually focuses on garment making, but a recent episode featured Alexa Abegg of Ruby Star Society and formerly Cotton+Steel fabrics and creative collaborations.  It is a fascinating listen, especially for quilters who are so familiar with Alexa's work.  She shares her journey as a fabric designer, how she became a part of Cotton+Steel at RJR fabrics and how she and the other designers moved into being Ruby Star Societ, her artistic work as a collaborator both long distance and closer to home, plus a lot more- Listen here.

Blog Read

I've been following Lizzie Bramlett (Fuzzylizzie) At Vintage Traveller blog for years.  She's a dedicated vintage clothing collector and former teacher who shares her finds and nuggets of fashion history information.  This post on the Dress and Home Workbook is a gem.

Instagram

Jeana Kimball is a quilt maker and teacher.  I first came across her work through her amazing needles when I was piecing the Jen Kingwell Bring Me Flowers quilt.  I use her Straw needles for hand piecing and applique sizes 10 and 11.  She has an Instagram account @jeanakimball where as well as her amazing work, she often shares wonderful hand piecing tips, well worth a follow, especially if you like to sew by hand.  I'm enjoying her current posts on back basting applique. 

The block pics are my latest Sarah Fielke 2018 BOM, Simple Folk.  I'm slowly working my way through the outer border blocks...

May at Plush Addict

Time to see what's new in Plush Addict this month:

1. Sew Over It Eve Dress.  I made this a couple of months ago and I really loved the result.  The bodice fitted well and the flutter sleeves look great and are so comfortable to wear on a hot day.  It's a dress that can easily become be worn at a special occasion with the right fabric, or an everyday summer dress.  It needs drapey fabric to work at it's best.  Plush Addict has just started stocking Sew Over It patterns and there's a wide selection.
2. Dashwood Viscose Rayon: Pink Floral on Grey.  This gorgeous floral would make a beautiful Eve dress.  It's got the drape and the multi-directional pattern prevents fabric wastage when cutting out.  It needs gentle prewashing and I would suggest the raw edges are overlocked before putting in the machine at 30.  Sharp pins and a new machine needle are a good idea when working with viscose.

1. Patterns By Annie Clam-Up.  There are quite a few Patterns by Annie to choose from at Plush Addict and I chose this one as I hadn't seen it before and it looked like a good pattern for gifts or swaps.  I particularly like the side panels to stop items falling out and all the different sizes. There's also an option to include a wipe-clean vinyl interior for a cosmetic bag. Annie's patterns are well thought out with lots of extra details, she's a designer that loves adding all the storage options!
2. Japanese Import Oxford Cloth Katusbi Apples.  This is a cotton/linen 80/20 blend and the fabric weight is perfect for cushions and bags.  This print is crying out to become a grocery bag! Free shopper's tote download here and a Kwik Sew pattern here.

Walking Foot Quilting

There have been a few things going on recently so I was looking forward to a day of solid sewing at my local Modern Quilt Guild.  Sarah Ashford was running a workshop for us on walking foot quilting.  This was inspired by seeing Jacquie Gering at Quilt Con and also her book Walk: Master Machine Quilting with Your Walking Foot and Craftsy/Bluprint classes on walking foot quilting.  We all prepped a series of 12 1/2" quilt sandwiches ready to be quilted.  I took some blocks which I'd originally sewn for 500 Quilt Blocks and added borders so I had a green colour theme and was ready to quilt with an Aurifil 50wt variegated thread.

Sarah is always very well organised.  She had inspiring samples ready for us and within the hour we all started with this curved grid which starts off with a horizontal and vertical free hand curved lines drawn with a Hera marker; the rest is echo quilting where the foot width is the guide.  She gave us lots of tips about stitch length and how to progress and the whirly grid came together without any difficulty.

I then started on a grid which I ended up completing at home. The original had diagonals crossing through the rectangle corners but I thought that might be a little dense and fight with the pinwheel so left it as a rectangle grid.

I spent most of my time trying out a boomerang variation but places my block on-point when I started planning my quilting lines.  These were marked with the Hera marker like the other blocks but a little harder to mark as the lines and the points I was aiming for kept moving off the block.  It was worth sticking with though because once it was marked up it was quick to sew and I'm very happy with the end effect.

It was a lot of fun to play with walking foot quilting on small samples in a room with everyone doing the same.  The sort of activity I would never do at home and it fired up my enthusiasm for the quilting process.  There was a room full of busy happy quilters sewing away!  Sarah always has lots of plans and besides teaching and writing, I know she has been working on a Great British Quilter podcast for some time and the first episode is now available!

Episode 1 features Jo Avery of My Bear Paw and I've had a preview listen!  It is a lot of fun, just what I want out of a podcast focusing on British quilters.  Jo is so chatty and shares her creative process with such enthusiasm and Sarah's hosting keeps it all on track whilst the interview sounds  like a talk between quilty friends.  I cannot wait for more!

Paper Theory Zadie Jumpsuit Pattern Review

Every year a pattern emerges that takes the online garment sewing world by storm and this year, I think it has to be the Zadie jumpsuit by Paper Theory.  Jumpsuits are everywhere, following on from dungaree dresses and overalls of previous summer, it feels like every pattern company is offering a version and this one has been a winner for sewers of all heights and sizes.  Search #zadiejumpsuit on Instagram and you'll see what I mean, they all look fantastic!  I love wrap fastenings and with this pattern, all you need is fabric and thread- no interfacing, buttons or zip.

This is a PDF pattern with large pieces so I had mine printed at Dottyprint.  I've used them several times and they have offered a quick and great value service.   There are equivalent services in other countries and it was certainly better than sticking many print sheets together!  I had this black cotton sateen in a box from my carboot sale buying days.  It's wide with a little body and drape to it.

The pattern has a suggestion of layout and is conscious about avoiding wastage so it's worth taking time reading the guidance and planning what will go where and getting creative with long pieces like the belt rectangles that can be pieced together from smaller bits which is what I ended up doing. I also sketched my finished layout for future use.  Seam allowances are 1cm with a few exceptions so it's worth transferring that info on to your pattern pieces. There are detailed instructions about sizing.  It is a generously fitting garment so I sized down a little and went my bust size rather than waist and hip so this put me at size 8 rather than size 10.   The tie fastening is easily adjustable and very forgiving.  I didn't make any other alterations, I'm 164cm or 5' 5''  for reference. 

The fit is pretty good for the first time making.  The crotch is a little long and I've already used the lengthen/shorten line on the leg pieces to reduce this by 5/8" for the next jumpsuit, but it's very wearable and black fabric detracts from any baggy bits.

I love the slanted pockets- easy to make and so nice to use, a generous size!  It's one of the best patterns I've sewn in a while.  Each summer I end up making a pattern multiple times (last year it was the Avid Seamstress Gathered dress shown here, here and here).  I'm already prepping another of these in blue chambray and a dress version in Lyocell chambray.  The wrap fits nice and close to my chest (even with a small bust) and stays in place all day.  It's also an instant outfit that can be easily dressed up or down for going out or dog walking.  I've also worn it on a weekend away and it makes for very easy wearing, a cardi or a top underneath makes this version suitable for any unseasonal weather too, vital for a British spring/summer!  The instructions are excellent, well written and with clear diagrams.  The trickiest bit is binding the wrap edge of the bodice/trouser pieces and then seaming the binding in on the trouser front. It's something you do need to take your time over but well worth doing as the rest of the construction comes together relatively quickly.

It's been washed and worn three times already, that's got to be a good sign!

April at Plush Addict

I'm bringing my embroidery out from hibernation now that the light is brighter so, for this month's visit to sponsor Plush Addict, I picked out some embroidery related items in their new arrivals as well as threads and fabric.  There's also a 20% discount storewide discount for orders up to and including 29th April.  Find the code here!

1.  Gutermann 10-x-100m Basics Shades Cotton Thread Set.  These thread sets are great value.  This one is a cotton selection and there are other colourways as well as sew-all polyester versions.
2. Wooden 4-Drawer Storage-Box.  If you have that spring cleaning feeling and are clearing out and getting your sewing space organised these cute little wooden drawers are perfect for all the small items which need a home. 
3. Owl Embroidery Floss Holder.  I couldn't resist this, such good values and very useful for embroidery projects.  Also available in other shapes including unicorn, flower and thread card.  The centre of each design can be cross stitched.  Find DMC stranded thread/floss here.
4. Makower Sea Breeze FQ Bundle x 17Fabrics  Seaside collections are always popular and Sea Breeze has a lovely mix of nautical colours, stripes, spots and novelty prints.  Free cushion and bag patterns using these prints are also available for instant download.

Sew Over It Eve Dress Review

I'm all about the wrap fastening this year.  I've always liked a wrap dress or skirt and my middle age low tolerance for tightness or restriction is encouraging me to sew lots of wrap garments.  I bought the Sew Over It Eve dress pattern at the end of last summer and looking around clothing on the high street there are still wrap dresses and jumpsuits everywhere so it's a trend that's carried over from last summer.  This pattern does take quite a lot of fabric.  I found this rayon floral on eBay for a ridiculously cheap price,  still available at the moment.  It's very drapey, slightly shiny and was much easier to press and sew than I thought it would be!

I made version 1 but lengthened the hem so it was the longest length at the back all the way around.  I traced the pattern and made a quick toile for the bodice and then ended up removing a little of the fullness at the gathers below the front shoulder- taking out 1/2" each on each side.  I graded a UK size 8 top to size 10 at the waist and a size 10 skirt as that matches my bust and waist measurements and 3 metres of fabric are ample, although I didn't need to allow extra fabric for pattern placement of matching.

It's an easy and relatively quick sew.  The sleeves fit the armscye perfectly and the butterfly sleeve is soft and flattering to wear.  A longer sleeve would be good too...  

As I had extended the hem on the back and front skirt pieces I left the dress unhemmed for a few days so the bias on the side seams could drop and I could even out the length.  I waited until my daughter came home from Uni so she could measure up from the floor and pin an even line but I did find this handy post on the Colette blog on how to measure a skirt hem solo style.  The comments include some brilliant ideas about string and chalk.  My only departure from the instructions was with the belt.  Firstly, I sewed a long length of narrow tape into the short ends so it ran the inner length of the belt as I sewed the long seam, and then I used this to turn the tube through.  I snipped the tape close the short seam once done and removed the end fibres with tweezers.

 I also attached the belt slightly differently.  Rather than folding the raw edge over and pressing, I wanted the raw edge would be encased so before the wrap edge was folded over to the inside I sewed it into position as in the photo below.  When the wrap edge is pressed in, the belt then turns in too.  I then fol it outwards and secured with a few stitches on the outside edge.

It's a great dress to wear!  Dressy enough to feel like I've made an effort for going out and so comfortable that I could happily wear it all day.   The skirt is swishy and the front overlap is generous, no fear of revealing too much on a windy day!  I've some more viscose in my stash and it's definitely a dress that needs drape so maybe another with longer sleeves?  There are so many Eve dresses to look at online made in a range of lengths and sizes, check out the Sew Over it Pinterest gallery for inspiration or #soievedress on Instagram for a bigger selection.