My New & Unexpected Adventure

Well I'm very happy to announce that my lovely Son and his fiancee are getting married. This is happening  much sooner than expected, but its wonderful news and I couldn't be happier. I think it was going to be planned for next year, but due to some changes and upcoming events (no she does not have a bun in the oven) they have decided to bring it forward.

Needless to say, I have decided to make my outfit for the wedding; I just couldn't resist. This added to the fact that I rarely wear dresses and I find it difficult to find ones that fit properly. I tend to be rather busty and long in the upper body; meaning under bust lines/seams tend to sit across the middle of and not under the bust, making me look like I have four udders rather than just a pair of boobies.

I had already bought several metres of a pretty medium weight silk fabric in preparation for making a dress ready for my daughters wedding, which should be later this year. So I just needed to decide what dress/outfit to make and off I'd go.... Or so I thought....

To be continued.......

Wedding Project

I have a wonderful year to look forward to in 2013; my beautiful daughter Lindsay is getting married and I will be very busy not only making my own outfit but also possibly also Lindsay's dress!!!! Needless to say I view this as an honour and a beautiful gesture of her faith in me.. I'm going to be starting to put together some ideas very soon and looking for patterns, fabrics etc

My Changing Mat Project (to go with bag)

I decided  to make a changing mat to go with the changing bag I have made. The pattern suggests to use towelling & vinyl, which I attempted first but I had such a game with it that gave up and went to plan B. Plan B comprised of my own pattern.

 

On the underneath part of the mat, I used the same nice soft cotton curtain lining that I used for the inside parts of the bag, which has worked really well. I've used some elastic stiched into the end seam so you can roll up the mat and secure it for easy storage inside the main bag. The mat fits perfectly into the bottom of the bag, as its just slightly narrower, which was what I was aiming for.



 Finally the mat all rolled up and secured with the elastic, ready to go. The plus side of using all fabric to make the mat is that its completely washable, you can just pop it into the machine.

I'm going to add a tutorial/pattern for this changing mat soon.


My Playsuit Project

A very special friend of daughter and myself happens to be very fond of playsuits, so me being me I decided to attempt to make one for her. After much hunting on Ebay, Etsy etc I finally decided to use a nice polycotton floral print fabric that I've had for some time but have not got around to using. I also had to spent a lot of time hunting for a pattern. I found one in the end on www.sewingpatterns.com which is great because you can just download many of their patterns, print them off and assemble them by sticking the pieces together with tape and cut out and use as you would any normal pattern. They also have some free patterns.

I'm really happy with the finished item, it was fairly straightforward to make, quite enjoyable to sew and the pattern was easy to follow. I love the side pockets in the shorts and the fact theres no zips to sew in. However I would point out that the top front crossover could gape abit, so I would recommend including a press stud or small piece of velcro near the top/bust area to prevent flashing.

My Baby Changing Bag Project

A good friend of ours has recently had a beautiful baby, and we thought it would be nice to make them a unique gift. So I decided on making a Changing Bag, something that may be useful.
This is the bag I've made, its from a Simplicity Pattern 2924, which contains several different items, including a bag, a changing mat, baby wipes bag, burp cloth & and pacifier clip. Its a very good pattern, the bag was reasonably straight forward to make, but its a bit tricky when you come to sewing on the bottom of the bag so I'd advise to take care whilst doing that part, but overall it an enjoyable pattern to use.
I used a good quality curtain/upholstery fabric with a curtain lining fabric for the bag lining. You will also need some medium-firm interfacing, the iron-on is much easier to use.



This is the front of the completed bag.

 I'm very happy with how its turned out, the pattern suggests using velcro as a fastening, but if I make this pattern again, I think I may use a magnetic clasp.

The back of the bag

The back of the bag is good too, there is a good sized, fully lined pocket along the back

This side view of the bag.

This is the side of the bag, its got an elasticated pocket and a couple of pleats/gathers along the bottom to allow for room inside for bottle etc. I'm very pleased with how this came together and their are identical pockets each side.

The inside of the bag.

This is the inside of the bag. I love how it has two pockets, one each side that run along the entire length of the bag, this gives plenty of room for change of clothes, nappies..etc.

My New Creations

Hi there, I've been pretty busy of late, tinkering away on my Sewing machine. You see, whenever there is a birthday or event of any kind I usually like to make my gifts. I love to try and find a project thats fits someones character or likes, I enjoy to give something thats been made especially for them, something unique, whether its a pencil case or a full length gown.
I love making Jewellery and have been doing that for a few years now, but recently I've reverted back to my sewing machine, to explore what I can do. I have sewn on and off for many years, but wouldnt say I'm an expert more like intermediate.
I'm going to be posting some of my recent projects and also new ones. I love to help others and want to pass on any useful tips/tutorials that may help anyone who is starting out. I also want to pass on free sewing patterns I find online, and maybe some of my own..