sewing : three jersey tops and a new overlocker

After years of trying to justify the expense, I finally took the plunge and bought myself an overlocker for my birthday... it has revolutionised by sewing and was worth every penny.

I justified the purchase by convincing myself it would mean I could make lots of quick, easy and comfy clothes for the boys. But instead all I have done since buying it is make clothes for me, a luxury which I am very much enjoying.

So, here are my first three garments...

Each different but each related - two share the same fabric, a very pale, creamy peach with thick black strips, and the other is a soft and stretchy dark pine green which these photos fail to do justice to. Two also share the same pattern #4 one piece sideways top from the wonderful English translation of Drape Drape 2.

The dark green and the striped top with the shorter sleeves are the ones from the Drape Drape pattern. Tracing out the pattern from the sheet in the book took a while. The patterns have seam allowances a built in (yay) but on are printed in a limited palate of colours which makes the pattern sheets look elegant but tracing the pattern lines a bit tricky (boo).

The other top, striped with longer sleeves, is copied from a top I already own. The original top is comfy, flattering and would be the easiest thing ever to wear, if it weren't for the fact that it gets grease stained from just being near a small child.

All three tops also share the same neckline as the longer sleeved too. Every review of the Drape Drape pattern said the scooped neckline was too deep. And as I've never really got on well with scooped necklines, I knew I'd have to change it to the same as the copied top (which has the best neckline of any top I own).

Of course there has been a learning curve to using my overlocker, but thankfully it's not been as steep as I had feared, particularly with the shared wisdom of the Internet to assist. And my skills have improved with each project.

So, here are the things I've learned so far:

Sewing with an overlocker isn't anywhere near as scared as I feared.

Lots of people use their overlockers to finish seams seven with a regular sewing maching... even when sewing jersey. The two main reasons for this seem to be a fear that mistakes using an overlocker are harder to fix and that serged seams aren't as secure and tended to come undone.

I got round the first problem by sewing with four threads (less stretchy, but more secure) and the second by going slow, using cheep and/or old fabric and making things with enough give in them to now worry about the odd mistake. Tactics that seem to have worked so far!

Using the right needles and threads makes all the difference

Whilst you don't need to finish jersey seams, taking the time to do so, and doing it well, makes all the difference between something 'hand made' and 'hand crafted'. And to do this well, a double jersey needle and a bobbin full of wooly nylon makes all the difference (again, great tips I found out from the ever helpful Internet!).

And be brave

Don't be afraid to try new things and make a few changes along the way... There's nothing wrong with a mistake or two as this is exactly how you learn and improve going forwards.

sewing : two christmas elephants

Two elephants I made for my boys this Christmas from some super-thick and super-cheap denim fabric bought from Simply Fabrics in Brixton and left over from a (not quite yet finished) mei tai style baby carrier.

I used the reverse side of the denim for all but the elephant's belly, hoping this will reduce the colour rubbing off onto everything - we will just have to see how successful this tactic is. The ears are V&A/Liberty quilting fabric - also left over, this time from baby trousers.

The pattern is from the Sew Everything Workshop book by Diana Rupp. I have made the baby elephants from this book many times but this was my first time with the 'mommy' elephants. They were pretty easy to sew and took about a week of late-night sewing (the only sewing time I have).

Both elephants were 'finished' Christmas Eve at 11.45pm - just enough time to wrap them up, not enough time to sew on any eyes. Not that I'd have been able to sew them on even if I had more time, there is only so long my fingers can take hand-sewing through several layers of thick denim.

These were the first toys opened on Christmas Day and the boys were very happy. However the poor elephants couldn't compete with the bright and shiny plastic toys which filled the rest of the day - and most of our living room by the end of it - and they soon fell into obscurity.

Maybe over time they will become well-loved treasures rather than languishing in a bottom draw... only time will tell.

Posted with Blogsy

upcycled : baby trousers

Once upon a time these trousers used to be a shirt, and that shirt used to live in a charity shop in South London...

And it just so happens that men's shirts are great for making baby and toddler clothes.

The sleeves, if big enough, are perfect for trousers. And there's always enough left over for something else: bibs, lining for other projects, or even another pair of trousers.

All told, this is a nice and lazy sewing project which is ideal when there are two small boys at home vying for your attention (and sewing time!).

Here are a couple of photos of the trousers, unoccupied, so to speak:

As you can see, each trouser leg is made from one sleeve and because the seams are left in place, half the work is done by the time you have cut them out!

I simply cut off the cuffs and cut out the top and crotch shaping from the sleeve using my favourite baby/toddler trouser pattern.

Next I sewed the legs together, hemmed the bottoms (where the cuffs once lived) and made hem big enough for some elastic at the top, with a small gap to thread the elastic through.

Finally I inserted the elastic, sew up the gap and voila...

The slit from the shirt cuff makes a nice detail. On these it quite plain, sometimes they have buttons. Either way it ensures a nice lot of room for little legs to move around.

sewing : therapeutic bag making

Whenever I find a new or stressful event approaching I my default coping mechanism seems to be sewing bags.

Bags to sort things... bags to put things in... and above all, bags to organise.

If only I can get my 'stuff' arranged neat and tidy in some shiny new bags, then surely everything else will just fall into place.

And so there have been: shoe bags (for a conference in the US); box bags for new baby stuff for the birth of #1 son; small bags for toys for the children's hospital...

...and now there is a cute blue elephant drawstring bag for #1 son's first day at nursery.

From cutting to the final ironing on of the name tag and tidying up after myself it took 1 1/2 hours, mainly thanks to the help off my new machine who sings a high-pitched little song whist seeing away.

This was so simple to make and although I was sewing at gone 10pm, which is the only uninterrupted sewing time I have, everything went right first time. I even managed to get all the fabric the right way round when attaching the lining without having to resort to notes or seam ripping.

 I used an adorable teal coloured elephant print fabric from The Eternal Maker and lined it with some shirting fabric from a shop in Brixton which cost £2/meter and 2 meters of cheap anorak cord.

The dimensions of the fabric cut were 36 x 43 cm, two for the lining and two for the elephant fabric. This allowed for a1cm seam allowances at the sides, and 2 cm at the top for the casing. The small loops for attaching the bottom of the cord where made from leftover fabric.

To finish it off I attached a small iron-on name label to the inside. All told it's a perfect size for a change of clothes and Bun-Bun's that all-important rabbit. And it makes me happy to see the smiling elephants hanging from #1 son's nursery peg.

sewing : a test-drive changing mat

On returning to work after maternity leave I had planned to treat myself to an iPad. However, I had a last minute change of heart and spent all the money on much needed new sewing machine.

With my budget and list of requirements it became clear I had only one choice, a Husqvarna Viking Emerald 118. Not the most popular seeing machine out there, but one that met pretty much all my sewing needs.

The only problem then became finding the time to use it.

Fortunately I tend to be more productive when I'm busy and now I'm back at work I manage to fit more into my limited spare time than I ever managed during the sprawling days, weeks and months of my maternity leave. But still... there will never be quite enough time.

So far my new machine has worked like a dream - as if it, and I, have the same end goal, and a mutual agreement on how to reach it. This is a world away from the arguments and disagreements I had with my stroppy and ill behaved old Brother machine which was bought many years ago, before I even understood exact;y what I wanted to use it for.

However, I was yet to throw any real challenges it's way... until this week when I spent a couple of evenings sewing a new baby changing mat.

I had been looking to buy a new changing mat, but nothing met our needs. It had to be padded, small enough to roll up into a bag (in which we keep nappies and other baby-changing sundries), reasonably atrractive (i.e. no pink or baby-blue), wipeable, machine washable and not too expensive. It didn't sound impossible to me, but I just couldn't find the right thing out there.

Fortunately I had some Ikea oil cloth lying round, which had previously been used as a table cloth for our old dining table, when my eldest was in the messy throws of baby-led weaning.

I'm pleased to say that this, along with some wadding and cheap bias tape from one of the many fabric shops in Brixton, and the help of a walking foot, became our new, custom changing mat with the minimum of sewing effort.

So far it has been rather popular. As you can see, the cat likes it - and even #2 son has been well behaved and calm when I'm chaning his nappy change... I'm sure it won't last, but I'll make the most of it for now.