Confined Crafting

In this post I made some crafting resolutions for 2021, and in this post I followed up on them - as the year is now very rapidly drawing to a close I thought it would be good to check in on those resolutions!  1. A new project: making myself clothes Back in January I was determined to start making myself clothes, and I think it is safe to say I have nailed that one! My current work-in-progress: another York Pinafore dress in this gorgeous swimmers fabric I have now made myself two pinafores, two dresses, a skirt and one top, as well as adapting ill-fitting shop-bought garments. I've also made several garments for my kids and an apron for a friend. Working on my first top, the Ashton , and very pleased that I got sleeves to fit! 2. Finishing something: cross-stitch Partial success here. I did finish the embroidery for my friend's son, a little later than his 7th birthday but only by a month or so. But my original plan to finish my wedding sampler will not get done, as between...

 This has been a very busy week on the home/work front, and therefore a very quiet week on the crafting front! I've done a little mending, especially teddy Dandelion Flower who needed her back stitching up! Alterations One of the things I always had in mind when I started sewing was not just making my own clothes but also adjusting shop-bought clothes for a better fit. I started looking at a few tops and dresses this week to see where I could adjust them. I started work on a flowy summer top that I've had for a while but always felt uncomfortable because there wasn't quite enough fabric in the sleeves which twisted the way the top sat on my body. I chopped the sleeves off, which helped a lot, but there's also the issue of the bust not doing up.  I got some great advice on Instagram, including a suggestion from SewBusty who have started a blog for the sewer who is well-endowed! Removing the elastic from the gathered part has really helped, I only need to find another in...

 While I still consider myself a beginner sewer, I do feel that I have made some progress. It's now been about a year since I started sewing again, having not got far at all the first time I tried. I dusted off the sewing machine to make some face masks at first, and that really boosted my confidence to start making more and more. Recently I made a couple more face masks and was surprised at how much better I was at them and how much I understood about the reasoning behind the construction method and pattern. Proof of progress!  So even though I still feel very much like a beginner, and have a LOT still to learn and many skills to practice, I thought I would share the most useful things I have learned to date plus some resources that have helped me. 1. PINS . Seriously. Pin everything together. Then go back and add more pins. I used to shove a couple of pins in and then get cross that the fabric slipped or the lines were wonky. Pins (or clips) are your friends. Make your seam ...

 I've decided to try a new thing on the blog! I'm finding that I'm not posting much as I feel like I need to do a summary post when I finish something - and that can take a while! So these will be little diaries showing what I have got up to and discussing any thoughts I've had along the way, without anything needing to be finished! Embroidery The week started with a bit of disappointment as I failed to meet one of my New Year's Resolutions (as made in this post ). As you can see from the image above, I've not managed to finish the birth sampler for my friend's son in time for his birthday. But it's much closer than it was and I might be able to get it done by the end of May! New deadline! Also in embroidery, I made one of my Jacobin Day Quilt Blocks  as an applique. I really enjoyed this method, which is completely new to me. The way I did it was like making a little collage of scraps of fabric and felt with embroidery highlights. Though I did cheat a l...

I've wanted to sew an apron for a while and came across the free Tessuti Apron pattern here . It was exactly what I was looking for, a cross-back apron with a square neckline. I decided to make it using this gorgeous pear print cotton twill fabric that I found at my favourite online fabric shop, DIY or Dye . I did look up whether the Tessuti Apron pattern would be suitable for a larger body like mine - it comes in a 'one-size-fits-all' pattern which is never really true. I did find fatter sewists saying they needed to adjust the pattern to lengthen the straps and widen the skirt section. I decided to make it as it came as I had a friend in mind who I could gift it to if it didn't fit me well. Above: Attaching the pocket Above: needle break! The folded layers of pocket in the heavy fabric were too much for a normal needle. I switched to a denim needle for the rest of the project. Above: halfway point. I still had the neckline to face and hem, and the straps to hem. Below...

Back in January I blogged about my crafting intentions for this year - and seeing as it's April already I thought an update would be good!  1. A new project: making myself clothes I have succeeded in making myself the York Pinafore by Helen's Closet 🎊🎊 I want to write up the experience in a separate blog post so I'll just post a quick pic here: The dress is made from sales fabric that I got cheaply and was intended to be a 'wearable toile' - a test piece that you won't be heartbroken if it goes wrong, but can wear if it goes right! I still intend to make another York Pinafore in nicer fabric. I've also managed to make a top for my daughter, which was my first foray into sewing with knit fabric: It's definitely tricky not to let the stretch fabric, well, stretch during sewing, but I managed to avoid it too badly everywhere except the neckline, which as you can see if quite wobbly. Still I was pleased with it for a first try! 2. Finishing something: cr...

 Here's a round-up of free PJ patterns for those joining in the #ConfinedCrafting sew-along at Easter! Various free patterns for PJ short sets at Mood Sewciety Pattern at Trevor Loves Mommy (free if you subscribe to newsletter). Draft a PJ shorts pattern using a pair of your own shorts at Pretty Prudent .  This pattern from Life Sew Savory has POCKETS which I know you all love. Versatile free pattern to download from Patterns for Pirates . PJs without a pattern at DIY Fashion Rebel . Self-drafted pattern with shirred waistband from NoodleHead . Knit fabric lounge wear from iCandy Handmade . Tutorial on making PJ bottoms from an old sheet from Five Marigolds . Very easy pyjama set from Swedish designers The Assembly Line .  Hollywood Glamour from Charm Patterns .  Capri length bottoms, and pockets, from Peppermint Magazine .  A zero-waste design from The Craft of Clothes . Of course this list is not exhaustive, but hopefully some good ideas here to get everyon...

 I decided to upgrade my needle storage from pincushion to needle book. This feels more secure especially from little cats who think that a needle with some thread left in it is a tasty treat! I used the free template and instructions at  The Domestic Doozie  blog. This would be a great scrap buster project. It only needs 3 small rectangles of fabric, some batting and some felt, and a button and loop of elastic. The book can be as decorated or embellished as you like - each page of felt could be embroidered, for example. I kept it very simple as a real quick make. It took about 30 mins.

 I recently ran up some eco-friendly face wipes for a friend. These are designed to replace cotton pads or face wipes, and are washable. To increase their green credentials I made the pad section from an old towel. I had some charm squares spare, so used those as the backing fabric. I cut the towel into squares that were slightly smaller than the charm square, and wrapped the fabric over the towel piece to form a small border.  I then sewed the top fabric down with a zigzag stitch. This meant I was mainly sewing on the fabric, as my machine can't sew through towel (unless I haven't found the right setting or needle of course)! Very very simple, but pretty and functional! There are lots of tutorials for other ways to make these face wipes, such as:  https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-make-reusable-make-up-remover-pads/ It seems to be even more simple with an overlocker:  http://juliawithanh.com/sewing/23-reusable-face-pads You can even crochet some! https://dab...