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A big thank you to the folks over at Textillia for the shout out of a pattern site unknown to me.  The fact that she mentioned the word ‘free’ was a definite draw and so I immediately headed over to see what I could find for hubby.

Joost De Cock runs a small website where he offers his own made-to-measure patterns to download.  Once you’ve signed up you can add models measurements and select these models for downloading the patterns.  I opted for something easy to start with and voila! One pair of test boxer briefs done!

This is a super quick pattern that would have taken about half an hour if it hadn’t been for the darn overlocker snapping a thread and me spending 45 minutes trying to retread it 😁. After wasting time and getting nowhere, I gave up and used my sewing machines stretch stitches instead – I seriously couldn’t be bothered with it this morning.

You can find Joost on Instagram at @joostdecock and online at makemypattern.com. In addition, Joost has also created great instruction and some video tutorials too.

You know I said free?  Well, yes it is, but Joost is very appreciative of any donation to help him continue his patternmaking work and expand his range. When you see the hard work and effort he has input into the patterns, instructions and website, we really should be supporting him to continue his efforts to help more men get involved in sewing.

This test pair was entirely made from my stash.  Although I didn’t have the wider waistband elastic, I simply zigzag stitched two thinner pieces together and I worked a treat. I also used a twin needle to hem the legs.  After thinking I really, really need a coverstitch machine, after today’s trials with the overlocker, I may give it a miss for a while longer!

Now where has my model disappeared to so I can test them for fit?

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Summer in England!

For 2 weeks we had lovely weather, and now of course our English weather obsession makes us wonder and worry that was it for the year.

Being optimistic I decided it was time to make up some shorts for the granddaughters – after all the pattern was purchased and cut out weeks ago.

I had seen many gorgeous pairs of Berry Bubble Shorts on Instagram and they were so cute, they needed to be tried.  The pattern is available from Mummykins & Me by Rebecca Page.

I only used what I had in my stash, so this was a really good stash-busting exercise.  The outer is is a sort of lightweight stretch denim with a polycotton lining.  I used the buttonhole elastic method and Kam poppers.  You can also use regular elastic and buttons.

The self made bias binding is so pretty too.  I absolutely love these and hope that our 3 year old granddaughter agrees to wear them because she is rather obsessed with dresses and princesses and these are WAY out of her normal attire.

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A HUGE BIG thank you to the lovely people over at petiteapetiteandfamily for sharing this very cute pattern.  I have grandaughter2 for the day today and this was the perfect craft to keep her occupied and to use up some scraps.

I got up early – I couldn’t sleep anyway – and cut out the pieces and stitched what I could together…after all, there is only so much patience that a newly 3-year-old can muster and I didn’t want to make it too much of a long-winded project…just let her have lots of fun with a treat at the end.

The bit she enjoyed the most was the stuffing!   She was really good at it with her tiny little fingers pushing the stuffing into the small openings – I will have to get her to help when I next make a teddy bear.

After we had made the bodies we added the facial features and other shading.

I was really lazy and cheated by using some Sharpies!  Next it was onto the clothes;  each one is prettily dressed in a pair of bloomers and a contrasting tunic.

Here is Flossie…..

and here is Mama (obviously named for her mom which is really cute)…… 
Now to see if I can pry one of them away from her to give to another child….mmmm – wish me luck!

  

 

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Hubby is off to Glasgow.

Hubby has been invited to a Burns Night event.

Hubby has to go in his dinner suit.

Hubby says he needs a Scottish touch.

Send hubby to Abakhan for tartan.

Cut out and stitch bowtie.

Cut out and stitch pocket square.

Cut out and stitch another bowtie….for the son….in case!

Preparation complete – Let the festivities begin!

Son looking rather dapper in his new Stewart tartan….  

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Every Friday morning I head off to the local swimming pool for a parent & toddler swimming lesson……in our case it is grandparent & toddler….with granddaughter2. This is the only form of exercise I get and it is purely her enjoyment that drags me out each week!  In case you were wondering why it is such a big effort and a HUGE achievement, consider taking a toddler swimming on your own when you have no energy, constant pain, oh – and you’re in a wheelchair!  To be fair, it is getting easier as she gets older.  In the beginning she sort of did her own thing at breakneck speed and the usual 2-year-old enthusiasm for life.  She still has as much enthusiasm, but at least she is starting to understand the importance of waiting for Ouma, not running across the road, trying (desperately) to be patient, only playing with half of the controls in the car while I get my wheelchair out, waiting to get her swimsuit on etc. etc.  She still thinks it is hilarious to hide in a locker so I can’t find her, but mostly her giggles give her away….let’s just hope she doesn’t get herself locked in there one day!

Last week was a real challenge because we got into the baths, got undressed, started to get our swimming gear on, and only then realised that we were short one small swimsuit….AAARRRGGGHHH!  How did this happen? What were we to do?  GO HOME my brain was shouting, but I am stubborn, don’t give up easily and always push myself.  So we got dressed again, packed up our bags, wheeled back out to reception in search of a loan swimsuit.  No luck there, but they agreed to let her swim in her knickers…if she would agree that is.  Surprisingly she was more than happy and we headed back to repeat the whole exercise again.  By then I was more exhausted than usual, but floating in a warm pool was rather appealing and we have lunch at ‘chicken ‘n chips’ (her name for MacDs) to look forward to as well – our little ritual.

Now, the only reason any of this is of importance is because it made me realise that perhaps a spare cozzie was needed, so this morning I rummaged in my stash and found everything I needed and a basic pattern that I had used previously for her other swimsuit – a lightweight stretch spandex/lycra, a heavier weight lycra as a lining, fold over elastic and power mesh.

If you cut out this free pattern from the lovely and generous people over at smalldreamfactory, then like me, you can make any number of design changes and embellishments you fancy.  Being a girl who loves swirly dresses it was an easy modification to add a couple of rows of frills using power mesh from my lingerie stash.  The beauty about this material is that it gathers so easily using the basting function on my machine and it doesn’t fray at all.

A couple of hours well spent and there you have it – one new swimsuit ready for Friday…..

I may be biased, but this has got to be one of the cutest cozzies ever!  Hopefully it stands up to regular rough and tumble at the poolside!

 

 

 

 

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Restlessness – it doesn’t sit comfortably with me!  After church yesterday I came home and spent a bit of time with the children and grandchildren and then went upstairs to sit a while with hubby who was poorly.  We watched a few woodworking classes on Craftsy and then Downton Abbey, but the entire time I felt fidgety.  After a bit I told hubby that I couldn’t stand it anymore and he, knowing me very well, suggested a spot of sewing – a perfect solution.

What to make?  And then I spotted a little pile of material that hadn’t been put away since before Christmas; included amongst this was a pretty stretch material that would be perfect for some lingerie.  In the now copious elastic stash was the perfect Fold Over Elastic, underwear elastic, and I even found some matching lace too…what a happy day!

I chose a wonderful pattern from Ohhhlulu for the camisole – 1351 Clara Camisole and a self drafted pattern for the knickers…..

An hour later and all was assembled into a bit of rather pretty minty goodness – delicious…..

Back onto my bed and I felt calm again….what a great tension reliever sewing can be.

This morning I was up and ready to finish off the set.  By 8am, after a quick sew, the knickers were done as well…..

An hour and a half very well spent indeed – and the best part is that I never had to buy a thing – stash-busting is SO satisfying!😉  You see hubby, I am using up some of the materials I keep hauling into the sewing room.

If you are looking to make small and quick items then I would encourage you to get into lingerie making.  It may take a bit of practice with the stretch fabrics and the elastics, but believe me, you won’t regret it.

Tick – another set to add to the collection.

 

 

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Today there is no sewing action – again! – but rather, a bit of liquid shampoo making.

Here is the paste which has just gone through trace and is ready to start cooking for 3 hours.

I absolutely LOVE the wonder and science of soap making!
Once this is cool I will begin to dilute the paste and create a (hopefully) lovely liquid shampoo. I am familiar with making solid shampoo bars, so this is an adventure into the new and wondrous world of liquid soaps – SO exciting.

If it works you will hear back from me, if you don’t you can assume it all went horribly wrong….or rather, I am still manically trying to learn from my mistakes!🙂

#makeyourown #soapmaking #handcraftedsoap #makeyourownsoap #makeyourownshampoo

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To say that the English weather is foul at the moment is an understatement!  I have a new leak in my sewing room that attests to this, and as a result another bucket has appeared to try to stop it dripping all over my fabric!

Well, if the weather won’t play nice, then we just have to make something to cheer us up.  In my case, a cape, or two, to be precise.  One for granddaughter nbr1 (age 6) and another for granddaughter nbr2 (age 2).  I have a cape at the very top of my personal sewing list, but somehow projects for everyone else are always so much more of a joy to make.

I picked up the most gorgeous red waterproof material from Abakhan last week – for the princely sum of £1.27 per meter – what a bargain!  As soon as I saw this I knew my beautiful girls would look amazing in a rain cape.  Selecting a contrast material from my (reasonably sized) Liberty stash from Standfast & Barracks was more of a task than one would think….so many beautiful prints to choose from.  In the end I settled on a couple of bright reds to line the capes and add a few splashes of external colour.

A few sketches of my idea and I was ready to begin…..

My work started with bias binding making – lots of it!

Next I cut out a full circle in both the waterproof and the Liberty lining.  This was a guesstimate using a long-sleeved garment one of the boys had left behind.  The cut-out for the neck was also a rough measurement from the neck-hole of a shirt. I used the body warmers hood I made for grandson nbr2 as a guide for size and shape.

Cut open a single layer on the centre front of the outer and lining to form the opening for the cape.  Sew the hood and hood linings together.  Place the hood and hood lining inside each other and stitch all round the perimeter to keep them together.  Repeat this with the cape body.

Stitch the hood to the cape body.  Bind the neck seam with some of that pretty bias binding.

Make some slits for the arms by creating a welt pocket opening and on the outside add a pocket facing to cover the entire slit.  After turning the welt fabric to the inside, I tucked in a small seam allowance and stitched it down through all the layers.  This is covered by the slit facing and cannot be seen.  I made the  arm-slit facings in the contrast fabric and on the inside, lined them with waterproof material so that if it did get really, really wet, it wouldn’t soak through to the inside.  Liberty is a lightweight material so I knew the binding would dry out quickly if it did get wet – anyway, what is a little dampness when it looks so gorgeous!

Bind the entire perimeter of the cape with bias binding.

Add some tabs with poppers for closures at the neckline, and there you have it – one cape completed and another with just the binding to finish off….

I WANT ONE!!!

Take that off Serena, it is NOT for you, but for your 2-year-old daughter….

I adore these.  I think they are much better and easier to wear than a raincoat and because of how they are worn, I hope they will get at least a couple of years wear out of them.

I am hoping this will inspire me to complete my own matching woollen cape and waterproof rain cape.

 

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You know those days when you roll into your sewing room and you have so many projects to do but you just can’t face them?  Well that’s what happened to me this morning, so instead of not doing anything at all I decided to do something really simple….a Mors bag.

The UK recently passed legislation that you have to use reusable shopping bags or pay for disposable ones; which I think is a fantastic idea anyway because for years I’ve been using handmade bags for shopping and now we have even greater incentive to make them.

Mors bags, if you don’t know about them, is an initiative started by a lady  in the south of England to help protect our sealife because of the damage that plastic bags thrown into the ocean is doing.  Take a look at their website ….morsbags.com….to get some inspiration and also a really simple pattern for you to make your own bags – or start a group making bags to give away.

I’m lucky enough to live reasonably close to the factory where they print Liberty and other very well know soft furnishing materials like Sanderson.  They also sell what they call ‘fents’ – a northern term for remnants of material.  These remnants just happen to be the perfect size to make a Mors bag out of – so that was my little project for today.

Cut one rectangle for the body, another small rectangle for an optional pocket and too long narrow rectangles for the handles.  I don’t waste any material – it is only a shopping bag after all – and I even use the selvages for the handles.

This is such a fun, quick and easy project to do on those days when you don’t really have inspiration for much.

This one is now at the top of my favourite shopping bag list….

The website even has these lovely little labels you can buy to attach to your bags…a great way to raise awareness and show your support for the environment…..  

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Having owned the same pair of Mundial shears for more than 25 years, I can definitely vouch for them; they have cut more material than most people cut out in a lifetime, but they are still going strong.  Some of this has to do with the fact that I hid them away from the rest of the family and promised death and destruction if anyone came near them with anything other than material – actually if anyone just came near them.  Buying good scissors taught me a very important lesson….it is definitely worth spending a little more on a really good pair of shears or scissors than constantly replacing the inferior quality ones.

I have been on the hunt for a good pair of scissors for lace and elastic for quite a long time now but eventually took the plunge and splurged on a truly decent pair from Ernest Wright and Son Limited in Sheffield, England.

These little beauties arrived in the mail today…less than 24 hours after placing my order as well!

The first pair is my new appliqué scissors which will be very useful for all the lace and elastic in making lingerie.  The second pair are rounded lace scissors and these little beauties will be very helpful for lace because they won’t snag – a real treat after struggling for years!

The only frustration?  Having to wait until later today to use them because we have other things to work on….namely, the camper van preparation for our test run next weekend…oh well, that will be worth the wait.