Monthly Archives: February 2016

Red Tulip Blouse – OOP McCalls 2797

blouse oop mccalls 2797

Prior to making the two sample bags for the next workshop, I had cut out two Blouses. The first was completed (Swallow blouse posted earlier) but the second was put on the “roundtuit” pile. I strongly dislike having to do this as in the past I have found that some things never make it out of the pile. I was determined it would not happen to this blouse.

The fabric was all that I had left after making the weekender bag, cosmetics bag, barrel bag and tote bag – just enough for a short sleeve blouse.

I used my TNT McCalls 2797 pattern which is now Out of Print. Fortunately I have been able to buy another copy through etsy.com as my original is falling to pieces.

The only changes I made to the pattern were to round off the corners of the collar and rever. I also added a patch pocket to the right front bodice as I always need somewhere to tuck a handkerchief.

I am pleased with the finished blouse which was stitched in record time despite spending extra minutes to double top-stitch the collar, rever, pocket, sleeve hems and also top-stitch the princess seam lines on the front bodice.

Carousel Tote bag no. 6 – Autumn Fields

autumn fields front     autumn fields reverse

In anticipation of a workshop in April I needed to make another sample Carousel Tote bag. For this example I decided to go “off piste” and add some different detailing – a pair of purchased handles by Prym. The handles have been in my bag-making stash for some time and having chosen a fabulous print by Lewis & Irene Autumn Fields, D colourway I felt that design warranted some professional-looking extras.

I cut out the outer fabric and applied medium weight fusible interfacing to add stability to the quilting cotton before cutting out a plain Mid-Green cotton for the lining.

I made up the outer bag including some narrower than usual tabs to hold the purchased handles and a larger than usual Brown zip for the pocket on the reverse. I then completed the lining. As I had run out of fusible wadding, I used the leftovers of 2 oz polyester wadding and this seems to have worked OK. The flap fastens with my favourite brass twist lock.

The finished bag measures 12” high, 12” wide and 3” deep plus the handles. I love the print of this bag, perhaps I could purchase some more for an unusual blouse!

Carousel Tote Bag no 5 – Ditsy print Oilcloth

      DITSY PRINT OILCLOTH BAG FRONT     DITSY PRINT OILCLOTH BAG REVERSE

I am planning to tutor a workshop in April for the “Carousel” tote bag. I have previously posted about this bag – a denim version and have made three other versions which have been given away as gifts. This ditsy-printed oilcloth from The Range is version no. 5 and has been made as a sample to be displayed at New Threads, Weyhill Fairground in anticipation of the workshop.

The design of the bag lends itself to being made up in a wide variety of fabrics such as Quilting cotton, linen and blends, wool/tweed, denim, needlecord and of course, oilcloth. Outside there is a pocket with pretty contrast-coloured zip and slip pocket at the back, a slip pocket at the front and inside there are two more pockets. The flap sits neatly between the strap tabs and has a twist lock on the front pocket to secure the contents.

The bag measures approximately 12.5 inches high x 12.5 inches wide x 3 inches deep. The long handles are 26 inches plus the “O” rings and tabs.

To construct the bag I threaded my machine with Aurifil thread, used a leather needle and plastic presser foot to assist with feeding the oilcloth fabric. I have used this combination before and find that it really does help sewing this useful fabric.

The bag is lined with plain Cream cotton which has been padded with 100% polyester wadding. For the bag hardware I used 4 x brass “O” rings, 2 x 10 inch zippers and a brass twist lock. These finishing touches are what completes the bag and I think give it a professional look.

Now onto the next incarnation using a delightful Quilting cotton featuring mice!

 

Swallows Blouse

swallow print threads blouse

 

There was recently a sale at New Threads, Weyhill Fairground and I was particularly taken with this lovely print of Swallows on a dark Salmon background. At £5 per metre, I purchased just 2.25 metres and using a Red thread made up the fabric in my TNT blouse pattern. The pattern is a hack from Style 1441 and instructions from “Threads” magazine on how to convert a yoked blouse to a classic blouse design.

As usual I added a patch pocket which has some additional decorative top-stitching. There was sufficient fabric to make a long-sleeved version with my usual extended length into a shaped hemline.

The spots on the fabric are in shades of Winter White, Light Salmon Pink and Burgundy, the latter matches well some trousers in my wardrobe thus I have a easily co-ordinated outfit.

Artesano Nebula Knitted Shawl

artesano nebula olive oil shawl with button trim

Whilst recovering from Hip Replacement surgery I have been catching up on some UFO knitting projects. I purchased 3 hanks (50 grms each) of this lovely Artesano Nebula yarn in Olive Oil colourway from Beaker Button Studio at Weyhill Fairground. This yarn is an Alpaca, Merino, Donegal Blend with little tufts of contrast and is very soft. The pattern is from Ravelry and is very simple to knit. Cast on 3 stitches then increase at the end of every other row until you have 100 stitches, then decrease in the same way. To complete the project I had to purchase two additional hanks of yarn which I bought direct from Artesano. To finish the shawl I added some brown tortoiseshell buttons from my stash that I had bought in bulk from eBay. The shawl now measures 60 inches across x 21 inches deep (excluding the button trim) – just right to drape across my shoulders for that little extra warmth.