If you are in a hurry….SLOW DOWN!
Posted: May 23, 2013 Filed under: Burda Magazine, Knitting, Life, Patrones | Tags: BWOF, kim hargreaves, Knitting, Life 2 Comments »Great advise given to me by one of my old tutors. That has served me well over the past couple of weeks clearing my client work – not quite so well personally. Remember my relaxing knitting? It got to this size…
Perfectly knitted ….
..before I started to have doubts about the yarn quantities needed. I checked the pattern, checked again, and the e-mailed the lovely people at Kim Hargreaves. It was at that point it was clear I was knitting in the wrong yarn. Wool cotton – check. Wool cotton 4 ply – Doh! See what I mean about slow down? All of this will now be pulled out and stored until I can bear to find another garment to knit it as. It seems that the devil truly is in the detail.
On a nicer note my friends G & H have been to Spain again and returned with another Patrones – this time Issue 325.
Patrones 325
There are a number of pretty things in this issue – I think the cover dress would be suitable for a ‘prom’ dress for some of the young girls I have seen recently. The complete selection is below.
I particularly like this top – I will add it to my already massive wish list. I love the front cowl – but adore the racer back that goes with it. Really sweet.
Hard on the heels of this issue I received the new Burda Style magazine. In general I would say I preferred the syles in Patrones but this issue of Burda has some really nice things (can you see the wish list growing?).
I picked two dresses I really liked – and both are also shown as tops too – so if you didn’t want to commit to a dress that would be fine. The one on the left is very like a top I saw in ‘Phase Eight’ yesterday – delightfully described by the Management as a ‘crumpled t-shirt’. I’m not sure he will be impressed if this goes on the list …. but on it goes. The grey maxi is just so easy to wear that I wish I was off on a sunshine holiday. Sadly I will just have to hope that the weather in the UK perks up enough to even contemplate wearing this – if I ever get that far down the wish list. I feel the need for some severe editing coming on.
Crumpled t-shirt or lovely dress?
Easy to wear maxi dress
I am still wading through lots of work for clients so even if the weather is wonderful I wont be wearing any of these in the near future. The other problem is that today I really just dont feel like working so I am clearing all sorts of odd jobs – including tidying my work area up so I can at least see what I am meant to be doing.
I hope everyone out there is feeling more productive than me.
Bye for now.
Norway! (And no sewing for me …. again)
Posted: May 13, 2013 Filed under: Knitting, Travel | Tags: kim hargreaves, Knitting, Life, Travel 2 Comments »Of the past 14 days I spend seven of them on board this lovely vessel admiring the wonderful Norwegian fjords.
The lovely Marco Polo
The Management and I had a wonderful relaxing time eating, drinking, and meeting the natives.
Didn’t spot him at dinner…
Got to love a Viking!
Trolls?
Happy troll!
The weather was pretty cold (we were told ‘spring is late this year!’) and we were able to have a snowball fight on the 1st May – not quite what I was expecting. Anyway, after getting back from a lovely relaxing break, all ready to get stuck into the client work I had left behind, I picked up the Managements chesty cough and cold. Bummer.
As a result of the lack of sleep slowing me down, and galloping deadlines, I have not been able to do any sewing for me again. I am now desperate to start the Pattern Magic twisted top – but it will have to wait. I really want to sew for me so when there is a gap in client work I will be right at it. When I have finished sewing for the day I have been knitting from the Kim Hargreaves ‘Quirky’ book again – this time it is ‘Jinny’. I find that a few rows at the end of the day relaxes me ready for bed.
Perfect evening – knitting, book, and a glass of red!
I hope everyone out there is having more luck with their own sewing than me!
Another old Singer Machine
Posted: April 26, 2013 Filed under: Gadgets & Gizmos, Vintage Sewing Machines | Tags: Vintage Singer Machine 8 Comments »It was never my intention to collect sewing machines but when you are offered something like this you have to say yes.
Singer 27K circa 1900
This beauty was being used as a sewing table by someone who didn’t want to use the treadle machine – but who now needed the space. The cabinet is a really nice piece of furniture on it’s own – but the fact that it hides a machine built in Scotland in 1900 makes it super special.
Nice cabinet hiding a fab machine
Real drawers on the left…
Treadle mechanism behind mock drawers on the right
The machine is in desperate need of some TLC , and a lot of oil! The treadle was locked solid but is moving now. I will have to have some patience and spend time of this machine when I can to bring her back into full working order. I am sure that once everything is moving and back in order this machine will outlast me. Everything (other than the treadle band) is solid metal and very hard wearing. I cant wait to try this out properly by making something on it – I am sure that the treadle action must be very therapeutic.
This has obviously been well used in the past as the decal is worn at just the point that you would hold your right hand whilst working. I have identified the decal as ‘Sphinx’ or ‘Memphis’.Whichever name you give it the pictures are beautiful.
I can work quietly on all the sewing I have for clients knowing that behind me all of the little nooks and crannies are slowly drinking up the oil I have put on them.
Sphinx or Memphis – beautiful whichever.
Please don’t offer me any more machines – The Management has been quite impressed with this old lady but if she was joined by lots of similarly aged friends I think his patience may be tried!
Kim Hargreaves Quirky – Liv
Posted: April 23, 2013 Filed under: Books, Knitting, Life | Tags: Books, Knitting, Life 5 Comments »I have been sewing lots since my last post – but again it is all for clients and can’t be shown. When I have finished client work I really don’t always feel like sewing for myself so I knit for relaxation. During the last couple of weeks I have been working on another top from the Kim Hargreaves Quirky book.
Liv – from the Quirky knitting book
Bad self portrait – good jumper!
Back view
I didn’t use the recommended yarn as I didn’t have the patience to wait for it to be specially ordered. This should have been make in Rowan ‘Drift’ but I used Patons ’Fab Big Colour‘ in a lovely pink mixture that I knew would be wearable with a number of things already in my wardrobe. I thought I would enjoy knitting this as it was on 10mm needles and would be quick to make. I hadn’t used needles this big in many a long year and I found that it was like learning to knit all over again – very unwieldy and clumsy feeling. It was quick, but it will be a long time before I am looking to use these needles again!
This is knitted in one piece until it is divided for the armholes, and has some waist shaping knitted in so that it isn’t too bulky round the middle. I managed to find buttons that I felt looked really good with the yarn – though sadly not from my multiple button tins this time. I love this jumper/waistcoat and I know I will wear it to death. It is very cosy so is great to wear as an extra layer at the moment as we in the UK wait for the warmer weather to arrive. Though in past experience I suspect it will be worn even then as it is rarely really warm here!
I am still very busy with client sewing and am starting to get a bit ‘twitchy’ and want to make something for myself soon.
Dead on their feet. Stalks? But still standing straight.
What a lovely colour Mrs Mole’s tulips are!
Remember the tulips?
I threw them out yesterday after well over a week. They looked mummified but were still standing absolutely straight and what amazed me was that the petals didn’t all fall off when I moved the vase to take them to the compost bin. (Oh yes, nothing knowingly wasted here). Mrs Mole sent me a picture of the tulips she had cut and treated as she detailed in her comment to me – it will be interesting to see how they fare. Fabulous colour Mrs Mole!
How does this Tulip tip work?
Posted: April 16, 2013 Filed under: Life | Tags: Life 8 Comments »Last week I was listening to the lovely Claudia Winkleman (presenter of The Great British Sewing Bee) on the radio and heard a bizarre tip for keeping tulips standing up straight instead of them falling over in the vase. A very simple step of dropping a 2p coin into the vase with the water was said to be the answer. Not two 1p coins. One 2p. Yeah right, I thought.
By coincidence a friend visited me on Friday and brought me and brought me a beautiful bunch of tulips (Thank you J!). Time to try out that tip!
Still amazingly straight after five days!
Five days later they are still standing as straight as soldiers. How does that work?
Another Made from Burda 2/13
Posted: April 15, 2013 Filed under: Burda Magazine, Dressmaking | Tags: BWOF, Dressmaking, Shirts 4 Comments »In my last post I gave a little teaser picture of something I had been working on as a gift.
Boyfriend shirt 101
It was a shirt my daughter asked for – and although that was a while ago I thought it would be nice to sneak it in with her birthday gift. I used the pattern number 101 from February’s Burda magazine. I found this one to be a very easy make. I worked a placket on the sleeve opening rather than just binding a split , and shortened the body and sleeves as my daughter is very petite, but made everything else as is. I’m afraid I can’t comment on the method that Burda give as I didn’t use it – I have made so many shirts/blouses over the years I have stopped looking. The fabric is a wonderful soft baby-cord from stock (still some left!) in a gorgeous chocolate brown.
Front view on Bessie
Back view on Bessie
I was desperate to get this wrapped and into the post so the pictures aren’t very good – and Bessie is a little too large to be modeling this really. I hope to get a photograph from J when she gets a chance so I will update the post then.
If this fits her reasonably well there is an adaption in the magazine to make this into a jacket which I rather like. If my daughter agrees I may make that for her too.
Method – or just madness?
Posted: April 11, 2013 Filed under: Burda Magazine, Dressmaking | Tags: BWOF, Tops 2 Comments »I have been intending to make the pattern for the lovely twisted top in the Pattern Magic book for about two weeks. I have read and understood the instructions (I think) and keep coming back to the ‘simple’ version which looks like a piece of cake to do but wouldn’t fit me in the size given. Not even close.
So…. to help with working out what the numbers should look like I have made a top from Februarys Burda magazine. I have seen many versions of this top and loved them all. So what took me so long? It needed to be graded up a size and I was feeling lazy.
Popular top – with good reason!
The very simple styling means that I will be able to use the measurements from this pattern to check the pattern from the Pattern Magic book before I get anywhere near fabric which should reduce the risks of it ending up a wadder.
I found some jersey in my stash and set to on this with great gusto. It really was an easy project – the pattern (even with my grading) fitted together very easily and fitted first time. The only alterations I made to the design were to shorten the body which even at the shorter length was about 2″ too long despite my liking my t-shirts long – and to alter the way the neckline was finished. The magazine suggests binding the edge with a strip (ooh sorry – I also tightened the neckline a little with a slightly shorter than advised strip) folded over the neck edge. I find it much easier to leave the seam allowance (only 1cm) in place and stitch the band which has been folded in half in place, press the seam allowance toward the body, and topstitch close to the strip to hold it in place. Much quicker and easier than trying to bind.
Neck finish detail.
Bessie modeling the finished garment.
I am sorry that I can only show Bessie wearing the top at present – the Management wasn’t home in time to catch the light. However, I can say that this is only the first of what may be many of these tops to be made. I love it! I will also be using the long sleeve adaption as I have bought some lovely brown merino wool jersey which would look wonderful in this style. I can’t say I am certain about the dress version with the flounce…
Now that I know that this fits well I will get back to the Pattern Magic book and make the pattern. I intend to use the jersey knit from the Rag Market as a first try so even if it all goes pear shaped it wont be a great loss. Although I do like the fabric so I really hope it works!
I have also been working on some gift sewing (in addition to the customer work which is pretty busy at the moment) which I will be able to show you after the weekend – but for now a little teaser!
Gift sewing. But what – and for whom?
