Small bit of panic now that classes are over and I’m on my own!!!!
I’ve been working on one piece for awhile now but picking up other bits & bobs in fabric shops in the last couple of weeks. I’ve felt a little lost admittedly with no particular guidance so I have decided to allocate every Monday evening as my sewing window at home. I thought I would share a little of what I have been up to 🙂
My FUNKY Sewing Box
Up to this point my sewing bits & pieces have been scattered around the house in various rooms. I keep picking up random bits with nowhere to put them, so first purchase on my sewing list was a tool box…..I know sounds very ‘Man Shed’.
I wanted something that would hold all the smaller items like elastics, velcro, thread etc so a box with compartments would be ideal. In doing my research, I discovered that most sewing markets on the market, within my price range were quite expensive, so I looked toward the beauty industry instead.. A makeup box would be my solution. I purchased a large, professional makeup box with a variety of sections. As the photo shows its purple. This is in homage to my Mum as her absolutely favourite colour was purple.
The box was ordered from Amazon, arriving with speed. O the excitement!!
I found myself getting very protective of it….like Golem 🙂 It was mine!!
My kids wanted to fill it but no, that bit of fun was going to be mine. I suspect at the rate I’m picking up stuff I’ll be sending off for a second one someday soon!! I now have a complete understanding why, growing up, my Mum had boxes filled with buttons & threads everywhere.
Handy Tools for Sewing
During the last few weeks of my sewing class I encountered two extremely handy tools of the trade – the wheel cutter & carbon paper. Now there are various uses for these but my handy hint is the one my sewing instructor, Deirdre, taught me. As I have two girls I do not want to be buying two patterns to achieve different sizes. One pattern has a variety of sizes, which you usually cut to the size you wish. For me I cut to the size of my older daughter, Katie, aged 12. When repeating the same pattern, with a twist, for Emily (9 yo), I turned in to her size where possible. I couldn’t turn in at difficult areas eg armhole, neck etc, so using the carbon paper between the pattern & the fabric, I rolled the wheel along the appropriate size, which resulted in the outline appearing on the fabric underneath from the carbon – pure brilliance 🙂
The cutting wheel I purchased is a lightweight version, as of yet I don’t have a cutting mat, so I will not be using it to cut any fabric. The more expensive wheels would result in my table suffering from quite a bit of damage!!!
Me & my New Bobbin Box
I purchased a bobbin storage box – Woooohooo!!!!!
A very simple, but necessary addition to any sewing box. Up to this point my bobbins were loose in a variety of locations, unraveling constantly causing me undue stress!!! What can I say – I’m easily stressed 🙂
I purchased a Gutermann one with space for 25 bobbins. It means I always have the primary colours loaded when ever I need one, thus making my sewing life a little easier.
Getting back to my Sewing
I finally completed the dress I was making for my 9 yo daughter, Emily. I was completely on my own for a lot of this dress, so for some reason I kept putting off spending any time on it. I had lost complete confidence in my ability to sew without the guidance of any instructor. Needless to say I got back on the horse & stuck with it.
Now I have made some mistakes with it like stitching the pockets towards the back and forgetting to put in the sleeves as I had originally intended but I am very happy with the end result.
See for yourself in the photo & let me know what you think……..
I have recently purchased a pattern for a bag, so I just need to pick up some suitable fabric for it. I am also hoping to pick up an easy pattern for a pair of lightweight Summer trousers for myself and a sundress pattern for the girls. I’m thinking ahead to the holidays!
I hope you are enjoying my anecdotal sewing stories and would love to hear from any of you who are journeying through the sewing world, whether like me just starting out or otherwise.
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.
Til Next Time
Mairéad
xx
