The Needlework Society

OP

Finally got some decent pictures of my latest creations!

Purple dress, which is way too big for me and the bias binding on the neckline is a bit atrocious - first thing I ever made from pattern.

Lion dress for friends 18th birthday party this Saturday

Blue stripe top

Little flowery dress with sweetheart neckline

Reply 43

Ilora-Danon

3

I did a 10 week dressmaking course, made a plain black skirt and started a chinese style halter top, but didn't get time to finish it.
I'm often changing buttons and stuff, but sewing machines really do scare me for some reason. I always feel like they're running away from me lol.

Reply 44

Annaconda

my sewing machine is the cheapest one ever, struggles with zips and thick material, but i wanted one i could take to uni with me and i tend to get bored of things quickly, so i didnt want to waste a lot of money: http://www.johnlewis.com/230515174/Product.aspx

Reply 45

OP

Mine is a Baby Lock 270c. Was about £130 which is a really decent price I think. I got it for my 18th birthday. My Mum got her first machine for her 21st birthday so she gave me this one. She said she figured it probably wouldn't get used loads like other presents would, but that I would probably still have it in 20 years and could hand it on to someone else (my Mum machine went to my Auntie when my Dad bought her a new one, its really swanky STILL even though its 10 years old, I think it cost about £1000, hence why she doesn't like me using it!)

Reply 46

I LOVE the flowery dress, fran.ha, a dress much like that is on my ever-expanding to-do list.

My sewing machine is a Toyota, I forget the make. Cost about £100, and that was a birthday present. Sometimes I dream about having an overlocker, which is kind of a sad thing to admit, but I just- really want one!

Reply 47

OP

cazamatazz

I LOVE the flowery dress, fran.ha, a dress much like that is on my ever-expanding to-do list.

My sewing machine is a Toyota, I forget the make. Cost about £100, and that was a birthday present. Sometimes I dream about having an overlocker, which is kind of a sad thing to admit, but I just- really want one!

Thanks! The pattern was a Simplicity New Look if you want I can get the number, although its pretty generic. The fabric was a fantastic find, its a viscose but it drapes beautifully and is very weighty and quality feeling, and was only £4.99mtr! The materials for the entire dress cost me £15 including the interfacing (the dress is interfaced around the neckline and has a lined bodice too).

I also spend ages dreaming about an overlocker, oh the things you can do! Then I found out my Mum has one! :yikes:

. Apparently its sitting in the loft, but its broken and needs repairing. I'm waiting to convince her to let me get it out and get it repaired to start using it. Along with getting out all her mountains of embroidery threads (around 400) but she won't let me. She did let me pilfer all her old fabric though, and there are some true fashion disasters in there!

Just finished hemming the green/yellow/brown top and need to sew the bias on the armholes which shouldn't take long then that will be another thing off my list! After that I have to hem a dress and put a zip in, do the armholes and hem of another, finish up the hem of another dress and sew the arm straps onto another.... After that I need to tidy up my sewing stuff and patterns because they are really messy before I start my next thing (I have a huge list, I'm not sure what to make next...)

:wavey:

Happy sewing all!

Reply 48

All this talk of sewing is almost- almost!- making we want to get off my arse and actually do some sewing, tonight. But which project to do?

I've got some lovely white jersey (with little black bows all over it) which I'm going to make a couple of t-shirts out of- one to wear, one to sell.
I also have some gorgeous Alexander Henry red lip fabric (has anhyone seen his fabrics? They are to die for). I want to make a pencil dress out of it (possibly with a peter-pan like collar) but I'm honestly scared to touch it. £30 for two metres, jesus. I have matching red buttons in the shape of lips!
Then a bit of black-and-silver pinstripe viscose I found in a remnant box.
Plus some hot pink satin from the John Lewis remnant box someone's commissioned me to make a dress out of.
I also need to finish a silver silk shirt I started about six months ago... just needs to be hemmed and given a go-over with the automatic button-hole feature on the sewing machine, which my old one didn't have- tough times.

Get that overlocker fixed! : o

Reply 49

OP

cazamatazz

All this talk of sewing is almost- almost!- making we want to get off my arse and actually do some sewing, tonight. But which project to do?

I've got some lovely white jersey (with little black bows all over it) which I'm going to make a couple of t-shirts out of- one to wear, one to sell.
I also have some gorgeous Alexander Henry red lip fabric (has anhyone seen his fabrics? They are to die for). I want to make a pencil dress out of it (possibly with a peter-pan like collar) but I'm honestly scared to touch it. £30 for two metres, jesus. I have matching red buttons in the shape of lips!
Then a bit of black-and-silver pinstripe viscose I found in a remnant box.
Plus some hot pink satin from the John Lewis remnant box someone's commissioned me to make a dress out of.
I also need to finish a silver silk shirt I started about six months ago... just needs to be hemmed and given a go-over with the automatic button-hole feature on the sewing machine, which my old one didn't have- tough times.

Get that overlocker fixed! : o

Personally I would:

Finish off that shirt! Get it done, its the quickest job on your list and once its done you will feel better having accomplished something!
Then I would use the viscose to have a go at making a semi-wearable toile for the dress form the expensive fabric? Or if not buy some cheap polycotton and have a go at the pattern before you touch the expensive stuff. If you get a nice black polycotton it might even be wearable if it goes OK, but it doesn't matter if it goes wrong. Then once you've figured out the fit in your toile you won't be so scared about touching your fabric!

I just did that, the blue stripe top was the first time I'd touched that pattern so it came out a little wrong in places although it is still wearable. Then I made another of the same pattern out of this fabric I've been clinging onto for ages because I loved it so much (it wasn't that expensive, only £5 in the remnant bin but I loved the print!) Once I'd had a go at the pattern I felt much better about using it and got a really nice top out of it!

Edit: Also, just looked up Alexander Henry, I recognise the name, what beautiful fabrics! My favourite textiles designer is Amy Butler though, I love the colours. I've actually considered a career in textiles design...

OP

Just finished:

OP

OK guys I have a dilema, what to do as my next project?!?

1) Summery pinafore dress, using same pattern as the lion dress I posted earlier, or possibly a different pattern, but essentially something summery out of this fabric:

2) Dressing gown, kimono style, black satin with bell sleeves in this georgette:

3)Black cotton dress with tuxedo style bib, this is something I have invisioned and I really want to make! It would be using the same simple dress pattern as my flowery sweetheart dress posted above, but would have a higher round neck, and on the round neck would be a cute little white tuxedo bib. I really love the idea of this dress but not sure if its too wintery?

4) Little pleated sailor skirt, navy with red and white trim using BurdaStyle pattern:

Helllpp?

Reply 52

Sailor skirt, sailor skirt! I'm a sucker for a good sailor skirt.

(Is that tuxedo bib thing from Burda? That's also somewhere on my obese to-do list...)

Reply 53

OP

cazamatazz

Sailor skirt, sailor skirt! I'm a sucker for a good sailor skirt.

(Is that tuxedo bib thing from Burda? That's also somewhere on my obese to-do list...)

Anything to do with red white and blue and I'm there!

And yeah its from BurdaStyle/Threadbanger. I'm going to make the same thing but adjust the pattern shape to make it fit a neckline better, so it won't be as long but will be wider.

Reply 54

Since this is my first time sewing in the new house, I'm christening my brand spanking new cutting table with a simple recon project rather than something I'm likely to mess up (!). I bought a H&M dress off Ebay a while back KNOWING it wouldn't fit around my bust, but I liked the shape and I'm a sucker for black and white alphabet material. After some fun with the seam ripper and pattern tracer, I put it away and haven't looked at it since. Now I'm putting it back together as a pencil skirt. : )

Reply 55

OP

cazamatazz

Since this is my first time sewing in the new house, I'm christening my brand spanking new cutting table with a simple recon project rather than something I'm likely to mess up (!). I bought a H&M dress off Ebay a while back KNOWING it wouldn't fit around my bust, but I liked the shape and I'm a sucker for black and white alphabet material. After some fun with the seam ripper and pattern tracer, I put it away and haven't looked at it since. Now I'm putting it back together as a pencil skirt. : )

Oooh have fun! I've never really tried reconstructing, I think it looks too difficult! I like putting together things from patterns because I love buying all the bits and then putting it together like a puzzle! I did however buy this gorgeous skirt on eBay that was a vintage size 16, and is probably equal to a 12/14! Its tiny! I really want to hack it up and try to make a pattern from it that will fit but I think I may just keep hold of it for a while.

I just finished hemming a top and putting bias binding round the armhole and I've run out, I don't have enough binding to do the other arm, by about 10 cm! How infuriating!

Reply 56

o-jode-o

I'm a newbie to sewing so a few questions:

*What are the differences of using an overlocker
*What is this bias you are talking about? lol

I'm looking for some fairly straight forwad designs to get going on - I've made a t-shirt so far and that was pretty simple. I don't really understand patterns so how do you make things without a pattern? I made a T-shirt by tracing around an old t-shirt lol

Reply 57

vander Beth

13

o-jode-o

I'm a newbie to sewing so a few questions:

*What are the differences of using an overlocker
*What is this bias you are talking about? lol

I'm looking for some fairly straight forwad designs to get going on - I've made a t-shirt so far and that was pretty simple. I don't really understand patterns so how do you make things without a pattern? I made a T-shirt by tracing around an old t-shirt lol

An overlocker finishes a seam or hem, preventing any fraying and makes it look neater and more professional. Look at a pieces of clothing that is store-bought. At the inside seams, the edges of fabric have what look like a zigzag stitch. That is an overlock stitch.

The bias is like the grain of the fabric. What they were talking about up thread is bias tape, which is a strip of fabric made to be used to finish fabric edges like arm and neck holes.

There are several things that don't require a pattern. You can look up how to make a circle skirt and a pleated skirt online without a pattern.

Reply 58

OP