Better late than never

It has been a really busy few weeks since I last posted here on the block. I have completed two pairs of socks - this orange and browny-purple pair and another pair in shades of grey and white. There are two projects on my needles at present. The first is a knitting kit picked up in a charity shop.

Although it looks blue in this photo, the yarn is actually a rather silky off white with brown flecks. The kit only cost me £1 which is amazing. It is the Winter Jumper kit from Aldi which was available from the stores earlier this year. I must admit that this project has been stalled over the past few days since I found the most delicious silk and merino yarn from the Sheep on Mars  stand at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate. I bought three yarns and just had to start knitting with the first of these once I had completed my grey pair.

I have knitted this same pattern which was free with the XXL sock yarn I bought some years ago. It is a very simple design which is perfect to showcase these patterned yarns. This time I have used a ridged heel instead of using the stocking stitch heel from the pattern.

These are the other two yarns I bought. I really just couldn't walk away and leave one of them......

Also purchased at the show - some gorgeous lining fabrics. I fancy making a new jacket at some stage over the next few months.

My haul of needles and general bits and pieces from the show.

This was my collection from the Cone Exchange which had a stand. The fabric is furnishing weight and will be used for some cushion covers I need to make.

After the Show I went round some charity shops with my sisters. Silk fabric and silk tops along with more buttons and some books to read. The book at the back is about Heath Robinson. I just love his illustrations.

Whilst in Harrogate we were lucky enough to find a Vintage Fair in a rather beautiful Methodist Chapel. This was my haul. The magazine dates from 1952. I couldn't resist the vintage patterns and the cotton fabric inside the vintage paper bag was quite a find too. I think I will frame the bag rather than discard it. The cotton fabric is a rather useful cotton lawn. I don't think it was ever taken out of the bag. Just £4 for the lot. I picked up some leaflets about future events.

These two fabrics - the peony and crane design and the stripe are both jerseys. The floral design seems to be a ponte roma with a lovely sheen whilst the stripe definitely feels like cotton. I found these on a charity stall at one of the textile groups I attend. There is enough to make tops with both these fabrics.

The green jumper I mentioned last time is complete and now sits waiting in my wardrobe.

At the start of this post I mentioned that I have been busy. One of the groups I attend regularly is the Moulton Sewing Group. In December the group will have a stand at the Craft Fair in the village. I have been busy making items for the stand.

There have been mug rugs - shown above; pot holders; heat packs (microwaveable fabric bags holding pearl barley) and also a couple of cushion covers. The cushion covers and mug rugs are now complete and the last of the heat packs need some hand stitching to finish them off. I just have another six of the pot holders to complete and then three table runners that were added to my list last week......... I'd better get going since I only have until the 7th December to complete this lot. I do have other things which I should be sewing for other challenges, Secret Santa and so on. Why does everything need to be completed at around the same time?
Ah well, I am off to grab a cup of tea and then get an hour or two of sewing before the dogs demand their tea and an evening walk.

Textile experiments, dressmaking and MME

Samples made at Anne Davies' "Stitch, melt,distress" workshop.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend a workshop with Anne Davies at Wilmslow Guild on Saturday. It was great fun to play with Tyvek, Lutrador and Kunin felt, soldering irons, irons and heat guns.

I have started to pair my samples with previously printed fabric samples. This sample above was first printed using one of my own designed themofax screens onto a rust dyed piece. I am still considering what processes to use next with this one. This distressed sample was made from two pieces of painted Tyvek free machine embroidery added before the distressing process. I've used an iron and then heat gun so far.

I'm experimenting with this thread for my T-shirt project. At present I have got as far as fastening the back and front together at the shoulder and will be starting to add the neckband next. There have been a lot of other projects getting in the way since my last post. I managed to complete two out of three pages for the Pinfold book challenge. The third is under way, but will have to wait for the t-shirt to be completed. I have cut out a pair of trousers which will be next on the list. A warm pair of trousers will be needed very soon, especially when walking the dogs.

The test knitting has been started, ripped back and started again. This is the neck and shoulder section. Yes, that neck section does fit over my head and around my neck. The next section will find me splitting the body from the armholes. I rather like the effect of the neckline on this design.

 During the week, I found this piece of faux slubbed silk. It seems to be some kind of synthetic, but I can't yet name it. The fabric is shown just as it was waiting to be rinsed out after washing. I plan to use it as the backing for some more cushion covers I need to get on with for the Moulton Sewing Group. These will end up being sold on their Craft Stall in December.

The embroidered designs which will become the centre pieces for the cushions.

The fabrics shown above are all furnishing weight fabrics from my stash which will become covers for the cushions. I am now on the lookout for suitable piping and edgings.

 The Me Made Everyday continues. I haven't bored you with the details of the past week. Suffice it to say that I have now taken the heavier weight clothing out of the loft ready for the cooler weather to come. I find myself wearing more trousers than skirts or pinafores so far. However, I do think that the trousers I currently have available are going to be rather too thin for the winter weather to come. Hence my mention of the pair of trousers I have cut out and have standing by ready to sew. These are going to be made from the lovely needlecord I showed on my Blog last week. I really do need to organise my time a little better so that I can get around to making these rather more quickly than seems to be my lot so far this month. Ah well, as one friend put it some years ago, "Life gets in the way sometimes".

Elements from my wardrobe worn for MME (Me Made Everyday) this past week: all three pairs of my Hot Patterns Weekender Cargo Pants, warm grey culottes from a Burda Style pattern, three polo neck tops, a sweatshirt, my Cocoon Jacket from Sew Different, both Breton tops, a knitted waistcoat and a thick blue knitted cardigan. Having useful layers has been helpful this past week with the weather being so changeable.

Challenges and other projects

Recent makes have included this double sided apron. This was a challenge from the recently formed Moulton Sewing Group. The main fabric and pattern were provided, each member of the group just had to make and decorate their aprons. This was mine. The side I consider the "front" is grey and has crows appliqued to the pockets and a label stating the name of the group. The second side is blue.

As you can see, the pockets have a black feather printed using one of my thermofax screens. The main label is exactly the same as that on the "front". I drew out the original design and then copied and printed them onto cotton before stitching them in place. The apron is the Artisan Apron by Janet Clare. It has a crossover back which means that once put on it does not shift position. Rather a useful design.

I eventually got around to altering the sleeves on my silk blouse found in a charity shop. This has now been washed and is waiting to be ironed ready to wear. I have kept the inner layer of the sleeve for now, and will decide later whether or not to cut this away. The original sleeve had a double layer which was impossible to iron. It obviously had been intended to be a puffy sleeve, but the construction meant this was impossible to achieve once the blouse was washed. I'm happier with this design, but may need to adapt the cuff still further since I am not certain whether it is going to be tight enough around my arm.

Another thing I am working on at the moment is a pair of cushion covers. The machine embroidered pieces were discarded by their owner at the Sewing Group last week since she had merely used the pieces as an experiment. I felt they were too nice to throw away, so claimed them and used furnishing fabric from my stash to turn them into these cushion covers. The Group will be having a stall at a Craft Fair in a couple of months time, so they should find a new home quite easily.

The first cover is almost finished. It just needs the cord applying around the edges. This second one is pinned ready to sew together. The piping around the images uses some silky lining fabric I had in my stash which happened to be a useful match. The thread, furnishing fabric and cords all came from my various stashes.

The cord I will use is slightly darker than the furnishing fabric, but has a gorgeous sheen which should look good when I finish applying it. This will be attached by hand. I just hope that the person who discarded these pieces likes them once I take them to the Sewing Group's next meeting on Wednesday.

As usual I am prevaricating. I really should be getting on with a pair of trousers which I cut out last week. A light blue denim, I really could do with getting these made since I am rather short of decent trousers. I really need to get on with making another toile for the fitting course I am doing. This one should be finished in time for my next meeting with Eilene. Then there is the challenge from MEG. I really need to get on with making a quilt block for our next meeting later this month. It is a traditional block and I know I am putting this off because I really don't fancy making a traditional quilt....... There are ideas beginning to form in my head turning this first block into a more contemporary style without changing the design. It will be interesting to see if I can make that work. I know I would feel happier if I can.