More sewing, stitching and such.

I have been busy with costumes again for the local drama group.  This dress was waiting for a transformation into a spanish dress when seen here. The transformation is now almost complete and I have a number of other items to make and alter before the costumes are required at the end of April.

Apart from this, I have been busily mending a couple of coats which had been torn and a couple of pairs of trousers. These last had had the hems badly scuffed since they had been just a fraction too long for the wearer. Not me, I hasten to add.

There has been little in the way of quilting, although my third journal quilt is nearly ready to stitch.

I can't get over just how messy my workroom looks in the photo above. It is time for another tidying session before getting stuck into something new. The list of projects certainly doesn't get any shorter. At present it looks like this: Complete Spanish dress; make shoulder pads for a ready-made blouse; alter an apron; make a jacket out of fine net and decorate it with flying birds (don't ask.......); complete a black pair of palazzo pants, along with a separate waistband to give the illusion of a high waist; journal quilts for March and April; quilt for the Sky's the Limit group challenge; start textile book for the beading group; start textile book for the Machine Embroidery Group; finish the one stitch challenge piece. Those are just the sewn items.......

No matter, it will all get done, though I think it is only the costume items which will be completed on time. I must get some photos taken ready for my next post here.

Back to sewing once more.

Socks

So why am I starting with knitting? Well, I have had a bit of a mental block as far as stitching and sewing are concerned. I think it is all to do with having quite a long list of things I need to get on with. Once I have that sort of list, my own inclination is to walk away and get on with something else. This usually turns into a lengthy stage where I get nothing of a textile nature done at all.

Sock heel

The first sign that this impasse is coming to an end is the fact that I feel the urge to start knitting again. I tend to knit the safe and easy projects - socks, gloves and hats. So useful now that I have Ella to take for walks and I am woefully short of hats to cover my ears and protect them from the wind.

Fingerless mittens

I must admit that I do have quite a number of pairs of socks already in my drawers ready to warm my toes. But then, when it is getting chilly outside is there such a thing as having too many socks? It is the bought socks which I tend to wear out. They don't last nearly as long as my own knitted socks. It isn't that I buy them either. I seem to have them given to me every so often.

I've experimented with fingerless mittens this time too. I already have one pair, but haven't been particularly impressed with their ability to keep my hands warm. This new pair, however are quite different. Sock yarn, the same yarn I used for the first pair of socks, bought cheaply in the local Lidl. These have been a revelation. I lengthened the cuff to avoid drafty winds breezing their way up my arms when walking. They enable me to keep hold of the lead without it sliding through my fingers, and yet manage to keep my fingers as warm as my old pair of leather gloves do.

Hat

 Now, the remnants of the same yarn are being put to use as the ribbed band on my new hat. Hopefully I shall get it finished this weekend ready to start on a second pair of the fingerless mittens. The yarn is a wool and nylon mix. I must admit that it isn't all that soft, but will be hardwearing. However, they are quite comfortable to wear and the yarn is quite good to knit with. It doesn't split too much, and is quite evenly spun, although there are one or two slightly thicker, more lumpy sections.

Old print board cover

You will have seen this photo before. It is the old cover for my printing board. It had become so covered in fabric paint and thickened dye, that I had to remove it and replace with a clean white cover (two layers of old cotton sheeting). This is no longer a pristine white, but then you would have been most disappointed to hear it was still unused. There hasn't been much printing done and I really need to do some more.

The second layer of the old print board cover

This photo is one you will not have seen, however. I pulled the two layers of the old top apart and this is the lower of the two layers. I rather liked it and so used it as the basis for the Abstract theme for The Sky's the Limit challenge for October. You will find a detailed description of the piece on their blog.

"Abstract" for The Sky's the Limit challenge

I do so love accidental dyeing. It turns into something really special. I still haven't done anything with the old top layer. That will wait until I think of a use for it. I don't really think it needs much adding, it just needs the right project.

I haven't been entirely idle over the last few weeks. I have been sewing, but this has just been a sequence of repairs and also alterations for the costumes for the next Drama Group production, "Bolt from the blue", by David Tristram. Ella comes along to rehearsals too. She quite enjoys all the fuss she gets, especially the treats for being good.

In case you are interested, here are the links to the knitting patterns:

Socks - "Wise Hilda's Basic Ribbed Sock" by Kate Atherley.

Fingerless Mittens - "Koigu fingerless gloves" by Astrante.

Hat - "Double Layer Sockyarn Hat" by Dawn Adcock.

Each of these patterns is available on Ravelry.

Where does the time go? (when you're busy sewing)

The first thing to show is this quilt. It is now on it's way to Roberta in Italy.

This is the back.

And this, the label.

Some recently printed fabric. I had such fun going along to the Textiles Without Limits day playing around with thickened dyes. This is one of the textile groups I go to.  It really is wonderful to spend time with like-minded friends. I am so lucky to have a good friend living locally who shares my interests and to be able to go along to a couple of textile groups to indulge my own passion for fabrics. It was a much needed respite from making costumes.

Costumes? Yes, I have been involved in making costumes for the local dramatic society's current production, "Blood Brothers". This is the original stage play by Willie Russell rather than the musical version.

The design above is for the character "Linda" as a young girl. I adapted a Burda magazine pattern to make a 1960s (ish) style child's dress out of a bright green gingham. Fabric from my own stash.

I removed all fitting and really just used the sleeves and the armholes. The following project was rather interesting since I was able to take the pattern from an original 1950s apron. Fabric again came from my stash.

Then, last but not least were four circle skirts. Very simply made with a slit in the back and fastening with velcro to ease a costume change. The fabric was a satiny lining fabric which I had in my stash. The colours used were a mid blue, bright red, mid purple and a maroon with white polka dots. I also made square scarves in the same fabric to be worn round the neck.