Me Made Everyday - week one

Clothing worn on Saturday 29th September

 The photos seen to the right hand side of this page show the details of the clothing worn from Monday 24th September until today. (Monday 1st October). All the items of clothing noted are pieces I have made over the years.

I have tried to take photos of each day's clothes, but haven't bored you with this here.

It will be interesting to see which pieces I wear the most and which pieces I could really do with making to augment my collection.

My current plans include making more pairs of trousers, including a pair of jeans or two. I only have ready made jeans purchased over the past few years. These don't fit me particularly well, hence my interest in making my own wardrobe.

Over the past few days, the only day when I haven't worn more than one piece of "Me Made" clothing was Thursday. I was attending a workshop organised by NWCQ and wasn't keen on getting my pale blue pair of Cargo Pants messy.

I managed to nearly complete the block for the MEG Heritage Quilt Challenge. This had been put off for far too long while I prevaricated over making a version I could live with. The book being used for this challenge details the beautiful quilt designed and made by Pauline Ineson. It was rather sad to realise recently that Pauline died earlier this year.

It seems rather naughty of me not to feel that the original design is one I could live with or make exactly as detailed in the book.

The almost complete block - just the background to be added

My chosen colour scheme is dramatically different to the subdued hues used by Pauline Ineson in her silk quilt. My own is stubbornly cotton since I intend this block to see quite a lot of use if it does, in fact, become part of a full sized quilt. I didn't manage to complete the block ready for our meeting on Friday since I wasn't able to find the correct colour for the background until the following day.

The yellow was found at Sew Simple, the quilt shop at Lady Heyes. I had travelled to Frodsham to visit World Textile Day. A really interesting annual event which I try to get to whenever it arrives in Frodsham. Since I knew I wouldn't find the fabric needed for the block, I visited Lady Heyes on my return journey.

After buying my fabric, I explored the other shops. In one "Antiques" emporium, I found six metres of Cambric. A gorgeous fine cotton of some age. I washed it when I got home and ironed it before winding it round my least favourite quilt ruler.

The fabric must be quite old, since it was slightly stained and had this stamp printed in one corner.

The photo above shows a single layer of the fabric sitting on my dark coloured ironing board. I have plans to make a white shirt out of this fabric. It will be so soft and comfortable to wear.

Cambric wrapped round my unloved quilt ruler, acting as a board

Last Monday, I knew I would quickly run out of calico. There was only a couple of metres left to make up the toiles I needed to work on. So I travelled back to Weaverdee to buy another ten metres. That may sound excessive, but with the fitting course still under way, I know I will need to have plenty to hand.

 This calico is slightly thicker than the fabric I bought from Ikea a couple of years ago. At £2.99 a metre, I felt it really was well worth buying.

Completed cushion covers

 I finished off the second of these cushion covers during the week, adding the cording around the edge and filling both cushions with 20 inch cushion pads. They are now waiting inside a plastic bag to keep them clean.

Ah well, the last two toiles are waiting for me to sew them together. These are the Vogue Fitting Shells for the trousers and dress. Then there is the first version of V9057 needing to be cut out. This will be a trial run for the Marcy Tilton / Katherine Tilton Craftsy Course, "The Artful T-shirt".

So many things to do

Well, it has been rather busy here since I last posted. My brown jumper is now complete, although it is still too warm to wear it just yet. At least it will be ready and waiting for me when the cold weather does arrive.

There has been a lot of work done knitting the scrappy cardigan. I have completed the left sleeve , both fronts and am now working my way across the right shoulder. This will be a really cosy cardigan once it is complete.

I found these three stamps going very cheaply in a local charity shop a few days ago. I don't usually do any paper crafts, but these will be interesting to work with. I'm going to experiment and see if they will print on my collection of dyecatchers since are very similar in texture to paper.

These three pieces were completed at a recent NWCQ workshop where we were making postcard sized landscapes using scraps of fabric. These have been free machine embroidered using variegated threads. I am not sure exactly what I will use these for just yet, but will not be sending them through the post since I feel they are rather too dull. I will probably add to these to make larger pieces.

Walking into Aldi a few days ago, I discovered a series of these packs. There are five different dyes contained in applicator bottles ready to be filled with water and used. I couldn't resist, picking up this pack. It contains yellow, lime green, leaf green, brown and black. An interesting combination of colours.

Yesterday, I prepared 3m of calico. After washing the calico I tied rubber bands around sections of the fabric pleated other areas using bulldog clips. I had a lot of fun applying the dyes. This morning the fabric was ready for the next stage - rinsing out the excess dye and then a gentle washing and a final rinse. The fabric is now drying on my indoor washing rack.

The colours may well have been rather more intense had I added less water to each bottle, but I am rather pleased with the results.

I worried myself the other day by listing all the projects I would like to complete in the next week or so. There were fifteen in all. One needs to be completed by Wednesday so I really must get on with that first. 

Ongoing projects - plenty of sewing and even a little knitting

Back pocket

Well, I had a bit of a disaster after my last post. I was well on my way to completing my cargo pants - see pattern photo below - when I ran out of thread!!! Well, that shouldn't have been too much of a problem had it not been for the fact that I was doing rather a lot of top stitching and even a slight change of thread colour would have been obvious. None of the local suppliers had this colour in stock - Gutermann 208.

Well, I had a long think about things and placed an order with Minerva. I had bought the fabric and thread from them some time ago to make a rather different pair of trousers. I bought some extra thread for the blue pair of cargo pants I intend to make next. Whilst waiting for the order to arrive, I set about making up the blue floral fabric I showed here. Making a second Elani tunic. I forgot to take photos of this once I'd made it and so now, of course, it is in the wash. Such a useful top.

I also made this blouse:

This really loose fitting blouse comes from this vintage Butterick pattern - 6301. If you recall, I made a toile after grading the pattern to fit me. It might not be the most flattering of styles, but is so comfy to wear in the hot weather we are having at the moment. I started cutting this out and sewing it together at a new sewing group which has started up in the village where I live. It was so useful to have access to a large flat table whilst chatting away to like minded new and familiar faces.

My order arrived on Thursday bringing with it some fabrics which I had ordered for the Marci and Katherine Tilton Craftsy course "The Artful T-Shirt". I can't wait to get started on this one. The fabrics are all medium weight jerseys.

Yes, there are four different fabrics here. All are based on a navy and ivory colourway. The pattern we will be using is the one shown below.

View D is the design we will be tackling for the course. I have just watched all the classes for the first time, but know that I will have to view the first three again at least once before cutting into a toile let alone the fabric shown above. I'm hoping the experience will make me brave enough to tackle a Marci Tilton jacket which has been in my possession for quite a few years now.

I really fancy making the long sleeved version on the left.

I also stitched one of the pieces made at one of the NWCQ meetings earlier this year. It needs a bit more work to make the whole thing more stable, but this is a start. I just need to get the second piece to this same stage before venturing further.

I'm also working on another test knit. This time for Maria Socha. An adult version of this lacy beanie. The colour I have chosen is a deep jade.

Northwich, Cheshire, my local town, is in the middle of an Arts Festival which will last all month. Last month we had an interesting Literary Festival. Part of the events is this Art Trail. It is well worth a walk around the shops seeing all the different pieces of work.

On Saturday it was Northwich Art Shop's Grand Day Out. This was a very interesting event with plenty to see, interesting demonstrations too. I hope it is repeated next year.

Such a range of techniques - from needle felt to acrylics, woven pieces to woodturning. It was so good to see three textile artists involved too. The hall was full of visitors when I came along. It was lovely to see a group of children having a wonderful time using alcohol inks.

Knitting, sewing and visiting an exhibition

At the NWCQ meeting last week we were messing about with fabric paper - using PVA glue, paper and a calico base covered with tissue paper to hold it all together. These are my two pieces. I used some Japanese wrapping paper which had been around a couple of gifts I have received over the years, along with some rather nice paper bags and other papers from my stash. Coincidentally, they all used a similar colour scheme.

Neither of these are quite finished yet, they need some stitch and embellishment before turning into book covers. Well, that is the idea at the moment.

During the week, I also bought myself some lining fabrics for the two skirts I intend to make. The fabric on the left is a polyester habotai and is gorgeously light and soft, just right for the skirt fabric. Unfortunately, they only had white and I could really do with other colours in this weight. The other fabric is a standard dress lining which is just too heavy for the projects I have in mind, but will be extremely useful at some stage for something else. These were bought from Abakhan in Chester. Yes, I know I could buy this online, but there is something rather nice about visiting a shop and being able to handle the fabrics.

There has been knitting. This toddler size hat is well under way. It needs to be finished before the 4th April. The cuff is designed to be worn double, although I do wonder whether I should sew it in place. This is another test knit, this time using remnants of Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply from my yarn stash.

The knitting experiment has been completed. This will turn into a cushion cover. I just need to start on the reverse. The back will use stripes of the yarns used on the front. 

I visited this small exhibition on Sunday. It was delightful, with a lovely range of techniques with needlefelt, weaving, free machine embroidery and beading amongst quite a range of others. The cards give a very small indication of the quality of some of the work shown. They were made by Susan Marsden and Elsa Buch. The items on show were all beautifully displayed too. It may sound a strange venue, but this is apparently where the group meets. Also Marbury Park is a wonderful spot for dog walkers and families out for the day. On Sunday the weather could not have been better, bringing out lots of families eager to enjoy the sunshine. I hope they had a lot of visitors to this exhibition. I look forward to the next one.

Submitting a quilt, more knitting and plenty of sewing

Make and Take materials ready and waiting

It was lovely to see all the quilts at Quiltfest. Such an interesting exhibition. This was my table just before the doors opened on the first of the days when I was helping out by leading one of the "Make and Take" sessions. It is so nice to chat with people as they wander in to see the quilts. 

Sashiko pockets

During the quiet times while I was at Quiltfest, I started the blue Sashiko Pocket, buying the kit from the Quilters' Guild stand at the show. I had started my first one some years ago and had lost the instructions on how it should look and red one shown here. The kit gives full instructions on how to work the sashiko design also giving a couple of options. Seeing the blue version, I just had to buy it. So now I have two completed "pockets". The oversized buttons have now been removed since I felt they were rather too clumsy for my liking. I now plan to add shoulder straps to turn these into little project bags. They are a quick make with delightful hand stitched embroidery, which is good fun to complete. The Guild's shop now seems to have run out of this kits, but have other sashiko items here.

After Quiltfest, I got on with completing my entry for the "In Print" challenge from the Contemporary Quilt Group. This is the special interest group, part of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles, which I joined some years ago. I was their Coordinator some three years ago too.

"In Print" sample before completion.

I had decided towards the end of last year that I really ought to take part in the next challenge and see if my piece might be accepted after submission. I got my online submission completed a day ahead of the deadline with the sample sent out in the post a couple of days earlier. I have no idea how I shall get on and will just have to wait until May when the jurying process is complete. I know that my form and photo have been received, but haven't yet heard whether the sample made it through the post. I think I shall just hope that, since I haven't been asked for it yet, that it must have arrived. I just haven't got enough fingers available to keep any crossed at the moment.........

"In Print - Maps"

My piece was inspired by all the work on Maps and text done with the NWCQ group in November, also the Black and White quilt I completed as a result of that same workshop. A photo of this particular quilt can be seen in my 22nd January post. "Maps" uses tea, rust and procian dyed fabrics which I have made over the past few years. There are dyecatchers which have been used for line drawings and text derived from the November workshop. Stencils, thermofax screens, lino and block printing has also been used. The lettering is bondawebbed in place. The quilting imitates the contour lines of the maps I had been inspecting.

 Now, I have started knitting a jumper for my grand daughter, another test knit. There will be photos later once the jumper is complete.

I've also done some alterations to some of the clothing I have made in the past. The first was to retrospectively add lining to a pair of linen/cotton blend trousers. I suddenly realised why I really couldn't face wearing these trousers. The inside leg seam was rubbing the skin on my legs and making me really uncomfortable. The trousers fit well, so it was a real nuisance that they really were not pleasant to wear. It will be interesting to see whether this adaptation works.

I have also altered a pinafore dress which I had found really bulky. The top has been cut off, so that I am now left with a skirt. This has now been lined. It will be interesting to see if this alteration works out as well as I hope. I had used a fine needlecord which proved to be a little too heavy for the design I was using.

With a bit of luck I will soon have two "new" and useful additions to my wardrobe.

As I write this, there is a pile of polar fleece sitting on my work table ready to be cut out. This, I hope, will turn into a cosy waterfall style coat. I have been wanting to get on and make this for some time now, but had to get a couple of other projects out of the way first. The pattern on the fleece has a musical theme so I had best get on with this. The recorder group start meeting again before too long and I'd promised myself I would wear it to our first meeting of the year.

Finishing projects - or trying to.

Cushion cover - reverse to show the construction

It has been another busy week here. Not a lot to show for it, since some items cannot be shown since they are gifts to be given on Wednesday. However, a lot of work has been put into this cushion cover. 

It all started some months ago as a challenge to myself and then got left as other projects took over. You can see my original post about this project here. I find it quite a shock to realise that this has been under way for some seven months now. Hopefully it will not take too much longer, although I do plan to knit a back. The back is going to be striped rather than anything else so that I can use up the remains of the yarn left over.

Cushion cover - the front under way

As you will have noticed there still rather a lot of ends to be sewn in, as well as patches for those holes between the sections.

Needlecase under construction

One of the projects completed is this needlecase. I can't yet show the completed item since this will be handed over on Wednesday. There are also some handmade cards. Like an idiot, I forgot to take photos of these before sealing up the handmade envelopes. Never mind, I shall take my camera with me to the Pinfold meeting. There will be a collection of handmade needlecases which will be handed out randomly as well as cards. It will be interesting to see what others have made.

Adding piping

Another completed project is the "Trees" page for the Pinfold book challenge. This will be shown to the owner before being handed over to the next person to complete their page. I will come home with another book and will have another page to complete before our January meeting. I must be mad, but I do enjoy these challenges.

Almost completed Pinfold book challenge - Trees

Another challenge project is now under way. This is for NWCQ. I mentioned the project at the end of this post about a month ago. Nothing is sewn at the moment with pins holding all my bits and pieces together. It is nice to be able to get under way with this one.

NWCQ challenge under way

A busy week

This collection of photos shows my collection of quilts, books and journal quilts before I gave my talk on Saturday.

Quilt and smaller journal quilts.

Fabric books, newspaper article about the Moulton Crows showing their costumes this summer.

My bags of quilts waiting their turn to be shown and handed round. There are four rather full bags here.

This is the small collection of samples ready for the workshop during the afternoon. I was far to busy to take photos, unfortunately. Everyone was quiet and busily working away weaving fabric pieces I had prepared for them. They were such a lovely group to work with.

I did manage to get some knitting done too. The buttonside jumper, first shown here now has one completed sleeve with the second nearing completion. Hopefully I will manage to get that done this evening.

There was some sewing started, but since it is a gift for a friend I really cannot post that here just yet. I had hoped to get it finished during the week, but that proved impossible. I couldn't get started on the black and white challenge for NWCQ either. Perhaps next week?