Sewing Accessories...the big rip off!

Well my call for help with fabric fell on deaf ears! I did have someone kindly contact me but their suggestion did not produce the goods....however in the spirit of make do and mend  I have made progress but will keep that for next time.

I was prompted to write this post, because for some time now I have been looking for a Teflon foot for my sewing machine. Now I have a Husqvarna Platinum 950E ( about 14 years old ) and a Huskystar C20. I bought the latter from the knitting, stitching and hobby craft show at the NEC, to save me keep taking the embroidery unit off the 950E.

Don't get me wrong I love both machines. The 950E when used just as a sewing machine is a dream, and the embroidery unit has been a real pleasure to learn on and use.  The Huskystar is very portable has a good range of stitches, and for a pretty basic machine has done me well for some time.

However my biggest gripe is that all the lovely machine feet I have bought for the 950E do not fit the Huskystar and vice verse. 

I even bought a load of Husquvarna machine feet in a sale when our local studio closed and none of them fit the  Huskystar. Now I know someone out there is going to tell me that Huskystar are not actually produced by Husqvarna but by Janome, but either way they are sold and demonstrated by Husquvarna reps at every sewing show I visit, so for my money they still come under the husqvarna banner.

 Now when the average price of one foot for the 950E is anything from £6.99 to £59.99, having to buy a second lot for your 'spare' machine is no joke!
Read on line about the various sewing machine feet and you will find plenty of information relating to a long or short shank. what you don't usually find is the information, and this relates in particular to my Huskystar, is that the bar on some feet that your 

Introducing Austin sewing machines...... Amazing service,  amazing products and currently my hero! At an average price of around £4 per foot I have now equipped myself with a roller foot, a Teflon foot, a narrow zipper foot, an invisible zipper foot, a double gathering foot, an edge stitch in the ditch foot and a 1/4 inch foot. In the blurb it states that all of these feet will fit several machines including the  Husqvarna husky series... And guess what they do!! I am in seventh heaven, as anyone who does any amount of sewing knows that although we can get round things, life is so much easier if you have the correct tool ( for that read foot ) to do the job.

So well done Austin, you have finally saved me from regretting my second husqvarna purchase and I am enjoying sewing all over again.

And while we're  talking about the items that make sewing your own clothes easier and therefore to me more enjoyable, I must mention my latest purchase from Lidl no less. Never thought I would have any need for a table top ironing board, but I have to say this has been a little gem. Hung on the back of the door when not needed and so quick and easy to set up when all you want to do is press darts etc. Saves all the hassle of getting out the main ironing board and whats more takes up so little space.
At just £4.99 it was money well spent!

So this happy bunny is now off to tackle the last steps in her latest project, and take some pictures.

Back soon

TTFN

Jenny xx

Desperately Seeking.......

Makower spotted swifts in dark salmon

For some years now DD and her crew have bought us tickets for the Twinwood Festival in August. A real celebration of music, dancing and vintage fashion from the 40s through to the 60s. Each year my SIL and I decide what we're going to wear and start researching patterns and fabrics, I'm afraid that there's not many actual vintage dresses out there that would fit us now so we choose vintage patterns and retro fabric to create our hopefully authentic look.

However since we are real converts now and would buy the tickets anyway, this year we have been given tickets for a similar new festival at Newark in June. So now we have two outfits to find (actually that's four as our other halves are now very happy to join in the fun!)

Well last year I decided to get a bit more organised and started making a a vintage dress which I have made before.

Butterick B5281

 A completely different fabric this time. My first version I cheated a bit and made in a jersey to try and avoid the side zip called for, but this time I was using a woven cotton fabric Makower spotted swifts in dark salmon and intended to make it up exactly as shown in the pattern instructions.
So far so good. I must have cut the dress out last  September, and I got as far as making the bodice before other commitments meant it got shelved. This has been on my tailors dummy ever since.

Yesterday I decided I would finish it ready for the Newark festival........

I made up and attached the sleeves, exactly as instructed to do, even though I was itching to just use the overlocker! And then I came to the skirt.......Blizzards!!!!!! and even more blizzards.....

The front skirt is made of two separate pieces cut out singly and how I've done it I have no idea, but I have managed to cut one of them with my fabric reversed! I can only think that I must have been having trouble fitting the pieces in and have turned the pattern piece over. Fine if you're cutting something on folded fabric but absolutely useless when it's only supposed to be cut on a single layer .

So here's my call of desperation

If anyone has even a metre of this fabric in the dark salmon stashed away, would you please....pretty please.... let me know if I may purchase it from you.......

I really don't want to start again, I do love the dress so far. but I cant find any on the Internet so I am in your hands.

Hope your latest projects are going a bit better than mine.

TTFN

Jenny xx

And a New Chapter begins.......

First though a bit late, a very happy New Year to you all.

I was always rubbish at keeping a diary and it seems I've not improved with the digital type!

Every morning I spend a few minutes in bed reading my emails and a few blogs but somehow I never seem to find the time to actually sit and update mine. I used to love doing it, but it does take time. I am always in awe of those who manage a post almost every day.

Well I'm not making any rash promises to improve in the New Year but I would like to get back to  recording some of the lovely things we have planned.

My most exciting news since I last wrote in July!!! is that DD has completely changed her business, is doing very well and is so much happier. She and her husband now have more time to spend with their darling boys and actually enjoy life.
One of her cards was featured on Dragons Den over the holidays when the CEO of Thoughtful, one of the sites she sells from, was on the show!!!!

You'll also find her here GiddyKipper

For myself, I think I have found my dream job!

No I haven't returned to work at my age, but I have become involved in making costumes for a professional contemporary dance company. I am in my element at the moment creating and making anything and everything from simple slip dresses to velvet tail coats, corsets and steam punk helmets and goggles. Most of what we do is created from what we can find. I am getting very adept at deconstructing curtains for fabric and my sewing room looks more like Santa's workshop. At times it's a bit hectic getting things done to a certain time frame but brilliant to think they will be seen by hundreds of people all around the country when the next show takes to the road!
And I'm having great fun. That's what a hobby is really about isn't it?

Pretty underskirts 

The toile for a tail coat ready to fit

Anyway at the moment we have a break, and a bit more time to complete the costumes for the rest of the cast. The show will not open until the Autumn, but I am looking forward to seeing it all come together. I have a lovely partner in crime and we hit it off straight away. On top of that the directors are not only amazingly talented but are the nicest people I have ever worked with.

How lucky am I.  Want to see more, go take a look at the Chantry Dance Company website

Well Olive & Edna  are busy with a sale at the moment so I'm off to add a few more vintage pieces to our site.

Hope you are keeping busy and well

TTFN

Jenny xx

Do I miss travelling abroad....not at all

Last August DH and I together with our daughter, son in law and two very excited grandsons, took a cottage in Wales for a week. We had all sorts of plans to explore this beautiful place (for me reliving holidays from my teens) and guess what! The sun came out and sea and sand won over castles and water falls and so we had to file away our 'to do' list for another time.

Well that other time came a couple of months ago. Renting a converted barn near to Bala, we set off with our sister and brother in law and apart from choosing the worst day of our week to do Snowdon, we had an amazing time.

It doesn't matter how many times I visit this beautiful area there is always something to take your breath away.

We managed to fit in so much we needed another holiday to recover, but it was all worth it.

We visited beautiful Chirk Castle, Erdigg House,

 spent a lovely day exploring Bodnant gardens again and meandered through the lanes at Portmeirion,

stunned to realise that it is 50 years since 'the Prisoner' was filmed here. I can see it quite clearly and know that we watched it regularly, though I never did understand it!!

Our non event of walking up Snowdon was our only disappointment. We set off in a bit of drizzle, but by the time we got to the PYG track it was raining and blowing up a real storm.

 The road we drove up on had almost disappeared in the mist and you couldn't see more than a few feet up. Well we are wrinklies and do have a modicum of common sense and so apart from walking up the track a few feet to be able to say 'I was there', we abandoned our plans and headed for stunning Bettws y Coed instead. 

To say this was a fortunate detour is an understatement as the mornings rain had turned a lovely tourist attraction into a phenomenal sight. I can truly say I have not seen such a stunning waterfall ever! ( Never having seen the delights of either Niagara or the Victoria falls) Just awesome, and my pictures do it no justice at all.

We finished off our week with a trip on the Welsh Highland Railway, from Porthmadog to Caernafon and back. It was a beautiful day and we got to spend a couple of hours stretching our legs before the return journey. Caernafon Castle was most impressive, but to be honest apart from that and the harbour the town was very much the same sad site as so many of our towns in the UK. Empty shops, crumbling buildings or cheap bargain basement retailers. Such a shame!

Altogether it was a brilliant break and although we got to see so much, we still want to return to explore other parts around Conwy and Anglesey, but before that we have a lovely holiday booked for later in the year in glorious Somerset......can't wait........

Enjoy the summer break, wherever you are.

TTFN

Jenny xx

Bonnie Scotland

A few weeks ago I took a little break from sewing and hopped on the train to Bonnie Scotland. To Fife in fact to visit my sister for one of our biannual get togethers.
It's a bit  of a knit and natter session, a reading marathon and on my part a week of complete relaxation and charging my batteries.

I love the train journey there (and back) and never tire of the changing scenery as we wend our way north. My sister has lived just outside Edinburgh for about 6 years now, so my journey only takes about four and a half hours. Before this she lived in Laurencekirk and the journey took all day so that I always arrived in the dark!
The  east coast from about Newcastle onwards is stunning. Glimpses of Alnwick and beautiful Berwick upon Tweed, both of which I have explored on past holidays tempt you to explore further.

This journey was in beautiful sunshine, for us here in Lincolnshire the first really warm weekend of the year and the sun glinting on the water by the coast was magical.
My only regret nowadays is that we are tied to public transport as my sister has given up driving. Oh we don't let this stop us altogether and I must say the bus and train services in Scotland are pretty good. It just means that we no longer get to those remote fishing villages which pepper the east coat.
We managed a visit to Dumfermline, and ventured to Sterling by train. We found we could go from Cowdenbeath which is only manned part time and when we went to enquire about tickets the office had just closed. However there was a public information machine which we decided to try, and thank goodness we did! Within seconds of pressing the button for assistance we had all the information we needed delivered by a charming man ( yes an actual live person) with no problem at all. Well done Scotrail!!
On my final day we were kindly given a lift into Queensferry,

... a pretty little town on the banks of the Clyde. It was lovely to walk the full length and take in the sight of the now, 3 bridges. The rail bridge, the original road bridge and the almost finished new road bridge which I have watched taking shape over my last few visits. A stunning piece of engineering. I wasn't able to get a good shot of all three bridges together, but at least I got them individually.

Our kindly neighbour who then picked us up to return us home had to make a slight detour to pop some shopping in to his mum. You can imagine how my jaw dropped when he drove into her driveway!!

Hopetoun House

She doesn't actually live in the 'big' house but in what must have been the dower house I assume. Which in its own right was a lovely building but it must have been quite a shock for her friends the first time they came for tea, as the only access is down the main drive. She hasn't been here for long and her garden is currently under construction, but the views from it are the stunning parkland and woods of the estate which are now managed by the Hopetoun House preservation Trust
A super surprise ending to my lovely holiday. I didn't get to see in the house as it wasn't open until the week after my visit, but I might have to delay my holiday another year so that I can get to see more.

Its always sad when a holiday draws to a close, but at least I can now catch a train straight through on the way back.

And though its nice to go travelling its oh so nice to come home! (Sorry Frank) just had to do it.

Well another busy week ahead for me getting ready for yet another trip to Wales. This time with our brother and sister in law, hoping to do all the things we didn't manage on our holiday with the young things last year. I'm determined to walk up Snowdon at least and plenty more walking too.
The only problem is the packing. Beautiful as it Wales' weather is not exactly predictable.  I think I might need a slightly bigger case this time!!

Have a lovely week whatever you are planning

TTFN

Jenny xx

Marathon

No I'm not back running, but my dressmaking is taking on marathon proportions and my posts even more so.......

I think I am becoming obsessed! Okay those that know me know I am always obsessed with something, but at the moment it is finding the perfect fitted dress pattern.

So I am whispering this as I know I will change my mind again, but I think I have just about constructed my perfect dress bodice sloper. I say dress, but of course I can now use this for fitting tops and blouses too, so I am a pretty happy bunny. Which is just as well as I have purchased so much fabric in the last couple of months that I could almost open a dress shop by the time I get it all made up!!

I printed off the customised pattern I purchased from Bootstrap Fashions and per their instructions still made a toile to check the fit. It was almost perfect, just needed a bit of tweeking at the armhole to remove the tiniest bit of excess fabric there and voila.....

It's really not that easy taking photos of yourself without looking a right dork!

Anyway, bad piccie or not this is the first attempt. The only issue I have is that I should have shortened the waist to bust dart. Other than that I think it's okay and I like the fuller skirt for a change. The fabric is a stretch denim printed with tiny flower sprigs I bought for another project and It's made up  really well. I have at least 2 metres left so DH could be in for a dress or skirt too!

The second is very tongue in cheek. Made from Makower fabric sporting caravans and campers, with mauve check linings to the patch pockets which I have folded over and fastened down with spotty buttons. I think it has a real vintage vibe and will be perfect when I am manning my Olive & Edna stall at the Vintage Flea Market at Lincoln Showground on Sunday 23rd April.
This time I think I have got the fit just right.

Finally I have made up another dress from an old Vogue pattern 2659 which I made about 2 sizes ago!! I love the original that I made in a dark brown firm stretch fabric, but I look like a litter of piglets stuffed in a bag in it now. This version is in Ponte Jersey. A bit thinner weight than my original, and I'm not over the moon with it but it's okay.

I shall have to try to source some fabric with a little more body to it, or lose some of mine lol!!

So that's my dress journey to date and as for the encore......

I told you I wouldn't go to the NEC and return empty handed..

The top is a duck egg blue with a sort of pumpkin design in orange, next down a taupe and white fabric with a London skyline sketch in  stripes across it. There were lots more I could have bought but as I had already made a couple of purchases on line before we went I was trying not to get too carried away. At least I didn't buy another machine this time!
The bottom two are the ones I  bought on line....,
The deep dusky pink is to recreate a 1940s dress I made when we first went to Twinwood for the Glen Miller Festival and the final piece is a grey/mauve with tiny balls of wool unravelling.

As you can see I have plenty to keep me out of mischief at the moment, but I'll be having a little break imminently as it's time for my spring trip to Bonnie Scotland. Shame it won;'t be warm enough to model any of my new creations, but at least we do seem to be getting a few more bright and sunny days now.

Well if you've got this far you're definitely gonna need a big drink, so enjoy and I think I might join you.

TTFN
Jenny xx

Ta...Daaa!.......almost!!

Well as I said after the denim dress I got down to remaking the muslin to address the issues I had with the  fit of the bodice. It wasn't much, or so I thought, but wanting to get it right I went back to the original pattern. This time I decided to do a few more actual body measurements to compare to the pattern before I made the muslin.

What I found straight away was that the distance from the apex to apex on the pattern was too wide for me, so I adjusted that and then found that despite the fact that I had already done the full bust adjustment  there was still too much fabric in the armhole. Fortunately there are lots of super tutorials on the web for dart manipulation and so following one of these I pinned out the excess by creating a dart in the armhole tapering it towards the bust. I then marked this on the muslin with my frictions pen and transferred this onto my pattern. Then by slashing and pivoting the dart I was able to move this excess fabric and incorporate it in the side bust dart. Of course I made more work for myself by starting with a pinafore pattern with much deeper armholes, but eventually I managed a much better if not perfect fit.

I really do love the dress now, but am going to search my stash of patterns to find a regular sleeveless bodice that I can really fine tune. I made a belt as well for this one and like it both ways

In the meantime I have purchased a custom fit pattern from bootstrap fashion, which allowed me to put in all my correct measurements including chest, under bust, full bust, hips etc. as well as indicating if I have a flat or rounded tummy, shoulder width and even the circumference of my arms! You can in fact  add even more measurements if you wish, but for now I just stuck with the areas that cause me most fitting problems ..
I've printed  it all out now,  assembled it and compared it to the final draft I made myself and it looking pretty promising.
I shall try it out (on a muslin again) over the weekend and report back,
I hope I haven't bored you too much, but I like to keep a record of my fitting journey to refer back to as I don't always remember what I did with each pattern I use. I should really keep a note book!

Happy sewing or whatever is your happy place

TTFN

Jenny xx