My Sewing Story
I first watched my mother sew on her olive green Kenmore sewing machine as a young girl. After watching my mom sew, I was interested in learning more, so took a class in 7th grade. I made a pair of shorts that were 100% cotton, khaki green, with a paisley design printed all over them.
More about my sewing history
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Sewing Wizardess
Vinyl Card Case
Today I sewed up a few vinyl cases. They are the perfect size for I.D's, library cards, or punch cards that local shops use to track our purchases.
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Update on Crochet
Greetings!
I felt the need to stop in and post an update. The only item I have sewn since my last post is a vinyl Q-tip holder to keep in my purse.
And I haven't taken my beads out to match them up with the colors of my shoulder bag to make the strap. However, I have been working hard each day to finish crocheting my squares. I now have two colors completed. I have 35 cream and 40 cranberry color squares finished. That's 75 out of 150! I am currently working on the rose color now. I've got 5 of them finished. I will post a photo the next time I lay them out. Until then...
Happy Sewing!
I felt the need to stop in and post an update. The only item I have sewn since my last post is a vinyl Q-tip holder to keep in my purse.
And I haven't taken my beads out to match them up with the colors of my shoulder bag to make the strap. However, I have been working hard each day to finish crocheting my squares. I now have two colors completed. I have 35 cream and 40 cranberry color squares finished. That's 75 out of 150! I am currently working on the rose color now. I've got 5 of them finished. I will post a photo the next time I lay them out. Until then...Happy Sewing!
Fagoting
Hi All!
Welcome again (if you're returning). Today I'm going to write about a sewing technique called fagoting, and show you my first attempt at it (6 process photos). Basically, fagoting is seaming together two fabrics with horizontal stitches that look like ladder rungs. I think people use it in heirloom sewing, but I'm not sure yet. I still have to learn the specifics of heirloom sewing.
I wanted to apply the fagoting technique to my doll's dress. I want the lace trim to stick out and be a very special part of the garment. To begin, I placed my two fabrics right sides together and sewed on the Elna serger with the lace side up. I used a 3-thread flat-lock stitch. When I use my serger, I play with the tension to get it just right, before I sew the project fabric.
After I finished sewing the seam, I gently pulled the fabrics apart to expose the horizontal stitches (ladder rungs). In this image, the medium blue thread is my edge finish for the purple fabric. The pale blue thread is the "ladder rungs" I'm looking for.
Now, if I were to leave the stitching alone, the trim would appear just as it is in this next image. My stitching is a little wavy yet, even though I sewed slowly. I want to cover up as much of my wave as I can. I also want more fashion flare, but soft flare, because that looks too boring for me.
I really love the look of bows and lace together (and butterflies, hearts and flowers...
). I decided that a bow will deliver the perfect gentle edge I'm looking for; it will emphasize the eyelet lace. In the following image, I am weaving the same 1/4" ribbon that I used for her waist band through the 3-thread flat-lock stitch.
Now the bow is finished! It's absolutely what I wanted. It hides my wavy stitch line and it adds the softness to the lace. She still needed shoes, and I chose felt instead of crocheting them. I had a pattern that came with the doll, so I used that. I just cut the pattern out of felt and folded it in half to sew the seam along the bottom of the bootie. It was incredibly easy.
Here she is in completion. My goodness I love her! She is going to be my sewing buddy and hang out with me on my sewing table. Take note of her shoes. I added the same blue ribbon to make bows on them. The felt didn't stay extremely well and I have a kitty that has already fallen in love with batting the the doll's arms and legs around. I wanted those booties to stay on as long as possible, so I wove the ribbon in a way that would tighten the circumference.
What did I learn today? I learned, after the doll dress was completed, that I could have used a 2-thread flat-lock to limit bulk of the fabric within the fagot seam.
Well, that's it for this entry. I tried an old technique and loved it. I am sure that I will use this method in future projects.
My next focus that I will journal about is going to be about creating a beaded handle or strap for the shoulder bag that I recently sewed. Until then...
Happy Sewing!
Welcome again (if you're returning). Today I'm going to write about a sewing technique called fagoting, and show you my first attempt at it (6 process photos). Basically, fagoting is seaming together two fabrics with horizontal stitches that look like ladder rungs. I think people use it in heirloom sewing, but I'm not sure yet. I still have to learn the specifics of heirloom sewing.
I wanted to apply the fagoting technique to my doll's dress. I want the lace trim to stick out and be a very special part of the garment. To begin, I placed my two fabrics right sides together and sewed on the Elna serger with the lace side up. I used a 3-thread flat-lock stitch. When I use my serger, I play with the tension to get it just right, before I sew the project fabric.
After I finished sewing the seam, I gently pulled the fabrics apart to expose the horizontal stitches (ladder rungs). In this image, the medium blue thread is my edge finish for the purple fabric. The pale blue thread is the "ladder rungs" I'm looking for.
Now, if I were to leave the stitching alone, the trim would appear just as it is in this next image. My stitching is a little wavy yet, even though I sewed slowly. I want to cover up as much of my wave as I can.
I also want more fashion flare, but soft flare, because that looks too boring for me. I really love the look of bows and lace together (and butterflies, hearts and flowers...
). I decided that a bow will deliver the perfect gentle edge I'm looking for; it will emphasize the eyelet lace. In the following image, I am weaving the same 1/4" ribbon that I used for her waist band through the 3-thread flat-lock stitch. Now the bow is finished! It's absolutely what I wanted. It hides my wavy stitch line and it adds the softness to the lace. She still needed shoes, and I chose felt instead of crocheting them. I had a pattern that came with the doll, so I used that. I just cut the pattern out of felt and folded it in half to sew the seam along the bottom of the bootie. It was incredibly easy.
Here she is in completion. My goodness I love her! She is going to be my sewing buddy and hang out with me on my sewing table. Take note of her shoes. I added the same blue ribbon to make bows on them. The felt didn't stay extremely well and I have a kitty that has already fallen in love with batting the the doll's arms and legs around. I wanted those booties to stay on as long as possible, so I wove the ribbon in a way that would tighten the circumference.
Well, that's it for this entry. I tried an old technique and loved it. I am sure that I will use this method in future projects.
My next focus that I will journal about is going to be about creating a beaded handle or strap for the shoulder bag that I recently sewed. Until then...
Happy Sewing!
Sewing Juices Flowing Again
Hello!
I needed to skip any afternoon crocheting that I might have had time for because I was really missed sewing and wanted to get some in! I'm ready to share what I have accomplished today.
First off, I have had a nice cut of dish-towel fabric that I have wanted to embroider for quite some time. I decided that instead of hand embroidering, I would practice using my machine embroidery designs. I think they turned out just sweet. Our kitchen has red accents so I went with red rayon thread.
This is the second design I chose for embroidering the other piece of fabric.
Since I was warmed up on the machine and ideas were starting to flow, I turned my attention to a doll that I began and put aside because I didn't have the right products to continue on. The product I needed was HAIR! I picked up some hair and fabric glue in the doll-making section at Michael's crafts store.
What an experience it was to glue doll hair onto a little head! I had little hairs all over, but not too badly. I was uncertain how well the glue was going to hold. The bottle claimed that I should wait at least 24 hours before handling and at least 7 days before hand washing. Because I am impatient for little things like that, I only waited an hour before I started handling her. The smock she is wearing in the photo was too ugly! so I slipped it off right over her head. The only hair that fell off was hair that didn't get any glue. I realized at that point that I will be able to add hair in increments if I so chose.
So, for the ugly smock... It seriously needed a change. Not only was it ugly, it was boring and didn't do the pretty floral pattern on the fabric any justice. I came up with the idea to cut the top portion off to make a skirt with a bow-tie waist closure. I hand-sewed a piece of 1/4 inch ribbon around the finished waistband.
It turned out as beautiful as I hoped it would. She is just a precious little project! I am not finished with her yet, as I need to get some booties on her feet and sew lace, which is laying across her lap, to the bottom of her skirt. That will come soon enough. Since I have my crocheting rhythm, I just might crochet some little booties. I do have some felt that I could use also. I will decide later. I also plan on using some embroidery thread to sew over her eyes. The pattern I used for the doll suggested that I use a marker, but other patterns that I have since read, suggest to use thread.
This next photo has to do with knitting. It's something that I devised as a tool for knitting projects. I don't knit a lot. Well, I don't EVER knit. I have more of a desire to knit than the actual drive to get started on projects. (Except this pattern card.) Knitting is really popular right now, but it scares the crap out of me because I drop stitches easily and it takes more time to understand the stitches that a person needs to implement for certain patterns and yada-ya. I could go on and on. I have more thoughts that plug my creative juices up than set them free and motivate me to get-to-work on a knitting project. As with many things in my life, however, I am PUSHING FORWARD. I will knock my knitting fear flat on its back and knit.
So, back to this cute little tool of mine. I decided to staple a sample of my stitching and write down all of the information it took to knit the swatch. I "think" this will help me later, when deciding which yarn to use for what project. My next knitting project to attempt is to knit mittens. Sigh. Wish me luck!
It is time for me to sign off now. I'll post more on the cutsie-doll when I've completed her. Until then...
Happy Sewing!
I needed to skip any afternoon crocheting that I might have had time for because I was really missed sewing and wanted to get some in! I'm ready to share what I have accomplished today.
First off, I have had a nice cut of dish-towel fabric that I have wanted to embroider for quite some time. I decided that instead of hand embroidering, I would practice using my machine embroidery designs. I think they turned out just sweet. Our kitchen has red accents so I went with red rayon thread.
This is the second design I chose for embroidering the other piece of fabric.
Since I was warmed up on the machine and ideas were starting to flow, I turned my attention to a doll that I began and put aside because I didn't have the right products to continue on. The product I needed was HAIR!
I picked up some hair and fabric glue in the doll-making section at Michael's crafts store. What an experience it was to glue doll hair onto a little head! I had little hairs all over, but not too badly. I was uncertain how well the glue was going to hold. The bottle claimed that I should wait at least 24 hours before handling and at least 7 days before hand washing. Because I am impatient for little things like that, I only waited an hour before I started handling her. The smock she is wearing in the photo was too ugly! so I slipped it off right over her head. The only hair that fell off was hair that didn't get any glue. I realized at that point that I will be able to add hair in increments if I so chose.
So, for the ugly smock... It seriously needed a change. Not only was it ugly, it was boring and didn't do the pretty floral pattern on the fabric any justice. I came up with the idea to cut the top portion off to make a skirt with a bow-tie waist closure. I hand-sewed a piece of 1/4 inch ribbon around the finished waistband.
I also plan on using some embroidery thread to sew over her eyes. The pattern I used for the doll suggested that I use a marker, but other patterns that I have since read, suggest to use thread. This next photo has to do with knitting. It's something that I devised as a tool for knitting projects. I don't knit a lot. Well, I don't EVER knit. I have more of a desire to knit than the actual drive to get started on projects. (Except this pattern card.) Knitting is really popular right now, but it scares the crap out of me because I drop stitches easily and it takes more time to understand the stitches that a person needs to implement for certain patterns and yada-ya. I could go on and on. I have more thoughts that plug my creative juices up than set them free and motivate me to get-to-work on a knitting project. As with many things in my life, however, I am PUSHING FORWARD. I will knock my knitting fear flat on its back and knit.
So, back to this cute little tool of mine. I decided to staple a sample of my stitching and write down all of the information it took to knit the swatch. I "think" this will help me later, when deciding which yarn to use for what project. My next knitting project to attempt is to knit mittens. Sigh. Wish me luck!
It is time for me to sign off now. I'll post more on the cutsie-doll when I've completed her. Until then...
Happy Sewing!
34 Squares
It's been days since I have last written. I am just a busy bee and using every spare second to crochet these squares. I have a total of 34 cranberry squares completed—6 to go!!! Photos for the next entry.
21 Squares
The last time I posted, I knew that I had a lot more squares completed but I couldn't find them, so I went with "9". I found them now, there were 5. I've been making progress. I have 21 squares completed with one on the needle yet.
GOAL: 40 Squares
SEWN: 21
TO GO: 19
I'm making cookies for the holidays with The Mumsy today, I might be able to get a square or two in during the baking time.
I have to post immediately, as she will be here in 1.5 hours.
Happy Sewing!!
GOAL: 40 Squares
SEWN: 21
TO GO: 19
I'm making cookies for the holidays with The Mumsy today, I might be able to get a square or two in during the baking time.
I have to post immediately, as she will be here in 1.5 hours.
Happy Sewing!!
9 Squares
I'm still crocheting away at my squares. I didn't journal last night because I really wanted to get a square or two completed instead. I timed how long it takes me to crochet a square and the results were around 12 minutes. I was moving as fast as I could and I didn't like my tension in the end. I'm going to slow down to 15 minutes.
Aside from crocheting, I'm still considering a handle for my shoulder bag. I do like the idea of sewing a beaded strap for the purse. I guess I'd like to get as creative as possible with it, but the utmost functional. That means it has to be sturdy. I have to build a strong strap. So that's where I am at with that project. For tonight, I will crochet.
Happy Sewing!
Aside from crocheting, I'm still considering a handle for my shoulder bag. I do like the idea of sewing a beaded strap for the purse. I guess I'd like to get as creative as possible with it, but the utmost functional. That means it has to be sturdy. I have to build a strong strap. So that's where I am at with that project. For tonight, I will crochet.
Happy Sewing!
Bag Almost Finished
Sewing
Okay, so tonight is the continuation of "The Shoulder Bag". What a clever title. Heh.
If you don't feel like reading the entry I wrote yesterday, I'll sum it up quickly. I had three problems to solve before moving forward on the project:
Problem #2: hand-sew or Stitch Witchery in the zipper s.a.? I chose to hand-sew and it looked magnificent. I was able to catch just a couple threads with each stitch. I'm very pleased. My self-esteem increased by one notch.
Finally, I need to make a strap. I just received a Bead & Button magazine so I thought that I would flip through that to get my creative juices flowing. I think a bead strap would lend itself well to the fabric choice. I already thought about beading a strap on the bead loom. I'll post that after I have it all completed and attached.
Crochet
I thought if I posted my crochet project, I would be motivated to work on it. I learned to crochet last winter, and I decided to crochet a blanket. Last night as I was re-teaching myself the stitches, I thought a blanket was really too large of a project for a beginner to take on. I might have better success with completing projects if I choose projects for my skill level. ...I will persevere. I have to do this for the sake of keeping my sanity and feelings of success.
The crochet blanket I chose is called "Ruffled Gingham" by designer Jean Leinhauser. I'm using three colors: cranberry, rose and cream. I need 150 squares total.
Until the sun rises again, Happy Sewing!
Okay, so tonight is the continuation of "The Shoulder Bag". What a clever title. Heh.
If you don't feel like reading the entry I wrote yesterday, I'll sum it up quickly. I had three problems to solve before moving forward on the project:
- remove stitching and replace using less seam allowance
- instead of hand-sewing the zipper seam allowance, use Stitch Witchery
- finish the project in a timely manner (because I need a strap)
Problem #2: hand-sew or Stitch Witchery in the zipper s.a.? I chose to hand-sew and it looked magnificent. I was able to catch just a couple threads with each stitch. I'm very pleased. My self-esteem increased by one notch.
Finally, I need to make a strap. I just received a Bead & Button magazine so I thought that I would flip through that to get my creative juices flowing. I think a bead strap would lend itself well to the fabric choice. I already thought about beading a strap on the bead loom. I'll post that after I have it all completed and attached.
Crochet
I thought if I posted my crochet project, I would be motivated to work on it. I learned to crochet last winter, and I decided to crochet a blanket. Last night as I was re-teaching myself the stitches, I thought a blanket was really too large of a project for a beginner to take on. I might have better success with completing projects if I choose projects for my skill level. ...I will persevere. I have to do this for the sake of keeping my sanity and feelings of success.
The crochet blanket I chose is called "Ruffled Gingham" by designer Jean Leinhauser. I'm using three colors: cranberry, rose and cream. I need 150 squares total.
- 35 cream
- 40 cranberry
- 75 rose
Until the sun rises again, Happy Sewing!
Shoulder Bag in Process
Hello! It's 7 PM and I'd really like to get some crochet-time in before bed, so I'm going to try to quickly and clearly walk through my shoulder bag project that I started today.
First off, these are are fabric choices. I didn't have any sew-on interfacing, so I just went with some purple acrylic felt. My lining is the cotton floral fabric.
This is basically the first step of the project: sew in the zipper.
It turned out pretty decently on the outside. The stitching line looks even!
After I sewed the zipper onto the fashion fabric, I was instructed to remove my basting. This part was not so good. When I opened the zipper, I noticed that I didn't catch the seam allowance with the needle. To problem solve, I will hand-sew the S.A. down so it lays flat. Good solution, however, I don't know how I'm going to hide my stitches on the outside of the bag. Of course I can try to only grab a few threads of the fashion fabric, but let's not forget that I'm a beginner! Hah! That will be interesting for me to share!
I finished sewing the interfacing to the lining of the bag and it fits into the shoulder bag, unfortunately, with room to spare. My space inside the purse is now minimized. I thought about removing the seams and sewing them again with smaller S.A. I'm still deciding at this point. That's why I stopped the project tonight. Now I need to make decisions.
Will I:
It's magnificent, really!
All right, it's 7:20 PM. It's time to crochet. I ran to the library to get a book on crocheting so I could learn a few new stitches. I hope that will motivate me to get crackin' on my crochet blanket. More, more, more...
With that, I bid the void (and anyone who reads this) a good night. Until the sun rises again, Happy Sewing!
First off, these are are fabric choices. I didn't have any sew-on interfacing, so I just went with some purple acrylic felt. My lining is the cotton floral fabric.
This is basically the first step of the project: sew in the zipper.
It turned out pretty decently on the outside. The stitching line looks even!
After I sewed the zipper onto the fashion fabric, I was instructed to remove my basting. This part was not so good. When I opened the zipper, I noticed that I didn't catch the seam allowance with the needle. To problem solve, I will hand-sew the S.A. down so it lays flat. Good solution, however, I don't know how I'm going to hide my stitches on the outside of the bag. Of course I can try to only grab a few threads of the fashion fabric, but let's not forget that I'm a beginner! Hah! That will be interesting for me to share!
I finished sewing the interfacing to the lining of the bag and it fits into the shoulder bag, unfortunately, with room to spare. My space inside the purse is now minimized. I thought about removing the seams and sewing them again with smaller S.A. I'm still deciding at this point. That's why I stopped the project tonight. Now I need to make decisions.
Will I:
- remove stitching and replace using less seam allowance
- instead of hand-sewing the zipper seam allowance, use Stitch Witchery
- finish the project in a timely manner?
It's magnificent, really!All right, it's 7:20 PM. It's time to crochet. I ran to the library to get a book on crocheting so I could learn a few new stitches. I hope that will motivate me to get crackin' on my crochet blanket.
More, more, more... With that, I bid the void (and anyone who reads this) a good night. Until the sun rises again, Happy Sewing!
Project: Shoulder Bag
It's time to write in my daily-sewing-journal.
I had a long day so there is no more energy to put into a sewing project. Tonight I decided to relax and browse what other's have sewn and showcased online. I came across a website called sewing.com and noticed a cute shoulder bag. This is my next sewing project (PDF).
What fabric do I plan on using? I purchased a fancy teal fabric about a year ago that is very similar to the fabric choice demonstrated in the tutorial concerning the fiber properties, but my fabric's floral design is different. I will take photos and post them tomorrow.
I already have several zippers that I picked up the last time I visited SR Harris, but I need to see if I have any drawstring. If I don't, I may just have to make a bias strip drawstring. If I am not happy with my zipper choice, I might pick one up tomorrow.
Until the sun rises again, Happy Sewing!
I had a long day so there is no more energy to put into a sewing project. Tonight I decided to relax and browse what other's have sewn and showcased online. I came across a website called sewing.com and noticed a cute shoulder bag. This is my next sewing project (PDF).
What fabric do I plan on using? I purchased a fancy teal fabric about a year ago that is very similar to the fabric choice demonstrated in the tutorial concerning the fiber properties, but my fabric's floral design is different. I will take photos and post them tomorrow.
I already have several zippers that I picked up the last time I visited SR Harris, but I need to see if I have any drawstring. If I don't, I may just have to make a bias strip drawstring. If I am not happy with my zipper choice, I might pick one up tomorrow.
Until the sun rises again, Happy Sewing!
