The Skirt.

This is it.
So, I carefully made the pattern, cut it out, used my sewing machine to finish all the edges, then sewed the two pieces together and put the zipper in. I tried it on - and it just fell straight off me. So I took the seam in by about 1.5 inches, then it was a bit too tight. I let the seam out twice, and still to tight - I kept getting bunching across the front of it. I call my Mum, who suggested I let out the seam (again) and add darts, and she tells me how to do them. I unpick the right hand side seam for the third time then carefully measure half, and then a quarter and then sew in the darts and try it on again. Hmm... I accidently put them on the back instead of the front... I decide to leave them there as they seem to have mostly solved the bunching problem, but I needed to make them a little longer, and then voila! It sorta fits.

I did a very very shotty job of adding a facing, but I think its ready to go to work with me. Things that will still need to be done (sometime after I have worn it to work tomorrow) - hem the bottom, topstitch over the facing - but this can only be done once I have unpicked my first origonal seam and cut it down to the new seam! I also need to fix up the top of the zip in one spot - this is the first time I have ever put a zip in an item of clothing so I think I did alright. The facing also needs to be cut to size - I have a little bit overhanging, I think I'll just safety pin it out of the way for tomorrow and then finally, I need to hand sew the facing down.

Then, after that is complete, I attempt skirt number 2!

Other things I got up to today were sewing together what I could of my triple irish chain. Its moving along slowly. I will admit that for the past two days I have been debating making it two rows shorter, meaning that when I add the next lot of blocks I will be done, and just have borders, but then it wouldnt be big enough for my bed. So I think I will just have to persever. You may notice in the skirt photo that this thing continues down to the floor.

I also made a quater of a civil war block. I'm really liking how all these are coming along - even though I have only finished 2 and have about 5 in progress!

Wow, I have a clean room

Nothing much to show tonight, I've been cleaning up my room. Some things I found include my academic transcript*, all the pieces for my walking foot that had escaped recently from the box, my hera marker, lots and lots of threads, and most interestingly, 4 empty rolls of rasant thread, all for white. I only started using rasant for all my piecing about 2.5 years ago, which means I have gone through more than 4000 meters of white thread, just in piecing. Not to mention, I also found 3 rolls of white - 2 half empty, 3 rolls of cream - again, 2 half empty, and 2 rolls of black. Thats a lot of sewing I've been doing! I can also now account for all of my bobbins.

Tomorrow(well today technically) I only work 5 hours, then I have a day off! yay! I plan on making at least 3 skirts, two from fabric Mum gave me, then a skirt out of my piece of Drawing Room by Anna Maria Horner that I have told the ladies I work with I will be showing up to work in on Tuesday...

* Technically this wasn't 'lost'. If I had a need for it, I knew where it was on my desk, but when I 'found' it tonight, I decided it might be time to put it somewhere a little safer.

More Civil War!

I have completed 2 Civil War Blocks! Yay!

This makes 2 down, 8 to go. I also have 3 in progress so Im getting there, slowly.

The Children will Play

A lady I work with decided she would buy the Civil War Diary book. So I though, maybe we should have a little 'challenge' of sorts. I picked six blocks to start off with, and we have two weeks to complete the six 6 inch (finished) blocks, then when we are done, she will pick the next six and so on until we have as many as we want. She is making hers in reproductions, I'm making mine in Kaffe Fassett. So far they are looking pretty interesting. Unfortunately, most of the blocks need to be foundation paper pieced, as the measurements are a bit weird.


Those strips are a quarter of an inch wide. I was a bit hesitant about using the diagonally stripped fabric, but once I had finished the little block I was so glad I did.



I think they are looking great so far

It needs some binding

On the bias..
But I can't choose which one! Mum, I think you should choose for me.

Monkey Magic!!

This little guy got finished today.

Started about 6 months ago, he got a little bit more stuffing, his side seam sewn up and his tail stitched on with one of my favourite vintage buttons. Fabric is Kaffe Fassett Shot Cotton in 'Aegan' and I think the contrast is 'Spring Fling', but I can't remember, it was bought as a remnant. His face is doctors flannel, and while there is that lovely hand stitching around it, I also vliesofixed it on to make sure it wasnt coming off.

The pattern is out of this book, which I borrowed out of the library, so now I don't have the instructions to make more!

And this is the clock I made you mum! Currently still 'in progress' as my clock work bit on the back is too heavy, so it can't opperate leaning like this, it has to be hung. Oops. Good clockworks are hard to find. I bought the hands thinking they were silver too so I was a bit dissapointed when I realise they were gold. Might have to paint them another colour. Oh, and its technically a tiny bit off center, but I really don't think you notice.

Two down!

Since my last post:

• One quilt has been completely finished, binding, pocket rod and all and has even been washed and cooked in the dryer.
  This is the first quilt I have ever washed and had fabric run. Doesn't really bother me, but its pretty unfortunate as the back is also pieced, so if the fabric had have been about 2 inches to the right, it would have been on a pink fabric and then unnoticeable! This quilt was 'cooked' to see how much the bamboo batting would shrink. All up it shrunk by about an inch on each side, but I think that could also be due in part to my heavy quilting, and the fact I can't actually remember how big the top was before it was pinned, and I can't remember if I measured it after quilting it and before washing it. Either way, I like how crinkly it came out.
  

• Another quilt that has been 'in progress' for about 2 years (I *think*) had its final border quilted. It is a Material Obsession pattern that was printed in a Patchwork and Quilting magazine. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of this as I have left it with my wonderful hand sewn binding Grandmar for to have it hand stitched. (She also hand stitched the pink and black one aswell, that only took her about an hour! She is superwoman!!)

• And today, I unpinned, then repinned my multicolour barnraiser-ish half square triangle quilt. On top of that, I have also quilted all the straight lines on it already tonight (in about 2 hours, even I'm impressed with my lack of procrastination while doing it). Now I just have to pick a free hand quilting pattern to do in all the white areas and I'm set to finish it! The next big step for this one is picking the binding fabric.

And I didnt resize two the photo's so I could show you (sort of) the other thing I have been working on. It only has 9 rows to quilt in one direction, and 16 in the other. Which isnt bad considering that thing is about twin/queen size and there are about 47 rows in each direction. I'm starting to get excited about finishing it as when it gets folded up it looks georgous, but it will look even better with all those pins out, and a nice black binding on it! I will give more details about it when I'm finished.

I bought the book

And now I can't decide what to make!!
But in the meantime, I'm making a cushion to enter into a competition in Emerald, that has to be an original design, use 80% or more Kaffe Fassett Fabric, and incorporate a yo-yo, so for now its top secret! I haven't even recieved my entry form yet too!

Anyway, tonight will be spent putting the binding on my little pink and black bamboo batting scrap quilt. Its all cut and waiting to be folded in half, sewn on and hand stitched down. I can't wait till something is finished! I think I might have to put a rod pocket on this one too...


I also have this one ready to quilt now, but unfortunately, the batting is too thin, so you can see the dark backing I put on it so its getting unpinned and then repinned with a new piece of batting which is WHITE and THICKER than the thin polyester that its pinned to now. Such dedication I'm putting into this one.

I must buy this book

Kaffe, I love you.

I want to make the one on the cover, and a fair few more inside. I stupidly let it slip through my fingers when I saw it. I could have been starting something new tomorrow on my day off.. Dammit!! Instead I will try finishing two things, one for me, one to send home with Grammy for Mum.

Happy I finally updated Mum? I better post will come soon, I'm just too lazy to go and find my camera.