Monday, July 28, 2008

Been busy

Clearly catchphrases and witty headlines aren't my thing. Pretty sad for an editor! I am rather excited at the moment, I just bought myself a new sewing machine!!! A Husqvarna/Viking Huskystar C20 which you can see at the bottom of this page if interested. It is a clearance model, but it looks like a really good machine. I can't wait for it to get here and replace the elcheapo we bought me. The little elcheapo has its uses, but not enough for what I want it for, and it's tension hates to cooperate. I will probably put it toward scrapbooking or something like that.

As you can see I've changed my Blogger template. I'm not too sure if I like it at all? The one I did like had a funky little graphic that just didn't work for me. I do like the boxes on the sidebar that keep all my history and tags etc contained neatly rather than sprawling way down the page. Lets see how long it stays this way. I got the blogger template from B Template.

On to the show and tells. I've really enjoyed playing with sewing of late. I bought some things I wanted like felt in Esperance the other week specifically to play with baby shoes. I have so many patterns saved from the net specifically for different baby shoes! I just never had the felt I needed to create them. The little cream ones with variegated cotton came first, then the cream ones with grossgrain ribbon (these are actually polar fleece, not felt) and lastly the fuschia ones which I am fiddling with embroidery on. Not really in love with any of these 3 pairs and the fuscia ones need another pair made as I put the button loops on the same strap on these ones and they are supposed to be opposites! *head-meet-desk* So, none of them are entirely perfect but I enjoy the process. That's the important bit!





I borrowed a book from the library called something like "sew vintage bags". I'm not sure it's by the sewing machine and I am simply too lay to go get it. It divided the bags up into eras they were fashionable. I chose this little wrist bag which was probably a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. I've only ever sewn one zip before (on the pencil case in my last post) and I don't find it too hard. I never would have expected glue sticks to become a staple in my sewing room!! I sewed the loop slightly wrong, it has twisted the wrong way but I guess that's one of those creator only noticed problems as no one else understands what I mean when I point it out. As I was being a good girl and following the pattern the lining is hand stitched in last. I don't like this idea one bit! My hand sewing is really poor and it's awkward to do. The bag also recommended having a rather large flower pin attached which I've not made. I used a fat quarter as the main fabric, and a royal blue one for the lining. I love the bright colours but they don't really match my clothes! I find unlooping the bag, then unzipping it, all a bit fiddly for every day use. To counteract that problem I spent ages looking online for a wrist bag pattern. I knew the basic shape but couldn't be bothered sketching it out!! I couldn't find one, lots to show and tell but no patterns. I ended up finding one on the Martha Stewart website when I was looking at something else!! Always the way. So using another fat quarter and a nurses dress from the thrift shop, I made the wristlet bag (reversible bag I think it's called on the Martha Stewart website). I decided to make a pocket on the inside just cos I could and wanted to play with making things my own, and bias binding. I've used this bag every day since I made it!! Having it looped over my wrist is so much easier to carry than any bag I've used. Again, the colours are intersting and don't really match my clothes, but I'm of the belief, WHO CARES! I like the colours and pattern :D





There was enough fabric remaining from the fat quarter of the above bag to make a little something, when I saw this lamb pattern online I knew it would be sweet. I didn't read the instructions before printing the pattern so I made a few errors along the way but overall I think it's cute! We gifted it to Jessica's school teacher yesterday and she was most impressed. The ribbon probably blends a bit too much, but I do like it. I really need to be bolder with colour. I don't know how to do that. I've tried this with scrapbooking etc and I still can't cope with mixing and matching colours/patterns.


So now I am all excited for the new machine to arrive and play with all the prety stitches and stuff. I've already purchased some extra feet for it, and some bobbins! I have no idea how long it will take to ship as I ordered it from the Lincraft website. There are a stack more I want to get! Xmas wishlist writing time I think!!

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