Tag: overlocker

Update

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Sorry for the silence folks. It is not because I haven’t been busy, it’s because I haven’t made anything relevant to this blog for some time.

I created this blog, and a lot of you I’m sure follow because of the clothing that I was making on a regular basis. Due to my work on my bags and amigurumi for my Etsy store, making clothing for myself has kind of gone on the back burner. I have been knitting, but no sewing of clothing of late. My time during the day is spent on orders and stock items for my store, and I didn’t create this blog to necessarily share those things, it was for the clothing and my handmade wardrobe. Of course I encourage you to follow on with my handmade bags and toys via my Facebook page, or my Etsy store (button in the sidebar or here) if you’re interested in those things but I want this blog to remain mostly what I’m making for my own wardrobe.

Having a completely handmade wardrobe is still something I aspire to, but due to other paid orders for my bags etc and also my not having an outside the home job, time and funds are scarce. I am also actively trying to lose weight (separate blog here if you’re interested) and as such, I am a bit loathe to spend time and fabric (especially some beautiful stuff I got with birthday money) on clothes that I may only get to wear for a short time.

And finally, having said all that, there are at least three to five items I have on my mind that I hope to be making shortly. I’ve decided that I miss creating my own clothes and that I want to carve out some time and use up some fabrics from my stash to do so. These are:

  • Colette Zinnia ver 1 skirt – I was able to buy some black rayon shirting to make this from with birthday money. I want to make one just like Sarai’s here. I have printed and assembled the pattern ready to cut the fabric.
  • Colette Ginger skirt, ver 3 waistband – I have some black and white fabric I bought op-shopping on my honeymoon that I want to make this from. I still have my pattern from my previous make so I’m ready to cut the fabric.
  • By Hand London Polly top (a free pattern, oh yeah!) – Just printed the pattern ready to assemble. I’m not sure which fabrics I’ll use for this one, it doesn’t use a lot so I guess I’ll just dig through and see what I can find.
  • 2 x Sewaholic Renfrew tops – I got some nice jersey in black and green with a Spotlight voucher I received for my birthday. I’ve decided I found the fit on ‘my size’ (based on my measurements) to have a little too much ease for my liking so I’m going to go down a couple of sizes for these two makes. This way I can wear them longer even if I lose weight. I will be making the short sleeve variant, with the scoop neck option. Oh yeah, my overlocker got serviced and they managed to get perfect tension! Yay! So we’ll see how I go on these items.

I also have a couple of knitted sweaters that I have yet to blog about so I just need to take photos and I can talk about those. There are some fun things on the horizon so stay tuned! 🙂

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WIP Wednesday

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So, my WIPs this week have mainly consisted with working on my sister’s dress for her AGM on Saturday and some knitting and crochet.

Here’s L’s dress so far:

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You may remember that I was doing a pattern hack on the Colette Patterns Laurel. After being very despondent about this ever being finished and actually being good, I’m pretty happy with how it’s turning out. 🙂 All I need to do now is hem and apply bias binding to the neck and armholes. Unfortunately due to my overlocker being a douche, the outside looks WAAAAAYYY better than the inside. I think perhaps I need my overlocker serviced or maybe a new one as Mr. MyMuddlings suggested. Love him. ❤

The lace on this dress is so pretty. Everyone who saw the lace when I was buying commented how lovely it was. We initially were going for a different lace that was a little more gypsy-esque but I saw this one and suggested it instead and I definitely think we made the right choice. 🙂

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On top of working on this dress I have also been working on some crochet and knitting.

The crochet I’ve been working on is Freshstitches‘ Blair the Ghost Bunny amigurumi. She’s just adorable! You can find my project page on Ravelry here. All I have left is the little ghost costume to do. I’m about halfway through this.

In regards to knitting, I’ve mostly been working on my Ishbel shawl by Ysolda Teague (I think you’ll only be able to see this link if you’re a Ravelry member). I’m making it from some lovely soft and drapey viscose fingering weight yarn I picked up cheap at Spotlight. They’ve had tons of great yarns on special lately and I’ve been stocking up. I got a few different colours of the viscose yarn and also quite a few balls (one colour enough to make a sweater!) of some superwash wool from Panda. Love sales at Spotlight! 🙂 You can see my Ravelry project page for Ishbel here.

Good news too that after having my birthday a couple weeks ago, I was given a Spotlight voucher and also some cash so these have been put towards purchasing fabric to make up some of the items I blogged about for my Summer Wardrobe a few weeks back. From what I have purchased I will be able to make two Renfrew tops (in black and green), Tania culottes, Cascade skirt and a bonus item of a Colette Patterns Zinnia skirt. I will be making version 1 of the Zinnia in a black rayon shirting. Can’t wait to get started on these items! 🙂

P.S. I’ve finally put some of my handmade things up on Etsy. You can check them out here. I’ll have more up next week when I’ve finished the dress!

FO: Simplicity Lisette Portfolio Dress

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So I’ve been a bit late with this post. Seems life got in the way and instead of having my backlog in a week, we’ve had a post a week. 😉 My bad. I’ve been knitting up a ultra-secret test pattern so I’ve been devoting a lot of time to that this week along with the usual housework, dog attacks* etc. (*This is isn’t a usual occurrence, but did happen this week. Long story.)

Anyway, onto the Simplicity Lisette 2245 Portfolio Dress.Lisette-Portfolio-EXP_20

Unfortunately, this is an out-of-print pattern. I searched high and low to find my copy after seeing Roobeedoo’s version and Karen’s version on their blogs (both awesome blogs too if you’re looking for more blogs to read!). As I’ve only recently read their blogs and theirs were made a couple years ago, I was late to the party. I ended up finding a copy on Etsy and snapped it up. I was a very happy chickadee! 🙂 Here’s my version:

IMG_0493Perhaps not the best shape on me (I’m bigger round the backside than those girls!) but I LOVE this dress. I love the fabric, I love the pockets, I love the sleeves. Everything. Totally making more of these. 🙂

It was a very straightforward make. There’s quite a few pieces though and the kind-of princess seams along the front that create the pocket lining was a little mind-bending to put together but I made it. 🙂 All my seams are finished on my overlocker. Although I didn’t take a photo, the buttons on the back are a bright red. Lovely. I did originally sew the neck facing down by stitching in the ditch around the neck piece but it wasn’t aligned correctly so there were a couple of puckers along the neck so I unpicked and then just tacked at either side of the back opening, the shoulder seams and the front just to keep it in place. Worked like a charm. 🙂

And my very favourite thing about this make? THE POCKETS!!!

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FO: Anita Ponti Pants

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So  I have two finished objects this week, both from the same pattern! The Anita Ponti Pant pattern by Tessuti Fabrics.

My sister and I were discussing while out shopping recently a pair of slim leg ponti pants she was wearing and how much she loved them. I also liked them very much! 🙂 She was telling me they’re so comfy but also stylish and can be dressed up or down depending on the circumstances. I thought to myself I gotta have me some of those, I wonder if they’re like those ones I saw on that blog?

And they were! I came across this pattern while reading about Rachel of Boo Dogg and Me’s Bleach Boys pair. They looked so lovely and by Rachel’s own admission comfy and cosy and as I’ve moved away from flared pants to more slim-line style, I really liked them for that too. I also have a new-found love of Ponti so these were perfect! I knew they were very similar to the ones my sister was wearing and only for $10 for a downloadable pattern – winning!!!

I recently put in an order on Fabric.com for some fabrics for making products for my store and as I was already there, picked up some fairly cheap as chips ponti (or ponte as they call it) for a couple pairs of pants. The only ponti I’ve purchased in Adelaide was in the vicinity of $18.99 full price (although I paid only $8; again: winning!) so at US$9.98/yard each of these pairs of pants cost probably <$20 so I'm chuffed with that. I purchased 1.5 yrds each of the Blue/Black Leopard print ponte de roma (I’m wearing these today! 😉 ) and Geometric in Putty/Black ponte de roma.

Also, I’d like to just stop for a moment and give kudos to Fabric.com; I was so impressed with their service. Postage from the US was only ~$25 and I received my parcel about 3 days after it was shipped. Gotta love that! 🙂 They have tons of great percentage off offers too and a daily deal so definitely check them out. And no, I’m not being paid to say that! I just think it’s so hard to get a decent selection of fabric types and designs at good prices in Oz so when you find a place (albeit not in Australia) where you can get a good deal with good service and quick postage, you spread it around! 😉

 

IMG_2087I diverged from the prescribed construction method after reading some other blogs about these pants. Other people had simply put them together on their overlockers so that’s what I did. It really cut down on construction time by sewing and finishing in one go. I decreased my stitch length a little though, bringing it down to ~2-2.5mm so it was more inline with what I would use on my sewing machine.

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Outside leg seams done.

I did originally try my machine but for some reason the stretch straight stitch wasn’t sewing properly. It was leaving all these loops on the bobbin side. I guess it might be something to do with tension but I couldn’t remedy it and along with the added ease of overlocking the decision to just overlock was the winner.

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Nearly have some pants!!!

Everything in the construction of these pants was quick and easy until I got to the twin needle part. Oh. My. Gosh. I hate twin needles!!! I spent the better part of an hour working out the best settings on my machine thanks to some awesome tutorials on the web. I’ve discovered I need to make a lot of changes to the settings on my machine to make the twin needle work. I had to change tension, needle position, threading of the needles… I was nearly pulling my hair out over this!!! And then when I thought I had it, the thread would snap and I’d have to re-thread, unpick and try again. BUT, all that being said, I did figure it out and got a half decent result on my waist of one pair (I stretch stitched the other) and the four hems. See proof below:

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A little dark I know, but you can definitely see it. Right? 😉

The only fit changes I would make would be to deepen the crotch a little, and lengthen the legs by about 2 inches or so. I have only short legs and thought I’d be okay but when I tried on the first pair, after I’d hemmed them by the prescribed 3cm (after trying on and deciding the 3cm would be fine *eye roll*) they were about an inch too short. Perfect cropped pant length but not what I was after. I couldn’t be bothered unpicking and resewing (after all the problems with the twin needle!) so I’ve just left them as they are. They’re fine for at home with ugg boots or going out in the slightly warmer weather with some ballet flats. The second pair (leopard) I hemmed at 1.5cm and they are pretty much perfect, although another half an inch wouldn’t have gone astray. I wore them today with my ankle boots and they’re just long enough to overlap the boots and look fine. In fact, I very much enjoyed wearing them today for a trip down to Victor for lunch with Mr. MyMuddlings. 🙂

 

FO: Colette Ginger Skirt

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Let me start off by saying: “I LOVE THIS SKIRT!!!” 😀 I didn’t pick the right fabric but I love it anyway.IMG_0337

Before I start the description part, a pat on the back for me. I actually used the tripod to take pictures on the DSLR!!! 🙂 Go me! I’m not so great at the posing part (gonna do a thorough Google on poses for the larger lady) and I haven’t got any makeup on today and I’ve been wearing the skirt all day and it’s all creased but thems the breaks. The pics are better than iPhone selfies in a mirror! 😉 (Like a five-year-old “and… and… and…”) 😉

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This is the Colette Ginger skirt. I love Colette Patterns and want to make ALL their things. 🙂

Now I adore this fabric. The retro feel is awesome. It’s a Montreal Drill from Spotlight which I picked up at 50% off the discontinued price. I got like 4 metres for $12. Bargain! I also have quite a bit left but as it’s drill, I can only really make skirts or pants out of it… Maybe I’ll make another skirt with a one piece front/back and a side zip. Any other suggestions for a drill material?

I’m sure everyone’s said it before but I’ll say it again, this skirt was a cinch to put together. With four panels and a waist band, it couldn’t be easier! 🙂 I cut a straight size 18 with no adjustments. I used view 3’s waistband as I didn’t like my chances at stopping the shaped ones from getting all bunched and ruining the look. Turns out I was right! 😉

I overlocked my seam allowances but I did them separately and open. Not sure if this is a legitimate way of finishing the seams or if you’re supposed to overlock them together and press to one side? My overlocker was playing silly buggers and I couldn’t get my tensions right. After it being perfect on my last few knit items it was very frustrating. I changed the thread to black and couldn’t get the tension back in. I finally got the front side looking nice but the back was weird loose loops… I’ll have to keep fiddling. Anyone have a failsafe method of adjusting an overlocker?

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I used a ‘contrast’ (can it be called that as it’s also in blues?) fabric for the waistband facing. This was also a discontinued fabric at Spotlight at 50% off. $2.50 a metre, oh yeah! More retro fabric! 🙂 Again, sorry for the creases. I put the thickest  interfacing I have in that waistband and it’s still all creased. I think the next one I make I’ll reduce the waistband to half  the depth. I stitched the waistband down using the ‘stitch in the ditch’ method so you can’t even see the stitches on the right side. The line isn’t that straight from the inside but that’s okay. Only you and me are gonna see that! 😉

By the way the colour of the skirt is most like the above and below pics, in case you were wondering. 🙂

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I don’t have an invisible zipper foot so I’ve just used a standard zipper (I trust them more anyway, never had an invisible zipper on any clothing that hasn’t broken!). I’m not sure what you call my method of installing a zip but I just basted the pieces together above the circle then sewed in the zip and unpicked the basting. Is this a lapped zipper? Or is that when the zip only has one side of fabric over it? This one is centred. Dunno, doesn’t matter. 😉 Unfortunately while installing the zip I oversewed the bottom (not sure how) and as I was a bit frustrated with the make (because of other things, not the pattern!) so I’ve just left it there. You can’t see it on the dark blue side so I’m not really worried. I was a bit disappointed by the positioning of the circles anyway so I can’t say this skirt is perfect. On that topic for a moment, I did try to match the circles at the middle front and back seams but the placement was fairly random and I just couldn’t manage it. I got frustrated and in the end decided to “Embrace the Randomness” (a line that has stuck with me, thanks Karen!).

Here’s how I styled it today, a bit frumpy but IT’S SO COLD today!!! 😉

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And by the way, I’m not trying to be too cool for school with my glasses, I have Transitions lenses and they transitioned in the afternoon light. 🙂 Also in reality my top is a bit more blue than the purple that it’s coming up as.

So that’s my Colette Ginger. On my sewing table now I have my cut out pieces for a Simplicity Lisette Portfolio dress. Hopefully will start the sewing part soon. If I can put the knitting down that is!!! 🙂

Overlocking!!!

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I got my overlocker today!!! Eeeeeee!!! Here she is in all her (albeit dusty) glory!

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It’s a Janome EzyLock 304D. Not sure how old it is. I saw 20 years old mentioned on a forum in relation to this model.

I’ve managed to get her threaded up and running and done a few test goes on some scraps of an old pair of leggings. 🙂

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I got her for just under $100 on eBay so I’m pretty pleased with that. I read in some forums that these older models (particularly this model in one post) are better than some of the new ones so if you can get them cheap to grab one.

I’m hoping to make the Vogue V1179 perhaps this weekend. Just need some red thread & clear elastic.

Oooo so excited!!! Now I can sew ALL the knits! There’s definitely some Sewaholic Renfrews in my near future!!! 🙂

So slack…

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I’m so sorry! I haven’t had any photos so I haven’t done any posts… 😦

I believe I am now three (maybe four?) articles behind in my posting. I really need a tripod so I can take my own piccies instead of having to harrass the hubby. 😉 I’ve been happily wearing my beauties and have had lots of nice comments on them. People know that I’m sewing now and are beginning to ask if I’ve made my clothes when they see me in something new. 🙂

I’ve recently finished a Tilly and the Buttons Miette wrap skirt. I made it with some customisation that I saw Lauren from Guthrie & Ghani do on her Miette skirt. When I finally post about the skirt I’ll link through to the tutorial on her website. 🙂

At the moment the garment making is on hold. Partly because I’m making mother’s day pressies for three mums and also because I made the (maybe foolish?) decision to teach myself how to knit last weekend. I think I need to re-write my subtitle on the blog. 😉

I’m looking into getting a second-hand overlocker so I can give that a crack. I’m not overly happy with my inside finishing and I think that may help. As well as being good for sewing knits which I really want to get into. I want to sew myself a Vogue V1179 (Donna Karan, if you don’t mind!) for layering in winter. I have some lovely combed cotton jersey in a bright red already destined for this pattern. 🙂

So goals for the upcoming week:

  1. Finish the mother’s day presents.
  2. Keep an eye on my overlocker auction.
  3. TAKE PHOTOS & BLOG!!!

Wish me luck! 😉