Yeah. So I spent the whole day doing embroidery…
Category: Crafts
Craft projects of mine
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Paper Dolls
I should properly document this one, huh? The pattern is Kate Davies’s Paper Dolls, which is a short-sleeved pullover with a fairisle yoke. Since I can’t do anything simply, I decided to convert it to a cardigan. I bought the main wool (green Rowan Felted Tweed) nearly three years ago at the Wool Inn in Penrith. The brown and cream contrast colours are Grignasco Tango from Fiona. I went up a size or two to get some ease through the body. I still knitted it in the round, adding a 6-stitch steek up the middle (and making that the start of all rounds). For the sleeves, I simply made up the increases making sure I finished on the right number of stitches for the yoke pattern repeat. When it was done, I did a crochet steek with hand-stitching for extra reinforcement. Then I cut it open. I had originally intended to put a button band on it, but once I tried it on I realised it wanted to be a jacket with a zip. So that’s what I did! I did an i-cord edging along the fronts and then hand-sewed in a zipper. I love it! (More photos over on Ravelry.) -
Cathedral Flora Quilt Blocks
Cathedral Flora Quilt Blocks
These were the May block for my MetaQuilter quilting group. The designer Melissa chose some great fabrics, and she pointed us to a detailed tutorial explaining exactly how to put them together. I had admired cathedral window quilt blocks in the past but figured they were probably really difficult. Turns out that bias is magic, baby! I LOVED doing these! I used my trusty Uhu glue stick to aid in the initial triangle placement, and after that everything came together perfectly. My patchwork skills are improving nicely and I’m finding it much easier to get my seams to line up.
I’m now 5-for-5 on my MetaQuilter blocks! I have to say though, I was disappointed when the organiser sent out an email offering amnesty to the apparently several people who haven’t been sending their blocks back. That sucks. I understand that life happens, but why would you sign up for a group that involves people paying money to send you lots of fabric and then not follow through? Gah. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing falls apart before we get to my month (which is scheduled to be December)…
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Tova Top
Another completed sewing project! Tova Top in vintage cotton. Not sure it’s me…Commenter Mel recently recommended I check out the Tova Top/Dress pattern. It’s a downloadable PDF, so on a whim I bought it. As soon as I did I started to second guess it. It’s really much more of Fiona’s style than my own. But what the heck – I should branch out, right? Last weekend I convinced the Snook to go on a bike ride with me to the Sydney Fabric-a-brac for some fabric stash acquisition. I was looking for something interesting to make the Tova, and I settled on this blue vintage cotton. I got 1.7m for $7, which was just enough to make the shirt. The project was very quick to put together, starting Saturday night and finishing Sunday morning.
It was interesting to sew from a non-Colette pattern, since that’s what I’ve been using so much lately. The markings were different and I kept forgetting/missing them. The instructions are relatively easy to follow though. I had been worried about setting in the sleeves, but I breezed through that. The hardest part was actually attaching the front inset pieces, which require you to pin and sew on three 90-degree sides of a square (with the bottom also involving gathers). Yeah, I swore a bit through that part. But overall in terms of technical skill, I feel like I’m coming along leaps and bounds. This is definitely the best constructed garment I’ve made yet.
That said, I knew when I tried it on halfway through that there were going to be sizing issues. I made the largest size – which is a 14 – but I think it’s definitely intended for a more slender, boyish figure. It’s quite tight around my hips, which made me glad I didn’t go straight to the dress. (If I do that, I’ll definitely be adding in some width there.) I could also use some more width across the shoulders. I feel like if I crossed my arms tightly, I could pop a seam! And along with that, maybe a bit more depth in the armhole.
So not a total win, but definitely a wearable muslin. It’s totally in the “post-modern Laura Ingalls meets Japanese minimalism” vibe that I was going for. (Whether I can work that into my wardrobe is another question.) And I’ve got some good solid pointers for how to adjust the size on my next one. On to the next challenge!
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Meringue Skirt
Squinting on a cloudy day in my new Meringue skirt!So this is my Meringue Skirt! This was a very quick and (relatively) easy project. The fabric is ANNBETH from IKEA, and it’s a nice sturdy cotton. Despite my continued lack of an invisible zipper foot, I think this is my best zipper yet. (Of course, it took me like three tries because I kept sewing it on the wrong side of the garment.) The instructions for sandwiching the zipper in between the waist facing were brilliant. I mean, I had no idea what I was doing at the time, but I followed the instructions religiously and trusted that when it came time to flip it right-side out, it would work — and it did! The scallops around the bottom are the defining feature, of course, and they’re trickier than they look. I’m not 100% happy with how the hem facing sits, but I did my best and I know what to do better next time. The only real problem with the skirt is that it’s TOO BIG! Once again I sewed a size 16 out of fear I wouldn’t fit the 14, and now I’m swimming in it. So I’m going to have to figure out how to take it in a little bit. But overall, I feel like this is my best executed project yet!
I posted a sneak peek on Facebook a week ago and my high school geography teacher commented that it looked like an AWNING. So now that’s all I can see when I look at it. IT’S AN AWNING. THANKS, MR. SCHMIDT.
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Modified Log Cabin Quilt Blocks
Modified Log Cabin Quilt Blocks
I just realised that I forgot to blog the April MetaQuilter quilt blocks! I finished these really early in the month and posted them off to Melissa, the designer for the month. They were a simple modified log cabin. Well, I say “simple,” but it’s just not patchwork if I don’t cut something the wrong size and swear repeatedly. But I managed to get them right in the end. 🙂
Melissa said to feel free to put in any scraps we had that were LOUD. So the piece with the crazy fruit on it is actually mine!
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I finished my dress! Very, very pleased with it.Edited to add: Yes, I finally graduated from shirts to a whole dress! This is the Colette Parfait. I didn’t want to spend too much money in case it came out badly, so I went with a cheap cotton poplin from Lincraft. I didn’t expect to get something so wearable out of it! In terms of sizing, I went with a 16 to make sure it would fit. Yowza, it was quite big around the bust. I ended up taking about an inch from under each arm tapered down to the waist, so I definitely think I’ll make the 14 next time. I didn’t do too badly with the zipper, especially considering I don’t actually have an invisible zipper foot. (I used this tutorial.) I also got to use my sewing machine’s automatic buttonhole function for the first time ever! This project was a big win. I learned heaps, and I got a wearable and CUTE dress out of it.
Hmmm… what should I make next?
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I sewed myself a new shirt today! #craftyEdited to add: This is the Colette Sorbetto, a free PDF pattern. I modified it by leaving off the front pleat and adding some sleeves. The fabric is a Liberty Tana Lawn I bought last year. I’m still learning, so simple tops like this give me plenty of practice. I think this one will get some wear!
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Earn Your Stripes Quilt Blocks
Earn Your Stripes Quilt Blocks
Quilting took a back seat for a few weeks as I frantically finished all my Easter Show projects. Finally today I got a chance to put together the March MetaQuilter blocks. Amelia was the designer this month, and her quilt is the Earn Your Stripes quilt from Block Party: The Modern Quilting Bee. These were fairly free form, and I had fun playing with the beautiful fabrics she sent. I’ll be posting these off tomorrow…
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Easter Show Knitting
Easter Show Knitting: This year I set a record in finishing THREE projects for the Easter Show knitting competitions. I probably shouldn’t blog about them yet – because, you know, SPIES and whatnot – but I can’t be bothered. I never win anyway, so there’s no point in being coy. As you will see, I stuck to my customary themes of “Giant Cabled Thing,” “Non-Traditional Colours,” and “Toys Based on Australian Children’s Literature.” Oh, and this year I added a new one: “Disturbing Accessories.” I even freaked myself out.
First, the Giant Cabled Thing in Non-Traditional Colours. It’s Cookie A’s Rhiannon Socks knitted in hot pink Wollmeise. Yes, really. Longtime readers will remember that I actually tried to knit these socks four years ago and failed miserably. There are some truly diabolical cable stitches in there (increasing four stitches while cabling at the same time, for example), but this time I cracked it. I knitted them both at the same time on my usual 2.75mm circs. This photo, of course, is from before they were finished. They were blocking for the past few days so I didn’t even have time to get a proper finished photo! Hopefully the Easter Show display monkeys don’t, like, cut holes in them when they display them. (If you want more details, check out the Ravelry page.)
Next is my toy entry. Two years ago I knitted Albert from The Magic Pudding, and this year I decided to knit Sam Sawnoff. Sam, of course, is a penguin and a loyal member of the Noble Society of Pudding Owners. I used the Norman Lindsay watercolour as my model, basing the body off the “Fairy Penguin” pattern in the “Cleckheaton Wildlife in 8ply” book. I actually used two strands of 8ply wool throughout to make him bigger, and I improvised the feet and wings a bit (since the pattern instructions were incomprehensible). His eyes are felt, and his trousers are calico. They turned out a bit more nappy-like than I wanted, but I don’t think it can be helped given the realities of penguin anatomy. Incidentally, I’m pretty sure Norman Lindsay never even saw a real penguin. Sam is WACK. (More details on Ravelry here.)
And now we come to DISTURBING: the Bokaclava. I’m not sure how I came across this free pattern, but somehow a few years ago I agreed to knit one for my colleague Sean. It sat hibernating for a long time til I was inspired to finish it. My goal, of course, was to completely freak out the Show judges. And given how much it freaked ME out every time I tried it on, I think I will succeed. I knitted it out of some random Aran wool that I was gifted, and the thing looks more like something you’d buy in a Newtown fetish shop than something entered in a country show. And really, that’s pretty much what I was going for! BOOYAH. (And the Rav page is here.)And now to wait and see the results of the judging. Any bets?
