Sewing with oilcloth

When my mum first asked me if I would make her a bag from oilcloth, I was a little bit dubious. Having never sewn anything with oilcloth before, I wasn't sure how to go about it. I had read that I might need a special foot, tissue paper, and all sorts of other complicated bits and bobs. However, in the end it turns out oilcloth is not really that scary. Fiddly yes, but scary no. 

A bit of research lead me to Norfolk Textiles, who have a huge range of oilcloth in many many different patterns. I wasn't sure what to expect but I took advantage of the free swatches they offer to order some samples and let my mum pick her favourite. She also chose a simple canvas tote bag pattern from Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts (it's the bag on the front of cover in fact) as a basis for the bag. I ended up making a few adjustments, including chopping about three inches off the top and attaching the straps to the inside of the bag rather than the outside.

Since this was my first time sewing oilcloth, I had a bit of a practice run on a small strip of oilcloth first until I was happy with how the material was moving through the machine.

So how was sewing oilcloth any different to sewing with other fabrics? Here are a few pointers:

 

• I covered my standard sewing machine foot with masking tape to stop it sticking. I tried attaching masking tape to the feeder plate too but that really didn't work (note to self, if you cover up the teeth that feed the fabric through the machine, it won't move through properly. Duh)
• I used a denim needle
• I found it helpful to pull the cloth through the machine slightly to make sure it fed through smoothly

Other than that, it was pretty much business as usual.

 

To make the straps, I folded the oilcloth and sewed down the raw edge. The great thing about oilcloth is that it does not fray, which means there is no need to finish the seams. It is not advisable to use pins with oilcloth because they leave a mark, so instead I marked the position of the straps with a felt tip pen and placed the straps in position when I sewed the top of the bag down. I then sewed around the straps in a box shape to add a bit of strength.  

 

Sewing this bag was a bit of a learning curve but I'm pleased with how it turned out - and hopefully my mum will be too! The whole bag was made from half a metre of oilcloth, which makes it a pretty cheap make. I also bought another half metre in a different pattern for myself, so there may well be some more oilcloth sewing happening in the future. 

 

 

 

In other news, we signed the contracts for our new house yesterday and hope to move in during the second week of October. Not long to go! I'm very excited about the move but not so excited about the packing - eep! We really need to get cracking. However today I took a little break from packing to head to Birmingham for the day. I was on a very strict budget due to the house move (plus new purchases equals more to move!) and I think I was quite restrained. I limited myself to two lengths of fabric from the wonderful Barry's - predictably some owl fabric perfect for pyjamas, as well as some dinosaur fabric which is destined to be pyjamas for the boy, who has been requesting dinosaur pyjamas for quite some time. This fabric was perfect so I had to snap it up!

 

 

 

What's on your sewing table at the moment? Have you ever sewn with oilcloth and do you have any top tips?

 

 

K xx

Things making me smile this week...

I wanted to share a few things that have been making me smile this week...

The weather has become distinctly autumnal this week. Everyone around me is mourning the loss of summer but me? I don't mind at all. I may be the only one, but I've been rather looking forward to it! I think autumn is my favourite season. I love snuggling up with a good hot chocolate, wearing cardigans and walking amongst the colourful leaves while it is cool but not too cool. This week I wore my minoru jacket for the first time in a good few months. When I put it on I noticed that my brooch from the Birmingham meet-up was still attached - that must have been the last time I wore this jacket. It made me smile remembering how awesome that meet-up was and how great it was to spend time with so many lovely ladies. I've kept the brooch on the jacket - I think it goes quite well and when I put it on it never fails to make me smile. 

My Corinne cardigan is coming together rather well - it's even starting to look like a cardigan. The way this is knitted is really interesting - the cast on edge is down the front of the cardigan (on the left in the picture) and knitted vertically across. The shaping is achieved by knitting short rows. To make the sleeves, you hold the first set of stiches on a stitch holder, cast on more to make the sleeve and continue knitting round. You then cast off the new stitches and pick up from the side to continue round the back. This makes a lot more sense when you do it - trust me! This would be a great beginners project as there is no complex shaping required, and the whole thing is done in garter stitch. Such a simple knit, but I think the finished article is going to be a really snuggly cardigan with three-quarter sleeves - perfect for autumn (I best get knitting!). The only downside is that it is now too big for me to take on the train so it's been relegated to a "home knitting" project - meaning it gets less attention!

And finally...

Paul Hollywood's White Chocolate and Raspberry sourdough. I've made a few standard sourdough's recently but this is my first attempt at branching out a bit. Admittedly, this is a bit soggier that Paul's version but it is TASTY. Yum yum yum. 

The other thing making me happy this week I'm not able to illustrate photographically - things are moving really well with our house, and we hope to sign the contracts in the next week or so. Eeep! I'm already looking forward to my brand new sewing room - but slightly dreading the process of packing the whole house up...gulp...

What's been making you happy this week? Share the happiness :)

K xx

A very snuggly bunny

I think I've mentioned Craft Days before on this blog, a wonderful craft shop in my home town of Saffron Walden. It's probably a good job that this shop was not open when I was growing up, because I think a large amount of my pocket money would have been splurged there! It's great to see this shop is flourishing in my little home town when so many shops around the country are closing - a true sign of the growing popularity of crafts in general - and it has even expanded relatively recently. They sell a variety of yarns, fabrics, beads and general haberdashary, and also run a wide range of classes. Last time I was there I picked up some Fur wool from the range by Erika Knight (anyone who, like me, is an advocate of British yarn, check her out!) with the intention of knitting a gift for a small person using a pattern also from Craft Days. Now that the said small person has made his entrance into the world (and taken receipt of his gift) I can now share with you this very snuggly bunny rabbit.

 

 

I tell you, the small person was lucky to get this bunny, he is so snuggly I was very tempted to keep him for myself! Knitting with fur wool takes a little bit of getting used to as it can be a bit fiddly, but it knits up SO quickly. I think all the main peices for the bunny were complete in a couple of evenings and then the making up took a few more evenings. So all in all a speedy make. The yarn is a little bit pricy (at least for someone who until recently was quite happy with acrylic!) but definately worth it. The best thing about this yarn is that it is very forgiving - you can sew everything up on the right side, even using a different yarn if you so desire, and the stitches disappear out of sight. Magic.

I'm really pleased with the way this bunny turned out, and I forsee more on the horizon. I enjoy knitting baby toys and garments (I'm not going to lie, this is partly because they knit up quickly and I am impatient so this suits me!) and I have several friends who have recently announced pregnancies so there will be a whole heap of baby knitting happening over the next few months. I tend to stick to the same few patterns for baby knits and recently I have tended towards toys rather than clothes, as I worry clothes are outgrown quickly.

What are your favourite things to make for small people - knitted or sewn?

Or maybe you are a mum (or dad!) yourself - what were the most useful or most loved handmade baby gifts you recieved for your little ones? I would love to know!

K xx

A crafty catch-up

Well, hello there! Anyone still there? It's been quite some time since my last blog post, but for once this isn't actually due to a lack of crafty happenings in these parts. I've had lots to blog about - the Goldhawk Road blogger meet-up, a finished Kelly skirt (blog post coming soon) and a whole host of selfless makes including a couple of pairs of socks (Roobeedoo warned me that knitting socks is addictive and she's not wrong!) and a rabbit for a small person. I am also the luck recipient of the Super Sweet Blogging Award from the very kind Rachel at A Study in Stitching - again blog post coming soon, I promise!

There's been lots of non-crafty happenings too - the boy and I have had an offer accepted on a house (squee!) which is incredibly exciting and a little bit scary and grown up. I really love the house, the two features that sold it to us (quite literally) are the large kitchen with space for a big dining table and the open fields at the front. It's three bedroom (which allows a study for the boy and a sewing room for me!) and has a lot of character. It's in a lovely village which is halfway between where I and the boy work and near to Derby but not too far away from where we live now so I can still pop back. I'm now very impatient to move already, but it turns out that buying a house is a very long (and expensive!) process involving lots of different people doing lots of very slow things. We're going back to the house tomorrow with a tape measure so we can work out where our furniture will go and if we need to find anything new to fit the space. I'm trying very hard not to get too excited, as things could still fall through, but I have everything crossed. If all goes well we could be moving in a few months time. The thought of actually packing everything up fills me with dread, but I'm sure it will be worth it....

So the process of sorting everything out with buying the house is taking up a surprisingly large amount of time, add to the fact that we are trying to de-clutter too before the move and it's been a busy few weeks! There has been plenty of crafting being planned behind the scenes and taking place on my daily commute though. Those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook may have seen a sneak peak of my latest knitted make...it's growing by the day and here is the latest picture...can you guess what it is yet? (Note: it's a lot less purple and a lot more red that it appears below, but I had trouble taking a picture that accurately reflected the colour properly).

Like others in the UK I am looking forward to a long weekend of de-cluttering, relaxing and hopefully some sewing thrown in as well. What crafty plans do you have for the weekend? Whether it's two days or three, I hope it's a good one :)

K xx

Have you ever been attacked by your stash?

 

*Disclaimer: This is not my actual fabric stash but a handy representation!*

This morning I had grand plans for an afternoon of sewing, starting off with PJ shorts (much needed in this hot weather) and then cutting out for my Kelly skirt. I couldn't quite face my Victoria blazer with the heat we have had recently, but rest assured this is next on my list. I was all ready to go and was just storing away my Victoria blazer fabric on the shelf where my boxes of fabric live....when out of nowhere disaster struck and the whole shelf came crashing down, boxes of fabric narrowly missing me and my precious overlocker (luckily we were both fine). I was literally being attacked by my stash. The result was fabric strewn all over the floor while I stood there trying to hold the rest of the boxes in place until the boy came to rescue me.

The piece of fabric I had been trying to put on the shelf was by no means heavy on its own, but it must have been the straw that broke the camel's (or rather, the shelf's) back. The boy gave me a stern talking to about overloading the shelves - apparently they can only hold 15kg in weight. I would have protested that there is no way my stash comes anywhere near that, but comparing lifting even one of the four boxes to weights at the gym, I have a horrible feeling that it weighs considerably more. Opps. So rather than spending the afternoon sewing, I spent it clearing space to store my fabric as I am now one shelf down. The screws were pulled out of the wall by the weight of the shelf and the boy thinks it's unlikely that the shelf will be able to go up again in the same place, so for now I am forced to find space elsewhere. Oh dear. I can't believe that my stash has got to the stage where it is tearing apart my sewing room - not good, not good at all. I was already on a fabric diet but this has made things even worse - I think I need to join stashaholics anonymous stat!

Have you ever been forced to confront a problem in this way? Have you ever been physically attacked by fabric?! And any storage solutions other than shelves suitable for a small space would be most welcome....

K xx

In praise of pyjamas

 

 

Karen recently posed the question of whether people have "home clothes". Mine have got to be pyjamas - or more specifically, pyjama bottoms. Snuggly in winter with thick socks and a dressing gown, and if made into shorts or with a light fabric they can be surprisingly cool in the summer paired with a vest top. I've always been a big fan of pyjamas. Back when I was a student, I would spend large portions of the day, especially at the weekend, in my PJs. Sadly I can't really get away with that anymore, but I still frequently change into them as soon as I get home - they are the most comfortable item of clothing known to man (I challenge you to find anything as comfortable - except perhaps a onsie, I would imagine, but definitely more acceptable!).

 

I have now made three pairs of pyjamas using the Simplicity 2116 pattern and I love them. I swear I am never buying RTW PJs again and am already planning some shorts versions for me and Mr KK. I like my pyjamas long, and being tall, this was pretty much impossible to find. Now I just whack and extra 2" onto the pattern pieces - simples! The only other change I made was to lop about 2" off the top of the PJs before sewing the waistband - I guess I like mine to sit a little lower than intended.

 

 

 



 

 

 

This pattern is really quick to whip up, and that's even taking into account that I have used french seams for all three versions - I just love how neat and strong this makes them. Even since I acquired my overlocker, I still can't resist a french seam. The only exception was the hems, which i overlocked and then folded and stitched once.

 

Another advantage to making your own pyjamas is that there are so many awesome prints out there - you can choose some really quirky fabrics. My local market is full of amazing options. The first pair I made out of safari print cotton which I think was quilting weight so it wasn't particularly drapey. It worked just fine but the next two pairs I have made with much lighter cotton and this works really well (not to mention it feels lovely against your skin). 

 

 

This is my most recent pair, made just in time for Karen's Pyjama Party (part 2). I made these with a lovely soft cotton purchased at the recent Birmingham meet-up. I made a slightly late-in-the-day attempt to match the plaid, just to see if I could. You can see in the photo below that I managed it ok at the front of the crotch (left hand side) but not so well along the bum. Oh well - it's not like I was really trying or anything...!

Apologies for the creasing - they had just been washed!

Do you love to make pyjamas? Or are there other garments that you have sworn never to buy RTW again after discovering how great it is to be able to make your own with the correct length/fabric/fit you desire?

K xx

What was your very first make?

At the Birmingham blogger meet-up a few weeks ago, a few of us got talking about the first item of clothing that we every made. Mine was my crescent skirt.

I love this skirt and I still wear it all the time. I followed Tasia's sewalong to make this skirt, which was extremely helpful for me as a total beginner because she went through the whole process step by step complete with handy photos. I don't think I would have ended up with a skirt anywhere near as wearable as this if I had gone through the process alone.

However, looking back, there are a few things that I would do differently now. For example, I was completely clueless when it can to bias binding - I didn't really know what I was doing and so before binding the hems with it, I cut it in half! At the time I was really pleased with my neat and tidy bound hems, but after going through the washing machine many many times, this has resulted in a whole lot of fraying. At some point soon I will have to redo this properly. I don't tend to use bias binding for the lining hem these days - I fold the hem over twice and stitch instead. Also my zip insertion and stitching in the ditch are both a bit of a mess - but hey, nobody looks that closely right?! I'm a bit of a perfectionist but even I realise that these are only small points and I am still really proud of my skirt. Looking back at the first few items of clothing that I made makes me realise how much I have learnt over the two years I have been sewing - and am still learning. Each item that I have made acts in some way like a marker of my progress, and teaches me new things for the next one.  

So what I want to know is - what was your first ever make? Was it a simple project or did you dive in at the deep end with a challenge? Was it a success...and if so do you still wear it?

K xx