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Last week hand sewed a floral pillowcase and one Xmas cocktail napkin. I go very slow due to allover OA. Yesterday started an Xmas wreath hand sewn from Xmas quilt cotton fabric but pulling the circle tight lacking in hand/wrist strength ....
Right now I'm decorating a pair of inexpensive swim suit separates. You can get mismatched pieces on sale online frequently.
The top is black and the skirt is a side slit magenta one.
I ordered a black and gold neckline applique for the neckline of the top and some cat's-eye magenta "pearl" beads to decorate it with.
When I am finished I hope to have a unique suit to wear on the beach for half the price.
I'll be wearing it in a couple of weeks and if I remember I'll come back and show a picture of the finished project.
Just wanted to add that when I was in high school I hated, really hated, the home-ec sewing class. I don't get along with machines very well and my unit project was so poorly done that my mother had to have it remade before I could wear it.
I thought that was the end of me and sewing machines. But we were poor as church mice when we married and our fifth Christmas my DH bought me a sewing machine for a gift. I didn't say a word how I felt about that but I was not happy.
We had a baby girl, though, and I began to reteach myself on small projects for her. Eventually I was staying home taking care of two children and sewing for other people to earn a little money. Word spread and with all that business, while I didn't make much money compared to the hours spent, I was getting a lot of practice working on all kinds of materials and patterns. And I could be with my children. Although trying to sew with two toddlers around is another story altogether.
Soon I was making nearly all of our family's clothing. After a period around middle school when the kids were ashamed to be wearing homemade clothing later in high school I was designing custom made "cool" clothes for them and soon was sewing for all their friends.
Now I do some volunteer work for nursing homes and mostly "dress up" premade items or do little home decorating projects just for my amusement.
And after that decades-long history I just wanted to say what a gift it has been to learn how to sew. i wonder how many long hours I've spent anticipating the final results and feeling occupied, constructive and useful because of that unwanted sewing machine. (I'm on my third one now.)
Funny how things turn out sometimes way different than we expect. I am sure my sister seamstresses from the past and all around the world must feel the same satisfaction and it gives me a sense of connectedness with history and all who love the fabric arts.
Right now I'm decorating a pair of inexpensive swim suit separates. You can get mismatched pieces on sale online frequently.
The top is black and the skirt is a side slit magenta one.
I ordered a black and gold neckline applique for the neckline of the top and some cat's-eye magenta "pearl" beads to decorate it with.
When I am finished I hope to have a unique suit to wear on the beach for half the price.
I'll be wearing it in a couple of weeks and if I remember I'll come back and show a picture of the finished project.
Just wanted to add that when I was in high school I hated, really hated, the home-ec sewing class. I don't get along with machines very well and my unit project was so poorly done that my mother had to have it remade before I could wear it.
I thought that was the end of me and sewing machines. But we were poor as church mice when we married and our fifth Christmas my DH bought me a sewing machine for a gift. I didn't say a word how I felt about that but I was not happy.
We had a baby girl, though, and I began to reteach myself on small projects for her. Eventually I was staying home taking care of two children and sewing for other people to earn a little money. Word spread and with all that business, while I didn't make much money compared to the hours spent, I was getting a lot of practice working on all kinds of materials and patterns. And I could be with my children. Although trying to sew with two toddlers around is another story altogether.
Soon I was making nearly all of our family's clothing. After a period around middle school when the kids were ashamed to be wearing homemade clothing later in high school I was designing custom made "cool" clothes for them and soon was sewing for all their friends.
Now I do some volunteer work for nursing homes and mostly "dress up" premade items or do little home decorating projects just for my amusement.
And after that decades-long history I just wanted to say what a gift it has been to learn how to sew. i wonder how many long hours I've spent anticipating the final results and feeling occupied, constructive and useful because of that unwanted sewing machine. (I'm on my third one now.)
Funny how things turn out sometimes way different than we expect. I am sure my sister seamstresses from the past and all around the world must feel the same satisfaction and it gives me a sense of connectedness with history and all who love the fabric arts.
That is a lovely post and I envy you all those years of sewing. No one in my family sewed or taught me, but I picked it up over the years and felt that same sense of connectedness to all the women who sewed through all the centuries. I was never near your skill level but would still love to be able to achieve it. I hope at some point you told your husband what a gift that was.
Thanks for the link Nerys52. Great heads up. Lots of holiday choices. I've never seen that site before.
During the year I picked up a few 2.5" & 5" squares but the holiday are speeding toward us faster than I can sew.
I have repeatedly told myself to sew all year long to make it there on time. But do I listen to myself? NooOooOoo.
In discovering "Fancy Zips" which are sewn on the TOPSIDE of the fabric (for those like myself who are zipper challenged) http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr1vz6zLQKM
Today I'll be trying them for the first time to mke zippered pouched to slip a few items into and be able to get them out into the mail for the holidays. Has anybody tried them?
Thx for sharing your personal journey with sewing, Lodestar. It's a life skill that I'm grateful to have learned at an early age. My Home Ec teacher was terrific and my first sewing class started in the sixth grade. She had a lot of confidence in us since our year end project was a blazer with interfacing in the lapels, buttonholes and pockets! We were just 11 and 12 years old. I wore mine until I out grew it but I kept it for many years afterwards because I was really proud of what I had learned.
I live in Florida and wear a lot of easy flowing casual dresses - most are cotton, but some are knits. I love having pockets in my dresses but I have a few that are pocketless. My sewing skills are in the "intermediate" range and I'm not sure if I can tackle the job of adding pockets on the side seams and have the finish product look "seamless" Has anyone done this? Any advice?
I live in Florida and wear a lot of easy flowing casual dresses - most are cotton, but some are knits. I love having pockets in my dresses but I have a few that are pocketless. My sewing skills are in the "intermediate" range and I'm not sure if I can tackle the job of adding pockets on the side seams and have the finish product look "seamless" Has anyone done this? Any advice?
It's doable.
Figure out where you want the pocket (measure a dress with pockets) and mark the dress seams.
Find or make a pocket pattern, and cut out two pieces for each pocket.
Open the seam several inches bigger than the pocket seam
Stitch each pocket piece to one side of the opening.
Making sure the seam lines up like before, pin and stitch the side seam and pocket sides together.
Realize you made a mistake, and rip it all out...
It's doable.
Figure out where you want the pocket (measure a dress with pockets) and mark the dress seams.
Find or make a pocket pattern, and cut out two pieces for each pocket.
Open the seam several inches bigger than the pocket seam
Stitch each pocket piece to one side of the opening.
Making sure the seam lines up like before, pin and stitch the side seam and pocket sides together.
Realize you made a mistake, and rip it all out...
I can do this. Thanks for spelling it out step by step.
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" Has anyone done this? Any advice?
