Hello all, and welcome to new readers to this blog, this post is a bit rambling as when not at work, I seem to be sewing organising sewing room to accommodate new machines, getting some events arranged for fashion revolution week, crocheting, and bruising my hand while chopping wood (a log ricocheted back! but all better now).

I have been sewing some bits and pieces lately – but don’t seem to be getting my 2 main projects going yet (a purple coat remake, and embroidering a wool skirt). My main diversion is trying to figure a ‘perfect blouse’ and mulling through vintage patterns….. I have this one cut out for a year and have yet to actually sew it!

 

In the midst of this I had an idea to make a denim dress so decided to remake my vogue 6368. This dress was always going to get remade as the denim was far too heavy for the dress, and the cut is so generous, I knew it would get re-purposed easily.

I wanted to try a simple denim dress and came across this simplicity 8055 pattern while randomly looking for perfect blouse patterns on ebay….. since I also seem to have gained some inches (don’t know if this is peri-menopause, chocolate, or bad luck) so I went with the simplicity size, which I really shouldn’t have as I had to take it in A LOT.

I was also not crazy about the pleating on the neckline in the pattern – as they seem to add a bulk that I find fussy and slightly matronly, so I changed these to sewn down tucks. I changed the neckline and cut a long bias strip and used this as a fold over collar with a side open it, and finished the inside with pink bias. I  used a scrap piece of acetate lining strip folded over and sewn to make a bow.

Its proved a very useful make and have worn it loads – I am still deliberating on whether to add pockets…..

I used the rest of the denim to eek out this skirt from Burda.

Again I cut to size and still had to take it in at the waist. I dont know if this was that the paper-bag style is not as flattering on me and bunching up too much fabric just wont work. I have worn it a few times and its fine, I thing ultimately I will wear it more in the summer as it seems to work best when worn with a tucked top.

Other Diversions….. these are sewing machines bought on whims, so I sold one machine to make some room.

Machine 1 – Bernina Minimatic

I had a bernina straight stitch but would have liked a bernina with some versitility so sold that one to buy a Bernina Minimatic on ebay. Its a great machine and I am very happy with it. I had wanted a drop feed and have used the darning feature (and cute hoop) to fix some opaque tights. The biggest bonus of the Bernina was the instructions…. the manual has real fabric sewn samples – its so tactile and really shows how to best use the stitches.

Machine 2 – Singer 201

The second machine I got was a singer 201. It came up for sale at the same time as the Bernina on local adverts page in another county. I don’t usually get machines locally as a lot of times they can have rust as Ireland can be so damp and unused machines can be badly stored). This machine seemed in good condition and I prefer this style of 201 over the ‘classic’. So I asked a friend who lives there to pick it up for me to collect later. The machine is in good condition, but the motor wasn’t. It was repaired and now sews well.

I am very pleased with the stitch of the 201 (I have yet to try the fixed drop feed to try and darn on it). The case it was in is a bit battered and the machine did not sit right in it, so I thought I would look for a small sewing table to make for a better sew. Again, went to the local adverts page and got this table complete with a machine. The seller had reduced it to 45euro. The 201 machine was without a lead. The machine was fairly rough but when I used my lead from the other 201 to see how it ran, but the motor on it is perfect so my idea now is to swop the motors and use it the ‘modern’ 201. I will keep the other and may see on cleaning it up.

Machine 3 – Frister Rossman Cub.

I had been on the look out for a starter machine for a teen (I had been asked to recommend some machines) and I ended up seeing this on ebay… and justified  the purchase with a myriad of nonsense reasons. Its a great little machine and does not appear to have been used, just stored away. The handle of the case is broken, but all the original bits are there including an invisible zip foot (which I dont have) and a needle threader (v fiddly to use), and it sews just fine.

So the next project is definitely to finish the embroidered skirt (as I have finally finished one of the embroidered panels and relieved they line up after 1 full week of stitching).