Making some Sheer Curtains ...

(NOTE: More background info on this set of curtains will be found in the 'Revamp' section if you click here)

This is the IKEA voile bought several years ago & which I started sewing about a month ago. I knew it would come in handy "one day"  & have now found it to be ideal now for use.

This is the shimmer voile bought for the inner 'lining'.

Reversible Kimono ... 2 for price of 1 !

A few months ago (whilst investigating my local shops), I came across some wonderful dyed 100% cotton. Sold as quilting/patchwork fabric, it was very wide & double sided.

One side was random dye blue – pink – purple – grey (below shown main sleeve fabric)

with the reverse side ‘splattered’ with gold metallic dye (below shown main sleeve fabric)

I thought the fabric was ideal for making a simple kimono & initially planned to have the metallic side as the edgings. However whilst cutting it out, the studio lighting (both natural & overhead) on the gold side "altered" the basic colours to shimmer in bronze & pewter as well as making the fabric appear to be lighter & more pink. The fabric was just too nice not to use on both sides and by using French seams, I could make the kimono reversible. Here are the 2 for the price of 1 !!

I've since been back to the shop & bought some more of the fabric - this time in blue-green.

Book cover in the making (perhaps) ...

Another item completed is this Bronwyn Hayes kit (hung on magnetic clips after pressing).

Started when all my things had been packed up earlier in the year, I managed to finish it in odd moments. Being a kit, it was all self-contained & ideal to carry around & not get lost. I rather like the 'verse' & instead of using it as a picture, it's likely I'll adapt it to a book cover (or similar).

Verse:

1. Weed the flower beds
2. Water the vegetables
3. Sow the seeds in a row
4. Trim the lawn
5. Prune the roses
6. When all is done - to sit and sew

Tapestry Frame Bag Update ...

One of the things I first worked on in the new 'workspace' back in the summer, was continuing a piece of machine embroidered tapestry. Started a few years ago as a sample (see archive dated Monday 26 October 2009), it needs finishing & now was an ideal time. It would use up many oddments of thread as well as see how the studio's lighting coped. Many, many broken needles later (plus one machine gear damaged & a repair now being needed), the piece has reached yet another level - again incomplete! The fabric has become very stiff with all its fabric layers & machine embroidery - this obviously being the cause of the above breakages! The machine embroidery has added great texture & depth to the piece as well as making it almost like a carpet! It's also inspired other uses for its ultimate use.

In order to try & overcome the issue of the needle breakages, I  delved into my workbox 'archives' to try some of the 'really heavy-duty hand needles' - but still no luck. However this exercise did result in my repairing an old bag stitcher (news on this later). Anyway, pleased with the finished piece to date, here's a close-up of some of the stitching:

Updates & a Doorstop !!

I'm back ... FINALLY  & HELLO.

Hurray I'm back on-line again after many months. I lost all my logins etc etc during the move & only recently came across them all. Firstly though, I'm slightly updating this blog (to tell the truth pressed a wrong button ... lost my template ... unable to get the old one back ... now having to re-create it as all went very wrong!!

To also fill you in, since my last entry I'vee completed several unfinished projects (the one below initially mentioned here on 21 September 2011 with some instructions here)

as well as starting a few new ones. (Instructions in the post soon to one of my students & here too in the not too distant future!)