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Topics - Acorn

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1
I saw this & I thought you may be interested! / Bookmarked
« on: November 04, 2023, 18:43:36 PM »
I have just discovered Bookmarked, which is a website run by Search Press and David and Charles, who publish sewing, knitting, crochet etc books.

You can join free of charge and then have access to all sorts of articles about their books and writers, and, best of all, there are free projects taken from their books.   :thumb:

I was looking for a secondhand copy of Crochet Collage Garden and found they were offering the very project I was interested in as a free download.   :D

2
Patterns Discussion / Nightwear Patterns
« on: September 12, 2023, 17:55:48 PM »
Can anyone recommend a pattern brand that produces good nightie/pJ/dressing gown patterns?  Nobody seems to have more than one, and I haven't found any I particularly like.  Is there a company I don't know about filling this niche?

(Oh, and preferably digital!!)

3
 :(  Plush Addict is closing down with effect from midday this coming Wednesday.  There's a discount of 30% (on everything except clearance items) with the code BYE30.

They're mostly of interest to quilters, but do sell dressmaking fabrics and haberdashery.


Another one bites the dust...  :cry:

4
A Good Yarn / Fruit Garden
« on: June 26, 2023, 17:21:32 PM »
I have just bought the yarn (cotton/poly blend) to make Jane Crowfoot's Fruit Garden blanket.  I've had the book for a while, although the pattern is now available online I believe.



It's not exactly any of the colourways shown, but will have a background of dark and light blue.

I blame Wool Warehouse for having a sale... I think I may be crazy, and this may be one of those lifetime projects... cheer me on, please!!

5
A Good Yarn / A Silly Question...
« on: June 12, 2023, 16:54:27 PM »
Just to reassure me.  If a crochet pattern contains references to 'single crochet' or 'sc' it MUST be using US terminology, mustn't it?

And I can convert it by just making single=double, double=treble and treble=double-treble can't I?  Are there any other different terms that I might have missed??

6
I saw this & I thought you may be interested! / Bag Patterns
« on: March 15, 2023, 14:04:50 PM »
Sew Hot emailed me details of a big bag pattern deal that you can see here through Sew Modern Bags.  PDF patterns, so don't worry about the price being in dollars!

Sew Modern Bags also seem to have a good range of free patterns here.

7
Fun with Fabric / Non-Creasing Fabric
« on: March 11, 2023, 21:21:25 PM »
When I make dresses for our goddaughters I try to think about their Mum, who is very busy and doesn't have too much time for ironing.  The last two dresses I have made have been in stretch denim, which is superb for not creasing when washed.  However, I think they have probably had enough denim for now (and, besides, they both currently feel that anything that is not pink and frilly is not really worth wearing).

Personally I love cotton, and especially cotton lawn, but they do require ironing to look good.  I don't really like man-made fibres, and so have very little experience of sewing with them, so I am looking for advice from those who do.

Do you have any thoughts on what I might look for?  They will be summer dresses, so nothing too thick.  Is poly-cotton going to be the best bet?

8
A Good Yarn / Tension tension
« on: February 13, 2023, 21:59:02 PM »
I have a pattern for a jacket, which says that it is knitted in 'worsted or aran' weight yarn.  The tension given in the pattern for a 4" (10cm) tension square is 16st and 22 rows on 5mm needles.

However, the aran yarn that I want to use gives 22st and 24 rows on 5mm needles for a 10 x 10cm tension square.  That's a big difference, and the pattern has a very limited number of sizes - although I may have to extend the pattern a bit anyway.

I don't really want to use larger needles, because I like my knitting to be fairly firm, but I suppose I may have to.  I can't find another pattern like this one (it's a hoody in a lacy pattern).  I don't want to buy the yarn unless I'm sure that I'm going to use it, and I'll have to buy it online so I can't really buy one ball and then get more if it works.

What would you do?


9
Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside / Has Moda Flipped?
« on: January 11, 2023, 10:39:00 AM »
There is a new rangel of patchwork fabric by Moda called 'Daffodils and Dragonflies'.  You can see it here.  It's very nice - very old-fashioned American, I think.

Within the range there are designs called Bluebell, Crocus, Dandelion, Poppy and Sunflower.

However, as far as I can see, not one of the named flowers, including the daffodil appears in any of the designs, although plenty of other flowers do.  None of the fabrics are the colours of those flowers.  Oh, and I haven't spotted a single dragonfly either.   :facepalm:

Why????? 

10
Embroidery and Embellishment / Inspirations Magazine
« on: October 23, 2022, 18:40:49 PM »
I used to subscribe to Inspirations Magazine (through a newsagent), but gave it up, partly because it was very expensive, but also because it was so unreliable in terms of when it came out - I have no idea whether this was the magazine, the supplier or the newsagent, but it seems likely that it was largely due to it being an Australian magazine, and me being in Britain!

It is, however, a truly excellent magazine for hand embroiderers.

I discovered that it was available through the Libby app, which made me very happy.  Then I discovered that each issue contains links to downloads of all the projects in the magazine. 0_0  You don't even need to borrow the magazine, because if you click on 'Read Sample' you will get the page with the download links.

It is just the patterns (and a picture of the item), not the instructions, but even if you don't borrow the magazine and get the instructions, you can see enough detail in the pictures to be able to do the embroidery your way.

 0_0  0_0  0_0

11
Patterns Discussion / Kimono Pattern
« on: September 07, 2022, 12:25:58 PM »
Can anyone recommend a kimono-style dressing gown pattern?  The last time I made a dressing gown it came up so big that I ended up giving up on it (after trying very hard to take it in by something like a foot).

I can find patterns - Wardrobe by Me's Norma Jean, StyleArc's loungewear robe - but I'm wary of the sizing etc.  I can't find a review for the first one, and in the only review for the second one the maker printed the pattern at 120% and then took it in, so not much help there.

Oh - and it must be either a pdf or on proper paper.  Tissue paper gives me the heebie jeebies.

12
Fun with Fabric / Where will I find decent faux leather?
« on: August 03, 2022, 10:45:08 AM »
I have a couple of embroidery machine patterns for coasters made in faux leather - like these:



I don't want to use real leather because it won't react well to being wet all the time, but faux leather that looks like this would be great.  Does anyone know a supplier?

13
The Haberdashery / Steam Generator Iron Advice
« on: August 02, 2022, 10:52:27 AM »
Having bought my new iron (and being relatively pleased with it) I spotted a steam generator iron for sale in a local charity shop at a very good price.  I thought about it for a while, and then decided it was too good a deal to miss - and after all, if I hate it, the money will have gone to a good cause.

So, I have a Domena DX8 Silver Collection steam generator iron.  Unfortunately it has no box and no instructions, and Google is coming up with absolutely no information - not even an acknowledgement that it exists.

I'm sure it's not terribly complicated - I can see where to put the water, and it doesn't have much in the way of buttons etc, but I am mildly concerned from a safety aspect, so any general advice would be helpful.

I suspect that I am not supposed to fill it (refill it) unless it is cold.  Is that right?

And the flat part where the iron sits has rubbery non-slip bumps.  Presumably these are heatproof, since I'm sure it's meant to sit on there while in use!?!

These are the controls on the base:
  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

The slider on the right is obviously to control the amount of steam.  However, what on earth do you think the other three symbols mean?  They have those membrane covered press thingies.

I am going to try it out this afternoon, but any advice would be very much appreciated!

14
Fun with Fabric / Throw-type Stuff
« on: July 27, 2022, 21:07:48 PM »
I have a settee that needs recovering.  However, it lives in the conservatory, so any cover is going to fade.  I have samples of suitable fabrics and I don't like the feel of them - I'm also not terribly keen on making a loose cover for it.

I have (more-or-less) decided to put a large throw over it, well tucked into place, possibly with a few judicious stitches to keep it straight, because this is a settee that gets lounged-on.  The problem is that the throw needs to be at least 2.5m by 3.8m, and the only one I can find that size is horrible, and would look scruffy before anyone even sat on it.

I thought that I would look for suitable fabric that is wide enough, but I can't find anything at all.  I'm very open to the type of fabric, although I would favour something with a texture - bouclé or waffle maybe.

Can anyone suggest somewhere to look?  I've tried the only (relatively) local shop that sells this sort of fabric, and they had absolutely nothing that was anywhere near wide enough, although they did have a nice bouclé.  I've also looked at the online shops that I would normally use for upholstery or curtaining, and again, nothing is wide enough.

I can see me ending up with three separate throws (two would look odd, three could be arranged to look OK), but I would probably have to sew them together so that everything wouldn't go awry as soon as anyone sat down.

15
The Haberdashery / I Hate My Iron
« on: July 11, 2022, 19:50:53 PM »
I could wax diabolical about the horrible thing for hours, but I know I have moaned about my iron in various other places on here, so I won't go into details.  Just believe me, it has no redeeming features.

I have been looking for a new iron for over 6 months, with an increasing sense of desperation.  My requirements are simple.  I want a shiny stainless steel soleplate, and well spread out holes for the steam* - no grooves or indentations.  I don't want to pay more than £40-£50, which seems reasonable as I don't want any clever gadget-y features.

However, it is incredibly hard to see what the soleplate of an iron looks like when you are shopping online, and stainless steel doesn't necessarily mean shiny.  I have looked (in person) in

  • Currys - the only shiny s-s soleplated one was labelled for 'occasional use'   :facepalm:
  • Asda - ditto
  • The Range - nothing like it
  • Sainsburys - nothing
 
I have been through so many listings on Amazon that I am losing the will to live.

Has anyone seen anything like this anywhere?  Is there a secret, brilliant place for buying irons?



*I need the steam for non-sewing ironing.

If you really want to know, this is the offending article.

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