I made a kimono jackety thing for the Japanese sewalong .... and if I can do it .......




Google Zepher jacket ...

Thanks, I will do. I love the finished article, especially the blue diagonal bits sorry, (not that au fait with sewing terminology yet) at the front. They work really well with the patterned material and set it off well. Mind you, I'm no expert and my wife and son despair sometimes when I'm 'colour planning' or choosing a shirt/tie combination for work.

Croeso i'r Sewing Lounge @dafyddcoch .  How lovely to have another gentleman join the ranks.  It sounds like you are well on your way to a new obsession, I mean hobby!  Ask away, someone will always know the answer or be able to give the right advise.

Diolch y fawr. I can cope with obsession as concentrating on sewing will apparently lower my blood pressure. I guess that works until the time that you've spent 5 hours making something and the discover you forgot to turn in inside out before hemming! lol

Thanks to all of you for the very welcoming messages.

@dafyddcoch welcome to TSP.

It sounds as though you are well on your way to being a proper sewist; and have the let's get on and see what I can do rather than dilly-dally with procrastination.  Looking forward to seeing some of your creations.
  :thumbsup:

PS - where has the fabric icon gone?  We are very good at helping people to obtain lots of fabric; a very necessary requirement for anyone who sews.

I'm too impatient to wait and would rather just have a bash if I have a basic idea and apply this to most skills I want to learn. One can either pay money to go on a course to learn something or have go anyway and learn from mistakes. Having said that, just occasionally that approach has not served me well and could have ended in embarrassment if I was the kind of chap that embarrassed easily.

Fabric icon??

Welcome to the forum and I am sure we can help in the future.

You mention a couple of vintage machines and there is a sizeable contingent who love the old stuff. 

I'm an old-fashioned sort of a chap and anyway, can't afford a decent quality new machine. Mind you, I would like all the fancy stitches and stuff they can do but will try to see how much can be done with different feet and attachments. I have a Jones button-holer that seems very complicated re working out how it functions but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it and I can't see how a zig-zagger attachment can work unless it is moving the material rather than the needle understand. All stuff to learn and stop my brain from seizing-up in my second youth (or cal it denial of you prefer").     

 Well what brings a chap well past middle-age (unless I live from than 118 years) who can't sew that well to a sewing forum. Well I guess but being a practical sort of a chap, I'm keen to make home furnishings, stitch leather/leatherette for car seats (I'm a classic car bod), fix horse rugs, make simple clothes, maybe for my wife rather than me as men's clothes seem to be quite complex. I've already made a massive solid bottomed shopping bag from an old duvet that actually holds shopping and lots of it. I made that using an old Singer treadle machine and whilst it isn't perfect, it is useful. I've since graduated up to using my late father-in-law's Jones CBD that I've fitted to the Singer treadle bench and it all still folds down neatly and has left me with a very usable unit. Thus far I've made a vest from an old stretchy sheet and some edging, salvaged three frayed towels, modified a top for my wife to stop the sleeves falling down too easily and made a pair of curtains for our bedroom from another old duvet and some recycled curtain tape. I'm particularly chuffed with the curtains which actually look alright, much to my surprise. All this sewing activity in the front-room is reminding me of my mother who used to make clothes and curtains with her treadle machine and later an old electric model,  as well as making loads of stuffed toys, including many many Wombles!

I've joined The Sewing Place because I'm aware of how limited my skills are and want to be able to access the knowledge of people who know so much more than I do about sewing and using a machine. Although I've been a Diversity practitioner for years, I spent many years working with steel and especially sheet steel and have noticed that some of the skills are similar and have a great deal of respect for skilled machinists, tailors and seamstresses who seem to be able to work with such great speed. I'm happy to dawdle but want to be able to produce quality items, so it makes sense to be able to ask skilled people for help. Unfortunately, I don't think I have very much to offer in return as I'm such a beginner even though I'm almost 60.