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Topics - Acorn

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106
Patterns Discussion / Deer & Doe Myosotis
« on: May 31, 2018, 21:38:16 PM »
I really like this pattern, but I don't like the way the back is longer than the front, both the bodice and the overall length.  The line drawings do not show either style as having a longer back, and initially I thought that the dress on the larger model should have had a proper FBA, but the dress on the other model is just the same when you look more closely.

So why do you think it is like that?  Are the line drawings wrong, and it is actually designed that way?








107
Sewing Machines / Shiny New Toyota Oekaki
« on: May 25, 2018, 12:31:10 PM »
It's arrived!!!!!  I only ordered it at 4pm yesterday, and delivery was free (Parcelforce)!!

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But it's too heavy for me to lift off the table in the porch... I'm currently dismantling things in situ as far as I can.

108
Current Projects / By the Sea
« on: April 19, 2018, 15:56:21 PM »
I am about to start making a quilt for our caravan.  It's actually going to be a quillow, a quilt which will fold up into a pocket on the back to make a pillow, thanks to Elnnina  :loveit: who has sent me a lovely pattern.

Anyway, I have been collecting fabric for this quilt for a very long time, and I think I have finally found a pattern that may suit it (and me, it not being too complicated). 

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I would really love any advice or comment - I can choose fabrics I love, and I can see when things clash, but I don't have the skill with colours that a lot of you do.

The idea is that where the pattern has a blue patterned strip and a white plain strip, mine will have a stripe in the sea/sky fabrics, and the next in the sandy fabrics.  (I probably have more fabrics for each section, but these pictures give a good idea of the range).

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What do you think?  Will that work?  Anything else I should add?  Should I put a white stripe in between the coloured stripes?

109
Patterns Discussion / Bootstrap/Lekala pattern question
« on: February 27, 2018, 10:57:51 AM »
I am using Bootstrap 45179 for the One Pattern Three Ways sewalong.

Having had to make the shoulders narrower - not something I've ever had to do before - I decided that I would order the pattern again with a narrow shoulder adjustment.  As I couldn't get on to the Bootstrap site (a problem I frequently have) I ordered the new one from Lekala - the identical pattern (4517) with identical measurements plus the narrow shoulders adjustment.

I have just printed off the sleeve, neck and top of the main pieces to compare them to my previous pattern (hoping that I wouldn't need to redo the whole pattern).

The edge of the shoulders is only quarter of an closer to the centre.  The arm part of the sleeve, however, is an inch and a half wider and an inch and a half longer.  The top of the sleeve is also about an inch and a half longer.  The armscye is higher.

The bust dart is also about 3/4 inch higher - and it was already on the high side on the first pattern.

Put simply, are these differences that you would expect to accompany a narrow shoulder adjustment?

110
Tech Know How / Attachments 18.02.18
« on: February 19, 2018, 09:49:57 AM »
If you made a post yesterday with attachments could you possibly go back and see if the attachments have disappeared, and  re-attach them if necessary?

It's a Tech thing.   :|     My apologies.    :S

111
Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside / Slip sliding away...
« on: February 10, 2018, 12:45:28 PM »
There are various things on offer to stop quilting rulers from slipping on your fabric.  Does anyone have any experience or recommendations?  I would have thought that with the little stick on pads there would be too much chance of them being in the wrong places when cutting something small, but maybe they grip the cutting mat anyway so that wouldn't be an issue.

I have two rulers and they are driving me mad - I really can't risk cutting into any fabric that matters given how often they slip just as I'm going along the edge with my rotary cutter.  They weren't cheap, though, and I don't really want to replace them with non-slip rulers.

112
I have a pack of 42 10" squares in the design shown below, together with the set of fat quarters also shown (26 fqs that are 18" x 22").

I'm trying to find a quilt pattern to suit them, and having so much trouble.  I want to make blocks, because I think I will probably quilt them as I go.  I don't want to do too many hsts (because I may end up biting someone if I do) although I don't want to stick to squares, so some are inevitable.

I keep coming back to this pattern



(although I think the colours need to be better balanced).  But I'm really not sure.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions, thoughts, ideas etc... because otherwise I'm never going to get started.

113
Vintage Machines / Featherweights for Dummies
« on: December 28, 2017, 12:14:49 PM »
Well, she's here.   :D 

I have been prodding and poking here, ferreting around in her innards and generally trying to get to know her.  She seems to be remarkably clean - almost no fluff anywhere, just one little loop around one of the rods inside the face plate.

I am being vey cautious and checking everything I can before even plugging here in, so I have oiled all the bits the manual tells me to.  I have also checked the grease tubes on the motor, and they appear to have little or no grease in them.  So my first question is where to find 'Singer Motor Lubricant', because the manual tells me bad things will happen if I use anything else.

I have found this on Ebay, which is presumably the right stuff, but has a frightening postage charge

Or there's this, which also comes from the US, but the shipping seems so low that I'm afraid they would be sending it by pigeon.

 :[

114
"As a special end of year treat we're giving you 25% off, but only when you shop at www.stylearc.com. You just need to use the code BOXING25 at the checkout to get your discount. Don't miss out though, the sale ends on 31 December!"

I bought 5 Style Arc patterns on Christmas Eve, from their pre-Christmas sale.  I'm not sure I should be allowed anywhere near the site today...  :o

115
Burda Style are offering a bundle of 6 patterns (sizes 44 to 52) as free pdf downloads for today only.

http://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/instant-glamour-6-womens-plus-patterns

116
Vintage Machines / Urgent advice please!
« on: December 21, 2017, 12:12:03 PM »
Yesterday we found a Singer Featherweight in a shop locally.  It seems to be in good order - clean and nice, in its box, with cables and a box of what looks like feet (I didn't look for very long).  I think the price is probably reasonable - £85.

Mr Acorn has decided that he would very much like to buy it for me for Christmas.   0_0

Please can someone tell me what we should be checking?  I am very nervous about the electrical side of it.  We don't have the expertise, although my Dad certainly does - but he is not on the spot.  I don't want to get it and then find that it needs a lot of work before it can be used.

I asked the seller about it and she said it had come directly from a house clearance, and she thought it looked good, but hadn't tested it.

Oh, and I have no idea about the age - I wasn't considering possibly owning it! - but it was black with gold decals and had a small green booklet that doesn't say 'Featherweight' on the cover.  Unfortunately I can't remember what it did say.

117
Embroidery and Embellishment / Finished!
« on: December 17, 2017, 19:49:26 PM »
I have just finished making a hot water bottle cover which will be one of my Mum's Christmas presents. 

It has been far more complicated than you would imagine - mostly because it is very tricky to add a drawstring channel at the top of something that has bias binding around the edges, but also because the first run of the embroidery went seriously wrong one colour before the end when the machine reset itself and I forgot that I had adjusted the position of the design in the hoop, and the second run went wrong because I forgot to reset it to the beginning and it started at the end with the wrong colour thread.

Extra brownie points to anyone who can spot the totally deliberate pun contained within it  :D ... I'm relying on my Dad to point it out on Christmas Day.

118
Current Projects / It is finished!
« on: December 04, 2017, 15:39:59 PM »
When I was 19 I bought some packs of Laura Ashley pre-cut hexagons and a piece of cheap contrasting material, and I started to make a quilt by hand.

Every stitch has been done by hand: piecing, quilting (in the ditch - yeuch!) and finishing.  It has been put away for long stretches of time, particularly when I realised that I didn't have enough of the contrast and it took me years to find material that was the right shade of black (the contrast that forms a diamond in the centre of the quilt is black with a tiny red and cream pattern, the outer contrast is black with slight dark blue marbling - but, strangely, they go together well.)  The second photo shows both background fabrics.

It is very far from perfect, although all the corners match properly, it is nice and square and all the stitching is good and secure - it's the quilting that isn't brilliant - but it is a quilt with a history.

I wonder what I would have thought at the age of 19 if you had told me I'd finish it in the year of my 30th wedding anniversary...

119
Patterns Discussion / Coat Pattern
« on: November 09, 2017, 10:24:35 AM »
I had to order half a metre of softshell fleece from myfabrics.co.uk yesterday - they were the only place with the colourway I need to make a hat for my Mum.

Anyway, that meant £5.95 delivery, which was clearly terrible with just half a metre of fabric... so, to cut a long story short, I seem to have ordered three metres of coat fabric, and three metres of lining to go with it.





The problem now is that I can't find a pattern that works for me.  I want something fairly shapeless (like me!), three quarter length, and with a hood (and 'generous' sizing!)  That hood seems to be causing problems.  My first port of call is always Style Arc, but they have nothing.

Has anyone seen anything that sounds at all like that?  Or can anyone suggest somewhere for me to look? 

120
Machine Accessories / Needles and Threaders
« on: October 29, 2017, 18:28:24 PM »
I have been having trouble with the automatic needle threader on my embroidery machine.  It appeared that the little metal hook was too high for the eye of the needle, and so was slipping to one side or the other.  I checked and re-checked that the needle was in as high as it would go.   ><

Eventually it occurred to me that the problem had started when I started a new pack of needles (75/11 as opposed to my usual 90/14).  I tried another needle from the new pack and the problem was just the same, but when I changed back to a needle from my previous pack there was no problem at all.

Has anyone else found this?  Both packs of needles are Hemline ones.  I have just ordered some Schmetz to replace them (my preferred brand, but not available locally).

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