The Sewing Place

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Topics - Ploshkin

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I know how to get nice corners on narrow quilt binding but as soon as I try to do wider binding I can't get the corners to be nice and square.  They just end up rounded with the corner of the wadding squished down.
Ive just been trying to do a 5/8 inch binding using a 3" strip folded in half but I've given up and trimmed off the excess wadding and reverted to a narrow border because I just can't get decent corners.

2
Your Favourite Suppliers / Patternsy
« on: February 09, 2024, 21:15:02 PM »
I uploaded 2 patterns for printing and paid.
39 minutes later I received an e mail saying that they had been shipped!

3
@Flobear @Stitches and anyone else who has done a lone star or similar.
Do you have any tips or tricks for dealing with the bulk when joining the diamonds together to get a tidy centre?


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A Good Yarn / It must be Autumn
« on: October 12, 2023, 17:33:35 PM »
I found myself with an urge to do some knitting so it must officially be Autumn.  I had a browse through my bookmarked patterns and decided on this one
The pattern is for 2 yarns together (one is silk so rather pricey) but I have substituted with one thicker one which is Drops Air in denim blue
I ordered the yarn the night before last and it arrived today  :)  It is very light and soft.

5
On our travels last week we stopped off at the Great Western Railway Museum in Swindon.  It is well worth a visit.  In one of the sections there is currently an exhibition of quilted wall hangings by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).  The theme is Orient Express and each person (from many countries) has depicted an aspect of the landscape/ architecture/ culture of somewhere along the route of the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul.
There are 50 wall hangings in total, each about 10" x 30", exhibited in one, long line, and the workmanship is exquisite.
Here is a flavour:

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A Good Yarn / Spinning with a drop spindle
« on: September 09, 2023, 15:20:45 PM »
I had a very pleasurable but hot couple of hours above the local small haberdashery this morning learning to spin with a drop spindle.

I have zero desire to sit at a spinning wheel or hand dye yarn but I saw the workshop advertised and thought a bit of handspun fleece could be a useful addition to woven items.  The fleece she gave us to use was straight off her own sheep (Ryeland), washed and carded.  Like most other things that you do it's just a case of getting the right feel for it.  My initial spinning is inevitably a bit thick and thin but I have had another go since I got home and found it much easier to get into a rhythm without listening and talking.  The hardest bit is drawing out the fleece to the right thickness depending on what you are aiming for.  There were 4 of us learning.  The male of the group seemed to be aiming to produce a tow rope.

I came away with the spindle with my yarn on it and some more fleece to carry on with, a box of dyed 'tops'  and a couple of freebies that the tutor had dyed herself

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Fun with Fabric / Curly Jersey
« on: July 24, 2023, 20:42:14 PM »
I don't know that 'Fun with Fabric' is an appropriate place to mention curly jersey because 'fun' it is not.
I find these days that it is more and more difficult to get decent weight cotton jersey.  Printed jersey especially always seems to th

be thin and very stretchy and the cut edges curl dreadfully.  The jersey I have just used for a t shirt curled on the selvedges too.
I find that you can lose a good inch each side avoiding the curly edge and if you do need to go near the edge it is very difficult to pin the pattern.  I find it very irritating.

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Your Favourite Suppliers / 20% off Itch to Stitch
« on: May 29, 2023, 08:46:14 AM »
Itch to Stitch - 20% off all patterns until May 31st.  No code needed.

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As requested by @Iminei two quilt as you go methods of log cabin quilting.
First,my very first attempt at quilting from 35 years ago.  I'd never heard of rotary cutters, quilting rulers, fat quarters etc and got some curtain fabric and cut all the strips using a tape measure and scissors.
It is made one block at a time, the blocks are then joined and the seams bound.  Each log is machined on to a square of backing fabric and batting then folded back along the stitch line, the block is rotated and the next log stitched ......

Manx quilting on the next post

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Fun with Fabric / Bamboo towelling - tips please
« on: November 30, 2022, 10:23:23 AM »
I am making a bathrobe for mum from bamboo towelling.  I've never sewn towelling before so any tips would be welcome.
I hope it will sew up on the overlocker.

How does one press it if at all?

The pattern has a faced front and collar with interfacing but I think there is sufficient body in the 2 layers without  interfacing.  would it be a goid idea to sew a narrow strip of woven interfacing into the edge seam of the facing to give it stability - I wouldnt describe the fabric as stretchy but it does have a bit of give.

All thoughts welcome.

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Your Favourite Suppliers / Itch to Stitch discount on 11th Oct
« on: October 08, 2022, 10:39:24 AM »
To celebrate their 8th birthday Itch to Stitch have a discount on all patterns on 11th October (they're American so not sure how that translates time wise)
There will be a 20% discount on the Fisterra, Brampton and Soller patterns and 25% on all the rest.
No checkout code required.

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Fun with Fabric / Stretch Denim
« on: September 12, 2022, 11:28:34 AM »
Just about the only garments I buy are M & S stretch denim jeans.
I make all my other jeans but cannot find a denim with the amount of stretch M & S ones have.  I like my jeans to be very well fitting.
My current pair are 71% cotton  27% polyester 2% spandex
The fabric has minimal /no lengthwise stretch but about 30% widthwise stretch.  It has very good return and the knees never look baggy even after lots of wear.  They are incredibly comfortable to wear.
The fabric is quite light weight but the weave is very dense and very hard wearing.

I have used lots of different stretch denims to make jeans but none of them have anything like this amount of stretch and the lighter weight fabrics just go to look tatty very quickly.  I know that M & S will have their fabrics made specially but has anyone come across anything that might fit the description?

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Dolls and Toys / Aged Bear in need of TLC
« on: July 09, 2022, 10:27:33 AM »
This is my teddy who I have had since birth I presume.  So he is 68 years old.  He has never had a name, I can't remember him ever having fur (he does have some fur on his back still) and I can't remember him ever growling.

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I don't want to do a 'Repair Shop' restoration but I would like to be able to prevent further deterioration.  He is actually in remarkably good condition for his age.  What would you do if he was yours?
His head is very wobbly but not in danger of falling off.  If I lift his head about 8mm of the pin is visible.  I'm not sure whether to leave it or try and do something about it.  His right eye is very loose but I think that's easily fixable with a suitable long needle.  I can recreate his nose and mouth.

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His paws are the main problem.  The front paw repairs I recall doing when I was about 12.  I used felt and 'wrapped' the ends because of damage.  The repair is quite neat, the felt is in very good condition and it's also part of his history so I don't feel inclined to change that.
His leather foot pads are very sound, they could probably do with a rub of leather restorer but the fabric above them is disintegrating on both feet.  There is a similar patch next to his nose.

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I just want to stabilise it so that it doesn't deteriorate further.  Alternatively I could darn it but I think there is too much to cover.  I tried googling to see if there is some sort of transparent mesh I could use or some sort of stabiliser for vintage fabrics but just kept coming up with how to clean vintage fabric, and stabilisers for embroidery.
Does anyone know of anything suitable for the job or have any other suggestions of what I could do?

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Sewing Machines / My overlocker has been resurrected
« on: April 29, 2022, 19:10:09 PM »
Flying along merrily this morning, perfect stitching as always from my Elna 664 ( and I was sewing mosquito net), started a new seam and after 4 stitches I just got a whizzy noise and the needles stopped moving.   :(
I've rung the old boy I bought it from about 8 years ago and let him hear the whizzy noise over the phone and he said it could be the motor or the clutch.  I happen to be in the Metrolops on Tuesday so I'm taking it for him to have a look - it may not be terminal.

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Current Projects / 505 adhesive spray
« on: February 10, 2022, 18:11:35 PM »
I needed to stock up on spray adhesive as I may or may not have enough left to sandwich my current quilt.
I found the best price, £11.80 for a 500ml can, on Plush Addict.  £11 each for 3 cans.
So I ordered 3 cans and a couple of fat quarters to make it up to £40 for free postage.
When I came to checkout  it only gave me the option of Royal Mail, who won't take aerosols, collection which is no good as they're 200 miles away or special delivery for £37.
I e mailed them and had a very prompt reply which said that if any aerosols are included in an order they automatically send it by DHL. 
I ordered Tuesday, DHL brought it today.  :)

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