Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, October 2019
Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 8:32 am
Projects I played with at sewing retreat Friday and yesterday:
1) Lined tote bag with many pockets, 2 of which have zippers, and top zipper closure. Outside fabric is navy blue ripstop nylon with a bottom contrast panel of black moleskin, lining is teal ripstop nylon, carrying straps are black webbing (so the bag is very lightweight and can be folded for storage). I started this bag at the summer retreat and it sat in my Works In Progress pile untouched since then. FINISHED!
2) Knit top in leaf pattern print cotton = purchased very long tunic top (clearance about $12) that I shortened and used the extra fabric to lengthen the sleeves and tried to fix the neckline so it wasn't so low. This was my 4th attempt at adding a stand-up collar to the neckline. FINISHED! Not as professional a job as I would have liked, but it is wearable now to the point that I can bend over with out showing everything underneath.
3) Knit top in teal with black leopard spots. I cut this out a couple years ago and I keep pulling it out because the fabric colors are so pretty, but then I keep putting it back on the pile because the fabric is both very stretchy and clingy. I think I've done a little bit on it every sewing retreat. This time I was working on the band around the scoop neckline and it was tricky but the stitching looked beautiful when I finally finished. Unfortunately, when I tried it on, it felt too tight. I need to take it back apart and cut the hole larger, and cut a longer band to go around the larger hole. I hope I still have enough of the fabric to cut the new longer strip. This project is back in the Works In Progress pile.
4) Knit top in purple print cotton. I cut this out at least a year ago. It's good quality fabric and feels very soft. Last night I had time to sew together the shoulder seams and put in most of the band around the V neckline.
I'm very happy to have finished the nylon tote bag as I will use it a lot. It's large enough to carry several sewing projects back and forth to retreats, and to carry finished projects to show at the sewing group meetings.
Ideas from other attendees that I might add to my project list:
Super simple carrier for a square or round casserole or pie dish, found a video tutorial from Crafty Gemini at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFiI5M3-At0
Simple purse organizer roll, found a link to a free pattern pdf from The Giving Flower at
https://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial ... 008/12/29/
That's a link to a Wayback Machine post and I don't have time right now to see if the original pattern designer still has a blog. Internet search showed a lot of images for roll-up organizers, though, so if this one disappears there are plenty of other links.
What I most wanted from this sewing retreat was a jump start to get back into the habit of sewing at least 1 seam per day from now through Christmas. I need to make many small Christmas gifts. I had a lot of success at the beginning of the year with the 1-seam-per-day goal so I'll be glad to get back to it.
1) Lined tote bag with many pockets, 2 of which have zippers, and top zipper closure. Outside fabric is navy blue ripstop nylon with a bottom contrast panel of black moleskin, lining is teal ripstop nylon, carrying straps are black webbing (so the bag is very lightweight and can be folded for storage). I started this bag at the summer retreat and it sat in my Works In Progress pile untouched since then. FINISHED!
2) Knit top in leaf pattern print cotton = purchased very long tunic top (clearance about $12) that I shortened and used the extra fabric to lengthen the sleeves and tried to fix the neckline so it wasn't so low. This was my 4th attempt at adding a stand-up collar to the neckline. FINISHED! Not as professional a job as I would have liked, but it is wearable now to the point that I can bend over with out showing everything underneath.
3) Knit top in teal with black leopard spots. I cut this out a couple years ago and I keep pulling it out because the fabric colors are so pretty, but then I keep putting it back on the pile because the fabric is both very stretchy and clingy. I think I've done a little bit on it every sewing retreat. This time I was working on the band around the scoop neckline and it was tricky but the stitching looked beautiful when I finally finished. Unfortunately, when I tried it on, it felt too tight. I need to take it back apart and cut the hole larger, and cut a longer band to go around the larger hole. I hope I still have enough of the fabric to cut the new longer strip. This project is back in the Works In Progress pile.
4) Knit top in purple print cotton. I cut this out at least a year ago. It's good quality fabric and feels very soft. Last night I had time to sew together the shoulder seams and put in most of the band around the V neckline.
I'm very happy to have finished the nylon tote bag as I will use it a lot. It's large enough to carry several sewing projects back and forth to retreats, and to carry finished projects to show at the sewing group meetings.
Ideas from other attendees that I might add to my project list:
Super simple carrier for a square or round casserole or pie dish, found a video tutorial from Crafty Gemini at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFiI5M3-At0
Simple purse organizer roll, found a link to a free pattern pdf from The Giving Flower at
https://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial ... 008/12/29/
That's a link to a Wayback Machine post and I don't have time right now to see if the original pattern designer still has a blog. Internet search showed a lot of images for roll-up organizers, though, so if this one disappears there are plenty of other links.
What I most wanted from this sewing retreat was a jump start to get back into the habit of sewing at least 1 seam per day from now through Christmas. I need to make many small Christmas gifts. I had a lot of success at the beginning of the year with the 1-seam-per-day goal so I'll be glad to get back to it.