April sewing projects part 1

Here are the 3 t shirts made this month so far. Definitely works well to cut out a couple at a time, then sew them all up on the overlocker another day ie. when no one else is home and I can take over the kitchen table!



Skirt at top scoop neck tee (free pattern) so quick and easy to make, so nice & comfy to wear! Fabric $4 metre from GJ's last year.


Another free and favourite pattern - Peppermint magazine jersey tee. Made with 3/4 ish sleeves. Fabric from Anne's fabrics Brunswick, about $6 per m. Made one last year in green version of same fabric.


Then a mash up of both aforementioned patterns - scoop neckline with peppermint tee.

Do you like my new model? Gives a bit more shape than just a boring old clothes hanger. It is a plastic half torso model thingy, found it on a naturestrip last year when someone was moving house - and only just remembered & put to use now! Very handy for photos.

2 more tee's sewn up today ( again, a scoop & a peppermint... My standard go- to stretch patterns. Have also cut out a Mandy Boat tee - just procrastinating about tackling the twin needle neck line now though!)

Also managed to squeeze in a couple of other sewing projects this week, more on that next post... but for now I really must get back to the fabric on the kitchen table before the starving children arrive home from school and need the table for afternoon tea, homework etc.!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Trade secrets...

I like to sew, but I don't have much time to do it. Or more to the point, I don't have much room to sew in - a little corner in my tiny laundry ( which is also the walkway to the back door). And the kitchen table around the corner for cutting out and setting up the overlocker. So I tend to wait until the rest of the family is at school/ work, and use my one day off a week to sew ( hmm, that should really be " my one day of not going to my paying job"!). Which ends up being a few hours squeezed in between school drop off, sorting out the dinner plans for the week, grocery shopping, a load or two of washing, baking for the lunch boxes, returning the library books, and school pick up. Phew! Suddenly a whole day's sewing is looking like 3 hours at best.

So I like taking shortcuts, wherever possible. If I can get a couple of things cut out beforehand on another day, that helps big time if I can skimp on ironing, even better. And pins - who needs pins when there are clothes pegs?







I saw a review of some new clover brand plastic clips for sewing - probably for quilting I think. I liked the idea, and went on the hunt for a similar ( but cheaper!) alternative. I was hoping to find some small plastic pegs ( my Mum had some years ago she used for pegging notes & letters together). I haven't found any small pegs yet, but did find these colourful plastic pegs in a local bargain shop.

I had been using wooden pegs for holding fabric together before sewing on the overlocker ( mainly because I am so paranoid about running a pin through the overlocker causing all sorts of disaster and chaos!) But sometimes the timber is a bit rough and snags the fabric. These little beauties have a rubbery insert, so no rough edges any more! I will keep looking for small plastic pegs, but in the meantime I like these cute bright colours!

PS 3 new t shirts sewn up last week - inc. stripes above. Must remember to take some pics to post.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sewing by hand ...

I have been doing some interesting hand sewing lately. In bursts. It is hard work. Tricky to sew, tricky just to hold on to too. Not exactly a nice portable/ sit on the couch & watch tv while sewing project. I need to sit at the kitchen table to sew this one-


It is no where near finished yet. The ribbon tags were sewn into the fabric backing with the sewing machine. That was the easy part. The rest is hard slog sewing extra heavy duty thread, with a heavy duty needle, through a series of industrial carpet offcuts.







- you can see how thick the pieces are compared to the size of the reel of thread. Thank goodness I bought that silicone thimble at the craft show 2 years ago!
I need to get it finished to take it to work, but I think I need to take a break for tonight and attack it again tomorrow.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Childhood recipe

Every now and then I think of a recipe my Mum used to make, and wonder if I can find it/ recreate it. I am always looking for another slice recipe for the school lunchboxes, and remembered this one from my childhood-


Apparently I even typed it up on the typewriter when I was young! ( much to the bemusement of the 11 year old, who asked " what is that, was that made with a typewriter?!")
Note how I started typing, made too many mistakes, and started again. Still plenty of typex used though! The little paper white - out strips were a big improvement on the bottle & brush liquid white out. Much easier typing on the iPad these days!




I reduced the sugar content in the slice, because it already has a fair bit of honey in it. And I tend to use melted chocolate, or a chocolate ganache instead of icing these days. Chocolate tastes better and actually has less sugar, since icing sugar is straight sugar! I'm not jumping on the anti sugar bandwagon, just gone off the taste of sickly sweet icing on cakes etc. And it tastes yum!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad