Author: Thimberlina

Sew Up North

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You nearly got Sunday Sevens on time.   Only nearly! But I’m too excited still about my day yesterday attending Sew Up North, so I just have to tell you about that first. Sew Up North?   Don’t tell me you don’t know about it.  It has even made it to the Foldline’s Sew Reporter news roundup this week!!   Becca from REDWSEWS and Sally from Sew sweet by Sally arranged a northern meet up in Leeds…..and I went!   Yay for Leeds being on my doorstep! And yay for Becca and Sally!! So yesterday was an early start.  Not because I had a long journey, but because I needed to finish off my Renfrew and colour my roots before I could set off to meet all the sewing lovelies in Leeds at 10 o’clock.  Sewing the Renfrew was more of a necessity than the roots although I didn’t want my silver roots to match my top! At 9:15 I was on the bus with my little liberty bag for the pattern swap.  I took …

Cover Stitch Quest Part 2

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Can I just say a HUGE thanks to all of you who left comments on Part 1.  They were all invaluable in helping me come to a decision and the links and suggestions took me to some really useful sites. The overall feeling I had from everything I’ve read was that almost everyone loves their Janome Coverpro 2000CPX (and earlier models) and everyone loves their Babylocks (any and every model!). The best write up about the Janome can my found on The Clothing Engineer’s Blog (Thanks Accordion3)  She bought the Janome after having a Babylock Evolve – a combination overlock/coverstitch machine for 9 years.  So she knows both makes. In the middle of all the reading up I kept thinking back to when I first watched the You Tube video of the Ovation.  How much I dreamed of owning one, and how since I make  virtually all my own clothes I could justify buying one.  Especially sewing active wear for the gym, and leisure wear for golf, which are both ridiculously expensive to buy. Thinking of golf, that lead …

#SundaySevens 76

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  The week started with my big sister’s birthday.  We’re the same age for 10 days once I have mine.  This card has been sent to each other and new messages added since she started her podiatry degree 3 years ago.  I think this will last for years.  LuckilyI only take responsibly of it for 10 days – my sister looks after it for the rest of the year. A beautiful day for golf.  Don’t let Helens layers make you think it was cold she’s wrapped up all year round!   I only played in a t shirt with a coco over the top. The sun being out really lit up the colours in the trees. A lovely parcel arrived in the post from Fabric Rehab.  I just stumbled across them the week before and there was 40% off, so I just bought a few random things.  This little lot (and there’s 2m of the london mug poplin) only cost £16.25 inc postage.  I’m feeling a bit bad now for not telling you sooner. Hubby …

Cover Stitch Quest Part 1

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For ages and ages I’ve wanted a coverstitch machine and lusted over many a blog post and You Tube video in my dreamy state.  Throughout this period of wanting (I’m well into my second year) I’ve read so many reviews and watched umpteen You Tube videos.    The ones of lucky owners opening the boxes of their new machines nearly has me wetting my pants with excitement! I’ve even downloaded and read several coverstitch machine manuals. And then this happened a couple of weeks ago (just to set the scene we were going to be going away for the weekend for my birthday, but MIL was still in hosptial). HUBBY:  Maybe we shouldn’t go away this weekend with my mum still being in hospital…? ME:  That’s fine lovey, at least we’ll be able to go the golf club dinner on Saturday night. HUBBY:  Yea, and with the money we’d have spent you can have that machine thing that you’ve been wanting for ages. ME: AAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHH!!!  ….Yes!!  ….Please!!! …..Thankyou!!!!  So you get the picture, I’m a bit excited to say the least.   …

#SundaySevens 75

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Gosh it’s Sunday!  Time for Sunday Sevens! I think getting my sewing space in order has done something to me, and helped me get organised and productive in other areas of life too.   Or maybe I’m just older and wiser since having a birthday last week!   Quite a random photo…. I’ve been so chuffed with my successful egg poaching this week I just had to share! We’ve had quite a few sunny spells this week, but it’s been really quite chilly with it.  Here’s a planter that cyber-mom bought me for my birthday.  Often I look out and see it I think it’s the cat on the patio waiting to come it. I’ve been out testing a coverlock machine this week.  I’ve not made a purchase yet,  and I’m thinking I’ll write a blog post to share all my research into buying one, as they’re not something us sewers would dash out and buy without a lot of thought. UPDATE – PART ONE OF COVER STITCH QUEST IS HERE H has finally mastered doing wheelies …

BHL Holly Jumpsuit – No excuses needed this time

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Last year I made a Holly Jumpsuit in the name of frivolity, also known as Jumping Into June. This time I didn’t need an excuse. I’d been given a gorgeous pair of shoes which just happened to be the same colour magenta as some of the circles on this silky fabric that I recently bought from Abakhan when I met up with Jenny in Chester.  This fabric was just crying out to be a jumpsuit! The first thing I did was try on my first Jumpsuit. I knew I’d need to modify the pattern pieces to avoid making a modesty panel like in version 1.  I’d also lost a few pounds too, so needed to check if any other adjustments were necessary. I needed to loose 4 inches from the drape at the front. It’s a bit tricky putting into words what I did to the front bodice piece.  Do the photos make sense? I basically removed the shaded wedge from the top which then created a side dart by cutting into the fabric and …

Do Not Adjust Your Screen – Espresso Leggings

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They really are that bright!! This colourful fabric, an ITY knit, has been illuminating my stash for over a year.   As my gym joining experience has continued and not just been a flash in the pan I thought it was about time I added to my ‘gym wardrobe’ which is over 5 years old, with the exception of the VNA top I made last year. I’ve made leggings before, but not ones that needed to withstand 6 minutes of squats in a Les Mills Body Pump class.  But for starters, and for a speedy make I dug out my TNT Sewing Cake custom made Espresso leggings pattern.   I’ve made loads of these, about 7 pairs I think, but not for a couple of years. In legs than an hour i had them cut out and sewn up except for the waist band:   And then I had a busy couple of days and put them aside.  I googled making active wear leggings as the basic elasticated waist wasn’t gonna cut it for these pants. …

#Sunday Sevens 74

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Well blow me!  It’s Sunday and a very long time since I’ve actually written my weekly Sunday Sevens post on time! This week has been a fab one!  I’ve been on annual leave all week as it’s been my birthday. When I first started working on the ambulances over 20 years I had a bad day on my birthday and have since always booked it off. Initially it was the day, but then the week!  So lots of me time and not very much housework! Summer has finally gone and the weather has a definite Autumnal feel to it.  Sue is no fair weather golfer but braved the weather with a few additional layers. We had wind, rain and sunshine when we played in the Yorkshire Challenge at Pontefract Golf Club. Our team won!  Sue was a bit of a ringer in our West Yorkshire team as we battled to beat North and South Yorkshire Ambulance in our annual challenge. So my run of 2nd places finally came to an end, but the 2’s continued to be …

Good Golly Miss Molly

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Does Molly need any introduction? I don’t think so.  There’s Molly Tops everywhere, all over the internet, and probably in a city near you. It’s part of Sew Over It’s new capsule wardrobe for a city break.   And whilst it’s not the first of their patterns that I’ve bought (I have a paper copy of the Pussy Bow blouse) it’s the first one i’ve made. I’m a bit of a sucker for buying ‘bundles’ of patterns as even if I only make 1 from the bundle, as a Yorkshire lass I need to have felt like I’ve had value for money. I’m not here to promote the patterns, but in case you’re wondering, there’s a top, stretch jeans, skirt, shirt/shirtdress and cardigan in the collection.  Apart from the cardigan, I can see myself making all the garments.  And soon! So far I’ve made 2 Molly Tops.  It requires 1.6m of 140cm wide fabric.  I had 60cm of some gorgeous floral jersey and about the same of a coordinating soft grey. Both were bargain remnants …

#SundaySevens 73

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I could really get out of sync with my blogging, I’m dying to spill the beans on my 2 latest finished creations, but Good Golly Miss Molly (hint hint), that will have to wait until tomorrow! My very messy sewing room.  It’s a tiny room, what we call a box room in the UK.  And I know I’m lucky, but i just don’t enjoy being in it when it looked like this.  And yes I know, the mess is mine, but it doesn’t make me fell any better.    Things had gotten out of hand and I had stuff everywhere. And I don’t mean just in this room. I should do a before and after post as I feel super duper productive as it doesn’t look like this anymore. My mum in law went in to have a hip replacement.  She wasn’t feeling too photogenic, and H is bobbing down, but there’s a lovely view from the window! Vogue 9082 had another outing.  I’ve definitely had my wear out of this frock.  I went to the Council Dinner at the …