Why is my stitching all WRONG?! (help)

I know some of you are sewing machine whizzes, and I'm very much a novice, so I'm asking for your help. What would make my (normally very well behaved) sewing machine make this mess on the underside of my stitching?

It will do this all of a sudden, and as it's underneath I won't see it until it eventually jams up. Then I take everything out and put it back exactly the same, and it's usually fine again. I can't understand it!

Is it my tension? Wrong bobbin (it's a drop in bobbin by the way)?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing

Oh my god - I have just seen this book, and although I've only seen the cover and one photo, it's set my heart a-flutter...

Has anyone seen any other pictures or reviews or do we just have to wait until October?

Sometimes you've got to think small

My month is off to a slow start, I think I'm a little under the weather as my energy levels are zero. It's sort of self-perpetuating though, isn't it, the more you sit about feeling sorry for yourself the less you want to get up and do anything. I'm a bit of an anomaly in that I'm a bit cross that the weather is warm again (yesterday was really sunny! People were back in flip flops!) - I had resigned myself to "summer" being over and was very much in the mood for autumn (my favourite season) to commence.

I bloody love autumn, me!

Here are the things I love about autumn:

• dark, cosy nights
• winter clothes - boots, scarves, woolens, slippers, pyjamas
• fairy lights on dark nights
• red wine and candles
• build up to Christmas

I feel all cosy just thinking about it!

I have, however, tidied up my sewing stuff, sorted out my languishing pile of WiPs, made a list of small crafty projects and borrowed Cath Kidston's Sew from the library. It's a lovely book (although I probably wouldn't buy it for myself) and has given me a fresh wave of inspiration for crafting small things. I think that's the problem when you're feeling busy and stressed, getting started on something big in the evenings, like a dress, seems so daunting that the tv and a glass of wine wins hands down every time. Sometimes you've got to think small. Big isn't always best. *insert other size based cliches here*

So my list of things I want to make in the next month are:

• new cushion covers
• a new needle case
• pin cushion

I also have two metres of this fabric that is begging to be whipped up into....a Rooibos? A Pendrell? I think it would be quite cute as a Rooibos with red buttons and it could maybe even carry off some red ricrac, what do you think? I'm not usually a fan of ricrac, but something about this fabric is screaming RICRAC ME! (just me?)

The one where I make excuses and swear off gin...

Well well, long time no blog...

*ahem*

Let's just be honest here, I haven't blogged because I haven't made anything since my floral Pendrell - well, nothing except another Pendrell in pink gingham which I messed up by stitching the invisible hem in such a large stitch it is anything but invisible. But because of the way you fold the fabric for invisible hemming I didn't notice til I was all the way round, and by then...well I was scunnered. I don't have much patience for hemming at the best of times, so rather than unpick and redo I just scrumpled it up in a bad mood and shoved it in the sewing box. I'll fix it one day. 

So today I want to blog about bad habits. And how those bad habits have been stopping me from being creative. 

I present to you:

Exhibit A

Yes. Yes, that is a massive 50 inch tv. Please believe me, I did not buy this monster, I won it in a competition that I was automatically entered into because I 'liked' a Facebook page. Before this I didn't even have a tv, but since we got it and since I started my current job (which is lots more challenging than my old one) I have been finding myself coming home and just slumping in front of it watching whatever it throws my way. Old episodes of Friends I've seen 50 times? Bring it. Don't Tell the Bride? Yep I'll have some of that too. Come Dine With Me is on all evening you say? Well it'd be rude not to, surely? BASICALLY I've just turned into a boring old COUCH POTATO. Which brings me to...

Exhibit B

Ah, my old friends RED WINE and GIN. To go along with my couch potato habit, of late I have also been cultivating a lovely wino habit. You know, you get home, get your jammies on, put on the tv and unwind with a glass of wine...and then all of a sudden it's bedtime and whoops you've done nothing with your evening yet again? 

But NO MORE, I tell you!

My tv is broken! Ok it's getting fixed tomorrow (hopefully) but it's been broken for 2 weeks, forcing me to go cold turkey on the repeats of My Name is Earl, and I'm happy to report that the habit has been broken, I am no longer a TELLY ADDICT! I've been reading more, and look, I'm even here blogging, that's gotta tell you something. 

So, to keep the momentum going I have also sworn off my other bad habit, BOOZE, for September. Sober September I'm dubbing it, at the risk of sounding like a Grade A Alkie.Don't get me wrong it's not like I'm boozing it up every night at the minute, but I do feel like I'd get more done if I didn't use wine as a stress reliever. 

So, let's see how it goes then shall we? I have some rather nice navy blue material with cherries on that would make either a very nice Pendrell or a Rooibos, haven't decided which yet, and this chillier weather has me itching to get my crochet hook out again - I'm thinking tea cosies, perhaps another go at a hat (last attempt failed miserably) and Christmas decorations. 

What do you guys do in the evenings, and how do you find the energy to sew after a hard day at work? Do you find yourselves drawn into passive bad habits too? I enjoy sewing so much and find it relaxing once I am doing it, but actually gathering the momentum to get everything out and start...ooft it's hard! Harder when the glass of wine and passive telly watching is calling so seductively. In the meantime I'm off to see if I can glean some tips from Tilly's Productivity Project.

Pendrell, I think I love you...

What a little gem of a pattern. I can see why Karen has made umpteen of them. Here is my Pendell, sewn up with material I got for £1/2 a metre in Walthamstow Market.

Ignore the thread hanging from my seam - it's actually just stuck to my jeans!

I absolutely love it, I think it is my favourite make so far (apart from maybe my first Rooibos). 

I have to admit I'd have been lost without Tasia's sewalong, so I'm extremely grateful for that, thanks Tasia. This was mostly to do with the bias binding on the neck and arm-holes, a technique I'd never used before. I now think bias binding is BRILLIANT and want to use it on EVERYTHING! If only I'd known about it for my last make, I could have bias bound the neck and arms and saved myself from faffing about with stupid facings. *doh* I also needed the pictures for getting my head around how to make the sleeves, but once I'd got it they were extremely satisfying to make. I also bodged the arm-hole (the second one I'd done so can't even blame inexperience!) by sewing the binding to the wrong side of the fabric. Lesson learned, don't sew for too long without a break or any food, your concentration will wane!

Another problem I had was the sizing - I cut out a size 12 as I wanted to make sure it sat nice and loosely over my hips. The finished make made me look like a floral clad american footballer! Far too much material in the sleeves and shoulder area. I think I could have got away with the size 10, and I may even need to cut a bit smaller through the shoulders/bust. It was reasonably easy to fix though, I just took in the side seams by about a cm, and then the two front/back seams in by about half a cm up to the bustline then graded it up to take in about a cm/cm and a half through the bust and shoulders. I was worried it might ruin the line of the top, but I don't think it's suffered too badly. 

I immediately want to make another one, but I'm still loathe to cut into an expensive fabric as I think I may have more sizing issues to work through. A gingham version may be making an appearance after all...!

To summarise:

Pendrell = ACE. 

Walthamstow market fabric haul

So yesterday I went to Walthamstow market to check out the cheap fabric Karen's always raving about. And I wasn't disappointed! I came away with 2m of each of these for around a tenner:

Bargain!

The eagle eyed amongst you might notice that I have been a bit of a copycat. I knew I was buying a gingham similar to the one Karen used for her Pendrell, but it wasn't until later that I realised I've also copied her with the yellow fabric too. Um. Hope you don't mind Karen! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that...

So. Now to decide what to make. Like about 90% of the sewing world, I've recently purchased the Ginger and the Pendrell.

I'm excited! After seeing all the beautiful versions of the Pendrell out there, I couldn't not snap it up, and Sunni's sewalong for the Ginger had me champing at the bit to get my mitts on the pattern. Her versions are just stunning. It also helps that there's a sewalong for the Pendrell, I love having all the tips on-hand.

Now to match fabric to patterns...I was thinking either the yellow or the pink and white floral for a Ginger - what do you think? I'm imagining the yellow with red pockets, something like this version of Sunni's. But I'm torn, because they're the two I'd like to use for the Pendrell too...

As for the gingham, I'm not entirely sure what to do with it yet - I loved Karen's gingham Pendrell, but that might be a little too single white female, so I'm waiting for inspiration to strike! Perhaps an interior (curtain? cushion?) rather than clothing. And I've got my eye on the green paisley-esque fabric for a collarless Rooibos, along the lines of Roisin's version. Or would that be a little OTT?? What say you?

Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday - it's dull and wet in my corner of London, so I'm in clean pjs, full of french toast, and not planning to leave the flat, while Matt makes fresh bread in the kitchen. Perfect! I've also been dedicating a little too much time to my addiction. Yep. I'm addicted to...Guitar Hero. Bet you didn't see that one coming. I spent Christmas a few years ago pretty much sofa-bound with back pain that only champagne and brandy cocktails could cure, and not much else to do other than play my sister's wii. And lo, a passion was born. It was one only indulged from afar over the past few years, but this week we got our own wii (uber cheap as the new one is coming out soon) and I've been shamelessly ignoring my poor boyfriend, working my way through all the levels. I'm sure it will be short lived, but for now it's bloody good fun...!

Dots and duds

Woo it's finally finished! McCalls 2401 in bright red polka dot, that I started making in March! 

It wasn't a hard make, it just languished as an unfinished object for a rather long time. I started making the version with 3/4 length sleeves, but then the weather started to get warmer, and I'm afraid I just wasn't 'feeling it'. However a couple of weeks ago I decided enough was enough, I'd make it without the sleeves instead. Sadly the facings etc are all completely different with the sleeveless version, so I had to make it up as I went along. As a consequence the inside is a bit of a mess, but you (hopefully!) can't tell from the outside. 

The good

I liked this pattern a lot. It has a very easy technique for inserting the zipper which I'd never seen before, but it took all the hassle out of it and I'll definitely be using it in future makes. It also has a sweet little split at the back. I have to say, I feel rather sophis in it, it is much more fitted than anything I'd normally wear. 

The bad

I was too lazy to make a muslin, so as a consequence there were a few fitting issues, mostly around the shoulders. I always seem to have the problem that the back gapes at the neckline and the shoulders look too 'blocky'. Does anyone know what type of adjustments I should be making, is that a common problem? I fixed the gapiness by hitching in the shoulder seams a few inches, but the blockiness is still there, I decided it wasn't worth unpicking all the interfacing to fix (lazy), plus I wasn't sure how to go about it. 

And now for the ugly....

I refer you to my last post where I announced I was making a top from the Japanese sewing book. Well. It's hideous. Just hideous. A dud dud, if you will (do you call clothes 'duds' where you come from??). It's unfinished as it was so unflattering I couldn't bear to work on it any further. 

Ok, the make itself is not bad, but seriously. It made me look about 9 months pregnant. Thankfully there is a lot of fabric in it, so it can probably be repurposed somehow! I've not seen any pictures of this top actually on a person (as opposed to on a dummy - Mildred is taking one for the team and modelling it for me) - has anyone else made it? Perhaps it's just universally unflattering! 

Anyway, I've settled into my new job, have more energy now that the weathers picked up, and have got my sewing mojo back, so hopefully it will not be as quiet around here as of late. I spent today in Walthamstow Market, as recommended heartily by Karen, and picked up 8 metres of fabric for around a tenner - bargain!! I'll share my purchases in my next post.