A simple skirt

I have been updating my blog and noticed that I wrote this post but did not publish it in April 2012.

Written April 2012

I am very excited to make this post as I have finished making my first skirt. Hurrah!

I have always liked the idea of making my own clothes however it has taken a while for my skills to catch up with my ideas.

This was my first time to work from a commerical pattern, and I must have bought the pattern about 8 years ago, took one look at it and get very confused. Being slightly older and wiser I was determined to figure it out.

The pattern I used is Butterick 6834, 'nine sew fast and easy' The pattern is for sizes 12, 14, 16, UK.

Firstly it took me a while to work out even how much fabric I needed and how it all works.

I am in my twenties and although at school have always used cm and metres, at home I used inches for this aswell, and always used ounces for cooking measurements. I often use inches for measuring as it is easier for quilting and sewing and most people talk of 1/4 inch seam allowance etc. However, I buy fabric in metres. 

So on the pattern we have imperial in English and metric on the French side. I used the cm as I find it more accurate, even though it is French. I digress.....

The skirt was to be an a line skirt with a lining, a zip at the centre back and 4 darts. The front is made up of 1 piece and the back of 2 pieces, joining at the zip line.

It mostly went ok, there was alot of reading and re reading, discussions with my mum on how it could work, and eventually I figured it out. I was pretty pleased with my zip insertion, and think it was ok for a first time in a garnment.

There was a band of intefacing which went inside the lining and that helped the skirt to have shape on the top.

I am pleased with the outcome, it fits well and I think I can wear it out an about without any strange looks. 

A couple of issues were that, you can see the top of the zip does not match up, I think this is to do with how I folded the top hem and that I had cut off some of the top of the zip while figuring out how the hemming and folding would work. I don't plan on tucking a top into this, so no one will see it.

Another bad point is that in the lining of the skirt, I have not folded back any of the seams (not sure of right wording for this) so the edges of the fabric are exposed to fraying. I realised this later on and therefore cut the interfaced band with pinking shears to make it fray less.

I also used navy blue thread as the flower fabric is blue, however my lining is black so should have changed thread when doing lining.

New techniques and materials used

* Reading a pattern, cutting a pattern.

*Sewing darts

*Inseting a lining

*Sewing a zip

Flower fabric, no name

Black lining fabric

Blue 7 inch zip

Gutterman polyester thread, navy blue.

Label

Shopping list

*Boyds, Lincoln

*Callyco, Lincoln

Knitting project planning

I have been knitting another baby jumper at the moment, this will be a present for my work colleague who is due her first baby in June. I am pleased with this as I started it on knit night on 31st March and I have now completed the back, both fronts and one sleeve. I started the second sleeve at knit night last night. I am pleased at how quickly I have made progress on this and it has been helped by knitting on my lunch breaks at work. I do get some interesting comments from people though!

The reason for the focus on knitting recently is because I have had some problems with my sewing machine, I spoke to my cousin about it over Easter and decided to check it in to the sewing machine shop to be sorted out. They say it might take two weeks.

Therefore I have been knitting and making patchwork more at the moment. I have been using some cotton thread for my quilt which is better than the polyester I was using on holiday, and at the weekend I bought some gutterman hand quilting thread which I am keen to try out.

My sister saw my infinity scarf when I was at my parents for Easter and requested one in purple. So I bought some lovely king Cole 100 percent merino in a lavender colour. However last night I saw some Knitcol trends and thought it was so bright and colourful I am now considering making it in that. 

King Cole - merino

Knitcol trends

I  have also discovered the Rowan knit along and I am going to join this. I was looking at the new rowan wool in the shop at the weekend and heard about it then, having read more about it online I am thinking of buying a few balls this weekend to start it. They are releasing small square patterns every week for about 10weeks. I really like the idea of the small squares and think they will be great to do on my lunch breaks, I just need to think more about what colours, do I go for multicoloured or a colour theme?

So it is safe to say I have lots of things planned I need to make sure I carry on with them, and try not to read about any more things I want to start for a while!

Spring is in the air

Hello,
For a while I have been trying to get all of my half finished things completed. I did have a large box with all sorts of things in it which I have been sorting through. Getting the items finished feels good and most things did not need much time to complete them.

Today I wanted to show two finished knitted items. I have also updated my ravelry page with photos which I have been meaning to do for a long time.

Baby cardigan

Close up of buttons

I started this cardigan last August, and then stopped it for a few months when I got stuck on part of the pattern. I picked it up again just after Christmas and finished it at the end of January.
This was knitted on 4mm needles except for the button band which was on 3.4mm needles. I used 2 50gram balls of yarn in a white colour. I made the smallest size.
You can see the pattern here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/provence-baby-cardigan
As you can see I did not do the leaf bits. This was a shame as this was what drew me to this design to begin with. However I tried them 5 times and could not work out how to do them, so I decided to make it a plain cardigan, because of the plainness I wanted to buy some cute buttons for it and then I found these teddy bear ones.

 

 

Infinity scarf

I started this scarf at the end of January as I wanted a scarf to wear while I was riding my bike, but I did not want the ends of the scarf to get in my way. I knitted this on 5 mm needles and I used some Wendy Mode DK in a pale blue. It used 3 50gram balls. I already had this yarn so it was a good way to get it used up and save money by not having to buy anything new.

I completed this last week, but I was away for 3 weeks and left it here so it would have been finished sooner. I am pleased that I have kept up with making this one, and barely put it down or got distracted! Probably because I really wanted to wear it.

 I found the pattern on ravelry and the link is here. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/annie-11
My knitting is slowly improving, I would like to learn some more complicated techniques and I would love to learn how to knit fairisle designs, or how to do cabling  as I think they are beautiful. I have some lovely Rowan wool which I am trying to find a pattern for it is a rust red colour. I should try to get this started in the summer so it is ready to wear next winter.