Day: 25 September 2007

adult's clothing, patterns, sewing

Built by me – Simplicity 3964

This is my first go at a Simplicity “designed by Wendy, built by you” pattern, number 3964.  I made the shortest version – it comes in top, tunic and dress lengths – and used the 3/4 sleeve option.

I think that it looks better in real life than in the photos.  It’s a little maternity-esque (you know, when people wonder “is she pregnant or is that just the fashion”) but I like that sort of style.  Possibly because I never have much of a waist to show off anyway!  Because of the very bold fabric it is difficult to see the design detail of the front inset and yokes.

I thought I’d give it a try in a cheap fabric first – I’ll do it in something plain next time to really show off the design lines.  As well as the front inset and yokes, and associated gathers, there is a back yoke, once again with the back pieces gathered on to it, and the neck binding extends into ties at the back.  I like the gathered sleeve cap (so much easier to set in nicely than a flat cap) although hubby wasn’t keen on the sleeves at all.  Overall, it’s a comfy top that will be very practical for my lifestyle (remembering that all the tops I’m planning to wear in the near future need to be loose enough to lift up to feed the baby).  It took around 4 hours to make from cutting to complete.

by thornberry
craft, embroidery, tutorials

Beaded cushions

Someone else’s craft!  My non-blogging friend Jane made these fantastic beaded cushions for each of her three girls.

We saw a similar cushion in a shop some time ago.  Jane got inspired, and designed her own!  She used Word to write each name in a large font (part of the challenge was choosing the best font) and printed it off, then traced each letter onto white cotton, leaving plenty of room around each one to applique it later.  She used a mixture of five bead colours and sewed each bead individually onto each letter.  Here’s a close-up:

Once all the beads were embroidered on, she cut each letter out and appliqued it onto the pink PVC by gluing them into place then carefully stitching the base fabric to the PVC.  The next step was to attach the cord trim around the outside, then sew the front and back together.  Turning them to the right side was a challenge, but she managed it!  The opening was slip-stitched closed after stuffing with fibrefill.  It is difficult to see in these photos but the cushions are actually pale pink, the twisted cord trim is light purple, and the beads are a mixture of pink, blue, purple and metallic.

Jane’s girls adore their cushions, quite understandably, and my daughter is pestering me (to the point of tantrum) to make one for her.

Well done Jane!  I think that you’ve done a brilliant job (especially considering that the bead embroidery alone was about two hours per letter).  You should be very proud!

by thornberry