Internet Resources for my Sewing Ladies - Misc

http://www.katedicey.co.uk/
My friend and frocking buddy Kate's website, and endearingly eclectic mix of hints, tips, projects, and links to all sorts of resources. Included are guides to the care and feeding of sewing machines, and what thread to use for your projects.

Kate has been sewing for 40 years, professionally for most of them, and she's forgotton more than I ever knew. Be warned, though, she's a perfectionist!

http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/tensionadjustment/tensionadjustment.html
Rather long, but eyewateringly funny article on the mysteries of tension in sewing machines. Enjoy

http://www.lindrix.com/fabcontent.html
How to tell the fire content of a fabric by burn testing it. Not that I'm telling you to play with matches! Really, I'm not telling you to play with matches! But if you must, please make sure you have some means of extinguishing the flame if it gets all out of control, and you are well away from flammable materials like curtains, long hair, etc etc. Hold the fabric to be tested in tongs, not your fingers! I do my burn testing by the kitchen sink, so if something goes up too enthusiastically I can just drop it in the sink and turn the tap on.

Internet Resources for my Sewing Ladies - Fabric

Disclaimer. I have not used all these sites (where I can remember using them I have said), and do not therefore endorse them. My experiences are my experiences, yours may differ. Please excercise reasonable care when shopping online, check that the site uses a secure credit card server, read their privacy policy about what they do with your details, or use paypal if it is an option. I've compiled these lists of links to get you started, but you shop on the internet at your own risk, and neither I nor my employers accept any responsibility for the consequences!

http://www.efabrics.co.uk/
Reasonable prices, seems like a good range

http://www.cheapfabrics.co.uk/thestore/index.php
Nice looking site, good prices.

http://www.fabricuk.com/fabrics.php?categ=1
Basic, no frills site with a decent range of fabrics, and some bargains.

http://www.hillsidetextiles.co.uk/hillsidecgi-bin/hillsideselector.pl?C=HILLSIDE&P=SELECTOR&USERNAME=trade&PSWD=hillside
Ok, this is where synthetic fibres go to die, but I don't expect everyone to share my obsession with natural fabrics. The sell by the roll at really good prices, or by the yard still quite reasonable.

http://www.croftmill.co.uk/
A quirky selection of quality fabrics at very good prices. Also do interfacing, which is handy.

http://www.thesilkroute.co.uk/index.html
OMG! Silks! Not cheap, and mail order only, but the site is pretty!

http://www.puresilks.biz/store/index.php
This site ships direct from India, but shipping charges seem surprisingly reasonable. I havn't used them yet, but I'm planning a purchase soon.

http://www.abakhan.co.uk/index.html
Failrly limited selection, but good prices, and also sell interfa cing, which can be hard to find online.

Internet Resources for my Sewing Ladies - Haberdashery and notions

Disclaimer. I have not used all these sites (where I can remember using them I have said), and do not therefore endorse them. My experiences are my experiences, yours may differ. Please excercise reasonable care when shopping online, check that the site uses a secure credit card server, read their privacy policy about what they do with your details, or use paypal if it is an option. I've compiled these lists of links to get you started, but you shop on the internet at your own risk, and neither I nor my employers accept any responsibility for the consequences!

http://www.sewessential.co.uk/

Sells pretty much everything you could want. They even do fabric, though it's quite expensive. The do free delivery on orders over £50 so perhaps if a couple of you got together, you could save on shipping.

http://www.jaycotts.co.uk/
Another like the above. Free delivery on more expensive itens, not sure about little bits of haberdashery. Do a pretty good range of thread including YLI cotton (as reccomended by Kate Dicey).

http://www.sewdirect.com/index.html
An odd selection of stuff, some quite useful. What they do do is Empress Mills Overlocker thread, as reccommended by Kate Dicey.

http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/default.aspx
This tends to be my go to store for haberdashery, mostly because they sell Coats Silk and cotton thread which I use a lot. They have a good selection of fabrics too. They are pretty helpful, but quality comes at a price.

http://www.kleins.co.uk/

I've bought from them before too, if I need something in a hurry this is my go to store, as you can generally get your stuff the next working day.

http://www.corsetmaking.co.uk/store/
Not just corsetmaking but lots of other stuff as well. I've bought from them, but it was a while ago.

http://gardengateknitsewcraft.co.uk/
Another site that sells interfacing and lots of other haberdashery bits.

http://www.josyrose.com/#top

Lots of cute stuff for embellishing things, and bag making stuff. Making bags is surprisingly good fun.

http://www.u-handbag.com/index.php?main_page=define_main_page&zenid=ae7cf098f44002ad7616a410a644a37d
While we're on the subject of making bags, this site has everything you need, plus helpful tutorials


http://www.ribbonmoon.co.uk/index.asp
Not the most attractive site to browse, but has a good selection of stuff, including some things that are hard to find.

http://www.bedecked.co.uk/
Expensive but lots of lovely trimmings and pretties. I'm going to use this for eye-candy when I need cheering up!

A wee tribute to the art of Andrea Zuill!

Over Xmas I did a number of quick charming embroidery projects for gifts and to make Xmas ornaments.

Many of the designs I got from Andrea Zuill's charming free embroidery designs over at badbirds. I sort of got obsessed with these for a bit, I got so much pleasure in stitching them. They're cute and quirky and sort of folksy, so I had to add a touch of me by blinging them up in silks and satins with a bit of beading and gold work. (Because if you are going to spend hours and hours of your life stitching something, you may as well use the lushest materials you possibly can).

So here is a summary of the gifts I made using Andrea's designs. Some of them came out better than others, my making skills are still not up to my embroidery skills, but I'm getting there.



This became a spectacle case for my mother in law.



This was the spectacle case for the mother out law. (Its complicated).


Another Wol, and a Reindeer made into a pouch.



Another reindeer which was made up into an Xmas ornament with a lvender bag inside, so you can use it to scent your clothes all year round.



Another Xmas ornament, and lavender bag.

Materials include silks left over from various costume projects, gold threads and spangles from Mace and Nairn and silk threads from Mulberry Silks as well as beads from down the market.

I'm really pleased with this little series.

I've got the day off work, and Im having a catching up type day today! This is a little project I recently finished as a surprise for an online friend. I am going to make it up, and another similar design (remember the Wol spectacle case) as little pouches.

Internet Resources for my Sewing Ladies - Patterns

Disclaimer. I have not used all these sites (where I can remember using them I have said), and do not therefore endorse them. My experiences are my experiences, yours may differ. Please excercise reasonable care when shopping online, check that the site uses a secure credit card server, read their privacy policy about what they do with your details, or use paypal if it is an option. I've compiled these lists of links to get you started, but you shop on the internet at your own risk, and neither I nor my employers accept any responsibility for the consequences!

Patterns.

For anything but a very simple garment (loose fitting, no darts, no fitted sleeves) you probably need a pattern.

http://www.simplicitynewlook.com/

Simplicity Patterns are usually easy to follow. The website is also fairly easy to navigate. There is not a huge selection on there, however.

http://www.jaycotts.co.uk/acatalog/Sewing_Patterns.html

This site has a good selection of patterns from the major manufacturers, and is also easy to navigate, and offers up to 50% discount on retail proice which is worth having! I think I may have bought from them before. I've had good results with Simplicity, New Look and Butterick patterns. Vogue Patterns are nice, but tend to be more complicated.

http://www.sewdirect.com/acatalog/Sewing_Patterns.html

I don't find this site as easy to use, but they have some quite cool stuff in their haberdashery section, so I may be making a purchase soon.

http://www.sewessential.co.uk/CategoryTree.asp?CategoryID=1235&gclid=CL3zrpyXzKACFQUulAodmiMb0A

I think I've bought other stuff from them before. The site is easy to use, and they have the dvantage, like Jaycotts and Sew Direct of selling other things you might need, which may save you a bit on shipping.


http://www.freeneedle.com/
Free patterns and instructions. This site links to other sites and blogs, patterns and links are variable. This is one to spend time browsing one day when you've got nothing much else on, to see if you can find anything useful.

And a bit of fun!
It wouldn't be a me post without a bit of costuming! Remember the bonnet I brought to class? Here are some instrctions for making one!!

http://www.simplicitynewlook.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgwWJHzPpr8
And, slightly more complicated, but these are the instructions I actually used.

What I have been doing in December

I have now finished all but one of my Xmas projects, so I can present them for your delectation, if anyone actually reads this thing!

First up are the little Chrimbo Ornaments for the Perfumed Waters Ornament Swap.



These are three completed little silk velvet trees, two outlined in gold smooth passing, with "jewels" from Walthamstow market as ornaments. One has bright check purl as tinsel, the other has Purl purl, one has an embroidered trunk with split stitch for "bark" and the other is beads. they are hand sewn up over card padded with 1/4 inch polyester batting, and inside the two smaller ones i popped a scrap of silk soaked in BPAL "Midnight Mass" perfume because it smells Christmassy to me. The bigger one I used Gilt Rococo for the outline, and couched down sequin trim for the garland, and lovely holographic sequins for the baubles. He's my favourite and I'm keeping him, though I don't think a tree will happen at my house this year (all out of spoons).

Then there are the ornaments for the Avebury Yule Feast Secret Santa. A little heart and a reindeer from Andre Zuill's charming free designs. I have done a fair number of these for the festive period and I adore them. I can't draw, so finding charming free embroidery designs is such a boon!





The heart is outlined in stem stitch and buttonhole, and embellished with goldwork, beading and a tiny bit of satin stitch. I used Mulberry Silk Medium, and the fabric was some silk duchesse satin left over from Allison's fifties frock.

The Reindeer is done in my handweavers studio silks, and embellished with beads. I don't have a finished pic of him for some reason, so here he is cut out and ready to be made up. I made little lavender bags from lavender from the garden and popped them inside alongside foam board shapes and lots of batting, so they can be used on coathangers to freshen wardrobes when Xmas is over.

Finally there is a little owl for my beloved's mum.


I made him up into a spectacle case. He is all done in Mulberry Silks, on tan silk dupion (left over from my 18th century petticoat). I put some cotton poplin underneath to stabilise him, as the fabric is quite light. He is embellished with beads and goldwork, and I used split stitch for the feathers, as to me it looks feathery. I call him the little Peachy Wol, because he is not brown, or even tawny, he's peachy, and he's clearly a Wol, rather than an Owl! I like the gold spangles for his eyes. I sewed one on back to front, so he is slightly cross eyed, but I really like him that way, so I left it like that. The larger owl I am doing for my friend Tash, who hosted a most splendid yule feast is equally an Owl, not a Wol, and will not be cross eyed.