FibreJoy's Blog

I finally finished a winter skirt, Simplicity 2226. I had been knitting, sewing and handspinning non-stop the last few weeks, but no FO (finished object) to show!

I chose to make version A, but without the belt loops (called carrier in the pattern).

I really liked the idea of trying an easy way to add 2 big front pockets, and did a French seam for the side seams, which look and feel like having a more professional finish. I also got to use my Janome blind hem foot for the first time, and liked how the hem turned out; not to mention that it was a lot faster to do the hemming, but because of the French side seams, I had a lot of bulky fabric to go over, so I left those 2 small areas, the left and right seams to hem by hand.

I used a heavy weight cotton fabric I got at Fabricland Toronto, where I also got the Simplicity pattern.

The front and back of the skirt are gathered, and I found the fabric to be heavy to do this easily: it took me to stitch 3 lines of basting stitches to do it in case 1 thread broke -which happened when I was almost done with both the front and back gatherings!-, but I am satisfied with the results.

I am planning to make another skirt with this pattern, using a lighter fabric to wear in the Summer. I will also be going down in the size of the pattern, since I found that the size I chose, even though is the correct one for my measurements, it wastes a lot of fabric in the gatherings. I would prefer to have a bit less and make the skirt a bit tighter next time!

Take a look at a couple of shots we took of my new skirt:

Winter skirt

Winter skirt

Winter skirt

I’ve also finished a new set I made for my friend’s Y.’s birthday. This time, I made a zippered pouch with clear zipper end tabs -no more puckering there!-, a key fob and a tissue paper holder. I used some dupioni silk for the exterior and Amy Butler’s print cotton for the lining. She loved her gift and how the fabrics match!

Finally, and because I am more into learning to sew clothes -and loving it!-, I got a new book I had pre-ordered a few weeks ago, ‘Simple Modern Sewing: 8 Basic Patterns to Create 25 Favorite Garments‘ by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha. I am totally in love with the simplicity of the lines of Japanese sewing design and patterns, but had always found the patterns extremely difficult to read, and not just because they are written in Japanese! The lines of the different sizes in a pattern are sometimes most of the times overlapped and it is just difficult to re-trace the size you choose without feeling your eyes are breaking! The patterns contained in this book are simple enough to trace on your own tracing paper and even the paper used for them is very strong, not like the tissue-paper used in commercial patterns.

Like the name of the book indicates, with 8 basic patterns you can create a lot more variations and it can be used by beginners as well as by more advanced sewists, to create your own modified designs. And that is what I am planning to do: start with the basics and modify according to my own designs and ideas!

I’ve finished the Birdie Sling shoulder bag and really like the results. I love making bags, and this was no exception! After finishing it, I was kind of expecting my husband would say to me:

– Oh boy… yet another bag!

But this time he said:

– Oh boy… that’s the prettiest bag you’ve made so far!

It is an easy pattern that involves some basic techniques, and since the original pattern produces a very big bag, I’ve decreased the size about 25%, to get a smaller one. I had seen some pictures of other people’s Birdie Slings and always found that it was too big for my liking.

The only thing I did differently from the pattern -other than decreasing the size-, was that I sewed a zippered inner bag pocket, instead of a big regular one. You can find a good tutorial for this type of pocket here.

One of the things I like the most is the fabrics I bought for the bag. I’ve found 2 BEAUTIFUL cotton prints at The Workroom in Toronto for the exterior panels and the zippered inside pocket, and then also got a solid matching cotton fabric at Fabricland.

The print cottons are from a collection called ‘La Petite École’ by Moda Fabrics.

Remember these slippers I made a while back? Well… living in an apartment with carpet in almost all rooms, the soles wore out pretty quickly and I ended up having to make a new pair.

I used a Japanese-themed cotton fabric that I got at JoAnn in Buffalo, and for the lining I used a solid brown cotton I had in my stash.

New fabric shoes in Japanese-themed cotton fabric

Again, I covered the buttons with the same exterior fabric:

But this time, I made a washable sole that I attached with velcro. For the sole I used some felted knitted fabric I had from my first experiment with felting. I had made a small bag using Lamb’s Pride bulky in a pretty yellow yarn, threw it in the washing machine for a few minutes and obtained a pretty dense knitted fabric… exactly what I needed for these slippers!

It’s a tunic I’ve made using New Look’s 6803 version ‘D’! It took me a couple of weekends to finish it, including the always time consuming setting up the pattern pieces and cutting fabrics. I always end up being surprised by the amount of time I spend doing this.

Since I wanted to ‘test’ this pattern, I used an inexpensive poly fabric I had in my stash that I got at Fabricland Toronto, and some floral print cotton for contrast that I bought at JoAnn in Buffalo, NY. I used the contrast fabric for the pointed placket, the sleeve edges and the hidden pockets. Loved how it matched the main fabric and I have actually worn it a couple of times, when the weather was not too hot in Toronto -we have a scorching heat of 35º Celsius these days!

I now have another fabric I am saving to make another tunic, which is a jersey knit, therefore, it will have its own challenges when I get to sew it, but it should be a good chance to try my hand at working with that type of fabric in a garment (Note to self: remember to get the appropriate needle for my sewing machine!).

I definitely learned a few things about making a garment, a thing I find pretty difficult, especially when it comes to fitting.

Pattern cut and laid out on main fabric

Detail of the pointed slit placket

New Look 6803

New look by the Toronto beach

Pocket in contrast cotton fabric

A month ago or so I participated in Jessica’s giveaway for one of the 2 beautiful Braided Weave Belts she had made. She has the very creative blog Me Sew Crazy, where she shows her work as a sewist and crafter.

I love her work, so I decided to comment on the kids belts she was offering to give away and I won the navy blue!

It is beautifully made. I really like her idea of using thick rope or piping for the braid and the colour she used, a pretty navy blue, with the ends in a solid cream cotton, is a really nice combination. I am planning to give it to Little T., my niece in Toronto this afternoon, when we will be celebrating her 5th birthday, as one of her presents.

Visiting crafters’ blogs, who are also mums, always inspire me to make stuff for kids and babies, which I love! And with Spring coming soon to Toronto -well… yeah… officially it IS Spring, but we have a chilling -13 degrees Celsius right now-, there are plenty of pretty cotton fabrics I will be using to make clothes for the kids around us!

Here are a couple of pictures I took as soon as I received the package. Thank you Jessica for the beautiful work and your generosity!

Hi there!

I am so in love with Amy Butler’s designs for fabrics, that I got a set of half yards a while ago from Mimi’s Etsy shop, and used 3 of the fabrics in the set to make a fully-lined small lunch bag. I wanted something pretty and practical and I added a cover that closes like a drawstring bag on top.

Here is a view of the complete set of fabrics I had purchased:

Half yards of Amy Butler fabrics

After I cut all the pieces for the bag I ended up with this:

Cut pieces for lunch bag

And this is the finished product:

I really like the result, the only thing I would do different if I were to make another lunch bag is to try one a bit larger, so I would not only have space for my lunch, but also for my reading material I usually take on the subway with me when I go to work!

And of course, there is no need to mention that I thought this could very well make a perfect knitting project bag!

Today’s temperature in Toronto made me want to stay home all day, with a windchill of -35° degrees Celsius, imagine that! So I am spending our Sunday updating my blog, knitting with warm yarn, and possibly watching a movie on TV in the evening.

I attended the baby shower of my dear friend M. yesterday, and gave her a baby gift set I made for her soon-to-be-born baby girl, Virginia. Here are some pictures:

Virginia's baby gift set - Swaddle blanket, bib, 2 burp clothes, diaper pouch

Virginia's baby gift set

Then, while browsing the Net I’ve found an image that made me chuckle and I am sharing it with you. I would love to see that little bird in action doing a zig-zag stitch!

Isn’t it lovely?

Wilma and her avian sewing machine

Have a great Sunday, wherever you are, and if you live in Canada… stay warm!