A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Postbox in a Niche

I often see postboxes set in stone walls, but this is the only one I can think of that is set into a dressed stone niche.

My Old Gardening Shirt

It used to be a smart long sleeved shirt blouse, and I wore it until the collar and cuffs frayed. Then I cut off the collar and sleeves and used it as a gardening shirt.

The other day I noticed that it had worn so thin that it might disintegrate next time I wore it, which could be embarrassing.

What I particularly like about the shirt is that none of the seams gave out - they lasted longer than the actual fabric.  The side seams are French seams...

... and the yoke is double layered, and held firm with a double row of stitching.

This is why it has lasted so long and was so comfortable to wear.  It was made in India of 100% cotton, using straight stitch machines.  In the1970s, 80s and early 90s I always used to look for cotton blouses and shirts made in India because I knew that they would last.  This shirt is roughly the same age as my son, who is 25.

For the past few weeks I have been thinking of making another pattern for a sleeveless summer shirt. I intended doing some serious pattern drafting and making a toile in muslin.  Then I realised that I had been wearing the ideal toile - this old shirt, which I know is a comfortable fit. This afternoon I have cut it up to make another home made pattern. 

Welcome to Kathi of Run n Stitch, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 7 - Barefoot Treadling

For the first time for ages I have done a bit of work towards the free motion sampler quilt.  I am using up some of my mini stash of Oakshott cottons.  Each block is made up of two main colours, separated by a narrow strip made up of little oddments.  The first step is to quilt the central strip, then do something interesting on either side.

Some of the panels have turned out better than others.  Today I decided to try out a fancy leaf based on 18th century silk designs.  My birthday treat was a visit to the Fashion Museum in Bath, where there is a fantastic exhibition of Georgian costumes.  I spent ages with my nose glued to the glass, staring at the gorgeous colours and designs, and came home with a book of photographs of Spitalfields silks in the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum

A bit of extra fun today was making this video.

The video is a bit fuzzy, I know, but you get the general idea - hot day, treadling barefoot and working up a raging thirst for tea.

Here is an individual leaf.  First I quilt the veins of the leaf, then go round it in a simple leaf shape, and then round again in a serrated leaf shape.

So here goes again with Free Motion Mavericks...

A very cosy, select party last week.  Many thanks to Gina, Hilary, Gwyned and Dora for taking part.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  .
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far bloggers from USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany and Holland have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week!

Linking up to Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off the Wall Friday

A Dress for Meg - 6 - Preparing the Collar

The collar is made from two identical pieces cut from the pattern piece that I drafted.  The two pieces are sewn together with right sides facing each other, with the stitching about a quarter of an inch from the edge.  Then the seam allowance is trimmed down to about an eighth of an inch or a fraction over.

The easiest way to turn a curved seam the right way round is with the rounded end of a spoon handle.

Next comes a bit of fuss which is well worth the effort.  It is nice for the actual join of the seam to disappear out of sight to the underneath of the edge of the collar.  To do this I pin alongside the seam, pulling the join just into sight.

Then I iron down the seam, initially with the tip of the iron while the pins are still in place.  Here is the ironed seam showing the underneath of the collar...

... and here is the upper side of the collar.

Once the collar has been ironed the neck edges of the upper and under collar no longer lie one on top of the other.  There is no need to trim it, because the seam allowance will need to be graded once it is sewn.

To stabilise the seam at the edge of the collar I like to do edge stitching.  To keep the stitching even and close to the edge, I use the adjustable cording foot and the seam guide.

The stitching stays parallel to the edge, even when going round curves.

Now it is time for the narrow rick rack.  Again I am using the seam guide, and feeding the rick rack through the braiding foot.

Because the rick rack is woven on the bias it curves evenly.

Here is a close-up of the edge stitching and rick rack...

... and here is the completed collar, ready to be attached to the bodice.

Linking up with Connies blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - An English Summer

We don't get them every year, but when we do they are rather nice.

 

Free Motion Mavericks Link Up - Week 6

Pour yourselves a cup of tea everyone, and celebrate the 500th blog post.

Just think, I used to worry that I would run out of things to say.

It just so happens that last week's not so brilliant experiment has ended up as a tweedy tea cosy in fetching pink.

At one point when I was sewing this curved seam it felt as though I was making one half of a rather large woolly bra.  Perhaps I should try my hand at novelty thermal underwear...

... fully insulated with thermal curtain lining.

Thank you to everyone who linked up last week!  

A special welcome to Marly, the first participant from Holland, who showed her Celtic Solstice quilt all finished; Dora had her stars and stripes quilt finished for 4th July; Linda has had her quilt "The Visit" accepted for a show: Gina has worked FMQ into tiny spaces on a gorgeous mini quilt; Hilary has had an interesting and frustrating time quilting on gold fabric; Kathy has shown a great collection of finished projects, including another set of twins' quilts: and Gwyned has done her own interpretation of a Lori Kennedy FMQ design, as well as some wonderful thread painting of autumn leaves.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  .
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far bloggers from USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany and Holland have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week!

Linking up today with Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday

The Hybrid Shuttle

Every now and again I get messages from people who need help with their vintage machines. Last week I had a message from a gentleman in Germany who has a Little Vesta minus its shuttle, and he needs to know what he should look for.

This shuttle is from my Little Vesta sewing machine.  The shuttle for my Vesta Transverse Shuttle is identical to this one, and instructions for threading are shown in the Vesta manual.

It is known as a hybrid shuttle, because it is a later development of the boat shuttle, threading in exactly the same way as a shuttle for a vibrating shuttle machine.

It is easy to recognise by its smooth flat side.

This particular shuttle is 4.8 centimetres long and about 1.1 centimetres across (or, for those like me who have a deep seated affection for imperial measurements, one and seven eighths of an inch by seven sixteenths of an inch - more or less).  It is much shorter than the hybrid shuttle for the Frister and Rossmann machines, which are much larger machines.

The first place I always look for bits and pieces for old sewing machines is Helen Howes's excellent website.  She knows more about machines than I ever will.