Yet another abandoned project you ask? The Baby Corn dress has had a bit of a rough summer, first when I tried it on half-way through knitting it, only to realise that it was gigantic and I would probably never wear it. At that point I decided that I should rip it back to the bust and decrease the number of stitches to make it narrower, and then convert it into a top - something a bit like the Petrie shell, which I wear quite a lot. And then I was on holiday for 2 weeks and had to put it down. But I am determined to finish it eventually!
Summer is apparently the month when a lot of knitters I know pick up their sewing. I was in a bit of a confusion as to whether I wanted a loom or a sewing machine for my birthday, so I just didn't decide and the decision was made for me - a sewing machine is now mine!
When I opened the box and took it out, I was terrified - so many buttons and dials, some many bits and pieces that I could break or lose. My friend, a seasoned sewer (or sewist?), reassured me that it is easy once you to grips with it, so when we got back from holiday I decided to brave some sewing.
After the initial terror of not having a clue how to use it, I managed to experiment using cut-offs from a dress that was in my charity bag, learning to sew in a straight line, and hemmed (very badly!) a pair of tracksuit bottoms that I had cut into shorts a while back.
At that point I felt ready to start a real project - I picked an envelope cushion cover from Sewing Machine Basics, the book I bought to teach myself. As the book suggests, this is a good first project because all you need to know is how to sew in a straight line and how to do a double hem.
The cushion is made in three pieces, a complete front piece and two back pieces that overlap to form, as the name suggests, an envelope. After ironing the fabric (advice from the other book I bought, Love at First Stitch), I drew the cushion measurements and cut them up.
That was lesson number one. After I hemmed the pieces and assembled them, I realised what a terrible job I had done in measuring and cutting, as they were nowhere near properly aligned and overlapping! Apparently using a ruler does not guarantee that your lines will be straight. Apparently, also, it might be a good idea to do all of this on a table instead of the floor.
This is where my impatience rises up and makes itself known. Of course what I really wanted is to get the sewing machine and be able to make beautiful dresses and accessories immediately. So clearly I'm not there yet. But no matter, the cover may not be perfect but it still fits the cushion and the dodgy stitching is either hidden inside the cushion or not visible because of the white on white background.
 |
| Poor Baby Corn - back to square one |
Summer is apparently the month when a lot of knitters I know pick up their sewing. I was in a bit of a confusion as to whether I wanted a loom or a sewing machine for my birthday, so I just didn't decide and the decision was made for me - a sewing machine is now mine!
When I opened the box and took it out, I was terrified - so many buttons and dials, some many bits and pieces that I could break or lose. My friend, a seasoned sewer (or sewist?), reassured me that it is easy once you to grips with it, so when we got back from holiday I decided to brave some sewing.
After the initial terror of not having a clue how to use it, I managed to experiment using cut-offs from a dress that was in my charity bag, learning to sew in a straight line, and hemmed (very badly!) a pair of tracksuit bottoms that I had cut into shorts a while back.
At that point I felt ready to start a real project - I picked an envelope cushion cover from Sewing Machine Basics, the book I bought to teach myself. As the book suggests, this is a good first project because all you need to know is how to sew in a straight line and how to do a double hem.
The cushion is made in three pieces, a complete front piece and two back pieces that overlap to form, as the name suggests, an envelope. After ironing the fabric (advice from the other book I bought, Love at First Stitch), I drew the cushion measurements and cut them up.
That was lesson number one. After I hemmed the pieces and assembled them, I realised what a terrible job I had done in measuring and cutting, as they were nowhere near properly aligned and overlapping! Apparently using a ruler does not guarantee that your lines will be straight. Apparently, also, it might be a good idea to do all of this on a table instead of the floor.
This is where my impatience rises up and makes itself known. Of course what I really wanted is to get the sewing machine and be able to make beautiful dresses and accessories immediately. So clearly I'm not there yet. But no matter, the cover may not be perfect but it still fits the cushion and the dodgy stitching is either hidden inside the cushion or not visible because of the white on white background.
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