Showing posts with label pincushions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pincushions. Show all posts

Sunday, 14 February 2021

A life time of sewing, sewing room organizing.


Sewing room, my favourite place

Yes I do have a life time of sewing memories plus patterns, fabric and notions...more than anyone should own.
But when dressmaking has been your passion and vocation for fifty years plus it's understandable.
My Instagram friends Ali from @arabesquescissors and Lauren from @mollyandmama have been encouraging us all to get sorted in our sewing spaces...to get #seworderly and as my sewing room needed a major re-sort here I am.

Welcome to my sewing room. 




I am incredibly lucky to have a dedicated sewing room, to be able to shut the door on projects in the making and all that creative mess.
 My room is actually a bedroom but used as a sewing space, the wardrobe has been altered for me with a purpose built bench and shelves. Bifold doors close to hide the space if so desired. In the middle of the room I have my old painted wooden table with it's heavy turned legs, it is brilliant as it so stable and has two extensions that can be pulled out for laying long lengths of fabric.
 It's certainly not Pinterest perfect with beautiful glass fronted display cabinets like some that I covet, but it's a pleasant room and serves me well.

The modified wardrobe.


Although my storage system has been in place for a while it certainly needed sorting. Things get put a way in a hurry and not where they should go and that makes for a frustrating time tying to find just that certain ribbon etc.
 And if your wondering where the fabric is ...well that's another story.
I don't keep the bulk of my fabric on display, it's in see through plastic bins in the dark of my linen cupboard and yet to be re-sorted.
Things fade here especially cotton fabric. The light here is just so bright and I have ruined fabric more than once leaving it folded on my table.

A few pics to show you.

 

I like to keep these scissors and snips
in my lovely old china jugs.
  

My Overlocker or Serger as its sometimes called sits
 on the bench beside my ordinary sewing machine
 and I just move between the two.
 
Patterns....a life time of collecting.

Looking for a zip, piping,
 elastic or other essential notions...well here they are.

Vintage trims..ohh how I love these,
 just perfect for finishing off
 some small project or embellishing a little dress.

These are stuck to the wall by my machine,
 I actually bought these in China on one of my visits
and I know you can find them anywhere but I love them
 and the small one is perfect for
 threaded needles if you need to hand stich in a hurry.

Yes I could organize these threads better but
 I find this vintage tin handy as it sits on the shelf directly
 above my machine...and it has memories.💗

Small plastic boxes for labels, ribbons, buttons, lace etc.

Stacking baskets to keep projects separate.

Display your makes and what gives you pleasure.

This little bathroom unit adds storage and beauty.

Bifold doors to close if desired.




All closed away.



 
Well I'm yet to tackle the fabric stash but it's on my list.

Do checkout Ali's Blog and Lauren's blog, wonderful inspirational reading there.

Well happy sewing

Glenis







Sunday, 25 June 2017

Bunnies and Cream..soft toys and other projects.


Playing with fabric

Have you ever seen such sweet fabric, bunnies, strawberries, flowers and gingham, all the elements to delight the maker.
When this fabric first came out I thought how absolutely delightful and I bought it of course . It was the soft colours and checks that first drew me in although the other designs from the range are just as lovely.









This of course is my 'Bobby Bunny pattern' and how gorgeous it looks in this fabric.




Other little projects are these sweet pincushions, so simple with the hand embroidered bunnies on the front.




Just showcasing this sweet line of fabric by designer Lauren Nash, I have also used some Sweet Orchard fabric by Sedef Imer which is also one of my favourites.

Happy sewing

Glenis



Sunday, 25 December 2016

Dresses and quilts, a sewing year in review



My favourite makes for  2016

 Kerah's quilt 
I have just finished this quilt for my little Granddaughter, she's five, in fact it's under the tree. I used a lovely pattern by Carina Gardner I found on Pinterest.


Granddaughter dresses, an array of makes over the year.

 I'm a detail person and love 'sewing small' it's my term for petite projects...my post about it here.

How come I am just finding out the joy of making Zipper pouches.


What sewer can ever have enough Pincushions, fun makes with a story behind it.


Crib quilts, mini's and wall hangings.



The highlights of my year have been a Blog hopNanacompany swap and my first feature in the Homespun magazine.
Books that have inspired me are 
'Sew Illustrated' by Minky Kim and Kristen Esser
'Sweetly stitched handmades' by Amy Sinibaldi
Gorgeous fabric from designers Sedef Imer and Elea Lutz and my favourite of all Instagram





Ali of Arabesque Scissors is doing a TGIFF thats 'Thank goodness its finish Friday' 2016 project roundup 
and
do check out Saylittlehen as well to join in the 2016 creative review.

Glenis

Thursday, 8 September 2016

Pincushions... drawing with thread

Mini Pincushions... free-motion applique, drawing with thread 


I really must start this post by saying that my latest passion, drawing with thread has been inspired by a lovely book 'Sew Illustrated' by Minky Kim and Kirstin Esser. I had seen wonderful work by Minky on Pinterest and had greatly admired it, I love the sketched look to it all, the combination of the fabric and the thread drawing is really so appealing to me.
So I bought the book and started a few small projects from it and was soon slightly obsessed with it all.
The pincushions are adorable and quick to make I have added my own slant to them making them slightly bigger and adding a band of fabric to the bottom. I do all my work free-motion so I sew with the feed dogs down, you need a firm hand and you move the work around rather than the machine pushing it through for you.



My illustrations are not perfect but I personally like that sketched look, a little bit quirky.


You can see I have added a little tape tag to one side and backed them with different fabric.
Anything goes really and a 4'' square of fabric uses all ones scraps.
The little sewing machine pattern is from the book but as you may notice I have a left handed sewing machine... silly of me forgot to mirror image it. The other patterns are my own, the cats are my favourite but the little potted plants are sweet too. 






Fun and simple to make and I have a garden fete coming up in the summer, its a fundraiser for the children's hospital... these will go well on my little stall.

Happy sewing
Glenis


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