Solely Sewing

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~Traci

New classes for me via Craftsy!

Hello there peeps..

How is everyone enjoying their Sunday?

I’m having a lazy afternoon, filled with coffee and shopping!

You might have seen that Craftsy are having a flash sale to celebrate they’re Birthday! There are a few bargains to be had… It says that there is up to 50% off, But I just got 3 new classes 2 of which were just £6 that’s a massive 70 odd % off!!

So what classes did I pick up?!?!

Free Motion Quilting a Sampler

By Leah Day

£6

Sew Better, Sew Faster: Garment Industry Secrets

With Janet Pray

£9.50

Design It, Stitch It: Hand Embroidery

with Jessica Marquez

£6

I can’t wait to get stuck in!

There is a class that I found to be fantastic that’s Beginner Serging with Amy Alan…. It’s not on sale but if you want to get to grips with your overlocker this is the class for you!

Well, That’s it for me I’m off to get my Sunday Dinner!

Traci

** This is an affiliate post.

Fancy a wee catch up?!?!

Hello there peep’s

So, As you all know dear readers, I am indeed a sporadic blogger! As much as I wish I wasn’t that is just me.. I plan on keeping on top of Solely Sewing, this is post is more for me than it is you if I’m honest! I am giving myself a public kick up the ass!!

So a little catch up for you all huh….

I am still sewing away and have been recently finished a Mother of the Bride Jacket with matching embellishments and a wee clutch, true to form, I forgot to take a photo of the finished garment! WALLY

I am also still working away on alterations, my current jobs are a white trousers and top (two piece set) that needs taken in by one size (10 to 8) And a lace communion dress that needs taken in 2 inches and the sleeves to be lined as the lace is itchy on the arms, I’m planning on using light weight muslin. As ever there are trousers to be shortened…. Is anyone else drowning in these!! it’s crazy, that being said when you find a pair of jeans that fit just right, there’s no problem in getting them the right length!

I’m in the last few weeks of my pattern cutting course, which is going real well. I have my skirt pattern drafted and am now moving on to my top, it is a mini collection (Trio) and I am hoping to get these in to PDF form in 2015, when I have got used to my routine and my time management problems have been resolved!

My other news is that I now have a job, I’ve been easing into it. I have my first week over me and I have to say….. I am loving it, it’s a new project called “The Fashion and Textiles Hub” I am super excited to be involved in such a innovative business. This opens in the summer and we are now getting everything prepared for the big opening, I shall be sewing…. Amongst other things, the sky is the limit!

I also have family/home life to keep up with… HOW DO PEOPLE DO IT!!!!!

I will keep you up to date on my new work adventure, as well as everything else….. This again is my public ass whooping, and purely for my benefit!

So do you have a lot on?!?!

How do you share your time out?!?!

Time Management tips in the comments please!!

Traci

Make do and mend

Hello there peeps!

How is everyone?

I’ve been sewing away mostly mends at the minute… Although I have plenty other things on the go, I have so many posts to write but my course is coming to an end and there are not enough hours in the day to blog too!

So my mends… These are a few for my boys old nursery school.

A dress in need of a little TLC!

I finished it of with new stitch I found on my machine Santa sent me! I love the finish, it’s very neat. I knew that I couldn’t use my overlocker, as there was so little to work with. But the end result is a good one!!

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And a couple of teddies in need if a little hand stitching too!

Both these required hand stitching… Ladder stitch is my go to for a easy clean finish.

I love that I can give a little back. My boys nursery school was the greatest start to schooling!

I have a few more posts in the pipe line, but for now I’m off to start a few more alterations!

Traci

Bridesmaid Dress Alteration

Hey there,

So I’ve been MIA for a while BUT I’ve been super busy with class, alterations & dressmaking!

I have recently finished a bridesmaid dress….

The hem was taken up by 1.5 inches… There were 3 skirts, outer, cotton and a lining too.

The outer fabric was a little tricky, it frayed heaps on the bias but I got there with a little fight!!

So after the hem, I altered the corseted back. Both sides needed hand stitched the snaps needed moved by 1.2 inches and the other side was moved by the same amount.

Mrs D was happy with the results!

Traci

Have you been sewing/altering lately?
Please do share!

Traci

My pattern cutting adventure

Hey there,

Just wanted to say hi, I’ve not disappeared! I’m still working from my phone, as my photos are on here.

I’m in the last few weeks of my Pattern Cutting Course, it’s all about tying up the ends and drafting my sketches now.

I have my 3 sketches down, a skirt, top and a dress. And I’m now drafting my skirt, I have class tomorrow and can’t wait…. It’s brilliant seeing my designs come to life!

There’s a lot of “Underpinning Knowledge” in my course, and I really just want to get on with the “Practical Activities” but the 2 go hand in hand!

I’m so happy to be nearing the end if the course, I can get down to the pattern making!

This is my skirt progress.. I’m on the last draft, my trio shall hopefully be me on my way to being a designer… Once I’ve got to grips with some software. Then I can offer PDF patterns!

Well I have a few posts to do so I’m off for a coffee!

Traci

Crocheted shamrock bunting & appliqué tie

Happy St Patricks Day peeps,

How is everyone?

We’ve had a fab day out and about up town in Derry. There’s been a great vibe about the place…. Even if it’s been raining all day long!

I done a bit of crochet to spruce up the window Shamrock bunting to be precise! (I’ll add the link to the pattern later, I’m posting from my phone!)

I used this lovely green Aran from my stash, with a 6mm hook…

Isn’t it cute…..

Here’s a wee close up for you!

I even managed to use up a bit if my fabric stash too… I decided rather than buying a bog standard shirt from up town, to make the boys a one of a kind!

I drew a wee tie template…..

Then let the boys choose the placement…..

Affixed it with the ever faithful bondaweb & iron…..

Then stitched it in place…..

The boys liked them… It’s great they love to have photos taken now!

So what do you think?!? Do you like them?!? Did you do anything nice today?!?

Traci

The vintage mint dress alteration

Hello there again,

So I think I’m going to march on with the phone blogging! I have so much to share, and am just too damn impatient to wait until l have sorted the computer problem rectified.

So what have I been up to today? Well another alteration, this time a sweet mint vintage floor length dress! I was asked to take the hem up by 15 inches and replace the zip. Again I forgot to take a before photo ~~what a Wally~~ I have learnt my lesson with this and taken a photo of the next alteration already!

So here we are at the prep-ing stage….

That was part one…. The seam ripping!

I have to say this was a very full skirt, it took near 2hours just to measure, cut & press…. I was glad to get to the stitching stage!

I was certainly glad to see the hem finished… At this stage u had to pop out to my local fabric shop. To get the right zip!

I got a really good match on the zip (the black cotton and interfacing are for the next alteration)

I got to use the zipper foot on my new sewing machine (I must blog about her later) I wish I hadn’t been so scared of zippers for so long! With the right tutorial and the right foot they are soo not that scary!

I finished the zipper off with a little hand stitching as I wanted to keep the dress the same as it had been constructed before, it was a hand made number!

This is a back view….

And a close up of the hem…..

And a close up of the zip…. I can’t seem to preview my photos so bear with me on quality! I’m hoping they are ok!

So there she is all done up! She will be off back home tomorrow! And I have the next alteration all prep-ed ready for me to work on later.

Well I feel I might be back peeps! Oh how u have missed blogging!

See you soon!

Traci

Hello, I’m still here!

Hello there, so as the title if this post says I’m still here and still sewing away. I am currently waiting on a computer ( this post is being typed up on my phone…. Let’s see how it goes) I’m hoping to have a computer real soon, I’m missing blogging a lot. And have heaps to share!

I have a new sewing machine to show you (thank you Santa) It’s a brother FS-40, it’s my first computerised machine and we’re still getting to know one another! There are lots of argh moments, that being there are heaps of ahh moments too.

So what have I been up to…. I’ve been doing a lot if alterations as ever. I love alterations I get to work with different fabrics and a bit if problem solving too. This dress needed its sleeves removed, it’s vintage and I decided to go with contrast bias binding for a finish.

When I was ripping out the seams of the sleeve I was a bit heavy handed…. I ripped the dress by about an inch. I decided to use my French curve and cut the rip out!

I decided to go with the contrast binding as it emulated the trim on the neck line!

I used blue thread from the stash…. It’s like a spaghetti junction in my box, how do you store yours?

After some pressing I think it’s turned out well…. I would even go as far as to say I would wear this vintage lovely!

TAH-DAH here she is, I wish I had taken a full view. It’s a lovely dress!

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I’m hoping to have a computer up soon, I don’t get too many edit options. My general layout for posts would not be the way this has been published, but I so miss blogging that I had to give the phone a try!

Please do bare with me!

I hope you’ll all be glad to see I’m back! Say hello in the comments if you fancy, it would give me a wee boost!

Traci

Make do and mend – Beading replacement on lovely River Island dress

Hello there,

I was recently asked to mend a dress, It was not a alteration as such but some beads needed replacing.

I took some beads from the back of the shoulders, and fixed the flowers at the front….

There were three flowers in need of work….

When I investigated these few beads that were missing, I noticed that the dreaded chain stitch was holding everything together. So after a bit of knot tying I secured the beads, then went ahead and stitched the beads I had stolen from the back to flowers…..