Tips and things

I finished my last class for the year last week so hopefully over the next two months will free up time for my own projects. Yayyyyyyyyyyyy

Here's some tips I would like to share with you.

I bought yarn in a sale for a large coat/cardigan for next winter.  Since the yarn is in hanks, I thought I would pre-wind some into cakes before I start knitting.
To keep the cakes secure, store them in old clean stockings.


I am currently working on a unpaid commission for a group.  There is quite a bit of hand work and I have had some complications to work through with the fabrics chosen.  The wall hanging ( 1.8 mtrs square approx) is to look like metal and jewels.  The back ground is some form of man made fibre (unlabelled curtain remnant)  and the 12 jewels are each presented with different coloured silk.  To finish of the jewels I need a braid.  You can imagine how hard it is to find a specific colour which also has to match all the colours and fabric types in this piece.  In the end I had to make my braid.

I used two strips of the brass like braid and one narrow black and gold braid

Sewed the two brass braids together using my open toe applique foot, Zigzag stitch and marching thread.

Overlay the black/gold fine braid over my Zigzag stitches and hand stitched it down.

The braid is then hand stitched around each pieces of silk.  Notice the background fabric?

I have stitched it with out batting onto calico using matching embroidery thread 

to create the illusion of rough metal.

Every time I am in Napier I love to visit "Two Lippy Ladies". https://twolippyladies.co.nz/
They are renowned for their wonderful vintage dresses.  I love them and they are reasonably priced considering the amoung of fabric that goes into each dress.
Of course I left with a wonderful fun dress - fabric covered in sewing notions!  I wanted a petticoat to go under it.  They had some for sale but were made just from tulle and see through - not good for the Wellington Wind and not a good look for a lady in her late 50s!!.
I work with a clever colleague - Gemma.  She talked me through one of her petticoat designs.  Its essentially a tube petticoat.  I have included some tulle  but most of it is made from poplin.
My tip I want to share is sewing the elastic band on to the skirt.  The skirt before gathering is absolutely massive.  Pinning the elastic onto it was NOT fun.  I ended up with blood on my fabric and pins falling out as I worked my way round the band.  So instead of lots of pins, I tacked sections of the skirt to the band so when I sewed, I stretched and sewed between each section.  No more blood.

Tacked sections

My petticoat - I missed out one of Gemma's instructions so my layers are not even.

Check out the dress.  I love the fabric and design.  My petticoat is just a tad to low 

but I can roll it up is from the top.

Thank you for Reading my post.  Until next month - happy stitching
Shirls

P.S. - My result on using the shopping bags I made in my previous post.  The smaller bags worked ok but the larger didnt - two much stretch.  Better of with something more solid.