More experiments with the new sewing machine

Did I mention I have a new sewing machine?

Well, having done some worthy straight lines, I decided I would do something more frivolous. Rather than being completely aimless, I thought I would make a cover for my over locker. Leaving it out all the time isn’t sensible, as dust can’t be good for it. On the other hand, putting it back into the cardboard box and lifting it back onto the top shelf each time is just a bit too much effort.

So I cut out some suitable rectangles of calico, drew on some shapes of about the right size in pencil, and started sewing random patterns in a variety of colours of thread. And I it didn’t take me long to find that, although I liked the results, there was a bit more to it than I bargained for.

Firstly, there was a vast difference in the width of the stitch, which wasn’t apparent from the instructions. Then there was the placement of the stitch. Some of them start in the middle of the band they produce, while others start at side, leaving either an unexpected gap, or going right over what I had just done. And the final problem was that, even with my glasses on, it is difficult to be sure of the difference between some of the stitches. Indeed sometimes it turns out they are the same stitch on two vastly different scales.

So I got another bit of fabric, and worked down the menu, marking the number of the option with a Sharpie from time to time. That turned out to be a very good idea. Not only do I have an easy reference for the main options, but also I have some streamers to hang over the ugly pipes and wires in the corner of the studio. All it took was an off cut of dowelling, slotted into two cup hooks of unknown origin that are in the corner of the ceiling.

Then I went back to the cover. Once I didn’t have any more room for experiments, I set about sewing it together. I had this theory about using a fold for the bottom, to avoid messing about with a hem. As I suspected might happen, the sewing changed the dimensions of the pieces, so the arch of the cover isn’t quite as symmetrical as I had planned. But that didn’t matter, as I had taken the precaution of not bothering to cut out accurate shapes. And anyway, as Mum used to say, a proper pressing session does wonders when you are shaping fabric.

Which lead me to the final discovery of this project. I had been merrily using up scraps of thread, with no regard for anything on the label. Let’s face it, some didn’t actually have a label. Some of it must have had more man made fibre in than I normally buy, because it melted. I now have:

Some interesting dotted patterns near the seams, where I have melted the thread that touched the iron.
Some scruffy unpressed seams, where I chickened out. Which means the finished article is a bit more of an amorphous blob than I had planned.
A chance to test that infallible iron cleaner someone recommended.

So overall, I have gained from this project. I have learned how to use my new toy. I have bitten the bullet about getting a set of samples I can follow in the future. I have recycles some left over materials into something useful. And I don’t have to feel guilty about not bothering to put the over locker away.

I am thinking of it as a one off piece of abstract artwork.

Well, it keeps me amused…

The studio has plumbing!

I have a new sink in the studio!

OK, so it is a newly installed sink.

Up until now, the water supply in the studio has been a large jug. Any rinsing out has happened, very carefully, in the kitchen sink.

Working in the kitchen rather undermines the whole point of having a studio, which is supposed to be a place I can concentrate on being creative, rather than keeping the place clean. But when the alternative is rinsing in a bucket, the kitchen makes sense, although carrying a bucket full of dye through the house is a bit worrying.

But not any more. My chum Ruby stood in the studio one day and said “What you need in here is a sink. Do you want one of my old Belfast ones?” So in due course, she brought it round. I chiselled out the compost from the overflow, and Stan has plumbed it in for me.

Now I can stand in the studio, resting my forearms on the top of the sink, dangling my fingers in the water where I can just reach the bottom to swirl the things I’m rinsing out.

No doubt you will have spotted a notable feature: the elegant soap dish, which contains olive oil soap for cleaning paint brushes. Originally, it was just the nearest container of the right size, but somehow it just seems right…

Useful work, or is it playing with my new toys…

I have recently become a sewing volunteer at Sewerby Hall in Bridlington. Theoretically, we make and maintain costumes for exhibits, and for visitors (especially children) to dress up in. The house is intended to be pretty much as it was in 1910.

In practice, we do whatever sewing jobs are needed. In a recent session, I helped make some Iron Age outfits for the Treasure House in Beverley. I can’t get there for the group sessions very often, as it clashes with our choir rehearsals. So I plan to go when I can, and bring away with me any jobs that can be done at home.

This time I have brought a selection of fabric that has been donation to the cause, but has yet to come in handy for a 1910 costumes. I am using it to make an assortment of toy bags for Lucy, the Under 5s Officer. So far, I have 14 in assorted sizes, cut to use up the bits and pieces. I have sewn them together using my “new” overlocker. I haven’t used one before, so this project has been really useful experience, which is one reason why I brought this fabric home this time. The other reason is, let’s face it, this isn’t the most interesting job, so poor Lucy has been waiting for some time.

My trusty sewing machine is on the point of giving up the ghost, so I am about to get myself a new one. When I do, finishing off these bags will be an ideal first project. Lots of straight seams to get used to the new method of working!

A lace pillow

I found an old book about needle lace making recently. In the list of tools and equipment, it mentioned that a drum shaped lace pillow is a handy thing to have, as it allows you to support the work while still being able to use both hands.

Now I know that is obvious, but I hadn’t thought of it that way. I used to have a lace pillow, but I got rid of that when I found that I can’t get on with bobbin lace. I can set it up, & get started, and each time I think this will be the time I can make some progress. Then I put it aside carefully at the end of the session. When I go back to it, somehow the whole thing is a terrible muddle, and I can’t get started with it again.

Anyway, that pillow was a dome shape, so all the bobbins hung nicely and kept the thread under tension as work progressed. A drum sounds a much more reasonable idea for needle lace.

The instructions start “Take an old catering size baked bean tin.” I’m a governor of the local school, so I emailed Rosina, our business manager, who had a scrounging trip on my behalf into the kitchen and produced two suitable tins.

Stage one was to roll the tin in quilt wadding. I’ve just finished some patchwork, so I used the offcut from the side of the roll to save on dithering about dimensions. As you can see from the pictures, that went round a couple of times. There was no indication of how to keep the wadding in place. I didn’t like the idea of glue, and it occurred to me that the base of the tin might be a handy surface a some point. So I folded the extra bit of width down over the base and hemmed it all together, pulling as tightly as I dared.

The next stage of the instructions say to use a drab fabric to make a cover. “This is not the place for a gay print.” Yes, the book is that old! I remember being told that the best cover for a blocking board is a regular check, so you can pin against the straight lines and avoid doing too much measuring as you block your knitting to shape. So I used the palest quarter inch gingham I could find. Those squares will help to guage the size of what I’m making, as well as making sure all the straight lines are straight, and angles are square if required.

The idea is to sew the fabric into a tube, make a wide hem at each end, thread a cord through each hem, and tighten these cord to hold the cover in place. You can then undo the cord at the open end of the tin when you want to use it to store your smaller bits of equipment, threads scissors etc.

Useful details about how to get the measuring of the squashy shape right were not included in the book. So I sewed one end of the side seam, and made a very wide hem at that end to form a frill/channel for some ribbon. Then I tied up this “bag opening”, wrapped the fabric in place, pinned it down, and hemmed it on, using the same “parcel wrapping” technique to finish the bottom end.

So now I can make a shape by sticking pins into the pillow, and fill it in with needle lace. The pictures show the beginnings of a leaf shape, just to try it out. I don’t think I’ll be using the inside of the tin for storage any time soon. The rattle would get on my nerves. Now if I got round to lining it…

Wrapped in wadding

Covering the base

The cover

The fastening

The cover unfastened

The potential storage area

In use

Look at my new quirky display idea!

I’m always on the lookout for new display ideas, especially now that Etsy allow 10 photos per listing where they used to have 5. Apart from anything else, it is another good reason to look round antique centres and charity shops.

So I was pleased to see these on a shelf in a local antique centre. They were described as mahogany and brass robe hangers. The arms swivel round the handle/hook, so you can hang it on a rail, or on a hook.

The brass sections are a bit distressed. I’ve peeled off some emulsion paint already, but made no attempt to restore the metal properly. I’m not convinced that they will respond to metal polish, as it may be that the metal is plated. On the other hand, the rest is nice quality, so solid brass fittings would be reasonable.

I wonder whether this is a pair, or whether it just happens that two were kept together? I’ve never seen anything quite like these, which make a nice addition to my collection of old coat hangers.