My daughter is currently doing her school exams, but once they're over I'll show you the skirt I made for her using suffolk puffs and the other three projects that ensued.
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but I digress...
I have a new overlocker!
Isn't it beautiful? It's a Pfaff Creative Coverlock 4874. It's a 10 thread, 3 needle overlocker. I decided I wanted an overlocker 10 years ago and I finally got around to getting one when I realised that drafting your own sewing patterns isn't brain surgery :P
I learnt to sew when I was in highschool but always hated using commercial patterns because they never fit properly and it seemed so fussy to have to alter every pattern every single time you wanted to make something, even when you've spent $17 on the pattern itself.
Years later I started buying fabrics from the local op shops and decided to have a go at drafting patterns that are a bit more complicated than elastic waisted skirts (ahem), and it all fell into place. My daughter has 4 new skirts, the baby will soon have 21 new pairs of day/night Summer/Winter pants and I have projects lined up until the end of the universe :)
Here's the next one's before picture.
My daughter bought this jacket from the op shop. First I removed the sleeves and shoulder pads, and then pinned the sides in above the waist to make it a more fitted shape. I still have to sew the sides, after which I'll refit the sleeves and add a gathered broderie anglaise style lace to the cuffs, replace the buttons and give it a good wash. Next time I'll wash first, lol.
As for the overlocker, it's incredibly easy to use. Easy to thread, easy to engage and disengage the upper looper and knife and super easy to understand. The only thing I would have liked to be different is to have better threading guides in the instruction book so I don't have to go to the computer CD animation when I haven't doe something right. It's so easy to thread that I pull all the threads out when I want to change them instead of tying on the new thread and pulling it through :)
Finally I had some exciting news in my mail yesterday. Clover have re-released the Hana Ami Loom! It's the Rolls-Royce of flower looms and I suggest everyone should go and buy one right now before they go out of production again!
The question was how to sew a simple Hogwart's style cloak for a quick costume. Thanks to an old library book on Elizabethan costuming, I knew the answer :) This is a slightly expanded version of my reply to the original poster.
Wizard cloaks are made from a circle.
Big circle with the radius as long as you want the cloak to be. Fold it in half.
Cut a hole in the middle of the circle for the neck.
Cut down the front of the circle for the front opening.
Cut slits for the sleeves, making sure that the bodice is wide enough for the chest measurement with a bit of ease.
Sew sleeves and side seams and hem everything else. Stick a button and a buttonhole on the front. Or ties.
To make a better finished cloak you can add facings to the neck and front opening.
A fancier cloak might have pockets in the side seams for holding the wizarding essentials (wand, toad, vial of goo etc), or a hood.
A hood can be made of two pieces of fabric shaped like this
Sew them together along the top and back, hem the front and sew it to the neckline. Or sew it to the neckline and then hem the hood and the front at the same time (I think that might work).
]]>To begin: Casting on and working the basic stitch
]]>I'm hoping to do the filming tomorrow but in the meantime, please enjoy some photos of my samples. I've given them the "I'm so addicted making bows that I've used up all my ribbon stash"* seal of approval.
* I did, and then I went and bought some more :)
The three sets of bow makers
My sample bows
Check out my flickr "needlework gadgets" album to see each bow with the bow maker/s used to create them
]]>On the first note, I made a slideshow of the flower loom techniques and projects from the website because so many people seem to think the only things you can make with loomed flowers are blankets made from a single type of flower.
More education is required ;-)
On the second note, I have Clover bow
and
sweetheart rose makers!
I'm currently making samples of both but watch out for some pics in my next post.
]]>I've disabled embedding so you'll have to go to youtube to watch it
]]>My next video will be tips for sewing stretch knit fabrics without an overlocker (serger). I just have to finish sewing some baby pants first :)
]]>But for now I present:
Using the Clover Quick Yo-Yo Maker
First of all, here's a better copy of the chart with numbers down the sides. Sorry, I posted the wrong one yesterday (sheepish look)
The unnumbered rows (light grey and white) represent the rows that are "woven" when you warp your loom. When weaving you just ignore these rows as they're automatically woven as you go.
The numbered black and white rows are the rows that you weave.
Black squares = yarn goes over the warp
White squares = Yarn goes under the warp
Start weaving at the side of the row that is numbered, starting with number 1 at the bottom right hand side.
The first and last rows are always plain weave so they have been drawn in already. The rest of the weaving rows are blank for you to fill in yourself.
Here's a chart that I have done for the letter A
and here is the finished woven square
If you need any more clarification leave a comment. It can be tricky writing tutes with a baby in the house :)
PS: I now have all the necessary computer bits to get the video off my camera so I can do more on the Clover Quick Yo-Yo Maker video and actually get it onto the computer for editing!
]]>This is a blank chart that I made for making up my own designs. Please feel free to use it for personal use only. You may use it to make charts to share for free.
Leave a comment if you'd like more instructions on how to use it.
2: it's really hard to have the camera in the right spot for filming and still be able to tell if your hands are in shot
3: its incredibly annoying to have to rely on your chronically disorganised husband to find things because the camera used to be his and then your daughter borrowed it and didn't give it back
4: it's impossible to film anything with other people in the house
5: i need a manicure
6: i don't have the necessary connection on my computer to get the video off the camera
7: the second that you clear an area to film in, people will fill it up with random stuff that they couldn't be bothered putting away
luckily i'm intelligent enough to have not done #1 an i'm hoping that dh (disorganised husband) will be fixing #6 tomorrow after a trip to the computer swapmeet
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