A Brand New Sewing Machine

I’m very pleased to introduce my new baby. The Janome CXL301. I am one very happy crafter!

 

It was delivered the week after the Knitting & Stitching Show, and sadly I was out the day it came so it had to stay in the box for an extra 24 hours before I got home on the Friday afternoon to let it out. I was very good and took everything out carefully, and read the instruction manual first before plugging anything in. But oh the happiness of the lights coming on when I switched it on for the first time!

The sewing machine comes with quite a good selection of accessories included; a regular sewing foot, zip foot, satin stitch foot, and an automatic buttonhole foot (more on this later!), as well as bobbins, seam ripper, screwdriver, spare needles, extra spool holder and a soft cover. I’m already working on a shopping list for extras – concealed zip foot and twin needle for starters.

Threading up was really easy, there are guides on the machine to show you which direction to run the thread, and the drop in bobbin is so much simpler to deal with than the side-loading one on Mum’s old machine.

 

Time to get sewing then. I had a good play around with all the different stitch settings, the locking stitch, reverse, foot pedal vs auto speed control – this is my favourite button on the machine by the way – look, it’s a tortoise and a hare! In fact, I may never use a foot pedal ever again just so that I can use this slider!

 

 

Being able to adjust the stitch length and width for straight and zigzags is easy, and more precise than my old machine, and although there aren’t many decorative stitches they are pretty (love the trailing leaves), as well as some stretch and overlocking stitches (haven’t tried these on jersey yet).

 

But then, there really wasn’t any point putting it off longer, I had to have a go at a buttonhole. Now, given what I’ve told you about my/Mum’s old sewing machine I’m sure you can appreciate why I’ve never attempted a machined buttonhole before. However, I am very happy to announce, automatic buttonholes are my new favourite thing in the whole world! You just load the button in the back and away it goes! So easy! I’m going to put buttons on everything from now on just because I can!

OK, calm down.

So yes, very very happy with my new toy, and it will get its first real test soon as I’ve cut out and prepped the pieces from my gorgeous Liberty lawn to make a Mimi blouse. More on that next time.

The Knitting & Stitching Show

The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace has got to be the best day out ever for a crafter. I went with Mum on Thursday 9^th October and had an absolutely brilliant day – feet ache, back ache, headache and general exhaustion notwithstanding, there was so much to see, amazing inspiration and of course shopping!

Unfortunately I didn’t get to try out any of the workshops or listen to any of the lectures (tickets all sold out!), but a lot of the other stallholders had mini demonstrations going so you could see how to do things – I’ve still yet to get the hang of needle-felting.

Although I’d been to the Spring show at Olympia, the Ally Pally show is much, much bigger, loads more stalls and exhibits, so it did need a bit of strategic planning to make sure we didn’t miss anywhere, or get lost when we wanted to go back to something! Helpfully, all the stands are numbered, and there were other landmarks signposted around the main halls, so you were never too far away from food and drink, or a toilet (complete with obligatory mile long queue)!

I had gone prepared with a shopping list so that I could at least try to stay a bit focussed and not spend toooooo much money. And on the whole I didn’t do too badly. There were a few things on my list that I didn’t get, but what I did buy made up for having to wait until next time.

 

A lot of the stalls I just looked at for ideas and inspiration, and stood in awe of the amazing talents and craftsmanship of the makers. My few major stops though were Abakhan, Black Sheep Wools and Fabrics Galore. If you’ve got your eye out for bargains, these are the places to go.

From Abakhan I got three packs of yarn – yes, packs, that’s 10 balls at a time – some Rowan Drift in a beautiful red/orange/purple mix, and two packs of Sirdar Click DK, one in a pretty blue/grey, and the other a pink and orange mix. The Rowan I’ve got lined up for a chunky winter long waistcoat and the grey Click for a jumper. The best part though was the price – the Rowan was on sale for £19.99 for the pack!!! And the Sirdar was 2 packs for £22, working out at just over £1 a ball – madness!!!

 

 

 

Next was the yarn dive at Black Sheep – literally what it sounds like –they pile up hundreds of packs of yarn in the middle of the floor and you just have to get in there and see what you can rummage out. I saw quite a few things I’d have loved to get for my stash, but managed to restrain myself to a pack of Rowan Revive in a beautiful sea blue/green mix (I got the pink last time and loved it) which will be perfect for something next summer; and a pack of Rowan Summerspun in lovely autumnal greens and browns – not sure what to make with this yet.

 

 

 

So that’s five packs of yarn costing me less than £100 in total but with a retail value of nearly £300. Unbelievable. Also, a bit awkward to carry, so we had to buy a wheelie trolley bag.

From Fabrics Galore, after much deliberation, I decided on this gorgeous Liberty cotton voile which I plan to make a Mimi blouse with. I got 2.5 metres, and they were selling it for £14 a metre, much better than full price direct from Liberty.

I also got this half metre of African print cotton from a little stall which I just love, the bright colours are fantastic, not sure what to make with it yet, it might sit in the stash for a little while until I find the perfect thing.

I could have quite happily spent days looking round properly at everything (it gets really, really crowded!), and spent an absolute fortune, but sadly I had to be a bit sensible about what I actually have time to do (boooooo for work!), otherwise I’d have loved to get a couple of gorgeous cross-stitch kits, more yarn (obviously!) and lots and lots of pretty things. I’m also running out of space to keep stuff anyway.

However, there was one more purchase that I’m really excited about. We stopped to have a look at the Janome stand, and the ladies were so helpful, and the offer price too good to refuse, that I ordered myself a new sewing machine! Hoorah! And so it was delivered last week, I got it all set up at the weekend and it’s brilliant! I’ll tell you more about it in another post once I’ve had a chance to try all the different functions out. 

Happy crafting everyone!

Sirdar Cotton DK Cardigan

Yes, I finally finished this cardigan! It took me much longer than I had hoped but seeing as I've been working full time and haven't had nearly as much time to knit as I'd been used to, I'm just pleased it's done.

I used a pattern from this Sirdar Summer brochure, and love how the diagonal ribbing adds a bit of interest to an otherwise plain cardigan. It actually wasn't too complicated to knit either, I managed to keep track to the pattern while I was watching TV at the same time, really easy counting!

I love the bold red colour of the yarn, and even better, none of the colour came out the first time I washed it! Definitely good quality.

Personally, I'm pleased with how I managed to match up the diagonal across the side seams.

My favourite part though is the buttons. I got these from my local haberdashery ages ago and have been waiting for the perfect thing to use them on.

In other news, I went to the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace yesterday, had a fantastic day, and will tell you more about it in another post soon - once I'v recovered from how much money I spent!

Magazine Review: Knitting

I love Knitting magazine, I really don't know why it's taken me so long to get round to subscribing as I've been buying it every month for ages. Now I do subscribe, and the newest issue dropped through my letter box this morning! I'm going to give you a little sneaky peek, as it won't be out in the shops until later this week.

This is the Big Autumn issue, so even more patterns than normal, for women, men, kids and home. That's one of the main reasons I like this mag so much, the number and variety of patterns each month is brilliant, and if you work out how much you'd spend to buy each pattern individually, or as part of a pattern book, compared with the cover price of the magazine it's incredible value. I also love that there are a great range of yarns used to suit all budgets, rather than just the 'designer' yarns preferred by some other magazines.

This month's patterns fall into two categories - Oversized and Autumn Brights. It's the second that have really caught my eye, I'm definitely a colour person, and there are a few patterns that will be added to my future project list.

As well as the patterns, there is always a main feature article which is a great read, this month is about Pinterest. I actually wrote in a few months ago in response to an article about 'Having a Go' at different techniques without fear, and my letter was published as the Star Letter, and I got a set of beautiful bamboo needles as a prize.

There are a couple of patterns from previous issues that I'm really keen to knit too, firstly this woven stitch jacket from last month (I've got some purple chunky yarn that will be perfect).

And this double moss and cable jumper from the month before that, I just love the crispness of the central cable against the double moss stitch.

I'm almost finished my red cotton cardi (it feels like it's been going on forever!) and am in the process of sewing up all the seams - I really need to start knitting things in the round! - and then I need to find some buttons, I'm thinking shiny gold ones.

It's not long now until the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, Mum and I are going on Thursday 9th October, and I can't wait! I've been saving up for a mega yarn and fabric splurge - must remember I'll have to carry it all home on the train though!

One Frustrated Crafter

Doesn't time fly... Apologies for the radio silence over the last couple of months, I've been busy getting into the swing of a new job and working full time again which sadly has drastically cut both my time and energy for crafting and blogging.

Anyway, let's have a quick round up of what I have managed. The garden has done really well over the summer with lots of lovely weather, I'm going to enjoy the last of the sweetcorn tonight, my dahlias have been flowering non-stop, and I've got a sunflower heading towards 10 feet tall! No photos at the moment sadly, I'll try and get out this week for a few snaps.

No sewing unfortunately, although I'm looking forward to getting hold of 'Learn to Sew with Lauren' (of Sewing Bee season 1 fame) when the book is released next week. The trouble I have with any major sewing projects is I don't have anywhere permanent to have the sewing machine set up so I have to properly dedicate whole days at a time to working on something. At the moment with working all week and also a lot of family stuff encroaching on the weekends I haven't managed to fit anything in yet. I really fancy making a Mimi blouse from 'Love at First Stitch', must keep an eye out for some suitable fabric.

Knitting has still been ongoing; I've made two more teddies for my Nan's neighbours which are wrapped up and ready to go when the new baby arrives in the next couple of weeks, and I've been working on a V-neck cardigan in the red Sirdar Cotton DK I got in Cambridge a while ago. It's very slow going though, in the last month I've done the back and left front. Really noticeable how not having a couple of hours every day to knit has impacted on how quickly I get things done. Oh well, it will get there eventually, and I'll enjoy wearing it when it's done - I'm thinking this one is going to need some shiny gold buttons.

Does anyone else struggle to fit in crafty stuff around work? I'm not especially enjoying how little time I seem to have, after being unemployed for a while and having whole days to be creative, now having to get up to commute to London and being exhausted after long days I'm feeling a bit creatively frustrated. Mind you, I didn't help myself by buying a needle-felting kit in Hobbycraft the other week that is still sitting sealed up in the box...

Perhaps I ought to try for smaller projects that I can fit into shorter spaces of time. Am I allowed to start thinking about Christmas gifts yet? Either that or I need to start taking my knitting on the train...

Twist Cable Front Jumper

You know all this glorious weather we've been having lately? Well I've been knitting with the warmest, fluffiest yarn imaginable - hot sweaty hands really didn't help! Anyway, the jumper is finished now, and I can move on to something in a more warm-weather friendly cotton yarn.

This is the jumper I've been working on, it's another pattern from Knitting magazine. The recommended yarn was Sirdar Country Style, but as all Sirdar DK yarns knit to the same tension I figured I'd use some of the bargain Softspun I got from the Knitting & Stitching Show in March. The brown with the slight metallic through it looks really pretty, and a really flattering colour for me. The yarn may be extrememly light - over 120 metres in a 25g ball - but it is very warm to wear, so I won't be breaking this one out of the wardrobe for a while yet.

The pattern was fairly straightforward - stocking stitch back and sleeves with turn-back ribbed cuffs - until I got to the front and the cable/twist/lace panel. This turned out to be a bit of a brain teaser and I definitely had to concentrate - no knitting while watching TV with this one! It seemed to take FOREVER, but then all of a sudden I was at the neck and it didn't seem so bad after all.

When I started I was a bit worried that because of the fluffiness of the yarn the cables wouldn't show up very much, but actually they are really well defined and the pattern looks pretty effective, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I knitted a slightly smaller size than I would have anticipated, but it fits really well and will look smart with a shirt underneath for work in the winter (we're past midsummer now, I'm allowed to talk about winter right?!).

I love the selection of patterns that Knitting magazine features every month, they all tend to be really wearable, but still show off a range of techniques and yarns. I've got a folder building up of patterns that I'd like to get round to knitting eventually - the trouble is, every time I get onto the next project, 5 more good patterns appear and I can't keep up! Oh well, the joys of being a knitter!

I had a day out in Cambridge last week with my Mum and my sister, and managed to pop into Sew Creative for a bit of a browse (my sister wanted to look in bridal shops so it seemed only fair...), and I came away with some red Sirdar Cotton DK that I'm going to make up into a basic cardigan. I've just got a new job so I'm having to think a bit more about practical wardrobe additions rather than just things knitted for fun! I'm also hoping to apply this philosophy to some more sewing projects, maybe with a blouse or a smart dress next.

On a final note today, we had a very successful BBQ at home this weekend, supplemented by potatoes, broad beans and peas fresh from the vegetable patch - there's not much more satisfying than shelling peas on a sunny afternoon!

Delphine Skirt #LoveAtFirstStitch

I bought this GORGEOUS Liberty print cotton a few weeks ago, and it was just begging to be made up into a pretty summer skirt, so what better pattern to start with than Tilly's Delphine - an easy A-line shape with centre-back invisible zip and faced waistband.

Tilly's instructions are absolutely brilliant (as I mentioned when making my Margot PJ's), so sorting out the pattern pieces was really easy. I decided to lengthen the skirt - there really is no good reason why the world needs to see my knees - and again, the instructions in the book made it easy peasy to do. I added 6 inches to the pattern, erring on the side of caution that I could always chop a bit more off once I got the hemming stage.

This one seemed to come together much quicker than the pyjama trousers, probably just because I felt a bit more confident about what I was doing. I cut out a size 5 based on the measurements given in the book, and decided to use a slightly skimpier seam allowance at the hips just in case. In the end, I could have probably got away with the size 4 on the waist, as I've had to unpick the waistband and take in the side seams a little bit more just to get the skirt to sit more comfortably at my natural waist.

The invisible zip was fairly straightforward, I've practised doing one of these before, I just think maybe I could have got the top edge lined up a bit neater - will try and get it right next time! I used a red zip to co-ordinate with the fabric (even though you're not actually supposed to see it, I'll know it's there!).

It's my first time using iron-on interfacing, and I was a little bit nervous, but actually it worked out OK - I ended up interfacing the seams on the zip section too for a bit of added stability, after reading Tilly's tips and a few reviews from other makers. I got a lightweight interfacing on the recommendation of the lady in the shop where I got the fabric, but I could maybe have done with a medium weight, the lightweight doesn't seem to have added much body. Again, a learning process for next time. On the other hand, if the waistband ended up too stiff I'd probably find it uncomfortable to wear!

The length I added turned out to be just right after I turned up a total 3cm for the hem, and the fabric hangs beautifully, not totally drapey, but not too 'sticky-outy' either. The final thing that cheered me up no end was buying a new pair of pinking shears (that actually cut properly, unlike my Mum's really old pair) to trim up the seam allowances on the inside - the cotton doesn't fray too badly, but just to be on the safe side I've zigzag stitched and pinked!

I'm really pleased with how this skirt turned out, I've already worn it several days, and I've got plenty of plain tops in co-ordinating colours (red, orange, yellow, blue, green...) to go with it so I definitely think I'm going to get my money's worth out of wearing it this summer! And now I'm wondering what other fabric I can get to make more - maybe a denim/chambray, suiting material for a work look, more fun cotton twills, wool, jacquard - watch this space!