Monthly Archives: April 2013

Peg Bags and Gnomes Galore

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At last the sun has been shining in the South Coast of England and to celebrate my children and their friends have been out in the garden giving the Garden Gnomes a Make Over! Want to see the results of their efforts?

Garden Gnome Make Over

Peg bag ready for use!I love the sunshine and all the simple things in life – like being able to get my washing out on the line. It just feels so good!

I’ve been making some new peg bags based on this design I posted last year but layered the fabric is a different way to make sure all my seams were hidden.

Do you want to see how they turned out? Continue reading →

Understanding Your Sewing Pattern and Instructions – A Beginners Guide Part 2

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Now you have ‘mastered’ your sewing pattern envelope, you are ready for the things that are inside the envelope – the Pattern and Instructions!

Pattern symbols1. The first step is to spread out your instruction sheet and read through all the information. The instructions will contain important details such as cutting layout (ie, where to place your pattern pieces on the material), seam allowance width (mine is 1.5cm) and pattern symbols summaries. Use the instructions to check which pattern pieces you are going to need for the style you have chosen. Find out what the symbols means if you aren’t sure (this Getting to know your pattern symbols post might help).

2. Before you cut out any pattern pieces you will need to check the measurement of the person the piece of clothing is going to fit.  Continue reading →

How to Straighten the Edge of Woven Fabric

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Before you start laying your pattern pieces onto your material, it is important to make sure you have a straight edge to your fabric.Uneven fabric edge

One of the easiest ways to get your fabric straight is to find a weft thread (close to the edge) that runs across the width of the fabric – a pin can help to pull out and isolate the thread. Pull the thread gently – your fabric should start to gather up. If your thread breaks, find the broken end and pull again. Continue reading →

Getting to Know Your Sewing Pattern Symbols – A Guide for Beginners

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Before you cut out your pieces of fabric it helps to know a little about how your fabric is constructed and what your pattern symbols mean. Here are some of the main symbols you may come across.

Pattern symbols

Continue reading →

How to Understand a Sewing Pattern Envelope – A Beginners Guide

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IPattern selectionf you were inspired by last nights ‘Great British Sewing Bee’ or always wanted to make an item of clothing, but weren’t quite sure where to start this post is for you!

When it comes to choosing your first pattern, most sewing shops will have a pattern book or catalogue. Each page will show you a picture of the finished article, provide information on the range of sizes the garment comes in and gives an indication of the patterns level of difficulty. Continue reading →