Sewing blog aimed at beginners.
Lots of tutorials and reviews .
How to use an overlocker, sewing machine , coverstitch and embroidery machine. Storage ideas and much more
I am keen to Re use and recycle.
ABOUT ME
I am Angela and I love to sew. I started sewing as a child and by the time I was a teenager I was wearing the very latest fashions to go out in. All me-made.
I am passionate about reducing the amount of textiles sent to landfill, and encourage you to repurpose fabrics and clothes
I started this blog in order to have a way in which to pass on my gained knowledge, and my professional knowledge to you,
Sewing is empowering, you can save money by making items, make money by selling then,
You can pass your knowledge on to others. What is there not to love?
Interestingly I am a direct descendant of the Flemish weavers who came over to England in the 1300's. I find that fascinating especially as most of my family from as far back as I can trace are somehow involved in the manufacturing of fabric . .
I have a degree in tailoring with a special interest in WW2 fashion.
What do you do with your leftover bits of fabric? I like to use every scrap of my fabric and this is my go-to favourite project.
We all need bags now and what could be better than to make your own? A pretty bag is less likely to be left at home and no matter how simple the design they are always admired. In fact mine are often admired so much that I give them away and end up with none for myself
This particular Tote bag was made almost entirely on my embroidery machine. Sweet Pea Australia
It is made from quilting cotton and trimmed with fau
I like to give handmade gifts and I have some to share with you.
This is a set of gifts for a friend. Some of which can be found on my previous blog post - just click on this link Lovely Warm Christmas Gifts
My Bathroom
I have been decorating my bathroom and want to share the decor ideas and also show you how to sew a laundry bucket. The laundry tub pattern is from this book, you can purchase it from Amazon by clicking this link. There are lots of fabulous things to make in this book and I recommend it either for yourself or as a gift
There are such a lot of makes in this book , it is one I use a lot and in fact two of the items, my laundry bucket and a pouch to hold make up, sewing supplies etc is shown below
The instructions are clear and simple to follow with templates where needed.
I used some furnishing fabric in a nautical design and lined it with calico. I used a stiff interfacing for the base, removing the seam allowance before ironing it in place
I have made a lot of lingerie recently and I thought that it would be really nice to have a lingerie bag to keep them in. It is nice to put your night slip in during the day and they are useful to take on holiday too, they look really pretty sat on your bed.
They are not difficult to make and take very little fabric. They can be made any size you want and you could even make a small one for handkerchiefs. They make wonderful gifts too.
This is my lingerie case sat on my bed. I only ever buy or make Egyptian cotton bedding and always in white. I add lace trimmings to sheets and pillowcases and always add my initial. I therefore get the quality I enjoy at a good price and can personalise it to suit my own taste.
I am often told that many of us are inspired to make our own bags and we go and buy a lovely pattern, but that's as far as we ever get - mostly. The reason seems to be that these patterns require so many different and unfamiliar fabrics,interlinings and other notions which are either hard to obtain or are too expensive, or both.
In this post I am going to show you how to make a very easy Tote bag for your shopping and then I will adapt the same design by first of all adding a lining, and then by making the bag larger to make a practical beach bag and finally a stylish faux leather large Tote with embroidery.
Why not use a patterned fabric, do some simple applique, print your logo or even hand embroidery, it doesn't really matter. In fact it's a great way to use up fabric scraps or even discarded clothes. The whole point is that we all need shopping bags and if you know how to make your own you will never be short of a bag again. The best thing is that if you use leftover fabric they are free!
A post all about bags and what you need to make them.
Fabulous gift idea
There's a youtube video showing all sorts of bags and other interesting things to make
Labels
Bags
Decovil
Fleece interlining
It's not difficult to make your own bags, in fact they are one of my favourite things to make. I use them myself and give them as gifts. Quite often I am out with one and I end up giving it away and then I have to go home and make myself a replacement!
I sometimes make one to match an outfit or for a specific purpose, such as a beach bag,and I have shopping bags everywhere!
The other great thing is that once you have a few basic supplies you can use up odds and ends of fabrics which you would otherwise not have a use for. It's all win-win!
This is one I finished last night, it's a saddle bag and I made it from remnants of tweed fabrics.
This is a special bag which I made for my school bestie Margaret for her birthday. I was in such a rush to finish it and post it that I didn't take many photographs of it before it went off to Devon!
Please note that in addition to Jaycotts and MinervaCrafts, bag making supplies are available from Crafter's Companion. They sell absolutely everything for any sort of craft from papercraft to sewing and quilting fabrics, they are amazing! Do look Crafter's companion
Bag supplies from Crafter's companion click on the link to take you directly to their vast selection of bag making equipment. But do look at the rest of their site.
The Simplicity New Look Denim Coat A MinervaCrafts Blogger Network Post
Label
Hong Kong Seam
I was watching the Royal Wedding and looking closely at what people were wearing. What struck me was that the best dressed and most elegant women wore simple A-line coats over a dress. The look is understated but very classy. That got me thinking that I don't actually own a summer coat and how useful one would be.
This is one of my most favourite makes ever. It goes well with trousers, jeans or a shift dress. The pattern comes with trousers top and skirt too and the outfit can be made very smart for a wedding or more casual for everyday wear. I love how the coat has an Indian feel to it with the stand collar and slits up the side. It really is a very useful and wearable garment which I never knew I needed.
Do make one and have fun with the inside, see the post fo how to make the seams. It looks and feels so special with the Hong Kong (bound) seams and the matching bag is pure inspiration in my opinion!
I guess you have realised that I LOVE my new summer coat! PS there is a tote bag to make too. NB if this particular fabric is not to your taste then take a look at these alternatives, starting at under £5 A metre. Denim, plain and patterned
The rest of the post is here My Simplicity New Look Denim Coat Do read it and leave a comment Thank you Angela #simplicity #NewLook #denim #coat #sewing #sewingblog #tutorial
I love making bags, there is something satisfying about using up remnants of fabric to make something practical (and free) Whenever I make a coat or jacket I always make some sort of bag to use when wearing it, especially now that we need to take a larger bag shopping with us. It is an opportunity to be a bit creative too and use trimmings that would otherwise me overwhelming on a garment.
These are two toiletry bags which I made out of leftover fabric. Have you seen how expensive they are to buy in the shops! A length of bag interfacing will make you lots of bags, then you just need a fastener. I will talk about magnetic snaps and zips in each section.
All of my bag making supplies are from Jaycotts.co.uk, take a look at the link HERE They sell handles, snaps, interfacings and everything else you will need including patterns and some fabulous templates so you can design your own.
The pattern I am using is this one and in this post I am making a bag and two envalope wallets using an interfacing called DECOVIL which is a firm but flexible stabiliser for bags, and also some FUSIBLE VOLUME FLEECE which is easier to use
