Buttons and Bobs

I followed the Fabric Box Tutorial by Tina Craig to make this box to keep my sewing bits and pieces together. My Crafty (Aldi) machine coped well with several thicknesses of fabric most of the time but got the judders on the outer corners. If I make this item again I will trim the seams a bit closer to the stitching before starting to quilt. Update December 2018 I made this one bigger and lined it with a unicorn pattern because I know the six year old new owner is still fascinated by pictures of unicorns. Trimming the seams before starting to quilt did help.

The stitches by the zip on our Hideskin holdall gave way soon after purchase. I wish I had taken it back to the shop but I convinced myself that it would be easy to restitch. Then I forgot about it till we needed it several months later. I bought strong thread and a leather needle. It was tough to stitch but I thought I'd done a reasonable job till we took it on holiday again. No - the stitching did not last the journey . Over a year later, when I have mislaid the thread and the needles, we visited the Leather Museum in Walsall.  today There we met a guide who demonstrated how we needed to punch out the stitch holes then use two needles and strong thread. When I have tried out the method I'll update this post. We had not visited the museum in order to ask about the bag. We had gone because we remembered it as the best place to visit in Walsall . The museum is free and fascinating. It details the history of manufacturing leather goods - particularly saddles in Walsall. Chi

My daughter kindly bought me New Look 6504 because I have an ambition to make a reversible pinafore dress.  I decided to use some denim first and just line it with a pretty flower fabric. I pre-washed the denim and cut out age 4. It was not until I started to add applique that I noticed there was a fade line all the way down the front . It looked like a fault but it was probably caused by the light on the material when it was folded on the bolt. I will definitely check next time I buy a strong colour fabric. I decided to make a feature of the fade line by putting it in a tiny fold. I compensated by sewing the front fabric in the closest side seam slightly narrower. The applique design was from  aboutneedlework.com.

Six of my favourite youtube videos: Fabrics and Finishes: Justine Leconte, a fashion designer,  demonstrates good and bad finishes with examples from her own wardrobe. Basic Sewing  Anneka from Made To Sew explains how to Deal With and Understand Tension Ellen March gives 10 Sewing Tips (National Sewing Circle) Sewing Techniques Tilly from Tilly and the Buttons advises on top stitching Anneka from Made to Sew - How to Sew a Blind Hem Creating Garments Dana from Made Every Day demonstrates how to create a  pattern and make circular skirts for all ages. Note that very few of my favourite youtube advisers  are likely to play tinny music, introduce their pets or ramble on about their family life!