Sewing tools, gadgets and gizmos

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted on here! 

To ease myself back in gently I thought I'd revisit an old post from my previous blog. It's all about the simple gadgets that make a sewers life that much easier.

Sewing Machine

It goes without saying that my trusty sewing machine is an absolute must, along with good quality all purpose thread.

Pencil and ruler

I use these when drawing the pattern pieces and for marking the positions of fastenings and trims. A disappearing marker pen is also invaluable for marking fabric.

Scissors

Good quality, sharp scissors are essential. At a minimum, dressmakers shears for cutting out and embroidery scissors for snipping threads and cutting buttonholes etc.

Pins

Where would I be without these? I prefer to use these large coloured, plastic headed pins as they are easy to see, and easier to find if you drop them!

Needles

Sewing machine needles need to be changed frequently, as blunt needles can damage the fabric and can result in skipped stitches. Different fabrics also need different needles, some need sharp points while others require needles with a rounded tip. So always use the correct needle for your fabric. A good selection of needles for hand sewing is also essential.

Zipper foot

This enables you to sew up close to zips and piping.

Thimble

This saves fingers and means you won't bleed on the fabric - not a good idea!

Seam ripper

For those times when you've made a mistake and need to unpick (don't you just hate it when that happens?), this little gadget makes it so much easier.

Loop turner

great for turning tubes of fabric the right way out. ie: for bag handles.

Point turner

For pushing out corners, gives a nice crisp edge to inside pockets and to the corners of  the bag.

Glue

For attaching decorative items such as sequins, diamantes and rosettes.

Plastic clips

Great for holding together fabric that would be damaged by pins - faux leather for example.

Teflon foot

For sewing with faux leather or other fabrics where a normal foot will not slide smoothly over.

This is obviously not a comprehensive list, there are lots of other handy little gadgets around that are nice to have but not essential. but if you know of any other essential tools, please let me know.

Thanks for stopping by,

Linda

A new addition

At a recent craft fair I was asked if I had any bags for little girls... oops! not a one. I realised I was neglecting the younger bag users among us. After all, what little girl doesn't want to be just like her Mummy? And today's little girls could be my customers of tomorrow! So I decided to spend a little time designing a couple of bags for children.
 The first one would make a lovely gift. It's fully lined and interfaced and even has a slip pocket inside and it comes with a lovely stretchy Fimo fruits bracelet.

Also in the pipeline is a much more basic, unlined, and therefore cheaper bag. It will be interesting to see how much demand there is for these in the run up to Christmas, and whether buyers go for the cheaper one or the more expensive bag.

Gimme that bling!

Just had to share these blingtastic  pieces of jewellery. They're a little different to what I've made before but I LOVE them! What do you think? A little ostentatious maybe? Yeah, possibly, but if you're dressing to impress ...

Elysia's Oreo Cake

I recently made a cake and posted a picture of it on Facebook that attracted quite a few likes, and Facebook even went so far as to add " This post is more engaging than many of your others"! Well that told me... So I thought I'd share the recipe. I call it 'Elysia's Oreo Cake' not because it contains Oreos but because  my granddaughter (Elysia) says that it looks like a giant Oreo.

Ingredients

For the sponge

8 oz Butter

8 oz Caster sugar

8 oz Self raising flour ( Minus 4 Tablespoons flour)

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 eggs

For the butter icing

8 oz icing sugar (sieved)

4 oz butter

few drops of vanilla extract

tablespoon milk

Method

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees - I never use a fan setting when I'm baking 

2. Grease and flour two 8" sandwich tins

3. Beat together the butter and sugar, the longer you can beat the mixture the lighter the sponge will be.

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Don't worry if the mixture starts to curdle slightly, it will all come good.

5. Add 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder to the flour and stir in. Add enough hot water to the remaining cocoa to make a smooth slightly runny paste and beat into the cake mix, this will make the sponge nice and moist.

6. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder.

7. Divide the mix between the two sandwich tins and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the sponges are cooked ( the sponge will come away from the sides of the tin when it is done).

8. Cool for five minutes then turn out on to a cooling rack.

9. Beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract, again the longer you can beat it the better.

10. Add the milk a few drops at a time till the icing is nice and soft but not too runny.

11. When the sponge is completely cooled sandwich together with the butter icing and dust the top with icing sugar.

Voila!     Elysia's Oreo cake  - enjoy!

Losing my way

I've not done any sewing for the last couple of weeks,  which is unheard of, I think I have 'sewer's block'! Instead I've been concentrating on Jewellery making as I find it relaxing and therapeutic. I'm not planning on giving up bag making, but I feel that I've lost my creative identity. When I first started making bags I had a clear idea of the look I was aiming for - vintage style glamour. At the time I was only making evening bags but have since expanded my range considerably. I've had lots of advice from well meaning friends and family... " you should try making ..." But as a result I've kind of lost my way. My shops no longer have a signature style and I think that it's important to have one. If you do, people know what to expect in your shop and will hopefully bookmark it for when they are in the market for whatever it is that you sell. So I'm going to return to making things that I love - vintage inspired glamour and shabby chic - rather than what I think will sell. I think your passion for making things you love shines through in your work and though  many people may not like the same things as you, it's a given that a fair few will.    So from now on I plan to make sure that my makes have a style of their own, it may take me a while to get it right but I'm sure I'll enjoy the journey.

Though not an avid gardener I do go through phases of spending lots of time and money on my garden. Last year due to the awful Summer, I spent neither. But over the years I have accumulated a collection of shrubs and plants that have survived my sporadic attention and all too often neglect, those that aren't man enough fall by the wayside to be replaced by something else. This year I've noticed that many of my patio plants have fallen - I can't say whether this was due to my lack of care or to nature. But a couple that have survived to live another day are a yellow Camellia that I inherited from my Mum when she moved from a house to a flat and a pink Tree Peony. The Camellia had lots of flowers this year and I'm relieved not to have killed it off as my Mum loved it, and as she was a keen gardener she took great care of it. The tree peony I've had for a few years now and each year it produces just one bloom. Oh but what a bloom it is! It's about six inches across and really beautiful. Each morning when it is bathed in sunlight it opens up to reveal a stunning interior of yellow stamens and then as the sun goes down it closes again. Sadly within a week or so it will be gone for another year but I live in hope that one day there will be other blooms to join it. Maybe I'll have to try a larger pot?

The yellow Camellia

My Beautiful Tree Peony

New product range!

Hi all, it's been a while since my last blog. Since then I've been working on a few commissions and a completely new range of products! Nothing at all to do with sewing or fabric ...but beads!!

I've decided to take the plunge and create a Jewellery range to complement my bags and other accessories. I'd been thinking about doing this for a while, but wasn't sure whether to or not. After all isn't the Jewellery market completely saturated? And wouldn't I be treading on a few toes by venturing into this branch of the creative market?  At every craft fair that I've attended, customers always made a bee line for the Jewellery stands, even if there were several there. It seems that people can't get enough. And as for the toe treading, well in these straitened times I've noticed many other crafters diversifying into other areas of creativity, so I don't feel quite so bad.

I only have a few items in the collection so far, but have sold a couple of pieces already, so I'm kinda hoping that this collection will prove a popular addition to my shop.