Stash busting: Instead of Curtains...

This morning it was back at the sewing table to make a narrower width of the curtain.  This one will fit more like a panel over the window.  The final decision of gathering or not is for someone else to make.  Although I do have an opinion on which one I prefer.  This is purely a gift sewing project so I'm leaving it to the gift receiver to make.  I'm done at this stage, I just have to finish the bottom hems once a decision is made.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  left over piece from yesterday's project

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, fabric scissors, iron, ironing board, tailor's ham and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: New Silk Curtains

There was some more home décor sewing happening this afternoon.  This curtain panel was made for a tall narrow window.  It is seventeen inches wide and eighty-eight inches long.  The fabric is a home décor silk fabric that I found in the discounted section many, many moons ago.  Held up to the window, it did let more light through than wanted so this was double for more coverage.  Another easy peasy project.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric was pulled from the stash and entered before the convicted felon started his trade wars with the world.  This beautiful silk was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  No pattern used but there were rulers and measuring tapes utilized and were from the stash as well.  The fabric scissor used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K company.  They were purchased from The Workroom another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were all pulled from the stash and were likely picked up from Fabricland.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.3 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, straight ruler, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, regular presser foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, seam ripper, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash and Scrap Busting: Back-up Curtains

 

There was quite a bit of yardage of this home décor fabric in the stash.  There was not fixed project in mind other than it was a discounted to the point that I couldn't resist the bargain.  It first made an appearance here last week when I made a pair of curtains.  And at that point I knew that I was going to make a second pair.  Tada!  

I still have 0.49 metre left over and I think I will be able to squeeze out one more reusable grocery bag with the last bit of fabric, we'll see.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free set of curtains.  The stash fabric was discovered at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  All the measuring tools (ruler, measuring gauge, measuring tapes) used have been in the workroom from a pre-trade war era.  The Gütermann threads used in the sewing machine and serger were sitting in the stash and are products of the U.S., purchased prior to the convicted felon's 2.0 tariff war.  The threads were purchased at Fabricland and future thread purchases will, obviously, have to be scrutinized more closely.  Maple washing is not just happening at the grocery store.  The fabric scissors are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased at The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, straight ruler, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, ironing board, iron, back brace, pins and pin cushion.  

Stand strong, support local, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Another Curtain Project

Here's the latest curtain project.  I really like this blue printed cotton fabric.  The plan was to turn this fabric into a dress with my eye on McCall's 8090.  And then once again, plans changed.  The fabric was used for a set of kitchen curtains.  The lightweight 100% cotton fabric was previously pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer and was ready to hit the cutting table.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric has been in the stash before the convicted felon's tariff and trade war.  These are times for sewing the stash or just plain reconsidering a project as fabric prices continue to increase.  Even threads are hit with price increases that makes one reconsider colour matching.  A close enough colour of thread will do just fine, as in this case (blue thread for top-stitching and beige threads for the serger).  The fabric was an end of the season discounted item from many moons ago.  I found this fabric at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Gütermann threads were pulled from the stash and also came from Fabricland.  The fabric scissors used to cut out this project are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet. 

Project details

Seams / Top-stitching:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:   2.5 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, ruler, fabric scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, measuring gauge, iron, ironing board and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up, support local businesses and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: New Curtains

This is a simple project after measuring and cutting out the fabric.  This gifted project came to be after it was spotted in the stash and dreams of new curtains started to materialize.  I, on the other hand, saw this fabric at the store as a potential coating toile fabric or perhaps some more reusable grocery bag fabric.  The curtain project won in claiming this fabric.  And I think they turned out lovely, so I am glad that plans changed along the way.  

The fabric was a discounted bargain find in the home décor department.  It was such a great bargain that I bought the remaining bolt deciding that I will figure out its future at a later time.  It now looks like another set of curtains will be made with the remaining yardage.  The curtains are fifty-four inches long, have a two inch hem on the bottom and a three inch opening on top for the curtain road.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  Everything used to make these curtains were found in the stash.  The fabric was a bargain find in the home décor section at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  No pattern needed but the measuring tools used to measure the fabric has been in the stash for years, circa pre-Trumpian economic warfare.  The scissors used to cut the fabric are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads are all Gütermann threads pulled from the stash.  

Project details

Seams / Topstitching:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, rulers, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome 2000D AirThread serger, threads, thread clippers, iron, ironing board and a good cup of Canadian coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

August in Review...

August, where did you disappear to so quickly?  This has been a crazy summer.  Restrictions lifted and then reinstated.  Mask mandates lifted to elevated anxiety levels as news reports of the Delta variant taking hold in neighboring regions, only to be reinstated.  Anti-masker and anti-vaxxer protesters turning the election campaign into one ugly scene reminiscent of what we thought of as American style politics only to be awaken to the fact that it's Canadian style ugly politics as well.  Anti-vaxxers stuffing neighborhood mailboxes with pages and pages of doomsday predictions.   

Actually, I'm happy to see August move into distant memory and I shutter to think what the final half of the election will bring.  There is so much hatred and anger displayed in the news, in what seems to be about pandemic restrictions and mask mandates.  I long for kindness and a world where kindness was the norm.  I'm sick of debating about the good of wearing a face mask.  Or watching a volunteer at a hospital or employee at a store take abuse from someone spewing their angry distaste for precautions we're asked to take.  I long to bear witness to kindness.   

I long to be sewing things that bring me joy.  These projects brought me some joy.  Sewing joyful colours were just what I needed this month.  

Output

Fabric:  10 metres (August) + 44.2 metres (previous months) + 1 recycled skirt = 54.2 metres + 1 recycled skirt.  

Zippers:  0 (August) + 1 - 20 cm regular zipper and 1 - 55 cm invisible zipper (previous months) = 2

Buttons:  12 (August) + 23 (previous months) = 35 

Seam binding:  0 metres (August) + 10 metres (previous months) = 10 metres

Knit 'N Stable Tape:  0 metres (August) + 9.5 metres (previous months) = 9.5 metres

Elastic:  1 metres (August) + 13 metre (previous months) = 14 metres

Twill Tape:  0 metres (August) + 0.5 metres (previous months = 0.5 metres

Spools of Thread:  1 - 100 metres spool (August) + 3 900 metres (previous months) = 4 K metres

Sewing Machine Needles:  0 (August) + 5 (previous months = 5

Hand Sewing Needles:  0 (August) + 1 (previous months) = 1

Sewing Label:  0 (August) + 1 (previous months) = 1

Input

Fabric:  2.3 metres (August) + 52.3 metres (previous months) = 54.6 metres

Sewing machine needles:  0 (August) + 3 (previous months) = 3

Buttons:  0 (August) + 10 (previous months) = 10

Sewing patterns:  1 (August) + 6 (previous months) = 7

Seam binding:  1 package / 3 metres (August) = 3 metres

Stay Safe, Be Kind & Happy Sewing!  

Home Décor Sewing: New Kitchen Curtains

This is a project that has been waiting in queue for a very long time.  More than a year for sure.  Part lost sewing mojo, part dislike of sewing home décor projects and then it finally got to the point where I just needed to get it done.  

During the quiet of the morning, the sewing table was cleared and the meticulous cutting started.  The thread was changed one the serger and sewing machine and then it was straight stitching.  Easy, I know.  So why the dislike of home décor sewing?  Perhaps it is that there is no hiding mistakes once they are hung at the window.  I'm not sure if there are any mistakes in my measuring and cutting.  I sure hope not.  Right now, I'm just going to celebrate that these are done and keep my fingers crossed that the measurements are a precise as I dreamt.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam Finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, clappers, scissors, measuring tape, measuring gauge, sewing machine, serger, threads, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, tweezers and a cup of Earl Grey tea.  

Happy Sewing!