Thursday 9 May 2013

WIPs and Finishes

Finished!! This is the first piece of clothing I've made since school days and was more advanced than anything else I remember doing.  The front insert was quite fiddly to put in and isn't perfect - there's a small section that overlaps incorrectly and one of the corners you can see the reinforcing stitches if you look closely, but I'm the only one that would notice it.  Gathering the cuffs and sleeves worked well, although the sleeve inserts might have pleated a bit more than they should.  I did change the fit a bit by increasing the seam allowance on the shoulder seams so that the seam across the front sat in the right place, and that seems to have worked out ok, but has made the arm holes a little smaller.  I think next time I make it I'll change those a bit.  That change also altered where the collar sits, so I had to take out a bit at the back of the neck and where the front overlaps before fitting the collar.



2. Stripey messenger bag
Finished too!! I did this a while ago but hadn't got around to taking any pictures.  Its the same bag as the one I made for myself, but bigger. I slightly overestimated it - and it's turned out huge!  I did make a couple of changes from mine - mainly to make it a bit more hard wearing as the one I've got is starting to fall apart from over a year's worth of constant use. The fabric is upholstery weight (from the Abakhan bargain bins), and all the seams have been overlocked before attaching the inside to the outside. I also sewed through the outside, inside and straps on the sides to reenforce where the straps are attached to the bag.  I hope the recipient likes it, and if she doesn't, well I want it!






3. Joseph Quilt back
Now complete! Colours look a bit washed out in this photo as I think we've finished with sunshine and summer in North Wales for this year.  All the fabric came from the bargain bins at Abakhan (again!), and fortunately I had just about enough to finish.  I've learnt from my first few quilts and this back is a fair bit bigger than the (already completed) quilt top.  I've even made the binding already (the black fabric that borders the star) so I just need to start pinning the whole thing together and begin quilting!

I'm really keen to get this finished and out of the way because I've got another quilt planned that needs to be finished some time in July and I don't want the WIP list to continue growing....