Making a Row of Button-Holes - Ta Da!

Well I've finally finished the shirt and it was certainly worth waiting for the sewing machine to be mended so I could use the automatic button hole feature.....

Here's one of the buttons being used to set the size of the button hole.

Whole thing then attached to the machine, and the button hole stopper brought down to lie between the two guides on the buttonholer.

Then, of course a few practice runs on some spare material to find out where the button hole runs once the fabric is put in place.

 

I found to get my button holes in the right place I wanted to put the buttonholer almost to the edge of the fabric and then the button hole stopper against the back guide.  Like so:

Then it's just a case of putting the foot down and letting the machine do it's thing to produce button holes as marked on the fabric using the pattern guide.  I'm quite pleased with these.

After cutting the fabric inside each button hole I then marked through the button holes onto the fabric of the other side of the shirt using a biro.

 And this gave a guide for where to sew each button.

 Resulting in a nice row of buttons on my first ever shirt/blouse!  Yay!

Just need some warmer weather again now, so that I can wear it without covering it in layers of fleecies for warmth!  

PS.  Previous post regarding this blouse here: A Blouse - or an Origami Puzzle?

Great Northern Irish Sewing Bee??

What fun we had today.

Me, my friend, and a collection of daughters had a good old stitch and bitch sewing day!

So here are the collection of sewing machines lined up ready for use in the kitchen sweat shop.....

And a few fat quarters and other fabric bits and pieces all laid out to look tempting....

First Debate.. then  Choose...... 

and Iron and Cut out pieces......

Next man the machines....

Iron out wrinkles as they happen....

And stitch some more.....

Those of use who started with a cuppa then got to dive in and sew too......

A quick pause for a smile....

Lots of concentration....

Another  scruffy pony in the making....

 And finally the end products of a good day's stitching...

One scruffy pony, a bow clutch bag, two zip-up make-up bags, a coin purse, a beach tote and a short skirt (folded on left)..

We WILL all sleep well tonight!  :)

Oh! Oh! Guess who went SHOPPING!

My daughters heard that there is a veritable Aladdin's Cave at Craftswoman Fabrics in Carrickfergus, and so off we went.  Talk about kids in a sweetie shop - we didn't know where to start!

Well, their mother of course headed for the Sale Rail!  And I'm sure we spent an hour and half debating and choosing .....

So here are a selection of their fabrics we brought home...

 Kerry hopes to make a short skirt with this amazing fabric ...

Elaine is scheming a  floaty top ....

With this creamy fabric....

And Shona is going to layer two fabrics to make herself a lacy top.

And did I manage to keep my hands in my pockets and resist temptation?.... OF COURSE NOT!  This fabric just smiled at me....... and all those ribbons came in a £3 sort of Lucky Bag.

Anyway girls and I had great fun...

So watch this space, because they tell me, if I'm very good, they might even do guest posts here about their creations!  

Sewing Machine all mended....

Delighted to have my sewing machine back up and running again.  Something had seized in it, and although I'd taken it apart as far as I dared, all I could see was a load of old fluff.   Cleaning the fluff away made no difference, so off it went to the menders.  (A little place on Newtownards Road in Belfast for those local enough to know.)

Turned out there was some thread wound around something vital and  a quick service and a tidy up has it ready to sing again.

So now to read up again on how to do button holes....

And to get started on sewing the Ugandan fabric into a summery top.  I got all the pieces cut last week in readiness.

So watch this space!

Sewing Machine Blues!

Well something went fifftt in my sewing machine and it's away to the menders!  The great button hole adventure for my shirt - all finished except for the button holes - will have to wait.

Watch this space!  Hopefully by Friday it will be back and Singing again.

A Blouse - or an Origami Puzzle?

I'm using Butterick 6085, which is supposed to be  "Fast & Easy" - well that might be true if you've made lots of blouses before.

I've found a cotton type fabric in my "stash" that I bought on impulse on ebay one day, and it's been just sitting around for several months waiting for a project.

Having never made a blouse before, I am taking my time with this and reading the instructions.... Yet even so I managed some interesting puckers at the back of the neck once everything was turned right side out...

Ah!!... Out with the unpicker...

And at last the collar turns right way around and looks... WOW.... like a collar!  How did that happen?

And a sightly closer version...

Next time - sleeves and button holes etc....  But now dinner!  Phew!

Edit to add link to finishing the blouse: Making a Row of Button-Holes, Ta Da!