Last finish 2019

I was thinking to lengthen the cover I made for our armchair, because it was always falling down, so I quickly took some precuts from my scrapbin (it was me who cut them to 5"x5") an whipped up this small extension in no time. 

The most difficult part was how to attach it to the already binded existing one, since it had no separate binding, but the backing was turned over. Finally I partially cut the seams at the top, where the new piece was attached, turned the existing backing under the original top and stitched it together. For the new part I simply binded as usual, with a scrappy binding, and for stitched a little overlap for the old part. I cannot say it is the most sophisticated solution, but it was easy, and since it is mostly behind the armchair, nobody will see it - except you in the photo... The greyish solid it the original border for the top.

Autumn Watergarden center

Chatelaine: Autumn Watergarden

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

I have started Autum Watergarden to have some change to Pomarium, here is the center medallion.

Pillows as a gift

i did some finishing and used up some fabric. My sister in law asked me to make some pillows for our nephew's room, and here they are. It took a few monthes to start, but they were finished in 30 minutes...

Pomarium halfway

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

I have finished half of Pomarium in July, and I have put it to some rest. It will take forever to finish, but I am not in a hurry, taking my time and enjoying the process on the way.

Materials for clothes - reminder what I have seen where

Váci út  - cotton 2100-2600

 Váci út  - linen 2500-2600

Eurotextil Erzsébet körút - cotton

Eurotextil Erzsébet körút - linen

Thread Rózsa utca

Máthé textil Keleti, cotton for winter

Práter utca pamutjersey 2200 95% cotton, 5% elasthan t shirt, 2980 for winter

Fabric for clothes - a lot went to my inventory!

After finishing my trial pieces, I started to buy better quality fabric in the last month. I have bought a 1,3m mixed linen/cotton and a 3m T-thirt material I have mentioned in Vaci út, and also some very nice 100% cotton for my working shirts .

Then I went to a fabric outlet (Diffusione Tessile), where I bought beautiful 100%linen:

0,8m dark blue 0,8m light blue, 1,2m light blue with a little purple sheen, 1,6m purple, 1,6m natural beige. The price was 1350/m - originally 2000/m but there was a 30% sale. (The orange it the same as above.)

and some more shirt materials, all of them 1,6m, price same, 1350/m instead of 2000/m. It is a mixed cotton-elasthan material

I also bought a denim like 100% beige cotton, 1,6x1,5, 2700/m instead 4000

I finished with some t shirt materials:

Erzsébet körút Eurotextil, 2000/m 100% cotton, 1,x1,4m piece

Erzsébet körút Eurotextil, 2200/m 100% cotton  0,8x1,8m dark blue, 0,7x1,8 light blue piece

 I also found in the discount chain a very nice 100% cotton material. There were some holes in the material, so the 2,0x1,4 piece was 720HUF (~2EUR), originally 490/m

Materials bought: 27m - adding the previous 6m it is 33m - huh, it is a lot!

• linen: 7,3m
• pamutjersey/mix: 7m
• denimlike cotton: 1,6m
• shirt cotton&like: 11m

Until now I have created using 7m fabric:

• 2 t-shirts - 2x0,8m 1 trial 1 quality fabric
• 1 comfy pant - 1m - trial fabric
• 1 pant discarded - old fabric 1,2m 
• 2 shorts (+2 trials discarded) - 3x0,8m + 0,5m all old fabric from quilt backing materials
• 2 shirts (+1 trial baby piece) - 2x1,5m 1 trial, 1 quality fabric (trial given by the sewing school)
• 1 dress - 1.5m trial fabric

Trial pieces - woman's shirt, ranglan T shirt, comfy pants

To have a new hobby brings the joy of buying materials -  a lot:)

First I started with a heavy discount chain called I love textil, where you can buy 1yard for an eur, more expensive materials even go up to 1.5eur/yard. I bought some different ones to practice with and test patterns. Somehow I am really attracted to lilac now...

Fabric bought: 6,2m

• 1.5m purple shirt poliester
• 1.5m purple dress cotton-elasthan
• 2m sand pique cotton
• 1.2m poliester velvet

Women's shirt from the lilac - it was quite a struggle, but I managed it. However since the material is poliester it is not good for daily use, and also it was a little tight I will give it to my cousin, because it suits her really well. I need some buttonsbuttonholes, and I have to finish the seams as well, and add a hemming to the bottom.  

Elastic ranglan shirt from the white one - I wrote a separate post on the t-shirt, here is the trial version - this also goes to my cousin, she is forgiving all my errors.

Last but not least I also sewed a very comfy pant to be lazy at home. This stays with me, I can hardly wait for a colder weather, I was looking for such pant for years! The start was from an overall, what I totally changed. It is pants, not overall, I did not add the pockets, made it significantly slimmer - I realised Burda patterns are not for me. I cannot decide on the size, and regardless that the numbers are fitting, clothes are 2 size bigger than me, and I can hardly find any pattern I like. So I will not look for them at all.

I see I really have to improve my clothes photoing technique, they look quite awful here, trust me in real life I am extremely proud all of them.

I also sewed up a dress, it is a very simple one, but I learned the hidden zipper, what I have actually ripped off at the end. The material is somewhat stretchy, so there is no need for zippers...I learned interfacing, setting in darts, hemming the dress.

New hobby: sewing clothes - Ranglan T-Shirt

I am always looking for good quality t shirts what I can use for work with my summer suits, and it is extremely difficult to find one what I like. Despite the fact that I am continuously looking the last one I bought 3 years ago, and even that one was not perfect. However, I have a favourite what I have found several years ago and still love - and now I am able to replicate it!

Ranglan t shirts - pattern copied by me from my existing one. Front, back, 2 sleeves, neckline. xx cm of xxx

The trial version is on the right, I bought some cheap stretch material in the discount chain "I love fabric" - it was a perfect base to start with. I have learned to cut stretch ( pin pattern to fabric, cut around ), and also to use sergers to finish seams on stretch. I also tried double needles, because in the class there is no coverstitch machine. I still have to master finishing the neckline, because something still amiss...

I was also hunting for good quality fabric, because most of the fabric is extremely lightweight. But I managed to get some real good ones in a little fabric store on Vaci street next to Nyugati, and quickly bought 3 meters to be on the safe side :). (white, 70% cotton 30% elastan, 3000ft)

The learning curve of my serger use is steep and still ongoing:  how to change between lock and coverstitch, how to use differential feet for stretchy materials. I am still looking for good balanced coverstitch, it is too tight I think. But at least I learned to thread the machine - I have rethreaded and least 10 times...

Update: I went to the shop to see what to turn where, and the secret is the differential feet - it should be 2, and the stitch length should be 3 or 4. I will try this setting, I hope it helps!

baby shirt

In the sewing school I went the first thing was a shirt sample - learn how to sew a men's shirt in baby size. It was quite a difficult thing to do, I was really fighting with the details - but I am proud of my far-from-perfect-but-I-did-it sample.

Teachers gift - by my son

I was thinking what kind of present should we prepare for my son's teachers for the school year closing, when I pinterest showed me a bluegreen placemat. It was the perfect solution - not to difficult to make, useful, nice for the teachers and has boy colours that Andris will happily participate. He chosed the fabric, measured and cut it in one go. Then next time sewed  the stripes together. 

Third time was for the monogram of the teacher, where he draw the letter, ironed the adhesive and the letter to the back. Then he practiced a little how to applique rounded corners, but at the end he said I should do the roundings and he takes the straight sides. I was more than happy to help him out a little! When both sides were ready, he ironed the middle layer in, we used a thin adhesive batting. Then I outlined the letter to stabilize the mat, and then he took back to do the straight line stitch in the ditch. Finally came the binding, where he helped to cut and iron the binding, but asked me to bind it - and voila: placemat ready to use. He really did a great job, I hope the 2 teachers will appreciate the effort of a 9 years old:)

Tree in the corner

I have managed to add all the little leaves to the bonsai tree in the corner, and I will continue with the round pond. It takes ages to move with this piece, but I take my time -step by step I am moving along.

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

Pomarium -Quince

I have finished the quince. This is a fruit which is not that known in Hungary, but if I remember well I have tried it once. Now the bordering flowers and the cornergarden.

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

Pomarium border

I moved on with the border, and I have finished the 2nd half of the triangles. The whole piece is getting along, I need a corner circle, one branch and one tree to have half of Pomarium done. It is quite a huge project, and dedicating less time due to having other things to do does not help. But I am not in a rush, taking one step a time brings me somewhere.

This a closeup of the border:

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

pomarium closeup

Spring branches

I was very productive today: I have finished the spring branch I have started yesterday, and also added the little leafs into the triangles.

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

First I tried to make a photo with my phone, but the colors were awfully off, moreover, the blogger sharing was not working. I am contemplating to buy a new phone, but apart from the photo part I have no problems with mine, so most probably I will not change it. Now I am using my tablet what I rarely use, but seeing how much better photos are taken I suppose I will change my habits...

Happenings

I was away for a time, in January we had many family celebrations (birthdays, namedays), we went for skiing for a couple of days, and the weeks simply flew away. I also red a lot, and started doing more sports - this is the 3rd round of monthly membership to a gym which was opened next to us.
Actually it was opened at least 2 years ago, and I was looking at it every day several times, but I never managed to enter. However, my son stopped his judo training during which I did my weekly jogging, and he took up tennis. And there is no joggingplace next to the tennis court, and in the winter I could not force myself to move, so I tried this gym. And I realised I like it - actually I like it a lot. It is a very small place, there is only one personal trainer and maximum 2 clients, and one session takes 30 minutes. There is also a machine called power plate, which is a kind of vibrating platform and supposedly makes miracles. I do not know about miracles, but I do break sweat, and I do feel siff ( in a good way) after each session, and since it is only 30 minutes when I start to get bored I always realise there is only a few minutes left, so I happily move forward. I usually go there 2-3 times a week, so my evenings are quite full.

However, stitchingwise I worked a little on Pomarium. I finished a corner and some triangles at the border, which is not a lot, but I am content with this -slowly but steadily I am moving.