I had to take a little break from sewing because of our house guest who got the privilege of sleeping on an air mattress on the floor of my sewing room for 2 1/2 weeks. The mattress took up most of the floor space and blocked access to my table. But now it's over, the guest is gone, and now my room is free. I will be starting back to work on new projects as soon as I get my machines and ironing board moved back into place. I just hope I remember where I put things.
And I have a special new project I have to get done in a month.... well... actually by December 1st. But by the time I get all the fabric it will be the 1st. I posted an entry on Oct 2nd entitled No Sewing Right Now and had pics of the patterns I will be using. I got my Sweetie's measurements to make sure what size I need to cut for him, and I need to get my measurements redone to make sure mine will fit me correctly.
I look forward to sharing my sewing adventures, so keep watching for new posts.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Making a Tetrahedron Pouch
I made a Tetrahedron pouch the other day. Isn't is cute? Okay, so the picture is a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.
I used the instructions posted here but I couldn't find the 4 inch zipper called for in the instructions, so I had to used a 5 inch zipper and enlarged the measurements. It came out okay, but it could have been better. The instructions called for batting, which I didn't have, so I used a sturdy craft interfacing called Peltex. It's lightweight but stiff enough to be used to make fabric bowls, and I used it in a corset I made earlier this year.
So then I tried another one. I still made mistakes but this time I documented most of my work.
I started with some scraps of red/black shot taffeta I had from the costume that went with the aforementioned corset. It has a wonderful iridescent quality that just screams expensive. I had flat-lined it with some Unbleached Osnaburg Fabric to give it a little more stability. For the pouch lining I used some scraps of pink cotton. I cut the fabric into 6 1/2 inch squares - two of the taffeta and two of the lining - and serged together the taffeta and Osnaburg because the taffeta will fray very easily. Often all you have to do is look at it and it frays. If you don't have a serger you can zigzag the edges, or even use some Fray-Chek (c). I still didn't have any batting and I decided not use the Peltex. In retrospect I think I should have because the pouch ended up a little too floppy. Oh, well. Live and learn.
Then I also two 2 x 2 inch squares of the taffeta and stitched it onto the ends of the zipper. That worked out okay, even though I did a dumb move; I trimmed the extra zipper tape on the stop end a little too closely so I really had to pay attention or I could have broken my needle. Note to self: extra zipper tape is there for a reason!
Anyway, here's what it looked like after I sewed the tabs onto the zipper. Only showing half of the zipper because I had already started sewing it onto the pouch when I remembered I was taking pictures of my progress. Oops! Oh well. And on the far end you can barely see the stitching across the tab, it's almost not on the tab. That's how close I was. I have got to seriously rethink how to do these tabs because I'm messing up somewhere.
So next is adding decorative stitching or other embellishments the pouch. I did what the original template called for, parallel line quilting on the diagonal. To start it just draw a line diagonally from corner to corner on the outer fabric. Then pin on your batting or interfacing (when you use them), and stitch on that line. Continue stitching parallel lines according to the width of your machine's presser foot.
My machine is cool in that it allows me to change the position of my needle from left to center. When I stitched down along the line I drew I had the needle to the left because, as you can see from the above picture, I started out lining up the line I had drawn with the right edge of the opening on my zig-zag foot. Once that was established I centered my needle and stitched down the next parallel line by lining up the right side of the presser foot with the previous row of stitching. That distance is usually 1/4 inch. Your machine may vary. With the first pouch I did this stitching all the way across the fabric.
With this one I only did 5 rows before I decided to a little bit of lace. The lace I used is 1/2 inch wide and is an ivory color with a reddish tinge that looks wonderful with the taffeta.
I lined up the loopy edge of it with the last row of stitching. Looking good! I attached lace to the other square, too, but I wasn't sure they would match up properly so I stitched the squares so that they were both going the same way. The pouch would have looked nicer if I had made the ends of the lace match up so that it looked like the lace was going around the pouch in an endless circle. A later picture will show what I mean.
So now it's time to attach the zipper. Pretty straightforward if you have been sewing for many years. However, to the beginner stitcher attaching a zipper can be a foreign concept. You don't want to do what I've done and used my zigzag. It's just that I cannot stand my zipper foot. It is poorly designed and keeps getting caught on things. If I put my needle in the left position with my zigzag foot then it works just as well as, or maybe even better than my zipper foot.
So after I got both sides sewed onto the zipper it looked pretty good. I thought I was on the right track. Oh, and see what I said about the lace? And I really didn't realize I had reversed the direction of the lace. Look closely and you'll see that while the lace follows the same diagonal, the loopy edge is up on one side and down on the other. Like I said, I made a lot of mistakes.
So now with the zipper in all I need to do is stitch up the sides. This is where it gets tricky, sort of. To those who never understood Geometry, you may be asking yourself how is she going to turn two squares into a pyramid shape like in the picture at the beginning of this post. It's easy. No, really, it's easy. Trust me.
First you bring the outer pouch fabric together and then the lining fabric. This is the point when you decide if you want a strap or loop in the pouch. If so, pin it to the outside fabric about 1/4" from the zipper head (where the zipper pull is when the zipper is closed). Okay, so, what about the zipper between the sides?
Pin the outer fabric all the way up to the zipper. Then bend the seam allowance and the zipper's edge toward the lining side of the pouch, like in the picture on the left, then pin the lining together. Then stitch the edges making sure you leave a minimum 2 1/2 inch opening on one side of the lining or you won't be able to turn the pouch right-side out when you're finished.
Now you're going to match the seams of both the outer and lining fabric and then pin them together like in these two pictures. Be sure to keep the opening in the lining facing out so you can turn the pouch right-side out.
Then you stitch the bottom edges together like in this picture. See the gap in the stitching on the crosswise seam? That's the opening for turning. Almost done. Now all you have to do is turn it right-side out and then hand-stitch the opening closed. It doesn't matter what kind of stitch you use. As long as it's secure and there are no loose loops of thread to catch on something.
There you have it! One Tetrahedron pouch to hold whatever you want. The taffeta one I gave to a friend and she uses it for her gaming dice. The one pictured at the beginning of this blog is the one I use for my gaming dice. A friend wants one to use as a mini make-up bag to throw in her backpack. There are hundreds of uses. Pick one.
So then I tried another one. I still made mistakes but this time I documented most of my work.
I started with some scraps of red/black shot taffeta I had from the costume that went with the aforementioned corset. It has a wonderful iridescent quality that just screams expensive. I had flat-lined it with some Unbleached Osnaburg Fabric to give it a little more stability. For the pouch lining I used some scraps of pink cotton. I cut the fabric into 6 1/2 inch squares - two of the taffeta and two of the lining - and serged together the taffeta and Osnaburg because the taffeta will fray very easily. Often all you have to do is look at it and it frays. If you don't have a serger you can zigzag the edges, or even use some Fray-Chek (c). I still didn't have any batting and I decided not use the Peltex. In retrospect I think I should have because the pouch ended up a little too floppy. Oh, well. Live and learn.
Anyway, here's what it looked like after I sewed the tabs onto the zipper. Only showing half of the zipper because I had already started sewing it onto the pouch when I remembered I was taking pictures of my progress. Oops! Oh well. And on the far end you can barely see the stitching across the tab, it's almost not on the tab. That's how close I was. I have got to seriously rethink how to do these tabs because I'm messing up somewhere.
So next is adding decorative stitching or other embellishments the pouch. I did what the original template called for, parallel line quilting on the diagonal. To start it just draw a line diagonally from corner to corner on the outer fabric. Then pin on your batting or interfacing (when you use them), and stitch on that line. Continue stitching parallel lines according to the width of your machine's presser foot.
My machine is cool in that it allows me to change the position of my needle from left to center. When I stitched down along the line I drew I had the needle to the left because, as you can see from the above picture, I started out lining up the line I had drawn with the right edge of the opening on my zig-zag foot. Once that was established I centered my needle and stitched down the next parallel line by lining up the right side of the presser foot with the previous row of stitching. That distance is usually 1/4 inch. Your machine may vary. With the first pouch I did this stitching all the way across the fabric.With this one I only did 5 rows before I decided to a little bit of lace. The lace I used is 1/2 inch wide and is an ivory color with a reddish tinge that looks wonderful with the taffeta.
I lined up the loopy edge of it with the last row of stitching. Looking good! I attached lace to the other square, too, but I wasn't sure they would match up properly so I stitched the squares so that they were both going the same way. The pouch would have looked nicer if I had made the ends of the lace match up so that it looked like the lace was going around the pouch in an endless circle. A later picture will show what I mean.
So now it's time to attach the zipper. Pretty straightforward if you have been sewing for many years. However, to the beginner stitcher attaching a zipper can be a foreign concept. You don't want to do what I've done and used my zigzag. It's just that I cannot stand my zipper foot. It is poorly designed and keeps getting caught on things. If I put my needle in the left position with my zigzag foot then it works just as well as, or maybe even better than my zipper foot.
So after I got both sides sewed onto the zipper it looked pretty good. I thought I was on the right track. Oh, and see what I said about the lace? And I really didn't realize I had reversed the direction of the lace. Look closely and you'll see that while the lace follows the same diagonal, the loopy edge is up on one side and down on the other. Like I said, I made a lot of mistakes.
So now with the zipper in all I need to do is stitch up the sides. This is where it gets tricky, sort of. To those who never understood Geometry, you may be asking yourself how is she going to turn two squares into a pyramid shape like in the picture at the beginning of this post. It's easy. No, really, it's easy. Trust me.
First you bring the outer pouch fabric together and then the lining fabric. This is the point when you decide if you want a strap or loop in the pouch. If so, pin it to the outside fabric about 1/4" from the zipper head (where the zipper pull is when the zipper is closed). Okay, so, what about the zipper between the sides? 
 |
| ** |
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| *** |
 | |
| *** |
 |
| ** |
Then you stitch the bottom edges together like in this picture. See the gap in the stitching on the crosswise seam? That's the opening for turning. Almost done. Now all you have to do is turn it right-side out and then hand-stitch the opening closed. It doesn't matter what kind of stitch you use. As long as it's secure and there are no loose loops of thread to catch on something.
There you have it! One Tetrahedron pouch to hold whatever you want. The taffeta one I gave to a friend and she uses it for her gaming dice. The one pictured at the beginning of this blog is the one I use for my gaming dice. A friend wants one to use as a mini make-up bag to throw in her backpack. There are hundreds of uses. Pick one.
Credits: Most of the pictures were taken by me, but a few were not.
**(c) http://www.craftpassion.com/2011/06/triangle-coin-purse-with-zipper.html
***(c) http://sewmesomethinggood.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-sew-coin-purse.html
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
No Sewing Right Now
Okay, this is stupid... I start a new blog about sewing and I can't even work on any projects right now because we have a house guest and she is staying in my sewing room. Originally she was going to be sleeping on the living room floor, but I decided that she might want some privacy. So I cleaned up the room (trust me, I managed to clog the vacuum filters with enough thread bits to choke a horse) and put away my ironing board & iron, my serger table, and put away or threw out tons of fabric so she could have a halfway decent room to stay in. And there's nothing like having a house guest to make you realize how much crap you have cluttering your life.
So as soon as she leaves, which will be sometime next week, I'll be back sewing. I'll be working on costumes for my Sweetie and me. We're part of a Costumed Wedding planned for December 17th and I have to get cracking or the bride will be ticked off and have my rear end in a sling. I'll have 2 months to do all this and the bride is placing bets as to when I'll finish them because I can be a bit of a slacker.
I'm making Turkish costumes for us. This one is for my Sweetie. I'll be making the blue & yellow outfit on the left, though I'll be doing it in shades of green, his favorite color. The bride wants at least one of the greens be a jewel tone. I'll have to see what fabric is available and looks good with the other shades. It will be tricky, but I think I'll do okay. I was not originally planning on doing the turban, but both the bride and her attendant have asked me to make one, so I guess I will. My Sweetie wasn't too keen on a turban, but he's been outvoted. Besides, isn't a wedding suppose to be the bride's day?? So what the bride wants, the bride gets.
Now, as to my costume, I will be wearing a Ghawazee Dancer's costume. This pattern is says that the coat is adjustable to any size, so we shall see. I've looked at the pattern instructions and pieces and it looks to be fairly easy, but that may be because I have a lot of experience when it comes to sewing. I definitely would not recommend either of these patterns to the novice.
My costume will be in shades of purple which might prove difficult. Purples and lavenders must all be on the same side of the color wheel or they will look horrid. If you put a purple that is more from the blue side of the color with one from the red side you wild have a color clash. Of all the color in the spectrum, purples and reds seem to have the hardest time with matching to each other.
In addition to the coat I'll have to make the blouse, pants or skirt (I haven't decided yet) and other costume pieces that this pattern does not include. I've got to get cracking!
Our guest is planning to leave early Thursday morning which means I'll have all day Thursday to get my sewing room back in order. This should be fun....... maybe.... maybe not...
So as soon as she leaves, which will be sometime next week, I'll be back sewing. I'll be working on costumes for my Sweetie and me. We're part of a Costumed Wedding planned for December 17th and I have to get cracking or the bride will be ticked off and have my rear end in a sling. I'll have 2 months to do all this and the bride is placing bets as to when I'll finish them because I can be a bit of a slacker.
So in case you're wondering what I will be sewing, here are pics of the pattern envelopes.
I'm making Turkish costumes for us. This one is for my Sweetie. I'll be making the blue & yellow outfit on the left, though I'll be doing it in shades of green, his favorite color. The bride wants at least one of the greens be a jewel tone. I'll have to see what fabric is available and looks good with the other shades. It will be tricky, but I think I'll do okay. I was not originally planning on doing the turban, but both the bride and her attendant have asked me to make one, so I guess I will. My Sweetie wasn't too keen on a turban, but he's been outvoted. Besides, isn't a wedding suppose to be the bride's day?? So what the bride wants, the bride gets.
Now, as to my costume, I will be wearing a Ghawazee Dancer's costume. This pattern is says that the coat is adjustable to any size, so we shall see. I've looked at the pattern instructions and pieces and it looks to be fairly easy, but that may be because I have a lot of experience when it comes to sewing. I definitely would not recommend either of these patterns to the novice.
My costume will be in shades of purple which might prove difficult. Purples and lavenders must all be on the same side of the color wheel or they will look horrid. If you put a purple that is more from the blue side of the color with one from the red side you wild have a color clash. Of all the color in the spectrum, purples and reds seem to have the hardest time with matching to each other.
In addition to the coat I'll have to make the blouse, pants or skirt (I haven't decided yet) and other costume pieces that this pattern does not include. I've got to get cracking!
Our guest is planning to leave early Thursday morning which means I'll have all day Thursday to get my sewing room back in order. This should be fun....... maybe.... maybe not...
Hello World!
Welcome to Cela Sews, the blog about me and my sewing. I have been sewing for over 40 years (did I just date myself??) and I like so show off my projects.
My maternal grandmother was a professional dressmaker back in the days when there was not a lot of manufacturing of clothing. Folks went to professional dressmakers and tailors to get their clothes, none of the conspicuous consumption we see women indulging in these days. I like to think I inherited some of my grandmother's eye and talent when it comes to making clothing and accessories.
What you will see on these pages are my projects, both in progress and the finished work. They may be purses, pouches, and/or bags that I am making to sell on my soon to open store on Etsy.com, or they may be clothing or costumes I am making for friends or family. Whatever they are, they will always be a project I have sewn.
Something to keep in mind when I post a project. If it is a purse/pouch/bag I will also post templates and instructions so you can try and make one yourself. Also, if I did not design the bag I direct you to the webpage where I found the project. Though sometimes I will post printable templates as PDFs because many of the designers of the bags didn't think to do it, or they didn't know how to to make a PDF.
If the is an article of clothing I will NOT be posting any templates. I will only post my thoughts, hints, and observations about the project. And pictures, too. I will also refer you to the pattern, pattern number, and the the company that printed it.
I hope you enjoy this blog, and thank you so much for your support.
My maternal grandmother was a professional dressmaker back in the days when there was not a lot of manufacturing of clothing. Folks went to professional dressmakers and tailors to get their clothes, none of the conspicuous consumption we see women indulging in these days. I like to think I inherited some of my grandmother's eye and talent when it comes to making clothing and accessories.
What you will see on these pages are my projects, both in progress and the finished work. They may be purses, pouches, and/or bags that I am making to sell on my soon to open store on Etsy.com, or they may be clothing or costumes I am making for friends or family. Whatever they are, they will always be a project I have sewn.
Something to keep in mind when I post a project. If it is a purse/pouch/bag I will also post templates and instructions so you can try and make one yourself. Also, if I did not design the bag I direct you to the webpage where I found the project. Though sometimes I will post printable templates as PDFs because many of the designers of the bags didn't think to do it, or they didn't know how to to make a PDF.
If the is an article of clothing I will NOT be posting any templates. I will only post my thoughts, hints, and observations about the project. And pictures, too. I will also refer you to the pattern, pattern number, and the the company that printed it.
I hope you enjoy this blog, and thank you so much for your support.
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