TinkeringTimes

The vintage fabric Laurel dress

I was given several boxes and bags of old fabric to hunt through by an aunt, and keep whatever I liked. Amongst it I found a gorgeous peacock tones hexagon print. It sat in the cupboard waiting for the right project, as all fabrics do. And then I noticed Colette's range of patterns. I've bought three dress patterns - the Laurel, the Rooibos, and the Peony. It took quite a while to narrow it down to just those three!

The Laurel is a beginner's pattern and not having used Colette patterns before I thought it would be a good place to start, to get a feel for what changes I might need to make on the more advanced patterns.

As you can see I made a sleeveless version, partly because the fabric I used is quite stiff and wouldn't really have lent itself to sleeves, and partly because there wasn't enough fabric for them anyway.

The pattern is really easy to follow, and for any fiddly bits you may not have done before, there are links
to tutorials available on the Colette site such as putting in zips, making bias binding, and hand sewing slip stitches which are great (but time consuming) for catching hems and the final seam of bias binding.

After making a toile (muslin) to test the size and fitting I made a few adaptations:
1. Because the fabric was so thick it needed taking in quite a lot at the sides. If you use a light weight cloth as the pattern recommends, it will just fall and and flare just very slightly (true to the vintage 60s / 70s shift dress shape). If you ignore the instructions like me and use something thick, it hangs like a tent. So I took in the side seams and it became a much more fitted version than the original shift dress design. I read a lot of blogs about making the Laurel dress and it seems people often take in the sides to some degree but it's a matter of personal choice I think (and fabric).
2. The dresses are designed for a C cup and advise you that they have a snug fit. They are not wrong. I drafted the next size up (as suggested in the instructions), slimmed the bust dart down a bit, and there still isn't much wriggle room. (My next one will have another size up again and a yet more slimmed down dart). But that's a result of us all being a different figure, not that there's anything wrong with the pattern. It's not something I've seen many other Laurel makers comment on as being a common problem.
3. I made my own bias binding in the same fabric for the neckline but doing it with such thick fabric was very fiddly and not the smoothest or flattest effect. So for the armholes I used thin ready made stuff in a matching green. It felt like cheating but really no-one will ever know or care but me.
4. I did not make this adjustment but will when I use it next time: there is some gape at the back neckline. To correct this I'm looking at including either a back shoulder dart or a back neck dart. There are some really useful tutorials for this here, here and here. Quite a few Laurel makers also commented on back gape, though it wasn't clear if that was in the body of the back (in which case you could widen and / or lengthen the back darts?) or the neckline like mine.

Also I have read many blogs where the Laurel pattern fit people just great as it was, so don't be put off trying it. The best way to learn is just get stuck in!
I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and look forward to having an excuse to wear it soon.

How to Weave c1908. My Grandfather's manual for the Lancashire cotton industry.

I happened to have a meeting at a very important weaving museum. Queen Street Mill, the last operational steam powered weaving shed in the world, right here on my Lancashire doorstep. 

It led to a conversation back home about our family history of working in the Lancashire weaving mills, which in turn led to me being given this book.
Manuscript Notes of Weaving by James Holmes. From around 1908.
We don't know the exact date, but an interesting passage in it talks about the beginnings of the introductions of automatic looms. This was an era that drastically changed the Lancashire cotton industry by increasing the potential for productivity four-fold and then eight-fold, as weavers began to operate several looms at once. Ultimately the automatic loom caused the downfall of the industry as it meant productivity could be increased in other countries, where labour was cheaper, so England eventually became priced out of the market and almost all the mills closed down, leading to mass unemployment and poverty.

The book was my Grandfather's introduction to weaving. Part manual, part text book. The illustrations are so delicate and technical and beautiful. It covers many ways to create texture and pattern using the Jacquard loom (and later looms which benefited from the same techniques); and how to assemble and maintain the different looms and their parts. Only looking through these now do I understand what a true craft it was. Such a skill to understand the intricacies of how to place the warp and weft to make the fabric rise and chase itself around the cloth, one fibre at a time. I'm so honoured to have been given this book. It's been a delight to look at.

Rediscovering Liberty Fabrics

Whilst looking for some fabric for a friend in my out of control fabric stash, I dug out some fabrics I knew I'd had for years. They were given to me when I first started machine sewing. Althought they were never quite 'me' I knew there was something special about them and have held on to them for years. 
Now with the huge revival in fine Liberty fabrics, you can guess the rest. About 15 metres of the stuff!

While looking through the Liberty website to try and identify the different designs, I found this wonderful video of how Liberty fabrics are printed in Lancaster, not so far from where I am. It's a gorgeous video to see the process and quality of how such intricate designs are printed. A beautiful, industrial thing. Enjoy. 

Fabric Manipulation Made Simple

I'm extremely excited that another Ruth Singer book is out. Having bought Sew It Up a few years back and seen sewing friends rave about Sew Eco, I think Fabric Manipulation: 150 Creative Sewing Techniques is the book I've really been waiting for.

As a fan of the fiddly, constructed type of sewing, but being mostly self taught on the details, I'm hoping this is the book that can take me on in leaps and bounds.

As with Ruth's other books, it includes utterly scrumptious photography of techniques, fabrics and great close-up step by step detail. She also includes guidance on which fabrics lend themselves well to the different techniques; some great advice about hardware, haberdashery and tools; some run throughs of the basic hand stitches you'll need, and how to get do the finishing touches that really make a difference to the quality of your work.

As well as a preview of some of the pages and buying the book here you can see more pages in Ruth's Flickr set here. Just gorgeous. 

Ten top tips for sewing machine beginners.

A friend of mine is starting out on her machine sewing adventures. I rattled off a very quick list of top tips for her. Because quite frankly, if you skip all the technical geeky know-how, machine sewing can drive you very crazy very quickly. So since I'd assembled this list, I thought it might as well be shared with anyone else who might find it useful. Let me know how you find them, and what other top tips you'd share with an absolute beginner?

1. Read the manual. You can only have a love affair with a sewing machine if you understand its needs. If you don't spend time getting to know its little ways, believe me you'll despise its very soul by the end of day one.

2. Make sure your tension is right, and then you probably never to need to mess with that ever again. Never ok? Not until you feel like you can call yourself an advanced stitcher.

3. Always use a sharp needle, don't use the same one for 5 years. It won't sew, it will pucker, catch, snap - all sorts of horrid things. Basically put in a new one every time you start a new project. If you sew lots and lots - like several times a week, use a new one at least once a month.

4. Always use the right needle - they are different thicknesses. The thinner the fabric, the thinner the needle. And swap it over if you change fabric.

5. Use the right thread - natural thread ie cotton for natural fabrics; man made thread ie nylon for man made fabrics.

6. Always go slow to start with and don't push your fabric through the machine: let the machine take it through at its pace - your job is just to hold it loosely and keep it straight - do that and the machine will take it off you at a lovely rhythm.

7. Always start off with your needle in the fabric, and turn the wheel to do the first 2 or 3 stitches manually, so that the needle picks up the thread below well and isn't rushed - or the thread can break and catch.

8. Always wash your fabric before you even cut out the pattern. Fabric will shrink at some point which can screw up the measurements of what you make. And if you use two different fabrics together and they shrink in different ways, you might as well have just bought some fabric, and put it straight in the bin. Always wash them before your cut your pieces out.

9. Boring geeky tip: always iron everything! pieces before you start, seams flat, corners sharp... etc. Most people don't do this, and it shows. I'm an ironing evangelist. You won't regret it.

10. Finally - get to know your overlocking stitch and buy an overlocking foot. It will stop your fabrics from fraying or prevent you having to spend forever sewing a million extra seams and hems. 

Coal on Cotton

You may know I'm from a gritty part of Northern England where the textile industry dominated the landscape and families of every town around. I grew up in a three storey house built in the 1700s, where the top floor, my bedroom, was formerly the place where looms were kept for the family to work on.

Like everywhere else in Lancashire, the industrial revolution swept through and took home workers into hundreds of thousands of factories across black smoke soaked hills and valleys. Where once mills stood on every corner, now precious few remain. Fewer still in working order, as global textile industries have moved trade elsewhere. 

However, the Queen Street Mill, just a few miles from my home town, still runs. Still churns and chugs and judders and jolts. You may have seen it on the film The King's Speech. It's an unglamorous place tucked away behind an unglamorous run down old town. But it's a gem. An insight into what runs through many Northern families like mine and shapes the way we feel about the past, our families and our landscape.

I didn't know how much this background ran through me and shaped me when I was little. Hints of it started to show in my degree, when I wrote my dissertation about the Indian influence on British homes in the form of decorative textiles, and I learned more about the strange relationships between the two countries.

As part of Manchester International Festival, Indian artist Nikhil Chopra is creating a performance which explores these same relationships. Coal on Cotton will take place in The Whitworth Art Gallery - itself home to a rich collection of historical textiles including many that illustrate the relationships between Britain and India.

Above, is the video of Nikhil visiting the tucked away Queen Street Mill. It's a little thing but I'd like you to know the mill is not in Manchester (an error in the video) but in that small tucked away, seldom visited corner of East Lancashire. And I'd encourage you to go there for yourself. 

You can visit Chopra's performance for yourself in July: http://www.mif.co.uk/event/nikhil-chopra 

 

Charley Harper Colouring Books

Just a quick post to say - you'll know I'm an absolute geek for pattern. Likewise coluring-in has featured time and time again on this blog - I do genuinely find it soothes the soul and brings peace to a hectic mind.

So imagine the joy of discovering that some of Charley Harper's divine illustrations of birds, animals and other stylised designs have been turned into colouring books! There's the Charley Harper Deluxe Coloring Book (above) or the Charley Harper Birds & Words Deluxe Coloring Book (below).

They've probably been around for ages and are just new to me, but still...
The only decision now is which one to choose.*

*No choice: get both. 

Great British Sewing Bee: The Follow Up

Sewers and crafters around the UK have been cosying up every Tuesday evening to watch The Great British Sewing Bee where contestants follow a pattern, use their ingenuity, and tailor make a bespoke item each week. Reviews of the show among the sewing community are a little mixed, but mostly favourable. We (the discerning, sewing, viewing public) mostly agree that it's not quite clear who the target audience are; that the 'how to' making guides are ridiculous in many ways; and that we still love the Great British Bake Off, the big sister to this show, a little more unreservedly. We're also mostly agreed that the dashing and oh-so-pernickity judge - Savile Row Tailor Patrick Grant - is the real star of the show. Partly for his charming good looks, partly for his wit, and most importantly really, for his insistence on attention to detail. A man who likes his corners pointed and his seams pressed. Rightly so. We're especially agreed that thank god it's nothing like Kirsty's Handmade Home (the less said about that the better).

In anticipation of next week's final, where my money's on Lauren by the way; matching Anne inch for inch on perfectionism but striding way ahead of her in the ability to take a risk, I wanted to flag up where to keep an eye out next for my two favourite contestants.

Lauren: has a stunning and very well planned sewing business in Birmingham just ready to launch. With a bricks and mortar and online shop, and a beautifully programmed workshop programme about to commence, Lauren's already absolutely maximising on the exposure and popularity at her fingertips. It looks like a lovely place and she's stocked it with very well chosen supplies. http://www.guthrie-ghani.co.uk/

Tilly: many sewing bloggers, makers and general DIYers already had Tilly on their radar before the show, as popular craft blogger Tilly and the Buttons. She's stepped that up a gear and based on some of her work in the programme, and a top up professional clothes making course, is now making and selling sewing patterns and running workshops around the country. http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/

I also had a soft spot for mechanic Mark, the gentle giant with a way for debonair historic costumery. I'm not sure what his plans are but I imagine they include the odd ruffle here, a dandy swagger there...

ps It won't surprise you to hear  The Great British Sewing Bee book is already out. Containing essential haberdashery advice, how to use patterns, types of fabrics, items to make, and boosted with some fashion history and tempting photography, at £10 (half price) I'd say it's definitely worth a shot.

Image: Lauren's version of Tilly's Mathilde blouse from the Mathilde Maker Gallery

The 24,000 stitch conundrum

When I decided to crochet a baby blanket for a friend's little one, I had all the usual dilemmas. Sew or crochet? Which pattern? Which yarn. 

In the end I figured sticking with one colour and a simple stitch would get it finished with as little delay and angst as possible. After a bit of a mooch round Ravelry I settled on this. It's quick to pick up and adapt to whatever size or yarn you want. So off I went. I'm now 8 balls, 16 hours and 24,000 stitches in. Great! But...

Quick: a sumptuous downloadable Valentine's Day card!

Need a top quality card for Valentine's? No time to nip out or whip something up yourself? Ta-da look what I found from Jen and Floris at Love vs Design. Just head over here to download the proper pdf and print it out on some nice thick card. Job done.

And it has a little secret - a bundle of valentine's vouchers. To put inside and offer the recipient... well that's on a need to know basis...

Also it's beautiful. A quick, beautiful card that you made yourself (well you did, with a little help that's all). For all of us who love handmade and refuse to let it be a retail thing. Thanks Jen and Floris, you saved the day.

Reindeer cushion cover tutorial

I'm going to start by saying this is not my tutorial, it's by the lovely Katbaro on Flickr who has been one of my longest standing flickr friends. For years I knew her as an amazing foodie then *ping* out of the blue it turns out she does crafts too. So when I saw this in my festive flickr stream I was instantly smitten, and utterly chuffed to find out she'd written a tutorial for it. Any credit goes to her, I'm merely sharing the love. So pop over to her blog post and get to work...

Secrets & Codes. The Finale

The hard work from the Secrets & Codes project has all paid off. 30 ten year olds were able to show off their hard work in front of their friends, family and local community at the launch of the Hadfield & Padfield Heritage Trail. After a busy few weeks pressing, framing and labelling back at Tinkering Textiles headquarters, all the textile pieces were displayed alongside work from other schools in the village for the official grand opening of the Trail. 

The embroidered lines represent an architectural feature of a nearby Victorian school (forerunner to the children's own school.) The buttons, stars and yo-yos show points on the map of the village where something significant took place historically, or to the children and their families. Though the work looks abstract, for the children, their teacher, myself, and the families of those involved, they are rich with life, memories and history.

Click here or on the photo above to see all the individual pieces one by one.

How I learned to draw from an 8 year old: aka finding Zentangle

For work, I was visiting some schools to look at the work they do across the artforms. At one junior school I was given a few sketches some 8 year olds had done. I was staggered. The intricate, complicated, beautiful patterns they had managed to create was way beyond any expectations for their years, probably even for a 15 or 16 year old they would have been impressive. It wasn't a fluke, there was page after page after page, from every child in the class. Something staggering was going on. 

Where to buy gorgeous printed fabric in the UK

London Landmarks at SeamStar

Does what it says on the tin. Online stockists of some of the finest patterned fabric (by which I really mostly mean cotton) in the UK. I've picked out a few of my favourites below but there are hundreds of gorgeous options. Many of the sites also sell haberdashery, trimmings, patterns and stationery too. Enjoy!

1. Ray-Stitch              2. Fabric Rehab   
3. M is for Make         4. Eclectic Maker  
5. SeamStar               6. The Eternal Maker   
7. Saints & Pinners      8. Celtic Fusion Fabrics

Angie Lewin, Plants and Places

 
I've been planning to blog about this for, oh about a year now...

Angie Lewin's Plants and Places is one of the achingly beautiful books I received as a present last year. I've been a huge fan of Angie Lewin's work since she very first began designing printed Dandelion themed fabrics for St Jude's quite a few years ago.

It shares the process she goes through from quick sketches out in the countryside, to blocking colour in and transferring to paper and fabric prints.

The book is available here, and you can buy Angie's fabrics here.

Colouring in for Grown-Ups

You may know I'm a huge fan of colouring in. It relaxes me, helps me feel free and childlike again, and polishes up my thinking about how to use colour and pattern.

I recently came across a real grown up colouring book Garden Party! with a nod towards those fantastic 1970s vintage children's illustrations. There's a sample page show above, and 29 more inside.

The publishers say it's "Set in a dreamy landcape of stylized patterns, this garden party buzzes with life. Whimsical and wild images of birds, frogs, bugs and other creatures populate flowery fields that pulse with psychadelic energy." 

I've added this to my Amazon Associate favourites - these are the books I love so much I want to recommend them. Nobody's sent me them to review, I don't know the authors or the publishers. They're just books I love and think you might too.

Craft Tutorials

I don't know a single person who crafts that doesn't love a good tutorial. No matter how experienced, enthusiastic, professional or skilled you are, there's always more to learn. Seeing how other people do those fiddly creative things can be so inspiring.

I have lists of tutorials everywhere but I've finally hit on a genius way of keeping them all fresh, in one place, where I can not only find them but see them at a glance too. Pinterest is perfect for such a thing. So from now on I'll be noting them all there, on my Make This board. And then I thought, why not share them with you too. There's already a good stash on there and I'll be adding to it continually.

So far you can find...

Tinkering Textiles on Facebook

It's only taken roughly forever, but I decided it was about time to have a craft page on Facebook. So here it is. Tinkering Textiles. Do head over there and like it. Here's five reasons why...

1. Because I still get that nerdy happy feeling when someone subscribes to a blog, likes a page or retweets a tweet. You can put that nerdy smile in my tummy.

2. This blog you're reading now will, as ever, have craft (and other) news of worldwide interest with some meat to it and my usual careful curatorial ways. But it takes a while to write the posts on here, and you may have noticed, sometimes I find it hard to put that time aside. So...
...the Tinkering Textiles facebook page will have more bitesized snippets. Quick posts. Which means I can share more with you as and when I find or think of them instead of missing the moment, which sometimes happens here.

3. For those of you who are UK or North West there will be more news just for you. I tend not to post local news on this blog because I know it's read by people in all corners of the world. But if you're in the market for opportunities to show, sell, compete or work in craft in the NW and UK then the facebook page is where you'll find it. Don't worry there'll be plenty of big and global craft news too, just as you'd expect.

4. Eventually I'll be moving my Tinkering Textiles shop there. Etsy's pretty much had its day for me so I'm setting up on Payvment and will be listing things I've made as well also craft and interior hardware, supplies and classic vintage offers. (There's just a couple of items now if anyone's in the market for a handmade cushion cover or Debbie Stoller's Stitch n Bitch Knitters Handbook). More to follow soon.

5. Well it's Facebook, you're there anyway right?

Of course blog posts from here will also be sent over there, for facebookers who don't follow it anywhere else. Thanks to the *almost* 50 people who have liked it so far. Can't wait to see more of you there soon. 

A Cushion for Pilgrim

A whole four years (or more) ago I made this cushion. It was possibly my favourite vintage fabric ever bought. Thick dense durable crispy cotton in rich sumptuous colours and bold 1970s popping floral pattern. It sold on etsy and off went the parcel to the other side of the world.

Imagine my surprise when randomly perusing Pilgrim's design lifestyle blog - in fact snooping around her house - when there was my little bold punchy much loved cushion. A double take and a few emails later confirmed that it was indeed the very same item. Such a heartwarming moment to see something I'd made in such an appreciated and beautiful setting.

I'd strongly recommend popping over and having a big snoop around Pilgrim's blog, home and shop. And if you ever bought any of my items, I'd love to see a photo of them in their natural habitat around thehome or being worn. It's so lovely to be reunited with them and see them being enjoyed.

Secrets & Codes, an ending and a beginning

So Secrets & Codes is nearly complete. After 8 or 9 workshops the pupils' works are almost finished. Soon I'll be framing all their textile pieces, and putting together some sort of interpretation booklet.

In the meantime a consultation event will take place, sharing the work of all the local schools involved in the project with their local community. Here's ours. I'm so proud of them all, they've found parts of it challenging in different ways and have all wanted, so wholeheartedly, to persevere and get it done.

But this isn't an ending, as my work comes to a close, the village will open a brand new heritage trail which all the children and teachers involved now own a piece of through their efforts and endeavours. The future and the past of the village are all theirs to look after, and a new heritage trail will soon be launched to commemorate the area.