the blue blog archives: little progress to report

Didn't get too much done yesterday on my two craft-alongs. I started the cute giraffe pocket for the giranimal jacket, but man, it's going slow! The pocket is knitted with a single strand on 3mm needles (whereas the rest of the jacket is knitted doubled on 5mm) and it's intarsia, so I've got tiny needles and big skeins to move around over and over. Ugh! I've only done about an inch and that's all curled up since it's stockinette, so no update picture today.

I did almost finish sewing my needle case (I love the fabric - very Hundertwasser , don't ya think?). I know the case really doesn't look much different from the last picture, but now the seams are all done. Unfortunately, they're all a bit wonky. I'm pretty sure that I don't have any idea about how to properly select the tension and stitch length, etc., so that may be the problem. I'm happy with it though for a first project. It will definitely work (now that I ripped out the first seam and shortened the pocket, my little dpns fit inside) and it rolls up real nicely. I still have to make a little tie to hold it closed. Many, many thanks to Rebecca for her help! I think it has been a great introduction to sewing. (Did you know that there was so much ironing in sewing?? Who knew?) I've got extra fabric, so I think I'll try to make another little case for my sewing notions.

posted by alison at 7:17 am | in giranimals , sew blue

Comments

Good job on the needlecase. I'm a sewer, too. Since three of my children are girls, I did a lot of smocking when they were younger...that might be a southern thing, I'm not sure.

Posted by: Laura at January 29, 2003 7:52 AM

The needlecase is very cool. Yes, sewing involves loads of ironing. If you really get into it, may I suggest a Rowenta iron and a really wide stable ironing board (not sure who makes it, I bought mine at Linens 'n Things). They weren't cheap (put it on your Christmas list), but I couldn't believe what a difference they made during my quilting life. Sew on . . .

Posted by: kerstin at January 29, 2003 7:58 AM

Alison, great job on the needlecase! You passed me, the kids kept me too busy to sew my needle slots last night -- hopefully tonight. Now you're ready to move on to bigger things! PJs for those adorable boys maybe???

Posted by: rebecca at January 29, 2003 3:44 PM

Where did you get the pattern for the case? or is it just a big ol' DUH obvious thing to sew?

Posted by: Rob at January 29, 2003 3:57 PM

Ack - ironing, the bane of my sewing existance. Yick, blech, yuck.
I'm pretty new to sewing myself so for tension, I use the manual as a basic guideline (my manual contains info on tension) then I fold a scrap of what I'll be working with in half and sew lines on it adjusting the tension each time until it looks right. I hope, with practice, one gets a feel for how it should be with different types/weights of fabric - then again, perhaps that step is like swatching, a necessary evil.

Posted by: kate at January 29, 2003 8:08 PM

I LOVE that fabric! And great job on the needle case, isn't it such a great sense of satisfaction? It's somehow different than a knitting FO, at least to me.

Posted by: ivete at January 29, 2003 8:42 PM

A big thanks to all you sewers out there! I'm excited about learning all the ins and outs of sewing and collecting all the gadgets that one just has to have. And Rebecca, I would totally love to do some pjs for the boys. We should talk!!

Rob, Rebecca (see her comment above) wrote up some instructions for me to follow and there is a pattern online for a similar case at Miasma. Are you thinking of making one too? Come on, join the club!

Posted by: alison at January 29, 2003 10:40 PM

Great Job on the needle case! I've been sewing since 12 years old...believe me, many, many years...and, even though I do very little sewing now, I feel it's one of the most useful skills to have. I agree, ironing is the key to successful sewing.

Posted by: carolynH at January 30, 2003 6:48 AM