Thread by @artbyailbhe

I've been tidying up and I have a big stack of old mended shirts to use up. I might try making some dresses or blouses. It's hard to know what to do with what was originally cheap polycotton and is now, like, *ex* polycotton.

Using it for toiles might be the best thing.

I've decided it's all hassock fodder. Layers of scrap fabric to make a cuboid. So now I need to cut a LOT of squares. I've rigged a cutting surface for myself.

Using squares of neatish fabric as outers for thin quilted sections -- this one is stuffed with chopped up thermal underwear. A stack of thin quilted bits with a cover will mean the inside is more washable if anything happens, like pets or children or mould or etc.

It also means it can be easily added to after years of compression, come to think of it.

I've done four, discovered how thick is TOO touch for my sewing machine, and reached a stack almost 4cm high when I press down on it.

Today's layer is reeeeeally scraps. But I amused myself quilting them in place.

This was fun! I'm learning a lot while quilting together pads that will ultimately not be visible except on laundry day.

Whoa-oh livin on a prayer

Trying to get a few more weeks out of a Smart Top For School by making it a ½ sleeve top

Oh DAMMIT the machine is chewing it up. Is it tension? I thought I'd fixed it twice and now it's leaving more holes in the garment than I had before. It's not pulling the bobbin thread back up and moving the fabric along, it's sewing a huge knot underneath in place.

Tomorrow I'll take a lot of it apart and clean it, I guess

On a brighter note, using the clutch and filling bobbins fairly frequently means it's loosened up enough to operate ONE HANDED so I don't even NEED to lean over any more.

https://twitter.com/artbyailbhe/status/1373784605111812098?t=F5TUJ19LKfnHDKkK3bgpeg&s=19

I did manage to make a usable garment from the machine-chewed remains of that red top.

Today, I ironed the unfilled parts of a bunch of cooling scarves so they could be put away compactly until next year's heatwave.

Also today, I converted a couple of bowties to headbands, per offspring request. They bought the bowties months ago.

Today I did darning. I think it's going to be less obtrusive than the pattern on the socks so I hope it's ok. Socks that are ok are a rare and precious commodity. This particular child has four pairs.

Back to the hassock. I'm up to 9-10 cm high now so I want another 4cm before I switch to binding all the edges and encasing the stack.

https://twitter.com/artbyailbhe/status/1575558619755851777?t=YP775hrggXoPbL7QxJtxDw&s=19

Did another hassock pad today and then got distracted by trying to make my Filofax work better. I'm going to make a pen holder for multiple pens that will be easy to access when the filofax is open wherever I am. It'll be fine.

Cut interfacing to size and ironed it on

Folded the fabric back over the interfacing, ironed it in place (this isn't glued to the interfacing though) and ironed the binding on the top and bottom edges ready to stich into place. Also measured and ironed the reinforcement tape where the eyelets will go.

Now I need to decide exactly where I'm going to fold it, iron/score the fold firmly in place, and decide on elastic to secure the pens.

@UnrollThread

Today I finished a little project. I bought a huge king sized quilted throw and cut it in half the other day, and pinned the raw edges of one side together. Today I moved the sewing machine to a little folding table so I had space to sew it, because my usual desk is... crowded.

So I have the raw edges folded in and topstitched 1.5mm from the edge and now I have a single sized quilted throw. And another one to pin tomorrow when my hands recover.

Today's thing is actually sizing down a duvet cover from double to single. There's nowhere in the house to lay it out in full so I'm measuring 45cm from the edge and basting/thread marking all along, then I'm going to turn it over and check it's 45cm on the other side too.

If the line seems straight on both sides I'll machine stitch along it, cut a seam allowance, and fauxverlock *that*. Then unpick my markings.

It'll be fine.

@threadreaderapp unroll