The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

[Lady Arwen]

That dress is quite gorgeous! I've never been much for sewing doll clothing (it's the only time in sewing where I feel my fingers and machine are much too large) but yours are awesome.

I may be teaching a few daughters of friends to sew soon. They've been getting into costuming, which I do (just in case any of y'all missed that), and I've found that old sheets make great bases for quick costumes that can be easily sewn (and just as easily ripped ).

[Grandmama]

I've found that old sheets make great bases for quick costumes that can be easily sewn (and just as easily ripped ).

Good idea with the sheets. I've also used them to practice with patterns to make sure they fit before cutting into the "real" fabric.

That dress is quite gorgeous! I've never been much for sewing doll clothing (it's the only time in sewing where I feel my fingers and machine are much too large) but yours are awesome.

When my girls were younger, I used to sew Barbie doll clothes. However, I no longer have the desire, the patience or the good eyesight for that!
I understand the "machine being too large" for doll clothes. Set-in sleeves, for instance, need to be done by hand.
I'm looking forward to getting back to sewing doll clothes, but at present, there are too many other projects demanding my attention.

[Grandmama]

Now that the garden is done with for the year, my thoughts turn to sewing, quilting and embroidery! After having the summer break from sewing, I kind of went nuts last week and now have one baby quilt top pieced, a lap quilt top half pieced and another lap quilt about 3/4 pieced.

I was hoping to make a Quiet Book for my grandson for Christmas, but right now it's difficult to get to the needed supplies in my sewing room as it is currently Ryadian's bedroom.

[fantasia]

I took my daughter to JoAnn fabrics this afternoon to pick out some fabric to make some pillowcases for her bed. We ended up with pink, pink, and red. But she's been interested in sewing and making clothes, so I figured I'd better find something that's super easy and I can show her how to do it. ... And then I'll let her take it from there.

[Grandmama]

Fantasia, I hope you daughter enjoys sewing. It is one of my passions.

Recently a couple from church asked me to sew a dress shirt from some fabric they had got while in Africa. When I agreed, I didn't realize what a beast the fabric would be to match across the front and at the side seams. It had strong graphic lines going horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. Anyway, the shirt is complete, and they are happy with it and I am happy to be finished with it!

Next sewing project: dress for my granddaughter.

[coracle]

There's been a bit of a debacle at Ravelry, so I have followed a family member into deleting my account and joining another knitting website.
Who else belongs to another site? Which one and how are you settling in?

[Grandmama]

Coracle, I don't know of any knitting websites, since I am a horrible knitter. I keep thinking that I should take up knitting or crocheting since they are so portable (you can work on them pretty much anywhere), where it's more difficult to take say, a quilting project with me to the doctor's office, for example. However, I have too many hobbies as it is, so I will just admire other people's work.

I have been busy working on an appliqued quilt this week. Next week the grandkids will be here and I predict that I won't get much sewing done, so I'm getting as much done as possible this week. I've been appliqueing flowers, which is a nice break from just piecing fabric together.

I did get the dress made for my granddaughter. I will attempt to attach a photo once I figure out how to.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... YzTHXKpO4V

[coracle]

There has been a new site for refugees from the Other One, and I have followed one or two others to join it, but without being active on it.
https://community.openravel.com/

[Wunderkind_Lucy]

Hello, everyone!

I saw that there was a thread about sewing, yarnwork, etc., and thought I'd join. I'm not very good at sewing, but I enjoy crocheting and knitting.

There's been a bit of a debacle at Ravelry, so I have followed a family member into deleting my account and joining another knitting website.

I didn't realize there were other options. I'm glad, although I never was very active on Ravelry to begin with.

I did get the dress made for my granddaughter. I will attempt to attach a photo once I figure out how to.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... YzTHXKpO4V

I wish I could see the dress. I'm sure it was quite lovely.

I have been busy working on an appliqued quilt this week. Next week the grandkids will be here and I predict that I won't get much sewing done, so I'm getting as much done as possible this week. I've been appliqueing flowers, which is a nice break from just piecing fabric together.

*looks at the quilt pieces sitting in the corner for the last who-knows-how-many years* I finished a lap quilt once and started on a second one but never finished it. I don't like our new sewing machine, probably because I always seem to get a tangled mess on the bottom of whatever I'm trying to sew. I never had problems with our old sewing machine. *sigh*

I'm much better at crocheting and knitting. I recently finished crocheting a backpack and am hoping to take on a more ambitious project: knitting a sweater.

Here's what the backpack looks like:



~Wunder

[Arwen_Daeneri31]

I have cross stitch patterns if anyone wants to see them

[Courtenay]

Hello everyone,

I'd definitely be interested in cross stitch patterns, thank you, especially if they're either directly based on Narnia or can be given a Narnian interpretation!

I'm a cross stitch addict myself — never a popular hobby for the under-40s (yes, I still am), but I took it up in my teens, with Mum's encouragement, and have never looked back. Preferably counted cross stitch, thanks — pre-printed designs are cheating (and not nearly as exciting as seeing the work grow stitch by stitch from nothing into a complete picture!)

I hugely admire anyone who can do freehand embroidery, but that's way beyond me — I need Aida squares or countable evenweave threads to follow!! But I do what I can and I've almost always got a design on the go, or sometimes more than one. At the moment I'm partway through a design of Mrs Tiggy-winkle from Beatrix Potter's stories (another of my all-time favourite children's authors/illustrators) and also a very small, simple kit that I can take with me when I'm travelling anywhere — a bookmark with a design of grapes and the quote "I am the vine, you are the branches" from John 15:5.

What I thought others here might like to see is a piece I finished about four years ago (gosh, where has the time gone?? ) — made from a pattern in a Christmas edition of a cross stitch magazine (it was Cross Stitch Gold, published here in the UK). This is the only explicitly Narnian cross stitch design I've ever found, so I just had to make it and had a very enjoyable time doing so! (And I was chuffed — delighted, that is, in UK and Oz slang — to see they gave Lucy golden hair.)

Here's the best photo I could manage of it, although it doesn't do the colours justice — they're much brighter in reality and the background fabric is actually a mottled pale blue, not grey:



I would love to have one of Susan and Lucy romping with Aslan from later in the same story, or Lucy finding him in the woods in Prince Caspian, but I don't know if any other designers have ever tackled those subjects and I certainly don't have the talent to create one like that all by myself!

[johobbit]

Very pretty backpack, Wunder! How is your knitted sweater coming along?

Courtenay, that Tumnus/Lucy cross stitch is really adorable. Nicely done! I would love to see the Mrs Tiggy-winkle embroidery when it is completed.

[Courtenay]

Courtenay, that Tumnus/Lucy cross stitch is really adorable. Nicely done! I would love to see the Mrs Tiggy-winkle embroidery when it is completed.[/color]

Thank you, johobbit! I've already done one of Peter Rabbit squeezing under the gate and one of Tom Kitten and his sisters going out into the garden — I bought them at Beatrix Potter's own farmhouse, Hill Top, in the English Lake District (one of my favourite parts of the world, though I live near London and it's a very long way to go and visit!). I bought four kits there — the last is Jemima Puddle-duck and the foxy-whiskered gentleman. I'd be happy to post photos of the completed designs when I can.

[Arwen_Daeneri31]

That is beautiful courtney, I am not sure how to create with just photos and if I could one would be Narnian. Id love to see what more you come up with as well.

I finished a tiger cross stitch a few years ago and sent it to an old friend if I find a picture I can show it.

[Courtenay]

I am not sure how to create with just photos and if I could one would be Narnian. Id love to see what more you come up with as well.

There are free websites that allow you to upload a photo or a picture and convert it into a cross stitch chart, choosing the number of different colours you want in order to set the level of complexity. I used one once but can't remember which site it was — just Googling "free cross stitch pattern maker" has brought up several options! So that's a possibility.

Would love to see your tiger or any other projects, Arwen and everyone else here!

[Arwen_Daeneri31]

I will have to look those up thanks. If I find the picture I will show it

I'd love to see other projects as well.