Meet FiFi!

 

 If you follow me on Twitter (@jolittletime) you'll probably know that I bought a new sewing machine!  I inherited some money recently and decided that rather than be sensible and save it, the person who left it to me would much rather I spent it on something I'll love!

I went into my local sewing machine shop (we are lucky enough to have 2), primarily to look at Berninas (cos we all want a Bernina, right?).  The extremely helpful and knowledgable sales person talked to me about what I wanted and planned to use it for and recommended a Pfaff if I didn't have my heart set on a Bernina.

She is a Pfaff person and thought the Ambition 1.5 had all the features I was looking for:

- a drop in bobbin I could see (running out of bobbin thread half way down a long and fiddly seam is the worst)
- option to finish with needle up (to avoid the top thread whipping away out of the needle on the next seam) or down for pivoting
- pretty 1 step buttonholes
- good length of warranty
- speed control on the foot pedal (I have a heavy foot on the pedal!)
- good lighting (my dining room doesn't have the best task lighting)
- adjustable presser foot pressure

It has all of these and more!  Specs can be found here.

It has 195 stitches - I'm sure I'll never use most of them but N LOVES them!

The drop in bobbin is easy to thread and to see when it is running out, but it also has a "bobbin empty" warning that appears on the touchscreen quite a way before the thread runs out.

As it has a touchscreen, the front is very clean with only essential buttons:

The buttons you can see are the needle up/ needle down toggle, permanent reverse, the speed slider, start/ stop button and automatic tie off.

It also has a built in walking foot called IDT (Integrated Dual Feed) which you can pull down from behind the shank and engage with just about any foot or stitch.

Much as I liked it, I decided not to rush into a big purchase.  I came home, canvassed options/ experiences on Twitter (thanks to all who shared!), checked out online reviews and booked a trial for the following Saturday.  I tried it out and loved it.  I also tried the Bernina at the same price point (the 350 I think?) and the one above (the 380 - about £300 more expensive) and to be honest, the stitch quality on the Pfaff was on a par with the more expensive Bernina!  I was sold and brought her home that day.

Things I love already:

- she goes through anything - 8 layers of folded thick denim as easily as a single layer of chiffon

- the stitching is gorgeous!

- the bobbin empty warning

- the low noise compared to my Brother

- the speed control - it feels like I have so much more control

- the automative tie off - I had no idea i needed it til I had it but it is so neat compared to my previous reverse stitching!

- those automatic buttonholes - love love love!

Oh and really stupid thing I love:

Bobbin and foot storage! So neat and tidy!

 On the suggestion of the lovely Vicki Kate, I have called her Fifi (much to the disappointment of N who wanted to call her Vanilla - who knows the workings of a 5 year old's mind?)

I think the moral of the story is - make use of your local sewing machine shop if you are lucky enough to have one.  They can really help.  Mine also offers free follow-up sewing lessons if you need them.

More Unselfish Sewing - the Junebug dress

I don't know what's got into me!  Not only did hubby get a jacket, but I also made N a dress!

This is the Junebug dress from Craftiness is Not Optional, which I got as part of the Sew Fab bundle a while back.

N chose this fabric, which is Love & Joy Birds in pink by Free Spirit.  We found it in the sale in John Lewis, and she was determined to have the pink, despite my efforts to steer her towards the turquoise.  I did have my way on the contrasting buttons, which are from Ditto in Brighton.

On measuring I found she was the right size for a 4T, which seemed odd - clearly she is just tall and skinny!  I made a 5 (she normally takes 6-7 in RTW) but with the 6 length.

This pattern was really easy to put together with a simple lined bodice and gathered skirt.  The waistline is quite high and together with the puffed sleeves I think this is definitely a dress for a younger girl.  I'm not sure I'd make it for her in a bigger size.

The skirt is quite a bit shorter than planned, as when i went to sew the hem, I noticed I had nicked the skirt about 2" down from the waist with the overlocker knife and so had to cut the top part off - oops!  So it has a fairly narrow hem.  But it's all good - she often wears dresses with leggings, and it's necessary in this horrible weather we've been having.  It also looks better without the t-shirt but again this was a necessity for the weather!  My fault for making summer dresses in the winter!

Giveaway - Win the Simplicity sewing book!

Those lovely people at Simplicity have a new book out and they have given me a copy to give away to one of my readers!

It's called Simply The Best Sewing Book and it's an update of Simplicity's original book published 20 years ago.  They have updated it to include timesaving tips and up-to-date info on newer sewing machines.

It is spiral bound with a hard cover so that it stays looking nice on the outside but lies flat so you can refer to it easily when sewing.

The fitting section

It covers tools and equipment, fitting (with a focus on tissue fitting but it also covers muslin making), using patterns, cutting and marking, the basics of sewing and how to work with more difficult fabrics.  At the back there are a few basic patterns to get you started.

Love the retro style illustrations

Before I was sent this, I was told it would be great for anyone who has recently started sewing, but having seen it, I think it's the kind of thing that would be useful to more experienced sewists as well. There are some great tips on overlockers which I have found really useful and are not normally covered in "Learn To Sew" books.

Sewing a flatlock seam

The section covering working with difficult fabrics has great tips on how to cut, mark, press and sew fabrics like velvet or lace:

Sewing with velvet

Matching patterns on lace

 The glossary of sewing terms is excellent and there's a really good index to help you find the things you need (and who doesn't need reminding of how to set in a zip from time to time!)

Hand sewing tips

Leave a comment below if you would like to win this book.  It's relatively heavy so only open to people in the UK - sorry!  I am planning a giveaway of my own soon which will be open internationally for everyone!  Please leave me an email so I can contact you if you win.  I'll pick a winner at random from all comments received by 12 noon (GMT) on Friday 7th March.

If you like (but not essential to enter) tell me what your top sewing tip is!

Mine is that you can shorten fabric on the bias by pulling it on either side of the presser foot as you sew.  It's a great way to ease in sleeves without puckers.

Edited to add - if you don't win, you can buy the book from Simplicity directly here!

Giveaway is now closed.  Winner to be announced shortly.

Wardrobe Architect Week 6 - Organising Your Colour Palette

This week's taks is organising the colour palette we came up with last week to see which colours we need more of and which are more accent colours.

When I divided mine up, I came up with the following:

Neutrals - basics that go with anything.

Neaurly Neutrals - like neutrals but with a bit more visual impact

Statement Colours - don't necessarily go with everything but have lots of impact

Plus we had to add Metallics, which is really easy for me - I never wear anything but silver tones.

Interestingly I have realised that as a late teen/ early 20s I wore almost exclusively neutrals, despite always having considered myself to be someone who loves colour.  Now I find I almost wear neutrals as an accent to the nearly neutrals in my palette.  I tend not to buy those classic things that are supposed to go with everything in my neutral shades.  I currently have a red winter coat, a teal and a cobalt blue jacket and a range of coloured handbags.

But I couldn't imagine my wardrobe without a serious dose of statement colours.  I could probably add just about any shade of blue and purple to that list.  I really do like blue a lot, don't I?

Scary Skill Swap - the reveal!

I posted here about the jacket I have been making for Mr Little Time and here it is!

It's been a long time in coming as I got the lining and shell assembled and ready to be stitched together and finished, and he changed his mind about the lining fabric, so it all went on hold while different lining was chosen, purchased and delivered.  Grrrr....

We started with the basic Fairbanks pattern from Green Pepper, purchased from Rocky Woods.  I was concerned that the fit would be very loose - more "hiker" than the look hubby wanted.  On measuring the pattern it confirmed there was about 10" of ease across the chest, which was far more than he wanted.  Comparing the pattern to a jacket with the right fit, we decided on a size 36.  After making a muslin, I added 1" to centre back and centre front to give a bit more space across the shoulders without messing with the raglan sleeves.  I narrowed the sleeves for a sleeker fit and took some volume out of the hood.

Overall the pattern is very good - all the seams matched and the instructions and pictures are very clear, even for the slightly more difficult techniques like welt zippers.

After looking at many different inspiration pictures, hubby decided on a front patch pocket with a flap rather than the welt zip and flap of the pattern or the integrated flap I drafted.  He also wanted the front in one piece without the vertical seams. So I was able to use the front lining pattern piece for the outer (extending it to match the length of the back outer - the lining is shorter).  He also wanted a little mobile phone-sized pocket on the arm.  Both pockets are lined in the navy cotton original lining fabric.  This was the look he was going for:

Kirk Douglas in Heroes of Telemark (Source:  notrecinema.com)

I mocked up a storm flap in lining fabric to get it to the right size and cut it in outer and lining, sewed together and topstitched.  I attached to the inside of the zipper tape before fitting the zipper and it worked (phew!).  He didn't like the drawstring waist so I didn't need to incorporate that.  There was much debate about the hip pockets, but it would have made the front too busy - the Telemark jacket is quite a bit longer.

The construction of the jacket is pretty solid - every seam is straight stitched, zigzagged inside the stitching line, pressed to the side, top-stitched and finally seam sealant tape applied.  I was worried about how the tape would go on given that the fabric couldn't be pressed at more than a medium heat, but it was really easy.  It fixed on securely at a medium heat on the iron and was repositionable until it cooled.  As I was lining the jacket and didn't need to worry how the inside looked, I added extra pieces of tape at the points of stress like under the arms (it was tricky to get the tape to fit nicely round the curve - most of the seams were sealed when the jacket was flat so there was only an issue with the side seams.).

I didn't use the cuff that came with the pattern - hubby wanted a narrower one with a velcro tab fastening to pull it tight like a vintage jacket he has.  So I based the pattern piece on that.  Narrowing the sleeves also meant I could leave out pleating the sleeve at the cuff.

There was a lot of top-stitching so my edgestitching foot got a serious workout!

The new lining fabric is this from Point North.  It's a bit lighter in colour and a lot lighter weight than the cotton (which hubby preferred).  The lining is topstitched around the hood and zip, and finished inside the bottom hem and cuffs.  Rather than using the casing for the drawstring round the hood, I left an opening at the neck edge and stitched parallel to the topstitching to make a channel.  If you do this, a little tip - make sure you make the channel wide enough to get a safety pin through.  It'll make your life much easier! (Ask me how I know).

After much deliberation (turns out having it exactly as you want it isn't as easy as it sounds!), he chose navy buttons from Minerva for the front pocket, navy and white vintage 1960s suit buttons from Ebay for the sleeve pocket, and white cord and toggles for a contrast.  Rather than buy a grommet setter for one grommet at the hem, I did a sort of buttonhole over the side seam to finish the edges neatly for the cord to poke through.

Despite being extremely indecisive and changing his mind throughout, hubby has been massively appreciative of the work and the end result, so he might even get more items made! In fact I have ordered the Pattern Cutting for Menswear book from Amazon so it appears that he will....

Do you sew for your partner?  Is he/ she as indecisive as mine?

Wardrobe Architect week 5 - colour

This was an easy one for me - I love colour!

I have posted in the past about my summer and winter palettes below.

My winter palette tends to be darker jewel tones:

My summer palette is more nautical (but thinking about it is really a brighter version of the winter one!)

Both have navy and blue in common with a red or burgundy to lift it.  I do wear a lot of blue.

I wanted to make something a bit more cohesive across all seasons so I had a play about on Picmonkey:

I would say this probably covers about 95% of my wardrobe.  I really like blues and reds (and a mix of both in the purple!).  You know, I thought I wore all colours, but clearly not!

I had my colours done when I was about 16 (hey, it was the 1980s and a thing!).  I found my little Filofax thing (I told you it was the 80s!) and this tallies pretty strongly with the colours I was told to wear then.  I have dark hair, blue eyes and very pale skin (incidentally a combination catered for very badly by magazine beauty columns - it is normally assumed that brunettes have brown eyes and medium skin and people with blue eyes have light hair!). This makes me a Winter, and I was apparently a True Winter.  Here's the colour chart for that:

Source: Bondbeautyful.com

Pretty close eh?  There's a colour theory I read about a long time ago (no idea where but could possibly have been something like Colour Me Beautiful) that says that we naturally choose to wear the colours that suit us.  Not sure where that leaves me with all that pink - I'm just not really a pink or yellow person, no matter what my colours say!

Looking forward to the next task!

Minerva Blogger Network - The Last-Minute-Save Top

Here’s my latest make for the Minerva Blogger Network.

The fabric is a gorgeously smooth and silky cotton lawn which looks like Liberty.  I fell in love with the purple and teal print as soon as I saw it, but what to make?  I settled on the Grainline Scout Woven Tee as I thought the simple shape would work well with the floral print.  However the more observant amongst you will notice that this is clearly not a Scout Tee.

I started with a muslin for the Scout so as not to waste the lovely fabric and it was pretty much a disaster.  The directions are clear and the pattern goes together perfectly, but I had totally overlooked the fact that this loose fitting style does not work at all on my body shape.  I need a waist!  No idea why I thought it might.  But even a belt wasn’t going to work.

So back to the drawing board.  

I made a Sewaholic Alma a while back and always meant to make another and this seemed like great fabric for it.  The pattern is great – the instructions are really clear and the pattern is well-drafted.  I knew it fitted fairly well although this was in my pre-FBA days so I re-traced the pattern and adjusted it.  I added 2.5” to the body length plus another 1” above the bust darts to get them in the right place.  I cut with slightly larger seam allowances since I wanted a looser fit then my previous version and this worked well – the fit is pretty spot on.

After sewing up the body and attaching the facings, it looked a bit frumpy.  The neckline is quite high, which I had never noticed on my collared version.  But in this floral fabric it wasn’t working for me.  After a fair bit of pondering I decided on a square neckline.  I cut off the facings and marked the right level for the front neckline.  I drew a line perpendicular to the centre front at this level and drew lines down from the neckline to cross it, added seam allowances and cut it out.  To make the new facing for the front, I traced the neckline onto interfacing and used that to cut out the facing.  I sewed it on as per the instructions, but before understitching the facing down, I clipped right into the corners to make sure it would lie flat.  An extra line of very small stitches around the corners (I used the shortest length on my machine) reinforces them.

Oops, 'scuse creases - I had been wearing it all day!

I used the short sleeves and love the way these are finished with bias binding – it looks great.

I recommend this fabric – Laura made some beautiful kids PJs from it recently, which shows how versatile it is.  It’s a lovely fabric and a great price.

If you want to make your own version of my square necked Alma (or a Scout tee!) you can buy a kit from Minerva here with 2m of this lovely fabric, plus matching thread.  This length of fabric is more than enough for either pattern.  If you decide on the Alma you’ll need to order a 12” invisible zip separately since that wasn’t in my original plan.

What do you think?  Did I save it from the naughty fabric corner?