oink

So I made a pig.  Mum bought the pattern and an FQ of fabric at the Festival of Quilts and asked me to make him for her. He is weighted down and holds a basket for threads.  I'm not sure what made me decide he was a he.  It's not like he caused my any trouble at all.  Do you randomly assign things as male or female or is it just me?



The pattern is by Cross Patch.  I've got no idea who designed the fat quarter as it was selvedge-less.  I had an urge to sew and, coincidentally it was an empty Sunday so off I went.

The pattern was quite good, other than it didn't give any instructions at all for making the nose!  As you can see in the photo above, the snout is rounded, but pigs have a flat nose and the pig in the photo had a flat nose.  There was even a template to cut his nose out of felt.  I wung it and it was fine.

The eyes are embroidered on, I'm not that happy with them, but you can barely see them as the ears flop over the top all the time anyway.  Another thing overlooked by the pattern designer is a tail and I didn't think to add one in.  This could be a Manx pig.

There is supposed to be a yo-yo on his bum somewhere, but having made the yo-yo as instructed, I thought it looked silly on his bum so I left it off.  It was my first ever yo-yo.  And my last.  Don't like them.

I used a Tilda fabric to line the basket in mum's other favourite colour.  She's going to use it when she's beadweaving to catch all the bits of beading thread that get cut off.  She also said she'd use it for keeping her scissors in after finding a small collection down the side of the sofa cushion.

He's weighed down with aquarium gravel so sits very sturdily and securely on a table top, waiting for bits of loose thread.  At the end of the pattern I was instructed to sew the basket tabs to the bottom of the rabbit's feet.  Good job I didn't get confused and go and sew up a rabbit...

If you are a pattern designer, can I suggest proof-readers??

machine mat

Another one bites the dust!  As in another WiP off my giant list, this time #19 Sewing machine mat with thread catcher.

I gave you a sneak peak at this one a few weeks ago, but I didn't tell you what it was.  You probably couldn't have cared less, but you will now, oh yes you will.  

A LONG time ago, I made a sewing machine cover.  It was from an issue of Homespun and I still love it after all this time.  After I'd finished it, I vowed to make the matching machine mat and thread catcher from the following issue, Homespun Vol 12 no. 1.  Vowing was as far as I got, until now.

It was really hard to take a picture of.  My machine is in front of the window so anything hanging below the desk is just dark and out of focus, but you get the gist?  I can show you better when it's not in situ:

It has lots of little pockets for various things, things I need to keep at hand.  Like my seam ripper.  And I should probably have a swear jar in there.

See that magnetic clasp?  Wondering what it's for?  No, not the swear jar...

Though this could be a swear jar!  It's not.  It's a thread catcher.  See how I sewed it upside down?  The tape measure ribbon is supposed to be at the top, then it wouldn't look so weird.  It's also supposed to have some running stitch and buttons to match the machine cover, but in all honesty, I just couldn't be arsed.

Thought I'd better get a photo of the magnetic catch in case you didn't believe me. Not quite sure why you'd think I was lying though, strange thing to lie about, magnetic clasps...

Ta dah!  All magnetic clasped up.

I tried to get a hanging shot.  I hung it from my g-string bunting but it didn't hold, so I did some artful draping. 

One last crappy in-situ shot?

So, I know what you're all thinking.  The thread catcher sewn upside down can't be the only cock up.  You're correct.  There are binding issues:

And corner binding issues:

And just plain puckering:

That puckering bothered me at first as I thought this could be a matt to sit on my desk, I could move the machine out of the way and take photos on it.  Two problems with that:  It's far too short, my photos on white backgrounds are absolutely shite.  So puckering is a good thing in this case!  Big cheer for puckering!  And crappy binding whilst we're at it!

Birthday pressies - done!

I'm working my way down that sewing list!  It's my mum's birthday next week, I've already made her a knitting needle roll, a little pouch for her pills and a hardanger lavendar heart, but I needed a couple more things to finish the present off.  As she loves so many things and is a knitter, crocheter, card maker, scrapbooker and sewer herself, she's really easy to make for.  This time up I wanted to make a crochet hook holder and thread catcher.

I used a pattern from Homespun to make the thread catcher, it's from the issue following the one I used to make my sewing machine cover and this is designed to match.  I deviated from the pattern to make it fit mum's style.

I used random scraps in her favourite colours to make the patchwork.  I actually can't believe I didn't take a picture of the patchwork band out flat as nearly all the points match!  I also added the piggy ribbon as she loves pigs.  I didn't make this to match the needle roll or crochet hook clutch as this isn't a thread catcher.  Well it is a thread catcher as I called it a thread catcher but it wont be used as a thread catcher.  It's for when she's crafting at the dining room table, to put all the paper off-cuts and bits of the backing from double sided tape.  A table bin, if you will. 

It's lined with part of a bargain FQ of Hushabye I've had in my stash for a while, and the piping is Michael Miller something or other.  How great am I at fabric names?!?  Oh no, I just realised, I promised someone a piping tutorial if I made any.... and I forgot!  Was it you Dotty?  OK, I'll do some step by step pics next time I make some, and I will make some as I love piping.

The non-thread catching thread catcher whipped up very quickly, so it was on to the crochet hook case.  I knew I'd seen a pattern for one in one of my books and soon found it in Sew Darn Cute.  I was seriously disappointed with the finished article.

The topstitching is appalling.

Look!  I don't know how you were supposed to do a 1/8 inch top stitch over the multiple layers plus the fusible fleece.

And I HATE the way it's constructed.  Look at the sides!  Why on earth would you construct something like that?  Terrible.  I was severely disappointed to have wasted some of my Amy Butler home dec weight fabric on this travesty of a project.

Now, you all know me by now, you must realise I wasn't going to let it go?  So I made another one, this time using my OWN invented as I went along, instructions.

And it was a success!  Such a success that I've made a tutorial.  I'll be posting it tomorrow so make sure you come back if this is on your Christmas sewing list.  And don't, whatever you do, use the instructions from Sew Darn Cute, they're crap!

Before I go, I just want to let you know I'm a bit behind on my blog reading and VERY behind on my emails.  Ladies, I am not ignoring you, I promise!  I will get back to you as soon as possible.  I often answer emails at the weekends but this weekend I've got the Hobbycrafts Fair in Birmingham, then my spinning course so I don't know if I'll get a chance.... don't hate me!