SEW CLUB – Level 2

My level 2 Sew Club students have produced some impressive work over the past few months. I feeling very proud to be their teacher!

 

Sian's beautiful bear was made out of old baby grows just in time for her daughters 1st birthday. It was a real challenge for Sian but definitely worth the effort. We've all loved watching it come together at Sew Club!

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Sian’s beautiful bear was made out of her daughters old baby grows.  It was finished just in time for her daughters 1st birthday. It was a challenging project but definitely worth the effort. We’ve all loved watching it come together at Sew Club!

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Above Left – Bindi did a fantastic job at copying a favourite pair of trousers.  She made her own pattern, and perfected the technique of shirring with elastic on the bobbin.  I love the fabric she choose which was thin but weighty so it hung down rather than puffed out! It’s so important to choose the right fabric when you’re copying a garment. It must feel and drape the same way as the original or else however perfect your pattern is, your copied pair won’t look the same.

Above Right – Maxine is making a fashionable shift dress in a gorgeous Liberty print.  Liberty print is a beautiful quality fabric… it’s light and floaty but not see through! It is a bit pricey, especially if you need a lot but I think it’s definitely worth the cost for a special occasion.

 

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Above Left – Kate has made a sweet summer dress for her daughter based on an old favourite.  You don’t need much fabric for this style of dress so it’s a great way to use up any odd lengths that are too small to do much with.

Above Right – Sarah wanted to make a pair of pyjama bottoms similar to some Boden ones she had worn to threads!  She found a really lovely cotton print from John Lewis and a simple pattern with clear instructions.  In Sew Club we have found some pattern instructions to be too wordy and confusing so if you’re relatively new to dress making it’s worth looking around for one with less information rather than too much!

 

SEW CLUB – Summer 2015

PEG BAGS
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In May my monthly Sew Club students made some striking peg bags. They were all edged with bias binding, which is very affordable by the roll from Ebay. The small wooden hangers are from the children’s department in Ikea.

The more projects we do with bias binding the better and more confident my students get at it! We always sew our bias binding on in two stages to get a better finish. Remember… the first stitch line that attaches the bias binding to the edge marks where to fold the bias over to on the other side. Sewing slowly and accurately is the key!

 

FABRIC STORAGE ROLLS

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In June my Sew Club students made a pretty and useful fabric storage roll to practice inserting a zip. Based on a jewellery roll, these cotton versions can be used to store all sorts of things, not just jewellery. I use mine to hold an ‘out and about’ first aid kit!

They were so popular that all the spare ones I had cut out were bought! I always hand out a printed instruction sheet with details on what to buy, measurements to cut out and reminder steps on how to sew it all together so my students can make another one at home if they want to.