CHICKPEA SEWING STUDIO

New IBC!

I have been procrastinating for a while, looking everyday with disgust at the vomitous state of my Ironing Board Cover (IBC). I knew this tutorial was around and finally gave it a try. I started the project on Monday and finished on Saturday...not because it's a long one but because nothing happens fast in this house anymore, everything is very laboriously stretched on for days ( some days I just look towards things with a blank stare). In the end it's a wrap and it fits OK. I am saying just OK because I think the end result depends greatly on the quality of the original ( you have to keep the ties and casing). Mine was very primitive/cheap and the finished product although cute is not my finest work. It doesn't really matter I guess because it will be vomitous again in no time!

Tutorial promise...

Hats are in great demand at this house, it's been sweltering hot in Utah lately. As per recommendation of the flight attendants I made myself one first and now I am ready to give assistance to others while keeping my cool.
In this spirit I rummaged my pattern collection yesterday only to find out that I have none for a baby sun hat.  A quick web search revealed the evidence that I had to draft my own. After taking a few measurements of the boy's head I came up with a little reversible number that still need twicking but can definitely hold his own. I will try again, paying more attention to what I am actually doing, making the crown deeper and fixing up the brim. After that you should have a tutorial in no time...That's a promise! (sort of).

Tell me what you think:

Does this make me look fat?

Yes says Uli...What happened to being a Japanese size large? I am aggravated right now...on top of the sizing disaster, my serger quit on me and took hours to fix. But  we are renting a fluffy movie tonight to take my mind off the unpicking

Sewing time...at last.

I have put the shears to my precious Liberty of London fabric, bough last August (hum...) not in London but Paris. FYI: if you are visiting to Paris and happen to still have some extra coins for the good stuff, DO NOT buy your Liberty from Bouchara, instead go to the marche Saint-Pierre, Tissus reine have a better selection for about 23 Euros a meter.
I chose a dress from this book.
Deciphering the Japanese instructions can be a long a arduous process, I am just grateful that they love explaining things with pictures.( I am also using this). As far as I can tell, the patterns are free of seam allowances, so you must add them after tracing and before cutting. Another strange and concerning discovery is that I am a size Large in Japan, even maybe extra-large! It took a while to wrap my mind around that piece of news but I am over it now, thank you.

We took a morning stroll, Finn and I to our favorite quilt shop ( at walking distance mind you!). She has some checkered bias in at least five different colors from Michael Miller. I need the bias tape because it looks like I will be short on Liberty if I make my own.( correction: I have plenty of fabric left over, so what to do with the bias now?).

Spring Quilt Market

I have posted some pictures taken at the market here. More on this to come!

How-to: Reversible placemats

To start up the week right, here is a How-to I cooked-up for the Sewing Republic a little while ago. They made a video out of it, you can get it here. I am really impressed how much easier it looks on film than on paper.
For my version I made my own bias tape (turns out this exact fabric is now available as bias tape from Michael Miller !). I would definitely recommend taking that extra-step. You just can't find really cool tape at Joann.

PS (!): The Portland trip was amazing, be prepared for some serious reporting on all things Market and Shopping!

Narrow Hem Photo-tutorial

Here is the promised How-To on narrow hems. Narrow hems are, I suspect, nobody's favorite. In this tutorial I show how I tackle the problem. It doesn't make it a snap (alas) but at least you are left with a nice/clean/regular result you can be proud of. I am using the Bernina Aurora 440 that came to live with me for twelve months, I was particularly happy during this project  (the sling) with the ease with which the sewing machine handles multiple layers. It sewed over folds with gusto and I felt very little stretch... Great stuff!

Coming soon: rounded flat-fell seam tutorial.

I rather be...

I am on a tight deadline to finish a project for work...a quilt to be precise; one with elaborate pieced borders. Unfortunately, I am not 'into' it at all anymore. It's one of those projects yous started so long ago it has lost all interest... I feel, as my husband so elegantly puts it, that I would rather receive a swift kick to the groin than keep working on this. It has to be done, it must be done, it will be done!

But I'd rather be working on this new alteration project I have in mind. While pregnant I bought this lovely dress (not cheap) from Mimi Maternity and wore it a grant total of zero times! That is why the tag is still attached. The fabric is just gorgeous, I can't give it away... So I have been thinking : why not make a skirt out of it? I am not quite sure how, but I am working on it...

 

Sling making part two: learn from my mistakes.

I invite you to learn a few things that you are NOT to do when making a baby sling:

1. do not use corduroy.
2. resize the width if using stretch.
3. If using bias binding, use the opportunity to do a trial run before sewing it on by hand.

Don't waist your time and beautiful fabric like I did...

I loved that fancy sling I wrote about so much that after my first attempt at it I decided to make one as similar as I could. Of course, without the organic cotton and the hand embroidery. But I have this great corduroy and chambray that has been horded for ever.Take a look:

Well, let me tell you, corduroy just doesn't work. It is too 'hard', it refuses to slide on you shoulder for adjustment. It will not let your baby in there smoothly.
The stretch in the fabric will provide more space for the baby, so make the sling less wide or you will have a disappearing infant. lastly when binding the edges, you make the flat-fell seam first, so you can try it on, instead of wasting countless hours hand finishing like I did...full pic here.

Slow Monday...

Disclaimer: the child in the picture is much grumpier than he appears.