Crazy quilt

Yesterday's post was using the remnant pieces that were too small to make much. Today's post is about using good-sized remnant pieces. 

Yes, I made a crazy quilt. I have always been intimidated by the thoughts of making a quilt. The quilts I have seen are all so beautifully calculated to orchestrate the colours and shapes into a cohesive useable art piece for home. The stitches are perfect, and the pieces line up just so beautifully. So, I never even attempted making one. However, at some point, my friend mentioned the existence of crazy quilts. 

I searched crazy quilts online, and I found out it is a free form of quilting. I had to try it out with all the remnants I had accumulated up to that point that were large enough. I didn't even think about what the final picture will be - I just put the pieces together until it was large enough to be a blanket. I learned a lot of things along the way, and it was fun. 

See how crazy it looks? 

A pouf foot stool

During the COVID in 2020 I made around 700 fabric masks while people could not buy any boxed disposable masks at stores. That resulted in a lot of remnants that were too small for much else. 

I decided to make a foot stool, also known as a pouf. My friends gave me some upholstery fabric remnants, so it was time to try it. 

At first, it was not very full, but as time went on, it got fuller and fuller. Now it's actually quite a solid pouf. 

Tie dye shirts

These are shirts I sewed and dyed on one sunny afternoon some years ago. 

The open collared shirt was folded into a small triangle shape first, then it was dyed with two pieces of triangle-shaped wood sandwiching the shied and tied with a string around the whole thing to secure the bundle. It produced an interesting patterns, and I liked it!

The sleeveless pull over shirt was dyed without any tying. However, it still had nice random patterns. 

I should have tried some more dyeing this summer! Now it feels a little too cold to be working with water outside. 

Bag remake

A couple of good friends of mine gave me this bag with an art work by Laurel Burch for a celebratory reason in 2009. I used it for a long time, and I made adjustments to fit my preferences: I made the handles shorter, and I also added rings on either side so that I can attach a shoulder strap. 

As you can see, spot cleaning didn't do much any longer. Also the canvas was getting worn on the bottom, making almost a couple of holes. But I hated the idea of retiring it or throwing it away, and I decided to remake it!

I cut off the main part of the artwork, and used it as a large front pocket. I used the original zipper for that, and I added a reflective tape piping as well so that I can be seen in the dark. (It gets dark around 4pm around here in winter...) 

The inner lining was made when I altered the bag before - I put all those little pockets where I keep my essentials. (I know exactly where everything is in this bag.) You can see that I reused a zipper that was salvaged from an old back pack (sadly beyond repair) from MEC, too.

I could not stand the thought of not having this bag any more, and now I can use this bag for many more years  because this black fabric is supposed to be very strong even outdoors.

If you have a bag that needs a repair or remake, or if you want me to alter your bag with the inner lining that fits your lifestyle, please feel free to contact me. I love this kind of project!

Sleeve length adjustment

I made some adjustment to the rain jacket sleeves so that I don't walk around with the sleeves hanging down so low. 

The rain jacket I used for more than a decade was getting really not very good any more (there were leaks that I could not fix, a layer inside was peeling off in places, etc.). So, I went to a store to look for a new rain jacket. I found a really nice fuchsia-coloured rain jacket, but it was $470! That's too much for me to cough up for a jacket.

So, I found one that was on a clearance sale for $99. But the size was an issue. The size that fits me perfectly had a length that was too short in my opinion. So, I decided on a size larger; however the issue was the sleeves. They were too long.

The solution was simple: I had to shorten the sleeves. This was a good thing because I am not fond of the Velcro closure for the sleeve because they can be scratchy sometimes when my hand touches it, so I was happy to cut them right off. I made elastic casings and inserted elastics so the wind and rain won't come up my sleeves.

If you need any changes like this made, contact me and we can discuss options.

Industrial sewing

When I do industrial sewing, I not only need an industrial sewing machine but also other tools. 

This is a 7 feet (182 cm) ruler. Before I found this ruler online, I was using a 4 feet ruler. The width of the fabric is about 60 inches, so a 4 feet ruler was not enough to go across the width of the fabric. I had to be creative when I drew a straight line to cut the fabric then. But with the 7 feet ruler, which goes right over the width of the fabric, it makes it a breeze to mark the fabric for cutting. It was such a good tool to buy: I use it all the time for a large job. 

Also, a pair of very sharp scissors is a must as well. I have a sharpening machine to keep the scissors very sharp. 

Mocassin

I decided that my current pair of sandals I wear around the house have seen better days, so I decided I want to make myself a pair of moccasins. I looked for moccasins, and I saw a kit for making the pair myself by a brand named Realeather. 

It didn't look particularly hard, because the leather pieces were already cut and everything I needed to make them was in the package with written instructions. The price was not much. If I were to buy ready-made moccasins, they may be higher in price. So, why not make a pair? 

Here they are. 

I chose size Small, and they are perfect for my feet. The strings that are holding the pieces together were like shoe laces, and I just sewed the pieces up using the laces. It was fun to make them, and it was simpler than I thought. If you sew and know how to ease in the set-in sleeve, the gathering around the front part makes sense. 

I inserted 3/4 insoles for my comfort because the insoles that were included were a little too flat for what I am used to. I am still wearing my old sandals, but when the weather gets a little cooler, I will start wearing those moccasins inside the house. 

Pocket repair

My husband told me that his pocket had a hole. So, I repaired it. 

First, I cut off the damaged area. 

 Then, I added a new bag for the pocket. 

That's it. Since the home was quite large and the other areas of the pocket were worn and very thin, I decided to replace the bottom part of the pocket this way. However, if you notice the hole when it is small, then a repair can be just a simple sewing up the hole or patching it. In this case, this drastic measure was needed.  

Mending

Here are some mending I've done. 

This one was a V-shaped rip in one of my clients' favourite shirts. Since it's his favourite, he really wanted me to mend it. I am glad he can keep on wearing his shirt. 

Also, some patches. The larger patch was what I had done earlier, and the smaller one had to be added because the area below the old patch was getting ripped. 

The pajama pant hems were getting worn, and they were rather on the long side, so I could just cut off the worn parts and hem them again. 

A different pajama pants had worn sections on the waist area. I added a waist elastic casing at the waist so that the pants can be worn again. 

The lives of pieces of clothing can be extended by repairing them. I am glad they are being loved by their owners. 

Cat harnesses

Our cat likes to go outside. I tried different types of cat harnesses that are on sale, but they don't seem to fit well or they slide right off the cat... 

So, I decided to tackle the harness issues myself. 

I thought the harness above looked good and worked well. However, the cat himself hated it with passion. Each time we tried to put it on him, he would get agitated and bite us. So, I had to make another one that is easier to put it on him, which is shown below...

This is easier to put it on him. However, it is not 100 %, either. He had escaped from it a few times, especially when he pounces on the frogs in the back yard... We read keeping our eye on him, but I don't think I will be making these harnesses for other people's cats just because I cannot be responsible for their cats escaping... If you want me to show you how to make them, I can, but you need to make it and use it at your own risk. (Maybe our cat is simply very troublesome, and your cats are all good boys and girls... Sigh.) 

Altering or sewing from scratch?

One of the reasons that I started sewing more of my own garments was because I had to alter a lot of what I bought at a store... My legs and arm are shorter than the average, and my shoulder is a little narrower. So, sometimes I had to basically re-sew what I purchased.

Just recently I was asked to alter a man's vest. It was not a difficult or complicated alteration, but it involves some steps which I'm going to explain below.

The first step is to have the vest on the person and to mark where the new seams need to be for a better fit. 

Then, the next step is the tedious seam ripping. Because I have to be very careful not to damage the fabric itself, I am very careful when I rip the seams. In fact, it takes quite a long time.

The third step is to pin the fabric together and mark where the new seams should be. I used a pink chalk pencil to mark where I need to sew below.

The fourth step is actually sewing the seams. The photo below shows the new seam that has been sewn. The actual sewing is very fast because I use a sewing machine. The steps to prepare for sewing is usually a longer process.

Since this vest had a lining, I had to open up the bottom of the lining in the back to get access to the seams. So, the last step is to sew up the seams I opened for access. Again, I had to pin the fabric so that the fabrics don't shift around when I sew. (The lining fabric is quite slippery.)

I think the time it took for me to finish altering the side seams would be enough to actually sew a new vest (provided that I had the fabrics already cut and ready to go, and I am not including the time for making button holes and sewing on the buttons by hand). This is one of the reasons I like to just make a garment myself that actually fit me to my preference.

In addition, store-bought clothes are often not well sewn... Imagine people who are under a lot of pressure to sew as much as possible in a factory setting. How can one expect the outcome to be of high quality from such environment? This means that if I sewed a piece of garment myself, I can make sure I sew it with care. Once I have sewing patterns I know that work well for me, I can keep on making the same pieces of garment with variety of different fabrics without worrying about the fit.

Please don't get me wrong. I am all for altering a piece of clothing so that you will get to wear it in confidence. It is so much better than not wearing it after having already bought it. If you have something that needs a better fit, feel free to contact me. Or, if you feel like having some custom-made clothing, I am sure I can help, too. (Please use the menu above for more information on custom sewing and alteration.)

A dress remade into an apron

This apron was made from a beautiful dress. My client asked me if I can make it into an apron, and I accepted the wonderful challenge! 

The original dress was a dress that my client had made in China while she worked there.

I had to carefully remove all the seams and retain the fabrics to make parts for the apron: front panel (top section and bottom section), shoulder strap, waist straps, and a pocket.

I used almost all parts of the dress to make the apron, but I only had enough fabric left to make one pocket. 

I love giving another life to an old item that may have been sleeping in the closet. Please contact me if you have a project like this for me.

Adding special touches

A client of mine had bought a wooden top. However, some things were not t his liking. He asked me to make it better! It was a fun project. 

First of all, the button was plastic, so he wanted me to replace them with wooden ones. They look much nicer with the wooden ones. 

He asked me to add a zipper pull. 

He asked me to add this detail to the cuffs, the hem, and another place. I liked the way he thinks! 

Also, he wanted patches on the elbows. 

This is what the whole top looks like. (Somehow the colours of the fabric look different in all those photos, but I don't know how to correct the colours in the photos.)

And yes, when I made the elbow patches, I had to make a pattern first. 

I love working on a creative project like this. If you have anything that you want changed or added to your existing clothing, please feel free to contact me. 

Linen drawstring pants

Draw string pants are always easy to wear. I love wearing them since I don't have to worry about whether the waist fits well or not. (I know there are opinions that we should wear well-fitted pants or skirts so that we are aware of weight gain, etc.) I am all for comfort... 

These pairs are made with, yes again, 100 % linen IKEA curtain fabric. They are not the softest linen fabric one can purchase, but they are affordable. (I hear that IKEA stopped selling fabrics now? I haven't been to their store for a long time, so I am not sure.)

The blue pair is a pair of full-length pants with seam pockets on both sides. 

The second one is shorter. I wanted to experiment with the cargo pockets, but after wearing them for a while, I have to admit that I like seam pockets better. When I have a set of keys, they make all the noises in the pockets in the cargo pockets. Cargo pockets are nice for some things, but not for the keys. I thought about adding seam pockets, but I haven't gotten around to doing so. 

 

Women's pant pockets

Have you noticed how ridiculously small women's pant pockets are? I had these two pairs of jeans that I rarely wore. I bought them years ago, but I just never really wore them much. 

One of the reasons is that the pockets are too small and impractical. They spend the time and effort to make the pocket structure, but they keep the inside so shallow. This is a view from inside. 

This needs to be remedied. We women do carry things, too, especially our phones. 

I decided on the size of the pocket and added an extension to each pocket. 

Now, the pockets are large enough to carry my phone, wallet, keys, etc. When I make my own pairs of pants, I always install full-sized pockets. 

Witch dress

Halloween is approaching! I made this witch dress a few years back. It's just a polyester satin dress with flared sleeves. 

I also made a cape with a cape to go over the dress as well. 

And of course, we need a pointy hat, too!

Cape's frontal view. 

It was hard to show off the sleeves on the arm-less dress form, so here is the sleeve view of the dress. 

If you need any help completing your child's Halloween costume, I can help you. Please feel free to contact me.