A Minerva Craft Blogger Network Post

Black Cord Flares

Flared pants were very fashionable in the 60's  and 70's - and they are incredibly flattering Worn with a casual jumper and scarf they look very smart and will take you anywhere. Not too long ago I was scared of making trousers and jeans but to be perfectly honest it really is worth persevering with as the fit is the best you will ever get. I would never consider buying ready made again .......

To read more, find out about this beautiful stretch cord and to read the tutorial go straight to this link and find out how you can make them too    Black Cord Flares Blog Post

Enjoy reading the post and enjoy looking fabulous in your new flares 

Angela

Embroidery Machines

A Jaycotts post

What else can I do with an embroidery machine other than embroider clothes?

"An embroidery machine is an investment, so what else can I use an embroidery only machine for" is something I get asked a lot and I know Jaycotts have the answer!

These are a few of the items I make on my Brother embroidery machine.
To view the range , this is the link Embroidery Machine

If at all possible it is well worth a visit to try a few and to discuss options

I have to admit that once my embroidery machine comes out, I never want to put it away, I find it addictive and before I know it I have been sat at it all day long.

So I hope that by sharing some of the things I use it for will make you realise that they are a really good investment. There are so many ways to use it and even when you think you have tried everything you could purchase the software needed to make your own designs!

Fascinating to watch, no matter how many times you have used your machine

Troubleshooting your Sewing Machine By Jaycotts.co.uk

A Jaycotts Blog post by Alex Jaycott

I asked Jaycotts about troubleshooting Sewing machines as we all have problems from time to time and we don't always know where to start to sort it out.

This is their advice:

Alex,

The biggest issue we encounter is mis-threading of the sewing machine 

Having sold and serviced sewing machines for over 30 years I can honestly say that the biggest headaches for customers are actually caused by mis- threading the sewing machine!

everyone does it from time to time whether beginner or expert, novice or sewing teacher 

What do you mean by that Alex, what should we be doing?  Angela

Alex

Well , it is important to thread the machine  exactly as shown in your manual.For example  if someone miss-threads the take up lever, they usually don’t notice it and when the machine jams it looks as if the problem is the bobbin area  - when in fact it isn’t

So I guess my point should be that if you have an issue, the first thing to try is: re do your upper thread, taking care that the thread goes right into the take up lever. Incorrect threading can cause the machine to jam almost immediately.

If you  still have problems after that then go on to checking the bobbin area.

The Blue Dress

The Blue Dress 

A MinervaCrafts Blogger Network post 

We all need a special dress in our wardobe, something which makes us feel and look fabulous but which is easy to wear.

This stunning blue dress is perfect for parties and I can't wait to wear it. 

The fabric and pattern are as follows....

But wait! I do want you to read the whole post so head on over to MinervaCrafts website and all will be revealed The Blue Dress

Not only will you find out what the fabric and patterns are you will learn about negative ease and lengthening a pattern and much more! 

Thank you for reading this post, it is appreciated

#sewangelicthreads

Sewing for Beginners - Fabric, Cutting out, and Patterns

This is a Jaycotts Post

All about Sewing Patterns, Fabrics and Cutting out.

It is daunting knowing where to start isn't it, so I am going to talk about the basics of cutting out and why you need to follow the guidelines on your sewing pattern.  I am making two garments, one in velvet the other in suiting and at the end of the post you should be well on your way to cutting out with confidence.

You can start with any garment but I have chosen a pair of straight leg trousers which are actually simple to make and always look good on.
All the links to patterns and haberdashery are given in the post making it easy for you to place you order with Jaycotts
When choosing a pattern consider what styles you already own and like and look for patterns which are similar. After a while you will want to make garments which are new to you, so it is a good idea to go and try clothes on and  to take a photograph if at all possible, then you can look for patterns in a similar style.

My fabulously Fishy Frock!

My Fabulous Fishy Frock

A MCBN post

I fell in love with this beautiful fabric as soon as I saw it. The more I look at it the more detail I can see. The fabric design is totally made from fish shapes, and they have incredible expressions on their faces. There is a close up of this amazing fabric and details of how to purchase it on the link below .

I was intending to make a shirt but the fabric was screaming full- skirt dress at me. I looked through all of my patterns and couldn't find one I liked. So I ordered some new ones.

When my new dress patterns arrived I kept looking at them and still couldn't find a way of maximising the design by having as few seams as possible. The new patterns all had too many seams and even careful pattern matching wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to have a centre front seam or a two part sleeve as one of my new patterns has for example.................

Read the rest of the post to see what happened next!

Here is the link My fabulous Fishy Frock

Enjoy! 

Angela

Sewing stretch Fabrics the easy way

Sewing for Beginners

An easy to sew dress in fabulous Stretch Velour

I have had such a lot of good feedback from my previous post for Jaycotts about sewing stretch fabrics that I decided to show you a very easy to make and extremely easy to wear stretch dress.

If you think that stretch fabrics are not for you then think again. A figure hugging garment in the correct size looks great on most figures.

This is how to wear a stretch dress

• Don't make it too clingy or it will show up the lumps and bumps we all have.
• Choose a thicker fabric with just a small amount of stretch 
• Choose a darker colour and possibly a print
• Wear the correct underwear - there is a lot of very good shapewear and it will help you to feel confident
• Don't be frightened of accentuating your waist with a wide belt

The pattern I chose is McCall's 6886 it can be ordered from Jaycotts on this link.

It is a pattern which uses a medium weight, moderate stretch jersey knit fabric, so it is perfect for what we want.

The Little Black Dress

The little Black Dress

Everyone needs a turn-to dress in their wardrobe and this one is a basic staple that you will wear time and time again.

Mine is made in Black Velour with an embroidered Gold dot , but you can choose any knit fabric you prefer - Ponte Roma would be a good choice.

You have probably noticed that my blog posts feature simple garments most of the time. I am a fully qualified Tailor but on the whole I want to encourage people who haven't sewn much to have a go. There is no better feeling in the world than someone admiring your dress and you replying " thanks, I made it".
Even if you are a seasoned sewer I hope that you still learn something new - I am learning constantly.

Bollywood. Indian style Dress.

Bollywood. Exploring different cultures and fashions.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore outfits similar to this on her recent tour of Pakistan.

A Jaycotts post.

One of my life long hobbies is dance. I learned ballroom and Latin and loved them but more recently I decided to explore something I have always wanted to do and that is Belly Dancing. This has led to Bollywood dancing and of course I need to research and make outfits  to dance in, which is immense fun 

I need a Bollywood outfit for an event next month and this led me to exploring Asian fashion.

The Shalwar Kameez is a two part outfit consisting of a tunic top and pants and it is what we are going to make in this post.

Traditionally worn by Punjabi women the Salwar (trousers) and Kameez (tunic) have been westernised somewhat in this pattern, and there are lots of variations on style and fabrics.

The top that nearly never was ........

 A MCBN post

I made this beautiful top from. Lady McElroy cotton jersey, and I love it.

It was a near disaster at first though! Intrigued?

Read on and find out how I rescued a "huge" (in every sense of the word) problem! I guarantee you will laugh.

The link to read the rest of the post is The top that nearly never was

I would love you to be brave enough to show your near disasters too

Angela

 #Sewangelicthreads