Thinking about starting some sewing

Just thinking about it you understand. No sewing has actually taken place this week at all but I’ve almost finished my latest sweater, which I am keen to get done as its getting colder in the evenings now.

Sewing did almost take place. I set out, with good intentions, on Monday night, to cut out the Marfy jacket. I got all the pieces pinned out but decided to do a final check on a scrap to make sure the fabric didn’t shrink… I had been assured in the shop that it would be safe to sew it without pre-treatment. So for reasons known only to the sewing gremlin, I was driven to cut a two inch square from the selvedge edge… about half way down the length… not at the end you understand, because that would be a sensible and logical thing to have done. Much more fun to cut a lump from the middle, dontcha think? But that was quite a minor thing compared to what came next. The swatch shrank when I steamed it… an eighth of an inch… on a two inch by two inch swatch. Multiply that over the length, and I am certain it would have caused a serious problem. So all the pieces I had spent two hours patiently pinning onto the fabric had to be removed and I spent the rest of the evening steaming the fabric length.

So hopefully I will get back to the jacket on Saturday and get it cut out so I can liberate the scraps to do the interfacing tests and practice bound and inseam buttonholes. I might do a test lapel too if I have enough fabric, since I’ve only made one notched collar before in my life. Actually, I think the two lapels were slightly different shapes, and the jacket itself was a very fitted Vogue pattern which I made in what I now realise was coating fabric. I did no fit alterations at all to this pattern, made it in a much larger size than I should have done, and I didn’t dare to do buttonholes of any sort since my sewing machine at the time was cranky about them, so I put three frog closures down the front instead of the five buttons that were specified. However, I loved that jacket and wore it all the time, warts and all. I still have the pattern, though the jacket itself became too worn and had to be humanely destroyed a few years ago. It was my first ever jacket project as well. Nothing like trying to run before you can walk.

And talking of things falling to pieces; I wore my new Simplicity cosy to work today. By lunchtime, the shoulder seam had come apart on one side and the underarm seam had split open on the other side. I did wonder whether the seams would hold on such a lacy knit. Then this afternoon the dog decided she needed my attention, and scratched a hole in the side of cosy whilst pawing at me. I will try and mend it but I don't hold out much hope of rescuing it.