Entries Tagged 'Sophia Carry All' ↓

So I haven’t posted in a while, and regular readers might wonder what this means. Any number of things can stop a person from keeping up with the internet; things like kidnapping, hotdog eating competitions, putting ships in bottles, learning to jive in 40s costumes. None of these are the reason for my absence dear readers, but I’ll share with you the rather more mundane things that have kept me occupied of late…

There’s been a lot of binge watching of Grey’s Anatomy. I got into this very late, about two thirds of the way through season 2 (and UK TV is currently showing season 3 so all of you who know more, I have my fingers in my ears and I’m not listening.) While I enjoyed it I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on and Amazon had the dvd of season 1 for only £12… And so I am hooked. There is something very comforting about watching pretty people wandering across the screen being witty and clever in a way that no one is in real life, and US shows always make sure everyone is very pretty to look at. Sometimes I like to zone out. Mr Joleo knows this and is very understanding – this is why he bought me season 2 for my birthday.

I’ve also been noodling about on last.fm, which is a great way of finding new music. You can download software which monitors what you play in iTunes so that it builds a radio station of things you might like, or you can choose a radio station of similar artists to your favourite band, or listen to the things your musical neighbours like. So far my new favouritist song is ‘The world at large’ (listen here) by Modest Mouse. Never heard of them before Monday, but this song sounds a little like Mercury Rev, and the Flaming Lips. I am rubbish in music shops, but this is really because I like to know what I’m getting and looking at a cd case doesn’t help. Thank goodness for the internet and iTunes. (US chums also have Pandora to play with.)

Then there’s Grand Theft Auto IV. I love games, and this one is just stunning. Of course there’s swearing and violence and you can run any number of people over in your big truck, but it is a form of entertainment, and it’s meant for adults. There’s no way I would give this to a kid, in the same way I wouldn’t give them the Godfather trilogy to watch. It’s satirical, it’s funny and the main character is great. Oh and did you know it’s made in Scotland? Over 1000 people worked on this game, and I thank every one of them.

But I do still make things. This exterior went together well – the piping was much easier than last time, and I love the new interfacing. Love it. The bag stands up and keeps its shape so beautifully. I didn’t use it on the zip panels, because that would be horrendous to work with, but it’s on all of the other panels. The only place it was really problematic was attaching the bottom, and then really only on the short sides. My fingers ache from keeping it in the right place! Anyway, now all it needs is a lining, and then we’re done. Much faster than last time eh?

I’m very excited by this picture. Yesterday I decided I would do some sewing, although as Susanne said recently, a lot of sewing is not actually doing any sewing. Instead I was sorting out the interfacing for my friend’s Sophia, which is going to be made with the Amy Butler Starflower tile in spinach. (I love spinach. Especially bahjee.)

As you know I was a little disappointed with the squooshy nature of the first Sophia, having followed the instructions to the letter and used fusible fleece. So when Lisa was extolling the virtues of this new product she was stocking I thought it might be just the thing. It’s a firm, flexible, fusible interfacing, and seems to do just what it says on the tin. I’ve substituted it for the fleece and I’m so far delighted with the way it stands up – literally.

The next test is to see how it sews, but somehow I’ve misplaced the thread I bought. Mysterious indeed, and more than a little frustrating. And I have a spool holder on the wall! Where else would I have put it? I’m sure at the time it made sense but for now I’ll be turning the room upside down.

*Helen, you are are exempt from answering this as we all know how much you like it.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes – they really made my day.

I have always been envious whenever I’ve seen people posting about finding fantastic things in their local charity shops, which they then take home and fashion into marvellous things. It seemed as if I was doomed not to be able to partake, because the selections in my local charity shops were thin and uninspiring.

Persistence pays though, doesn’t it? And the reward this time was this fantastic 70s single duvet cover, washed and pressed, and with the magnificent price tag of £2. I’d wanted something like this ever since seeing how they could be re-fashioned into fabulous house trousers, or as they are also known, lounge pants.

Even though the week was full of preparations for my holiday (washing, cleaning, shopping for provisions for husband, more washing, finding the suitcases, having friends round for dinner, packing, getting essential prescriptions and contact lenses, yet more washing…) I still managed to find time to trace the pattern, cut the fabric and gradually piece together something approaching trousers…

Actually I love them, although I abandoned the suggestion of making a tie from self fabric, and instead used ribbon. Ribbon is always nice, isn’t it? The contrast of texture and the sheen adds so much.

And apologies for the sideways photo – you can click on it for a larger version, but still sideways. This is what happens when you’re up a hill with a laptop on an intermittent connection and iPhoto dies :)

She’s finished. Can you believe it? No, neither can I. Shamed by the fact that Stacy managed to throw one of these together and then moments later have a baby (Congratulations!), I sat down on Sunday evening and attached the lining. You know what was stopping me? All that hand stitching…I’m so lazy.

When I first saw this pattern I was smitten by the shape of this bag, and that’s still the case. However, I’m a bit disappointed by the sqooshy nature of it – next time I’ll try using some craft weight interfacing to give it some structure.

It’s possible that I love the inside more than the outside at the moment. I think the decision about the false bottom was well made, and I love the pocket material against the calico.

So did I learn anything? Well, I learned that I’m now incapable of leaving a bag pattern alone. Even though my plan was to follow it to the letter I couldn’t. I did learn a couple of things about attaching zips to bags, and about using piping – or not using piping – and I also learned that I find bag making more fun when I’m making the whole thing up myself. Here’s a little list of things I’d change for the next one.

• Make the handles slightly longer (2-4″) so that it can fit more easily over my shoulder
• Add purse feet, and move the false bottom underneath the lining. Use a couple of securing stitches on all four corners of the lining bottom to stop it moving around.
• Use craft weight interfacing so that the bag keeps its shape by itself – it deserves it.
• Don’t bother with the piping around the bottom – it adds little but headaches.
• Consider splitting one side of pockets into three not two.

I’ve added my pictures to the Sophia Sew Along group on flickr, so if you need more inspiration for your own Sophia, that’s a good place to start. As for me, well, I’ve promised to make one for a friend so I’d better get on with it.

Since I’d finished all the necessary bits I thought I would slip the lining into the bag to see what my bag would look like. I’m so glad that I did, because I realised I wouldn’t be happy with the end result. This is what the pattern tells you to do with the false bottom – simply lay it inside the bag. I don’t know about you but I have enough rolling about at the bottom of my bag(s) without the bottom roaming around in there loose as well. Other women might be able to keep better charge of their handbags but I am not of their number.

The solution:

I’d decided that it needed purse feet anyway, because the fabric is pretty, and so I decided to add another bag bottom. I’d cut two anyway, from the plastic grid that I use for bag bottoms usually – I can’t find timtex over here, although I hear that it is no more, so we’re all looking for replacements now. Only one piece of my plastic would fit inside the fabric covering for the false bottom, which is no hardship since it’s very sturdy stuff, so I decided to make good use of the piece left over.

Firstly, cut very small slits with your seam ripper for the purse feet. I measured 1.5″ from the short seam and 1″ in from the long seam. Make sure that you cut through all the layers.

Push the feet stems through the slits, and on the inside of the bag push through one of the holes in the plastic. Open out the wings and press flat to secure them. (You can do this by making a corresponding slit in your stabilise, if it doesn’t have holes.)

when you’ve done all four, take the false bottom and cover one side with some good fabric glue.

Press down on top of the other bag bottom. This will ensure that you can’t feel the feet or the plastic through the lining of the bag. Secure the corners with a few stitches if desired.

So I know I said I would follow the pattern to the letter but this is one instance where I felt the pattern let itself down. For other tips you can check out the flickr group for the Sophia Sew along which is being run by Monkey Foot designs and Stacy Sews. One tip I wish I’d known is to make the handles just a little bit longer, more so since I’ve realised that my iBook fits inside it. This means I not only want to make one more as a gift, but another for myself. I’m a glutton for punishment.

Now since the clocks went forward last night I’m feeling that I’ve been cheated out of some of my Sunday – the remedy can only be to find a costume drama on the telly and do some more of my blanket…

After playing around last week I thought I really ought to get down to doing some work with the machine today and maybe clearing out some stuff from the wip box. What I did instead was dance around for a couple of hours to mid ’90s dance music, so by the time I sat down it was a bit later than intended. I apologise therefore for the dark photos, taken by the miracle of electric light and not by lovely daylight, as was my intention.

Oh Good Lord it’s the Sophia! Yes, indeed. We are moving on to the lining, made out of lovely, lovely cotton. The first job is to make the inside top panel, so you only have to sew a very short seam and leave the rest open for the zip. It was here that I realised how useful my seam guide is – screw it in, set for half an inch seam, line fabric up against the edge, sew, done. Then simply attach the end panels and that part is done. It was here I started to suspect that it might come together rather more quickly from here on in.

So I quickly moved onto the pockets. The only seam sewn on the wrong side is the top one, and you then turn right way out and press, before topstitching (again using the seam guide to keep things neat…). On the right side you simply stitch a basting seam 1/4″ from the edge, because this will be hidden when you put the lining together.

I used the seam guide again to do another basting set of stitches to attach the pocket to the main panel. I don’t normally mark out seam allowances with a pen, so it shouldn’t really seem much quicker, but I think the confidence this tiny bit of metal gives me means that I sew that much faster. I really felt that I was whizzing along.

The final part for tonight was sewing a centre seam down the pocket so that you divide it in two. Or you could divide into three if you were so inclined. I half wish I had myself.

And there I stopped for the day. A quick sewing session but it felt productive, and I’m actually looking forward to doing more tomorrow. Who knows – maybe it’ll be finished by the end of the month…

Here be visual evidence that I did indeed do some sewing on the Sophia today, and finally attached the bottom. Sadly there can be no visual evidence of the grand quantities of swearing that went with it. At one point things got so bad I thought “I’m really starting to hate this bag.”

It was grim.

Here’s more visual evidence:

My third needle. Well, some of it. These were the heavy duty needles too, but the concentration of piping and layers of fabric, fleece and interfacing at the corners were far too much for them. Perhaps my machine isn’t powerful enough. Perhaps the fabric is simply too thick. Whatever the cause, it’s been frustrating, and has left me with some tidying up to do by hand at the corners where no amount of coaxing would get the needle through in the right place.

Incidentally the tip of the first needle is lost somewhere inside my machine so I’m also waiting for that to come back and haunt me.

I have decided to modify the bag slightly and add little purse feet. It’s far too nice a fabric to get all filthy and worn by putting it straight down, and besides, purse feet always cheer me up and make a bag look so much more finished. Everyone always admires them, so I think they might as well be noticing the silverware as the dodgy corners.

From here the pattern moves onto the lining, which should be much easier and more straightforward, and that will bring rainbows back into the sewing room, instead of them just appearing outside.

Even if you aren’t sick of it, Isaac is. I’m under strict instructions to buy different yarn, but truth be told I have little option since I’ve almost finished the ball. I made these flowers from the pattern for the Garden Scarf in the Happy Hooker, although I have neglected to join them together or make them out of different colours, or even make enough – these two would make one short scarf.

So I feel the time has come to choose a ‘real’ project, something that won’t end up being used as a coaster. I got my invitation to Ravelry last week and I’ve spent some time looking at patterns trying to figure out what I might not get frustrated with. Really, I feel a bit of a fraud being on there since it’s not my number one craft of choice and I don’t have a yarn stash and I don’t really understand the lingo either. But there’s a lot of knowledge in there, and I find the ratings of patterns quite useful since I have no idea what I’m doing. I don’t want to rush the choosing, considering I already have a hundred or so UFOs on the fabric side of things, but you know how it is to get excited by the new…

As for the old, I haven’t forgotten about the Sophia – it’s just taken me until today to rescue the vital piece that the kitten threw down the back of my cupboard. There should be some progress this week, unless he does it again.

I really would have taken more pictures of this while I was doing it but I came over all superstitious, and felt that if I did I might jinx it and have to unpick once more. This is not to be advised with this particular fabric so I just gave in to the feeling and pressed on until it was done.

(Sorry for the quality of the photo – it was just too darn bright today. Yummy for humans, not so much for cameras.)

It still came out with excess fabric, and was the same on both sides. I’m not entirely sure what happened – I checked that I’d put the end panels on the right way round, and I lifted the pressure a bit on the foot, but no matter what I still ended up with two inches of spare bag flesh. Bizarre, yes. Still worried about it, no. Life is very much too short for that. Besides which, now that the bag is beginning to look like a bag, excitement at the possibility of having a finished project is spurring me on – I’ll move onto step 11 just as soon as I rescue the bottom panel from behind the cupboard where the kitten kindly stashed it this morning.

Now I’m off to use these, because I can now, even if the rest of the room isn’t quite ready yet.

Remember I was talking about the mojo, and how it can desert you? Sometimes you know and sometimes you don’t, it seems.

I took on the task of attaching the top panel to the main panel with trepidation. Partly because this is the moment of piping truth, and I knew that with the thickness of the velvet it was going to have to be done mostly by feeling where the cord was lying underneath. I pinned three times before I felt comfortable enough to sit down and sew, and this was because I always ended up with rather more top panel than I should at one end. I then pinned outwards from the middle and that seemed to work, so I set to:

What you need to do is get the stitches as close to the piping as possible, so that when you look at the right side the cord sits snugly against both pieces of fabric. I had to go very slowly and keep my fingers feeling for the cord to get it into the right place, but it was soon obvious that it was not going to plan – the top layer of fabric (the end panel) was bunching up in front of the presser foot. Because I’m an idiot stubborn I pushed on just to see how bad it would get.

It got this bad:

That’s two inches of bad for anyone who really needs to know – two inches of flappy redundant fabric. It also means that the zip is uneven and I really can’t let that lie. My theory is that the piping, because it wasn’t bias cut, took more fiddling than it should to get it to lie down, and some of the curves are shallower than they should be. This misplacement accumulated leads to this ‘excess’. I knew it would turn round and bite me in the ass. (Other theories gratefully received…)

New plan – seam ripper, naturally, and then make sure I start with an inch overlap at the other side. Hopefully that will even out, or you may see me repeating this step from here until Christmas.