U-handblog

And the winners of the Amy Butler Sewing Pattern Contest (May 08) are...

2008-07-03T09:21:14+01:00

Poor Andy getting beaten into submission by Rafa...(who has rather yummy man arms...mmm...man arms)... ahem.

Thanks to everyone who entered. This month's Amy Butler monthly contest was more about clothes. It was so nice to see more clothing being modeled by the likes of you lovely ladies (and a rather handsome Mark). So the winners of May's Amy Butler sewing contest are:

Just gorgeous (I want that fabric!) perfectly fitting Anna Tunic by Creative Reveries.

Very pretty Lotus Tunic. I love her fabric choices. By Kimmersk9.

Delicious Barcelona Skirt with matching bag. In fact her whole outfit is just adorable. By Orchid22.

Well done Ladies! Please get back to me with your choice of Amy Butler pattern and your postal address and I'll send you your pattern.

Thanks to everyone else who entered, sorry you didn't get lucky this time. You could always try your luck in next month's contest! Next month's contest is about striking a pose with your Amy B. item. Oh! I can't wait to see your entries :)

Put your Sewing Machine in the spotlight

2008-07-01T11:09:10+01:00

You and your sewing machine have probably been through a lot swearing sewing together I know my Janome 3500 and I have. It's nice to read about other folks experiences of their machines. I was contacted by Krista to review my good lady workhorse for one of her blogs. It looks like a great blogging cause. Krista has two sewing machine review blogs one for the trusty old timers and one for the newer upstarts.

Read my review of my Janome 3500 here. My fave heels of all time are also in this old pic because I wanted a photograph of 2 objects that make me really happy (and they still do).

Krista is looking for reviews of YOUR sewing machines. You just have to fill in a quick and easy questionnaire and take a nice pic of your sewing machine. Pop over to Krista's blogs and drop her an email to join in. I'm looking forward to being nosey and checking out your maaaachiiines!

...and the winner of the £50 ($100) U-Handbag giveaway is....

2008-07-01T10:15:02+01:00

So sorry for being late (as per usual) to announce the winner of this draw. Believe me, I don't do it on purpose (for effect, like daft competition TV shows do these days - I miss The Apprentice sooo much!)

Up for grabs was a £50 ($100) trolley dash around my shop.

So, there were 169 entries and the Random Number Generator stopped on the number 41,

So will Christine who wrote:

"Wow happy birthday to you and wishing many more years of happiness and success:)

I was just thinking yesterday how much I love your blog and how much I appreciate you being such a generous person and sharing some of your patterns and many of your clever tips. It's great to see someone "who's made it" but still is generous in spirit and knowledge/experience sharing. I'm glad you haven't become "stingy";) on the way.

Anyway, I would have loved joining your bag making course I had been living in the same country as you (consider expanding to Norway, will you?:)

If I was going to your bag making course; I think I would have wanted to learn how to make an across the shoulder/chest messenger type bag. One that is cleverly organized and...pretty:) I always drag tonnes of stuff in my bag to work: crime novel, private sketchbook, work sketchbook, moleskin, a snack, a scarf, some work in progress knitting or embroidery project...and the list goes on:) With 2hours to work that includes: a bike ride, a long train journey and a shorter bus journey; I need plenty of stuff and a nice comfortable/safe(thinking of busy hands in busy places)/pretty bag to pack it all in:) Yes, so that is the bag I would have liked to be making, a bag I think you would/could design perfectly:)

My second choice I think would be a well-organized week-end type bag with a retro feeling which would be almost too pretty to use but so intrinsically associated with vacation and bliss that even looking at it would make one's mind thrift off to exotic (and homely) places:)

All my very best,
Christina"

Congratulations! Please get in touch with me so you can have your 'trolley dash'.

I'm sorry to all of of you who didn't get lucky this time. Thanks to everyone who took part and for your kind birthday wishes. Your comments have been so helpful in helping me plan for the upcoming workshops and they will no doubt come in very useful when I get U-Handblogger's block OXO!

Friday Bag Eye Candy

2008-06-27T09:57:28+01:00

Some of your gorgeous baggy goodness to sneak a peek at while the boss/kids/etc. aren't looking...

From the U-Handbag Tutorials pool...

1. Two little guys, 2. Baby's eye view, 3. glasses case, 4. IMGP1857, 5. jessie orange frame2, 6. Zippered Pouch with Pocket, 7. bridesmaid dress and matching bag, 8. New Bag, 9. Clutch Detail

And from the U-Handbag All Bags Pool...

1. IMG_3485, 2. Baggy bag nº 26, 3. pippitasche_01, 4. Organizer Clutch Wristlet (Red Lily Manzanita), 5. Claire wristlet, 6. messenger bag, 7. Pokkadot Plush Head with Blink, 8. pippitasche_01, 9. Piggy Pouch/Wristlet

Thanks for putting your lovely bags into the pools everyone. You are some seriously talented bag ladies! I'll be going back to doing a Bag Eye Candy every week so please keep your baggy pics coming. Ta!

Overlocker / Serger machine review part 2.

2008-06-26T16:05:36+01:00

Part 1 of this review can be found here.

Anyone reading this blog over the last few days will know that I am head over heels with my first overlocker.

My Babylock Imagine Wave...

I have never played with an overlocker before (I've just seen them in action) and they look scary enough to be off-putting! To honest when I took her out of the box I was REALLY trying NOT to think "OMG what have I done? This looks nothing like my sewing machine!" So it was with more than a little trepidation that I sat down with Baby one afternoon for a few quiet hours so we could get better acquainted.

I needn't have gotten myself so worked up. I found Baby terrifically easy to get to know, the manual is so well written with no nasty surprises and thankfully it assumes no prior knowledge. I was able to thread Baby up, set up stitch width and length, and begin sewing a 4 thread Overlock stitch in under 10 minutes (and that was my first ever time) I was as happy as if I had landed safely on the moon!

So to begin threading you pop your spools/cones of thread on their holders. Then you thread the loopers (I think Looper thread is equivalent to bobbin thread), take the thread and guide it thru the notch at the top of the machine, down the channel (all very easy so far)...

... now for the fun bit; the Babylock Instant jet-air threading. I was told about this by quite a few of you and I can see why you love it; it makes threading sooooo much easier. The awkward part of threading an overlocker is threading the loopers and it usually involves tweezers, but with Babylock machines you just take the end of the thread and pop it into the appropriate threading port and...

...pump on this lever a few times which activates a jet that whooshes the thread through the machine until...

...the thread pops out of the looper eye (by the tip of my finger) ready for sewing. Blimey! That was so much fun that I un-threaded the looper again and again just so I could re-thread it. Surely, it isn't supposed to be this easy.

All threaded up and ready to sew.

In action. Golly, overlockers sew pretty darn fast don't they? The trimmings catcher (the thing with the hole in it that the machine is sitting on) is so useful. It works brilliantly and saves an awful lot of mess.

Close up view of machine in action.

My tentative first steps in overlocking are...

...a machine cover for baby. I made this because it wasn't going to be too tricky for a first project and the cover that came with the machine was thin and crap. Also the original cover wasn't long enough to accommodate spools of thread when stored on the thread holders (which seemed silly because the machine will spend most of it's life threaded up and ready to go). Fabric is Alexander H. - Alboreto Disc.

I still needed to use my beloved Janome to make the cut-out hole. Just so you know Jan; Baby is an enhancement not a replacement. I will love both of you in equal measure (so you can stop giving each other dirty looks...).

A few stitches (from left to right):

3 thread rolled edge - where the raw edge is trimmed and rolled/folded under and sealed with threads. Good for sheer fabrics and as a decorative edge.
4 thread overlock - 4 threads for extra strength
3 thread overlock - the same, but not quite as strong
Wave - this is a decorative overlock stitch. I'm not too sure I would really use this (my example isn't perfect), but then it's early days...

Verdict

So far I have nothing bad to say about this machine (except for the rubbish machine cover). It feels well-built and it's not too heavy or noisy. After playing with it for one day and making one project with it I feel pretty comfortable with the machine. I really thought it would take a little longer to feel at ease with overlocking so I'm delighted! I can honestly say that this Babylock machine makes overlocking feel no more complicated than normal sewing.

I think that going for a machine with auto tension and auto threading has helped make this learning experience a happy one (which means that I will end up using the overlocker far more often than if my machine was lacking those features). It's makes all of the difference that I can change fabrics and thread up the machine very quickly and without any guess work or getting the manual out (especially for a complete novice like me).

So far the major differences between traditional sewing machines seem to be that overlockers are sooooo fast; you have to be on the ball and in control (even with pressure sensitive foot control). Give it a few more goes and I'm sure that I will come to love that super fast speed. Turning curves and corners is also different; there is no lifting the machine foot and pivoting on the needle like with traditional machines. The Babylock copes fine with gentle curves. I haven't done tight curves yet (I'll get back to you on those). Overlockers eat thread so be prepared for that. I may do a part 3 of this review when I muster up the courage to sew my first item of clothing...

Nope, I didn't get paid a single bean (or spool of thread; nada) to do this review.

Oh, and if any of you folks have a better name than 'Baby' or 'Jan' for my two squabbling girls I'd love to know your suggestions :)

A quick dose of the funnies

2008-06-25T13:26:31+01:00

Al said he thinks yesterday's exam went pretty well (finger crossed). Thanks for your good luck wishes everyone. X

I know I would said that this post would be about the overlocker, but I haven't quite finished what I'm making with it yet. It should be ready tomorrow, hopefully.

I just wanted to show you a few funny things which distracted me from my sewing (which is partly why I didn't finish the overlocked WIP).

Here is the most entertaining online shop front I have ever seen (thanks for the link Alicia). Give it a moment to get going, it's worth it HEMA online.

More diversions:

Top 10 First Date Conversations (from a man's point of view). It's nice that a bloke has gone to the trouble of advising other blokes how to not bore/offend/creep-ify the ladies on a first date.
5 phone rules in dating everyone ought to know - oh, so that's where I was going wrong...
Last chance saloon for entries to the U-Handbag £50 ($100) giveaway. End date = this Friday 27th June.
Win a fully functioning custom designed craft website store (worth over £300 ($600). End date = next weds 2nd July.

The caption reads: "I get lots of phone calls, but I still get blue. The reason is simple, I'm waiting for you". Bleuuurghh!!

Craft Fair, Cakes, and Covent Garden.

2008-06-24T12:25:05+01:00

Before I make a start on this post I just wanted to say that I am soooo in love with my first overlocker/serger. More about that in my next post.

Last Sunday was a lovely sunny day and Kyoko and her partner, and I went to Covent Garden to the We Make London Craft fair. We got a bit lost getting there, but I took some nice pics during the diversion:

One of the main hall in the Covent Garden Market. I love the turquoise and red colours together.

Funny looking waiters.

Girly Gladiator.

This little girl was so fascinated by this street actor, she stood there trying to figure it out for ages; so cute.

At the Make London Craft Fair.

Hiya Helen! Mother (and pretty daughter) at their first craft fair and having a great time. I bought myself 2 of her super cute zipper pouches. Helen shared her table with Lindsay of Clothcat.

I also bought a pretty ring from Little Miss Crafty, but I have mislaid it somewhere, waaahhh!

Time for a break. Mmmmmm cake at Patiserrie Valerie. A fruity berry mousse cake for me and...

...a yummy tarte aux fruits for Al who had to stay at home and study all day for his medic exams (which are today - ooerr) Good luck Lovey!

Overlocker / Serger machine review part 1.

2008-06-21T18:14:39+01:00

**UPDATE** You can find part 2 of this review here.

Some birthday money, some savings, a lack of restraint, and hours upon hours of poring over machine reviews and your suggestions have amounted to me obtaining my first overlocker machine. This is the first time I've taken her out of her box so I thought I would blog about the occasion. I'm going to do this review in 2 or 3 parts because compared to traditional sewing machines I know zip about overlockers so I'll to have learn before I blog.

First I'll tell you where I got it: I purchased it online from Sewing Machines Direct and spoke to a very nice chap called Russell who was friendly and helpful. His shop (and I looked at LOADS of other shops and a couple where down-right unfriendly!) was offering the best price and his freebies were very generous too ...

So thrown in with the machine is a Babylock waste catcher, 50 spools of thread, needles, tape measure, stitch ripper (you can never have too many of those), 6 pairs of scissors (which are razor sharp), and best of all; 5 Babylock brand machine feet: 2 x piping feet, 1x shirring foot, 1x blind hem foot, and an elastic foot. This was the best freebie pack that I found in the UK.

"Hello Darling, I've been waiting for you!" This is the Babylock Imagine Wave out of her box. My heart was beating rather too fast as I gave Russell my card details and before during and after putting the phone down I felt immensely guilty. So I'm going to do what I can to purge that guilt by making good use of her. Oh well! :)

I chose this particular machine because several of you actually recommended it to me (thanks for your helpful comments) and someone I know has one so I bent her ear about it at great length. I was told about several things that I should consider before taking the plunge:

Threading an overlocker can be a right pain in the... Babylock machines have an auto threading system which uses air jets. Can't wait to see that in action.
Getting the tension right on overlocker can also be a pain in the... The Babylock Imagine (and all models above) has auto tension, so no twiddling knobs and looking at the manual when you change different types of fabrics, you just change fabric and sew.
I eventually want sew Coverstitch (which is the professional looking stitch that usually appears about 1" up from the bottom hem on jersey fabric t-shirts, skirts, and hoodies etc.) You can buy overlockers which have also have Coverstitch, or you can buy a separate Coverstitch machine. After reading lots of reviews I learnt that lots of folks prefer to have 2 separate machines one for overlocking and another one for coverstitching because that way you don't have to change the needles and the threads for the 2 different stitches. Folks who had one machine to do both stitches often reported that they actually used their machine less because they didn't like re-threading for the different jobs. So if all goes well I'll maybe get a separate coverstitch machine much later.

Front panel pulled down. Gosh that all looks quite scary.

Side panel pulled away. Looks even more scary!

Side spool holder pulled away to reveal a storage for tools and notions.

More notions: including screw driver, spool caps, spool nets and a soft machine dust cover (which to be honest) is flimsy and crap. One of the first things I will be making with this machine is an oilcloth dust cover...

Easy reference guide. I can see that I'm going to be making a LOT of use of this!

So at first glance the manual looks looks well written with a good smattering of diagrams and photos. I haven't delved into it deeply yet so I can't comment on it too much. I'll let you know later. Meanwhile I can show you a few of the pages (you might have guessed by now that I'm a bit uptight about manuals...).

OK so next time I'll maybe have some sewing to show you and I'll be able to talk about about how it was to thread and sew with for the first time. Perhaps I'll throw caution (and sanity) to the wind and attempt these pretty tops...umm maybe.

Psst..."walk before you can run".

**UPDATE** You can find part 2 of this review here.