Simply Stitchy

Hi all A few weeks ago, well more like a month, I saw a post on my Facebook feed for upcycling denim jeans. The post gave a link to a free tutorial for making a denim apron. Always keen to reuse, repurpose and recycle, I thought I’d give it a go. The ruffle around the base of the apron This post is my review of that tutorial. It was designed by Carissa Bonham for CreativeGreenLiving.com and is called the Farm Girl Apron Tutorial. I'll leave a link to it further down in this post. In theory, turning some old jeans into something new and practical sounds like a great idea. In practice, it should also be a good thing to do. I was hoping for a useful, repurposed apron. What I got was frustration and annoyance. The link in the Facebook feed sends you to a blog post. Nothing wrong with that, I use Facebook to link to my blog all the time. My issue with this particular blog was the tutorial isn’t all on the same page. You have to continually “click here” to be taken to a new page. Every ...

    Hi all I was hit with a sudden impulse to do some applique last weekend. The inspiration came from a free pattern landing in my inbox. It's for a Christmas table runner. So, I thought I'd give it a go.  It's called "It's a Gnome Christmas Table Runner" and you can find it here.     Only thing is today is Christmas Eve and I'm no where near finished yet.  But, then I knew when the applique buzz hit me, I wouldn't get it done in time for this Christmas. That's not going to stop me making it - there's always next year's table. Anyway, my normal applique method is needle turn. This is where you turn the fabric edge of the applique underneath as you sew it to the backing fabric. I normally pop a safety pin or two in to hold it still, and then just keep it in place with my fingers as I sew. This time, I thought I'd try Wonder Under. It's just one of the many fusible webs available for gluing fabric together. You can buy fusible web f...

Hi all One of the first things you need to be aware of when buying a vintage or antique sewing machine - not all of them are Singers.  Now, you probably think that's fairly obvious. There are loads of sewing machine manufacturers who've been around for generations. Pfaff, Necchi, Brother, and Janome are just a few of them. The truth is, the most famous of them all is Singer. That's the brand name most people are familiar with. Whether you're a sewist or not, Singer is *the* sewing machine everyone thinks of first when talking vintage and antique.  Why? Well, it's probably down to the fact that Singer sewing machines were one of the best selling brands. From their fantastic marketing skills to their easy payment schemes. Other manufacturers found them hard to beat. In fact, at one time Singer had the world's largest sewing machine factory. It was based in Kilbowie, Clydebank, Scotland.  Singer's machines were everywhere.  So much so that everyone's Grandm...

  Hi all, I love making little lavender pillows. They are a quick and easy way to add a touch of summer to your closets and drawers.  Simple to make, you can use these pillows also make great gifts. For step by step instructions on how to make your own lavender pillow, click the video link above. Happy sewing! Bye for now Olly For more sewing tips and adventures, follow me: Twitter Facebook Instagram   YouTube    

    Hi all, If you've been following me for a while, you'll know I have a varied interest in all things sewing. I'm not a follower of one particular type of sewing... what do you call a type of sewing? Genre? Element? Discipline? Forte? If you know, let me know in the comments. That one's going to bug me till I find out! Anyway, because I sew anything and everything, my sewing machines have to be able to keep up and perform a multitude of tasks. Now, not all of them have everything I need, so I do tend to pick and choose which sewing machine I use by what project I'm sewing. I've even changed my sewing plans to match the sewing machine that's easiest to set up! But what are the features and functions that you need on a sewing machine? What sewing machine should you go for if you're a beginner? If you don't know what to sew, how do you know what you need?  My latest video, What Features do You Really Need on Your Sewing Machine shows you which ones yo...

  Hi all As with everything in life, there's usually a right way and a wrong way to do something. This week's video is about unthreading a sewing machine. Find out how to do so safely by clicking on my video link above.  Thanks for watching! Bye for now Olly   For more sewing tips and adventures, follow me: Twitter Facebook Instagram   YouTube