Know Your Knits. Or My Knits. Either. Both.

Isn't it funny that I was so focused on all the work that goes into Launching the Business as the end-goal that I forgot that once launched that's when the real hard work starts? So funny. The good news: I'm drowning in orders. The bad news: I'm drowning in orders. The best kind of drowning.

Anyway, I wanted to talk a bit about fabric. Specifically, knit fabric. And even more specifically, the knit fabrics in my shop. I know that some of you are still scared of sewing with knits (and you very kindly told me all the reasons why) but knits are not as intimidating as their reputation. In fact, they're a real delight to sew. I'm planning a lot of informational / instructional / tutorial posts about sewing with knits but first let me tell you a bit about some different types and the pros and cons of each.

Interlock:

These are the three 100% cotton interlocks currently in my shop. Interlock is the perfect fabric for those who are just starting to dabble with knits because they are reasonably thick and don't curl at all when cut:

Interlock is pretty stable so provided you're following the basic rules of sewing with knits (correct needle, low pressure on the presser foot, don't stretch while sewing) it doesn't wave or bobble.

There's really no downside to sewing with these interlocks, they're a dream (and in particular a fantastic beginner's fabric). They are very soft and perfect for things that will be in regular contact with small bodies. However, if you want to be picky and demand a con, they are all directional prints so there is greater fabric wastage when you cut your pattern.

Good for: T-shirts, easy fit trousers, rompers, blankets, hats, bibs, burb clothes, bedding

Not so good for: Leggings or form-fitting designs that rely on stretch recovery to keep their intended shape.

Cotton / Lycra Jersey:

These fabrics are predominately cotton but with the added element of lycra. They are still soft and appropriate for apparel, but with the added benefit of extra stretch recovery. There are different weights of cotton and cotton / lycra jersey, but as a general rule the heavier weights will be easier to sew. The ones in my shop are medium weight, ten thousand times easier to sew than tissue jersey but not as straight-forward as interlock. The downside:

Edges that naturally curl when cut. As an example, here is a jersey cut edge alongside a bamboo interlock and cotton interlock cut edge:

I can see some of you physically blanch at the thought of curly edges but there are lots of things you can do to make sewing these a breeze. Do not fret, I'll post a lot of resources about this soon.

Good for: General apparel plus form-fitting designs like leggings, underwear, skinny tops etc where stretch recovery is important to maintain the intended shape
Not so good for: Non-apparel like bedding or blankets as you'd prefer the softness of interlock

Bamboo Interlock:

In essense, these two are interlocks so all the previous good points apply. Nice and thick, stable, no curling edge:

Fantastic fabric for beginners. But these fabrics are also extra special in that they are a blend of organic cotton and bamboo viscose. The feel is soft, but also quite slinky, and the bamboo viscose means that there is greater stretch recovery than 100% cotton interlock. It's a combination of the best bits of interlock and jersey: softness / stability and stretch recovery.

If I had to pick a downside, like the interlock prints these are also directional so there will be some wastage when cutting your pattern, especially if you are print matching.

Good for: General apparel plus form-fitting designs like leggings, underwear, skinny tops etc where stretch recovery is important to maintain the intended shape
Not so good for: Nothing. There isn't a single thing these wouldn't be good for.

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There we go then, a basic introduction to knits. Obviously, these are specific to my actual shop but the tenets are the same no matter where you are shopping. In my humble opinion, interlocks are the best introduction to knits that you can find. If you are not scared of knits through experience or bravado, cotton / lycra jersey is fantastic for the extra level of stretch recovery.

As before, I embrace all of your angst about knit sewing and aim to sooth. Leave a comment if there's a particular concern and I'll do my best to help!

The Big Reveal of Top Secretness

Turquoise cloud trousers by me. Sublime gorgeousness courtesy of Kat.

I could never be a Secret Agent, it's too hard. The culmination of nearly a year's information-gathering, form-filing, Google-Translating, VAT-registering, stealth-sewing, photo-editing mayhem is ready to be shared. What's new with me?

Oh, you know, just a whole new clothing range... What else, you ask?

A Scandi fabric shop!

Stayed tuned for more information over the next couple of days, but for now if I don't get out of this computer chair I'm going to be hospitalised.

Sewing Blogger of the Year

In case you missed your chance to win friends and influece people, it's the last couple of hours to vote for the Sewing Blogger of the Year competition being run by The Sewing Directory and Backstitch.


Personally I'm rooting for Sew Scrumptious to win for all her hard work on the Dress A Girl Around the World campaign. She truly has harnessed her sewing powers for good and not evil. Not that I use mine for evil... Although this was pretty close:


Technically, not perpetrated in 2011 so it shouldn't influence this year's vote. You can head over to the voting by clicking the image at the top. I don't advise clicking on the image at the bottom.

If this was my handbag I'd fill it with All the Things

When we visited my folks last summer and I forgot to pack my handbag, my mum let borrow her all-time-favourite bag. She didn't use it anymore because she thought it was passed its best; I have lower standards so have been using it ever since. In exchange for borrowing her bag (and taking it back to Scotland with me), I agreed to make her an even better one.

I belong to the school of thought that you can measure the relative awesomeness of a bag by the number of pockets / compartments, with bonus points for extra zippers. This bag?

One deep zippered back pocket that goes all the way down to the base.......

One deep zippered front pocket that goes all the way down to the base.......

A front pouch pocket with a boxy three-dimensional base and magnetic closure*. Inside this pocket is a two-section patch pocket with two pen holders.

Elasticated pockets inserted into each of the side seams for phones and keys...

A recessed zipper to the top. Speaking of which, here's some advice from me: do not decide to figure out how to insert a recessed zipper when the bag is 90% finished. It's too late by then. I ended up chopping around the whole bag, sandwiched the zipper panel in between, and then sewed it back together. I was a nervous wreck.

And to the inside a cavernous section and four side pockets. Bringing us up to a grand total of 14 separate compartments in which to stash your stuff.

And here my mum is holding it**. See how the adjustable strap allows her to carry it on her shoulder (as she likes to do)? It also allows you to carry it cross-body (as I like to do). Which will be handy when I steal it back next summer.

*The original bag had a flap with velcro. How dumb is that? The answer is heaps. It alternated between laddering my tights and snagging on my sweater sleeves and gloves.
** And a Spongebob inflatable. I can't explain this.

What is it they say about working with animals and children?

Ever so slightly blurry. Immensely irritating as a result.

I've had a bajillion photoshoots in the last month involving fast-moving, opinionated and variably-cooperative subjects. Photographers, I doff my cap to you: photographing kids is some tricky business. Remember the Calvin? Here's how it goes getting a usable shot...

Can I take your picture, Calvin?

Maybe less running? Here, have a seat in this chair.

Great, now can I see your eyes?

Okay. Normal eyes.

That's really good! Less baleful now?

Less judgemental?

Nope, you're running again. Red light!

Okay, my bad. Too much detritus in the background.

Cornered.

Pimp your blog: Blogger introduces threaded comments

If you didn't comment on yesterday's post, you missed out more than normal. Hard to fathom, right? But look, Blogger has finally installed threaded comments:


Thirteen years is not long to wait, Blogger, I know you've been busy.

In the past, I've either answered to comments by email (if one was find-able) or in the dreaded @response. The down-side to the former is that other readers might want the answer too but didn't ask (or thought I was ignoring the commenter and was an ignorant bad person); the down-side to the latter is that the original commenter might not know I replied unless they subscribed to comments. Although I nixed the idea of installing Disqus or some such external workaround, it seems foolhardy* not to take advantage of the new Blogger functionality.

If you want to install threaded comments, it's super easy to do.

EDITED TO ADD: After looking into the comment left by Becky, it appears that there are still some bugs with threaded comments. It *can* change the look of your blog to readers using some versions of Internet Explorer and Chrome. Some people report that they're also not able to leave comments (again, depending on which browser they are using). And finally, click-throughs to your posts now bring readers to the end of the post where the comments are rather than to the top as before. Personally, this is majorly irritating and if not fixed quickly I might switch back for this reason alone. So maybe it was foolhardy to install! Further reading here and here, including how to remove threaded comments if you change your mind. All information found by Googling 'problems with threaded comments blogger'.

Crafter's Ceilidh: The Debrief

I took my anxiety disorder on a field trip on Saturday to meet twenty five other sewing / knitting / crafting enthusiasts for the Crafter's Ceilidh in the city centre. Now, meeting new people and meeting new people on masse is right at the top of my Likely-To-Cause-Hives list, but I'm happy to report that everyone was very nice and friendly and I only blushed to my roots and / or wanted to bite my hand a couple of times. Which is less than in the school playground for pick-up so I'm filing this under 'result'. Can you spy me in this group shot?

Crafters' Ceilidh Group Photo, From L to R: Kerry, Karen, Winnie, Rachel L., Kari, Roo, Carolyn, Amanda, So-Ha, Kiran, Rachel, Debi B., Kristen, Franca, Alana, me, Hannah, Katie and Melizza. Not pictured: Clare, Anneleen, Tom and Cat.
Photo and blog links courtesy of Debi.

I am the teacup human in the red coat. PhD anthropology students, submit your dissertation proposals now: Are crafters taller than your average bear? This sample set suggests so.

After group shots, we trouped over to the treasure-trove that is Armstrongs, a vintage emporium in the Grassmarket. I took a selection of terrible photos, including this petticoat hanging from the ceiling. And then the fabric shopping commenced, hitting Edinburgh Fabrics, Mandors, and The Cloth Shop. Although I am sure many of you (correctly) doubted my restraint after the weekend's stash shot, I only bought £12 worth of fabric:

Do not adjust your monitors, they really are that lurid. There wasn't fabric composition noted on the bolt, but my guess is 100% lycra. Speaking of fabric content, there were a couple of fabrics at The Cloth Shop that were labelled 100% various! Trust me, non-sewers, that's hilarious. I'm not sure what to do with these slinky, stretchy prints but could not resist them as they were reduced from £7.99/m to £2/m. Maybe a wrap dress? As always, feel free to tell me what to do.

Fabric-lust sated, we then headed over to a soon-to-be-open sewing cafe on Leith Walk to swap patterns and fabrics. At the bottom of the above picture, you will see the herringbone wool and polkadot velvet that I lugged around all day in a black plastic Gap bag. Did you know that if you eschew the treacherous cord handles of a Gap bag and instead bunch the plastic in your hand while you carry it around, your hand will turn black? It is scientifically proven. By me.

In exchange for the two fabrics I contributed, I scored this piece of pure silk. Again, I have no idea what I am going to do with it but if nothing else it was much easier to carry around.

Picture courtesy of So-Ha

Do not be fooled by that look of extreme concentration on my face while looking at patterns, I knew it in my heart of hearts that I was probably one of the least likely people to sew for myself from a pattern and so abstained. Although I was sorely tempted just to take one for the LOL-factor. Such as:

Picture courtesy of scruffybadgertime

Version two, please, with the fake fur sleeves.

Photo courtesy of Debi.

And then, finally, to the Voodoo Rooms for a dinner of delicious but bijou chicken. It was funny doing so many things as a large group; being a hen party destination I don't think Edinburgh was used to such a well-behaved and impeccably (and sensibly) dressed group of women out on a Saturday night.