In a supreme stroke of divine luck, I came across a remarkable stash of uncut, unfettered vintage patterns at a second hand store yesterday. It was terribly exciting for me. Especially as the vast majority of them were my size AND they were only $1.99 a piece! Sewing season is going to be rather lovely this year...

This diaper bag is pretty comprehensive. It has 14 pockets: 2 large, 2 small either side, 2 hiding behind the front zip down, 8 inside. The front zips down into a changing station; I used heavy plastic zips for the top and sides; the front flap fastens with a magnetic closure and the bag can be worn either in backpack style or over the shoulder by means of adjustable straps.

Though this project worked out well in the end, the pattern [McCalls 6617] it has to be said, is subpar. It's nearly impossible to decipher - the instructions might as well have been google translated from Uzbek.  It took 4 heads together to figure out how much interfacing was needed in the shop and this was just the beginning. Apparently, they also thought it necessary to require one to use two different kinds of interfacing one being fusible fleece of all things. No. Thanks. So - attempting to figure out how much interfacing to cut, which pieces, whether it was actually necessary was a nightmare. It's broken all the pieces into different contrasting materials and it's nigh on impossible to figure out which pieces should be what when you don't want to use 4 different contrast fabrics. I thought two was plenty - it took about an hour to assess.

In cutting the pieces out and marking the material, I have never in any pattern had to mark seam allowances. These pieces had many different allowances, sometimes 2 different allowances for a single piece. To compound the irritation, the instructions did not list the allowances! When I had sat down at the machine getting ready to seam the first step, I realized that they weren't there. I had to unpack all my neatly folded pieces and write down every blasted seam allowance into the instructions. Not impressed.

Additionally, the elastic lengths for the pocket tops were too long. The stated measurements, if used, would have provided no cinching or gripping power at all. I ended up pulling and cutting off at least 2 inches of each, assessing the amount of gather as I went. In the same vein, the adjustment notion pieces were too small. I had to go back and buy a larger width (39 mm) in order to accommodate the bulk of having to pass the strap through it twice. I had trouble fitting it through the clips also, but I wasn't about to get 4 more of them.

I like the result but honestly, the pattern isn't worth paying for. If you do get it, be forewarned and prepared to make a lot of your own notes, read everything at least three times before doing anything, swear a great deal and iron everything several hundred times.

So, there's a baby growing and when one likes to make things (more especially to create something hardier, better, more useful) all while saving money, the list of things required for a new human provides a kingdom of opportunity. Among the first things I've been making are a stack of flannel wipes. I've been assured they are useful items to have for lots of things.
Before I share the ridiculously, laughably, breezily easy pattern I spent all of 7 minutes creating, lets do a quick comparison. Doing a cursory google one notices that a pack of 15 single layer flannel wipes can cost anywhere between $11.95 to $21.50 at times more when the claim is organic cotton etc. etc.

I bought 2 metres of olive green flannel for $7.00 even.
This means that I could make approximately 45 8x8 inch wipes with this if  I chose (as a matter of fact I have plans for the other metre, but anyway).
The point is, that to make 15 single layer wipes (given my variables) costs $2.40. Even if this material had been full price ($8 a metre) the cost for 15 would be still be an impressively low $5.25.

Now - my sewing machine is no serger, and to get the fancy pants edging that will properly prevent the wipe from fraying is something I can't achieve - so I cut backings for them so they could be seamed, turned inside out, top stitched and properly secured.

The backing material I had stashed away from a 2008 project and was literally scraps. One can back it with just about any sort of cotton, or another layer of flannel. If you have a serger, I envy you and no backing is required.

Fancy making your own? Simply click the pattern image below to open the pdf, then save.

It's rather shameful to admit that the house has been living without curtains for over a year... I promised myself I'd get around to it but with one thing or another got distracted instead. Similarly, I had always wanted to try making a roman blind. With the winter dark creeping further and further into the afternoon clock, it convinced me to act.

Here is how said blind is made -

[  L I S T   O F   M A T E R I A L S  ]
- outer fabric (cut to window measurements)
- lining fabric (ditto)
- heavy cotton fabric tape
- 24 plastic or brass rings
- 1x3 pine board (cut to 1/8th smaller than inside window measurements)
- doweling or thin piece of trim
- nylon string
- 4 medium sized screw eyes
- staple gun loaded with heavy duty staples
- 3   2.5 inch wood screws

[ N O T E S ] - this blind really isn't difficult to make. The level of documentation I've done is simply to make the method understandable. It's more as time consuming than difficult. It is also cheap, and more especially so if you use second hand materials. All materials but the front facing fabric was either given to me or I got it for pittance. Yes, I know the fabrics don't match and the yellow plastic rings are hideous, but guess what? You don't see them when the blind is up, so it doesn't fuss me at all.

[ 1 ] - choose an outer fabric and a lining fabric. The only brand new thing used in this project was the outer facing green linen. Measure the window to be covered from inside to inside horizontally, and from inside top to desired length. Transfer these measurements to the outer facing fabric adding an appropriate seam allowance (I chose to add a half inch for each side)

[ 2 ] - pin the outer fabric with transferred measurements to lining. Cut through both. Pin together with right sides facing and sew three sides together leaving the top open. Turn inside out and press.

[ 3 ] - taking the 1x3, use it to measure the amount of wrap starting at the narrow edge then wrapping around one 3in side (this would be using the open, unfinished top portion of the blind). Mark this spot on both sides. Measure up 5 inches from the seamed bottom and mark. Using a temporary ink fabric marker draw a straight line between these marks. Sew along the line.

[ 4 ] - using the top markings and bottom seam, measure and cut four strips of cotton tape. Add seam allowance to each end.

[ 5 ] - measure 1 inch in from either side, mark and pin tape (remember to fold down seam allowances for a finished top and bottom). Divide the inner measurement by 3 and mark for remaining two tapes. Pin securely through both pieces of material making sure to smooth out uneven wrinkles.
Sew.

[ 6 ] - once tapes are in place, mark the ring positions starting at the very bottom of each tape. Leave a couple of inches free at the top of the tape. Divide the measurement by 6. Mark the positions with temporary fabric marker.
With doubled thread, whip stitch rings in the middle of the tape at their positions. This is the most irritating part of this project - I recommend listening to a good book while ploughing through it.

[ 7 ] -  measure piece of doweling or trim against the bottom seam. Add a 1/4 inch in addition to its width, mark it on either side of blind. Sew seam. Cut the piece to 1/4 inch less than the width of the blind. Carefully unpick stitches in between these two seams on one edge only. Insert the dowel or piece of trim into the pocket. Using needle and thread, whip stitch the opening closed with small stitches.

[ 8 ] - iron the thing nice and flat - as you can see, it needs it.

[ 9 ] - iron the top unfinished edge  over about a 1/4 inch. Taking the 1x3, position one narrow edge against the top of the cotton tapes. Holding firmly,  pull the fabric up and over to the opposing narrow edge. Using the staple gun, staple the blind to the 1x3, keeping folded edge smooth.

[ 10 ] - using the last plastic ring of each row of tape, eyeball the positions of the screw eyes on the 1x3

[ 11 ] - use a hammer and nail to provide a good start for screw eyes at each mark. Twist the screw eyes in. Use a pair of pliers to help out if necessary when the going gets rough. Finish the twist so that the opening is horizontal and parallel to the board.

[ 12 ] - take nylon string and thread through left-most eye, follow through to the last one, turn the corner and feed it down the last cotton tape's rings. Thread through the bottom ring and knot it well. Cut the string with about a cm hanging. Light a match and melt this cm of string to the knot (blow it out if you see it burning), wait a couple of seconds and push it to the knot with your finger. It'll smear nicely and set strong against the knot.
On the other end, pull until juuust barely taught (don't draw anything up), pin it to the left most screw eye with your finger and measure the string down to the third ring. Cut it.
Repeat this method for the remaining screw eyes and tapes.

[ 13 ] -  pull all the strings so that they lie flat and true, then knot the strings about 1 and a half inches from the left-most screw eye. Braid the remaining strings together if you like. If you don't know how to do a four strand braid, say this to yourself: Over two, under one. Pretend you are braiding normally, but say that as you do it and you'll find yourself doing a braid with four strands.

[ 14 ] - mark the mid-way between the screw eyes and using the hammer and nail again, hammer the nail all the way through the board at each of the marks. Screw the screws in through these holes leaving about a cm peeking out the other side. Smooth the material out over top and force it down on top of the screws.

[ 15 ] - take your blind to the window being covered and position it very carefully inside the upper portion of the  window frame. Make sure it's flush with all sides. When correct position is achieved, hammer gently underneath to mark the screw positions. Screw each screw in part way, checking to make sure everything's still aligned.
Once it's snugly in, tug the material down and smooth it out.

And there she be. These could very easily be dressed up in all sorts of fancy ways. This being the first attempt, I didn't go all out or use a fabulous piece of material in case things went south. Having now done it once, I'll certainly do it again with snazzier stuff.

Knit in the winter, sew in the summer. This is not a phenomenon practiced by myself alone, I'm sure. It's interesting how you can feel the different seasons coming on. Sewing season arrived rather earlier this year than usual [though I kept knitting until the month bore a more reasonable name because I was feeling a little cheated].  Over the past several years, I've developed a love of sun dresses - so when sewing season lures me into Fabricland, it's difficult to keep from stocking up on the divine yards of material that can easily be imagined into these:

SIMPLICITY 2942 [Project Runway]

SIMPLICITY 2403 [Project Runway]

SIMPLICITY 2942 [Project Runway]

SIMPLICITY 1510 - 1957

SIMPLICITY 2403 [Project Runway]

Because the greatest friend of mine is getting married this summer, I get to make this piece of deliciousness. It's very pleasant indeed to make patterns that actually fit, (these measurements are exactly mine) though the instructions with this one are of the briefest nature I've seen. I had not seen nor heard of a mail order pattern prior to getting this one, but I didn't expect the instructions to consist of a single, nearly wordless page [and by wordless I refer mainly to the complete lack of meaning the few words have]. The diagrams presume you can fill in a dozen blanks between each to magically come up with the result. It doesn't even have a notions list! I don't know what length of zipper I need until I've actually sewn the bits together.  I'm still very excited about it, however, and will start piece cutting directly.
Wish me luck, Nanny!