El Bandito

Woo hoo! I'm delighted to have finished my Aestlight shawl. It took just under a month, on and off, and was a really enjoyable knit.

 Shawl pre-blocking

Post blocking  - you can see how nice the lace and edging look when opened up by blocking

Pattern Used

Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston, available from Ravelry

Does it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? 

Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? 

Overall, yes. It's a well written pattern. There were a couple of bits I had to read more than once but overall it was straightforward.
 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? 

I was attracted to the pattern by the structural edging, and the overall design which was bolder than other patterns I've seen. I liked that it's a nice combination of 'easy' knitting (garter stitch triangle) and slightly more challenging knitting (edging) which required more concentration, although it was all pretty straightforward. I liked that the lace pattern was easy to remember and also forgiving of any mistakes - I made a few but they're not too glaring.

I disliked the edging at the point of the shawl - I knitted it twice but am still not 100% happy with how it looks, as there seem to be extra holes where there shouldn't be.

Fabric & Notions 

I used yarn from Ripples Crafts, 100% merino wool in the colour Lipstick

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made

None

Would you knit it again? Would you recommend it to others? 

I'd definitely knit it again, I'm delighted with the result and enjoyed making it. I'd highly recommend it, particularly to a new knitter who had never made a shawl before as the pattern is easy to follow and effective.

Cost

The wool was a gift (I used just over one skein) and the pattern cost about £4

Conclusion

I love it and think I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it this Autumn.

Worn with Rosa sweater

Household Horror aka Beetle Tales

Carpet Beetle Larvae (about 6mm long)

In a huge shift in tone from my last post about a pretty dress, I want to to talk about beetles. Carpet Beetles to be precise. The above picture is a carpet beetle larvae which I recently discovered luxuriating in a piece of abandoned knitting. Disgusting, yes, but also very damaging to fabrics and a bugger to get rid of.

When a previous attempt at a cardigan got forgotten about some months ago (what was I thinking? - I hate knitting ribbing), the portion of ribbing I had knitted got shoved to the back of the living room sideboard. Yesterday I took out the knitting to unravel it, as I had decided to use the wool to start a new pattern. As I unravelled, I realised that the small ball of wool still attached to the knitted piece came loose from the piece after a few rows. Strange. Then, stretching the knitting out, I saw the holes:

 

I quickly realised what the culprit was, as I had found a carpet beetle larvae in another piece of knitting in the same sideboard months earlier, although as it had not caused damage I wasn't particularly worried at the time. This time too, when I shook the knitting, the horrible beast was revealed, and I realised that I might have a problem.

I have been familiar with the carpet beetle larvae for a number of years, although have only recently discovered what they are called. I have lived in many flats where I have seen the odd one or two larvae (and more rarely, a beetle) and thought 'Ugh!', but I have never before thought about the damage they can do. But now they seem to have taken up residence in my beloved sideboard and are eating my knitting - this is war! For some reason the larvae are sometimes known by the rather quaint name of 'Woolly Bears'. I am rechristening them 'Hairy Little Bastards', as this seems much more appropriate.

At the minute I am very much hoping that the problem is confined to the sideboard. Partly because I can't bear to think that they might start popping up anywhere else in the flat. Unfortunately I have just started storing my fabric in the sideboard, so I am going to have to find somewhere else to put it. I have already taken some action to try and tackle the issue and will be continuing to do so this weekend. This action is:

1. Removing any scrap fabric items (fabric scraps, gauge swatches, odds and ends of wool) and throwing them in the bin
2. Freezing any items that I am not throwing out - they need to be put in a plastic bag in the freezer and frozen for 48-72 hours, thawed and then re-frozen again. I'm going to have to freeze the fabric in batches, so it will take a while
3. Removing all items from the sideboard
4. Thoroughly hoovering inside the sideboard
5. Moving the sideboard out and hoovering under it - the beetles love dark, undisturbed areas
6. Sprinkling Borax inside the sideboard to kill any remaining beasts - that is if I can find any Borax, it's been hard to track down so far. Borax substitute is the closest I can get and I have no idea if it's any good, so I would rather get the real thing. Also as we have 2 cats, I think this is the safest option.
7. Grumbling as I have to freeze my fabric in batches and find a new place to store it
8. Fretting that the beasts will have taken up residence elsewhere in the flat

I should make it clear that the above larvae is the only one I've recently found, but after having seen the damage, I'm not taking any chances. I promise that my house is generally pretty clean, but I do feel like I am revealing a shameful secret with this post, but hopefully it might help someone else avoid the horror of the Hairy Little Bastards.

You can find out more about carpet beetles here but briefly,

How do you know if you have carpet beetles?
There are several different types of carpet beetles as well as the larder beetle, which are various shapes and colours, but the larvae of all the beetles are very similar to the one at the top of the post, with a segmented body covered in hairs. It is the larvae you will see most often, as well as the discarded 'skins'. You can also look for unexplained holes in clothing and stored items, as seen above, which look different to moth damage. Moth damage typically consists of lots of little holes which look like the item has been shot with shot gun pellets.

How do you make things as inhospitable as possible for the beasts?
They like dark, undisturbed areas, so cupboards, wool and fabric stashes and the backs of drawers are the perfect homes for them. They prefer soiled items so make sure clothes etc are clean before being tidied away, however all types of fabric are vulnerable - wool, fur, feathers, skins and silks ie. all your favourite and best natural fibres. Make sure you hoover frequently, particularly around the edges of carpets and in difficult to reach areas - they hate good housekeeping!

What do you do if you do have them?
From what I've read online, you can freeze fabric items that are at risk, or alternatively wash them at high temperatures. As above, you need to be handy with the hoover, and be vigilant for larvae and damage.

Have you had any problems storing your wool or fabric due to bugs and beasts? If you have any tips about getting rid of them I'd love to know! I've heard some horror stories about moths recently too. 

K x

1950s Poppy Print Dress

    

Ta dah! I got my dress finished in time for the weekend at the weekend. It's from the same 1950s pattern as my blue and white duvet cover dress.

The main differences between the dresses are that on this one I made bias binding for the neckline and armholes using the same material (instead of plain shop bought bias), and I added horsehair braid to the hem - my first time doing this. The braid gives the bottom of the dress a more structured shape, which is appropriate for the style and era. I first saw horsehair braid on Gertie's blog, and it is really easy to use.

As this was the second time I'd made the dress and the the third time I'd made the bodice, I was able to get the fit just right.

Oooh, neat and tidy!

I also paid attention to finishing the inside of the dress to a good standard too. I turned over the edges of the bodice seams and used french seams for the skirt. I also made a piece of bias tape to enclose the join of the bodice and skirt, to keep this looking neat - I hadn't tried this before, or seen any advice on how best to finish this section of the dress, but it was a really handy way to get a good finish.

Detail of inside at join of bodice and skirt

The material I used is a printed cotton poplin from Mandors. It was  £9.99 per metre, and I bought 3 metres, however I used the £40 Mandors voucher I'd bought for £16, so both the fabric and thread were covered by that. I bought the horsehair braid online. In the end I only used 2 metres of fabric so still have enough left to make something else.

The finishing touch

My outfit also included shoes from Marks & Spencer via eBay, a bag from a local vintage shop and a green bracelet from another vintage shop which I was given for free (woo hoo!).  In the end my outfit of dress, shoes and bag cost less than £40, which I was delighted with - wedding outfits can get really pricey!

At the wedding (for the purpose of showing my handbag!)

I did have a near disaster in the week before the wedding, when I very nearly ruined the handbag by soaking it to remove some grubbiness, only to discover that the inner stiffening material which gave the bag its lovely shape was, in fact, cardboard! Whoops. After unpicking part of the seam to remove the sodden cardboard, I put a piece of thin plastic back inside to give the bag back its shape. This worked a treat, although the bag still wasn't perfect as it was missing some of the screws and bolts from the wood and metal frame that keep it together. It was like this when I bought it, and I hadn't been able to find any replacement screws of the right size. Thankfully it held up for the day, but it was a close thing.

Cheers!

Finds around the House

Through this blog I occasionally share some of the finds I make in charity shops. Today I thought I'd show you some of my finds in situ, around my house. I hope some of you will be interested in this - I know that I'm pretty nosey and love to see other peoples' houses so thought it was about time I shared some pictures of my own home, starting with the kitchen. You'll also see that I've been playing about with my photos using Piknik, which is a recent discovery.

These are my set of Beefeater Bull Plates, which are on the wall above the kitchen sink. I believe that they were given away at Beefeater steak restaurants in the 1970s. When I was a student we had some of these plates in our flat but I subsequently forgot all about them until I found a couple in a charity shop a few years ago and decided to collect the set. You can pick them up on eBay for a few pounds each, though I also managed to find two in the bin at the back of the last flat I used to live in. You can also see in the photo a cow milk jug, a model of Cthulu (who modelled a baby hat for me in a previous post) and our beloved teal Le Creuset dishes (bought with wedding present gift vouchers).
 

Here you can see our crying onion jar that we keep shallots in, and a Poole Pottery mustard pot. The onion jar was a couple of pounds from a car boot sale and the Poole Pottery jar was 20p from a charity shop. I've had the little 1950s glasses for years, and they get used as tea light holders.

In the hall we have the ubiquitous Ikea bookcase, where the mustachioed cat lives. He was in the window of a charity shop in Edinburgh, and I had to buy him as soon as I saw him. How often do you see a cat wearing a suit and tie and with a moustache? I think he was about £3 or £4. I've had the Kermit the Frog money box since I was a child, and I always thought it was strange that he looks so fat since the real Kermit is notable for this thin-ness.

I hope you've enjoyed have a wee nosey. I'll be posting again later in the week with some photos of my poppy print dress that I wore to the wedding this weekend.


Until then, enjoy your Sunday

K x

If you can't Sorbetto them....

Ok. I know it's a terrible pun. I couldn't resist. Anyway, my title is intended to suggest that I have joined the ranks of the multiple Sorbetto makers with this version, my second:

  

I had intended to make this my first Sorbetto. I bought the fabric back in May and cut out the pieces soon after, but once I'd decided to make the version with the printed tablecloth I put this one on the back burner. It was then abandoned while I concentrated on Me Made June, knitting and making dresses, so I was glad to finally get it finished.You might recognise the cotton shirting, as I also used it for the inside of the pockets on my wrap skirt.

Pockets from Wrap Skirt

Fabric with Bias Binding Packet

There's not too much I can say about this pattern that hasn't already been said. It's fantastic. I used some lovely Paul Smith cotton shirting from Mandors and vintage white cotton bias binding. Isn't the packaging pretty? I finished the top by adding a white plastic button from my recent haul of buttons, meaning that the top includes two thrifted elements and one purchased one (the fabric).

The quality of the binding was far superior to any plain bias binding I have seen in a shop, or bought online. It was lovely soft, fine cotton, instead of the rough and loosely woven cotton that seems to be used for most bias binding I've found. If you have a good source for good quality plain binding, please do share!

As I saw more versions of the Sorbetto appearing, and after I had made my own first version, I thought that I should make this one a bit longer, but unfortunately I'd already cut the pieces. So, I made a hem by applying bias along the bottom edge and using that as a narrow hem, meaning that the hem allowance could be used to increase the length of the top. Nifty, eh? This was a really handy way to make the top longer, and I think the length is just perfect on me now.

Front and back hems, showing bias binding hem.

I won't run through a review of the project, but here are the costings.

Fabric                  £5.99  (1m at £.599 per metre)
Bias Binding       £0.30
White Thread      £0.50 approx
Button                 £0.05 approx

Total                    £6.84


So, will I be making any more Sorbettos? Most likely. I have some lovely Liberty printed binding I've been itching to use for a project, so I would like to make a plain version using that plus some other buttons from my stash. That being said, I'll need to get a move on with it before it gets too cold to wear it, although I think the pattern would lend itself equally well to being a pyjama top. Hmmm, I've never made pyjamas - another project for the list perhaps?

K x

From Duvet Cover to 50s Day Dress

 

Ahoy there!

I think this dress has a distinctly nautical feel - it is a wearable muslin for the dress I am wearing to a wedding next weekend. Would you believe it is made from a duvet cover that cost £1? Well believe it, because it is. Much inspired by the items made by other sewing bloggers using sheets and duvets (thanks Miss P!) I had been keeping my eyes open in charity shops for something suitable. Some weeks ago I bought this double duvet cover:

 Vertically striped cover - the blue section is the bottom of the cover.

I'd already made a bodice muslin before this wearable muslin, but wanted to try the whole thing before I used my 'good' fabric. I decided that I'd try a combination of horizontal and vertical stripes together, I think to have both the skirt and bodice in either direction might look a bit overwhelming.

Skirt pieces cut out

Although the bodice muslin had shown I needed to remove a bit from the centre of the front and back pieces, there were still some fit issues with the bodice, as there was excess fabric at each side, and the armholes were a bit gappy.

Sides of bodice showing excess fabric pinned and loose (I know this looks like my body is missing, but Blogger seemingly can't handle putting 2 images beside each other)

 

Dress worn with crinoline (homemade! More in another post...)

I think I made an OK job of matching stripes on the bodice front - it was hard because of the princess seams. However I was so pleased with this that I totally forgot that the front and back would be joined together (duh) and didn't match those striped sections. I don't think it's too bad though, at least not enough to bother me.

 

Side showing zip, which I'm pretty proud of - still needs a hook fastener at the top

Here is my review of the project:

Pattern Used

Woman W142 pattern for a Day Dress of Tennis Dress. Purchased in January 2011 from eBay.

Incidentally, it was designed by Teddy Tinling, who is described on Wikipedia as "an English tennis player, fashion designer, spy and author". Sounds like an interesting man, eh?

Does it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? 

Yes, although the neckline is more rounded than in the illustration.

Were the instructions easy to follow? 

Yes, but it helped that I'm not a complete beginner, as I might have struggled a bit then.
 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? 

It was easy to make - no facings just bias bound edges. I was dreading the easing which had to be done to make the bodice pieces fit together, but actually I just took my time and it was fine.

Fabric & Notions 

Duvet cover, white bias binding, white zip and white thread.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made

I took in excess at the centre front and back of the bodice and at the sides of the bodice

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? 

I already have! Yes, I would recommend it, but not to a complete novice. 

 

Cost

Fabric     £1

Pattern   £6   (£12 divided by 2 since I've made it twice - I don't usually pay this much, rush of blood   to the head I think)

Zip         £0.90

Thread   £1 approx

Binding £2

Total = £10.90

 

Conclusion

I'm really happy with it, it's a classic style and I'm delighted with the fit.

I Have Loved & Lost

I won these patterns on eBay a couple of weeks ago, at a great price, but they seem to have got lost in the post. The seller refunded my payment, but I would have paid the money again just to get the patterns. I was really keen to knit the one on the left with the all over design, and the rose garland sweater is also lovely. Sigh.

I think I may have found the thing I want to collect - 1940s Fair isle patterns. There are some amazing vintage patterns out there, and I love to have the original pattern rather than a copied version/pdf, which some sellers seem to make a good living from selling, incidentally! It's just typical that the one I really wanted to knit has eluded me, but I have banned myself from buying anything else on eBay this month. Maybe in September I'll start looking again. In the meantime I have a shawl to knit, dresses to finish and the Rooibos sewalong to begin. It's not like I will be idle until then.

Have a nice weekend

K x

Fabric Choice for Rooibos Sewalong

This is the fabric I've chosen for the Rooibos Sewalong - a cotton drill in green and a raspberry coloured polka dot cotton for the collar and contrast areas. I'm hoping the cotton drill isn't too heavy for a dress, but in her post about fabric choices Sarai wrote that a medium weight fabric would be best for the dress, without too much drape. Fingers crossed my choice is suitable.

I had been thinking about using a wool or suiting fabric but they all felt too wintery so I decided to go for one which be suitable for Autumn. I'm hoping to get started this weekend, and am going to make a muslin for the bodice only.

Are you doing the sewalong? And have you chosen your fabrics yet?

K x

Finds of Different Kinds

There's a charity shop near my work that I visit every week. It's one of several that I frequent, but not one which usually has much to offer. In the past 6 months I've bought one jumper there, but I mostly just go in for a wander at lunch time.

When I was off work a few weeks ago, my friend and I were passing through town and we called in for a look. As I went in I spied a 1970s Singer sewing machine with its own table that looked as if it had just come in to the shop. Looking closer, I realised that the drawer in the table was full of bits and pieces, including the above chocolate box. So what does it contain?

 Buttons of course!

A wealth of buttons of all kinds to be exact. I can't tell you how my eyes lit up when I saw them. I didn't let go of that box, especially when I saw a woman hovering around the sewing machine, out of the corner of my eye. Hey, nobody was going to get their hands on the one decent thing this shop has had in months! Slightly embarrassingly, the woman actually worked in the shop, and was just wanting to see what was in the box so she could price it. Ahem.

I paid only £3 for the box which I think is an utter bargain. Considering how expensive some charity shops make buttons, when bagged up in sets or pairs. Here's a few favourites from the box:

Pretty cards with buttons, including metal and glass

Deco-style green buttons - I can definitely see a use for these on a cardigan

 Bakelite(?) Fastener - it has small holes on the leaves so you can sew it on

 Novelty and wooden buttons

Assorted large buttons and glass toggles

I also snagged this embroidered pouch from the same source:

Its contents include a hallmarked silver thimble. I still need to give it a clean and find out when it dates to.

Perseverance definitely pays off with charity shops, as this tale proves. I also like the idea that these items have been kept together and have come to a home where they will be used and cherished. I like to think that the lady who previously owned them would appreciate that.

And would you believe that my own button box is also a re purposed chocolate box? It seems somehow fitting.

I should point out that in balance to this great find, I had a slightly more dubious discovery this week. On my way to work I noticed a small footstool on legs which had been left beside the recycling bins at the end of my street. Bits and pieces of furniture quite regularly get left on the streets in my area, in order to be collected by the Council and taken to the dump. I went over to have a closer look at the footstool, and found that it was in fact a sewing box that contained a variety of things, including reels of thread. I didn't have time to have a proper look, so grabbed the box and put it in the boot of the car to look at later on. I should point out that I really don't need this item, or have room for it, but hated to think of it going to landfill.

Please excuse the mess and poor quality of the photograph!

 
That evening I had a more thorough look at the sewing box. Sadly, what it contained was pretty rubbish - some blank greetings cards, a pair of old sunglasses, a few old spools of thread, a broken watch, a small plastic slide viewer with a photo of some people at a table, a plastic money box containing human hair....Oh hang on....

I'm sure you'll forgive me for not having photographed this object, but it really was exactly as it sounds. A plastic, cylindrical money box containing two coils of long brown hair. Ewww and yuck. At least that made the decision for me - this box was definitely going on Freecycle.

 

Inside the box

So, I cleared out the contents except for the thread, and it was picked up today by its new owner, who knows nothing of its past. I think that's best - it's still a nice and perfectly usable item, but if I'd kept it, every time I looked at it I know I would think about the coils of hair.

Have you made any good finds recently? Or have you got any stories about horrible finds? Do share!

K x