Category Archives: Sewing Room

My New Sewing Friend

As many would appreciate our shape changes over the years and we find that a pattern needs to be tweaked more than it used to be. Gone is the day when I could whip up a pattern in an afternoon and only adjust the length.  While sewing skills improve over time, I still struggle with adjustments for a full bust and curvy hips.  But I now have a new friend, Hazel, who has come to the rescue.

Hazel is such a help, she tries on items any number of times without grumbling and doesn’t mind if it’s in various stages of construction or if she gets stuck with pins. Hazel is my new self-made custom dress-form.

I’d been thinking of a dress-form for some time and while I had considered a duct-tape version, I thought that there had to be something better. I came across the Bootstrap version when wandering through some favourite sewing U-Tube videos and felt encouraged to give it a go.

The process is quite straight forward. You select the type you want, enter in multiple measurements and, in my case, 20 minutes later I had a custom pattern for my own body double.  The sewing took some time and the instructions are long but not difficult.  Hazel sits very proudly in my sewing room and has been a great help with projects since.

If you are considering doing the same, below are the You-Tube videos that inspired me to give it a go and a link to the site. And before you ask I haven’t been sponsored; just sharing a good find with fellow sewers.  Enjoy!

 

The construction process

Filling out her curves

Standing tall ready for action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pattern

https://patterns.bootstrapfashion.com/diy-dress-form-sewing-pattern.html

Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CftuCNwehK8&list=WL&index=10&t=0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYbU45OTvVA&list=WL&index=11&t=236s

How to Make

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjK4NXagI0Y&list=WL&index=33&t=201s

How to Make Detailed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWcb9nJcsl8&list=WL&index=31&t=14s

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Sewing Room Test Run

I gave my new room a short test run last night.  Soooo good!  I got the binding attached to a quilt I’m doing for my oldest grandson. It was so much easier being able to spread out and have the quilt supported by my desk space rather than juggling the bulk of it on my lap. This is going to work really well. I’ve now got plenty of work space for pattern laying and cutting, good light and even room for the ironning board.

Sewing Room has Returned

Well after an exhaustive weekend I now have a sewing room. Still some tweaks to be made but it is only a couple of hours away to be fully functional. It took pretty much the two full days to get there and that’s partly (… well mostly if truth be told) because I had to do a complete clean and sort of heaps of uni stuff, bits and bobs as well as four bookcases.  It’s amazing how much you collect over the years and how much dust it attracts!

So while we are both pretty sore and tired tonight, I now have a sewing room and my dear husband has a pretty good looking study! … Had I forgotten to mention that this was a complete room swap? My old study (which for the last three months had been a baby’s nursery) was swapping with my husband’s study and transforming from a study into a sewing room!

So to bed … I’ve had a nice hot shower and need to rest these weary but happy bones. I can now dream of my first sewing projects!  But I now have a lovely spacious room with lots of light.

New Sewing Room 1 New Sewing Room 2

Return of the Sewing Room

After a long absence and following the departure of some long term house guests, this weekend with some spousal support I shall be setting up my sewing room. At last I will have a dedicated space that’s bigger than a corner in the bedroom.

Old Sewing Corner

This comes just in time as some beautiful fabrics have arrived in the post. With Xmas and the warmer months on our doorstep, it’s time to do little dresses for my small granddaughters. I’ve found some wonderful PDF patterns for reversible dresses that I’m sure they will love.

So hopefully tomorrow I’ll have made some progress and maybe have a photo to share.