How to make a Pattern from your favourite old T-shirt

Everybody probably have a T-shirt, that they love, which fits and has the right neckline, and now is sligthly worn.......
Here is the way to make a new pattern so you can make a new t-shirt again and again.

You will need a pencil, a big sheet of paper, that could be a newspaper, wrapping paper, a leftover from a papertable cloth or what ever you have (tape some printing sheets together)......

Here we go:

1.Place the t-shirt folded along the side of the paper, be sure the shoulderline and the sides are totally flat.

2. Mark along the sides, the shoulder and the neckline back

3. Fold the sleeve against the body and place your fingers along the seam, now you can mark the opening by following your fingers.

4. Do the same along the neckline in front. use the fingers as markers and draw.


5. Remove the t-shirt from your new pattern and place it again on the paper with the sleeve placed flat . Be sure sure you have enough room to your right on the paper nowa s you only draw a half sleeve, and in order to make it a whole sleeve pattern you will have to fold the paper.

Now you draw around the sleeve in the top, same method as with the neckline. Continue along the sideseam and the bottom. until you reach the middle of the sleeve where it is folded..

6. You should now have these drawings on your paper.

7.Cut out the front/back piece and fold the paper along the middle of the sleeve drawing.... now you can cut a whole sleeve pattern:

8 .As you know, there is both a front and a back on a t-shirt and you only have one pattern piece you will have to draw an extra "top" with the neckline.  I have drawn the back and cut out the front on the whole patternpiece. I have also made a pattern for a tank top by making the armscye deeper and the shoulder smaller.  ( haven't made the back pattern for that yet , but I will show you when I make one ) remember to make these "top-patterns" long enough, so you can use the armscye as marking points when you are cutting the fabric.

The pattern is ready... I will show you how to cut the fabric next time.... have fun.......

and well...... here's my first "copy" 

 I will also show how to sew it later......

Take Care of Your Cords

An easy way to take care of your cords, to avoid them from curling up.....

Some years ago I visited my parents and as I was to use my mothers hand-held mixer I noticed this smart solution..... where she's got it from I don't know, but as I always have had problems with the cord of my mixer, it curled up and I was afraid it some day would break, I hurried to "steal" the idea.
I have used the empty toilet rolls as they were, but today I just decided to pimp one up for my sewing machine cord:

okay.... I added some tinfoil to the cord of the coffee maker:

But for my sewing machine I just made something nicer to look at. I did like this:

You need this: an empty toilet roll, some fabric (or paper) perhaps some decor and glue.

I used that sort of glue you also use for decoupage, a combination of glue and varnish.

Cut the fabric to fit around the roll and leave  ½ an extra inch at both ends to make a nice finish.

Glue and rolls on the fabric as you go, until the ends meet. Put some glue inside both ends and turn the fabric inside. (you can glue on the fabric too, to make it stick nicely inside)

I had some self-adhesive strawberries to put on and now the cords to my sewing machine will not curl up.

Enjoy, it doesn't take long to make.......

Reparation of Pillow - button hole stitches

The grandchild is visiting, summer holidays, and she is 7 years old, but her favourite pillow had some holes:

Unfortunately it is not possible to open the pillow

We helped eachother, decided that the patches whould be heartshaped, så we ironed some vlieseline on the back of some scraps:

Then we cut off the extra fabric:

Then I found some thread and with button hole stitches I fastened the hearts, and the holes were covered/mended:

the pillow is useful again for a while...... ( photographer : the grandchild with my phone)

Storing my extra duvets.

Oh my........what happened to the last 5 weeks.......

But I am finally finished moving.

All my fabrics are stored in a small room, I have in the attic. But before it went up there (3 more storeys, I am on 2nd floor), it was measured and photographed, so I now have a file with a total overview.

I have managed between making Christmas cookies and wishing-lists, to make my couch a little more comfortable, and those duvets I have written about earlier are now "wrapped". I simply made 3 bags, and it was enough to reach the full length.

This is how I did:

I rolled a duvet together and measured the length

Found a dish that fitted the circumference

Measured the circumference

Or, if you know your geometry, you can calculate by measuring the diameter: 22/7 times diameter = circumference

For each bag I cut 2 ends using the dish as pattern and remembered 1 cm extra for seaming
and 1 piece for the bag itself : the length of the duvet + 2 cm for seaming times the circumference of the dish + 12 cm, for seaming. In my case it was like this: 65 cm (63+2) times 87 cm (75 + 12) .

To close the bags I decided to use velcro. I cut them approx. 8 cm shorter that the width (here 57 cm)

I turned the edge 2 cm and placed the velcro over the edges, and sewed each piece to the ends. 

IMPORTANT!!!!  they were sewn to each side of the fabric to make them lap over when closed. Notice that there's a gap at each end, that will make it easier to open later on.

I went back and forward at the end of the velcro and continued to the end of the fabric without doing it again. I wanted to be sure, that the velcro was fastened.

Then I sew the ends. I held the circles on top and started on top of the closed velcro. By having the circle on top it is rather easy to make it fit. If you haven't tried it before, then pin it together before sewing. (but if you have cut it right it will fit !)

After having sewed with normal stitches I just took another round using zigzag ( I lifted the needle, changed to zigzag and continued)

And this is how the finished bag looks on the inside.

And on the outside....

The duvet is in and it is closed.

As I had lots of fabric I hurried to make a cover for the matresses too. (There's two of them, as it can be converted to a double bed, by the way bought in IKEA  lol). I measured the matress, length and width and added the height(20cm + 20 cm to all the sides (200+20+20+20+2 times 80 +20+20+20+20) I cut out the fabric and sewed the corners (again I measured). In each corner could cut off a big triangle, then I zigzagged all edges and pulled the cover over the corners and folded the extra fabric under.

This is how it looks now with pillows (that is my extra pillows for the bed sized 60 * 60 cm)

Moving, messy and pillows

Hi, I am still here   :-)

Oh how time flies, when one is busy.....

I hope you haven't given up on me, but ríght now another corner is reached.

I was living temporarily in my late Dad's apartment and it is finally sold, we handed over the keys on Saturday.

The time has been spent with emptying the apartment, sorting and throwing out.......and my, what a lot, one gathers throughout a whole life..........and I tell you my Dad sorted several times before he died, he hated clutter and too much bric-a-brac.

Now I finally am in my own, and first, apartment, surrounded by boxes and sacks!

I still need to empty a storage room (still need to get 24 boxes) and look here:

I hope this will end up being my "sewing- corner"

And, at the moment I am "in bed with my fabrics"!

I am really trying to get this organized in the absolute best way, so I guess it will take some time before everything is placed as I wish.

But something I have found out:

In my small livingroom have I chosen to use a guest-bed as sofa, and I have made pillowcases, in which I can hide the extra pillows and duvets. so by now I have a really cosy corner! (the tv is just opposite - lol)

These are just the first ones, there'll be more when I find the rest of the duvets in the storage

And I have found time and place for sewing too, my daughter needed leggings......

The dining table functioning as cutting table! I am glad I am the only one living here...  ( notice the tool box on the floor, I have put up everything myself, even the shelves in the bedroom.... and they are still up!!!!)

Well I'd better continue, take care everybody until next time.............

French Seam......again....

I suddenly had to use the french seam again........
I am moving into an apartment with the smallest toilet/bathroom I ever have seen before, so I just had to figure something out.

I meassured the room to be  1 times 1,5 meter (3 times 5 feet).....but there's 2,5 meters (8,2 feet) to the ceiling

A shower curtain (bought) is about 2 meter (6,5 feet) high, but i needed it a little longer, as I wanted it to cover the funny window in the back

So I found those laces among my fabrics, but they weren't wide enough AND now the french seam comes in handy.
The seam will be perfect because the french seam leaves no edges and it is even stronger because you sew through the laces twice, and then hit more fabric. (you can see the seam to the right)

Now there's a curtain in bothe ends of the "bathroom", and you can see that the curtain covers the toilet bowl (then I only will have to wipe off the zink afterwards....I will now give it a try......