For some reason I’ve been really busy at my sewing machine lately. Every day I find myself holed up in my sewing room with little bits of thread hanging from my hair, on my clothes and pretty much all over every surface in the entire house.
Once I start on a project I seem to lose my sense of time and what else needs to get done around here. In other words, we’ve been living off take-out pizza and canned tuna for a few days now and the house is looking a little worse for wear (not yet squalor state yet though!).
Here are a few finished items from the last week:
I’m trying to bring the funky back to smocks for the little ones. Oh yeah, it was never there. But seriously, I’m going to change the way the world sees smocks. I have big plans.
Unfortunately I had some issues with this MaxMara fabric running (see the little white lines coming from the bias?) due to the stretch in the fabric. Any tips out there on how to avoid this? Thinner needle perhaps?
I’m in the process of taking a creative map making course over on Skillshare and I decided to step away from the computer and do something handmade. I printed off a map of Europe on some cotton muslin and embroidered our first trips as a family. Now I still have to figure out whether I make it into a pillow, or something to hang on the wall etc. Any ideas?
Last week I finished making up a few wallets in our sewing group. It was always one of those projects that seemed too advanced and complicated but in the end it was actually quite do-able. There are a lot of pieces involved and three weights of interfacing but I didn’t have a breakdown…not even once.
Look! A zipper pouch, credit card pockets, and a snap closure! What more could you want in a sewing project? Pattern from 101 Fabric-by-Fabric Ways To Sew a Metre by Rebecca Yaker.
And last but not least, today I whipped up this little bag (similar to this one from a few weeks ago). This beautiful cotton fabric is Point of Sail by Michael Miller.
Jillian In Italy 
Wow!!! I love everything, especially those wallets!
They are really sweet. I think they will be stolen by daughters very soon.
You’ve been nice busy!! And the canned tuna is good for them (that is what I tell myself every time I open one)!! Love the map!!!
Glad to hear it’s not just me who relies on canned tuna when I’m spending too much time in my sewing room!
Love all your completed projects, especially the very funky smock. I am just the same once I start sewing, I lose all sense of time which invariably leads to starving children and squalor 😉 To avoid the threads breaking in your fabric, try a finer needle or even a stretch needle if it will go through the bias and maybe run the machine a bit slower? You could always sew the bias on by hand – just teach the kids to open the can of tuna themselves and you’ll have time!!
Thanks for the tips. And I had no idea a stretch needle even existed. Must pop by shop to see if I can get my hands on one. And I have to admit that I absolutely don’t have the patience to sew on 3 1/2 metres of bias by hand! I think what I actually need is a new (Bernina) sewing machine…must start to drop some hints around the house about that.
Wow! So productive! Loving the print on that bag.
You, my dear, have to send me your mailing address. Little Mango deserves some homemade goodies!
Lovely!!! Kisses!
Mama NEEDS a new wallet for her birthday – is that a subtle hint?
Hi Jillian, I started looking at your blog when your dad and Helen left on their trip. It’s really interesting and fun to follow. I do have an idea for your map (which I think is a brilliant idea!) How about a tote bag, you could use it for travelling, or anything at all. Also thought it would look great for tee-shirts. Cathy
Hi Cathy! I love the idea of a tote bag. It could be a “work in progress” that we can add to after every trip. I think a t-shirt would be neat as well but just wondering the best way to attach it. Thanks for the advice and the visit!