tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73894286930068310562024-02-21T10:06:19.909+00:00tonihaynesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-43305365200070268432018-01-19T22:00:00.002+00:002018-01-19T22:00:36.443+00:00Plastic in your clothesMany of you who sew will already appreciate that there are many 'plastics' in textile products. However, for those of you who are not already aware, there are rather a lot.<br />
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Plastics have been in the news a lot since the airing of Blue Planet 2 on the BBC, and there was also a call in to You & Yours on Radio 4 earlier in the week that made me stop and reflect on the fibre content of the clothes we buy and wear every day, more on that later. <br />
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Synthetic fibres are indeed Plastics by other names, those that occur in clothing and other textile products are;<br />
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<b>Nylon</b> - Used in lots of clothing products like tights, woven and non woven fabrics and mixed with other fibres in lots of garments. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFTlzhZBBfLZ8ht_5KnKDdLe-yG6zbv1HurI2tm0eQu2mTKj_LECCffkGdYXgIjJyfPQmiGbGoOTLOXALmu_M4ZKbVVbunk9W5QzD2pZkBXKKY-BhGfdXPV4EYUVpTOE3QVSGoIuyF0c/s1600/P1010141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFTlzhZBBfLZ8ht_5KnKDdLe-yG6zbv1HurI2tm0eQu2mTKj_LECCffkGdYXgIjJyfPQmiGbGoOTLOXALmu_M4ZKbVVbunk9W5QzD2pZkBXKKY-BhGfdXPV4EYUVpTOE3QVSGoIuyF0c/s640/P1010141.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nylon thread, fabric woven label and zip</td></tr>
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<b>Polyester</b> - Used widely in knitted, woven and non woven fabrics and mixed with Cotton for cheap clothing and soft furnishings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg8OtTvvp6L_Mz06Olv7BeAzkPXDBlHlIc_2wsCy0dsCPZxCn9yUCc_5Cmx-ZZ2fO73EHQIRnto2iF80X65LlDGAsGUNXZG40oUMoqTZjsloKTCqgGLibcLW-giosVemiqxvfrGVN2Qc/s1600/P1010154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg8OtTvvp6L_Mz06Olv7BeAzkPXDBlHlIc_2wsCy0dsCPZxCn9yUCc_5Cmx-ZZ2fO73EHQIRnto2iF80X65LlDGAsGUNXZG40oUMoqTZjsloKTCqgGLibcLW-giosVemiqxvfrGVN2Qc/s640/P1010154.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Polyester woven cloth</td></tr>
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<b>Acrylic </b>- Most widely used in fleece and knitted clothing as well as mixed with other fibres for wide ranging finishes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv38Np90gSUX8G8C8omU78v3Ib0SDa1BHjlld0rYsFmG4sJcvaVw-rTVP2TdfxBSbourKIsD0Qr3QKK0kE9aU5hgXQB8ulvGxbRY95qLrIM-n0m0tk3EgZOwdSMk7u3Hbt1x-jtvCMqs/s1600/P1010136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv38Np90gSUX8G8C8omU78v3Ib0SDa1BHjlld0rYsFmG4sJcvaVw-rTVP2TdfxBSbourKIsD0Qr3QKK0kE9aU5hgXQB8ulvGxbRY95qLrIM-n0m0tk3EgZOwdSMk7u3Hbt1x-jtvCMqs/s640/P1010136.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My waterproof jacket and fleece lining</td></tr>
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<b>Spandex or Lycra</b> - Always used with other fibres to help knitted clothing keep their shape and have grater stretch.<br />
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<b>Olefin </b>- Prized for it's strength it is mostly used in carpets, car interiors and wallpaper.<br />
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<i><span style="color: purple;">Other fibres that you may think of as synthetic fibres like Acetate, Rayon and Model are in fact regenerated cellulose so do not posses</span><span style="color: purple;"> the same properties as Synthetics because they will degrade and break down over time.</span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHJKf2SNd-aiIGUS4bvRXd6nljY0nSA59d-qlxwyc45ZnNLSvx6LJFkxl22f9w8qNAp-1sz9v1ld8cLRtt56Gn8JUXfeQp1kvykMeeNuHZz7G2wadVXnrBuyUJNb6S82XHPuNa70i0ME/s1600/P1010145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHJKf2SNd-aiIGUS4bvRXd6nljY0nSA59d-qlxwyc45ZnNLSvx6LJFkxl22f9w8qNAp-1sz9v1ld8cLRtt56Gn8JUXfeQp1kvykMeeNuHZz7G2wadVXnrBuyUJNb6S82XHPuNa70i0ME/s640/P1010145.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acetate lining fabrics</td></tr>
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All Synthetic fibres are derived from petrochemicals and take rather a lot of resources to get out of the ground, get refined into all the different chemicals like Gas, Fuel, Oil and Plastics. The plastics are mixed with other chemical elements to produce the right plastic for each product, they have colours (more chemicals from a range of sources including metals, petrochemicals and manufacturing by-products) added and are then extruded (squeezed through a very narrow tube while still in liquid form) into fine filaments which are spun and made into textiles by weaving, bonding and knitting.<br />
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Seems like a lot of processing doesn't it - and it is. In fact the textile industry as a whole is one of the most highly polluting industries on the planet! Makes you think doesn't it.<br />
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Unlike natural and regenerated fibres, which will decompose in time and have natural 'enemies' to longevity such as moths, mould and mildew and natural decomposition; Synthetic fibres, like plastics, will take thousands of years to break down naturally. So the biggest no no would be to put old textiles in the bin for landfill.<br />
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Another thought that I had not previously considered before the You & Yours program this week, is that every time we wash our Synthetic clothes and soft furnishings like bedding, minute bits of the fibres break off and are flushed down the drain. Scary! And then it makes it's way out to the ocean and into small sea creatures at the bottom of the food chain - and finds its way into all complex sea life. Really scary!!<br />
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So, what can we, on an individual basis, do to try and do a little less damage ourselves.<br />
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The first thing would be to wear your clothes a little longer before putting them in the wash, wearing once and putting garments in the wash is a bit much if the garment is still clean - most of us don't really get dirty so there is no reason to put it in the wash so often. In fact, this will also extend the life of the garment and it will keep it's finish and shape better too so you will get better value for your money. No brainer.<br />
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Secondly, send unwanted clothes and other textiles to charity shops or swap with friends. Second hand is no longer a sign of poverty, it is right on trend - Vintage is the way to go to get clothes that are different, and the best way to create an individual look without breaking the bank. Clothes and soft furnishings can have several lives before they wear out completely.<br />
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A third option is to remake your clothes and soft furnishings into something else. I've remade old, and antique clothes into new garments of all sorts for myself and for many clients. The possibilities are only limited by yours, or your dressmakers, imagination.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyCB3iAuxk_3NrxeeDh7uZIIoG6fsMRISict0xkRp-uzQbjmsb4RrqV-fXX7zab5RrNUFSYFm0QOvF2Sp4Ve-B5d6qoT37YLt7_829d8a_xkXK7NWvHfCjGMkAQ8JgVWstOTawVL4Ah0/s1600/DSCI0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyCB3iAuxk_3NrxeeDh7uZIIoG6fsMRISict0xkRp-uzQbjmsb4RrqV-fXX7zab5RrNUFSYFm0QOvF2Sp4Ve-B5d6qoT37YLt7_829d8a_xkXK7NWvHfCjGMkAQ8JgVWstOTawVL4Ah0/s640/DSCI0010.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trim on this jacket was originally part of an antique opera cape</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GuUEQa3TGYK2TAytV6EQJUbtq5LV5LqNKD3RjJboe8ojrrMJ7dmSyr4odxvXX4BnWKVjYr4TdLOdH3qfdwZy07bIRCQPpBhPuZDvwWHoiN_E-AKuoELZARNe42XiJpGXw_N666Sq67o/s1600/DSCI0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GuUEQa3TGYK2TAytV6EQJUbtq5LV5LqNKD3RjJboe8ojrrMJ7dmSyr4odxvXX4BnWKVjYr4TdLOdH3qfdwZy07bIRCQPpBhPuZDvwWHoiN_E-AKuoELZARNe42XiJpGXw_N666Sq67o/s640/DSCI0057.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This jacket has been made out of some curtains that were given to me, they were hardly used and I also made a full length coat too as there was so much fabric, these were bespoke client projects and the clients knew the origin of the fabric - it saved them a lot of money on fabric and the garments were very warm and cosy to wear.</td></tr>
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Even if what you need to get rid of is really past it, take it to the charity shop or clothing bank. Textiles that have completed their useful life can be shredded and made into other products like carpet underlay, insulation for other things and chemically recycled.<br />
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To put textile products in the bin that then goes to landfill is, in my humble opinion, criminal!<br />
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I want you to use the three R's when you decide to get rid of old (to you) textiles;<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">R</span><b>euse - </b>Pass it on, swap it.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">R</span>ethink - </b>Make it into something new, embellish it.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">R</span>ecycle - </b>Charity shop it or put it in the clothing bank.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMhLRrRlqMpoH_gKXIyc7fbwRTAkagkfYXqxEu7JR8WoLT8-IBleeIHu8VN7cQ7y01Thcoon7alG0XEYKB-ga-QGlUsAga3GKEBzYC8KPOsoDlUjb4MzsUu_dXs4q-c-QQdTTR34r4KM/s1600/13385925983_97e5db3b2b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1024" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMhLRrRlqMpoH_gKXIyc7fbwRTAkagkfYXqxEu7JR8WoLT8-IBleeIHu8VN7cQ7y01Thcoon7alG0XEYKB-ga-QGlUsAga3GKEBzYC8KPOsoDlUjb4MzsUu_dXs4q-c-QQdTTR34r4KM/s640/13385925983_97e5db3b2b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rather more than three R's, food for thought</td></tr>
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This is especially important for Synthetics because they have such a long life and can do so very much damage in the environment.<br />
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I really hope this has given you pause for thought and a few ideas of how you can minimise your environmental impact. If everyone did a little more - it would all add up to an awful lot of positive action. And <b><i>ALL OF US </i></b>can help prevent scenes like this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLnhO6xuQAVLypC_TV2aO8qvyK1u8slcYlwBfFSJAF42w_G1-Cy6ykrWOVLE2BM7noTwSg4xFAkcznZEPScDNij2sLV0y2yiDAfwVio3HtS-K7XZNwligugxj3zt_yzp9WzhyphenhyphenA6MaaXc/s1600/Landfill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLnhO6xuQAVLypC_TV2aO8qvyK1u8slcYlwBfFSJAF42w_G1-Cy6ykrWOVLE2BM7noTwSg4xFAkcznZEPScDNij2sLV0y2yiDAfwVio3HtS-K7XZNwligugxj3zt_yzp9WzhyphenhyphenA6MaaXc/s640/Landfill.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-16422981716254093242017-05-25T19:42:00.000+01:002017-05-25T19:42:16.257+01:00A word about PinsI am passionate about good value when it comes to my tools, and that includes my pins too. <br />
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There are lots of brands of pins and lots of different kinds of pins. most of you will be familiar old fashioned steel headed pins such as these.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpGopwCi-thNPoaHQERqRw0hvBJ_gnHcn2n8G7BUDoCswd00hDXJAT3S_vHNbHJZ8x9NmkGU6Jjp5DJYOZ1sw8xTCzCEwRbGvY44-rH6qg9VLNHXoIPTIpf4qH3ZLUQJvwzw39B_MpqI/s1600/1+Pins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpGopwCi-thNPoaHQERqRw0hvBJ_gnHcn2n8G7BUDoCswd00hDXJAT3S_vHNbHJZ8x9NmkGU6Jjp5DJYOZ1sw8xTCzCEwRbGvY44-rH6qg9VLNHXoIPTIpf4qH3ZLUQJvwzw39B_MpqI/s400/1+Pins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stainless steal dressmaking pins</td></tr>
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Some of you, like me, might find these painful to use - and jolly difficult to find when you drop them - as you inevitably will! To over come both of these points you may use bobble headed pins like these.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3MwBrLdOtuIXGq2zWOX_pYjL1bV_d3ubM6h3eJPuWTLrowoT7qXYpF5uS0rp6Jkhw5-lqXkH3f68aHKXITBmdR2K6kUU1YRUJVgVQBnvEC110gPPqvoGbiAfmcel-u5H_V_uSVF_5PE/s1600/2+-+Pins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3MwBrLdOtuIXGq2zWOX_pYjL1bV_d3ubM6h3eJPuWTLrowoT7qXYpF5uS0rp6Jkhw5-lqXkH3f68aHKXITBmdR2K6kUU1YRUJVgVQBnvEC110gPPqvoGbiAfmcel-u5H_V_uSVF_5PE/s640/2+-+Pins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic head pins</td></tr>
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And for those who like this sort of thing there are lots of pretty pins with shaped heads such as hearts or flowers.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3oh6XV9Tw0J96J2yUBxKvUAYWFRsi-gWHgY-Rq7YPdyWyBe1vaMge-7lCWItPcXdG16XCJcYaIyerjlE2zTojTRoGW4tXLpoPMiSv9q-dwOMf2DS6EEOIH9CVBP3mRRM8zjbDxnFKzU/s1600/3+-+Pins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="580" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3oh6XV9Tw0J96J2yUBxKvUAYWFRsi-gWHgY-Rq7YPdyWyBe1vaMge-7lCWItPcXdG16XCJcYaIyerjlE2zTojTRoGW4tXLpoPMiSv9q-dwOMf2DS6EEOIH9CVBP3mRRM8zjbDxnFKzU/s640/3+-+Pins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic head pins with heart shaped heads</td></tr>
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These are all lovely and pretty, and solve the problem of not being able to see them when dropped, and they don't hurt your fingers like steel headed pins can when pushing them through fabric.<br />
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I used to use plastic headed pins myself until I discovered Glass headed pins. These were game changers I have to tell you! No longer did I melt the bobble heads with the iron (marking the plate on the iron), no longer did they bend at the drop of a hat, and no longer did the bobble heads come off mid use - forcing me to grab a pair of pliers to retrieve the darn things.<br />
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Glass headed pins are made with high quality nickel plated steel which is really strong, it holds it's point for a really long time and they never bend unless you hit them with some force. Like other dress making pins they come in two lengths as seen below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEFRGxr_Q96ByI445V0Xq2K_KSEwtucDoSpHB7GjrLOUO6DFkUswskSCXEbKpOz8qs9Os_omyZU-K7CnlgX6iUCRhZT6DE02sb3z5AOAdnO_TqHO7SJnQTY-fxGk9ZU1QLA40gDsPClI/s1600/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Pins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEFRGxr_Q96ByI445V0Xq2K_KSEwtucDoSpHB7GjrLOUO6DFkUswskSCXEbKpOz8qs9Os_omyZU-K7CnlgX6iUCRhZT6DE02sb3z5AOAdnO_TqHO7SJnQTY-fxGk9ZU1QLA40gDsPClI/s640/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Pins.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">51mm and 35mm Glass head pins<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Now, these pins are not cheep! On average they are 3-5 times the price of plastic head pins, but - and this is a big but, they last 10-20 times longer! The glass head stays on so much better than plastic, I think only one has come off in the 5 years I have been using them, this is very favourable compared to the several per week that came off the plastic ones. I have never snapped a glass head pin and have only bent them on very rare occasions when I have hit one while sewing on the machine - which also damages the machine needle too if you hit a pin.<br />
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My favourite brand of glass head pins are Hemline<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsz6tW50ol29bvTjJ5u21m1lrXac3XDmJURUuAXjR3L7G2sJCKzMi6LsG7jjpjOe56LjIhcQoBs_KheJ7qAhCD7mn5OMH3xA6c4TLtN3VEONIGW73gKmZmvge1p0A3-NQJlLCOHSaXvM/s1600/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Pins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsz6tW50ol29bvTjJ5u21m1lrXac3XDmJURUuAXjR3L7G2sJCKzMi6LsG7jjpjOe56LjIhcQoBs_KheJ7qAhCD7mn5OMH3xA6c4TLtN3VEONIGW73gKmZmvge1p0A3-NQJlLCOHSaXvM/s640/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Pins.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite brand of glass head pins</td></tr>
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As you can see they are pricey, but you will really appreciate how good they are. This is an investment in great tools for your sewing, if you make patchwork they are especially good because you can iron over them. <br />
<br />
So if you sew as a hobby, or more seriously, think about the pins you use and consider getting some glass head pins - they make great stocking fillers at Christmas for friend and family who sew too, you can get them at most sewing and craft outlets or online.<br />
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Happy sewingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-21559554636887966242017-05-21T19:59:00.002+01:002017-05-21T19:59:36.866+01:00I bet some of you have been wondering where I have been over the last couple of months - moving house is the answer. I have left Dorset behind, which is a bit weird given that I have lived there my entire life thus far, and hopped just across the border in to South Somerset to become a resident of Wincanton. It's a nice small town with some lovely shops and a nice sense of community. One major find is the local sewing shop called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wincantonsewandsew/" target="_blank">Sew & Sew</a>. Dianne, the proprietor is lovely and we have a great working relationship already.<br />
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My new workshop is now a dedicated space made up of two rooms, one for cutting with lots of storage for all my fabrics and stock, and one for sewing which is wonderfully lit with a nice big window and my own separate entrance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuewlvXEZFXdAEpgVWoGGB446mQ-umX6KdMWA0BJtm_CmHSInRHcao1GRn0ZpWk5MrFT56BN4XZxwDeIUH0RAArnYXXS0S94jGp7r_y3ac4MqaWxrf3j5wz99RmT66Ocu_nwWZzh37D8/s1600/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+my+new+workshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuewlvXEZFXdAEpgVWoGGB446mQ-umX6KdMWA0BJtm_CmHSInRHcao1GRn0ZpWk5MrFT56BN4XZxwDeIUH0RAArnYXXS0S94jGp7r_y3ac4MqaWxrf3j5wz99RmT66Ocu_nwWZzh37D8/s640/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+my+new+workshop.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting room with lots of storage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfFXwL9Jd9fHy2Qf9UtI7tH-C0WtruPk_DfudPlO-zs_U7uruqHe8swInE3jDsTGxJmqVyasH2xpb_kO9XaNJfGsmH4mTP7T7kbvf9tCr34_itERKVtY2TWiPLTuren_4qcZ3re01mVM/s1600/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+my+new+workshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfFXwL9Jd9fHy2Qf9UtI7tH-C0WtruPk_DfudPlO-zs_U7uruqHe8swInE3jDsTGxJmqVyasH2xpb_kO9XaNJfGsmH4mTP7T7kbvf9tCr34_itERKVtY2TWiPLTuren_4qcZ3re01mVM/s640/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+my+new+workshop.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the sewing room - lovely and light</td></tr>
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It is such a pleasure to work in my lovely south facing sewing room, I can look out of the window and the door into the garden and collect one's self for a moment when doing something challenging - especially working with black - the green of our lovely garden gives my eyes a lovely break. Never realised how much I missed having a garden while living in my flat in Gillingham.<br />
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Already I am working on a couple of bespoke projects for new clients from the area, the first is a Mother of the Bride outfit in printed Cotton that my client and I met up at Hansons to buy the fabric for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y_4tOBE19OlYhDMtjvdQXENRiAfb4NxUiGrdv7L9tYtETjLGU9P0u86qx3V1yvRhTCCbzbRDPUpEeIXTg_nearYzQflEdB7qQWu1pd8BgQOd1CAjjA0XubSGFbIUvLbYgd5Xk8k8Ejk/s1600/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+in+the+workshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y_4tOBE19OlYhDMtjvdQXENRiAfb4NxUiGrdv7L9tYtETjLGU9P0u86qx3V1yvRhTCCbzbRDPUpEeIXTg_nearYzQflEdB7qQWu1pd8BgQOd1CAjjA0XubSGFbIUvLbYgd5Xk8k8Ejk/s640/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+in+the+workshop.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pattern cutting for the first time in my new cutting room<br />
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Here I am having traced off the jacket for my client's jacket, changing it ready to toile it for the first fitting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaJ-9zi0qSp0o9bLIvb4llr6yXPXfJWJ2slh7LGNSUmTydQ97Sa41g78m4vAG3WLTiJqv2uWPhRmHNpgOfPhRY-9oJvNffXQ8cp1Nhtgjq_CjIWJavb5mDfxkH-lHPoEtNIbcgaiT_1o/s1600/5+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+in+the+workshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaJ-9zi0qSp0o9bLIvb4llr6yXPXfJWJ2slh7LGNSUmTydQ97Sa41g78m4vAG3WLTiJqv2uWPhRmHNpgOfPhRY-9oJvNffXQ8cp1Nhtgjq_CjIWJavb5mDfxkH-lHPoEtNIbcgaiT_1o/s640/5+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+in+the+workshop.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting out the dress toile fabric<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">You may note how closely I pin on my pattern pieces, I always pin no more than 5cm/2" apart so that the pattern piece stays put while cutting.</span></div>
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Happily sewing away on a sunny spring morning</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I really love having a dedicated workshop to work in now, such a treat after working in my living room for many years - actually what started out as a living room with a work space, with my growing business it grew into a workshop with a sofa and a tele!! For any of you who work from home, you will know exactly how nice it is to finish work at the end of the day in a dedicated room and then 'leave' work at the end of the day, with a commute of around 6 steps - and being able to leave everything out mid making is awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Over the next few weeks and months there will be new shelving and other adaptations to accommodate all the work related things I had squirrelled in my bedroom and every cupboard outside of the kitchen in my previous residence that simply wouldn't fit in my work-space - there was quite a lot collected over the years!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The very best thing about the move is that my partner and I are beginning our new life together - we went out for a day out to Weston-Super-Mare today, so have lots of new places to explore as I know about as little as he does about Somerset, despite it being so close to Dorset.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-69677146472281795102017-03-03T09:51:00.001+00:002017-03-03T09:51:52.460+00:00Interfacings, what to choose<b><br /></b>
<b>What is Interfacing?</b><br />
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Interfacing is the underpinning inside a garment. It can be bonded to the wrong side of the fabric, this is called Iron On. Or, it is sewn to the wrong side of the fabric, this is called Sew In. There are a number of functions for interfacing a garment, these are;<br />
<ul>
<li>Add strength</li>
<li>Add structure</li>
<li>Add weight</li>
<li>Change the characteristics of the fabric</li>
</ul>
If you are new to sewing you might visit a fabric outlet and be a bit bamboozled by the collection of Interfacings on offer, you will be asked whether you want Iron On or Sew In, what weight you need and whether you want woven or non-woven, natural fibre or synthetic? It’s a bit confusing to begin with until you have more experience, or until you get some information from the back of a pattern envelope. The directions there will only give you one option, usually iron on and you will be told to get light, medium or heavy weight.<br />
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I use all sorts of things as interfacings, according to what the fabric a given project is made out of and what properties I want to introduce or bring out of that fabric – it’s amazing what you can do to change the characteristics of your cloth.<br />
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<b>Start off with a few questions.</b><br />
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What is the fibre you are using, wool, silk, cotton, mixed fibres, synthetics?</div>
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<ol>
<li>How thick is your fabric?</li>
<li>How does your fabric behave?</li>
<li>How do you want your fabric to behave?</li>
<li>What sort of garment are you making?</li>
<li>How much structure do you want to create?</li>
</ol>
</div>
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<div>
This might seem complicated, but if you ask the questions before you purchase any cloth, production will be more straight forward and you will feel more confident that the finished project will look how you want it to. So let’s address each question in detail.</div>
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<div>
1 – <i>What is the fibre you are using?</i></div>
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Wool is very malleable with steam so whether you are using Iron On or Sew In, that too needs to be mouldable. Knitted Iron On is ideal.</div>
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<div>
<b>Silk</b> is easily marked by the adhesives in Iron On – <b>DON’T</b>, unless you are sewing with raw silk of medium/heavy weight. With silk you can use lots of different things as a Sew In interfacing. For Dupion either get enough of the silk to use it as both main fabric AND interfacing if you want to retain it’s crispness, or use another fabric which has a softer fall to help it move more freely with the body. My favourite is Wool Chalice which is a soft, loose woven very fine wool that also helps to prevent the garment creasing so easily, it can be almost as expensive as the silk though. Another cheaper option is a good quality synthetic Crepe Back Satin, usually around £5-£10, which also gives the silk a bit of weight too. Crepe back satin is also brilliant to use with Taffeta, silk or synthetic, which also marks easily.</div>
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<div>
<b>Cotton</b> is great with either Iron On or Sew In, if you want to stiffen your garment use Iron On, if you want the structure without the crispness use Sew In.</div>
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<div>
<b>Mixed fibres</b> and synthetics act pretty similarly, with heavier weights you could use Iron On. However, I tend to use Sew In simply because it ultimately looks better.</div>
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2 - <i>How thick is your fabric?</i></div>
<div>
You need to match your interfacing with your fabric, fine fabrics – fine interfacing, heavy fabrics – heavy weight interfacing. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
3 –<i> How does your fabric behave?</i></div>
<div>
Unless you really want to change the handle of the cloth you are using you need to match the softness, stiffness or whatever the quality of the fabric, with the interfacing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
4 – <i>How do you want your fabric to behave?</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Big question.</div>
<div>
You can radically change how your cloth will behave with the interfacing you use.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
To stiffen, use Iron On or a crisp Sew In, the best of these is made with Horse Hair which is wonderful for tailored garments and for building up structure.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
To stabilise a loose woven cloth use an Iron On, this is an especially good idea with cottons made in the Middle and Far East.</div>
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<div>
To add weight use a Sew In of some description, you can match it fibre for fibre or use something very different depending on what you have to hand and what your budget is.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To soften use a loose woven Sew In cloth that has a very soft handle.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
5 – <i>What sort of garment are you making?</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
Structured clothes need the best, horse hair and calico used in layers to build up shape and structure underneath the outside fabric such as in tailored jackets, this is an art form in itself and needs practice (if you want to learn about this kind of making I can recommend an amazing book – Vintage Couture Tailoring by Thomas Von Nordheim, ISBN – 978-1-84797-373-3).</div>
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<div>
Dresses with structured bodices need a good Sew In, my favourite for this is cotton curtain lining, it’s perfect, it has strength and costs very little.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
For collars, cuffs and facings use a good quality Iron On (unless you are using Silk Dupion), my favoured ones are; Vilene super soft heavy weight (which has stitching running through it) and is suitable for most fabrics because it is really soft, and knitted Iron On. These two are a little more expensive than average but worth every penny.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shirt cuffs & collars, Iron On Buckram (a really stiff interfacing which you can get as Sew In or Iron On, and it’s great for bag making too) will give you a really nice stiff effect more akin to commercial shirts. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
6 – <i>How much structure do you want to create?</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
Most patterns will tell you to use an Iron On of a specific weight, you might want to change that for a better quality Sew In and use it in layers, boning (covered is best), or add decorative top stitching as well to make really great shape and structure.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Woven or non-woven</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Vilene is an example of non-woven, created by layering synthetic fibres on top of each other and heat bonded together. If you use Non-woven I would only recommend the brand Vilene, it is the best quality and behaves as you want it to. There are cheaper brands but I wouldn’t give them house room personally.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can use any woven fabric as an interfacing; you just have to match the cloth you use to the properties you want. You can buy really high quality horse hairs, wool and cotton interfacings from MacCulloch and Wallis in Soho, London. They have several floors of goodies and are well worth a visit.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
By now you have got the gist that pretty much any fabric can be used as an interfacing so here are some examples of what I have used lately.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA2zmSD9SE7UKh4Ng4KxwZOVGxL8FQaQvMA4sjscVGI6P93pSAWVk1dtGQFEnSih1LXrBLFo1wQDdic6Uk7TrjHrDPGIaMf0TnrgHEDkUlbVaG3TVtvDXfpm35D92_BnytgUsKiyWFjU/s1600/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA2zmSD9SE7UKh4Ng4KxwZOVGxL8FQaQvMA4sjscVGI6P93pSAWVk1dtGQFEnSih1LXrBLFo1wQDdic6Uk7TrjHrDPGIaMf0TnrgHEDkUlbVaG3TVtvDXfpm35D92_BnytgUsKiyWFjU/s640/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stabilised Mutka Silk<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This lovely cloth is really soft with a loose weave and needs a bit of a helping hand to be used in jackets so this was stabilised with a light weight Iron On interfacing.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSW-maTqTsr0g8TeLawu-meXnrq8dCULU7NheLDPCh6suZ_KcBIi66xcFEoOm0kpkUH2Adn8QVfkC2r0tGdAt-coAl6cBc4V5VLeHHReTOu31TDplIUDC9HqG_R2ivUd-Zn7WiiYxq8I/s1600/2+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSW-maTqTsr0g8TeLawu-meXnrq8dCULU7NheLDPCh6suZ_KcBIi66xcFEoOm0kpkUH2Adn8QVfkC2r0tGdAt-coAl6cBc4V5VLeHHReTOu31TDplIUDC9HqG_R2ivUd-Zn7WiiYxq8I/s640/2+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vilene super soft heavy weight</td></tr>
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This stuff is amazing, you can use it on all but the lightest weight cloth and it behaves really well on cotton and wool.</div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoCqsCqmLDhhdye5nU5d2JpbbL1-Tw4mBHwjMbENFWtiAzVi_gXJXMdw1k3eeFlpjJi23EVwccyCdrjavVYRkQiz2qIlE3rfTJQIb-HVzSHRtAmd6COyaUg7rbrhMNTN2MawXFm07z-s/s1600/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoCqsCqmLDhhdye5nU5d2JpbbL1-Tw4mBHwjMbENFWtiAzVi_gXJXMdw1k3eeFlpjJi23EVwccyCdrjavVYRkQiz2qIlE3rfTJQIb-HVzSHRtAmd6COyaUg7rbrhMNTN2MawXFm07z-s/s640/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knitted Iron On<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is a really good quality Iron On and works brilliantly with loose woven Eastern fabrics and wool coating/suitings as it retains flexibility more than any other Iron On.</span></div>
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</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznZmlkzof8m6DEnWAgFzpOYnnOKyNPrQjXg4PilYKLPp8QH9p-71BC2fEA25CHi0hvxAMVIYkiTLB8LHvhy_WCR49QVKyNhDUyFNh78FCOMtlIg34vwzaPGXHmkeSiYcqPswrSerLCxg/s1600/4+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznZmlkzof8m6DEnWAgFzpOYnnOKyNPrQjXg4PilYKLPp8QH9p-71BC2fEA25CHi0hvxAMVIYkiTLB8LHvhy_WCR49QVKyNhDUyFNh78FCOMtlIg34vwzaPGXHmkeSiYcqPswrSerLCxg/s640/4+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horse Hair<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Especially good for tailoring as you can build it up and manipulate it to create structured shaping.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tM3oYDdFzDurwJjnYY7BOAecTHG0qgBkmfTJZJVyGXGOQ7aY5JRV4d2wzM3zy6k1_guQZQd0Hsbi2x1QXectvLY1FtPF3vwk-C_iP9cmpqcbXfVqv_FTNZM95O95k4TDXvFJ7A0i7vo/s1600/5+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tM3oYDdFzDurwJjnYY7BOAecTHG0qgBkmfTJZJVyGXGOQ7aY5JRV4d2wzM3zy6k1_guQZQd0Hsbi2x1QXectvLY1FtPF3vwk-C_iP9cmpqcbXfVqv_FTNZM95O95k4TDXvFJ7A0i7vo/s640/5+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calico, unbleached cotton that is rather crisp/stiff<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Calico is very strong and crisp or stiff according to the weight you use, however, it creases like mad so use only with horse hair in the layers for a tailored garment. For example when building up the shoulders, this will help keep the cost down as it is much cheaper than horse hair so use it in alternate layers.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh0mLVKLQDlN9zgb9MAy14c-OZZtwk25UNCfEUsZNXpkkbjVNnAld1IZ_S-gtdmxR_v8L0hdskK-2jzvDyhLdLllBY5VtnfRufSqqG6N8nwhPKiw78veKVTBxJPiLpcqecW_oU9vSwqE/s1600/6+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh0mLVKLQDlN9zgb9MAy14c-OZZtwk25UNCfEUsZNXpkkbjVNnAld1IZ_S-gtdmxR_v8L0hdskK-2jzvDyhLdLllBY5VtnfRufSqqG6N8nwhPKiw78veKVTBxJPiLpcqecW_oU9vSwqE/s640/6+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Silk Dupion</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I am using this at present in a bespoke waistcoat for a client.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYekxUGJR4Pkohyphenhyphen8T9kl7KSUbdnjrxyIoQe9n5N9-c4hBYIil0-QzJ-FZr-iYq8qgL7MM79CNLtuprnp3tX_yXrE3gUppbUdWMQA35kIuv-8xeYxNsU182QGKjf8ffBAMgBtyv6p_-WOc/s1600/7+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYekxUGJR4Pkohyphenhyphen8T9kl7KSUbdnjrxyIoQe9n5N9-c4hBYIil0-QzJ-FZr-iYq8qgL7MM79CNLtuprnp3tX_yXrE3gUppbUdWMQA35kIuv-8xeYxNsU182QGKjf8ffBAMgBtyv6p_-WOc/s640/7+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the wrong side of the top collar and revers of the waistcoat</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For the top collar and the back neck facing I had enough of the top fabric, but the revers have been interfaced with a bit in another colour left over from another project.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Bb5yjB-J49SJcQl8Ps1dLZPi5yHaFcQONsA5uTYFIseL_QKlWXM_ltcCoijl-x0KFBWVDomhu7DPSuA7lfeUiyaWxEUqxpg-bdLeFSsBiBvSiRnWPK2WKSUxrvS6pSsEcBQkWhSGg1g/s1600/8+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Bb5yjB-J49SJcQl8Ps1dLZPi5yHaFcQONsA5uTYFIseL_QKlWXM_ltcCoijl-x0KFBWVDomhu7DPSuA7lfeUiyaWxEUqxpg-bdLeFSsBiBvSiRnWPK2WKSUxrvS6pSsEcBQkWhSGg1g/s640/8+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The collar, revers and back neck facing on the right side</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">You can see that using a Sew In with silk Dupion is really the only option. There is a risk with Iron On that the dots of adhesive will end up coming through the silk when you press the garment, which you really don’t want. So to preserve the perfection of the silk stick with Sew In. I wanted to preserve the crispness of the Dupion which is why I have used it as the interfacing too.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qt9qg5kYUIHN97tPKpjgsbmY_3SrKhB3fXBEKhjPMcauQSRc8a08WyrJFFO0vtcgb5yG_qS5NImcBx9zoX_CW7JsEATXDYzMS3WDOy7HZzxBow8HWVBzAJlm4ygzuf8cYz6-g_XfvMY/s1600/9+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qt9qg5kYUIHN97tPKpjgsbmY_3SrKhB3fXBEKhjPMcauQSRc8a08WyrJFFO0vtcgb5yG_qS5NImcBx9zoX_CW7JsEATXDYzMS3WDOy7HZzxBow8HWVBzAJlm4ygzuf8cYz6-g_XfvMY/s640/9+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Interfacings.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the rest of the waistcoat, made with Indian cotton</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As I was saying earlier, loose woven cottons from India and other Eastern countries can be very difficult to work with; they fray, stretch and distort easily. To stabilise it and preserve malleability I have used the knitted Iron On, makes my job my easier and saves time ultimately.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Applying Interfacings</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Iron On</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">You will need a set of new Egyptian cotton or Irish Linen tea towels, two for white interfacing and two for black interfacing. Using these to protect your ironing board and your Iron will allow you to use plenty of heat and steam to make the adhesive work more effectively. You will also need to allot one of your set of two for the top and one for the bottom, the bottom one will get more adhesive on it. To clean your towels you will have to boil them every so often, literally stick them in a big pan with washing powder (better for boiling) and simmer them for at least 30 minutes – you won’t get it all out but it will be better.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cover your ironing board with your bottom tea towel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Put your piece of fabric right side down on to the tea towel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Place your Iron On interfacing adhesive side down on to the fabric – the adhesive side is either shiny or knobbly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cover with your top tea towel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Steam with your iron on a hot setting and press, you need to give it a really thorough press/steam for the adhesive to work properly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Remove the top tea towel and allow to cool for a few seconds before lifting your bonded fabric off the bottom towel.</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Now it is ready to use.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sew In Interfacing</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cut your interfacing exactly as you would your main fabric for woven interfacings, i.e. using your pattern pieces, the grain line and pin 5cm apart then cut carefully.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Pin to the wrong side of your fabric piece.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Sew all around the edge, using a stitch length of 3-4mm, 5mm in from the edge of the fabric ensuring you don’t let the stitching pucker the fabric, so check the tension on a scrap first.</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Now it is ready to use.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Where to buy Interfacings</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">You can buy interfacings in any fabric retailer, for Iron On, it is worth paying for good quality, Vilene is the best non-woven by far and there are a number of brands of knitted Iron On. With Sew In, just experiment. You will discover your own favourites if you get some scraps and try them out on small projects.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For the best of the best you can’t beat <a href="https://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/" target="_blank">MacCulloch and Wallis</a>, they have the greatest variety and highest quality for a special project. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If you do lots of sewing it is a good idea to invest in whole rolls of Iron On – they are usually 25 metres; you will get a decent discount by doing that which will save you in the long run.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I hope you are no longer confused and feel confident to make the right choice of interfacings for your projects. Happy sewing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Magical Moonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07625137542900589492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-55587673395632811262017-02-07T16:04:00.000+00:002017-02-07T16:05:07.268+00:00Super Synthetics<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the final instalment of my tutorials about Fibres and Fabrics, the focus this time is Synthetic Fibres. There are three main groups of Synthetics;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li>Nylon, first marketed as a fibre for apparel in 1938</li>
<li>Polyester, the most widely used of the Synthetic
fibres developed at the same time as Nylon but only perfected for clothing in
the 1950s</li>
<li>Acrylic, also arriving in the 1950s and the softest of the Synthetics.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These fibres came out of probably the most significant example of ‘pure’ research (research that has no particular end point and is an exploration of knowledge for its own sake) during the 20th Century; it has completely transformed the clothing industry. Before the advent of Synthetics clothes were made out of natural, and in the early 20th Century Regenerated, fibres which were time consuming and costly to produce because of major limitations that dictated the amount and production of cloth. Making Synthetic fibres from the mid-20th Century onwards has been far less expensive and only limited by the availability of Petrochemicals, derived from Oil production, and the technology needed to produce them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These fibres are produced by extracting sticky, string-like molecules from oil which are then melted and stretched in to a fine filament by various means according to the kind of Synthetic fibre to be made; Nylon becomes a harder and glass-like fibre, Polyester is a round filament that more closely resembles Silk, and Acrylic is softer than the other two.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of the Synthetic fibres share some of their
characteristics, the shared qualities being;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>They collect or retain static electricity</li>
<li>Easily damaged by hot irons</li>
<li>Will quickly blunt needles and scissors</li>
<li>Skipped stitches and puckered seams can be a problem</li>
<li>Pills easily, (pilling is the formation of bobbles on the surface of the fabric)</li>
<li>Dries very swiftly after washing</li>
<li>Durable</li>
<li>Can be made in to a large range of products</li>
<li>Easy to dye and colour fast.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Each of these Synthetics though has individual qualities that make them suitable for different uses.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nylon;</b></div>
<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Shiny fibre</li>
<li>Elastic </li>
<li>Woven fabrics fray easily</li>
<li>Dirt and lint cling to the surface and fabrics can cling to the needle.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Polyester;</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Resist creasing</li>
<li>Has good elasticity and stretch recovery</li>
<li>Easy to launder and does not require ironing</li>
<li>Crisp and resilient</li>
<li>Resists moths, mildew and most chemicals</li>
<li>Fabrics are easier to sew after laundering</li>
<li>Has poor absorbency and can be uncomfortable to wear</li>
<li>Fabrics wear at garment edges</li>
<li>Attracts smoke and dust and needs cleaning more regularly.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Acrylic;</b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Resistant to abrasion, moths, sun and weather</li>
<li>Can be heat set to hold creases/pleats</li>
<li>Has low moisture absorbency but wicks well</li>
<li>Most are washable</li>
<li>Absorbs and holds perspiration</li>
<li>Some shrink badly.</li>
</ul>
<div>
However, the easy and inexpensive production, durability and the ease with which they can be mixed with other fibres makes them the prime material for making a huge variety of fabrics and other consumer goods.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzxJt7KU83CRq4u-er6j8P_UVf_MpEyRFce9keZNb1_dsHaxzgvEOxwzWS8D_EwdKBo8eOZHlyO9TD1sLJLYK62z5kKMFkeEHbl_DY9Eq8hroPLetCJKPNhwIOoh9BTRXQMzwhKlB6mI/s1600/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzxJt7KU83CRq4u-er6j8P_UVf_MpEyRFce9keZNb1_dsHaxzgvEOxwzWS8D_EwdKBo8eOZHlyO9TD1sLJLYK62z5kKMFkeEHbl_DY9Eq8hroPLetCJKPNhwIOoh9BTRXQMzwhKlB6mI/s640/1+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My waterproof jacket<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This extremely common product is a Polyester fleece lined waterproof jacket, I’ve had it for years and it still looks pretty good and does the job really well.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueZAARKOtRS_PQ0ts0ynJtyCNVwega4EJA4KNmIfnaCTNm63TSAVie9Uv6iCA2el_J1wDAU4CNb-HlUTZt2SwvZWGwqSE0z8eW5R_WbkKIB3e6PAF-B7VjdSDIpJinsi_NbIBhQ8r8aQ/s1600/2+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueZAARKOtRS_PQ0ts0ynJtyCNVwega4EJA4KNmIfnaCTNm63TSAVie9Uv6iCA2el_J1wDAU4CNb-HlUTZt2SwvZWGwqSE0z8eW5R_WbkKIB3e6PAF-B7VjdSDIpJinsi_NbIBhQ8r8aQ/s640/2+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super practical, lightweight shoes for all occasions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Many shoes, for all kinds of uses are made with Acrylic and Polyester materials, including the soles. From left to right are my peep toe Polyester elastic with Acrylic sole sandals, Acrylic suedette trainers and on the right are some Neoprene (a multi-layered Synthetic cloth developed for diving), Acrylic soled beach shoes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JFaNYiYuXreqoZCwwE3Zi5n5j7Z_NBd34eBwWtsJZvUvb-14yzPbAuZ71BW62inU0aQYXcZADB3OxW4Ivg5BndZlUGotJWljAuoMN1ZivGFSn-jKD1aNmFI9pxMErAmk2Vlo1AywGFQ/s1600/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JFaNYiYuXreqoZCwwE3Zi5n5j7Z_NBd34eBwWtsJZvUvb-14yzPbAuZ71BW62inU0aQYXcZADB3OxW4Ivg5BndZlUGotJWljAuoMN1ZivGFSn-jKD1aNmFI9pxMErAmk2Vlo1AywGFQ/s640/3+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polyester clothing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Here are two very different finishes of Polyester cloth, on the left is a Velvet dress and on the right Georgette blouse.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTEa5wZYMN-NysCfh11TEpQ3LPAK1w9N8bB1nNFdGLc6Hakob-s5eIvazd6q5DpXoQ6F5OQeQPmp-TeyTS3PVUO31Tlf8nHDzqoYAfQ0zf-BDigcCVcOjO6XV-xt_Si2q0KrLKO4S5aQ/s1600/4+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTEa5wZYMN-NysCfh11TEpQ3LPAK1w9N8bB1nNFdGLc6Hakob-s5eIvazd6q5DpXoQ6F5OQeQPmp-TeyTS3PVUO31Tlf8nHDzqoYAfQ0zf-BDigcCVcOjO6XV-xt_Si2q0KrLKO4S5aQ/s640/4+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thread and notions </td></tr>
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Synthetic thread is the most widely used for sewing, the first three on the left are all different brands of Polyester sewing thread, the orange is the same fibre but with a lower twist value and only suitable for overlocking thread; these are produced by spinning together cut staple fibres to resemble cotton. Next come the fine and silky purple and metallic gold Polyester embroidery thread, made with spun filament fibres, and finally single filament invisible thread. In the foreground are one of my Polyester woven labels and a Nylon (coil) zip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFVw_3r7llqwPTkPa3GvzBcjRHVq0A41GIzJ4yRn2vbwDAtvR3DENwAtlpgvRM0j8xib0qZlWDds1O5LUTw31PjQ1qg_3beMzdxkPOHNmpNDO5xsaT2YGIK197shnocVafS6bi_nSAn4/s1600/5+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFVw_3r7llqwPTkPa3GvzBcjRHVq0A41GIzJ4yRn2vbwDAtvR3DENwAtlpgvRM0j8xib0qZlWDds1O5LUTw31PjQ1qg_3beMzdxkPOHNmpNDO5xsaT2YGIK197shnocVafS6bi_nSAn4/s640/5+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Synthetic embellishments</td></tr>
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Synthetic fibres have given rise to a massive explosion in the textures that can be achieved at little cost, ribbons and lace have become easy and very cheap to produce, the variety available is pretty well unlimited.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dmXOs0sOBEIdL44YVvnhzbP2ehNiMREKYxtNTts6Ll4TvGkT9PUOIxdqbs-BYD8pogv8WQEeguXrcBTNI2Xm0OxK9bpVMuCIui40vNTmZu7Ho5KE96RHclsQg9JCUcWOk9p0hF4wVG8/s1600/6+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dmXOs0sOBEIdL44YVvnhzbP2ehNiMREKYxtNTts6Ll4TvGkT9PUOIxdqbs-BYD8pogv8WQEeguXrcBTNI2Xm0OxK9bpVMuCIui40vNTmZu7Ho5KE96RHclsQg9JCUcWOk9p0hF4wVG8/s640/6+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nylon Linings</td></tr>
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Nylon is shiny and makes a slippery cloth that is perfect for linings, the colour and texture of which can be varied easily in the weaving. On the left is a twill lining and the centre and right are shiny textured linings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfBbHVTUdskqti9cWCMh1hJ-kXPdUqtmat5VnQbDMnGurY9HG0GTo5WbTdxCQwfAxuYi2FNOsYph8Nm27tf6ji64thiL1-f-mIpF5hxH8OeDqG9aRvuD7d0ul86L9TKjPtVFitryclBw/s1600/7+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfBbHVTUdskqti9cWCMh1hJ-kXPdUqtmat5VnQbDMnGurY9HG0GTo5WbTdxCQwfAxuYi2FNOsYph8Nm27tf6ji64thiL1-f-mIpF5hxH8OeDqG9aRvuD7d0ul86L9TKjPtVFitryclBw/s640/7+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polyester Satin</td></tr>
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Woven filament Polyester fibres make beautiful silky satins that can be very fine or heavier Duchess, these are far less expensive than Silk, around 10-20% of the price depending on the weight and quality. These are far more durable than Silk for garments and can be easily, if gently washed and drip dried. The earlier Regenerated satins of the early 20th Century were swiftly superseded by Synthetics because they were cheaper and more durable.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5xPgsJbP0DDipe3j9ViabWDDA05Yd5EdLyr6CQct5fkPF-VAwgNs4o8Rex1CGu0-2lD5yxBDoocVyJrGbr7UN6vDXiXxZGc1ooabzaMpnEP6XzFe9wS4gjYzOd5VnQZblgmkH89stX8/s1600/8+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5xPgsJbP0DDipe3j9ViabWDDA05Yd5EdLyr6CQct5fkPF-VAwgNs4o8Rex1CGu0-2lD5yxBDoocVyJrGbr7UN6vDXiXxZGc1ooabzaMpnEP6XzFe9wS4gjYzOd5VnQZblgmkH89stX8/s640/8+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Textured Synthetics</td></tr>
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On the left is Polyester Taffeta, this is much crisper and retains its finish far longer than Silk Taffeta, although being really crisp it still creases easily despite being fairly easy to wash and iron. The knitted cloth on the right is mixed with a Polyester metallic thread which shimmers but absolutely kills one’s scissors and needles!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43ok7WbqEoJfv9m4dW_ODNHqgsMjKej6DKuXHpsX6VMFfoU1BI9Xd5dOLBaa4UlmmYZjwd_13BWJ76imJy_FE9GjBYzqlIhbz0mnSGbuOKGTATdQsiVTdixW8I_d3OwmNUheyiVBepF4/s1600/9+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43ok7WbqEoJfv9m4dW_ODNHqgsMjKej6DKuXHpsX6VMFfoU1BI9Xd5dOLBaa4UlmmYZjwd_13BWJ76imJy_FE9GjBYzqlIhbz0mnSGbuOKGTATdQsiVTdixW8I_d3OwmNUheyiVBepF4/s640/9+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polyester and Acrylic soft furnishing fabrics</td></tr>
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<div>
Because they are so hard wearing and because they can be easily made into many textures, Synthetic fibres can be mixed to produce heavy and highly textured upholstery materials that don’t fade and last much longer than their natural counterparts. These cheaper materials have brought down the cost of furnishings for the homeor workplace and make these products more attainable for all budgets. Because they need re-covering less frequently the life of furniture is extended as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZN-irP30bemVLqGkParRCtMgPbMWsKM8lz4Kk7NkjIXSX8anHo-UqgEXCrDJcZt_OweIMTIvEfpVvzHPexdNqCa8FqEfJ8LDTqsIE3GlbGoc-ejecG3ZYdMWHOLXurxGoMH64vevN04/s1600/10+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZN-irP30bemVLqGkParRCtMgPbMWsKM8lz4Kk7NkjIXSX8anHo-UqgEXCrDJcZt_OweIMTIvEfpVvzHPexdNqCa8FqEfJ8LDTqsIE3GlbGoc-ejecG3ZYdMWHOLXurxGoMH64vevN04/s640/10+-+Toni+Haynes%252C+Synthetics.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All mixed up with Natural fibres</td></tr>
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One can hardly escape Polyester/Cotton mixes like the Linen Look Poly/Cotton on the right and Poly/Cotton Suiting in the middle. This is a superb mix of fibres, it has greater durability and colour fastness than pure Cotton and is softer and more breathable than Polyester alone. Acrylic, used as short staple fibres mixed with Wool to reduce the cost and weight of cot fabrics, and makes cloth that is easier to launder and less prone to shrink.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Sewing with Synthetics</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Synthetic fibres will wear out your scissors and needles far quicker than natural fibres. I have a very special pair of hugely expensive tailor’s shears which I <b>NEVER</b> use on Synthetic materials, my Fiskars scissors get sharpened annually to keep them good and sharp – choose somewhere reputable for scissor sharpening , I use Franklins exclusively and give them some Silk Chiffon and demand that this be cut like a hot knife through butter every time! I reserve certain needles for Silk cloth thus avoiding damaging expensive fabric with blunt needles that have been used for Synthetics. If your machine skips stitches when sewing Synthetic cloth the needle is more than likely to be blunted so change it regularly to avoid this. </div>
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Synthetic fabrics can slide around a fair bit when sewing so if you are just starting out use pure Cotton to start with and then move on to Poly/Cotton, which has a slightly different handle. When you feel confident move on to more challenging materials take your time. Some Synthetics can be difficult to ‘ease’ such as when you set in sleeves but this crispness is wonderful for frills and pleats. Satin is very slippery so tac it in the seam allowance to make it easier for yourself. </div>
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Stretch fabrics are as diverse as any other Synthetics; some are really difficult to sew with – especially those very fine shiny ones. Most chunkier knits and fleeces are very straight forward using Jersey needles; using an overlocker alone (if you have one) set up to use four threads is ideal for seams, it saves oodles of time, retains the fabric’s stretch and finishes as you go. Most of us (including me) don’t have a coverstitch machine, this is the machine that finishes hems on the right side with two rows of running stitch and on the wrong side covers the edge of the fabric with what looks like an overlocked stitch. I would love one of these machines but they are only made for industrial use so you need lots of space and would need to be using it all the time to justify the outlay as they are single use machines.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Special Synthetics</span></b></div>
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Two more Synthetic fabrics you may want to experiment with are Faux Fir and PVC or Pleather. These can <b>not</b> be ironed. In the case of PVC you will need a Teflon sewing foot and foot plate for your machine to stop it from dragging as you sew and it is easily marked by stitching and pinning, it can be easily torn too so can only be sewn once – no unpicking mistakes or letting out garments made with PVC. With Faux Fur you will need to be mindful of the pile, combing it away from the seam as you pin it and trimming the pile in the seam allowance after sewing. You will need to use a larger gauge Jersey needle too.</div>
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Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment with Synthetics, as with every kind of fabric there are easy ones to begin with and more challenging fabrics to try out as you get more confident. Go for it and make mistakes – if you know someone like me, who will have lots of scraps, ask to root through their scrap box and you will find lots of goodies to play with that won’t cost you much, if anything at all.</div>
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Have fun fellow sewers.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-46936541598694605952017-02-06T06:47:00.000+00:002017-02-06T06:47:40.115+00:00Restoration ProjectsA while ago I was asked by my client to repair a very much loved flying jacket, he was expecting me to simply patch the lining where the fabric had started to deteriorate with age. <br />
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The jacket in question was a leather Nato, RAF flying jacket which was lined with parachute silk printed with a map of Europe, made to aid navigation should the pilot be shot down by the USSR at the height of the Cold War in 1950s Europe. I regard this as an historic garment, clothes being an ephemeral document of history that need to be preserved carefully where possible. I consulted a friend, who produces stunning hand sewn patchwork, for a little advice on the best way to precede because although my hand stitching is immaculate, much older methods are better for this kind of project.<br />
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After talking through the nature of this proposal (due to the amount of time it would take) with my client and negotiating a final figure, I made all the repairs to preserve the integrity of the silk and the printed map. Now the jacket will be preserved for many years to come and I hope it will end up in a museum one day, helping explain the hysteria and paranoia of the Cold War to future generations. I don’t do many restoration projects but they are an extremely satisfying privilege when they do come along.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-20510833746206625652017-01-22T17:11:00.001+00:002017-01-22T17:14:00.830+00:00Daring to Dare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyqXd1nKJHyjTiuExJSdeNEgbKrh3dEu4g723gkTTFgK52q2xFfyPDVvR8u-FsGr0uuvV96c95Z8NE9AAjDKWWpNCRSCQ0p9bmgab2nskyOJy9tWM5afzQPgwKkOqr3WleeNPxUPxjMM/s1600/toni+haynes+tailor+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyqXd1nKJHyjTiuExJSdeNEgbKrh3dEu4g723gkTTFgK52q2xFfyPDVvR8u-FsGr0uuvV96c95Z8NE9AAjDKWWpNCRSCQ0p9bmgab2nskyOJy9tWM5afzQPgwKkOqr3WleeNPxUPxjMM/s640/toni+haynes+tailor+blog.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
While out about today, I came across a delightfully distinctive young woman in the supermarket. She is studying at Uni in London and after chatting in the checkout queue revealed that all she was wearing, excluding her shoes, came from local charity shops. I really liked how she pulled together clothes from a range of styles and created a look that was both up to the minute and looks back to past decades, she paid great attention to details like how the blouse collar sat on top of the jacket collar and picking out one distinct colour from the blouse as the main colour of the tied scarf covering her hair. Thank you Elouise for a delightful chat and for letting me take your photo, good luck in your studies.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-53465940596222958282017-01-09T10:31:00.001+00:002017-01-09T10:32:31.449+00:00Lots of Linen<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Linen is a plant fibre that is derived from the stalk of
Flax plants. Flax is grown in moist and
cool climates with the highest quality coming from France, Belgium , the
Netherlands and Ireland. Coarser fibres
are grown in Eastern Europe, New Zealand and Australia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fibre itself is part of the main stalk structure and is
called ‘Bast’, which sits just under the surface of the stalk. The Bast is removed from the stalk by a
process called ‘Retting’ or rotting, this natural process is when the plant
breaks down and releases the Bast for us to weave. The finest quality Linens are left in the
fields after cutting to allow dew and sunlight to break down flax stalks over
4-6 weeks, lesser quality fibres will be processed using lukewarm water which
can speed up the process to around 3-5 days, chemicals can produce them far
quicker – however the chemical process of retting makes course and weaker
fibres that have less durability than those that are produced using natural
methods.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once the retted fibres have been collected they are dried
for 1-2 weeks and then beaten and to remove the ‘shiv’ which is used to make
chipboard. Then it is combed to remove
short waist fibres leaving the longer staples that are between 30cm-50cm long,
these are smooth and lustrous. It is
then spun, dyed and woven into cloth.
All this processing makes Linen a relatively expensive fabric to
produce, far more so than Cotton.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a comprehensive history of Linen production across the
world take a look at the <a href="http://www.craigavonhistoricalsociety.org.uk/rev/luttonhistoryoflinen.html" target="_blank">CraigAvon Historical Society</a> page, it is quite technical too which is somewhat
appealing to a cloth geek like me. For a
less intense guide to Linen and it’s production in Ireland there is a great
page on the <a href="http://www.fergusonsirishlinen.com/pages/index.asp?title2=History-of-Irish-Linen&title1=About-Linen" target="_blank">FergusonIrish Linen</a> website, although I have not purchased cloth from this company
so don’t know what they are like to buy from.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The characteristics of Linen cloth are;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Has good moisture absorbency and is comfortable to wear, especially in warm climates</li>
<li>Is strong when wet or dry</li>
<li>Resists moth damage.</li>
</ul>
However is also;<o:p></o:p><br />
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Creases easily, ironed-in creases are very difficult to remove</li>
<li>Wears in folds and creases</li>
<li>Shrinks</li>
<li>Yellows with age</li>
<li>Shines when pressed without a cloth</li>
<li>Seam slippage can be a problem if the garment is tight</li>
<li>Susceptible to mould and damage buy silverfish.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
And for makers you need to be aware that;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Frays easily</li>
<li>Does not ease well</li>
<li>Has poor elasticity.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPJAo4pjSHCn_YVcV4S_s45Csyf2TdI44E2Z5RcQlpZ9r_eR4IOn9hnOafsm8OSZ3vIkqW8PjYwRdlFHtknkKNlNufgcOykiUvA9vBdzXLgh1nPLT2-L_mu9pMzb7iuIGCDrE3BY4cQ0/s1600/1+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPJAo4pjSHCn_YVcV4S_s45Csyf2TdI44E2Z5RcQlpZ9r_eR4IOn9hnOafsm8OSZ3vIkqW8PjYwRdlFHtknkKNlNufgcOykiUvA9vBdzXLgh1nPLT2-L_mu9pMzb7iuIGCDrE3BY4cQ0/s640/1+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An
Irish Linen tea towel I use exclusively for pressing work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Linen is really good for protecting other fabrics during
pressing when you are sewing, or just ironing your clothes made with delicate
fabrics as it is lint free, if you keep them pressed and neatly folded they
will serve you well for this purpose for years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVslJOEFn6zGhgK3fjrKZ-DHjGugg3wKWBeIU6Jpg0PDOvwpiKsk7I79t8K9lV4rauN7OJmLYf9SFHYfSQPpqCjENpPRm0areUiLeRWEHipE8-d2-HrPtP1-cM0JRst5vwYxD6c9WdWx8/s1600/2+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVslJOEFn6zGhgK3fjrKZ-DHjGugg3wKWBeIU6Jpg0PDOvwpiKsk7I79t8K9lV4rauN7OJmLYf9SFHYfSQPpqCjENpPRm0areUiLeRWEHipE8-d2-HrPtP1-cM0JRst5vwYxD6c9WdWx8/s640/2+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These
are printed Linen fabrics for use in soft furnishings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cloth on the left is a vintage piece that is unbleached and printed, it was produced in the 1970s/80s, the one on the right is a modern curtain fabric and is 100% Irish Linen which I have used to make Aprons and Fluffin Bags.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxeDY24RxH498tJRHBKi-wAiOtEMmcSbygneI_qM0Oreuj2dd3fuy_FIe9ow9CzN-MGjoFAXVhHM3mxU6VC3pqL-6_i1aV5zH0mdR6-LERZPGp8JDkKizLjFo09bqW9N96H-COuOz4Q8/s1600/3+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxeDY24RxH498tJRHBKi-wAiOtEMmcSbygneI_qM0Oreuj2dd3fuy_FIe9ow9CzN-MGjoFAXVhHM3mxU6VC3pqL-6_i1aV5zH0mdR6-LERZPGp8JDkKizLjFo09bqW9N96H-COuOz4Q8/s640/3+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural
coloured Linen Scrim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">These two samples are naturally dyed, loosely woven fabrics that were used in the designs I made for Gracie Burnett when I worked for her. This kind of Linen cloth is not the easiest to sew with as the loose weave suffers a lot with seam slippage and is not easy to launder.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYpJdZeicx4SMqc3U6aKun7YMNVcNy12CwbuHuz0Kbg0pPDEg5yfXRY-b_PuyMGP8NoXa8km4-ScSs07vkyksl12w5dICOHj8nrzxkxtrinAaxJLXFAC-kmCMJgVHhFw4VbvOWYg8sEA/s1600/4+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYpJdZeicx4SMqc3U6aKun7YMNVcNy12CwbuHuz0Kbg0pPDEg5yfXRY-b_PuyMGP8NoXa8km4-ScSs07vkyksl12w5dICOHj8nrzxkxtrinAaxJLXFAC-kmCMJgVHhFw4VbvOWYg8sEA/s640/4+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavy
Linen Suiting and Silk Linen Suiting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These two fabrics are very interesting, the brown
Herringbone weave on the left is very crisp to sew with and frays like a mad
thing; when sewing with this cloth I had to Overlock it immediately after
cutting and before sewing with it because it practically unravelled otherwise –
this made sharp corners practically impossible!
On the right is a Silk/Linen mix, this is a delight to sew with, it
retains much of the strength of Linen and embraces the softness of Silk, the combination
of these two fibres has produced a fabric that is less prone to creasing and is
very cool for warm climates – I’ve made a few suits for my globe-trotting
clients. This cloth is available from <a href="http://www.bennett-silks.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bennett Silks</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the best Linen outlets are <a href="http://www.ulsterlinen.com/linen_fabric.htm" target="_blank">Ulster Linen</a>, which I
have not bought from myself although the website looks great, <a href="https://www.linenfabrics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ada & Ina</a> which sell beautiful
Linens for apparel and home furnishings in a wide range of weights and colours,
although most of them are soft or neutral shades. One of the suppliers Gracie used to use for
naturally dyed Linen cloth is <a href="http://johnengland.com/" target="_blank">John EnglandIrish Linen</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
who also have a very wide range of colours and weights and
their fabrics are of a beautiful quality.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are a few projects that I have made with Linen cloth
over the years, it is pretty hard wearing and versatile, but if you are just
starting out learning to sew I would develop your basic skills before tackling
Linen.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkWhNhud4qUTFM1NjFKi-0v2W2yaFvu9Fovedk3Y41ELvXapnd53hmoM6ENpJN42Be591PD2aGnKZGhdp7DjdFYN7nbd3xsF0qT6mSPHBi3NJz8wPfpCf3c8pF9VDFx22Je7kfi8JHjE/s1600/5+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkWhNhud4qUTFM1NjFKi-0v2W2yaFvu9Fovedk3Y41ELvXapnd53hmoM6ENpJN42Be591PD2aGnKZGhdp7DjdFYN7nbd3xsF0qT6mSPHBi3NJz8wPfpCf3c8pF9VDFx22Je7kfi8JHjE/s640/5+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
baby bag for a special pair of twins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7ValPcXU2-ZfyltOnfWk9MNHngqgVOCoXWEguwuc7751OZKFd7nyIQdgkVhu_3fbZ8zUri49iEB6n61WE7EcNcg22Sviq4HZxco0IzDYuQt772n-M1b9aU_h5-LAESKaZZvZjUBCKGY/s1600/6+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7ValPcXU2-ZfyltOnfWk9MNHngqgVOCoXWEguwuc7751OZKFd7nyIQdgkVhu_3fbZ8zUri49iEB6n61WE7EcNcg22Sviq4HZxco0IzDYuQt772n-M1b9aU_h5-LAESKaZZvZjUBCKGY/s640/6+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside
the bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
made this bag for a relative who was having twins, a boy and a girl, and wanted
a single baby bag that would accommodate all the paraphernalia for them both
rather than having to lug around two bags.
It has a changing mat that rolls up and is stowed away in a zipped
opening in the base. The inside has been
made using printed Linen curtain fabric and there are pockets for 2 bottles, 2
sets of nappies, 2x change of clothes and 2x favourite toys. As far as I know it is still in use after
several years – although the contents of the pockets have changed a bit!!</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE8C0_MJcQrrpOB56RxtNlHawLS4v6MR0F6hEy3u2a7JXPPQH2bAlqPILaNRve0aZR2HAX3zekANmpRBcmLaYbJb_4_w-AzyFPkR4IueCVNNUTjG4BQ4hDXabx42wMlOJbsbOjL_kn1s/s1600/7+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE8C0_MJcQrrpOB56RxtNlHawLS4v6MR0F6hEy3u2a7JXPPQH2bAlqPILaNRve0aZR2HAX3zekANmpRBcmLaYbJb_4_w-AzyFPkR4IueCVNNUTjG4BQ4hDXabx42wMlOJbsbOjL_kn1s/s640/7+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This
is a prototype jacket made a number of years ago</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
has been made with two different colours and weights of Linen, the frills are a
little finer than the crisp blue Linen of the main jacket.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUijCtlbLp_eDECmLDqWtQSlJgr8J8Pv5pAaKRcSmWILslmr2lfqP_cJpHpL4aGItcse5mSOWoszgyOtoebiFG_pb5ryzeO6js98W2WyA_-P6nZhn6MYQ_lYWO8BD9bT9NXlGN5yniaFQ/s1600/8+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUijCtlbLp_eDECmLDqWtQSlJgr8J8Pv5pAaKRcSmWILslmr2lfqP_cJpHpL4aGItcse5mSOWoszgyOtoebiFG_pb5ryzeO6js98W2WyA_-P6nZhn6MYQ_lYWO8BD9bT9NXlGN5yniaFQ/s640/8+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There
are lots of contrasts in this jacket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">This one has been made with two-tone, plain weave Linen, which is all naturally coloured, for the main body of the jacket. The Linen holds the shape of the collar really well without piping because of the crisp quality of the cloth and makes it look really smart in my opinion. All the darker panels have been made with Wool which is matt against the slightly lustrous Linen.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbSmIPHAWIWfasx5J1na9srctjRtI1OQXmb00F25PE8E533OTEFXaXcO6I9y8s1Ajc4Ir0LpUtZno5dU1AkF5ce9d5uOCpz3ehucfdL9Za2kD86UVXK_NqybXy8xuQdghjWMtMCG5W2U/s1600/9+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbSmIPHAWIWfasx5J1na9srctjRtI1OQXmb00F25PE8E533OTEFXaXcO6I9y8s1Ajc4Ir0LpUtZno5dU1AkF5ce9d5uOCpz3ehucfdL9Za2kD86UVXK_NqybXy8xuQdghjWMtMCG5W2U/s640/9+-+Toni+Haynes+-+Linen.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
skirt I found in a charity shop and fell in love with</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I
really love the way this lightweight Linen skirt swings as I walk in it, I
rarely iron it either as it looks much more scruffy shortly afterward – I hang
it up immediately after wearing or washing so that the creases drop out for the
most part. I have found this a good
strategy for some (but not all) Linen garments, especially if they are bias cut
or have a number of panels in the design.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span>
Linen is a lovely cloth to work with and comes in a number of different weights;<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Handkerchief Linen – sheer and lightweight</li>
<li>Lawn – loose weave a bit like muslin</li>
<li>Cambric</li>
<li>Linen sheeting – smooth & crisp</li>
<li>Dress Linens – medium weight </li>
<li>Damask – smooth and lustrous used for top quality table linens</li>
<li>Crash – coarse slub Linens</li>
<li>Brown Holland – heavyweight</li>
</ul>
<br />
For those of you who like the look of Linen but don’t want the hassle of all the creases, there is a relatively new medium weight cloth made with plain woven Cotton/Polyester and is called Linen Look. It is easy to sew with and washes brilliantly, there are lots of different printed patterns to choose from in places like <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.fabricland.co.uk/" target="_blank">Fabric Land</a>, <a href="http://www.hansonsfabrics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hanson’s</a></span> and many other stockists.</span><br />
<br />
I hope you experiment with Linen fabrics in some of your projects, it is very robust for some things and I find that off-cuts make really good interfacings for tailoring.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-14544640655126524912016-12-17T06:19:00.000+00:002016-12-17T06:25:27.490+00:00Cotton, natural and infinately flexible<div class="MsoNormal">
Cotton is a plant based natural fibre, it comes from the
fluff that protects the cotton seed which forms part of the ‘boll’ (the fluffy
white seed head that includes the seeds, fluff and casing). Cotton has been grown to make clothes for at
least 7,000 years and has been recorded in the art of Egypt, India and
throughout Asia, an intriguing perspective that includes creation myths in
India are on the <a href="http://handeyemagazine.com/content/india-and-history-cotton" target="_blank">Handy EyeMagazine</a> website.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The vast majority of the cotton used in clothing all over the world is grown in North America and is a cultivar that is a cross of the cotton plants native to the Americas and from the Middle East. Unfortunately the American cotton growing industry was expanded largely on the back of the slave industry during the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries so it has rather a chequered history, it is like most industries now highly automated. A good guide to production in America is on the <a href="https://www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/story/index.cfm" target="_blank">Cotton Counts</a> website.<br />
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While on holiday in Yorkshire in the summer I heard a really
interestingn article on the local news about a new Cotton Mill that will be the
first in 30 years to spin Cotton in England.
This is truly historical as the North West was nick named Cottonopolis
in decades past, thus named because over 90% of the world’s Cotton cloth was
produced there. The company is called <a href="https://www.englishfinecottons.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Fine Cottons</a> and as
their website states they are not yet fully up and running but it is a really
exciting move for those of us making in the bespoke end of the market, and for
anyone who is interested in good quality, UK produced products.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fibres themselves can be grouped into three main types:</div>
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1. Long staple fibres – these are up to 55mm in staple length and are of the highest quality comprising the Sea Island Cottons which are the best quality and Egyptian Cotton, the second best. Such long smooth fibres create the strongest, softest and finest Cotton fabrics. During my final year at University I once visited the Jermine Street Shirt factory in Gloucester which supplies the Jermine Street shop just off Saville Row, they use South Island Cotton exclusively and it is the most beautiful of shirting cloths I have ever used and it played a big part in my final collection. This cloth feels more like silk than cotton and creases somewhat less than most 100% Cotton fabric – it’s gorgeous!</div>
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2. Medium staple fibres – this is the largest group which makes up over 50% of the world’s Cotton. It is dominated by the American types and is around 25mm or just over in length and is less smooth, strong and soft than the longer staples; it is far less expensive too. This type is often mixed with other fibres such as polyester to create hard wearing, easy care cloth for school uniforms, workwear and cheaper bedding as well as a myriad of other products.</div>
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3. Short staple fibres – at less than 25mm these fibres are courser and rougher than the longer ones, they are mostly produced in the Indian Sub-Continent and other Asiatic nations. The cloths made with these fibres have some fashion appeal in the “Ethnic” categories of products but are of a much poorer quality.</div>
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Cotton is the most versatile of fibres, it is used to make a huge variety of fabrics from the finest of Muslins and Voiles to the most durable and heavy weight Denims and Canvases. Some of its major characteristics include;</div>
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<ul>
<li>It is the least reactive fibre so is the best fibre for sensitive skin</li>
<li>Highly absorbent, conducts heat well</li>
<li>Resistant to abrasion, moths and pilling</li>
<li>Can be cleaned by washing or dry cleaning</li>
<li>Easily takes up colour and is easy to print on</li>
<li>Super fabric for learning to sew with</li>
<li>Can be mixed with a huge variety of other fibres to enhance the qualities of both; e.g. Silk for greater softness & heat conductivity, Modul (a regenerated fibre that derives from tree bark) for softness, Polyester/Acrylic for easy care and durability</li>
<li>Cotton is the only fibre that gets stronger when it is wet</li>
<li>Conducts electricity </li>
<li>Cotton is highly flammable </li>
<li>Creases very easily indeed</li>
<li>Can easily shrink</li>
<li>Deteriorates with prolonged exposure to sunlight</li>
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Here is a list of some (though not all) of the fabrics made with Cotton fibres;</div>
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<ul>
<li>Utility cloths - Calico, Canvas, Cheesecloth, Denim, Flanelette, Hopsack, Net, Sailcloth, Terry Towelling, Ticking, Whipcord</li>
<li>Heavier weight apparel cloths – Bolton Twill, Corduroy, Drill, Fleece, Gabardine, Jersey, Sateen, Velour, Velvet, Velveteen</li>
<li>Lighter weight fabrics – Chintz, Cluny Lace, Crepe, Gauze, Gingham, Muslin, Poplin, Seersucker, Voile.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqNRYgAeDWWI_oTUKnQYXu7JmzKjc21zHqRyh4IN76OJXs1zuuBX0Kl28OjIbdvarwpLEH4qhI_rCLr3JJkYnB6h92tbQ-ofIlRifkRklHJ8CZyQXyzeN9h0fC3Yw5hZUHSa6NCMiVKQ/s1600/1+Heavy+weight+Cotton+Toni+Haynes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqNRYgAeDWWI_oTUKnQYXu7JmzKjc21zHqRyh4IN76OJXs1zuuBX0Kl28OjIbdvarwpLEH4qhI_rCLr3JJkYnB6h92tbQ-ofIlRifkRklHJ8CZyQXyzeN9h0fC3Yw5hZUHSa6NCMiVKQ/s640/1+Heavy+weight+Cotton+Toni+Haynes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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From left to right here is some plain weave Denim, Cotton Ticking, Corduroy and some jacquard woven upholstery Cotton fabric. These are pretty heavy weight cloths that can be used for hard wearing clothes and soft furnishings, I use them for bag making too, they carry machine embroidery and all sorts of applique beautifully.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXhGA7_ScBurk82zdPZXSH9dV3_Mp1lyJdUa6Pi0uyxiVmv78bmMGYkWC40EA5CvpYZvkn30n-lI4uYjoyoTrvie37cU1qtIq_ZWsk_GO2aB-NqfHD13eugpMGjXd4FJx1mgXq_a6D-E/s1600/2+Light+weight+Cotton+Toni+Haynes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXhGA7_ScBurk82zdPZXSH9dV3_Mp1lyJdUa6Pi0uyxiVmv78bmMGYkWC40EA5CvpYZvkn30n-lI4uYjoyoTrvie37cU1qtIq_ZWsk_GO2aB-NqfHD13eugpMGjXd4FJx1mgXq_a6D-E/s640/2+Light+weight+Cotton+Toni+Haynes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In this photo, from left to right is a lovely Herringbone shirting which is a South Island Cotton and is super soft and smooth, printed polka dot Cotton, Muslin and woven striped Cotton that is dyed with natural dyes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOlxv8Hlvvdp5i-GSotCaQCjYZ3CiYt4N6xdUKMwU0OkRqv1fG5hSa8Mx3ZQ8Gk4YQU-FdCCHqcubgnsNBCgxpKzFnPl8PnyenY-Eddpaee1URbxjLgv14WOnfyQeepMJJQ8ArFrjqNA/s1600/3+Gingham%252C+Jersey%252C+Seersucker+Cotton+Toni+Haynes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOlxv8Hlvvdp5i-GSotCaQCjYZ3CiYt4N6xdUKMwU0OkRqv1fG5hSa8Mx3ZQ8Gk4YQU-FdCCHqcubgnsNBCgxpKzFnPl8PnyenY-Eddpaee1URbxjLgv14WOnfyQeepMJJQ8ArFrjqNA/s640/3+Gingham%252C+Jersey%252C+Seersucker+Cotton+Toni+Haynes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The last batch in this photo are Gingham, Jersey and Seersucker, these are really great for beginners because they introduce a small amount of challenge without too much difficulty, for the Jersey the only thing you need to remember to use a ball point needle for stretch fabrics and make sure you don’t stretch it when sewing – if you have an overlocker, set it up as a four threader and you don’t even have to use your normal sewing machine for perfect seams.</div>
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Cotton is probably the most versatile in the finishes of cloth available, both as a pure cotton fibre and as a mix with something else, it is also the best fabric to start using when learning to sew, even Cotton Jersey is quite straightforward to sew with, with the correct needle. There are a HUGE variety of printed fabrics available to buy in a number of widths, years ago you could get it in 30” or 90cm wide – although this is rare these days, now it is usually available in 115cm or 45”, 150cm/60” and for bedding 3m/120” (although not so frequently in many suppliers).</div>
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Some of my favourite suppliers are;<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #006621; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.myfabrics.co.uk/" target="_blank">My fabrics.co.uk</a> - this is a great online supplier of bargain fabrics and they usually have a vast array of colours, textures, patterns and weights </li>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fabricland.co.uk/" target="_blank">Fabric Land</a> – I love Fabric Land, they have lots of great fabrics at great prices, there are stores at Salisbury, Bournemouth, Ringwood, Bristol, Southampton, Basingstoke, Reading and Portsmouth; they also do a fantastic mail order service that I use all the time. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.hansonsfabrics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hansons Fabrics</a> – Hansons is a bit of a textile heaven for those who sew, and especially for patchworkers, they have the largest range of printed Cottons I have ever seen, there is at least 1,000 designs at any one time on their shelves – it’s amazing!! They also stock lots of haberdashery items and are the only stockist I know that carries both Coates (my personal favourite) and Guttermann threads. They are happy to accept coach trips for larger groups and schools with some notice. It is a massive warehouse full of goodies that I can happily lose an hour or so in and the staff are lovely – especially my friend Ros. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.croftmill.co.uk/" target="_blank">Croft Mill</a> – This is a great company for beautiful suitings, they do have other fabrics available but I have only bought top of the range cotton suitings from them, the staff are lovely and they provide good sized sample swatches on request.</li>
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Cotton is so versatile you can make almost anything with it, from upholstery and soft furnishings, heavyweight utility items, hard wearing clothing, pretty dresses to the most intricate patchwork projects. I have had a look around lots of patchworking blogs recently and my current favourite one is <a href="http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Flossie tea cakes</a>, she has a lovely site with lots of tutorials and patterns for some very sweet little projects and she has lots of beautiful patchwork projects too.<br />
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As I mentioned earlier it is the ideal starter fabric for learners of sewing, something like some nice plain cotton is best if you are a complete beginner, and when you gain some confidence try out patterns and experiment with how to change the look of projects using the pattern. Seersucker is marvellous for something with a little texture without being too challenging as it behaves itself very well indeed. I love Cotton, it is lovely and cool to wear in the summer and because it behaves so well it is easy to experiment with and the patterns of printed Cottons are pretty well unlimited if you shop around. <br />
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To show you a few examples of the kind of things I make for myself I tooksome snaps of some of my togs in the wardrobe;</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD6e5XP4Caey6BotfBsrYmy6MdofPyRWBHtJo5GkPqHNTz7aMglGZcxH9UNLYfa_FU_pOxzUbeuvBA1dD_1pVAFULTXYkeID1h0KYFe-zsNDTSMn7v9ChOWPURQ8Cp7mrZrUptgNOvLQ/s1600/4+A+few+examples+Toni+Haynes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD6e5XP4Caey6BotfBsrYmy6MdofPyRWBHtJo5GkPqHNTz7aMglGZcxH9UNLYfa_FU_pOxzUbeuvBA1dD_1pVAFULTXYkeID1h0KYFe-zsNDTSMn7v9ChOWPURQ8Cp7mrZrUptgNOvLQ/s640/4+A+few+examples+Toni+Haynes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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On the left is a pair of jeans I made with some stretch denim from Fabric Land (that I bought years ago). Next is my brand new jacket – that I wore for the first time today – the purple corduroy was gifted to me with the proviso that I made something wonderful with it, so 1 embroidered waistcoat, and a full length skirt later, this swing jacket is the final piece of the set and sports Cotton Velour details in pink; and there is enough left to make another waistcoat in a different style. The skirt is an experiment made out old vintage printed Cotton that was part of my Aunty Vivien’s fabric library and some naturally dyed muslin and on the right is my favourite dress ever – every time I wear it, it causes a stir.</div>
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So this group starts with a godet skirt with printed fine polka dots, a great summer dress that I’ve not got round to wearing yet, my perfect denim skirt, which is the same cut as the polka dot skirt but with pockets and centre front zip (I love the printed denim) and another of my prototype jackets. After this first one I have made lots of these jackets for clients and for my off the peg range.</div>
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I love working with Cotton, it’s wonderful to wear and versatile beyond belief so take a trip to your local stockist, or if you are in the area of Sturminster Newton call in on Hanson’s and drool over all the lovely Cottons they have there.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-32960491329269233602016-11-18T17:36:00.003+00:002016-11-18T17:43:11.068+00:00Affordable Christmas Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just in time for Christmas I have been making lots of gift items, there are many options to choose from to suit all budgets.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9St83NiXXMjT4PRGhUaNi7b2yk-9iZASS56tRh-bka6T2rHXSjcYuP27MYOufc2VTSVLCFWu3mY5etDHZDAiopiuSOlfTo7TskmUitNDYfeXxdafzuOhiPPYnNgSX-jqZiJ15wxj8oCg/s1600/1+Lavender+Bags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9St83NiXXMjT4PRGhUaNi7b2yk-9iZASS56tRh-bka6T2rHXSjcYuP27MYOufc2VTSVLCFWu3mY5etDHZDAiopiuSOlfTo7TskmUitNDYfeXxdafzuOhiPPYnNgSX-jqZiJ15wxj8oCg/s640/1+Lavender+Bags.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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To keep your clothes lovely and fresh with the scent of English Lavender these lovely Lavender Bags are made with potent English Lavender in a wide range of colours and are great value. Priced at £2.50 each or 3 for £6 they make lovely stocking fillers on their own or as a set for a slightly larger gift.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1hEQeRtC1s42AerIGFbtgMFflAJB88263cjvhMihV07uNExaeMAHOLzfh7kTb4KIMIg85ngs3vvjN_nHyQRqdeDPc7DyY9CnnTxZTtGI0LYrkl_9gfMEikKoCYBMSDNQ3KSKRZvhh48/s1600/2+Lavender+Wheat+Bags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1hEQeRtC1s42AerIGFbtgMFflAJB88263cjvhMihV07uNExaeMAHOLzfh7kTb4KIMIg85ngs3vvjN_nHyQRqdeDPc7DyY9CnnTxZTtGI0LYrkl_9gfMEikKoCYBMSDNQ3KSKRZvhh48/s640/2+Lavender+Wheat+Bags.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love those Wheat Bags that you pop in the microwave for a mo to sooth one’s muscles so have created some Lavender Wheat Bags with nice soft fabrics that will give you a scented relaxing touch of warmth for those minor aches at the end of a busy day. Each bag has been divided into sections for even temperature distribution and is great value at £12.50.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXGJu99FzsjpL2C6Fz3ZXonZ8_ZB13dyMIO1gYSFctisaC1FahA7Yvlwdt05RrRQtvy14geWElQNMk0P6oN957pm6Jph7OJyBbWuUJLuMvuXX0hIrLCyXGNK_PXK4zb9Txg4ahscwweQ/s1600/3+Bags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXGJu99FzsjpL2C6Fz3ZXonZ8_ZB13dyMIO1gYSFctisaC1FahA7Yvlwdt05RrRQtvy14geWElQNMk0P6oN957pm6Jph7OJyBbWuUJLuMvuXX0hIrLCyXGNK_PXK4zb9Txg4ahscwweQ/s640/3+Bags.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are some more of my Tote Bags, these are two of the large sized ones, they are fully lined with pockets for your smart phone and purse or diary and securely closed with a zip. They are all made as a one off piece with upholstery fabric to be hard wearing and embroidered with something to make you smile. Many of my customers love them because they are lightweight on their shoulders and don’t cost too much to post. This size comes in at £50, medium size is £40 and the small ones are £35, there are lots of colours and decorative designs to choose from.<br />
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All of these, and my other goods including Silk scarves, jackets and coats will be available to see and try on at the Sero Christmas Fair at The Exchange, Sturminster Newton from 10am-3.30pm on Saturday 19th November.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-56042599875016057322016-11-14T12:22:00.000+00:002016-11-14T12:25:10.472+00:00Would you like to learn to sew? Have you ever thought, “I’d love to sew but don’t have a creative bone in my body” or felt a bit lost when confronted by a hem to take up or button to sew on – you are not alone by any stretch! I meet folk who tell me exactly that at least once a week.<br />
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As well as my Fashion & Textiles degree from Bournemouth University, I also have a teaching degree that I studied with The Open University and adult lecturer qualifications from Salisbury College; this enables me to offer tailored teaching for individuals and groups. At this time of year lots of you are thinking about a hobby for those long dark evenings and what better than learning a great life skill like sewing which can stand you in good stead for the rest of your life.<br />
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You can learn;<br />
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<ul>
<li>A set of universal sewing techniques that will give you a solid base from which to make your own projects. This is based on the 10 week course I used to teach at Salisbury and covers; Sewing machine basics, Basic fabric know-how, Seams, Sleeves, Zips, Facings, Buttons & buttonholes, Piping, Binding, Applique. This can be added to if there is a specific skill you would like to learn.</li>
<li>Advanced sewing skills; this would include basic tailoring techniques and a lot of other hints and tips which you can apply to your own projects. I also pass on all the top tips I have learned over the years for dealing with challenging fabrics and students have found this really empowering and have attempted much more advanced projects – and succeeded beautifully.</li>
<li>Pattern cutting; which can also be tailored to exactly what you want to do, or you can learn a set of basic pattern cutting skills that will stand you in good stead to change commercial patterns so that they fit you perfectly. For those who wish to make their own patterns from scratch you can extend your skills and make your own Basic Block from which you will be able to produce patterns from your own simple designs.</li>
</ul>
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The teaching can be offered by several means;<br />
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<ul>
<li>Individuals can be taught in my workshop with their own equipment or using my spare Singer machine and Overlocking machine to finish seams. Students usually come weekly or fortnightly for 2-3 hour lessons. £20 per hour.</li>
<li>Individually at your home with your own equipment, I will bring any equipment we will need that you don’t have. £20 per hour plus travel expenses.</li>
<li>Small groups of 3-5 at one of your homes, using your own equipment (I will bring my own for demonstrating on). I have taught family groups like this where a Mother and teenage Daughter have got together with an Aunt as well as groups of friends and they are a lot of fun. £25 per hour plus travel expenses.</li>
</ul>
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I was very fortunate as a child to learn from my Grandmother, my Mother and a whole host of lovely ladies that my Mum knew when I was a child who were wonderfully patient and intrigued with this skinny little kid who was fascinated by all thing textiles. I was taught sewing, knitting, crochet (which I really can’t get the hang of other than making a simple chain) and lace making – I loved making bobbin lace at school. Nowadays, the way sewing is taught in Secondary Design & Technology can put a lot of young people off because the focus is on the design process rather than learning life skills, which I feel is a lost opportunity for many.<br />
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I am passionate about passing skills on to as many people as I can in this short life and I love teaching. The little miracles that occur when understanding dawns, or when students beam with pride at their finished projects, is magical.<br />
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So if learning to sew appeals to you get in touch and I look forward to teaching you anything I can.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-72879875382856337142016-11-13T12:06:00.000+00:002016-11-13T14:42:00.443+00:00A Touch of SilkSilk fabric is made from the cocoons of Silk worms, these cocoons are made out of a single filament which is 600-900 metres in length. The fibre itself is triangular in shape and transparent, this lends the finished silk its iridescent quality. There is a really good history of Silk and its production on the <a href="http://www.silk-road.com/artl/silkhistory.shtml" target="_blank">Silk Road</a> page which is very interesting and dates the production of Silk cloth to between 5000 and 7000 years ago.<br />
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Raw Silk has a distinctive soft cream/yellow colour and is made using the fibres before the naturally occurring gum, which holds the cocoon together, is removed. This fabric is called Shantung Silk and the cloth has a very soft handle and heavy slub (uneven threads in the cloth). This kind of cloth only comes in its natural soft shade as the gum prevents the take up of dyes. Once the gum has been removed the dying possibilities are endless; most commercially dyed silks are dyed using industrial dyes and come in a huge range of colours. <br />
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There are also companies that use natural dyes to create a product that derives from more sustainable sources. I used to work for a designer who specialised in using natural indigo from the Indigo plant, I once watched her dying some fabric and it was astonishing. When dyeing with plant indigo the liquid in the dye vat looks somewhat like wee, but when the dyed fabric is exposed to the air it goes bright blue instantly – it’s amazing. Natural dye stuffs were used right up until the industrial revolution when by products from many industrial and chemical processes were found to create lovely bright and fast colours for the textile industry – usually discovered by happy accident. I found a couple of really good articles about natural dying if you are interested, the first is a good point of reference on the <a href="http://pioneerthinking.com/crafts/natural-dyes" target="_blank">Pioneer Thinking</a> website and here is an article on successful natural dyeing at home on the <a href="http://www.ittybittyimpact.com/how-to-make-natural-fabric-dye/" target="_blank">itty bitty impact</a> website which shows you how straight forward natural dyeing could be.<br />
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Back to the matter in hand! Silk is made into dozens of different kinds fabrics, from the heaviest brocades to translucent chiffon; there are soft, raw Silks, stiff grosgrains, crisp taffeta and duchess satin and fluid crepes. Silk can be mixed with other fibres and is often mixed with the finest of Worsted Wool, Cashmere or Alpacca for a lightweight and very luxurious cloth and yarn, or Linen to create soft lightweight suitings that are softer than Linen alone and harder wearing than Silk alone. Silk has special qualities that make it very highly prized. It is super lightweight, incredibly strong, it is iridescent and warm in cold weather and cool in hot conditions. However, it is easily damaged by perspiration and has to be cleaned very carefully.<br />
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The following pictures feature just a few examples of those Silk fabrics I have used a lot over the years.<br />
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Double Woven Silk Dupion, Shot Silk Dupion</div>
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Silk Dupion is what most people think of when they think of Silk, Princess Diana’s famed wedding dress was made out of ivory Silk Dupion. Dupion has a slub in it and is quite a crisp, paper like cloth that creases easily but adds wonderful structure to garments. These two examples are a taupe coloured power woven Dupion that creases a little less than most, the mauve on the right is from the Far East and is shot mauve/lime green.</div>
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Crepe backed satin, patterned Jacquard Silk</div>
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On the left of this picture is one of my all-time favourite fabrics, crepe backed satin. On one side crepe backed satin is shiny and the other side is matt, this fabric is gorgeous and cascades in large pieces, like a waterfall. The patterned jacquard on the right is made by the threads woven in such a way as to create a raised pattern, it is made in a similar fashion to brocade fabric.</div>
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Naturally dyed raw Silk, Devore Silk Velvet</div>
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These two Silks are naturally dyed with cochineal beetle shells that have been finely ground to create a fine powder that can be used for lots of different purposes; the cloth on the left is a heavy raw silk which is hard going to cut and kills sewing machine needles for a pass time, on the right is devore velvet. Devore velvet is rather special, you can screen print the fabric with a special acid paint which when washed out removes the pile leaving translucent areas behind – Monsoon loves devore velvet!</div>
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Naturally Dyed Silk</div>
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Looking from left to right in this photo the first and third pieces of cloth are Kantha Silk, this is made in a fair trade workshop in Bangladesh and is produced by hand sewing in concentric squares a layer of silk which is backed with cotton scrim (like muslin). The second piece is the kind of silk fabric used for the Silk layer of the Kantha and the forth is Silk jersey. Both the green and the blue in these samples are natural dyes.</div>
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Some of the other Silk fabrics widely available are;</div>
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<li>Brocade – heavily patterned stiff cloth usually used for very rich garments and upholstery</li>
<li>Grosgrain – ribbed stiff cloth often used for upholstery</li>
<li>Crepe – comes in several weights from fine crepe de chine up to heavy Moroccan crepe, has a lovely soft fall and does not crease very much</li>
<li>Duchess Satin – stiff, soft sheen and frays like mad</li>
<li>Chiffon – lose woven very fine cloth which can be challenging to work with</li>
<li>Taffeta – tightly woven crisp fabric that rustles</li>
<li>Habiti – tightly woven fine cloth that kind of falls between chiffon and taffeta in character.</li>
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This is not an exhaustive list by any measure, there are many other finishes and weights available and specialist Silk outlets have a much wider range and stock a vast array of colours.</div>
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Silk can be less expensive to buy than one thinks depending on the quality and where you buy it, most general fabric shops will only stock Dupion, chiffon, crepe de chine, crepe backed satin and duchess satin as a rule and there will only be a few colour available; if you want a wider range of Silks there are several really good stockists in the UK, however, some will require you set up a business account with them – but you don’t need to buy loads of cloth to get one, as long as you buy something at least once a year they are fine with small purchases. My favourite Silk merchants are <a href="http://www.bennett-silks.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bennet Silks</a>, they have lots of fabulous cloth and wonderful staff too. The other two suppliers that I sometimes use are <a href="http://james-hare.com/" target="_blank">James Hare</a> and <a href="http://pongees.co.uk/" target="_blank">Pongees</a>, all three have great websites and they will send individual sample swatches or swatch cards with all the colours of a given cloth for a small charge.</div>
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A word about using Silk, in my opinion there is no such thing as a difficult fabric to sew with, as with all things you just need to practice to get the hang of it, for the best results here are a few tips;</div>
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<li>Measure twice, and thrice, cut once! Silk is expensive so you don’t want to make any big cutting bloopers so measure grain lines carefully and pin in the seam allowance so you don’t mark the cloth. When pinning the best pins are good quality glass head pins, glass head pins are made with better quality steal and are thus more expensive but worth every penny, pin quite close together to prevent slippage, around 3cm apart with fine cloth and around 5cm apart with heavier fabric.</li>
<li>ALWAYS pin or tack your silk in the seam allowance when cutting and sewing.</li>
<li>Use the right sized needle, you can generally use finer needles with Silk, crepe de chine and habiti need new needles as they mark easily with blunt ones.</li>
<li>Tack your project if you don’t feel so confident, in the seam allowance, this is especially important with velvet as the pile in each piece will want to wriggle about a bit and will distort the seam if you are not on the ball.</li>
<li>Use a scrupulously clean cotton/linen cloth/brand new tea towel to press silk as some can be water marked, when pressing velvet use a velvet board if you can get one to prevent flattening the pile – and lay it right side down; if you don’t have a velvet board use another piece of velvet to lay the right side against, this won’t entirely prevent flattening the pile but it does help.</li>
<li>Be brave, don’t be afraid of the cloth, there are much more challenging fabrics than Silk in the synthetic fabrics that will slide all over the place, you just need to take your time and be methodical.</li>
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The following pics are some examples of the projects I have made using Silk over the years.</div>
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These scarves are double sided, often using two different Silks for each side and are piped at the edge, I love making these and they make lovely gifts. Sometimes I make them with small pieces sewn together with mixed shades of similar colours, it is amazing what goes together and they end up being very useful garments that will go with lots of outfits, it’s a great idea for you to make something special for a delicious gift.</div>
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Embroidered Silk Dupion is more often used for curtains but it makes exquisite garments too, this butterfly patterned jacket was worn at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.</div>
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This was a really exciting project, the Silk velvet was part of an antique opera cape belonging to the client, she wanted to re-use it on a bespoke jacket so we selected a Mutka (raw) Silk that is woven with a silver lame thread. To utilise the effect of the silver I designed the jacket with panels that are split just below the bust line and the lower panels are cut on the bias (diagonally) which gives the jacket a lovely soft fall over the hips and it gently flares at the hem.</div>
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This is the back of the wedding dress I made with the jacquard woven patterned Silk highlighted in photo 2, it was teamed with a heavy Moroccan crepe in pink for the details and I sent some of the jacquard to DM Buttons to make the matching covered buttons. You can see the dress in full in <a href="http://tonihaynes.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/wedding-dress.html" target="_blank">this article</a>.</div>
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I hope you will consider sewing with Silk now if you haven’t before, it is a marvellous material to work with and the finish you can achieve is unique and totally luxurious – I love it!! Silk is also really exciting as a medium for lots of textile techniques such as painting and a whole host of other ideas so if that is your thing, go for it, there are loads of books and courses about that kind of thing.</div>
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For something a little different to take a look at, Spider Silk has been used in Madagascar for hundreds of years, it creates something quite delicious, there is a fantastic video on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFF68_bME9E" target="_blank">YouTube</a> so take a look, it’s fascinating. </div>
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Enjoy</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-7272786088452554392016-11-01T12:14:00.000+00:002016-11-01T12:14:27.559+00:00New SleevesYou know how sometimes you make a new project and when it is finished you are really chuffed with it, then you wear it for a while and something about it doesn’t work quite right; that is like my lovely orange coat. I originally made it with priest sleeves, and it soon became apparent these were a bit annoying because I could not wear long sleeved woolly jumpers under it and the cuffs were too tight to get on and off easily. Grrrrrr!<br />
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The Priest sleeves are nice but impractical, this is before the change</div>
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So, over the weekend I cut some new sleeves and made them up ready to change them a bit. I still wanted to retain the brocade detail at the wrist but it needed to be much narrower so I can wear my nice fluffy silk and mohair jumper under it.</div>
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Today, in my lunch break I unpicked the old sleeves, removed the shoulder shaping and the old sleeve linings ready to be replaced by all new ones.</div>
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New sleeves</div>
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These are the new sleeves. I replaced them after work today and they are perfect. Because the previous cuff was a little tight at the wrist the strain caused the brocade to come apart a little at the seams and I had had to repair it before it gave way completely. To prevent future strain on the seams I have double stitched all the new seams and then top stitched them down to make them sit flatter as the fabric is quite bulky. The new cuffs are much shorter and the full part of the sleeves are longer so I can wear all the woolly pullys I want to.<br />
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I have fallen in love with my coat all over again because I have worked out the major design flaw that it had first time around.<br />
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Don’t be afraid to change something you have made, sometimes you need to have a second pass at the projects that don’t work out right first time around – take it apart and make it beautiful so that you will love wearing it until it practically falls apart. Design is about experimenting, and it doesn’t always work the first time, don’t worry, you will learn more from your mistakes than from your successes! Dare to fail sometimes, all the most accomplished designers and makers make plenty of mistakes along the way before they reach perfection.<br />
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Have fun.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-23345907020620046102016-10-25T07:29:00.000+01:002016-10-25T07:32:59.169+01:00Woolly WorksThe second instalment on fabrics and their properties is an exploration of Wool. As you will all know Wool is a natural fibre that grows on Sheep which live anywhere there is grass to eat. My fiancé and I holiday in the Yorkshire Dales and they are EVERYWHERE, it’s funny when we have a bit of a stand-off when they are in the middle of the road!<br />
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Wool fibres range in length from 3.8cm right up to 50cm. The shortest and finest fibres come from the Merino Sheep that are farmed mostly in Australia, South Africa and South America. The wool from these sheep is the softest and most highly prized to make clothes; those of you who make your own felt will know just how soft they are. Wool is an amazing material, it has astonishing properties and is incredibly versatile.<br />
<ul>
<li>Short soft fibres 3.8cm-10cm long are made into the highest quality cloth and yarns for woven and knitted cloth.</li>
<li>Medium length fibres 7.5cm-20cm long are mixed with other fibres, both natural and synthetic, to make cheaper cloth and yarns. These are derived from mostly British cross breeds such as Blue Faced Leicester and Jacob sheep.</li>
<li>Long fibres 15cm-50cm long are very course, strong and resilient and are therefore not suitable for clothing, they are called Carpet Types and are used for carpet.</li>
</ul>
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The major useful properties of Wool are<br />
<ul>
<li>Strength, Wool is incredibly hard wearing and retains its finish for many years if looked after properly.</li>
<li>Stretch, because of the natural ‘crimp’ in Wool fibres it is incredibly stretchy, in fact far more than any other natural fibre as it will stretch up to 30% depending on the spin and weave/knit.</li>
<li>Warmth, Wool is incredibly warm because of that ‘crimp’, it traps warm air and insulates against the cold more effectively than almost any other fibre.</li>
<li>Versatility, Wool is the most versatile fibre I have ever worked with. It can be woven, knitted and felted into a huge variety of cloth from the finest Challis right up to heavy duty boiled Wool for coats, and other materials. When old Wool clothing has reached the end of its life it can then be shredded and mixed with courser Wool fibres to make ‘Shoddy’ Wool which is used in blankets and insulating materials for the home and furniture industries.</li>
<li>Easy to manipulate, Wool fibres actually need very little to become the most basic of fabrics, felt, but once woven it can be easily shaped using steam and appropriate moulding tools.</li>
<li>Flame retardant, Wool does not catch light, it will smoulder after prolonged exposure to flame, this makes it very useful to the emergency services and for insulating our homes.</li>
</ul>
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Natural Wool fleece, processed fleece and hand-made felt</div>
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In the photo you can see the difference in coarseness between the two dyed lots of Merino Wool and the two little bundles of fleece I found on holiday last year. The felt is made out of a collection of Yorkshire fleece from the year before which I collected and made into felt.</div>
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All natural colours</div>
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All these yarns were spun by the <a href="http://www.wyspinners.com/" target="_blank">West Yorkshire Spinners</a> from fibres locally farmed and are un-dyed, they show the wide variety of naturally occurring colours from the palest cream to dark chocolate brown</div>
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Soft and smooth to chunky and thick</div>
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These three fabrics are all of the highest quality English cloth. They grey pinstriped Worsted suiting is mixed with Cashmere to create a super smooth cloth with a beautiful ‘handle’ or ‘fall’ (these terms refer to how the fabric falls and how well it handles when it is being made up into clothes). The navy Wool is a double woven (so that it has no right or wrong side) medium weight suiting. And, the orange you might recognise if you have seen my orange coat, it is a heavy weight coating and I can vouch for its warmth believe me!!</div>
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Some of its more tricky properties are</div>
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<ul>
<li>Shrinkage, Wool can easily shrink when exposed to detergents, friction and steam, which is why when caring for wool garments you must follow the directions for cleaning. This occurs because when exposed to the above the scales along the fibres are fluffed up and the fibres ‘knit’ together.</li>
<li>Susceptible to moth damage, little holes appear when the small moth larva eat the fabric, mothballs and treatments to wardrobes can prevent damage.</li>
<li>Weakened when wet, when washing knitted garments they must never be wrung out and have to be dried flat.</li>
<li>Often needs dry cleaning, this is the best way to clean most wool garments if you are not confident to clean it yourself. You can brush most things off and surface clean gently to remove mud and easily removed marks, but to clean the whole garment, take it to the cleaners!</li>
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Before steam moulding</div>
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In this photo you can see that I have ‘eased’ this sleeve head, these sleeves are rather full and need to be eased a lot so they sit smoothly when set in to the garment, it is a fairly lose weave but needs a little help to look as beautiful as I want it to.</div>
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After steam moulding</div>
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I have used the end my sleeve board to mould the sleeve head of the sleeve using the steam from my iron, you will need a sleeve board and an iron that has a steam booster button and can steam upright to do this. By steaming the cloth after easing you can shrink it so that there will be no wrinkles once the sleeve is set in.</div>
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This is the lovely smooth sleeve head once it is in the coat</div>
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Shrinking the eased sleeve head creates the perfect shoulder in any Wool jacket or coat. Because there are lots of air spaces in between the fibres in Wool fabric it can be eased far more than any other fabric, and shrinking with steam gives you a huge amount of shaping potential in a garment. This quality in Wool will also make a garment mould to the wearer over a number of years of regular use, this will only happen with pure Wool and not with Wool mixes.Some of the tools you might like to get are;</div>
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<ol>
<li>Sleeve board, this is a small ironing board specifically for sleeves which is narrower at one end, the best are home made with wood as the wood retains the steam better for shaping, commercial ones are available but are not very durable.</li>
<li>Ironing Roll, which is shaped a bit like a sausage and is stuffed with sawdust which retains the steam for moulding and shaping.</li>
<li>Ironing Ham, same principle as the roll but shaped like a whole ham and is amazing for manipulating shoulders and bust areas.</li>
<li>A great iron, this does NOT have to be expensive, in fact I usually spend no more than £15-£20, all it needs is a good sized water tank and a steam booster button as well as the facility to steam upright.</li>
<li>Wooden rolling pin, this sounds a little weird but believe me, if you want nice flat seams you will want to use one, when steaming the seams open you apply the stream and then roll it with the rolling pin to ensure it retains the shape forever more.</li>
</ol>
Here is a list of some of the most common and well known Wool fabrics from down the centuries;</div>
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<ul>
<li>Blanket cloth</li>
<li>Boucle, a very soft fabric with a non-directional pile</li>
<li>Broadcloth, so named because it was much wider than most fabrics for making coats</li>
<li>Challis, soft and fine cloth traditionally used for making under garments, resembles muslin</li>
<li>Crepe, ‘bubbly’ cloth that is particularly good for dresses as it has a superbly soft fall and does not crease </li>
<li>Flannel, used in suits for over 150 years</li>
<li>Harris Tweed, see my last post</li>
<li>Melton, this is woven and then boiled which makes it very easy to make with and does not fray</li>
<li>Worsted, this is the finest quality wool cloth and comes in a variety of weights</li>
<li>Wool jersey, this is a knitted cloth which has usually been pre-shrunk, but don’t assume that it has, if you want a more durable cloth that does not unravel when cutting it is advisable to pre-shrink by gently washing in a weak soft soap solution but do not wring it out – lay it flat on a bath towel and then roll it up like a Swiss roll to gently squeeze out the water.</li>
</ul>
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This is of course not an exhaustive guide but you can extend your research by visiting the links in my previous posting called A Touch of Tweed for Harris Tweed and Moon Tweeds as they have lovely histories of their cloth. </div>
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In my humble opinion Wool is the most versatile, wearable and amazing fibre because of its versatility and warmth. However, there are some of you who are allergic to Wool or some of the by-products of the Wool industry, such as Lanolin. Myself, I am allergic to Lanolin Alcohol which is derived from Lanolin and used as a finishing chemical for many woven Wool fabrics – bit of a pain for a tailor! If you are allergic to Wool you might be able to wear other similar natural fibres such as Alpaca, which is fairly widely available and is now produced and spun in this country as well as elsewhere in the world.</div>
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Keep an eye out for the next fabric tutorial which will be on Silk, enjoy.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-53154185546936094682016-10-10T15:09:00.000+01:002016-10-10T15:26:54.631+01:00My First Wedding Fair<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A couple of weeks ago I was sent a text by a friend &
client who had to drop out of a wedding fair at <a href="http://www.haynesmotormuseum.com/" target="_blank">The Haynes Motor Museum</a> and asked
if I would be interested in taking her place.
I had planned to do a wedding fair this year but due to a lot of family
stuff going on earlier in the year had not got round to researching and
planning dates, so it was serendipitous that I was given this opportunity out
of the blue. The company that ran it is <a href="http://www.the-wedding-emporium.com/" target="_blank">The Wedding Emporium</a>, which I
had heard of a couple of times. The
lovely staff there were amazing to organise everything for me so swiftly – even
when I text them late Saturday night because I had forgotten to mention my
clothes rail and they simply and calmly re-shuffled things around to
accommodate it.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On arrival I was delighted to be shown to a huge plot where
I could really make a splash with all my goodies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here I am after setting up with a couple of my dresses on their mannequins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And this is the full stand</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
aim was to create a kind of ‘wall of sound’ in colour, to be as attractive and
inviting as possible to draw in brides and their families, given that my business
focus is much wider than wedding attire alone.
I had a bit of a helping hand from my sister Tamsin who is the manager
at the Sturminster Newton branch of <a href="http://www.wessexphoto.com/" target="_blank">WessexPhotographic</a>, she printed two lovely canvases for me on Saturday ready for
Sunday which were very helpful to point out to prospective clients. Now that I have the measure of what I need
for wedding fairs I will get lots of prints of wedding related things that I
have done over the last few years to create some new photo books, with separate
ones for bespoke Wedding Dresses, Altered Wedding Dresses, Bridesmaids
Alterations, Mother of the Brides outfits and Gents alterations and specialist
suits.</span></span></div>
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and suits to suit all tastes</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">There were two other stands with a focus on wedding attire, as you can see there were lots of dresses to inspire and I really liked the suit hire stand where the gentleman running it wore a great morning suit with a beautiful pink cravat, although I did not get a chance to talk to him unfortunately.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Lots of gorgeous cakes to taste and see</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">There
were three cake specialists who all had amazing cakes on display and to sample,
each took a different approach to the sample tasters, <a href="http://www.planitcake.co.uk/" target="_blank">Plan It Cakes</a> who displayed mega opulent
cakes is highlighted in the photo, made lots of mini frosted cakes; and Mummy’s
Little Cakery offered sample cakes with a choice of frostings for folk to apply
with a spatula to their favoured cake sample.
My stand was close to <a href="http://www.artofcakesbytanyamartin.com/" target="_blank">The Art of Cake </a> made by Tanya Martin,
her cakes had an elegance and simplicity that I found very refreshing and she
is rather lovely to talk to – I would recommend her to any of my brides.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Floral design that caused a real stir</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The stand on the far left of this photo was created by <a href="http://www.juliamoorefloraldesigns.co.uk/" target="_blank">Julia Moore Floral Design</a> and
there were lots of people gathered around it pretty much all the time, her
flowers were stunning and her approach was incredibly professional.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Either side of me were two of my favourite stands of the
day. <a href="http://www.somersetweddingcampervans.co.uk/" target="_blank">Somerset Wedding Campervans</a>
had two vintage VW campervans outside that were completely gorgeous – there is
a pretty ivory coloured one that Jo and her husband call Lily which is utterly
charming inside and out. Natasha of <a href="http://www.littlephotcompany.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Little Photo Company</a> had an
amazing stand that included lots of marvellous printed photobooks with many
genres of photo styles which were a real delight, Tash is lovely and very
approachable and creative in her outlook to her work which is totally fabulous.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A fabulous day all round</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I really enjoyed the whole experience and learned a great deal to make future events much more focused and hopefully very successful, and would like to thank the lovely ladies at The Wedding Emporium, especially Meghan who got my slot organised at VERY short notice and gave me some delightful feedback about my work after viewing my website and blog before we even met on Sunday morning. It was also lovely to meet lots of new suppliers of services and makers of beautiful cakes, there was a surprisingly similar feel to many of the craft fairs that I attend and the venue at The Haynes Motor Museum is wonderful, well lit, lots of facilities and friendly staff. I will post future dates as soon as I have confirmed them so will keep you all posted about next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To all the Brides and their relatives that I spoke to, it was lovely to meet you all and whether or not I hear from you in the future I wish you all the very best for your wedding days and a wonderful future in your married lives.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-33623120684450722302016-09-29T20:03:00.001+01:002016-09-29T20:05:45.980+01:00A Touch of TweedAt this time of year, with the change of season, one starts to think about all the cosy things in life, warm bowls of soup on rainy days, fluffy new socks and, if you make your own clothes – or like to have something cosy made, woolly things to wear. You might like knitting or crochet and love nothing better than to have a new project keeping your lap warm and whiling away your evenings in front of costume dramas (I love Poldark, and Victoria – and Downton Abbey, oh how I miss Downton). Me, I like riffling through my fabric boxes pulling together fabrics to make jackets and coats, redesigning them and referring to all the new season’s colours. Not forgetting the all-important buttons – I spend ages deliberating over buttons!<br />
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The most versatile, hard wearing and divers fabric used in jackets and coats is Wool, which is incredibly hard wearing, gorgeously warm and acts a bit like plasticine with a bit of steam; it also moulds beautifully to the wearer over time – which is why when you try on a well-worn vintage jacket it feels weird until you have worn it in for yourself. I used to have a huge WWII Naval Trench Coat in my early 20s which I wore with a tiny, tiny skirt, thigh length suede boots along with my bright red, corkscrew permed hair – thinking I was the bees knees. The most fantastic wool fabric one can get is Tweed.<br />
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Tweed can be grouped together in to four main styles; </div>
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Plain Tweed, on the left is shot Black & White and on the right is a printed plain tweed.</div>
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Plain Tweed can be bold or subtle, some are made with fibres that have been dyed before spinning and create the soft heather tones you see sometimes. Some use two colours of thread such as the shot version in the photo above, and then others are embellished with printed patterns after weaving such as the one in the picture. </div>
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Twill woven Tweeds</div>
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Twill woven Tweeds are generally in one single colour and come in a wide range of weights from very soft fine fabric to rather chunky and blanket like cloth. If any of you see me out and about on really cold days you will see me in my orange coat made out of the orange tweed on the right of the picture. </div>
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Herringbone Tweed is varied in pattern dependant on the design of the cloth to be made</div>
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The Herringbone Tweed in the centre is very traditional and would be what most folk would imagine when they think of Herringbone Tweeds. Either side are less traditional patterns that incorporate a variety of colours. </div>
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Check Tweeds are even more varied in their pattern and use of colours</div>
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Check Tweeds are probably the most widely worn, and the tweed with the strongest associations with tailoring and culture. In Scotland each one of the Clans has their own design of Tartan patterned Tweed which were greatly popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the 19th Century after their first visit to Balmoral early in their marriage. Nowadays there are a massive range of checked Tweeds to choose from, I particularly like a lot of the upholstery designs such as the second from the left in the above pic; it seems that weavers are letting loose their creativity and I for one love it.</div>
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The most famous Tweed cloth is probably <a href="http://www.harristweedshop.com/" target="_blank">Harris Tweed</a> which has a long history and protected status nowadays. The weavers all live on and around the Isles of Harris and Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in Northern Scotland and some produce their work as part of their life as Crofters, using local wool fleece, which is dyed locally and blended to produce the myriad of tones and colours that is unique to Harris Tweed as part of a cooperative group. This is such a beautiful cloth and is a joy to design and work with. Given the quality and special nature of this fabric it is in my humble opinion the pinnacle of wool fabrics and it is very good value for money. One is only limited by your imagination when putting it to use – during my final degree collection I made a lined Bra with sky blue basket weave Harris Tweed, it was most pretty.</div>
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Every so often I go window shopping online to drawl over all the delicious colours and patterns that are available at <a href="http://www.dashingtweeds.co.uk/" target="_blank">Dashing Tweeds</a>. I was lead to them by another tailor a couple of years ago who is also excited by all the pretty things they produce.</div>
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While on holiday in Yorkshire some time back I came across an outlet at the <a href="http://www.inthecourtyard.co.uk/shop-yorkshire-dales/moon" target="_blank">Courtyard Centre</a> where there was an shop stocking really inspiring jackets. I got rather excited by the piano facings and creative use of patterned linings and bindings inside these jackets which were produced using <a href="http://www.moons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Moon Tweeds</a> which are made locally in one of the last remaining mills where raw wool is processed from fleece to finished cloth in the UK. This year I discovered a smaller outlet that stocks offcuts of Moon cloth for craft uses at <a href="http://www.quiltingantics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quilting Antics</a> just outside Settle where you can obtain it by the metre or by weight, if you take a look at the Moon website you can contact Quilting Antics and see if they have small pieces of the fabric you like – they have a vast variety in the shop to riffle through – it is cloth heaven for me!!!</div>
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Mixing it up</div>
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This waistcoat was a recent project made using two different Tweeds, Herringbone for the main body that I bought from <a href="http://www.calltoarms.com/bolt/" target="_blank">Bernie the Bolt</a> who has lots of fab things for very small prices; and the check Moon Tweed from Quilting Antics which was a small piece just big enough to cut the collar, pocket welts and send away the last few scraps to <a href="http://www.dmbuttons.co.uk/" target="_blank">DM Buttons</a> for them to make the covered buttons for me, which are truly lovely against the Herringbone. Normally I tend to use far bolder colours but some people are more comfortable in softer tones, admittedly, having made this waistcoat I am rather enamoured with wearing Tweed like this now too.</div>
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Pocket and button details</div>
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As I was saying earlier, I take ages to choose buttons for each project, they can make or break the look of a garment, this is particularly true on fabrics like Tweed because of the tonal quality of the cloth. Covered buttons are a brilliant solution to make them match the rest of the garment or as a contrasting detail, however, Wooden buttons are also lovely used with tweed because it too is a natural product and will blend beautifully such as the ones in the following photo, you may also consider Leather buttons which I have used in the past and which you will often find on Country Sports jackets in charity shops (vintage leather buttons are amazing on tweed).</div>
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How about embroidery too</div>
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When using Tweed one can utilise its strength to carry a wide range of embellishments, with my embroidery machine I regularly use text and picture designs to produce bold details on clothes and bags that make each piece unique to the ultimate wearer.</div>
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This is not an exhaustive look at the uses of Tweed, take a look at Tweeds and unleash your creativity. Tweed is hard wearing and incredibly versatile for clothes, soft furnishings and accessories as it is so durable and can be surface cleaned if the need arises – less dry cleaning needed than many other fabrics, the patterns also hide a multitude of sins.</div>
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Over the next few months I will be exploring lots of fabrics and their uses, addressing some of the more challenging ones and how to handle them. If you are just starting out with sewing and want to make a big impact I would recommend Wool, and particularly patterned Tweed as it is so forgiving – just remember, steam is your friend. The next piece will be about Wool in general and will explain how to make use of Wool fabric to achieve the best results for a project.</div>
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Enjoy, my sewing friends.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-33351957613653711922016-09-15T11:30:00.000+01:002016-09-15T11:33:44.822+01:00Jackets with autumn in mindWell, it doesn’t seem right now much like jacket weather with all these record breaking temperatures does it? But autumn is just around the corner and before we know it there will be chilly mornings to step out in to. When that almost frosty morning comes around you will be glancing through all those summer togs looking for something a bit warmer and equally sensational.<br />
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I love this time of year and really look forward to chilly mornings that turn into golden afternoons and wearing lovely jackets, my own collection grows with a new jacket each year, this year I am designing a shortened version of my Sheba Coat that will also be a little fuller than the previous version.<br />
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Here are some examples of jackets that I have made for
clients and for my ready to wear range. All these jackets can be tweaked to suit different shapes and sizes, and incorporate any of your own design ideas & fabric choices not forgetting the all important buttons! <o:p></o:p></div>
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This little Mutka Silk number is sweet and is lined with turquoise and gold cherry blossom satin brockade. The front skims the body and is finished with wooden toggles.</div>
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In the back it is a little more tailored for a soft, comfortable fit.</div>
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A very practical jacket is my Oriental, it is a similar shape to the last jacket, but with extra length and lovely big patch pockets on an angle to slip mittened hands into.</div>
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Photo 4 – From the side you can see the ¾ length sleeves with their vent which can be made with contrasting fabric inside for a little creative flare.</div>
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In the back is the soft tailored outline which skims the hips to just below the bottom. I made this particular jacket for my sister’s 30th birthday, she loves it because she can fling it on and it always looks fab, she wears it all the time, in fact we often joke about it by me saying, “that’s a lovely jacket, where did you get that” and she replies “oh, it was a little number my personal tailor ran up for me”.</div>
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Harris Tweed is deliciously warm for the cooler months and this piece was a client project made with a sumptuous fabric her tailoress Mother had bought over 50 years ago. The revers have been made with a wool twill that picks up one of the darker tones in the Harris tweed.</div>
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From the side you can see the classical tailored pockets and darting at the waistline.</div>
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The back is very traditional and you can see the vintage leather buttons at the cuffs here too. I love using vintage buttons – so much more character and perfect on vintage fabric.</div>
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In the pocket detail, you can see the vintage crepe backed satin, also from the client’s Mum’s fabric collection which really sets off the tweed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoV_cKlG98U20f6D3DHyWoJKF5EALCEekwjkCCVRjIlgZmBeYkHdIGA5lwbAO1ncwe-6uz-eNUKI6M3JcThSz11yW44LurZfceXjCfTSd9hluaQ-t899pUCXaWXnQ1yqRLEjY7Ryinhk/s1600/Autumn+Jackets+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoV_cKlG98U20f6D3DHyWoJKF5EALCEekwjkCCVRjIlgZmBeYkHdIGA5lwbAO1ncwe-6uz-eNUKI6M3JcThSz11yW44LurZfceXjCfTSd9hluaQ-t899pUCXaWXnQ1yqRLEjY7Ryinhk/s640/Autumn+Jackets+10.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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Another vintage Harris Tweed jacket made for a client, here the grey tweed has been teamed with turquoise upholstery fabric for the contrast areas. The covered button was made by the lovely folk at <a href="http://www.dmbuttons.co.uk/" target="_blank">D M Buttons</a> to match the piping and lining of turquoise satin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-Tg8zSPOHaSnZhyphenhyphen0TmRnK_2TtXQFAy-9fyV7ONfQQ_YFrghjxpgocygW1wNMVXGpYQgmVUz8e5dTAHGWVCRKKgm2WvMGmBsd2SxcjFbrV7c9pSzeDtXMPJi8UbhiGk3LHhBs1VLe4w8/s1600/Autumn+Jackets+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-Tg8zSPOHaSnZhyphenhyphen0TmRnK_2TtXQFAy-9fyV7ONfQQ_YFrghjxpgocygW1wNMVXGpYQgmVUz8e5dTAHGWVCRKKgm2WvMGmBsd2SxcjFbrV7c9pSzeDtXMPJi8UbhiGk3LHhBs1VLe4w8/s640/Autumn+Jackets+11.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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In the back of the Midi Highway there is a box pleat with half belt, this one has a cheeky flower which you get a flash of as the wearer walks along.</div>
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Yummy contrast cuffs and tailored pockets here too.</div>
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One of my favourite client projects was this jacket made with two tone tweed and decorative panels that have lots of shades of turquoise, green and purple satin ribbon appliqued onto a mix of soft turquoise fabrics and is finished of with matching covered buttons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QseHWGh_txUrIS_7TN-q3jR5ViYMcSNtuA_21SFm_C-O1yOmCJg04NVKHRsLtoiaL0pJ1uW8Eh80jzlzXD0zGSfrl-FaAg3m5CjEjA8T8d_aPGKiXgW3jkn8WNqvMKiYOBwGmKBD5Mg/s1600/Autumn+Jackets+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QseHWGh_txUrIS_7TN-q3jR5ViYMcSNtuA_21SFm_C-O1yOmCJg04NVKHRsLtoiaL0pJ1uW8Eh80jzlzXD0zGSfrl-FaAg3m5CjEjA8T8d_aPGKiXgW3jkn8WNqvMKiYOBwGmKBD5Mg/s640/Autumn+Jackets+14.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The pockets are in seam with a decorative flap and the cuffs as you can see match all the other decorative panels. It too has turquoise satin lining and matching piping – Turquoise is so popular and suits everybody, at least I’ve not met anyone yet who doesn’t suit that colour.</div>
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This jacket makes me wish I was a size 12! (The size I made it in.) Made with gorgeously velvety two tone chunky corduroy it is scrumptiously soft to the touch. I am especially pleased with the piping, corduroy makes amazing piping and looks like corded rope because of being cut on the bias. The vintage buttons with matching grey buttonholes set off the grey panels.</div>
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And the cheeky pleat and contrast cuffs completes this delicious jacket which is one of my off the peg jackets that you can come and see at one of the craft fairs I will be exhibiting at.</div>
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This year I have had a number of themes for my craft fair offerings to keep things fresh, September’s theme is waistcoats and next month, October, will have Jackets as the main theme and I hope to see you at;</div>
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<a href="http://www.stallfinder.com/event/crafts-at-the-exchange/105351/" target="_blank">Crafts at the Exchange</a>, Saturday 1st October, The Exchange, Sturminster Newton, 9am-1pm</div>
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Tinker Belles Market, Sunday 2nd October, Stourton Village Hall, Stourhead, 10am-5pm</div>
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<a href="http://www.gillinghamartsandcraftsmarket.co.uk/" target="_blank">Gillingham Arts & Craft Market</a>, Saturday 29th October, Gillingham Methodist Church, 10am-1pm.</div>
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My next date in September is at Gillingham Arts & Craft Market on Saturday 24th September, I have also started to make new bags ready to tie in with this seasons new colours – look out in the next few days for my next post which will be a look at those Autumn/Winter colours.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-90914790579736293002016-09-03T18:26:00.004+01:002016-09-03T18:26:59.733+01:00Pikachu comes to play at Crafts at the ExchangeWhat a lovely day it was Saturday at the Exchange after our summer break, it was great to catch up with everyone and see what we have all been making.<br />
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I have been running each season with a new theme this year and now that wedding season is over I will have a new theme each month for the remainder of 2016, September is Waistcoats, October will be Jackets, November is for Coats and December will be full of delicious gifts, so the next few weeks will be pretty busy with making in my ‘spare’ time!! I love it, making all the new things and falling in love with them.<br />
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This is my stall in my usual spot at the bottom of the foyer steps, that lead up to the café. The mannequin at the left side is sporting the new waistcoat that I finished yesterday, it is made with English herringbone wool cut on the bias, with jetted pockets in pink silk velvet, shell buttons and embroidered butterfly & dragonflies. I love the single pink button in the middle.</div>
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After setting up we all go round while it is still quiet to check out new things and catch up with each other.</div>
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A view down the other side of the room</div>
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And at the end.</div>
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This Fluffin Bag I made at the end of the day yesterday, it was cut and embroidered a while back and I was really chuffed with it when it was finished last night.</div>
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You can see a bit of the lining here, I love the soft colours and thought last night it would not be around for long, quite right too, it was sold by mid-morning!</div>
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WOW! Pikachu came to visit us today!! Of course one has to have a selfie with Pikachu. I’m not in the least in to pokemon and in fact Pikachu is the only character I actually know – but it just has to be done.</div>
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Pikachu fell head over heels in love with all the lovely things.</div>
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Pikachu takes a peek in the mirror.</div>
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And then goes up to the café to say hi to everyone.</div>
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Pikachu was a Kodak promotion at Wessex Photographic and everyone who had a photo could get it printed for free in their store, you would not believe what a stir it created, Pikachu got mobbed wherever he/she went! Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wessexphoto/" target="_blank">Wessex Photographic Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/WessexPhotos" target="_blank">Twitter</a> pages for lots more funny pics.</div>
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All in all it was such a fantastic day and such a delight to catch up with lots of my clients who were visiting the area too. Thank you to Liz for making everything work like clockwork as usual.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-74471816286785367582016-09-02T06:19:00.003+01:002016-09-02T06:20:26.629+01:00Craft Fair Dates for September Well, here it is, the new craft fair season. I love this time of year, folk take lovely walks in the late summer and early autumn sunshine, start thinking about Christmas and come and have a cup of tea and some cake at all the lovely local craft fairs. I will be exhibiting this September at;<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/craftsattheexchange/" target="_blank">Crafts at the Exchange</a>, Sturminster Newton, Saturday 3rd September 9am-1pm<br />
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There will be lots of truly beautiful things for you to see, to suit all budgets from less than £10 up to high end pieces that will both beautify you & your home and celebrate the wonderful talents of local makers of stunning traditional wares. There are wood turners, artists, photographic & paper artists, jewellery makers and many others, as well as myself with my jackets, dresses, bags and silk scarves. My theme this month will be Waistcoats, for both men and women.<br />
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Sturminster Newton has lots to see this weekend as it is Carnival week and all the shop windows are lots of fun, there is the Yarn Bombing celebration of all things wool dotted all around the town and of course, we makers at the Exchange.<br />
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We all look forward to seeing you at the Exchange and later in the month at Gillingham Arts & Craft Market.<br />
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Enjoy<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-20253580913234556732016-08-29T16:22:00.001+01:002016-08-29T16:22:27.651+01:00Holiday Threads & FabricsA couple of weeks ago my Fiancé and I returned from our summer holiday in Yorkshire, we stay in a small and very beautiful village near Settle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We had such a great time away but rather than buying the kind of souvenirs that most folk buy I am always drawn to anywhere that has fabric or any other textiles, you never know what you might find.<br />
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This year we visited lots of places we had not been to before and came across lots of wonderful outlets that stock both local and other textiles.<br />
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These are all wool yarn products made by the West Yorkshire Spinners; the dark brown yarn on the left is Jacob Wool from local flocks too, it is quite soft and is highly valued for its colour as it needs no dyeing – thus it is one of the most environmentally friendly textile product I have ever come across (dyeing uses vast amounts of water and produces a great deal of pollution worldwide).</div>
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In the middle is a mixed yarn made with British Alpaca,
Ryeland wool and Shetland wool also made by the West Yorkshire Spinners.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On our Grand Tour (a driving, sight-seeing tour that takes in all the tiny – sometimes a bit treacherous – roads that are little traversed by most folk) we stopped in Grassington and came across an interior design shop with a bargain bucket outside, these pieces were all £1 each and I will use the two on the left for decorative panels on jackets and the two on the right will go into some new bags very soon.</div>
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Cotton fabrics are always useful and the patterns printed on them are almost limitless, these are two I have not seen before and we really liked them for future projects.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTQIW9FzZVw6egeIrpIoPdaMDY3zsDt8-epRSlRbJ-ByJ6No17jv8GqWLm5SAEcTviTKHaRAGAq3ca2p2LUmwmOGFlw-GUEYtPoW1w81-_DDvF9r7dWHv_xiZldNK85VAsccW3yZRm-I/s1600/Yorkshire+textiles+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTQIW9FzZVw6egeIrpIoPdaMDY3zsDt8-epRSlRbJ-ByJ6No17jv8GqWLm5SAEcTviTKHaRAGAq3ca2p2LUmwmOGFlw-GUEYtPoW1w81-_DDvF9r7dWHv_xiZldNK85VAsccW3yZRm-I/s640/Yorkshire+textiles+4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the <a href="http://www.inthecourtyard.co.uk/" target="_blank">Courtyard Centre</a> just outside Settle there is a shop where you can buy <a href="http://www.inthecourtyard.co.uk/shop-yorkshire-dales/moon" target="_blank">Moon Tweeds</a> made up into gorgeous Men’s jackets which got me quite excited a couple of years ago; I was delighted to discover that <a href="http://www.quiltingantics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quilting Antics</a> just down the road from the holiday cottage now stocks a vast selection of Moon Tweeds, both apparel and upholstery fabrics – I was in seventh heaven riffling through them. The three small pieces, bought by weight, will also be used for decorative touches in future products.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPucMvH0uy9-7uWnNepXs7Z3DRBZDTweMYV_cX1F0hlzrrWO-T8Vhy2V1SHF2Gq4_nMKl4xUFAatjoeAHJKpNAXoXl685mIIRhGA3rXZ48G6vcvvHyImJ03diqHGDNsBFMoFZSfCih3Ss/s1600/Yorkshire+textiles+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPucMvH0uy9-7uWnNepXs7Z3DRBZDTweMYV_cX1F0hlzrrWO-T8Vhy2V1SHF2Gq4_nMKl4xUFAatjoeAHJKpNAXoXl685mIIRhGA3rXZ48G6vcvvHyImJ03diqHGDNsBFMoFZSfCih3Ss/s640/Yorkshire+textiles+5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This last piece of Moon Tweed from the previous photo I am going to make into a new waistcoat (to expand my growing collection) and will use the grey printed cotton for the back of it and a light grey or blue lining inside, depending on what looks best with it. This new waistcoat I won’t be embroidering as I want to show off the tweed and put some welted pockets in, rather more like a men’s waistcoat.</div>
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If, like me, you are a total textiles anorak, keeping your eye open wherever you go is a must as current trends have regional variations because of local tastes, and on your travels you may find some real gems that are not available where you normally buy your fabrics. I can’t wait to make my waistcoat as whenever I wear it I will be sporting my holiday memories and it will make me smile –</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-33980760989239782602016-08-25T05:23:00.000+01:002016-08-29T16:05:40.360+01:00This is the final instalment of my Alterations features and here I will be focusing on Women’s alterations.<br />
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Now, Men’s alterations are very straightforward to give a rough guide on price because most men’s clothes are made in a similar manner. For women however, the designs and the manufacturing processes employed in clothes are almost as diverse as women are themselves; which makes it very difficult to give any kind of estimate without seeing the garment in question. Quite often I receive emails asking how much it would cost to alter a dress, to be honest it is impossible to give a quote without seeing the dress in question because of the previously mentioned diversity in design and construction. Even when I see a woman’s garment, until I get inside of it, I don’t necessarily get a good enough idea of what will be involved to offer any more than a very rough guide of the prospective cost.<br />
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I now guestimate with the proviso that once I know fully what needs doing the cost may go up or down and I will always contact the client BEFORE proceeding if it is likely to be much more expensive than the original guide price, so the client can change their mind if they wish.<br />
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With regards to the kinds of alterations I am willing to take on, the short answer to that is just about ANYTHING! Here is a brief list of alterations I carry out regularly:<br />
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<li>Taking up hems on sleeves and at the bottom of garments, by hand and machine</li>
<li>Taking in trousers, skirts, dresses, jackets and coats</li>
<li>All bridal, bridesmaids, mother of the bride and other occasional wear alterations</li>
<li>Garment make-overs and updates. Please read my Blog post entitled; <a href="http://tonihaynes.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/alterations-new-from-old-re-purpose-re.html" target="_blank">Alterations – New from Old, re-purpose, re-love, upcycling</a></li>
<li>Repairs of all kinds, by hand, machine and using machine embroidery; replacing linings & zips.</li>
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I have not yet come across a project that I could not carry out and I love a challenge. There is no fabric I am unwilling to work with, in fact to me there is no such thing as a ‘difficult’ fabric. I will give only one qualification to that, and that is Leather. To work with leather one needs specialist tools, needles, glues, heavy duty industrial sewing machine and specialised feet. </div>
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Sometimes when altering clothes one has to be rather inventive and these are the jobs that I like best. They push my considerable skills and knowledge to the limit and make me learn new techniques, or offer a creative challenge to achieve unique garments from something fairly run of the mill.</div>
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Here are some examples of the Women’s alterations I have carried out over the years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_w7V6valseeOsKqfkhyphenhypheny-rFhHX-6Ztu91YV04V0bLOYyjTJsPStYMwrel-34cHL_MyOBvgIgaUgKzZlB7celZwzZhg6HJvInpk6iZY3sW4dzwf_9X7IlidU9isNsbAvO99JwCiIr_bM/s1600/Alterations+for+women+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_w7V6valseeOsKqfkhyphenhypheny-rFhHX-6Ztu91YV04V0bLOYyjTJsPStYMwrel-34cHL_MyOBvgIgaUgKzZlB7celZwzZhg6HJvInpk6iZY3sW4dzwf_9X7IlidU9isNsbAvO99JwCiIr_bM/s640/Alterations+for+women+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Recently one of my brides came to me with two bridesmaids dresses she had bought second hand, they were both size 14, one only needed a little taking in to enhance a beautiful curvy waistline, this one however needed altering to fit a size 6!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCzImPvLb71WM2s5JjUD3L9QX0Zy_xZRI2r_Jl9xTOD_95Mg_Pts-sSq7uH6ZbXQhU8VmzFU5WrvSrmZizzYFoT88Wj8ttbldHcXKB3HbjeDl_Nw7BC4X1UzN_q3EBBWbxDIM1_DEmdE/s1600/Alterations+for+women+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCzImPvLb71WM2s5JjUD3L9QX0Zy_xZRI2r_Jl9xTOD_95Mg_Pts-sSq7uH6ZbXQhU8VmzFU5WrvSrmZizzYFoT88Wj8ttbldHcXKB3HbjeDl_Nw7BC4X1UzN_q3EBBWbxDIM1_DEmdE/s640/Alterations+for+women+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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This is the after shot, on a size 8 dummy, it was quite a major job to lift off all the boning inside, take in the seams and put the boning back by using what amounts to keyhole surgery. One has to spread the amount that is taken in all the way around the body in order to preserve the integrity of the dress. It was a jolly satisfying job.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7tEk875zfZiB1CobcOfvvMZ-iyNXVRN6X4jh7izYBcmHhvB1V2R0xFrscITYzsZPnQOwI2LCfG8YGcm6ZsAf8In3F2wfHgGbkYWsRB0Dohyphenhyphenn3gYH9CSHNqscUl4-ZTYqU_ghhFT4xeY/s1600/Alterations+for+women+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7tEk875zfZiB1CobcOfvvMZ-iyNXVRN6X4jh7izYBcmHhvB1V2R0xFrscITYzsZPnQOwI2LCfG8YGcm6ZsAf8In3F2wfHgGbkYWsRB0Dohyphenhyphenn3gYH9CSHNqscUl4-ZTYqU_ghhFT4xeY/s640/Alterations+for+women+3.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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This was an interesting wedding dress. My client had bought it in a Debenhams sale for £20 and it was originally a strapless, full length fishtail style dress (which in my experience only suits very tall and slim women). I have cut the hip section out, brought the full section of the skirt up to the waist and used the leftover fabric to create the shoulder straps.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgUmkGWw6XR3eSm14Nk5p0RwIOJbxugyGF5yv1151Rf_AC8ZSV863a7gu6Pq5z1mQectSd2LNrTugdvTGMiUzeHvWNzVRn-Kd-mc1w2QcjjIq21GFHELCKhyphenhyphendepkibb2JIyFvsYfpldM/s1600/Alterations+for+women+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgUmkGWw6XR3eSm14Nk5p0RwIOJbxugyGF5yv1151Rf_AC8ZSV863a7gu6Pq5z1mQectSd2LNrTugdvTGMiUzeHvWNzVRn-Kd-mc1w2QcjjIq21GFHELCKhyphenhyphendepkibb2JIyFvsYfpldM/s640/Alterations+for+women+4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here you can see the back, I have created rulo loops for the covered buttons that replaced the original zip and made the straps this shape to cover a tattoo that the client wanted out of sight on her big day. I was really pleased with how it turned out, as was she.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozjsbeW2O39L5NBJrHC-EBsrmDMnR_kKP03meucA8yzQYE6Qf3gnf1n8bPZhsIIPMS5EX5ySkIJOUI6x7h6BFG7ygvBLJpNPS4vNZBeKeK2SVUG-w330vVLVDBNAyEVjj9rDPmC4BzS0/s1600/Alterations+for+women+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozjsbeW2O39L5NBJrHC-EBsrmDMnR_kKP03meucA8yzQYE6Qf3gnf1n8bPZhsIIPMS5EX5ySkIJOUI6x7h6BFG7ygvBLJpNPS4vNZBeKeK2SVUG-w330vVLVDBNAyEVjj9rDPmC4BzS0/s640/Alterations+for+women+5.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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The skirt in this shot I took up and then did some machine embroideries on the three front godets (triangular panels). It was left to me to choose what to embroider as my client is very happy to leave those decisions to me – we work together regularly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgct6xNqO84DimyRdxt9RZkuwr2MD7E9iTFcOxruTL8Y979ygie_axKu7oWqkasRVf-E4xZm2FTBNcZHS-xoYKnHwgh8rfYocGBygyRKO7zpDLrtey6EU10Y34P-RqxTMmZQO7dulW_waM/s1600/Alterations+for+Women+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgct6xNqO84DimyRdxt9RZkuwr2MD7E9iTFcOxruTL8Y979ygie_axKu7oWqkasRVf-E4xZm2FTBNcZHS-xoYKnHwgh8rfYocGBygyRKO7zpDLrtey6EU10Y34P-RqxTMmZQO7dulW_waM/s640/Alterations+for+Women+6.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This skirt was very fragile as the fabric came from another skirt made a number of decades ago with Liberty print shot Silk Chiffon, it needed a lot of gentle treatment in order to prevent further damage to the fragile fabric in the process of remodelling.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvys1g1hMkm_sanuoR1d9grYX46ITSQvcqREDGZhJvtyQioYBoe-PkyZik6SOJlBUcgxbyC7eoEv9fwDQBRhgjQZsZVGDeF0Uj-Z78Z3W4RH172L9q-iKwDwJKNwmRULFIOS-4uAxZ_c/s1600/Alterations+for+Women+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvys1g1hMkm_sanuoR1d9grYX46ITSQvcqREDGZhJvtyQioYBoe-PkyZik6SOJlBUcgxbyC7eoEv9fwDQBRhgjQZsZVGDeF0Uj-Z78Z3W4RH172L9q-iKwDwJKNwmRULFIOS-4uAxZ_c/s640/Alterations+for+Women+7.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This was originally one of those horrid 1980s skirts that was heavily gathered at the waist and looked a little like a sack tied in the middle, having re-cut it I added a yolk waistband with matching binding at the hem along with a nice lining.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8idAI5HuSyu84HlQujy093XIMDOqxdGS64y58duyi-iijAPqlXdCJwfTZXiyUWmvuisWODc1YepLxwlHXXot920Haol1jKs224OwkuFMiu7OiP6EBCbPGRA03osPp6c5JZvRZ1dSUpEU/s1600/Alterations+for+Women+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8idAI5HuSyu84HlQujy093XIMDOqxdGS64y58duyi-iijAPqlXdCJwfTZXiyUWmvuisWODc1YepLxwlHXXot920Haol1jKs224OwkuFMiu7OiP6EBCbPGRA03osPp6c5JZvRZ1dSUpEU/s640/Alterations+for+Women+8.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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I loved this project, my client adored the shape of her tunic jumper but found it a little boring, I sat one evening with a box of lovely bits and pieces and have embellished just the neckline for her with buttons, butterflies cut from embroidered silk and some interesting yarns.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEuzkQwbrIu8xLi_F-chdvZZn2OShR6xECRqWQzrC_XaGn1LP9r2AkqgDLlEAcunwCPGe3sGMvXZGJ0XW99s4mXptCjvfayMizf2xqgW-aErznfzSpL4iqh6L_iyIhd8iZc6An6S3bVc/s1600/Alterations+for+Women+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEuzkQwbrIu8xLi_F-chdvZZn2OShR6xECRqWQzrC_XaGn1LP9r2AkqgDLlEAcunwCPGe3sGMvXZGJ0XW99s4mXptCjvfayMizf2xqgW-aErznfzSpL4iqh6L_iyIhd8iZc6An6S3bVc/s640/Alterations+for+Women+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is another of my favourite projects, originally it had these elbow length sleeves, ugly buttons and a lining that was rather worn.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw44DzW52CkIXV0BfHjrTU10qoWjFelGv8zmyEzQazitDxoSDrlL9IyQQMzC8wlK291z5Yij3QL0lSgThF-4p9xcxKQqNLsUoWM3Nh_DuMQjq_r9rHxN-Ao2mKjqLFS5nrSKR7qt9PMAw/s1600/Alterations+for+Women+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw44DzW52CkIXV0BfHjrTU10qoWjFelGv8zmyEzQazitDxoSDrlL9IyQQMzC8wlK291z5Yij3QL0lSgThF-4p9xcxKQqNLsUoWM3Nh_DuMQjq_r9rHxN-Ao2mKjqLFS5nrSKR7qt9PMAw/s640/Alterations+for+Women+10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Using some similar coloured linen I extended the
sleeves and created a long cuff, replaced the lining with a nice new red one,
changed the buttons and covered the belt to match the extended sleeves. My client was totally blown away with the
results as she had given me a free reign to update the jacket that she had only
kept because she loved the fabric.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hopefully this has given you more of an idea of what can be achieved with those garments you have lurking in your wardrobe, or that you find when shopping that don’t quite fit properly. As for the clothes you need for special occasions you no longer need to worry, bring them along and when I have finished they will fit perfectly; I recently altered a stunning wedding dress in pale green/grey embellished silk Dupion, the bride’s Mum took it away with her for the Hen do and reported back the following Monday, when she came for her Mother of the Bride outfit fitting, that it was indeed absolutely perfect.</div>
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So, whatever the garment, whatever needs doing to make it right for you, get in touch and I have no doubt I can help to make it fit perfectly and maybe sprinkle a little extra magic over it for you too.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-40241503322743420742016-07-28T09:39:00.000+01:002016-07-28T09:39:10.221+01:00Alterations for Gentlemen<div class="MsoNormal">
Alterations for Men are generally more involved than those for Ladies, this is because of all the heavy structural tailoring involved in good quality menswear so I wanted to provide you Gents with a reasonable guide to what might be entailed in getting your clothes altered.</div>
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Outline of alteration services; </div>
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<li>Simple – these are things like taking up trousers and jeans and will be done using a number of different methods including for trousers; simple machine job, hand caught hems and hems with tape for durability, and also jeans hems preserving the original hem (taking up the extra above the hem and relocating it). These usually take 1-2 hours each and range from £15-£30 depending on the complexity.</li>
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<li>Moderate – Jacket sleeves fall into this category, as do changing waistbands, taking in and letting out trousers, taking up jackets, putting in new pockets. These jobs take a little longer at around 2-4 hours each and usually range from £40-£100.</li>
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<li>Complex – these are the big jobs that involve major structural changes to garments. I do a lot of menswear alterations like this and it would be things like raising sleeve heads or re-lining jackets and total re-modelling. These are the biggies that take a minimum of 4 hours each and usually cost upwards of £100 although none have thus far cost any more than £300.</li>
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Of course there are occasions where there are several processes needed in a single project; such as raising the sleeve heads, shortening the sleeves and taking up the hem of a jacket all at once, the last one of these I did took around 8 hours in total. Here are some examples of lots of different Men’s alterations, most of which come in the moderate and complex categories.</div>
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On the right here is my lovely Dad on his and my Mum’s wedding day, his suit needed taking in and the sleeve heads raising as he had lost rather a lot of weight since he bought the suit several years earlier. (On the left is my son sporting the very first men’s jacket I ever made, it needs a bit of work and I need to learn from a Men’s specialist to perfect my skills in order to offer made to measure for men.)</div>
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One of my most recent weddings, I have altered both the Brides dress (details in my next moth's alterations post) and the Groom’s suit. Being a slight chap I have taken up the hem of the trousers and the cuffs on the jacket, including moving all the buttons and fake buttonholes up a couple of inches.</div>
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This is the before photo of a jacket I have altered quite a lot, although quite subtly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn5_BNc1bbm5gQecAw4JnE2mZl16HZlA3ZNd2EY35rdGyjlH7jVjY_EX6FCT1krqeQJnr9mOllSoOIg72fuwfNL0JHx8lqd_kv8_eDRWBE9OzM-sKFr85IEGtp8S5uXfV1rz6GIYRF-g/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn5_BNc1bbm5gQecAw4JnE2mZl16HZlA3ZNd2EY35rdGyjlH7jVjY_EX6FCT1krqeQJnr9mOllSoOIg72fuwfNL0JHx8lqd_kv8_eDRWBE9OzM-sKFr85IEGtp8S5uXfV1rz6GIYRF-g/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+4.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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I have raised the sleeve heads which takes around 4 hours to complete as there are lots of layers of padding and structural reinforcement to create the perfect shoulder.</div>
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This is the shoulder after moving the sleeve heads, when you move them inwards you have to also change the shoulder to keep the opening for the sleeve the same size.</div>
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I have also let out two seams and two darts to give the client a little extra room around the trunk – he bought the suit around 30 years ago and as one ages the body changes shape, losing bulk around the shoulders and getting thicker around the middle; moving the sleeve heads and letting out the seams is much more straightforward on tailor-made suits as tailors make allowances for this and leave large seam allowances.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sq2PHZGayJUJKhyFV-Zz2xDRXBQWM8sO5WBHGWPZBf-oOxwPhNV0RvZPknl2QS_xsQ4jyqledDd-BbqVyznc0AYNfPR3hyw7iJuNNqH2G2HDCPS4MR7QwN4fbhYnNz-m7cpnMXbB9Pg/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sq2PHZGayJUJKhyFV-Zz2xDRXBQWM8sO5WBHGWPZBf-oOxwPhNV0RvZPknl2QS_xsQ4jyqledDd-BbqVyznc0AYNfPR3hyw7iJuNNqH2G2HDCPS4MR7QwN4fbhYnNz-m7cpnMXbB9Pg/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The matching trousers have also been let out at the centre back seam. Good men’s trousers have extra fabric in the back seam to allow for this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP0zYz16kTvLhi1Aah_kogE-nNa2A5cJmPbHJr4xmzMJc_zW2HA6kxsau8hPSG3qDLv8Ct52NxuJBxcbF3g_EudHy5iFmb3eki3cdpxFUViDpKdJbgmLSgL78L4Lc5d-YMuIbpFDJ8i8/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP0zYz16kTvLhi1Aah_kogE-nNa2A5cJmPbHJr4xmzMJc_zW2HA6kxsau8hPSG3qDLv8Ct52NxuJBxcbF3g_EudHy5iFmb3eki3cdpxFUViDpKdJbgmLSgL78L4Lc5d-YMuIbpFDJ8i8/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the inside view after letting them out around 2”. Just letting out men’s trousers that are constructed like these ones is very straightforward and takes around an hour or so.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4MxrhBo1iZnNndhZ3Z0h392uaLDkr74-4ubsx1zJeSLCUt2s9HbAB9FeRv3F-wWPjRqvnTVTORKuhgKTE5ebX5u4PqQJkhqYYWxIa-qc4ZN6KCu7sBQwLbL9jrRq_QUgpgsn4aghZ74/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4MxrhBo1iZnNndhZ3Z0h392uaLDkr74-4ubsx1zJeSLCUt2s9HbAB9FeRv3F-wWPjRqvnTVTORKuhgKTE5ebX5u4PqQJkhqYYWxIa-qc4ZN6KCu7sBQwLbL9jrRq_QUgpgsn4aghZ74/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor%252C+alterations+for+gents+9.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are trousers belonging to a beautiful Saville Row suit my client had made in the late 1960s and would be worn with braces. I have let them out and repaired the inside of the waistband.</div>
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This is the inside view. You can see a repair to the pinstriped fabric I have made using heavy duty fusable interfacing, this is because the original seam was oversewn several times and with age this has damaged the fabric a little, the interfacing stabilises the tweed without having to use unsightly stitching. The waistband was rather worn inside so I have replaced some of the lining with new cotton.</div>
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These trousers have been altered twice now for the same client as the previous ones. A few months ago I let them out at the centre back seam but this was not enough.</div>
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The previous alteration at the centre back seam.</div>
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In order to gain some extra fabric to let them out further I have taken some of the bulk from the turn-ups and made a godet (a triangular panel) to set in at the side seams.</div>
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On a tweed like this the godet made out of the turn-up’s pretty much disappears and would be covered by the matching jacket.</div>
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The godet in detail, even a close look at the inset panel one would not really notice that the fabric used is cut on a different orientation to the rest; this is a really good fix when you have trousers you have had a long time that are worth doing the work on to get them to fit. The existing expanding waistband had lots of extra fabric folded into the seam allowances allowing me to change it without having to add in any extra on the outside, inside I have used some 6cm wide webbed tape to extend the inside band.</div>
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I do like doing men’s alterations, gents like to get their money’s worth out of their clothes and I am delighted to help with that. Hopefully this has given you a bit of guidance as to what is possible and how much it may cost to have the work carried out. </div>
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If you are buying a suit but can never get one to fit properly there are a number of avenues to go down:</div>
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<li>You could have a new suit made from scratch buy a reputable Men’s Tailor, if you go down this route look for time served tailors who have a really good reputation, asking someone who serves in the forces is a good place to start looking as forces tailors are amazing, if few and far between these days. Having a suit made would cost upwards of £2,000 (or £4,000 if you go to Saville Row) these days, but it will last you for decades.</li>
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<li>The next route is to buy a ready-made/off the peg suit that fits around the middle and to have it altered by someone like me who can make the major changes that may need doing.</li>
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<li>Another really cost effective way to get a very good suit would be to look for a good second hand suit either online or in a charity shop and get it altered for your body shape, the above tip of the suit fitting around the middle applies here too.</li>
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If you do buy something ready-made you need to be aware that neither the fabric nor the cut will be as good as having a suit made for you, and it will not last as long as a good wool suit made in the traditional manner.</div>
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This was going to be the last instalment on alterations but having pondered it a bit I thought a separate entry for Gents alterations would be useful, I hope it has been. Keep an eye out for the last one on Womenswear next month, it will be a bit of a biggie methinks.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-76436323323596522412016-07-27T15:45:00.000+01:002016-07-27T15:45:35.325+01:00Newlyweds - Bride and Bridesmaids projectI’ve just taken receipt of some lovely photos from one of my bridal clients, this was a pretty big undertaking as I had major alterations to make on the wedding dress itself and for all of the five bridesmaids too – my poor work wardrobe was groaning with wedding work this year, it was great!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfQamrsiscWrRKZsvDv-H9dDlqn-DJh4CGJR4fY1gsuIdmMVvBD7L5KiHQKNLavmThQhyphenhyphenVd9wzTir8N_5cKV1WhqDlAqaS3w0cAJzSZj75y_YDUWlgRTllnq4Oxm7TrsWRk1eIi-XdMk/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfQamrsiscWrRKZsvDv-H9dDlqn-DJh4CGJR4fY1gsuIdmMVvBD7L5KiHQKNLavmThQhyphenhyphenVd9wzTir8N_5cKV1WhqDlAqaS3w0cAJzSZj75y_YDUWlgRTllnq4Oxm7TrsWRk1eIi-XdMk/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The bride is very slim, around a size 6 and the dress needed a lot of taking in on the bodice and scooping the hem up at the front. The bodice is laced up at the back as many wedding dresses are these days and because of the bride’s slim build there was a huge length of the lacing that would be leftover, this I used to make dainty shoulder straps for a more vintage look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTUSKMAehvwWfm4SiC2Pc3OgiYx6sJSvuAZ7gRvs38_cOcOkvG4wpSUH0OmIQ1YNegYjOY8cZiD77tvvhrsFVWlhGFPkZJiVI34mPTU4uzOYPvie9VSk-SItZvuht7lbDSm9XvW_3W_0/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTUSKMAehvwWfm4SiC2Pc3OgiYx6sJSvuAZ7gRvs38_cOcOkvG4wpSUH0OmIQ1YNegYjOY8cZiD77tvvhrsFVWlhGFPkZJiVI34mPTU4uzOYPvie9VSk-SItZvuht7lbDSm9XvW_3W_0/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can see the bodice in more detail here and the straps make it look so much more sophisticated in my humble opinion.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymvpEVx3gAYrcjn0T1a6DsH3Q3ZesVVJSdQikEzPaA81H-Vo_POzecfiDWP4vyM5NegQT5lW0XRdYUQ0B14pexQcjxrZswL6xvEgIN-K8JTnvhCotN4_Yl-iGHAOrtZvWKyESBSj3Rmg/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymvpEVx3gAYrcjn0T1a6DsH3Q3ZesVVJSdQikEzPaA81H-Vo_POzecfiDWP4vyM5NegQT5lW0XRdYUQ0B14pexQcjxrZswL6xvEgIN-K8JTnvhCotN4_Yl-iGHAOrtZvWKyESBSj3Rmg/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here comes the bride with all of her bridesmaids. All but one had to be taken up at the hem and all of the Bridesmaids dresses needed the single strap changing – they were all too long by quite some way. You will spot a difference on the bridesmaid second from the left; she was very uncomfortable with the single shoulder strap so with some leftovers from the hem I made a second strap to ensure security and comfort. Another tweak we made to these dresses was under the bust, which originally dropped straight from the bust point to the waist without being fitted under the bust, they were all very pleased with the resulting curves and it really helped the dresses to stay put without being constrictive.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV99GBIUHcl9t_1fWUjmLsmJWY9Omd_qFqCw7Hp0QMI3QYM78wEVJYtJuMQDwO3eYRE0HVAScZU3ZbvhOI55aCn8Ydx1gIB3Rme6rSnvfp2SrDHI1nQ37Qpkt-aa6bC4N5EHK5mHHWMP4/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV99GBIUHcl9t_1fWUjmLsmJWY9Omd_qFqCw7Hp0QMI3QYM78wEVJYtJuMQDwO3eYRE0HVAScZU3ZbvhOI55aCn8Ydx1gIB3Rme6rSnvfp2SrDHI1nQ37Qpkt-aa6bC4N5EHK5mHHWMP4/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can see the second strap much better here. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqehKPimL9zwLHkjv_ly-CvSPr1sg7sZa-HwKs9_cYU8nf9Mzr3Sp8b6_bKFBYfMsPMDzkyOdcMJeQjbzrOaduBFwuVoaUYZ9urzkqZEyaJc0VDXfW8lWsR8r-s2BR-1E_o6ysIpNgw4A/s1600/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqehKPimL9zwLHkjv_ly-CvSPr1sg7sZa-HwKs9_cYU8nf9Mzr3Sp8b6_bKFBYfMsPMDzkyOdcMJeQjbzrOaduBFwuVoaUYZ9urzkqZEyaJc0VDXfW8lWsR8r-s2BR-1E_o6ysIpNgw4A/s640/Toni+Haynes+Tailor+Wedding+alterations+BK+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the bride with some of her closest friends, on the left is another of my brides who gets wed this week, and the new Mrs Lowe will be a bridesmaid for this next bride too, photos to follow very soon.</span></span></div>
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It has been a fantastic bridal season this year, and is
still going strong, at present I am working on a beautiful Mother of the bride
outfit and her daughter’s wedding dress which is in a stunning embroidered silk
Dupion, I can’t wait to show you the photos towards the end of next month.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-52499148070380639732016-07-27T06:14:00.000+01:002016-07-27T06:14:40.114+01:00Alterations – New from Old, re-purpose, re-love, upcycling<div class="MsoNormal">
In this instalment of my Alterations story I am going to
outline how you can take an old garment that may look out-dated or tired and
re-awakening them with some fresh ideas.
I love these projects, they stretch my creative thinking and give new
life to much loved items and is a real joy to do – I wish you could see how
happy clients are when presented with a newly revived garment that they have
hung on to because they loved it so much the first time around, they love it
all over again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are some very simple and cost effective changes that
can be made to garments with a little thought and a play with some
fabrics. I have a pretty vast library of
fabric pieces both large and small and I often have a good sift through to find
something delightful to decorate garments with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3FQ7KDYfsj0yn1v7UiyhoXj-WCHpWmKi8Fwsdsv3ayNyjHv_UpVaWQ3RWCpWnG-BBLSUnx-QeS_hilE-kpjeQv-QOqSZW9fP2K3OSCwtAdVOyU7rb4JZJksWkRBcu6hc-o3BASJOs0o/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3FQ7KDYfsj0yn1v7UiyhoXj-WCHpWmKi8Fwsdsv3ayNyjHv_UpVaWQ3RWCpWnG-BBLSUnx-QeS_hilE-kpjeQv-QOqSZW9fP2K3OSCwtAdVOyU7rb4JZJksWkRBcu6hc-o3BASJOs0o/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I bought this skirt from a charity shop some years ago because I loved the shape and the fabric is really nice – if a little conventional for me. Using 3mm satin ribbon I stitched on swooping vines and then zig-zag stitched lots of circles in different colours of silk.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHHvINKzxCEhFqCZ86LG3ofTj4kmLCsPx4OBElE3NS_bMWKFQkjVb8pK_uQLKrfll7i0iwz37RuYpRLcRF83NhjKatXPUvQlV_6Sv1BQZoDe5NxYZ7tiMDHusNBVv4q0Y3efqHQrzGUo/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHHvINKzxCEhFqCZ86LG3ofTj4kmLCsPx4OBElE3NS_bMWKFQkjVb8pK_uQLKrfll7i0iwz37RuYpRLcRF83NhjKatXPUvQlV_6Sv1BQZoDe5NxYZ7tiMDHusNBVv4q0Y3efqHQrzGUo/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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My client found this cashmere sweater in a charity shop too and brought it to me to brighten it up a bit, I hand stitched on some covered buttons and oriental mirror embellishments.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-daJpRVCYUwK7qLcR7RuwNaPhaUMYN2szleQTpA1EKL0Mc8k8DvRSnVrwL73ZVDX8r9FovWbpljGobYIMbhSjJI4c0FXFV85kt3D2klaOs-k6YZ1LnDFPnN-2PzVD-dSc1qks0OgU_g/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-daJpRVCYUwK7qLcR7RuwNaPhaUMYN2szleQTpA1EKL0Mc8k8DvRSnVrwL73ZVDX8r9FovWbpljGobYIMbhSjJI4c0FXFV85kt3D2klaOs-k6YZ1LnDFPnN-2PzVD-dSc1qks0OgU_g/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This blouse was quite pretty before but had a missing belt
and a couple of the black buttons missing, I replaced all of the buttons for
mixed vintage red ones, put some in the centre of the flowers for good measure
and made a new belt with satin ribbons and a vintage shell buckle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh957AoDO1CxcwUpRu710T3BqhREwWwTkx4xgvrmfTX_OFmCHMH2t-H4R55YVikRqLO5oQ5yApigv77Mnaotx6iTjzScNxYXountZ5XtTIwuTzsR5x3F0UMHBUYMp15BRldjkCe_pKOVtg/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh957AoDO1CxcwUpRu710T3BqhREwWwTkx4xgvrmfTX_OFmCHMH2t-H4R55YVikRqLO5oQ5yApigv77Mnaotx6iTjzScNxYXountZ5XtTIwuTzsR5x3F0UMHBUYMp15BRldjkCe_pKOVtg/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+4.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I could see the potential of this dress as it is a lovely shape, however, it had the ugliest buttons I have ever seen (so much so I binned them, they were too hideous for words) and using some polka dot fabric leftover from a dress I bias bound the collar and decorated the skirt and replaced the buttons with pretty red polka dot ones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_WjbN8T-pbjg_dL_8kw8g0y7Ko4-sQSS7SZ9iGmhUd1vWyapZQRBkidTxDWE6TEOePhBywm_grLez0_ABqDP5dGX96gvRNL5EG2StG_AonpyhYgUCsT3Yge_scafATvLXj49Ytwu8iQ/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_WjbN8T-pbjg_dL_8kw8g0y7Ko4-sQSS7SZ9iGmhUd1vWyapZQRBkidTxDWE6TEOePhBywm_grLez0_ABqDP5dGX96gvRNL5EG2StG_AonpyhYgUCsT3Yge_scafATvLXj49Ytwu8iQ/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+5.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is a skirt I really loved the first time around when I
first bought it when at Uni, but I got a bit bored with it. So, slashing some of the seams un-evenly I
added some fluted frills to the lining and made it much more interesting. It
swished beautifully, I loved it and literally wore it to death!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF90xo-Y5tgJND4S7ZTl2McTohOE6ygxXwnnSCAjy1QuAHo9157kQPJwUHtWIIrwzHNNiHn701Ym_sDexQ7OjDY5_fq0NU5B2xoZoEjZNH7H84u6ktlawHENRjzoBPJeAAB4bBCPdgm6w/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF90xo-Y5tgJND4S7ZTl2McTohOE6ygxXwnnSCAjy1QuAHo9157kQPJwUHtWIIrwzHNNiHn701Ym_sDexQ7OjDY5_fq0NU5B2xoZoEjZNH7H84u6ktlawHENRjzoBPJeAAB4bBCPdgm6w/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+6.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Remember my friend who’s wedding dress I made into a suit for her brother’s wedding; well this was originally one of those very long floaty skirts, and being quite small it really swamped her. I took off the top two frill sections, turned them upside down creating a new waistline, added a waistband from another old dress, then put on straps and fluted cap sleeves – she wore to Ascot as far as I know.</div>
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These are all relatively swift additions and changes and all took between 1 and 5 hours, the next projects are much more involved, making new garments out of old ones. These projects can take from 10-30 hours depending on the complexity.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYCs6lfhjRTiaeCsmvpJNSgJwr5kM3nixVfLfm2J7po1HawfOVSdpPNbtOmJP_Da1zmvj1W94SF4zqffYoMH-Utts-0M_xow83ZH2z0U_UxTBB2WF2km0-cJsLnJlV1AVzqJEULbFK7A/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYCs6lfhjRTiaeCsmvpJNSgJwr5kM3nixVfLfm2J7po1HawfOVSdpPNbtOmJP_Da1zmvj1W94SF4zqffYoMH-Utts-0M_xow83ZH2z0U_UxTBB2WF2km0-cJsLnJlV1AVzqJEULbFK7A/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+7.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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My client called me and asked me to make a jacket for her out of some of the dated items in her wardrobe after she saw something I was wearing that I had re-loved. The turquoise is an old pleated skirt and the mauve was a two tone dress with a chevron detail. I used the skirt for the body of the jacket and the dress for the decorative details.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8_5hJdzxiInDq5iLoGpajTDj7kW7cirMfgj0iNVvUu6n8Se9oX85frmbzblGTMpd7X4ZFum8znwIfCiVtGl-bDWlfkYc3A9idMsE8jf9eEEDKsBhDX-L832SOvVQcHEo2onzwuxfAOI/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8_5hJdzxiInDq5iLoGpajTDj7kW7cirMfgj0iNVvUu6n8Se9oX85frmbzblGTMpd7X4ZFum8znwIfCiVtGl-bDWlfkYc3A9idMsE8jf9eEEDKsBhDX-L832SOvVQcHEo2onzwuxfAOI/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+8.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There
was just enough of the dress to make the revers, collar, inside cuffs, half
belt and the cheeky box pleat in the back.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWAtXGAoCQcmpSH4X-uV4EvSOYbhcywRuCb1C0LEMZzI2gfJWp0cPugDRfsii3f7I5l8d6j75dBk0TetR7tCKgKKfZDSZTpzsJehTjn6Of4g5sCMWYMvSBVjGvEsUWTKlfGL2glItFps/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWAtXGAoCQcmpSH4X-uV4EvSOYbhcywRuCb1C0LEMZzI2gfJWp0cPugDRfsii3f7I5l8d6j75dBk0TetR7tCKgKKfZDSZTpzsJehTjn6Of4g5sCMWYMvSBVjGvEsUWTKlfGL2glItFps/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+9.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Originally this was a men’s antique silk wedding kimono, these were produced very interestingly with narrow panels with parts of the pattern that are fitted together for the whole patterned design. I made this long waistcoat and added a contrast lining and piping in silk. To give weight and added stability to the antique fabric it is interlined with lose weave raw silk and falls beautifully.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdh1vRQ7ku3zpRBRC_JudvbIR8CwEHhyphenhyphen5pfIEyQeY_CMeIr4K9GJ8u52-qUb-gq5KViFQPzoYdjTWJGFeDk8Yhyphenhyphen8kCPeKELFEv3NBheSm3PLavxWSTfeTKWdeScMxRLf_rUiDPxCxouI/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdh1vRQ7ku3zpRBRC_JudvbIR8CwEHhyphenhyphen5pfIEyQeY_CMeIr4K9GJ8u52-qUb-gq5KViFQPzoYdjTWJGFeDk8Yhyphenhyphen8kCPeKELFEv3NBheSm3PLavxWSTfeTKWdeScMxRLf_rUiDPxCxouI/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+10.JPG" width="476" /></a></div>
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This is one of my all-time favourite projects and was such a
privilege to work on. I was given an
antique opera cape belonging to my client’s Grandmother and asked to design a
formal jacket for occasional wear at formal functions. Taking the silk velvet trim I made a soft
jacket using Mutka Silk with silver Lame threads, the upper sections are cut on
the straight of grain and the lower are cut on the bias to make it twinkle in
evening light; the trim I used in it’s entirety to make a deep collar and
edging and to decorate the cuffs. It is
lined in silver crepe backed satin silk to pick up the silver lame.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqScHKm0Ixuie4Cf1_MxNdJRbBEPU4x-FoEqyy9AcRi2nB8X-nhUkPwx8XMGfuEvF8MWu2D8axxjEnLXOVUvY-6GNePAv47fydodVuVbEUpHPgcrf2N_J2INqVzsqLm3ZOt0mnXX0k4QU/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqScHKm0Ixuie4Cf1_MxNdJRbBEPU4x-FoEqyy9AcRi2nB8X-nhUkPwx8XMGfuEvF8MWu2D8axxjEnLXOVUvY-6GNePAv47fydodVuVbEUpHPgcrf2N_J2INqVzsqLm3ZOt0mnXX0k4QU/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+11.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is the back and the skirt is a remake of an antique liberty print silk skirt also belonging to a family member from decades past.</div>
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These are a good show of what can be done making one garment into another, but what if you had a garment that was completely unsuitable for you and wanted made into something more useful, or you had something other than clothes that had fabulous fabric that you thought might make great clothes? Here are a couple of examples of that kind of idea.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyIkYUJC4YqQCEWb53iKlMFTMUGRMJd3wwc0E52PvIPQAT-orvlQ0k8JOaaUkaplW_TlT14o-EAHrh_JD4A7pj6Ifar2AykHGurykaNmvYohYTlxk7s8yy3XZtuI0lpeqX1s9zLYiYFk/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyIkYUJC4YqQCEWb53iKlMFTMUGRMJd3wwc0E52PvIPQAT-orvlQ0k8JOaaUkaplW_TlT14o-EAHrh_JD4A7pj6Ifar2AykHGurykaNmvYohYTlxk7s8yy3XZtuI0lpeqX1s9zLYiYFk/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+12.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">My
Aunt was bequeathed a reversible cotton jacket by a very dear friend, however,
her friend was over 6’ tall and my Aunt is 4’ 11” so it swamped her
totally. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">I made it into a bag using the
plain mauve side as the outside of the bag and decorated this side with
turquoise satin ribbons.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1GEhNFqaO48lNeGs2RtC4k5MYwNzcP0pRX7dGzqltiW1inWhzBzRmDoDn1wSjcb0aVeQxRXPD4HXNcf4n63cx0indIxei18jTEBcnDl5Twalnu915G7HXQTeMd_aQ1MwihQCL3aKSPc/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1GEhNFqaO48lNeGs2RtC4k5MYwNzcP0pRX7dGzqltiW1inWhzBzRmDoDn1wSjcb0aVeQxRXPD4HXNcf4n63cx0indIxei18jTEBcnDl5Twalnu915G7HXQTeMd_aQ1MwihQCL3aKSPc/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+13.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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And this side with mauve ribbons to suit her mood; these are her favourite colours.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyDD2T1B8u1btjrrS5azYfB5EKvdHzEfcDWomBRDpFV5qsBLNTuRngKyC_odxOZV_Gqgnz3LgmwETfi8gdYe_EuR3M8y_BbqPJgJROoVafjT71JrYPR8hSfRM27S_MAR2YKpEiFDQ7Ew/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyDD2T1B8u1btjrrS5azYfB5EKvdHzEfcDWomBRDpFV5qsBLNTuRngKyC_odxOZV_Gqgnz3LgmwETfi8gdYe_EuR3M8y_BbqPJgJROoVafjT71JrYPR8hSfRM27S_MAR2YKpEiFDQ7Ew/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+14.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then the patterned side of the jacket I used for the lining of the bag and saved the pockets to make all the pockets to put things in. It is now a lovely keepsake and every time it is used it makes my Aunt smile and remember her friend.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8X2GlPOrRCn3wQ0zzaxwPLG9x4ot36qhIHa7cbfOOXpP95peiZ60cAeI-rzQCW2gXDNcAVMHbmfD6LYyVr1kRnWCTzeHe_vUP-p4wPVQPzLM0ezUf6dmK7Sdi5b7h_W5UAi63yrGImc/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8X2GlPOrRCn3wQ0zzaxwPLG9x4ot36qhIHa7cbfOOXpP95peiZ60cAeI-rzQCW2gXDNcAVMHbmfD6LYyVr1kRnWCTzeHe_vUP-p4wPVQPzLM0ezUf6dmK7Sdi5b7h_W5UAi63yrGImc/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+15.JPG" width="438" /></a></div>
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When my Mum met my lovely Stepdad, he had in his possession around 10 metres of fabric from the curtains he had had made only a few months prior to moving in to my Mum’s. Instead of giving them to a charity shop he gave them to me to use for something nice. Two of my clients saw the fabric when visiting with other work and asked about it. I have now made a jacket pairing it with turquoise satin for the lining and piping; and this stunning, full length coat that also has a big hood, matching covered buttons all the way down the front and raspberry lining and piping.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCkMmh634zVsipuWmCpzlJAQ0yqGbTrCd5wnaJvZFvdVDGtTKnA2AfkYDtb3qRJOwHDa49fIKvn_sLie7FqyzmH-oQ7IZ20f5Cok8lDWQL1-XGOChkZMWn22BNe29yXW4DuD4z0mkZng/s1600/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCkMmh634zVsipuWmCpzlJAQ0yqGbTrCd5wnaJvZFvdVDGtTKnA2AfkYDtb3qRJOwHDa49fIKvn_sLie7FqyzmH-oQ7IZ20f5Cok8lDWQL1-XGOChkZMWn22BNe29yXW4DuD4z0mkZng/s640/Toni+Tailor+Gillingham+Alterations+-+New+from+Old+16.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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You can see the inside of the hood here and the piped half belt. There is no pleat in the back of this coat but the skirt is much fuller than my standard coats. It looks amazing on and comes right down to my client’s ankles – it is her “big hug in a coat”.</div>
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I hope this has given you some food for thought, have a riffle through your wardrobe and a little ponder.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02911850844742609151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389428693006831056.post-50268743644730422572016-07-16T09:16:00.000+01:002016-07-16T09:16:00.145+01:00Alterations – Repair & ReviveThis is the second instalment of my exploration of what can be done with alterations, this time I am going to focus on straightforward repairs of the things you love, and using repairs to revive much loved garments. Repairs can be very simple, like patches on elbows or binding a worn edge; and then some may be really big repairs that might give new life to an old coat or even be restorative to a historical piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cllvzDmt9HQCN_lj5N9DcZrBYulCHmtWdHXASogbYZNaPtactTFIXyV-riZNxYGjPyCzD_HJxmnfzF1TThLq8N7PraeENb7g5cjxYazVhXBk3aRYRhZTUrHwQs9ZWcF0w8Qxj5TWIyM/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cllvzDmt9HQCN_lj5N9DcZrBYulCHmtWdHXASogbYZNaPtactTFIXyV-riZNxYGjPyCzD_HJxmnfzF1TThLq8N7PraeENb7g5cjxYazVhXBk3aRYRhZTUrHwQs9ZWcF0w8Qxj5TWIyM/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+1.JPG" width="546" /></a></div>
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This velvet jacket was a little worn at the cuffs and
pockets, had moth damage on the edge of the collar and a number of buttons were
missing; there was also damage to the lining.
I replaced the lining with a new blue lining, bound the damaged edges on
cuffs, collar and pocket flaps then replaced all of the buttons with nice
matching blue ones. This was a favourite
jacket that had served at least 10 winters and will go on for 10 more, it was
an expensive jacket when my client bought it new so she was delighted for it to
have a new lease of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibscBnYcEgErU1MzpBXDcroiKf2SjkNfRBM7TfcLMPgXehagNBPPAJx1h12c8KC-iHqErO7Ycwz2Y8xEo3YGb-Lq1npb1_9lczw8mEkCS8739AT-FyJdMiI3oULR0NzFzBygHJ_XlEJAU/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibscBnYcEgErU1MzpBXDcroiKf2SjkNfRBM7TfcLMPgXehagNBPPAJx1h12c8KC-iHqErO7Ycwz2Y8xEo3YGb-Lq1npb1_9lczw8mEkCS8739AT-FyJdMiI3oULR0NzFzBygHJ_XlEJAU/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A potential museum piece, this RAF NATO flying jacket from the 1950s was originally lined with leftover parachute silk from WWII, this silk was printed with a map of Europe in case the pilot was shot down during the Cold War so they could find their way home or to help – it is an extraordinary garment and very precious.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpSWNxIgJ-32uufPGYLRhpJByrPBNPQ7v5g4EkbVpAhblVe4MG91HwAFMDVcfCP69sebf29gnvBX4HKZlzQHnVKlTRRCrABFW9LA-nnFbY7JEJrGeQ-F9tEuPADiUrRdyxs-aYN1KPxU/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpSWNxIgJ-32uufPGYLRhpJByrPBNPQ7v5g4EkbVpAhblVe4MG91HwAFMDVcfCP69sebf29gnvBX4HKZlzQHnVKlTRRCrABFW9LA-nnFbY7JEJrGeQ-F9tEuPADiUrRdyxs-aYN1KPxU/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was originally asked to repair the lining in the numerous places where the silk had degraded over time; my client expected me to patch the resulting holes but after close inspection I talked through the option of restoring the lining as carefully as I could by hand to preserve it for posterity. I felt duty bound to save such an important historical ‘document’. My client was so chuffed that I wanted to save his flying jacket for the future and was happy for me to go ahead.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9bKGdP0tgfxubD2rVJZCLMnY0IkFLipZfgRunmnDL-rPts5DseiSio2kVzyyn1GuPHbcRfgCA4PS6kzG-h06HxaChEptvEADJ7TphM_UytJ30rWPGMM63pWVT5W7zXQwLOElWb3E_J4/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9bKGdP0tgfxubD2rVJZCLMnY0IkFLipZfgRunmnDL-rPts5DseiSio2kVzyyn1GuPHbcRfgCA4PS6kzG-h06HxaChEptvEADJ7TphM_UytJ30rWPGMM63pWVT5W7zXQwLOElWb3E_J4/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+4.JPG" width="456" /></a></div>
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Here is a bit closer look at some of my repairs. This project was a real labour of love and I am really pleased with my painstaking work on it; my client’s wife called me a week or two after they picked it up to say that she had been looking at it and thanked me for saving what meant so much to her husband.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXk2Qhd4o4PPa38m4TmT2Nom2B47MUgJIU7zDptBS-mJhvxI5neHBFwnvsrXD1_j-rrfbL5eyj_af8kRR-9aUEm5FnLRQ2nYkX3K_BqPL3cFQUhPmX1nbzZYDo7faYwDZKWC-skj3NGM/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXk2Qhd4o4PPa38m4TmT2Nom2B47MUgJIU7zDptBS-mJhvxI5neHBFwnvsrXD1_j-rrfbL5eyj_af8kRR-9aUEm5FnLRQ2nYkX3K_BqPL3cFQUhPmX1nbzZYDo7faYwDZKWC-skj3NGM/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have had two jackets from this client, both in the same state with worn out linings so this is the before view of one of them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_Z-R4TOwgnWC41W1ukSUk5PaFG-pVV_N7c6egPMzL6Z9Wa8Wb5F4Gm1jsm4xTBuo_QomE10uedy_Q0o56MDEsEWHAR5N4Z56DzCqJhOua6uEYgSG_AY7XNnV1aEiZg9pbnSFEuwPYUk/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_Z-R4TOwgnWC41W1ukSUk5PaFG-pVV_N7c6egPMzL6Z9Wa8Wb5F4Gm1jsm4xTBuo_QomE10uedy_Q0o56MDEsEWHAR5N4Z56DzCqJhOua6uEYgSG_AY7XNnV1aEiZg9pbnSFEuwPYUk/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+6.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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And this is the after view of the other one with it’s nice new lining. Commercially made jacket linings are often cut (a) the same size or smaller than the outside of the garment, (b) with a 7mm seam allowance and (c) no overlocking. Where the lining is cut the same size/smaller than the jacket it doesn’t have the same durability as the outside because there is more ‘give’ in the outer fabric and none in the lining so it can tear. With such a small seam allowance, if the lining fabric frays it will soon meet the actual seam and therefore tear. This fraying can be easily prevented if the lining is overlocked. So the new lining has been cut more generously, with a 15mm seam allowance and been overlocked. It’s like a new jacket.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhp9Z29hnAlhCmmhWqtbKCeviqxRbpV8MtEbQed_6VGpmK8MPoXJHt-b5oFv_Mf_jo9rFlMYwLUJLwTtWxnuX_GewzA121OikZP3PDVENslqz5usCr_xxrfPnbF2-CjUQ_mUiMteBaik/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhp9Z29hnAlhCmmhWqtbKCeviqxRbpV8MtEbQed_6VGpmK8MPoXJHt-b5oFv_Mf_jo9rFlMYwLUJLwTtWxnuX_GewzA121OikZP3PDVENslqz5usCr_xxrfPnbF2-CjUQ_mUiMteBaik/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+7.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This 1950s/60s Teddy Boy coat originally belonging to my client’s Grandfather, was a big project. For a start it needed major size alterations such as taking it in, raising the sleeve heads and shortening the sleeves. The lining was also pretty ropy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jbQ81uC6ED79lNb2ewnewuk0v5wKOq8UTQB3Bbwmo3g1UrQ6EdhyQxt74EIqtyRXrigm9yNSlBqwgxvw0H1Ez5mijUWkXQS3feufqj_0oyGWdYj-0wx6oNeEsfExGkc-cjHbBtUOLRA/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jbQ81uC6ED79lNb2ewnewuk0v5wKOq8UTQB3Bbwmo3g1UrQ6EdhyQxt74EIqtyRXrigm9yNSlBqwgxvw0H1Ez5mijUWkXQS3feufqj_0oyGWdYj-0wx6oNeEsfExGkc-cjHbBtUOLRA/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+8.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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My client chose a real showy Chinese style jacquard satin
with Dragon pattern for the new lining, so I replaced all the inside pockets
with new ones in the new lining and put back the original labels.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSfNvx1XfICENgnCKEt6lN5MPVH_eZ6iHbvcg-aMJUFNiDj44nz3wpG1gGKnuPLffiVUBkKzS0FH8OGzj8Wg-BRA9NaI6sEcdFWt4qG_ib592lfuH-G57E-sAqt9G_x2C0ZCORt39OFE/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSfNvx1XfICENgnCKEt6lN5MPVH_eZ6iHbvcg-aMJUFNiDj44nz3wpG1gGKnuPLffiVUBkKzS0FH8OGzj8Wg-BRA9NaI6sEcdFWt4qG_ib592lfuH-G57E-sAqt9G_x2C0ZCORt39OFE/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+9.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Last of all I ordered new covered buttons to match the lining for a bit of a flourish on the front.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkG93mwqKpYSs-e5I9_dMzQ2YijiKrrWeS67KpsqucvakQIX0z0z4IhSMcZ_k5z-_qbUtDOThyphenhyphenKRIVdwmn1ysGrIVS6Pi9IjVjWXYXl9SAevqawbFXC2dAO88IA0bzvW_Z_31cfEqUz4/s1600/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkG93mwqKpYSs-e5I9_dMzQ2YijiKrrWeS67KpsqucvakQIX0z0z4IhSMcZ_k5z-_qbUtDOThyphenhyphenKRIVdwmn1ysGrIVS6Pi9IjVjWXYXl9SAevqawbFXC2dAO88IA0bzvW_Z_31cfEqUz4/s640/Toni+Haynes+-+Alteration+repair+10.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This dress was originally a simple shift dress but had a little hole in the front where it had been caught on something. After a bit of a ponder I decided to give it a makeover rather than just repairing it. Covering the hole with an appliqued flower, with lots of friends for said flower, I created a vine with free arm embroidery. This project was one of my Re-loved off the peg items which sold very swiftly and the lady who bought it fell in love with it on sight, very gratifying for a couple of hours work.</div>
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In the next instalment on alterations I will outline some of the projects that I have had using old garments to make new ones, or to sprinkle a little magic over something that is looking a bit tired or outdated. The last article will include a guide to the estimated costs and time taken for a number of different alteration projects and will also cover more run of the mill alteration projects for ladies and gents clothes.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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