Butterfly Chair Covers...

My son requested that I make some new butterfly chair covers for Christmas.  I admit that I groaned just a little bit.  I had made one cover a few years ago.  I found the pattern and some fabric but not enough to make a cover.  Here is the post with the picture of that cover.  You will have to scroll down a bit to find the cover.  I was really hoping to find some instructions because I wrote very few notes on the pattern.  Unfortunately, no additional notes.

Oh, the request was also for the same fabric and color combination.  So, I began the search for the black canvas.  I settled on a 9 oz canvas from James Thompson at fabric dot com.  The last cover was a 10 oz canvas that I had in stock at my store.  Oh, why didn't I keep more of the fabric.  Fortunately, I found enough of the gold canvas in the stash to create the stripe.  Yes, stash reduction.

The width of the pattern is just enough that I had to cut each piece of the cover individually.  Yes, this is 4 cover pieces and 4 padding pieces.  This doesn't include all the little pieces that are needed for pockets and support.  So, it was cut, cut, cut, iron, iron, iron, stitch, stitch, stitch.  Here are the covers:

The top picture is the black front with the gold stripe.  The bottom picture is the back where you can see all the pockets.  Each pocket has two velcro strips to place around the poles and strapping to help support the cover on the frame.  I did add an additional support fabric in each fabric in hopes that it will help support the pockets.  The pockets are the weak area of the whole cover.

I hope my son gets a few years of wear out of them.  I do not believe that I will want to make another set of covers.  Hopefully, by the point, he will no longer be a student and have a full-time job.

Happy Stitching!

A Look Back - The 2019 Duds

Looking back over the items that were sewn for 2019, there were a few duds.  No one likes to think that they wasted their time but it happens.  Here are duds:

The Dish Mat.  I think this was a good idea but the execution wasn't good.  I used an old towel as the middle and this was a BIG OLE mistake.  It almost immediately started to smell and it didn't go away.  I have not made another one yet but I think that using a cotton batting will work.  Maybe I will make time for this in 2020.

This is Angel's Bag.  This is a nice bag.  I think it needs a much heavier fabric than the faux leather that I used.  The pattern was written for leather.  The big issue for me was the rivets.  I didn't have much to chose from in my area and I went with a domed rivet.  When applying the rivet, I couldn't get enough pressure for the rivet to attach properly without denting the dome on the rivet.  I was really afraid that the rivets wouldn't hold up to day-to-day use. 

This is Amy's Skirt.  Even though I wanted to love this skirt.  It was too big.  The construction severely limited you ability to make any changes to the skirt.  I will make this skirt again but will change the construction.

Did you sew many duds over 2019?  Did you learn anything from them?

Happy Stitching!

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 26

Week 26 of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe have arrived.  You can find Week 26 here.  The introduction chart is always a good place to start if you are just now bumping into this series.  Note: as the series progresses, the chart changes a wee bit.  It should be shown on the weekly posting at the bottom. 

Week 26 is a warm dress.  I have a wonderful long sleeved denim dress from Chadwicks of Boston (closed). It's been around a couple years.  Here's a similar dress:

If you have a shirtdress pattern that is already fitted now is the time to grab it and whip out a new dress.  Otherwise, there are many shirtdress patterns available. Pick the one that suits you best.

Here's another option:

This is Butterick 6388.    This is a cute little dress and goes togther easily.  I've made it a couple of times - once as a long sleeved top and once as a dress which I had added a couple of inches to the length (knee length).  I would make it from a heavy sweatshirt fleece.  I may re-visit this pattern and make it short sleeved with or without the collar.  I'll have to think about it but it would be very easy to do.

Have you been participating in this series?  How has it worked for you?   This is the end of the second quarter  or winter.  How does your wardrobe look?  Is it as conhesive are you want it to be?  Have you found this to be helpful?  



Happy Stitching!

Neck Tie Zip Bags...

I always try to make something for Christmas.  This year, my Dad gave me 95% of his ties.  He no longer wears ties.  I decided to make something for the grandkids from the ties.  I found this tutorial for Neck Tie Zip Bags. 

Have you ever taken a neck tie apart?  It is mostly easy but time consuming.  Here are the guts of the ties:

I am not 100% sure what this material is that was used for the tie interfacing.  Only two of the six ties actually had similar material.  It seems to be different than the tie interfacing that I have purchased in the past.  I think I have two precious of the tie interfacing left in my stash.  I did save this tie interfacing.  I am sure some day my son will wonder why I kept this.

Here are the bags:

It was fun picking out the ties for the project.  The bags were fairly easy to construct. 

Happy Stitching!

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 25

Week 25 of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe have arrived.  You can find Week 25 here.  The introduction chart is always a good place to start if you are just now bumping into this series.  Note: as the series progresses, the chart changes a wee bit.  It should be shown on the weekly posting at the bottom. 

Week 25 is a warm mid-calf skirt.  Oh, this is probably one of my favorite looks.  A longish skirt with boots and a sweater.  I have to admit that my closet is full of this type of skirt.  Unfortunately, the majority do not fit.  However, I did inherit some excessive long corduroy skirts that I may reinvent.  I just need to check the pattern stash and see what may work.  If you have new yardage these patterns would be wonderful:

This is Vera's Skirt #2008 by Silhouette Patterns.  This is the basic skirt pattern by this company.  You would need to add pockets and a waist band it you want them.  Otherwise, this skirt would be perfect for warm winter fabrics.

This is the Seamwork Leonora pattern.  You would need to add length to this pattern and possible either width at the hem or slits..  If you're a Seamwork member, there is a pocket variation available that makes the skirt look a little more like a jean skirt.  Seamwork memberships are half price right now.

Happy Stitching!

(This post contains affliliate links.  I will get a small reimbursement at no cost to you should you purchase something.)