the reel

this is my last project, a little doll which pattern I found in the last french magazine FAIT MAIN I recently bought. This magazine gives lots of ideas in many techniques to realize gifts for all family. There are also patterns to sew clothes for women and all family.

You can see the model on this site, it's number 21 on blue window. I really like this kind of long fabric dolls. I will sew it with a pink dress.

What could we offer for Christmas ? Why not aprons ? there are aprons for everyone and every activity ! gardening, cooking, painting, carnival...

I found varied patterns on internet...and they are free !  ;-)

These are all sorts of aprons:

http://www.dickblick.com/categories/apronssmocks/

For adults:

• cooking apron for the "chief"
  http://www.sew.husqvarna.se/syproj_chef.htm
• the gardener apron   
  http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel1104&catid=cat268
• apron-blouse for women: http://canadianliving.ca/CanadianLiving/client/en/Crafts/DetailNews.asp?dNews=1671&idSM=306

...and for children:

• an apron for little artists: http://www.tricoland.com/html/page118.htm
• a dress-apron, for babies (18 months-2 years old) : http://netmadame.free.fr/couture/tabliers_fillettes/index.htm
• an apron for little girls:  http://craftandfabriclinks.com/apron/apron.html
• lots of aprons: http://www.nancysnotions.com/Nancys/assets/html/apronhangup.asp?mscssid=00ABE69EEB364A44D18177C30DA06CB7&Gift=false&GiftID=
• and two aprons with a picture lesson to sew them :  http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa051801a.htm
  and http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa041299.htm

What can I do if I don't possess a machine to embroider , and have no time for handmade embroidery ?

Just contact Laure who just created her website and do it for us  !

She has already made all sorts of realizations you can see on her blog. Everything around her seems to be embroidered. I hope she will soon propose some embroidered labels to mark the clothes we sew...

You can use polar fleece and other fabrics to make little accessories for winter, I have found many interesting patterns on the net, for all family...

at first, these are mittens for babies made of polar fleece, on canadian living ...
http://canadianliving.ca/CanadianLiving/client/en/Crafts/DetailNews.asp?idNews=1800&idSM=306

kids and teens can also make their own mittens with the site "sewyoungsewfun" : http://sewyoungsewfun.com/freeprojects/default.html

models for adults are on canadian living and evergreen:

http://canadianliving.ca/CanadianLiving/client/en/Crafts/DetailNews.asp?idNews=1802&idSM=306
http://canadianliving.ca/CanadianLiving/client/en/Crafts/DetailNews.asp?idNews=1802&idSM=306

http://www.evergreen.edu/biophysics/technotes/home/mittens.htm

...and you will find polar bonnets for children at Martha Stewart's :
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel1263&catid=cat268

you'll need only five minutes to make this scarf without seams !!! (on Jo’s Craft Corner website)
http://www.kosi101.com/craft-120303.html

ans there is a scarf for men very easy to sew, on husqvarna's website http://www.sew.husqvarna.se/pdf_files/scarf_him.pdf

There are also real gloves you can sew with several fabrics or even leather...

http://www.dab.hi-ho.ne.jp/runo/sewing/make_gloves.html

I met Sue recently in the french sewing group La_Couture and we decided to help each-other to correct our messages, because she is english and writes her blog in french, and I am a french trying to write this blog in english...

It's a good exercise, and I often use my pocket dictionnary and a special page of a french website called "Artisanat pour Tous" (Arts and crafts for all). I also use them to translate english patterns I find on the net.

These are several usefull websites to translate sewing instructions from french to english and conversely...

In general cases, with Babelfish.Altavista you can translate a word, a text or even a whole website (you just have to stick its adress); with Google you can do the same, and also with Yahoo; this is not very precise but it helps you to understand...

For sewing vocabulary, you can use the french website called "Artisanat pour Tous" (Arts and crafts for all), or this link,

and for knitting vocabulary, there is a special page of "Artisanat pour Tous".

These are large trousers I have made. The waist has a double elastic. This shape is ideal for comfort, and ease of making. The most important choice was fabric. These are made of black and white jersey with a kind of painted lines.

This is a picture of the elastic waist :

I used a pattern I like, just changed a bit. This picture shows how to modify your classic trousers pattern to create an elastic waist. I have suppressed the original waist and the darts (black lines). I have drawn a vertical lign from the hip, and a upper edge for the elastic bands (red lines).

I also removed the sideseam for more comfort, speed of making and a better look.

To sew such trousers, you can find free patterns for men, women and children:

http://www.feminin.ch/couture/leggings.htm

http://www.feminin.ch/download/leggings.zip
http://sophie.schleich.free.fr/patrons/

trousers' pattern for maternity

http://sophie.schleich.free.fr/patrons/

how to adapt your own trousers for maternity ? just have a look at Ludmyla'sblog :

http://ludmilacouture.canalblog.com/archives/2005/11/09/981089.html

I reallly enjoy making everything I can with my sewing machine, so after clothes I want to try christmas cards. I have seen pretty ones on several websites, and these are my favourite ones:

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France Patchwork gathers together links to admire textile cards. Your fabrics scraps will become artworks !

http://francepatchwork.com/magazine/a%20creer/cartesatc/atcspagebis.html

husqavrna's website shows us how to create simple models:

http://www.sew.husqvarna.se/syproj_julkort.htm

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I also found beautiful models to realize in paper, these are the cards I prefer:

hobbycraft's one with a chistmas wreath:

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/ideas_library/idea_524.html

and pop-up cards:

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk//ideas_library/idea_images/514_1638206145.jpg

and ilovecraft shows plaited (?) cards:

http://www.ilovetocraft.com/cardmaking/lace-card.shtml

Today I begin my diary of sewing lover...Not really, because I already got one in french, which is my native langage. But I decided to write this second one in way to improve my english (I hope it'not too bad).

It's difficult to write a blog when you sew a secret project ! Today I spent good time preparing little things for christmas. That is because my sewing group is organising a chistmas exchange. We decided to sew a gift and then to draw lots and send it to an other dress-maker. I can't describe the project I am sewing because the person who will receive it could read this  ;-)

I have just finished a new jacket. The pattern is taken from Burda Easy magazine, I just had to cut it up the patterns plate. Then I cut the fabric, which is a dark brown cashmere I bought at the market. I have "suffered" to sew the collar, because the magazine's explanations seem complicated to me. Usually I use an easyer technique to sew jackets'collars. I will try to explain it here tomorrow in english...

That was the first time I made such a jacket, in a "luxuoux" fabric, with a lining...I'm happy I've tryed ! The result is not so bad, so I hope the next one will be as perfect as in my dreams  ;o)