::Sewing:: Organising Sewing Patterns

PDF Patterns
I'm a big fan of PDF patterns. Living in Australia and shipping for printed patterns can be a killer (although there are some really great Aussie pattern retailers popping up about the place).

I like the instantaneity of having a pattern at my fingertips as soon as I buy it, after some cutting, gluing and taping of course (speaking of which Miss P's post about this is brilliant). I also like the idea of being able to print the pattern again if I need to. It's also a great medium to allow new indie pattern producers into the market.

At the moment I have some in a display folders, some being hung from trouser hangers (idea from here) and some just rolled up.

This is a photo take in the middle of organising my patterns.
Originally there were 5 trouser hangers hanging from the cupboard doors.

I've been meaning to get some sort of system for organising my PDF patterns, but it was this post that inspired me to finally get into gear and do something about my pattern situation.

I popped down to my local Officeworks and bought a pack of C4 envelopes. I spent ages trying to decide which envelopes to get. I'm glad I got these ones because they are a nice large size but they still bit into the IKEA Expedit shelf I have in my sewing room.

I folded my PDF patterns and shoved them into the envelopes. There was no danger of them coming apart when I folded them because they have masking tape on the joins, as per  Miss P's post :)
Some of the patterns I hadn't cut apart. and they were quite large so I had to cut them into more manageable bits.

Instead of gluing the covers on like in the post that inspired this wave of organisation. I print the instructions double sided so I just stapled the top of the page to the envelope.

That way I can flip the page to look at the back.

Printed Patterns & Tracings
I'm mostly a pattern tracer. I've had occasions where I was sure I had traced a pattern and adjusted it, but haven't been able to find it. I'm able to find the original pattern - I keep them all together, but with my PDF patterns all over place I'm just never sure where I have put the tracing.
I'm a visual person so I need a way of storing the pattern and the tracings together. The answer is ziplock bags.

I just pop the original pattern in there....

...and put the tracings behind.

I still have to sort through the patterns that I have in my display folder. At least I've sorted out the patterns that were hanging about (boom tiss!).

Are you a fan of PDF patterns? 
Are you a pattern tracer or a pattern cutter? 
How do you store your patterns?
Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you :)

Until next time,

::Show & Tell:: Lovely end to a rubbish day...

Lookie what I found in my mail box this evening when I got home...

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee...................! :) :) :)

After my yuck day it was a lovely surprise.

Last week I stumbled upon Indie Stitches then I found the Indie Stitches Facebook Page where there was a 10% discount code to celebrate opening of the store. Well, I just can’t not take up a fantastic offer like that! (Be quick the discount ends 31st May!)

I had been coveting the Sewaholic Renfrew ever since it was released and I saw fabulous (and practical - my main focus in sewing) renfrews popping up all over the interwebs.

Oh. What’s that underneath the Renfrew pattern you ask?

Weeellllll...

While I was looking I came across the new Megan Nielsen Tania Culottes pattern. I’ve never used a Megan Nielsen pattern before and I've enjoyed the Tania culottes I've seen popping up in the blogasphere. So I thought I’d give it a go.

The service from Indie Stitches was pretty speedy. The only criticism I have is that it was raining today and the patterns were not in some sort of waterproofing. Luckily it wasn’t heavy rain so the patterns weren’t soaked, just tiny titch damp. In saying I shouldn’t be such a fuss pot :)

I hope you’ve had rays of sunshine on your lacklustre days,

Vanessa xo

::Sewing::Top Tip:: Folding Sewing Patterns

Lately I've been cutting out sewing patterns and then carefully folding them up and putting them back in the envelope so they are ready to go when I am.

I like cutting my pattern pieces out using a paper-only rotary cutter and a self-healing mat. It's a quick and precise way of cutting them out.

While doing this I've come up with a nifty 'new-to-me' technique of folding patterns so that they fit nicely back in the envelope. I'm probably late to the party on this trick, but I thought I'd share it just in case I help someone else wrangle their patterns back into envelopes.

I was trying to pack my Hollyburn pattern back into the envelope when I realised that the instructions sheet would make a great folding template for the pattern. After all the instructions sheet fits comfortably in the envelope. 

To make sorting through folded pattern pieces easier I try to make sure the pattern piece number is on the front when it is folded. So I usually start by flipping the pattern so the right side of the pattern is facing down. I place the pattern instructions over the pattern piece number.

I prefer to fold the long sides down first to create a long piece. So now the pattern piece will be a width that will fit in the envelope.

Before I move on to folding down the pattern to fit the length of the envelope. I free the instructions sheet from the pattern piece. Then I use it as measure for how long the pattern piece should be. I place the instructions sheet over the pattern number and fold the pattern around it. Then I slip the sheet out the side of the folded pattern.

I end up with a pattern piece folded up to a nice size to fit in it's envelope and because the number is on the front I can easily sort through them when they come out of the envelope.

Until next time, I hope you're having a few lightbulb moments of your own,
Vanessa xo

It's my party I can buy if I want to...Part 3

Hello hello,

How are you?

Okay let me finish up my achingly long story. This is my last post about my birthday. I left you at the end of Sunday. That brings me to Monday - My Birthday!

The day started off pretty slow. I did whatever my heart desired. and my heart desired that I sleep in, take my sweet time with in the morning. I made a hair appointment and when I had done enough schlepping around the house in my pyjamas I got dressed and went to the shops. I had a bit of time to kill before my haircut so I went to a nearby bookshop. While I was there I saw they had the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. I've heard good things about the internets about the original book and on first impressions it looks pretty great.

What a great find

They also had The Gentle Art of Knitting which I had read about here, here and here on Karen's blog Did You Make That. I flipped through and I wasn't too impressed, but now I'm reading it I'm quite enjoying (Shhh and it was cheap).

Really enjoying this read at the moment

Lucky for me the Mr's sister gave me a gift card for this bookshop for Christmas. So I just went for it and bought both.

After the failure of accepting my Sisters offer to have her ruffler foot, it made me want one more! I still had a little more time before my haircut so I quickly ducked to a sewing shop across the road from the shopping centre I was in and bought this....

An extra big pic of The ULTIMATE Ruffler!

...Ta Da! The ULTIMATE Ruffler! Oh YEAH! When I first put it on my sewing machine the needle didn't line up with the hole AGAIN! Argh! But upon inspection of the leaflet that came with it, I was able to adjust it and it fit! Woohoo! So I now have to get my ruffle on, no excuses now.

On Monday night the Mr's family came over for dinner and his mum brought over a giant box of yarn! She said pick what you want out of it. So on Tuesday night I dived it and probably kept about a third of what was in the box. Here is my loot...

More yarn!!!

All this yarn is from the Mr's Grandparents house. His mum is cleaning out their house because they have moved into a nursing home. So my friends, this is all delightfully vintagy goodness right in here! Oh yeah :-p
So now I have sooo much yarn I really cannot go buying any more.


And that is where my epic tale ends. I hope I haven't bored you to death. After this massive dose of purchasing and gifting I hope that I can settle down and start making some great stuff. Time will tell.


Do something that makes your creative juices flow,
Vxo

It's my party I can buy if I want to...Part 2

Hello again,

So where was I? Oh that's right, I had just finished talking about Saturday. 

On Sunday morning I had a Birthday breakfast with friends. I received some lovely gifts from my awesome peeps. 

Ok. So technically these aren't things that I bought, but boy oh boy are they too fantastic not to share!

The fantastically creative Sarah of Stitching Lyrical made me this delightful necklace with a crocheted motif pendant, SO Great! She even invented the pattern for the motif and named it after me and everything! So cute and it came in a great box too. You can read about it in her post here.

Sarah's fantastic crochet motif pendant

My sister gave me this cute little wall hanging pouch. It's pretty great and it going to be a sweet nesting place for my bits and bobs. I need to find somewhere to hang it.

Wall Hanging Pouch from my Sis

My talented friend K made this leather pouch. A-MA-ZING! It looks sooo profesh! This is be a great place to hide my hoozits and wotzits!

Leather Pouch from K

I think my favourite part is the leaves that are stamped into the leather. Sooo purdy! 

Look at the back-Oooh!

My good friend J bought me a bag and IN that bag was a cupcake stand AND a Spatula Man! Heehee. Soo cute. I think I need to do more cupcake baking!

I'm a little Frenchy nuts at the moment in my life - so this bag is perfect

26 cupcakes coming up!

You can just make out his face-he has arms and everything!

So they were to goodies that I got for my birthday. Pretty great and another big thank you to my generous friends!


On Sunday afternoon my Sis and I went to The Fabric Store, which I heard all about from Steph's post on her 3 Hours Past the Edge of the World blog and it did not disappoint! I think my favourite feature was the fact they grouped fabrics together based on colour. Oh yeah! So pleasing to the eye.

Fantastic fabrics from The Fabric Store

There was so much lovely fabric in their but I had to limit my purchases. I bought (from L to R) some black acetate lining, navy cotton and lycra fabric and some floral cotton and ramie fabric.


That's enough for now. I'll tell you all about my Birthday on Monday next time.


Fondle some fabric if it makes you happy ;)
V xo

It's my party I can buy if I want to...Part 1

Well hello there!


How have you been? Oh me? I'm great. Yeah, I know, it's been ages since I’ve been here, but I've got HEAPS to tell you.


My birthday was on Monday a few weeks ago and pretty much the whole weekend was a bit of a purchase party. I got lots of goodies, let me show you…


Saturday
I have been lusting for an overlocker for AGES. I don’t know why. I’ve really only started sewing more. Aaanyway, I saw that Janome were selling a discontinued overlocker model for half price, HALF PRICE!
I thought, “Heck! I better jump on that ASAP!”
I did a bit of research and found it would be a good place to start for a beginner. I figured it was kinda fate as well, you know great sale around the same time as my birthday.


So on Saturday I dragged my sister down to the Janome shop and bought me an overlocker. Woohoo! I present to you my Janome 8002DX...

Say hello to my little friend-Janome 8002DX

This puppy came with 4 additional accessories too - gathering attachment, elastic attachment, blind stitch foot and cording foot - what a bargain!


Heady with retail euphoria I also bought a couple of sewing feet for my regular sewing machine-Janome MS5027LE. I was there already anyway :)
I got a gathering foot and a binder foot.

Binder Foot & Gathering foot for my Janome MS5027LE

Some of you would have seen my post about my binder foot lust on my Tumblr a while back, the gathering foot was pure impulse – naughty I know. I also wanted to buy a ruffler foot as well (a long time lust item) but they didn’t have any in stock. Wah! :’(


My sis had a ruffler foot she isn't using much so she offered for me to take it instead of buying one. I took it home and tried it out on my machine. It all was looking so promising, but the needle didn't line up with the hole. Bahumbug!


After buying my goodies from the Janome shop my sis and I scooted over to the nearest Spotlight (which is less than 1 k from the Janome shop - Dangerous combo!).
I had a little list of things that I wanted to buy, I didn't get most of the things on my list, but I'm kinda glad after having made such a big purchase not a couple of hours previously.


I bought a couple of invisible zippers, Simplicity 3688, navy blue with white spots cotton drill and some greyish blackish spotty, meshy printed cotton. I bought Simplicity 3688, a reprint of a 1940's American Sewing Guild pattern, mainly for the pants, I've been hearing good things around the blogasphere about these pants, so I'd like to give them a go when I get my sewing skillz up.

My Spotlight loot

Well I think that's enough of my Birthday shopping show and tell. To be continued...

Buy something you've been lusting for ages ;-p.
Vxo