Autumn Cape Bag 2022 Part 45

Autumn Cape Bag 2022 Part 45

Once again, I have been plagued with difficulties. This time it is not illness although that is still on going. I had found several areas that needed covering with more leaves.

Three times, I had nearly finished making one and three times, I had to start again because I found the Wool had Frayed. So annoying.

Slightly Wonky

The book Measuring had worked out better. It is still Slightly Wonky but it does not need to be perfect. Anyway, I did Unpick some and redo it.

Cut Excess

Now I can finally Cut away the Excess. I had started it then stopped, as I was not sure if I needed to go all the way along to the End. Consequently, it has been a pain in my side flapping around whilst trying to Measure and Sew

The reason why I was not sure about the Length is because one of the Strengtheners is higher on one side than the other. So far from being too long, it may in fact be a little short.

Double Hem

 

Since there is the Weight factor to take into consideration, I have decided to Fold over and Make a Double Hem. Now I can move on to making adding the Toggles.

Mademoiselle Marionette Summer Apparel 2019

Mademoiselle Marionette Summer Apparel 2019

I have decided to continue adding to the Marionette’s wardrobe with some Summer Apparel

Mademoiselles Measurements

I had the foresight to take a rough drawing of the Marionette along with measurements.

Measuring Tools

However flat measurements are one thing and putting them on a 3D figure is quite different especially when I haven’t done this before.

I decided that having something to use as a guide would be helpful.

Measuring Circumference

Having sorted my Measuring Tools out I started looking for things that I could use as my guide. I started by getting an empty toilet roll. I tided a piece of yarn around the roll.

Six Inches

The Circumference of the roll was 6 Inches. This was too Small.

Too Big

I next tried a glass jar. I measured both the outer glass and the around the neck of the jar. These both turned out to be too Big.

Just right

I then tried a tube of Bicarbonate of Soda. This turned out to be Just Right.

Wrap Up Winter! It is now Spring 2018 Part 1

Wrap Up Winter! It is now Spring 2018 Part 1

We changed the clocks at the weekend and it is Good Friday tomorrow. Therefore I thought I would write a blog wrapping up a few winter projects.

Two Tone Scarf Extension

http://lady-jane-quirky.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/autumn-cape-long-term-project-inside.html

In the link above I was discussing my attempt at making a Two Tone Set. As you may recall I ran out of wool knitting the Scarf. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the Kingfisher Blue as it was discontinued so here is the finished item extended with the Petrol Blue Wool.

Merino Wool

I realised whilst finishing the Blue Scarf that I have difficulty remembering how much wool to buy. One of the reasons is because I have never really sat down and worked it out. Yes I am using a pattern but I am not using the yarn stated plus I have also adjusted it.

Therefore I thought I would measure and note as I go. The yarn I am using is King Cole Merino Blend DK super-wash wool. It is Shade 46 Aran 50g and approximately 115 yards in length.

Aran Beret

I am using 4mm needles and when finished the Rib measures approximately 7 inches wide when flat.  The height from Rib to apex is 6 Inches. This is when following the pattern correctly and using my usual tension.

Aran Gloves

The Gloves are made with the correct cast on and needles. However I tend to adjust the pattern by eye towards the finger tips. I usually deduct approximately 2 rows stocking stitch per finger depending on my tension. The end result is 9 inches from Rib to end of Little Finger. The Cuff is approximately 2.5-3 Inches across.

Aran Scarf Width

It is always when it comes to the Scarf that I get really lost trying to work out how much yarn is required. This is due to the fact that although I use the correct size needles (4mm) I don’t cast on the same amount of stitches each time.

The cast on amount is always divisible by 4. In this case 44 stitches and it has in this case resulted in a 3 Inch Rib.

Aran Scarf Length

Once I change the number of stitches it will affect the width. The pattern states that I should cast on 60 stitches. I found that far too wide when knitted so I reduced it. The length when knitting up one ball works out at 18.5 Inches *

So by removing 16 stitches I automatically increase the length. This means I need to buy fewer balls of wool. Increasing the cast on results on requires more balls.

Aran Brooch

The Brooch was knitted using 4mm needles. It measures approximately 2 Inches in diameter. I made a bit of a mess when sewing this up and it didn’t sit right. Therefore I had to unpick the fastening stitches, readjust the position and resew.

Aran Brooch Finished

After resewing I found a nice sparkly gem for the centre and proceeded to add Black Beads around it. Then all it needed was the safety pin added.

Comparison Results In Part 2

*

REMEMBER THESE NUMBERS ONLY WORK WHEN USING THE SAME TYPE OF WOOL AND YARDAGE!

Renovating Box Seats 2017 Part 3

Renovating Box Seats 2017 Part 3

I had difficulty finding the material I wanted at the price I could afford. That was until I had an Idea.

Curtains

I got these curtains off eBay for under a tenner. The material is much more than I need for the Box Seats so with a little bit of luck I will be able to cover something else too.

Measuring Large Box Front

I am going to use both measures this time. I have used the ruler for the Front of the Box as it holds it nicely whilst I measure.

Measuring the Sides

When measuring the sides I had to remember to include the depth of the foam on both sides. The measuring tape was better for this as it could bend.

Marking out the Material

As you can see in the photograph above I am taking advantage of the fact that the Curtain Material is already hemmed. This gives me a nice straight edge to measure from.

Two Covers Roughly Hemmed

Once cut I hemmed with a simple backstitch around both pieces of material.

Measuring for the Second Hem

After the rough hem was done I re-measured against the Box Seat to see how much I needed to take in.

Cut Short

Oops on one cover I have cut it a little short therefore I need to make the second hem as small as possible to keep as much material as I can. I will let you know how I get on.

Renovating Box Seats 2017 Part 2

Renovating Box Seats 2017 Part 2

Now my Boxes were clean and painted (and dry) I could move on to the next part which is adding the Foam padding. I bought some off the market and now had to cut to size.

Rough Foam Cut

I cut the Foam roughly to size then I needed to measure it properly to cut off the excess.

Measuring Foam

To ensure I had a straight edge rather than using a measuring tape I used my ruler and scored along it with the scissors.

Marking Both Edges Ready to Cut

I had lined up the already cut edges of the Foam with the edges of the box lids and cut down the middle. This meant that I only had two edges on both that needed straightening. I like cutting down the work as much as possible.

I trimmed the edges down a bit at a time so I didn’t take too much off although I think it was touch and go in some places. Unlike flat material where you can just cut across easily this Foam was roughly an inch and a half thick.

This means that during cutting it was difficult to keep the scissors straight. Afterwards I found that I had kept to the line at the top but had veered off underneath so I had to trim and correct.

Securing The Foam

When I was satisfied that I had got the Foam cut as good as I was going to get it was time to secure it to the lids. Otherwise when I start trying to measure the material they would keep sliding around.

I wanted to keep the nails to a minimum as it lessened the risk of them poking through the material so I just put one nail in each corner of both of the Box Seats. This should be ample for the next part.