Wednesday 9 April 2014

I've been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award! Thank you, Dawn


 
I would like to thank Dawn, of The Winter-Queen (http://dawn-whitham-holloway.blogspot.co.uk) for nominating me for a Liebster award. You could have knocked me over with a feather! Do visit Dawn's blog, if you don't know it already.

The purpose of the Liebster Blog Award is to recognise and promote newer and smaller blogs with less than 200 followers. There are a few conditions that are attached:
Thank the person who gave you the award, linking back to that person’s blog
Copy and paste the Liebster award to your own profile
Answer the 5 questions your nominator asked
Pick 5 blogs you feel deserve to be noticed (they have to have under 200 followers)
Ask them 5 questions
Let your nominees know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog

Here are my nominees:
I tried to check to make sure you had fewer than 200 followers, but that wasn't always possible, so I'm sorry if I've got that wrong.

Dorcas at (http://myartattack.blogspot.co.uk)

Kim at (http://themateriallady.wordpress.com)

Meigan at (http://getmystitchon.blogspot.co.uk)

Margaret at (http://stoffandnonsense.blogspot.co.uk)

Susan at (http://susansewsdaily.blogspot.co.uk)

Here are my answers to the questions posed by Dawn:

1) What was the first item of clothing you made?

Ha! I'm glad you didn't say wear! My first articles of clothing were actually knitted. I liked knitting Aran jumpers, which I made as presents when I was a poor student - Arans and other chunky jumpers on large needles. Then I graduated to machine knitting. The first items of clothing from that were a beautiful little ribbed skirt and toning jumper for my then 2 year old oldest daughter. I had a brief and unsuccessful foray into sewing for myself a few years ago and made a skirt at a night class on dressmaking - the skirt didn't fit, I didn't know how to sort its problems and didn't get help at the class. The skirt took me forever to make but I didn't feel comfortable in it so it wasn't worn. Fit has always been an issue with me. If a garment doesn't fit well, it won't look good. Now that I've started dressmaking in earnest, my biggest struggle is still fit.

 
2) If you could sew something for somebody famous, who would it be?

Well, I thought about this long and hard as I have certainly never imagined myself in that position! It would have to be the comedienne Miranda Hart - because she is tall, like me - actually, she is taller - and I feel she might have some of the same fit challenges as me. I saw that she's had a makeover for the Tatler (I don't read it but saw this online) - she looked nothing like her usual self. I'm not saying that's good - I don't think it is - but she did look amazing. The interviewer asked if she'd like another dress - she declined saying that she felt dresses made her look 'like a man in drag'!  I'd like to think I could style her by making her a dress which would make the most of her features but retain her own self.

 3) Where do you do your sewing?

I have recently taken over part (well a large part!) of our dining room. The room is large and well lit from French doors to the garden and a Velux window. I don't have to clear away as we don't often now use the dining room to eat in. Just as well as I like to use our very large dining room table to cut out on and I also use it to put my overlocker on, when I'm using it.

 
4) What was the most difficult garment you have completed?

I haven't completed many garments, so that one is easy - a princess seamed skirt with contour waistband, invisible zip, kick pleats and lining. Reviewed here. I'm pretty good at following instructions and managed to follow the steps without too much difficulty - and of course, help from my tutor at the sewing class I've been attending, during term time, weekly, for nearly a year now. However, I chose the fabric badly, made a bigger mess by pressing it badly and basically stretched the top of the skirt so badly that it's unwearable and unsalvageable.

 
5) What sewing machine do you have?

When I first got married, I had a fairly cheap and basic sewing machine called a New Home. I don't remember the model. On it I made curtains and so on for our new home. Even with them, I was becoming frustrated - I'm still not sure whether there was a problem with the machine or whether I had outgrown it, though what I was doing wasn't terribly adventurous.
When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter in 1983, I began to sew nursery curtains, duvet covers etc and we decided it was time for me to upgrade to a better machine. I had a Viking Husqvarna, the first computerised model on the market. Regrettably, it was eventually consigned to storage. As I got busier at work, my time for sewing became less - and we purchased items I might otherwise have made. My Viking only had an occasional foray into use.
Probably as a result of inappropriate storage, my Viking wasn't happy when I took up dressmaking last year (because after retirement I now had time, the desire to create and the wish for garments that fitted better than RTW). I struggled with techniques. The stitches were uneven. I decided to have it serviced, as advised all over the place. I'm afraid it died on the operating table!

I decided to replace the Viking with another Viking. However, I was so taken by the Brothers at the dealer that I went with a Brother Innovis SE350 (UK and Europe). I love it. Sewing is much easier than it was with the Viking at any time. And buttonholes!! However, I did have quite a few feet for the Viking and eventually bought, from the same dealer, a small Viking to take to classes. It's an ex-demo HClass 100Q - it uses the same feet and is lighter and more portable than the Brother.
I also have an old overlocker, an Elna Pro5DC, which did survive its service.

So now the questions for my nominees:

1.      Why and when did you start sewing?

2.      Why did you start blogging?

3.      What is the garment you have made that has made you feel most satisfied?

4.      What has been your biggest disaster?

5.      What would be your outfit for attending a university graduation ceremony, as a guest?
Thanks again, Dawn, for nominating me.

I haven't been in the blogging world very long but you are all great! I'm building up the number of blogs I read, day by day. They are entertaining, educational, inspirational, humorous ...

Happy sewing!
Anne

 

2 comments:

  1. It was a pleasure to read this post Anne - and to hear of your sewing ups and downs. There will be more - there is just so much to learn. Fitting yourself is not easy at all - digital camera's help to see where the problems are, but then it's try and pin (not easy with a back) take it off, repin, put the garment back on, take a photo - so sewing can keep you very fit and flexible as well! When making a fabric up, do test how it sews, and how it presses - I've had the same issues as you (I'll bet most of us have), and slowly, you learn. T & E!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Anne, You won the betty dress, can you email me your address. x

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Please leave a comment. I welcome each and every one. I value criticism (constructive of course! ), love hints and tips and would appreciate suggestions for future direction.

How Do You Read Blogs?

It's a while since I've posted a blog,  lots of reasons. I'm thinking of starting again. However,  I used to read the blogs I fo...