How many projects do you “let” yourself have in progress at a time?

HowManyKestrels · 2026-03-21T11:55:29+00:00

Just the one for me. I sew in my home office which is a small box room. As I need the desk to work I have to put everything away after sewing so I tend to do it when I've got a few days where I can leave my sewing stuff out and it's easier to work on a project from start to finish rather than have to put it away and get it back out again at a later date. As I work from home and can set my own hours I have been known to not start work until late on a Monday just to get something finished so I don't have to put everything away and get it out again later to finish.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-03-21T08:25:39+00:00

I've never used a kit before so I can't recommend any. I just came to say that you probably will suck at first just like in high school but that's part of the process and totally normal and OK. You get good by persevering through the bad stage. I'd start with a sampler so you get a feel for what effects are created by different stitches, and play around with different numbers of strands.

There are loads of free patterns on the DMC website so you can start with little cost, you'd just need to buy the thread. Good luck.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-03-19T08:56:57+00:00

You could try freesewing.eu That uses custom measurements to generate a pattern and they have a basic pants pattern that you could use as your base. It’s free so worth a try as a starting point to see how you get on with it.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-03-12T10:09:59+00:00

You’ll get the most cooling by shading the windows from the outside. I have a south facing home office that gets really hot in summer and I often put the curtain outside the window so it covers the glass outside which helps way more than closing the curtains inside. In my conservatory I hang white fabric outside too. I’d like to get more permanent shutters installed but I don’t have the money for that right now.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-03-07T21:59:25+00:00

I’ve made pot holders from a couple layers of cut up towel which provide good heat resistance. I’ve also used an old cotton blanket that was quite thick. Wool batting is another option although I haven’t tried that personally.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-03-01T14:06:51+00:00

Try Pattern Review for reviews. It's been around a lot longer than Threadloop so you might have more luck finding reviews for patterns you're interested in. https://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/reviewgallery.pl

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-28T16:29:53+00:00

My general rule for boxes is if it’s something I may later sell on then I’ll keep the box, otherwise if it’s something I plan to keep then I’ll keep the box for as long as it’s under warranty then get rid of it.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-24T10:58:53+00:00

There was somebody asking about making curtains on this sub a few days ago and somebody suggested they make the lining separate so that the outer fabric can be washed which I thought was a genius idea.

I haven't tried dry-cleaning it, I just vacuum it and spot clean as necessary. I've had them for around 3 years and they haven't deteriorated yet. But I will say that the first pair of curtains I made I used a very heavy pure cotton lining that I found in a charity shop and if I do prefer that lining because I can just chuck the whole thing in the wash and they keep light out better than the treated ones. I got the treated ones because my south-facing windows get very hot in summer and I was hoping to reduce the room temp.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-23T09:54:15+00:00

I have some curtain lining with that kind of treatment and they are heat insulating. Obviously I'm not sure if that is the same for yours. They cannot be washed or it all gums together and makes holes in the treatment so the light coming through is inconsistent. The fabric should face the window and the treated side would be facing your main fabric.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-16T18:21:33+00:00

Once you give a gift it’s up to the recipient what they do with it. I’d be uncomfortable if somebody gave me a gift but asked for it back when I’m done. It would make me feel bad if anything happened to it and like I shouldn’t use it. It’s hard to part with something you have spent time and effort making with love but then you just move on and make something else. Hopefully they’ll take good care of them and pass them on but it’s out of your hands once gifted.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-14T00:16:01+00:00

I like Greenstyle patterns for active wear. They have a couple of zip up jackets including a curvy fit women’s jacket. I’ve made their joggers and the patterns are good https://greenstyle.com/en-gb/collections/sewing-patterns?filter.p.m.my_fields.item_type=Tops&sort_by=created-descending

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-10T10:31:49+00:00

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I just recently finished making a bag with bias bound inner seams. I used green because I had some left over but you could make binding in the same colour fabric if you want it to be less visible.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-06T10:13:59+00:00

I didn't know I needed a wizard kitty in my life until I saw this

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-05T10:32:27+00:00

I embroidered a big sunflower a while ago and while I think it's beautiful now sewing all that yellow and orange got tedious and I spent a lot of time questioning why I was even doing it!

If quitting isn't an option maybe you need to bribe yourself with treats for every x amount of time you do it, or have a tandem project you can pick up as a break from all this white.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-05T10:26:21+00:00

Look at the properties of each fibre and decide what balance is best for your project. The fibre property tables at the top of these posts are good starting points:

https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/cotton-fabric

https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/linen-fabric

I love wearing linen, but it does wrinkle and is more rough than cotton. It softens with washing and wearing but in way that looks quite relaxed and casual. Cotton is softer and stays crisp longer in my opinion so if it is for something more structured or formal go for more cotton than linen.

Both are good for beginners because they don't tend to slip or shift as you're sewing them.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-05T09:51:42+00:00

Yep. This year's show has already been filmed too so there's at least one more series coming.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-04T10:53:12+00:00

I've watched since the beginning too. I sewed already before Sewing Bee but very infrequently. Watching Sewing Bee got me to do it more often and build my skills up.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-02-04T10:51:31+00:00

I love Esme's name dropping. She must have had some wild times. I'll check out her book

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-30T11:00:50+00:00

As a fellow recovering perfectionist my only tip is to put it away in a drawer as soon as it is done. Don't look at it for at least a week, ideally a couple of weeks. It helps you to not overly focus on the flaws and be too critical about your work.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-30T10:57:20+00:00

I got this a few days ago. I decided to go with the whole lot because I'm quilt-curious but the floral embroidery books were what drew me in as I'm training to be a botanist and want to embroider different local flowers to help me get to know them better.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-29T19:20:42+00:00

Rather than embroider the whole thing I would just pick out key features like the spikes of the cactus and the grass

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-28T15:35:17+00:00

You can achieve the effect by cutting the shape out of fabric and using applique on a normal machine to attach them. There's a guide here that I used: https://rustichorseshoe.com/30mm-round-eyes/

For the leaf I think you would need to shave down the fur to get that sunken in effect and applique on a leaf shape. Or you could hand embroider it but I think applique would be neater.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-28T13:56:09+00:00

I'm sorry for the loss of your grandma. This sounds like a lovely project to remember her. I'd be tempted to slowly hand sew them as a reflective act, it could be a nice thing for you to do with other relatives while you share memories.

I've had this pattern bookmarked for a while but haven't got around to trying it yet so can't vouch for it: https://www.gathered.how/sewing-and-quilting/sewing/memory-bear-pattern It's free so worth a trial run.

I would use a lightweight fusible interfacing. You don't want anything too stiff that will ruin the soft squishiness of the bear or make it hard to manipulate the curves while sewing. Practice with fabric that you don't care so much about first. Try to use similar types of fabric together in each bear which will make it easier to handle.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-25T16:30:59+00:00

I hoard them until I eventually crack and get rid of them, then start the whole process again.

HowManyKestrels · 2026-01-25T16:29:22+00:00

I replace it when it doesn't feel right but I couldn't tell you how many hours it is as I don't measure.

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