Ally Pally I love you! Christmas comes early!

Yesterday was like Christmas coming early! The annual fabric porn fest that is the knitting and stitching show has been held over the last four days at the iconic Alexandra Palace. Every year I forget just how big and busy it's gonna be! Rest assured I had my elbows sharpened so I could barge out anyone in my way and get to the front of the stands to view and fondle their irresistible wares! I managed to do all that without being arrested!
This year I went with my gorj fabricilicious friend Jan - its so much more fun going with a friend! (you can see her pic in the blog concentrating very hard taking pix of the knitted village. A couple of hours in and she had bought more than me but that was before we stumbled upon a stand where I fell totally in love! There was the most beautiful, toned and naked man serving- JOKING! Okay so there weren't even any men on the stand but you should have seen the fabrics! The patterns were stunning ( simplistic and japanese in influence) and one of the ladies obviously saw our deep admiration and showed us how it was all done. Evidently in small
villages in south western China patterns are hand sewn onto cotton or linen. This scrunches up the fabric - think a very skilled version of us at school tying fabric up with string to tie dye.It is then placed into buckets of dye and once the colour has taken and the fabric is dried each piece has its stitches very carefully removed to leave the work in a flawless condition.
Her enthusiasm and knowledge was so refreshing and catching and at this
point I spent a blooming fortune and indeed outspent Jan!
At present this seller doesn't have a website but they are hoping to have one soon. In the meantime look out for them, they are called Changs, when you are next at a show. I think you will love them!
I'm going to use the Changs fabric to make some gorj handbags - yay! keep your eyes peeled!
Until next time I blog I am off to make sure the calico samples for the bags are accurate before I cut my precious Changs fabric!
Have a fabulous week and keep crafty!
Loads of love Janie xxxx

I've been saved from brain ache by an app!

OMG my brain has been aching today. I don't know what's wrong with me! I was trying to work out how many pieces of fabric I could cut out from a fat quarter of material. I'm not sure if it's old age or peroxide but I was struggling! So I decided to go to the shops and buy a new brain.....KIDDING!
What I actually did was used a fab app on iPad and iPhone that I had downloaded ages ago and forgotten I had!
Its a great app from the Robert Kaufmann design team and best of all it's FREE!
Here are the details if you want to download it to save your brain from aching! https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/quiltingcalc/id390366459?mt=8&ls=1

Happy sewing
Loads of crafty love
Janie xxxx

The intrepid sewist returns!

Hello out there in crafty land. I am back from LA and one thing I can guarantee is I will be going back ASAP. What an amazing place!
One of my fab days was spent in downtown LA textile district. I will post pictures of my adventures very soon! One thing I know is that if you love textiles you will love this place.
In the meantime my conscience is nagging me and telling me to get some fabric cut ready to sew up so off I go!
Will update you next week. In the mean time if you have any sewing stylee questions feel free to post on the blog.
See you soon
Janie xxxxx

LALALA.....here comes the sun!

In twenty four hours I will be in LA. plan to write patterns to while away the long flight!
Can't wait to see the big yellow thing in the sky - boy have I missed not having a decent summer!
Looking forward to a day in the fabric quarter. Who knows what I will find.....
No blog for a couple of weeks but there will be plenty of blogging when I return to the cold autumnal shores of Blighty!
Until then my lovies.......happy sewing xxxxxxxx

My meandering mind and sewing superstitions!!! If I could just concentrate on one thing............

me and my Ruby Summer brain waves!
image taken from  http://www.committedsardine.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=1647

 Having worked as an academic for more years than I care to mention, one of the golden rules of research is to stay focused! Well if I hadn't decided to become self employed I would be the naughtiest girl in the class this week! (oooooh)
I was busily researching fab fabrics for handbag construction for a future blog when a strange question popped in to my head - are you meant to put a penny in a purse when you gift one? I am prone to rather random thoughts but as I have been working on some purse designs lately I suppose there was at least some logic here! The answer by the way is YES!
Having satisfied myself on that front the ol' brain waves started meandering again and they got me wondering if there were any actual sewing superstitions ............and there are LOADS!

Have a look at some of the mad stuff,(or shall I call it research?!), I found;

•  Never start a sewing project on a Friday or you will not finish it. Apparently though it's alright to work on a project you started before Friday!!!!
•  Never sew on a Sunday .... something to do with stitches and being berated in Heaven. ( So that only leaves Saturday for some safe weekend sewing then, pffffft!)
• Never gift scissors...... they should be bought by the person you want to have them. Hence the idea that you would give someone a penny in exchange for the bladed gift. (Sounds suspiciously like a ruse to cash in on gift giving to me - ok, call me cynical!)

Have you ever heard of any of these or do you have any others to share?
Seems like our great grannies were pretty busy inventing superstitions! I wonder if they created any about getting out of the housework? Let me just google.................................
Until next week my Rubynistas when I hope we will be looking at different fabrics for our projects........... have a restful weekend and only sew on Saturday because it will probably be raining again by then anyway!!!!!
Xxxxxxxxx

BLOG CANDY to help you build your perfect sewing kit with love form Ruby Summerxxxx

We have got blog candy this week!!!!

Well hello again Rubynistas!

How are you getting along with the Olympics? Are you watching like crazy or hiding in your sewing space? I am doing both! I reckon I could get Team GB a gold medal for enthusiasm when it comes to sewing!

Last week we talked about getting the right thread for your project. This week we are looking at how to put a basic sewing kit together. It is easy to get carried away and buy everything you clap your beady eyes on but to be honest it’s a waste of money because wasted money = smaller fabric stash!!! There are so many twee little bits out there but the serious Rubynista needs a proper kit!!!

 So here goes!

First is what I think are the absolute essentials;

Tool	For?
Scissors	Big – main fabric cutting Pinking – if you are unable to overlock seams Snips – for fiddly cutting – a life saver!
Tape measure	Do I need to explain why?!
Tailors chalk	Marking fabric, for example, seam matching or dart placing
Seam ripper - CHECK OUT THE BLOG CANDY THIS WEEK!	Well, we all make mistakes!!!
Spare needles	For your machine and a handy pack for hand sewing
Pins with glass heads	Holding fabric for sewing. Get pins with glass heads so you can actually see them in your fabric and avoid unnecessary swearing when you stab yourself or break a needle!
Safety pins	Always useful when your hem falls down at the wrong moment! And of course holding heavier projects and quilts together
Iron	Essential. I know “iron” is a four letter word but humour me. You cannot create professional finishes without an iron – simples!
Ironing Board	Doesn’t need to be flash! In fact I am making my own this week. Will take tons of piccies so I can do you a tutorial.

Notes: Buy the best scissors you can afford. Really good scissors last for life just like a damned good sauce pan (unless you bat someone over the head with it)


a scissor selection



This next list is sewingy stuff I have and can’t live without….. but it depends on whether you are planning to quilt too……..

Tool	For
Rotary Cutters	The incredibly easy way to cut fabric! I have a range of sizes depending on what I need to cut and how many layers of fabric I am cutting through
Cutting Mats	Mine is huge – and I looooove it. I cut a lot of big pieces of fabric so its fab – you don’t need to go so mad!
Quilters Foot	On a spring and perfect when I  am quilting as it raises over the fabric and prevents puckering
Pin Cushion	Saves your pins rolling on the floor, being stood on by the cat and getting a huge vets bill.
Cutting Rulers	Robust rules to cut with and soooooo much more …..But let’s save that for another day.
Daylight Lamp	As a migraine sufferer I find this essential, and of course come winter its great for treating S.A.D.!

ooooh what a lovley gratuitous picture of sewing things!

Ok, so the lists aren’t exhaustive and I am bound to have left something out! If I have let me know what you must have in your basic sewing kit.

Don’t forget to collect buttons, buckles, fastenings, tons of fabric, empty clean takeaway containers (free storage) and glass jars (even better storage) and always buy the best quality (not necessarily the most money) whenever you can.

To keep the cash flowing only buy thread when you need it unless of course you see an absolute bargain!

Well my darlings, that’s it for this week. I hope it has been a useful read. Do keep in touch, I looooove getting your emails and photos.

A little blog candy to get your kits started!

seam ripper - will yours be blue?

If you’ve got any pics of your sewing kits send them to me so they go up in the blog and inspire others! Whilst your at it what is your can't live without item in the kit? I will email you back if you are a winner so that we can arrange to send your candy to you!
Send pics and words to contact@rubysummer.co.uk. The first five to arrive will be sent a free seam ripper to add to their kits.

J xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps. this week I have been mainly buying scrummy shiny pvc!

A thread about......................thread!

 Hello Rubynistas!
WOW! It is really busy here in London with the Olympics. Wimbledon is out of bounds over the weekend, (cycling race I believe!,) so as it's not going to be too easy I will just have to spend the weekend in my workshop!

As the weekend is upon us again it's time for part three of the "choosing the right...." mini series of blogs from Ruby Summer Sew Amazing. I can't believe I am already sat here writing part three! Where does the time go?! I have been really busy sketching this week - lots of awesome handbag designs and quilts too. At least time flies when I'm having fun.
This week is all about choosing the right thread for your project. There are many types of thread for machine sewing but to me one of the most important rules DO NOT BUY THE CHEAPEST THREAD YOU CAN GET YOUR GRUBBY MITTS ON! It will snap, ruck up and drive you insane! It is always worth paying little more to save not only your sanity, breaking needles etc but also your project.
Okay, so the main threads you will come across are:

Type	Suitability
Cotton	Great for non-stretch fabrics as it doesn’t “give”. A good rule is cotton on cotton If you use cotton on stretchy fabric the stitches can break – not a good look!
Polycotton	My fave! It’s an all purpose thread that works on all fabrics and is also great for hand sewing
Polyester	This can have a shiny appearance. Works really well with synthetic or very stretchy fabrics
Silk	Beautiful for lingerie or delicately woven fabrics. Stretchier than cotton so works on stretchy cottons too
Heavy duty	Used for upholstery projects or if sewing with very stiff or very heavy fabrics. Is extra strong and produces durable stitching.

There are tons of specialist effect threads out on the market too. If you are interested in knowing more about these please let me know and I will write a blog about them for you.

Choosing the right colour thread.....

If you want your thread to match -  choose a shade to fit in with the most dominant colour in your fabric

If you can't find a perfect match- go a shade or two lighter or darker

If you want your stitches to stand out - choose a highly contrasting shade e.g. white thread on navy fabric.

For easy special effects - try using a variegated cotton thread designed especially for sewing machines (I love them!)

Don't forget that your sewing machine manual can also give you guidance about the type of threads to use with it.

Until next week when we are looking at choosing good quality tools for your sewing room that will see you long in to the future and ultimatley save you money! (never thought I would hear myself say that!)

Have a fabulously crafty weekend out there in blogland.

I'm off to see whether Mr Grey lives up to the hype!

See you all next week xxxxxxxxxxxxJxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx