ironing milk bottles, but I won't do socks.

Morning fellow internet users

Things to share today, you can iron milk bottoms.  This really isn't as daft as it first sounds, you see I have been looking at different options for reinforcing the bottom of bags.  This is usually a strip of hard cardboard in purchased bags and this is all well and good when the bag is made from a fabric that is sort of waterproof, but all the bags I make are from fabrics that are not waterproof i.e. felt or velvet.  A felt bag put down in a puddle of beer will soak it up and the cardboard will become wet, soggy and not hold the bag in a nice firm shape, trust me on this one, I know. Now I not advocating that anyone purchasing my bags should keep them in puddles, but what I have been looking for is something waterproof like plastic, just in case.

Small bags are less of a problem as there are a number of things out there that can be used, ice cream tubs, not the small cardboard ones, but the larger square ones, nice large clothes conditioner bottles can be used for a fair size oval, just wander round the kitchen and take a look. Yesterday though whilst swilling out a milk bottle for putting in the recycling, it struck me that around the waist area if flatten out was a good size rectangle. I got out the scissors and set to work, my first thought was that if I stuck two together both having bending sides facing in, they might hold each other flat, then I thought about the iron; warm and melt just enough to flatten and hey presto it worked.  We used the iron alot when I did a city and guilds in machine embroidery, you should see how a crisp packet reacts, it's great fun.

And a second momentous moment yesterday came when after I had spent quite awhile trying to work out how far I would have to travel to buy some really thin dowels for reinforcing the top of this particular bag, when I remembered the bamboo skewers we use for BBQing. Cut to size they were perfect. So all in all I was quite pleased with myself yesterday.

Well today's post was supposed to be about bra progress, so here's a quick synopsis:

just love the 50's style fastening 

I think the point on the circle and spoke bra is still too pointy as you end up with a shape that you just can't get a human boob into believe me. It kinda gets a bit wider after the circles, sorry I know that that is difficult to see with satin material. Options would be to take the curve down and reduce the point or increase the circles inwards as the circles, since this particular bra is already made up I decided it would be easier in this case to add a few more circles and see what happens....


Haven't done it yet hence the dot, dot, dot, but it is on the list for soon, as is the other option of less point, so I can compare the two and I also have the drafts for the 4 piece pattern for the bullet bra, so next week will see that in material form too.

All in all, quite please with progress this week, hope you are all having a good week too.

warmest regards
ally x