Ravina the Seamstress

Hi guys! So in my recent post called Autumn 2018 Sewing Plans I mentioned that I have been wanting to sew trousers, but had been struggling with getting the pattern and fit right. However I have FINALLY managed to get the pattern correct and fit on point, and I am soooooo happy! I thought I would break down the process on making my trousers, pattern, fit, sewing process, fabric. Pattern and Fit Pattern draft 1: So initially I planned on using the McCalls 7726 sewing pattern as I wanted a paperbag waist style trousers and I thought I would learn how to use a proper sewing pattern (rather than draft it myself). However, upon sewing up a toile (well done me), I just couldn't understand why the pocket construction was made so confusing! I had seen some other sewers mention something about the pockets being a bit hard to do with the pleats, but maybe because it was all new to me I got more confused. Nevertheless, I thought I would redraft the pattern and put my own simple slante...

Hi guys, So as you are probably aware there is a saying 'Shop till you drop'...... well lets just say I did that with my fabric shopping haul the other week. Literally dropped. I came back from shopping with two massive Sainsburys heavy duty shopping bags over filling with fabric, plonked them on the floor, ran into my living room and fell on the floor feeling exhausted from shopping.... to the point I strained my arms and was in agony over the weekend. WHAT. AN. IDIOT! But of course it was all in good cause because I am so pleased with what I got! In total I bought 17 pieces of fabric and roughly 29 meters in total (no wonder my arms were hurting!) My fabric haul! Although it might not seem like a lot of fabric but my aim of this haul was to get more winter appropriate fabric so some heavy ponte knit fabrics and suiting fabrics so they are quite thick! Hamid Fabrics: So Hamid Fabrics was the first shop I went to. From left to right: Green satin fabr...

Hi guys, I recently acquired a SINGER 195K1 industrial sewing machine from my aunty, which was in much need of restoration! I thought I would share some photos of the restoration which will hopefully give inspiration to others. Unfortunately the machine had been left outside for a few weeks so the machine rusted up quick badly as shown. Luckily the motor was working but it was quite noisy from all the debris in the motor from the rust. To be honest, we was considering whether it was restorable! The table especially, since made of wood, had been really damaged from the rain. Nevertheless, my dad went ahead with the restoration. From what I recall, he first sanded down the metal to get rid of the rust, cleaned out the inside of the motor, cut a chunk of the table off since it had been ruined too much from the rain and was damp, then used paint striper to remove the old paint and then spray painted it with Hammerite metal paint: SINGER 195K1 in all ...

So I've got a really quick and easy DIY tutorial for you today and it is a sewing machine cover. I made a patchwork style cover for my beloved SINGER sewing machine and decided to make another cover for a future machine or to give as a gift. The great thing about this is you can use scrap pieces of fabrics from old projects and would be a brillant gift for someone. What you will need: Scrap fabrics or fat quarters Scissors Thread Lining fabric Stuffing (could use an old pillow; that's what I did) Iron Pins Tutorial and pattern: 1. Cut 40 6" x 6" squares of fabric. You will also need to cut a lining fabric which should measure 30" x 48". 2. To start the pattern, will be sew a row of squares first and then attach each row to each other. First, place two squares right sides together and sew a straight stitch.  3. Repeat this to make a row of 5 squares. 4. Repeat this to make 8 rows in total of 5 squares sewn together (i...

Hi guys, So in my last post (my Autumn sewing plans) I had mentioned that I am obsessed with wrap skirts. They suit my body shape and comfortable to wear. The pattern and sewing construction is really easy! There are only a total of 5 pattern pieces needed! Before we start making the pattern, there are two measurements needed; Full hip/ butt measurement* and desired length of wrap skirt measurement.  * measure around the fullest part of your hip i.e. around your butt! The reason for this is so that once darts are added to the top of the skirt, the skirt will nicely contour around your hips and will be a fitted skirt.  Below are my measurements, which I will use to show how to calculate the lengths and widths of the pattern pieces. Fullest hip/ butt measurement: 40" Length of wrap skirt: 32" Pattern Piece A and C:  To simplify pattern piece A and C have the same measurements. To calculate the width of piece A and C, divide your fullest...

Hi guys, Today I am back after a very long break with my autumn 2018 sewing plans. My absence from the blog is a combination of finishing my final year of uni (eeekkkk!), troubles with uploading images efficiently and my dog passing away. Hopefully now that I have finished uni, I will be able to upload more often. During the summer, I have been gathering inspiration of items I want to sew this autumn, so I thought I would share these ideas with you! 1. Black midi or 3/4 length dress: My mum will probably complain at me for making a black dress but oh well. My mood lately has been wanting me to wear a black dress so I thought this would be the perfect season. I've already made a similar dress with buttons down the middle and it was also form fitting, so the pattern is sorted out.... just need black fabric. 2. Leopard print wrap skirt: For some reason, I've been craving a leopard print wrap skirt. Yep Leopard print..... when was the last time I wore leopard ...