Category Archives: Sewing

How to de-fluff your machine

When was the last time you cleaned your sewing machine? If it was after you were sewing with fluffy fabrics, then well done! But if you’ve been sewing with a lot of furry or fluffy fabrics and haven’t cleaned your machine out in a while (I admit I’m guilty of this!!), then maybe it’s about time you gave your sewing machine a little care and attention.

If your machine seems to be ‘growing’ fluff, then it’s definitely time you cleaned it!

My machine has a top-loading bobbin, and the instructions tell me to never add oil to the machine. Front-loading bobbin machines will have different ways of cleaning out the fluff that collects.

Before we get started, you’ll need:

  • The screwdriver that came with your machine (or a suitable short screwdriver)
  • The lint brush that came with your machine (or a similar suitable brush)
  • Two tissues (not essential, but I find them useful – a couple of small cloths would work equally well)
  • A lint-free cloth (again not essential, but it can come in handy)

Ready? Ok, first things first – we need to remove the bobbin cover. You can tell I’d not cleaned my machine for a while, by all the fluff on the right hand side.

Remove the bobbin (simple so far, eh?)

Now we need that screwdriver. Mine is more like a key than a screwdriver, but it’s small enough to fit into the awkward angle needed to undo that back left screw.

The screws are pretty small so I put the plate and screws on a tissue to the side of my sewing machine, to make sure they don’t get lost.

I knew my machine was in need of cleaning, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite this bad.

Using that small lint brush, carefully remove the fluff from the machine. I find the fluff sticks quite well to it, so I don’t need to brush it from side to side in order to collect up the fluff.

I use a tissue to wipe the fluff from the brush so I’m not just adding more to the inside of my machine.

Next, check how the bobbin holder is located (and if necessary, take a photo) – you need to align it correctly when you put it back in. If you get really stuck, your instruction manual will have a diagram showing how to line everything up, but realistically I know you’re not going to want to spend time looking for the instruction manual in the first place.

Lift out the bobbin holder.

And guess what? Yep there’s more fluff on the inside of there as well! This can be brushed, or wiped around with a dry cloth.

All that’s left now, is reassembly! Replace the bobbin holder, taking care to line it up correctly. Then wipe over the needle plate (I use the tissue I put the plate on earlier) and put it back in the slot, remembering to tighten the screws so the plate can’t wobble with the vibration as you’re sewing. Sometimes I find this small screwdriver fiddly to use, so you might find a small regular-shaped screwdriver works better for you.

Then simply replace the bobbin and bobbin cover.

Your machine will thank you, and should now be ready for hours more sewing!


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Celstial Plushies – part five

Ok, so this isn’t actually a plushie, but it was made for a friend’s plush bear so it still counts! I didn’t want to try resizing a standard hoodie pattern, so I used the Apostrophe Patterns MyFit Tee for the bodice. You can enter the measurements of whoever (or whatever plush / doll) you are making for, and the pattern is generated for you, with your chosen seam allowance!

That bodice would give a t-shirt or a sweater, but my friend wanted a hoodie for their bear. So, I printed off the hood from the 12 months Ellie & Mac Around the Block Hoodie at 75% and removed some of the height of the hood to fit the bear’s head.

Why not head over to Minerva to see all the details of this make!


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Hoodie bodice pattern: Apostrophe Patterns MyFit Tee (https://apostrophepatterns.com/collections/customizable-patterns/products/myfit-tee) Hood from Ellie & Mac Around the Block Hoodie* age 12 months printed at 75% and edited for height.
Fabric: Celestial plush fleece from Minerva (provided as my Brand Ambassador project for this month)

Celestial Plushies – part four

Having made two bears and two penguins from ‘tried and tested’ patterns, I thought I’d dive in with a pattern I’d downloaded but never actually made before.

Choly Knight’s Owl Plush pattern is a relatively simple shape, but the main feature is the applique face pieces. I used some black felt I had lying in my sewing box for the pupils, but all the white detailing is the reverse side of the fleece.

Check out my latest post at Minerva for all the details!


Pattern: Choly Knight’s Owl Plush
Fabric: Celestial plush fleece from Minerva (provided as my Brand Ambassador project for this month)

Celestial Plushies – part three

Ok, my last penguin was a little bit of mess in places! But I didn’t want to leave it as a ‘failed’ make, so I decided to make a 150% sized penguin to prove that it is possible for me to make one properly from this fabric!

Enlarging the pattern worked perfectly, and my penguin actually came out almost how I expected it to. It does have a twist to the tail but I think that adds some quirky character, so I’m not too worried about that.

Head on over to Minerva to check out the full details of my make


Pattern: BeeZee Art Penguin Plushie
Fabric: Celestial plush fleece from Minerva (provided as my Brand Ambassador project for this month)


Celestial Plushies – part two

Following on from the two bears, I wanted to make another penguin from a pattern I’d used before. This one wasn’t so successful, and resulted in a lot of frayed tempers and arguments… never argue with a plushie penguin – somehow you will never manage to win!

Head on over to Minerva to check out the full details of my make


Pattern: BeeZee Art Penguin Plushie
Fabric: Celestial plush fleece from Minerva (provided as my Brand Ambassador project for this month)

Celestial Plushies – part one

I wanted to do something different for my latest Minerva Brand Ambassador project, so I decided to see how many things I could make from a metre of fleece. I started with two bears, using the white reverse of the fabric as a contrast for the ears.

Check out my latest post at Minerva for all the details!


Pattern: Simply Sewing Magazine, issue 24
Fabric: Celestial plush fleece from Minerva (provided as my Brand Ambassador project for this month)

How is it half way through January already?!

Well I think it’s quite clear that my resolution to sew more in 2021 (or at least blog more) didn’t actually materialise! Following on from my grand clear-out of fabric offcuts & those fabrics I bought with great intentions several years ago but never actually used, I thought this year’s 9 to Try should be things I already have the fabric lined up for!

I know the ‘classic’ name would be “Make 9” but that always makes me feel like I’ve failed if I don’t achieve making all nine! So I feel “nine to try” is better, as that counts any that might get started and subsequently abandoned.

My Nine to Try for 2022

Hey June Handmade Amherst Shirt*
A friend gave me some fabric for Christmas several years ago, with the idea I made it into a lap blanket. I think the fabric would be much better suited to being a shirt, so that is this year’s aim! I also have some England Football cotton (probably originally designed to be a duvet cover, given the size of the print and the extra-wide fabric), and some “splotchy” purple cotton which would also make a couple of great Amherst shirts.

5 out of 4 Zen Trousers*
A couple of years ago I bought a “stretch fabric mystery package” online, and received a white floral cotton lycra, and a black crepe-like jersey. Along with the purple cotton lycra I’d originally bought to make a top from, I’m hopeful that these will make some comfy Zen trousers.

Ellie & Mac* Around the Block Hoodie*
Bright blue and navy sweatshirt fabric (as long as the colour doesn’t bleed out from the navy!) would make a striking Around the Block hoodie, with those diagonal lines being much more noticeable than on my original Around the Block make.

Woven PJ Bottoms
I have some Winter themed cotton that would make a great pair of PJ bottoms – I just need to finalise the pattern I want to use!

Tilly & the Buttons Joe PJ Bottoms
I bought the pattern and fabric a couple of years ago, to make these as a present for a relative. Unfortunately the relative was reluctant to actually let me measure him… but this year I’m determined to make these PJ bottoms!

Woven Nightie
Much like the Joe PJ bottoms, the woven nightie was meant to be a gift for a relative. I’m hoping that this year she’ll let me measure her, so I can get the nightie sewn!

Blank Slate Bookworm Shirt
Depending on the fabric content (I thought it was cotton, but I’ve got it written down as jersey), this will either be another shirt for K, or a t-shirt! Whatever it’s going to be, I’m aiming on getting it made for his birthday in the Spring.

Megan Nielsen Dawn Jeans
or Winter Wear Designs Endless Summer Shorts*
I have quite a bit of denim set aside to make jeans, although I have put weight on since lockdown, which isn’t a problem but does mean I need to re-measure myself and maybe change the size of pattern I was making previously! If I don’t feel confident enough with the jeans, then I do have some fabric that would make Endless Summer Shorts (and that pattern is easier to amend the sizing).

Megan Nielsen Matilda Shirt Dress
I’ve never actually got as far as making myself a shirt dress, and this is actually the only one on my “9 to Try” that I don’t have the fabric set aside for. However, I do like the idea of dresses, even if I can’t wear ones with a zip in the back as I really hate the idea of having to get someone to help me zip it up!!
My alternative to the shirt dress is to finish the faux fur bears I’d cut out years ago but never actually got as far as sewing.


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Spring Cleaning

I know that Spring Cleaning traditionally starts in the Spring…. but I decided on New Year’s Eve that it was time I actually sorted my fabrics. And I mean properly sorting them, not just looking at them and putting it all back in the cupboard again!

I’m sure I’m not the only person who keeps the offcuts of fabric “just in case” then never actually goes back through it again? I had a surprising amount of offcuts that were just too small to do anything with, so they all went out for the recycling collection as rag.

But what about those offcuts which are a more usable size, and the fabrics that I’ve bought and never got as far as using? I started out buying duvet covers as cheap fabric alternatives (especially useful when you can get a double duvet cover for £11, which has metres of fabric to play with). However, I haven’t used a duvet cover fabric in years, so it’s time for those to be passed on to someone who can make use of them.

A selection of the fabrics in my clear-out

Some of my online purchases over the years, were ones I probably wouldn’t have bought in an actual shop if I could handle them before buying. Things like the purple jersey in that photo above; it’s a lovely colour, but so heavy-weight it would be likely to stretch vertically while being worn. There’s also a lining fabric which came as part of a mystery box which I’m not likely to use as I prefer to add patterned cotton linings to coats. The bright blue fabric in that photos is a sweater fabric which was a lot more delicate than I had anticipated, and not really ideal to make a sweater for the male family member I had in mind.

My faux fur offcuts should still be the right size for someone to make a small cuddly toy, and the striped denim… unfortunately the stripes would be impossible for me to look at while sewing (since I’ve been sewing more, I’ve realised that high contrast patterns are not suitable for my eyes), so that had to go as well.

In total, I had a large charity sack full of fabric to donate, which I’m hoping will come in useful to someone!

I’m not quite finished yet though – I still need to sort the fabrics so they’re stored more logically, and the denims are all in the same box. Then I “just” need to work on sorting patterns (and that could take a long time!).

A Spooky Halloweeny Glowing Stingray

You’ve probably noticed that I like quirky fabrics, and what could be more quirky than a glow in the dark Halloween fabric?

In daylight the stingray is just plain old black and white cotton, with a plush fleece underside. Because the cotton doesn’t stretch, I did find it challenging to sew the top seam neatly after stuffing the stingray, as I’m used to using stretchy fabrics for toys.

I didn’t want the eyes to stand out and detract from the glowing fabric, so I used some plain black eyes which I think look a little more natural than the coloured ones.

But I know you’re waiting to see what this little stingray looks like in the dark, and I will admit I actually failed at getting a photo in focus with the stingray glowing!

But fear not, this stingray was actually a present for a friend, and she had much better luck with taking a photo:

I’m amazed with how well the fabric actually glows, as some of my glow-in-the-dark fabrics have felt a little underwhelming in the dark. I might have to see if I can get some more of this fabric, and make a few more stingrays!


Pattern: BeeZeeArt
Fabrics: Plush Addict

Superbly warm and cosy Fox Joggers

I had the opportunity to sew something from this amazingly warm fur-backed fox sweatshirt fabric. Of course my thought immediately went to another hoodie – but then I realised that what my winter wardrobe was really lacking, was a pair of warm joggers for winter walks.

This was my first make using the Apostrophe Patterns My Fit Joggers pattern, which probably was rather reckless given that I didn’t even make a muslin first. But I’m pleased with how they came out, even though I do need to adjust the elastic a little, as I think I was a bit too generous on the waistband measurements!

Check out my superbly cosy Fox Joggers on the Minerva website


Pattern: Apostrophe Patterns My Fit Joggers
Fabric: Fur Backed Sweatshirt from Minerva