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Roberta Cummings

@roberta.cummings

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Quiltmaking, Sewing, Repairing.
Commissions & Workshops. Norfolk, UK
Supporting @destash4palestine

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Finally got to see our Moon of Bethlehem Community Quilt for Gaza in person today.

It was a very moving experience to see all of the individual patchworked pieces together as one & to see all of the little unique human details was so special.

The raffle to win this is open until 03/10/2025 at midnight (UK time) ✨ EDIT: RAFFLE NOW CLOSED ✨

1 entry = £10 donation to either @thepcrf @thesameerproject or @giving4gaza

More details about the raffle are on the previous posts on my account, or over at @roberta.cummings

Loved viewing this with Roberta who organised the whole project and put it together for us, and fellow collaborator Deva @phaedraclothing 💕💕 wish I could have met everyone who was a part of it

Even if you don't wish to be in a chance to win the quilt, do consider donating to the organisations tagged anyway as they're doing excellent work

#MoonOfBethlehemCommunityQuilt

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Foraging bag, v1.

My first iteration of a foraging bag, you can see in the last photos that it didn't survive it's first trip very well but I'm taking it as a learning success and already got exciting plans for v2!

Today I went foraging with my goddaughter and her mum and the elderflowers are already steeping in a pan of sugar and lemons, ready for filtering and bottling tomorrow.

The pouch was vaguely based on one I saw on Pinterest, made in the leftovers of my cavalry drill from @roberta.cummings - I shall be using every last scrap. Leather is an offcut I got in bulk from Etsy. Holes made by a brilliant leather punch that @minimalistmachinist kindly gave me. It's got belt loops which work well, but need thicker leather and all held together with rivets that were cheap and awful so I'll be buying some proper ones. I attached poppers so it can be folded up small or unfolded and still have the flap.

I added some embroidery (of course), this is the elderflower that @elliesweeneytextiles created for my wedding dress. My dear @radicalhaberdasher had the brilliant idea of embroidering each item on it as I forage them to make it a living document of my adventures. I have good people.

When I was making this, I was thinking "I'm making something for the life I want". I made this, for foraging and I went out foraging. I'm not a fan of manifesting, but putting time and energy and enough made me want to use it for its purpose. Life is full of utter crap right now and difficult things I can't talk about. My life is very very small, but right now my kitchen smells SO GOOD.

Wearing @seamwork #SeamworkNolan in lovely green fabric from @newcrafthouse and @closetcorepatterns #ClosetCoreMileEnd Hoodie in @guthrieghani sweatshirt.

#FatSewingClub #FatSewist #MidFatSewing #CurvySewingCollective #SewistsOfInstagram #HandmadeWardrobe #SewistaOfInstagram #CoventrySews #UKSews #FatCraftersClub #SizeInclusiveStitches #Leatherwork #ForagingPouch #ElderflowerSeason

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How many puppies can I fit in the pocket of my new @closetcorepatterns #ClosetCoreSienna jacket? I reckon at least three, Cookie-sized puppies 😍 Jacket deets in previous post. Puppy not my own sadly.
#puppyinmypocket #puppy #puppypuppy #puppypuppypuppy #ClosetCoreSienna

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Thank you to everyone who entered, I am going to assume the low number of entries is due to the fact that so many of you already use one of these incredible long lasting products. Congrats @roberta.cummings we’ll dm you about the prize 🏆

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✨ Sienna ✨

Have you ever made something that felt like it was a part of your making DNA? This jacket feels like mine, part of me as a maker and part of my style DNA.

This is the @closetcorepatterns #ClosetCoreSienna in View B. I made a mush of different sizes, I had to do a colour coded map to make sure I cut the right pattern pieces. It's a 24 at the shoulders, 30 at the bust and arms, 28 at the waist and hips. I didn't lengthen it as I've found CC patterns to be a good length on me, I think I'll add another inch or two on my next one.

Fabric is an utterly divine cotton cavalry drill in a colour I affectionately call "baby 💩" but it's really a beautiful olive/tan. I purchased it from @roberta.cummings when she did a sale, and it is so beautifully soft and perfect weight for this jacket. I wish I could buy more! I bound all my seams with self-made bias in larkspur print fabric.

The thing I love most about this is the leather details. I bought some deadstock leather from @newcrafthouse and knew it'd be perfect for using in a garment as it's quite soft and lightweight. I fanangled a reverse welt for the belt hole, embroidered my maker's mark (an elderflower) on multiple pockets, and added a handwritten embroidered label in the back with a hanging loop.

Oh, and did I mention the POCKETS?! So many. I made the chest outer pocket in leather for a contrast, and added a little loop for sunglasses or such. There's an inner chest pocket, in addition to the bottom two pockets which are roomy enough for multiple puppies.

The jacket has a unique closure with the belt wrapping all the way round, which I do love when closed but means you have a long belt to deal with when wearing it open - my husband suggested adding a belt pocket on the inside which I may do.

Wore here with a RTW top and my new @closetcorepatterns #ClosetCoreGinger jeans.

I feel like my best me in this outfit, which is pretty cool.

#FatSewingClub #FatSewist #MidFatSewing #CurvySewingCollective #CurvySewing #PlusSizeSewing #IMadeMyClothes #SewistsOfInstagram #MeMadeWardrobe #ClosetCorePatterns #MachineEmbroidery

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An ode to properly fitting trousers

I’ve been trying to take ‘proper’ pictures of these trousers ever since I made them but none came out perfect, and I just kept wearing them so now they’re messy and creased and have mud on them and I care less. So I’m not going to take perfect photos and will just share these ones.

These are also not perfect trousers. I drafted the pattern from my block so the fit is very good (I have no pictures of my bum And that’s wear the fit is really on point), but I didn’t notch a pocket and things spiralled a bit. One pocket actually isn’t a pocket that works yet… but I’ll sew it up at some point. And the rise is either a bit high or the waist could be a little smaller as they fall down a little.

All that being said, all the negativity I could throw at my project, these trousers are pretty great! I haven’t had proper trousers for ages - I have found it very hard to buy trousers since I stopped being skinny as my hip to waist ratio is very large, so nothing off the rack fits well. As a result, I knew I’d be making my own, but I also realised I’d need to draft them myself. Therefore, I waited 2 full years until I was able to make these trousers. Finally, I have proper winter trousers that keep me warm and fit!

They are also important to me because I put these trousers on and felt, what I can only describe as, ‘style euphoria’. This is the style I’ve wanted to have for those two years, but I was waiting until I could do it well. Finally putting them on felt right, like the outside finally reflected me, or at least the me I am in winter (my summer style is very different).

Now l just need to knit more vests and find more shirts in charity shops.

Trousers: self drafted pattern made from fabric purchased in @roberta.cummings fabric sale
Green vest: #schemerslipover by @apella.knits (inspired by @minimalistmachinist
Red vest: #hobbitonvest by @fabelknitwear
Orange jumper: #cosyclassicraglan by @jessssiemae
Cat bat brooch : @autumn.aurelia
Everything else from charity shops. Also featuring @emiliaevan4

Image descriptions: a white woman in various poses wearing camel brown trousers, shirts and vests.

#styleeuphoria #sewing

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Is it me, or are things just ‘heavy’?☹️

I wish there was a way of knowing that life was going to go back to the way it was. When I say that, I suppose I mean before the pandemic😷. Or was it the same then and I’ve just forgotten that?

I try and brush it off and coach myself that it’s just mind over matter and I need to pull my socks up. But sometimes it’s just bloody overwhelming.

I'll be on IG Live at 10am tomorrow with our wonderful Kate Coach, to tackle head on all the feelings we're feeling at the moment and get to grips with how to cope with this constant state of crisis.

I'm excited to learn more and work on some tools🔨 that I can count on, on days like this.

#campaignshopindependent

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They have your smile
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It wasn't what I was expecting.

That first year I had planned some carrots, garlic and hoped for a bag of potatoes. Nothing more nothing less. But seed by seed, year by year my interest in growing food led me to other places.

The list of veg I tried and failed and tried again at grew, I found joy in making compost, i developed a new appreciation for the creatures that shared the space. One year i caved and and grew non edibles for the sake of supporting biodiversity and then *gasp* revelling in the beauty which has seemed frivolous before.
And I learned that saving seed and sharing it is an act of rebellion and an act of love.

I didn't expect that when I walk into my garden and see the plants grown from seed gifted by friends I hold dear and those I barely know, I'd see their faces smiling back at me.

The seeds and plants shared signal community and resistance.

Share seeds, share love and always fuck the system.
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They Have Your Smile is pictured with several plants from seeds shared by friends here. Thank you to everyone who has every shared with me. I will tag as many as I can remember

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Image description: a quilted textile wall hanging hands on a wooden fence framed below by an array of plants. The wall hanging is lino printed with grey iron ink with two hands perpendicular to each other touching at the finger tips and three seeds to the side. It's framed with pieced grey flannel cotton and quilted with a running stitch around the central panel.

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The results of a non stop weekend of mending. At some point after picking up my darning bag to “quickly” fix a tea towel I decided I couldn’t stop until I had finished every item that needed mending 🙄. It’s quite tedious being held hostage by your own brain when you don’t actually want to spend your entire weekend doing that but here we are 🤡.

I used my @ministryofmending #speedweve for most of it - mending with this tool is super quick. I used tutorials by MoM for twill. @slowstitchclub for houndstooth and @missionxgoods for weaving in ends. I let myself play with whichever colour combinations arose from grabbing thread from my bag and I also didn’t correct mistakes, at all (!huge for me!).

I then stepped away from the mini loom and enjoyed using techniques I had seen @bookhou demonstrate. Knotting to close holes and freehand weaving. I don’t have a darning mushroom and just used the disc and spring from my loom to do these. Again I tried to free myself from trying to make these “perfect” on my first attempt and just went with the flow.

I used the vintage darning threads I got from eBay and also some thread that @green.circle.textiles kindly sent to my PO Box. Patching multiple woven sections inspired (as always) by @roberta.cummings

So yes, my darning pile is empty, my techniques have improved and most importantly my obsession with excelling at everything I do first time and punishing myself for making mistakes has somehow started to evaporate thankfully.

#visiblemending #darning #speedweve #darningloom #miniloom #darningsocks #mending #mendingmatters

ID - various flat lay images of socks that have been darned with multicoloured threads. Some in progress photos of socks mid mending on the loom and with ends before weaving in.

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Safe to say I’m hooked.

Check my darning highlight for more info. Inspired by @roberta.cummings - replica speedweve 14 hook darning loom purchased from @ministryofmending.

ID- two photos of visibly mended socks on a white background. A yellow sock with multicoloured yarn in basketweave and a purple sock with purple and white thread in the same weave. The second photo shows 4 socks altogether with various patches of woven mending.

#speedweve #visiblemending #darningloom #darning #darningsocks #loom

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Mended a worn out sock using a technique recommended by @roberta.cummings! The sock was super thin, so I used some jersey knit fabric I had on hand and patched it using a whipstitch. Genius. You can find it as a highlight on their page!

The matching sock doesn’t have a run in it yet but I’ll be adding a jersey patch in the same spot to add reinforcement. #mending

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Lean on me, when you're not strong ❤️

It's what I've said and will say today, to someone who's very very special to me, who lost her mum yesterday.

We all go through difficult and tragic moments, but it’s not always easy to know how to support the people we love the most in the world when you can see they're in pain.

You want to make it disappear, but it just doesn't work that way.

As I've got older I've realised that whilst you can't always make it disappear (and God I honestly wish I could) just being there for someone. Helping hold them up and shouldering some of the weight can often be the best thing you can do. Well, it's the only thing you can do. You feel helpless, but this is the one thing you've got to give.

Death is the most powerful subject, one we rarely speak about. It has a reputation that if we pluck up the courage to talk about it, somehow we'll pay the price? Do you know what I mean? The universe marks this on a card and will somehow let you know, she knows? I wish it was something we could speak about more, in our families at least. The place which will rip our hearts 💔 out the most when the time comes. Not that the pre-chat will take the hurt away, but at least we can cuddle, chat thoughts, wishes, hopes and our dreams for those that remain.

For now, my most dearest is hurting. I'm so deeply sorry for her loss of a parent and the pain like no other. I wish I could take it away, but I'll try and ease it with a bear hug and brownie (she has a sweet tooth like no other X)
Xx

#LeanOnMe

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