An Early Christmas Present

Today my husband bought me an early Christmas present.

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I love classic sewing machines, and in fact do most of my sewing on a Singer 401 from the late 1950's. I also have a number of other vintage machines, and until now, my oldest had been my Singer 99 from 1928:


I had been lamenting that the one thing that my collection lacked was a treadle. But I didn't want just any treadle...I didn't want a Red Eye...because everyone had a Red Eye. Red Eyes popped up on Craig's List every day. And I wanted a coffin-top cabinet or something really nice, not just any old thing. So, needless to say, I had been perusing Craig's List for about a year with no luck, until this week.

This week I saw it...the one I wanted...so I sent the link to my husband. Who pointedly ignored it for two days. Dork. So I simply called him and informed him that I had called the flea market where it was, they still had it, and if he wanted an idea for a Christmas gift for me, Saturday at 8 am we would be departing for Clarksville. Seriously, why do boys have to be so dense?

Anyway, it turned out to be a fun adventure. I had my niece and nephew with me this weekend, so we all piled into the Jeep and drove the 70 miles to Clarksville for a little adventure. Clarksville is up the Mississippi River from St. Louis and is a super-cute town. We hit the Blue Rose flea market, which is a bit outside town and benefits adults with disabilities. There is both a flea market and a really nice antique shop, as well as a restaurant that overlooks the river. The sewing machine was marked "$150.00, OBO" so I asked if they would take $100.00 thinking they would bargain. Except they said "Sure." Well, then! We'll take it! And also all the rest of this stuff the kids have found that they want....

The machine is a Singer 66, which was the full-size equivalent of the 99. Based on the serial number, it was manufactured in 1908, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It also uses the Lotus decal. The Lotus and the Sphinx decals were two designs that had distinctive Egyptian motifs. As an archaeologist who worked in the near east, these two designs were particularly attractive to me. The one thing that I did not get was my coffin top. This one is in a "parlor cabinet," so the treadle mechanism is completely hidden away. Overall, the machine is in very good repair, needing only a treadle belt, a small rubber ring for the bobbin winding mechanism (these things always disintegrate with age) and one screw needs tightening on the bobbin winding mechanism to hold the thread guide. Other than that, the machine is clean and runs smoothly. It is not locked up, and just needs a little oil.

Here are some photos:

In the cabinet, with the cabinet closed:


Cabinet open and treadle mechanism visible:


Two little drawers attached to door:


Machine head:


Thread guide needs repair, and rubber ring needs replaced:


Some wear to decals on the bed of the machine:


Even the faceplate is decorated with a lotus motif:


From the back:


The little drawer inside the case was full of all sorts of stuff, including hundreds of vintage buttons. Here are just a few:


After picking up the machine, we took the kids to lunch, and then headed back to St. Louis. All in all, a great day, and I would say that the machine is definitely a great find. I can't wait to get it back into working order.

Aaand Another One...

On Wednesday when I got home from work I immediately adjourned to the sewing room with the good intentions to clean up and get ready for our out-of-town guests. Since the sewing room doubles as our second guest room, I need to clean up in there so J's brother has a place to sleep next week! But, I ended up not cleaning anything and instead just sewed another Uptown Downtown Knit Dress instead.

Seriously, these things are so easy to make!! I was done and watching Top Chef by 9. Of course, I still haven't cleaned up the sewing room, but that is completely beside the point:


Plus, I needed a brown dress. I have hardly anything brown in my closet. This one I also made with long sleeves, and shortened the bottom band to gather the bottom edge of the skirt more like the pattern illustration. My first version, the band was more of a 1:1 ratio to the bottom edge of the skirt, and didn't gather at all. So I shortened the pattern piece by 1 1/2 inches (for 3 inches off the bottom band) and this is what I got. I am much happier with this look.

I also styled this version a bit more formally for work, with tights and boots. I also found a stack of gold bangles that I haven't worn in YEARS. I should take a close-up photo of them because they are very pretty. The story behind them is when I was in graduate school, each year I would travel overseas to do archaeological work...to Syria, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt...and one of the very common items that you see in shops there are gold bangles. So every year, I would purchase a single gold bangle to remember my time there that season. I have a whole arm full, 9 in total. The funny part is because it is more common that the gold used in those countries is 21 to 24 karat, it looks "too yellow" to us, who are used to seeing 14 karat gold, and most anyone who sees them assume that they are "fake."

But, "fake" or not, it was still nice to get a change to wear them and remember bargaining in the shops and agonizing over designs. I do miss those days.

Jammies for Sadie

This weekend my niece, Sadie, spent the weekend with me to continue with her sewing projects.

A few weeks ago, I let her buy some flannel while it was on sale at Hancock's. She opted for an incredibly bright pink and green with butterflies printed on it. I also taught her how to start making some alterations to her patterns, and the pajama pants gave us a very simple palette to start with. Like me, Sadie has a round bottom, which means that she is constantly hiking up the back of her pants. So, I showed her how to add a wedge to the back of a pants pattern to cover her bottom. Now, she wants to make MORE PANTS.

Her she is in her new jammies:


The pants were made using Simplicity 3571, and her measurements are such that even though she is petite she is between a size 14 and 16 in sizes.


I also let her make a t-shirt to go with the pants using a remnant that had been floating around in the stash for about two years. She added two pockets of the pants fabric as well:


The shirt was made from a pattern that she has used before, New Look 6735, although we do have to raise the neckline by 1 1/2 inches and shorten the neckband as well. I also let her use the serger to assemble the shirt, which she was very excited about.


My dog is also very excited about the niece and nephew's visits, because it gives him an opportunity to be completely pathetic:

Weightloss Progress

I am pleased to report that the weightloss has been going well enough that yesterday I was able to wear a skirt that I actually made before the whole issue with the steroids even started. I made this skirt in February, and my surgery wasn't until April.


This skirt was made from Vogue 8455, which is unfortunately now out of print, but still available on the Vogue website at a relatively exorbitant price.

If you have this pattern lurking in your stash, I would certainly recommend sewing it up, it is super-comfortable and easy to make. Here is the original post on the skirt if you want a review.

So far I have lost about 12 lbs...it's been slow going, but hopefully I'll get back to normal (or at least what is "normal" for me) soon.

This weekend I will have my niece with me, so probably no sewing for myself but perhaps will have a project of Sadie's to post!

Sweater Dress Version Complete

Oh my gosh, I can't believe the response on the last post! Thank you, everyone! I really appreciate everyone's comments and am glad if I helped anyone make a decision to get this pattern because I sure do think it's a winner.

Anyway, I finished my version in the merino wool. I bought this as a wool jersey from Fabric.com when they had the sale on all the Vera Wang fabrics, and it was sold as a jersey and all I can say is "it's not." But, it is a really nice sweater knit.

One of the reasons that I bought the Uptown, Downtown Knit Dress pattern was to use for this fabric because I really had no idea what to do with it, or any idea really how to work with it. I am a complete newbie to working with sweater knits and had no clue how to finish or hem the edges, so I was really attracted to this dress because the bands of ribbing which could also be done in self fabric eliminated the need for me to worry about how to finish the edges.

If anyone is considering doing this dress in a sweater knit there are a couple of important things that you have to change in your construction to accommodate the different kind of knit. One thing that did not cross my mind was the lack of lycra in my knit and how that would impact the behavior of the fabric. I know that one of the things that we always say on PR to beginners is "always use the recommended fabrics" and here I am breaking the rules and wondering what happened.....

But, I was able to fix it! So, the construction of the dress assumes that you are using a knit with lycra, and I used a knit without lycra. When I put the dress together, here is what I got:

See how the neckline is distorted and the sleeves look overly long? The weight of the top is pulling the neckline out of shape. It never occurred to me that the reason that the neckline sat where it did on the original was because the lycra in the fabric held it there. So, how to "add" lycra to this fabric?

My solution was to add elastic. I used the same method of serging a thin strip of elastic directly into the seam that Trudy uses for the waist, and added a 24 inch strip of elastic to the neckline. I then applied some steam from the iron to shrink the fabric back into shape:


Now the neckline is in the proper place, the sleeves are the right length, and the front is not blousing so dramatically.

Another thing that I had to change was how I assembled the cuffs, collar, and bottom band. Rather than stretching the bands, I gathered the fabric instead. Without lycra, the fabric in the bands just didn't have the recovery to take all that stretching. Because the fabric will not be able to take the abuse that the RPL of the first version, I made a heavier, thicker belt for this version as well, more of a kimono-style.

I also shortened the bottom band by three inches (or one and one half inches on the pattern piece, since it is cut on the fold) to bring in the bottom of the skirt a bit more than on the muslin. You can see that this does give the skirt more of that sweatshirt shape, without making it blouse and cause a "hippy" look (that I definitely do not need). Overall, I am very happy with this second version and feel that it will get a lot of wear. I feel like this one is a little dressier than the first version, and styled it with tights and a pair of Cole Haan booties for work today.

Seriously, the Fastest Project I Have Ever Sewn

This dress was like the polar opposite of the Most Tedious Safari Dress Ever.

This morning I woke up at about 7, and thought that I would trace off a copy of the Hot Patterns Uptown Downtown Knit Dress, since my new patterns had arrived on Saturday. I have grand plans for this dress, and would like to use it for my Vera Wang Wool-Jersey-That-Is-Really-More-Like-Sweater-Knit from Fabric.com, but before I cut into that I wanted to make a muslin in a less-irreplaceable RPL knit from Hancock's that was about the weight of a sweatshirt knit.

Seriously, by 11 I was showered and wearing my dress. This was THE FASTEST project I have ever made. Only 4 hours to trace, cut out, and sew. I NEVER work that fast. That was tracing included!


While I am not the fastest sewer in the world, I do not poke along either and I do have to admit to being rather nervous about sewing exclusively on the serger. I am relatively new to serging, and generally what I do is I sew the seam on the sewing machine and then finish the edge on the serger. The serger is just a little to zippy for me to feel entirely comfortable sewing constructions seams on it. But, I watched all of Trudy's videos for this dress, and the seam allowances are drafted as 3/8" so it is designed to be sewn that way. So, I steeled myself and just did it. Or as the Hot Patterns Motto says: "Feel the fear...And do it anyway!"

I made the pattern exactly to their specifications, selecting a size 18 based on my measurements. I did not do an FBA or any alterations. They offer three different lengths for the bodice, one for heavy fabrics (the shortest), with the longest length for lightweight fabrics. I cut mine to the shortest length. I also made a narrow sash.

Here is the final product:


And here it is from the back:


AND, because of the weight of the sweatshirtish material, that is sans-spanx. Yep, that is just me under there. How awesome is that? I might have to go get some more of this fabric!

There is one change that I am going to make before putting together the final product and that is to shorten the length of the band around the bottom of the skirt. As you can see, it does not gather the skirt in at all, even though it looks as though it does in the pattern illustration. On one hand, for someone with wide hips like me, a more A-line skirt is definitely a more flattering shape. On the other hand, that is not how this dress is supposed to look, so I will shorten it...but just slightly. Just enough to make it smaller than the hem of the skirt, but not enough to make the skirt blouse and make me look even more hippy than I already am. I will also make the long-sleeved option when I make the final version.

I think that this dress also has great potential to be a flexible addition to any wardrobe. Today I am wearing it paired with Kenneth Cole Mary Janes and jean jacket for a casual day with the family:


But it could easily be paired with tights, heels, and a cardigan for a more work-appropriate look. I would highly recommend this pattern, and even though it is rated "easy," it is still very fashion-forward.

Trouser Jeans, Kind of Done

Today I finished my second version of my Hot Patterns Trouser Jeans:


This pattern is now out of print, but has the characteristic L-shaped crotch curve that is used for Hot Patterns pants. For my muslin, I used the flat waistband that was a part of the original pattern, but that did not work at all. In fact, when I put then on, the fell right off! So, in this version I used a contour waist pattern from a Vogue pant pattern.

Something to point out though (and I am including this photo before I make any changes), is that the change in the waistband changes where the band sits on the body. So, it actually "lifts" the back of the pant. See, wedgie:


Fortunately, though this is part of the set of clothing I have made with weight loss in mind, so the pants were constructed specifically with ease of alterations in mind. Rather than serging the back seam together, the edges of the pattern pieces were serged prior to assembly, and pressed open. This means that it will be a simple thing to go back and scoop out that back curve a bit more.


The front, on the other hand, fits just fine:


Also, I wanted to tell you a story about the giant plant behind me in that photo. My dad is a crazy gardener. He has houseplants on every surface in every room, and every year his vegetable garden gets a little bit bigger (he's up to about half an acre now). When I was 22 I moved into my first apartment, my dad took cuttings of some of his houseplants for me and brought me my first potted plants at my new apartment. One of the cuttings was a little, tiny rubber tree. It was just 2 little leaves on a stick about 6 inches tall.

Over the next years, I moved into a lot of different apartments...first I moved to Columbia, Missouri for my Masters and then to Urbana, Illinois for my PhD. Every move, I took my little plants with me. Eventually I moved home to St. Louis and still the plants stayed with me.

It's now 15 years since my dad gave me my first little house plants and that rubber tree has been transplanted a dozen times, and every year it gets hauled outside in it's giant pot on wheels to spend the summer on the porch where it grows and grows and grows. And every time my dad comes over I take great pleasure in pointing out "Hey, Dad. Did you see? Mine's bigger than yours."

Easing Back In

First I wanted to thank everyone for their kind words. It is amazing to me what a community can be built out here in cyber-space, and I appreciate everyone's words of comfort.

I really want to get back to "normal" and back to work on some projects again. I am not sure if I am up to the challenge of the wool suit, but of late I have been completely obsessed with Hot Patterns. I really, really love the videos that they have been putting up, and I find myself drawn to patterns that I wouldn't have been otherwise.

When the Marrakesh Drawstring Pants pattern first came out, my reaction was "Gah, drawstring pants! With pockets no less! Why not pair it with a nice, big tunic to look extra-pregnant?!?!" But then...I watched the video...and Trudy (who is no skinny-minnie, mind you) looked fantastic in them. She even (gasp!) allowed herself to be filmed from the back, and the fit was fantastic, not to mention, her shape is similar to my own. So....I had to have them:


One of the things that really sets apart the Hot Patterns pants pattern is the drafting of their back crotch curve. The curve is L-shaped, which gives quite the nice shape to a bottom. Because of my obsession with Hot Patterns, while I waited for my Marrakesh pants to arrive, I pulled out a discontinued pattern that I had and worked on it instead:


I purchased this pattern on Ebay well over a year ago and just never used it, but it has a nice shape to it. It does, however, have a very low waist and a totally straight waistband...no contour at all. Which is why I can't show you any photos of the muslin, because I put them on, and fwooop...they fell straight to the floor!!! I need to replace that straight waistband with a contour band. Because of the low waist, I don't even need to trim down the top of the pattern to accommodate it. I will tell you that I had to do VERY FEW alterations to make this pattern fit properly. Just a slight extension to the back crotch, and a very slight widening to the back leg. Other than that, I traced off exactly the size, both front and back, that was recommended by the measurement chart. So the waistband is the only problem with the muslin. I will trace off a contour band from another pattern, and put together a final pair. And that L-shaped curve? Does as advertised.

I also bought the Uptown Downtown Knit Dress:


I had purchased a length of the Vera Wang merino wool jersey from Fabric.com when it was all on sale, but when it arrived it was more like a sweater-knit than a more fluid jersey:


So I thought that it would be a nice fabric for this dress given the description recommends anything from silk jersey to sweatshirting. For a muslin, I have grey RPL knit that is about the weight of a light sweatshirting that should work just fine:


Yes, I know they are both grey. And yes, I know that no one needs two identical grey dresses. But since the merino will only be appropriate for fall and winter, I will make it with long sleeves and will make the muslin with short sleeves so that it can be more transitional. Also, don't forget to check the videos! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and the Styling Video).

So, this will give me something not too difficult to occupy myself with and try out some patterns that I wouldn't have otherwise, so kudos to Hot Patterns and their videos, because otherwise I would have passed those baggy old pants right up!

Sorry I Fell Off The Planet....

But last Sunday my Grandmother passed away.

She was 83 and had been suffering from lung cancer for the last three years, and had decided to end the chemotherapy. She passed away at home, with both her children, all five of her grandchildren, and her three great-grandchildren all at her bedside.

It was a good end, and it was on her own terms.

She was a pretty amazing lady. I grew up in her house, and she was the one who taught me how to sew, and really taught me most of the stuff I write about here. Mostly, she just taught me to be fearless.