An Update, But Not Much Sewing

Well, I had high hopes for last week, but didn't manage to make anything happen...although perhaps I have a bit of an excuse.

On Tuesday, I took my car in to have it looked at, because the engine was knocking at high rpms. For a little background, my car is a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (the 4-door, not the little one) and has only 35k miles on it. I have the driving habits of an 80-year-old woman.

At about 10am on Tuesday, I got a call from the dealership and they told me that what I had was a "dead knock," that the engine was mere moments away from "throwing a rod" and that the vehicle needed a complete engine replacement.

What was even better....it was 3 months out of the warranty that covered the engine and drive train and it was going to cost me $6300.00 to replace the engine.

After I returned to consciousness, I told the folks in the shop to not do anything at all with it, but put me on the phone with whoever they liked in sales. They passed me to a salesman and I told him "I have a vehicle in your shop that is going to cost $6300.00 to replace the engine, but I know as well as you do that you guys can do that in house for less than 1/3 of that cost. If you give me what I owe on the vehicle, I will buy a car from you tonight."

3 hours later, I was signing paperwork on a new car, a Jeep Compass. It's a big change going from a giant SUV to what is essentially a glorified station wagon, but with the price of gas skyrocketing going from a big 6-cylinder to a tiny 4 has its advantages.

I have spent the week dealing with getting the old car cleaned out (it was a disaster, I wasn't exactly planning on never picking it up when I dropped it off for repair), the sale, taxes, license plates, and all the rest of the stuff involved in buying a new car.

I am incredibly relieved that the dealership was willing to take the old car off my hands, and while the new car is not necessarily what I would have chosen, it does have an advantage on the old car in that it has an engine...that is functional. Plus, they gave me satellite radio, that has provided me no end of amusement. Today I spent the drive to the fabric store for the sale on Burda patterns listening to a station entirely devoted to rap of the 80's.

The funniest thing that was said to me in the entire episode...one of my coworkers proclaimed "Well, if my car's engine died at 35,000 miles, I can't imagine buying another car from the same dealership!" (imagine very preachy tone here). My response was "Yeah, it's not like I was driving it to the Ford dealership down the street...you know, with the whole lacking an engine thing."

I have been working on a few things though. I did finish the "wrap front pant" from the last post and all I have to say is....

BWWWWHHHHAAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA

OMG, they are truly horrible.

As soon as I have a moment, I will take a photo or 20, so you can laugh with me....or at me, whatever the case may be.

I also have continued my weekend sewing with friends, and the friend with the vintage dress that I completed the bodice for? Everything is done. She promises me photos next weekend. The dress turned out great.

And finally, I am done with all but the lining on a spring trench coat, made with a black and white rayon twill with red and white lining:


The style reminds me a bit of this Tory Burch trench-style dress ($395):


Although patterned trenches seem to be pretty big right now, here's an example from Alice + Olivia ($495):


Moschino, $1495:


Tibi, $600:

Hopefully next post I'll have some photos for you, in the meantime I hope everyone has a fantastic week and....check your oil, get a tune-up!

Fashion Forward? Or Fashion Victim?

Every month, I look at BurdaStyle, and every month I pass over more than half the styles as "too edgy for me." I adore Burda, and love that they are fashion forward, but more than half the issues go unused because I tend to be much more conservative in my style. But, I often feel that I need to break out of that "Everything is Grey" kind of style that I have been cultivating. To that end, I have decided to sacrifice one of the 45 pieces of gray wool suiting that I have in my stash and make Burda 08-2010-137:


Yes, not only is that a pleated pant (bane of my existence), there is a huge flap that folds over the front crotch. This is the closest I will ever come to harem pants:


And of course, in the Burda fashion photo, you can't see the details of the garment, so here is the photo from the website:


Every time I come back to this issue, I always stop and look at this pattern. And every time I think "I should make those" and then I think "Never in a thousand years." And then I think "Oh, give it a try" and then I think "You are going to end up in a magazine with a black bar over your eyes."

But, why not? What is the reason for not doing it? Because they will make me look fat? Hey, news flash...I'm fat. There are no magic pants that make me not fat. Not my style? Really, do I even have a style? Everything in my closet is either white, black, or grey. I'm not sure you can classify "waiter at catered event" as an actual "style."

Plus, it's not like I don't have plenty of fabric that can be sacrificed in a potential fashion disaster (and let's face it, in the 5 years since I have revived my sewing, this would not be the first fashion disaster I have cooked up). So....I am going to sew it. Right now my biggest concern is whether or not that front flap will be uncomfortable, since much like Gilda Radner, the majority of my fashion decisions are based on what doesn't itch.

Second, I have grave concerns that that huge pleat will just become a polter-wang when I sit. And let's face it, with all my other fashion handicaps, the last thing that I need is to look like I have a peen.

Although talk about polterwang:


At least I am not paying $830.00 for some Alexander McQueen pants to make me look like I have an impressive package. And, I am not making the pants from sequins like this $795.00 Phillip Lim version:


And the pleat is not hugely exaggerated like this Vivienne Westwood version ($340.00):


I am making mine in a very sedate grey wool suiting, that I had left in the stash because it was very thin...but, since the pleat on the front is extra bulk, the thin wool will be better for this pattern. Hopefully it won't show any hail damage on the back side.

So, what say you? Fashion victim? Or stepping out of my rut (not all they way, they are still grey)?

I will keep you posted on the progress.....

I am a complete liar...

I am doing something that I SWORE I would never do.

I am sewing for someone else.

It was totally accidental though, I swear.

Anyway, it all started out as good intentions. I am teaching two ladies that I work with how to sew. Every other Sunday, they come over for a few hours and we sew together. One is about 2/3 of the way through a linen shirt.

The other, well....the other....

The other is a really good friend, we have known each other for close to a decade. She badly wanted a polka-dot, 1950's style dress with a full skirt. Because we had sewed together before, I didn't think that any dress pattern would be too difficult for her. But was I ever wrong....

To start, she selected Vogue 1172, one of the reissued vintage patterns. I am really beginning to hate the reissued patterns. Really. This is the second one that I have worked on, and I swear they have a special department at Vogue whose sole responsibility is to rework the instructions to make them incomprehensible.

The pattern has a "View A" and "View B" that as far as I can tell...are completely identical. So, you are constantly following the wrong instructions for whatever view you may be sewing (at this point, I am not even sure I am working on A or B).

Second...she is really tall. So tall that we needed to make some pretty extensive alterations. Which didn't really make any sense to her, because this is only the second thing we have sewn together. We started with a 16, and we ended up having to narrow the shoulders, lengthen the bodice, and make a significant sway back alteration.

Finally...the fabric. I did not select the fabric. She picked it solely because it was white with black polka dots. The problem is that it is slithery polyester. At the same time, it both won't hold it's shape when cut AND has no give for the easing of the princess seams. How both of these things can hold true I have no idea. The fabric also ravels so badly I hesitate to even call it ravelling...perhaps shredding is a better word. Which means, all the seams have to be bound.

Anyway, it is a frustrating mess, and to avoid causing her to come to hate sewing, I took over the sewing of the bodice. She will still be able to sew the skirt, but given that the bodice needed to be underlined and the seams finished and because of the infuriating fabric, I decided I would just do it. Now that the bodice is together, she can put the skirt on and insert the zipper, which should be manageable even with the crazy fabric.

Here is what I have so far:



I underlined the whole bodice with a very light cotton batiste, and the side seams and edges of the facing are finished with bias tape. I haven't decided yet what I am going to do with the top edge and edges of the arm holes. I could topstitch it to keep the facing lying flat, but topstitching seems a casual finish for what is turning out to be a fairly dressy garment. I could just press the heck out of it and tack the edges of the facing to the underlining to keep it from flipping out.

I will keep you posted as to progress...

Planning for Spring and Summer

With the warming weather, I have gotten less excited about winter sewing, and am looking ahead to what I need for spring.

To that end, I spent some time this weekend rearranging "The Stash," hoping to identify any holes that needed filled. I was quite surprised when I saw that I already have what amounted to three separate "sets," one in black, white, and red; a second in turquoise and grey; and a third in lime green and purple. I also have determined that I am going to use ONLY patterns that are already in the house. No more patterns! I already have a full 4-drawer filing cabinet. I will never sew all of them in my entire lifetime.

Short of restocking interfacing, thread, and purchasing coordinating buttons I already have everything I need for a productive spring and summer of sewing.

The first set of coordinates that I put together consists of black, white, and red:


A total of 16 coordinating fabrics that would be appropriate for spring/summer:

1. White on Black Floral Rayon Twill (Short Trench Coat from McCalls 5525)
   
2. Red and White Polka Dot Charmeuse (Lining for Trench)
   
3. Zebra Print Cotton Pique (Pencil Skirt from Butterick 5249)
   
4. Black Cotton Pique (Jacket from McCalls 5859)
   
5. Red Embroidered Stretch Twill (Jean-Style Jacket from Butterick 5616)
   
6. Black and White Embroidered Eyelet (Self-Drafted Tunic)
   
7. White Batiste (Underlining for Tunic)
   
8. Black Sateen (Shirt Dress from Vogue 1107)
   
9. Black RPL (Hot Patterns Marrakesh Pant)
   
10. White Stretch Sateen (Wrap Top from Butterick 5328)
    
11. Black and White Charmeuse (Top, Button-Down, possibly ruffles at front, or pussy bow)
    
12. Black on White Floral Print T-Shirt Knit (Dress, McCalls 6069)
    
13. White Bamboo Knit (Asymmetric Tee, Kwik Sew 3790)
    
14. White Zebra Burn-Out Rayon Knit (Draped T-Shirt, possibly Hot Patterns)
    
15. Black Slub Rayon Knit (Cardigan, possibly Burda Wrap Cardigan)
    
16. Black, White, Beige, and Grey ITY Knit (Faux Wrap Dress, McCalls 6163)

Clearly, black and white is a favorite of mine! I think I will start with the short trench, since that will be a good piece as we transition to warmer weather.

The second set consists of a combination of grey/taupe and shades of blue and turquoise. There is a bit more color variation in this set, but I think it is still fairly well coordinated:


For this grouping I have more dresses planned, so it won't be a wardrobe on interchangable pieces so much as a unified set of clothing:

1. Turquoise Stripe Stretch Cotton Sateen (Hot Patterns Weekender Shirt Dress)
   
2. Turquoise and Grey Floral Cotton (Princess Seam Button-Down Top)
   
3. Grey, Turquoise, and White Bird-Printed Cotton (Vintage Dress)
   
4. Grey and White Stripe Stretch Cotton Sateen (Shirt Dress, Butterick 5315)
   
5. Brown Slub Knit Rayon (Hot Patterns Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
6. Turquoise Slub Knit Rayon (Contrast for Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
7. Grey Slub Knit Rayon (Hot Patterns Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
8. Lilac Slub Knit Rayon (Contrast for Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
9. Beige Floral Rayon Knit (Boatneck Tee)
   
10. Tuape/Grey Worsted Wool Suiting (Pants from TNT Pattern)
    
11. Blue/Brown Swirl ITY Knit (Wrap Dress from Vogue 8379)

The final set is a range of greens and purples. The piece in the upper left that looks gray is actually a suiting with alternating threads of purple, turquoise, gray, and brown. It sounds insane, but it actually looks very nice and is very similar to a pair of pants I purchased from Ann Taylor a few years ago:


This will add some more casual pieces to the wardrobe, less work-wear and more weekend-wear:

1. Chartreuse Batiste (Blouse with Waist Tie from Kwik Sew 3620)
   
2. Purple Tone-on-Tone Polka Dot Silk (Short Sleeve Top with Waist tie from Burda)
   
3. Purple Gauze (Tunic)
   
4. Taupe/Purple/Turquoise Suiting (Pants, from TNT Burda Pattern)
   
5. Purple/Green Madras Plaid (Top from McCalls 6122)
   
6. Chartreuse Stretch Sateen (Jacket from Vogue 1093)
   

I don't know if I will sew one capsule at a time, or skip back and forth between the three, but I am thrilled that my indiscriminate fabric purchasing has yielded some fairly well-coordinated sets.

So, what are your plans for sewing form the changing weather? I'd love to hear what you all are up too!

Wrapping Up Winter Sewing

Of late, the weather has been completely insane...one day ice and sleet...the next it is 70 degrees...and then last Sunday, we had tornados. Now I get to spend some quality time with the chainsaw this weekend. That is, if it isn't pouring down rain! Needless to say, the warming weather has marked an end to my winter sewing. The final garment that I completed was a purple charmeuse top, finished on Sunday:


Same pattern as the other two pussy bow blouses I made recently, though I thought it might be fun to use snaps rather than buttons. Plus, I have about 200 of these snaps since I bought them to make western shirts for my husband's band...and then the project never materialized:


Now that I have started thinking about spring, rearranging fabric, and changing patterns in the "to-do" box, I thought it would be a good opportunity to summarize this past winter's sewing...and my first experience in making a plan (and actually sticking to it).

Last October, I decided to do my first ever "SWAP" (sewing with a plan). Normally I sew willy-nilly, picking fabrics and patterns at whim, and while I have made some very nice pieces...some of those same pieces match absolutely nothing in the rest of my wardrobe.

So, I decided to create a SWAP, using pieces that were already in my stash.

My original plan was to make 16 pieces:

1. Dark heather gray wool jersey, $10.20 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
2. Wool blend flannel, $4.89 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
3. Periwinkle charmeuse, $4.04 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
4. Grey/black print charmeuse, $4.04 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
5. Black and grey herringbone suiting, $6.37 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
6. White jersey knit, $4.46 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
7. Purple jersey knit with diamond pattern, $4.21 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
8. Purple/ivory cotton shirting, $3.61 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
9. Heather gray knit, $4.21 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
10. Silk Tweed suiting, $7.98 per yard, from Fabric.com
11. Plum jersey knit, $3.98 per yard, from Fabric.com
12. Black jersey knit, $3.98 per yard, from Fabric.com
13. Black boiled wool knit, $11.98 per yard, from Fabric.com
14. Orchid stretch shirting, $1.95 per yard, from Hancock's Fabric
15. Plum and orchid striped jersey, $3.95 per yard, from Hancock's Fabric
16. Gray cashmere wool suiting, $32.50 per yard, from B Black and Sons

Of the original plan, I never got to 5 of the original fabrics:

1. Dark heather gray wool jersey, $10.20 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
2. Black and grey herringbone suiting, $6.37 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
3. Heather gray knit, $4.21 per yard, from Fashion Fabrics Club
4. Silk Tweed suiting, $7.98 per yard, from Fabric.com
5. Gray cashmere wool suiting, $32.50 per yard, from B Black and Sons

But, rather than the original plan for 16 garments, I ended up making a total of 27 pieces. So, how did I completely pass over 5 fabrics of 16...and wind up 27 pieces?

One reason was that I decided to participate in the Endless Combinations contest. So, smack in the middle of my SWAP, I got derailed. BUT, I was disciplined, and I made sure that my Endless Combinations fabrics coordinated with as much of my SWAP as possible.

In the end, I had a significant set of coordinated garments, consisting of the following:

1. Wool blend flannel-Burda pants
   
2. Periwinkle charmeuse-Burda Pussy Bow top
   
3. Grey/black print charmeuse-Burda Pussy Bow top
4. Black/white print Burda Pussy Bow top
   
5. White jersey knit-3 Graces Tee
   
6. Purple jersey knit with diamond pattern-Butterick 5525
   
7. Purple/ivory cotton shirting eliminated, replace with black and grey knit for McCall's 5978 twinset cardigan and New Look 6735 tee from leftovers
   
8. Plum jersey knit-3 Graces Tee, also New Look 6735 Tee from leftovers
   
9. Black boiled wool knit-Cardigan/Jacket
10. Orchid stretch shirting-Butterick 5526
11. Plum and orchid striped jersey-Burda 9-2010 Turtleneck
12. Black rayon challis with purple/orange trim-Hot Patterns Deco Vibe Delicious Dress
13. Purple fleece-Hot Patterns Riviera Boulevard Cardigan Jacket
14. Black wool jersey-Burda 9-2010 turtleneck, Burda 12-2009-120 hoodie
15. Light blue rayon knit-Burda hoodie
16. Blue, gray and black striped wool sweater knit-Tunic sweater and scarf
17. Blue slub rayon knit jersey-Burda 9-2010 turtleneck
18. Graphite denim-Jalie jean, altered for skinny leg
19. Blue and grey boucle-McCall's 6041 Chanel-style jacket
20. Grey corduroy-Burda 7447 pants
21. Grey, brown, black, and beige printed rayon-Hot Patterns Mighty Aphrodite Draped Tee
22. Stretch khaki twill-Butterick 5249 pencil skirt
23. Light heathered grey knit-Burda 9-2010 turtleneck
24. Heavyweight black twill-Butterick 4610 blazer
    

All the photos of the garments have been posted on this blog in other contexts, but I'll do my best to summarize...here is the final photo collage for the Endless Combinations contest:


And here are images for all the various pieces made for the Winter SWAP:



Finally, here is a set of garments that were "spur of the moment," that were neither a part of the original SWAP, nor a part of the Endless Combinations plan, but still coordinated fairly well with the original two plans:


Although I am sad that I never got to the final 5 fabrics, I do acknowledge that the tossing in of the Endless Combinations contest entry did make for a difficult time finishing the original plan, and now that the seasons are changing I have no pressing need for a wool jersey dress or cashmere pants. The silk tweed skirt may still make it into a spring wardrobe...as may the gray rayon jersey in the form of a top.

But, in the meantime, I have my first fabric for spring sewing on the cutting table, and I plan on making a short trench in a black and white floral print....with a red charmeuse lining:


I don't know if I will do another SWAP for spring or summer, but I did appreciate the experience of having done it because it has made me more deliberate in how I choose fabric...I always make sure it will coordinate, and I have started purchasing fewer whacky prints, and more classics and foundational basics. Even if I never make another SWAP...ever...I benefitted because the act of planning, and the discipline involved in sticking to that plan meant that I had to be more thoughtful and deliberate in choosing patterns and fabric.

I am looking forward to seeing what is next in my sewing progress...perhaps a "New Technique" SWAP may be in order...rather than focusing on coordinates, focus on refining new techniques (welt pockets, shudder) instead.

We shall see...

Refining the Bow-Collar Blouse

This weekend I decided to make a second version of the Burda 09.2009.139 blouse, mainly to refine the pattern. The first version that I made was just fine...and wore well...but there were just a few things that I knew that I could do to make it better.

There were a couple of changes that I made from the original. First, I decided that I wanted to add a bit of room at hip level. While this top has a TON of ease across the bust (complete with gathers), at hip level it is a touch snug. Normally a 46 fits just fine, but in this second version I added a bit at the side seams.

Second, I decided to make this version using french seams. This took a little planning to make sure that I assembled it in the proper order to allow for the enclosed seams. Because I made this from a chiffon, I didn't want the interior seams to show at all. Here is a photo of the interior of the shirt:


Third, I used Pam Erny's Clean Finished No-Bulk Facing technique. I had to trace off a pattern piece for the interfacing using the shirt front. Fortunately, the Burda pattern indicated a fold line for the cut-on facing, so I used that as the edge of the interfacing pattern.


Finally, I wanted to find a way to use less fabric in making the shirt. Based on the Burda pattern instructions, 3.5 yards are necessary for the shirt. 3.5 yards is a LOT for a shirt. When I buy for "stash," I usually purchase 2 to 2.5 yards for a shirt, and 3.5 is what I normally purchase for a dress. Therefore, I had no pieces in my stash that were large enough for the second version.

If you look at the Burda layout, they do the neck tie in a single layer...and that one piece takes up half of the length of fabric:


For this version, I cut the neck tie so that it has a center back seam (which, interestingly, is present in the Burda line drawing). By doing this, I was able to get all the pattern pieces laid out on 2.5 yards of fabric.

One thing that I did find the instructions to be a bit vague on was the attachment of the shirt front to the front sleeve that would allow for the neck tie to be attached properly. To leave space for the attachment, the shirt front needs to be set back 5/8 inch.


This makes for a nice, clean intersection for the shirt front and the tie collar:


As before...I starched the heck out of the chiffon prior to laying out and cutting. That makes the fabric slither less while you are handling it...but also makes it hold a crease much better when pressing hems.

Finally, in the comments on the last blog, there were a few requests to see the shirt "On the Hoof," so to speak. Here is the last version ready to go to work:


One of my students even complimented me on it after class. Of course, that may just mean that they are afraid of the upcoming midterm.

I hope everyone had a great sewing weekend. I think I am now ready to move on to another pattern. I was going to work on a sweater dress this week to finish off my winter sewing, but today the temperature soared into the 60's. Now I just want to sew pink things...with short sleeves.

Two New Tops

January was not a very productive month...between a crazy time at work, and a couple of bouts with the flu, I did not do very much at all. I finally did pull myself together towards the end and finish a second version of the Burda 12-2009-120 hoodie:


For this version, I used a length of slub rayon knit from Fabric.com rather than a sweater knit. I also added snaps to the front placket; I had some pearl snaps left over from a western shirt I made for my husband:


The first couple days of February we had some snow days and campus was closed, so I took advantage of the time to get started on a version of Burda 09.2009.139, a raglan sleeve blouse with pussy bow.


The pattern has some nice details like gathers on the bodice at the raglan seam...if you need it, it makes an FBA really easy, although Burda typically is drafted for a larger cup size than "The Big 4." I made it from a poly charmeuse, that came from the set of fabrics I put together for my Winter SWAP so many months ago.


A little hint for working with slithery poly, which I find irresistible due to the wonderful prints, even though I can only wear it in winter since poly is too hot for summer....

When you are ready to cut your pattern out, starch the heck out of the fabric. I hang the whole length of fabric over the shower rod and spray and spray....let it dry and then it will be super-easy to cut, press, and sew. Once you have the garment finished, throw it in the laundry to remove the starch and voila! Super-easy! No slithering!! The only thing that it makes difficult is using the narrow hem foot...but given that I have never truly mastered that foot, I typically just press in a 1/4" hem instead...and the starch makes pressing SO much easier.

Also, use a microtex needle to avoid pulls from a heavier needle, and if you use a buttonhole attachment, use a sheet of tissue on top to keep the attachment from snagging the fabric.

Anyway, on to the final photos....


This shirt has no darts for shaping, it is designed to be tucked in. I am not a "tucker," but I have come back to this pattern every time I flip through my old Burdas...finally, a year and a half later, I got around to tracing it off.

The neckline is open under the bow/collar:


The pattern has a cut-on facing, which makes the front shaping fairly simple. Here is a close-up of the raglan seams/gathers:


The sleeves are very full, which lots of gathers at the cuff:


I think it will look very nice with a pair of full-legged trousers, or even a high-waisted pencil skirt.

I was doing some organizing in the sewing room, trying to better organize my notions so the ones that I use the most are more convenient. I thought you might get a kick out of one of my most used notions, my hem gauge:


This came to me in the sewing chair when my grandmother gave me her sewing machine probably 15 years ago. Can you see the little label? "Penneys." Not even J. C. Penneys....it's that old! Not to mention, how long has it been since J. C. Penneys had a sewing department?

Hopefully this month I will have a chance to continue working on the SWAP I started in October...since I still have a bit of winter left.

Happy Sewing Everyone!