More of Sadie's Sewing

Yesterday my niece Sadie wanted to come over and do some more sewing. She saw the cardi-wrap that I had made when I wore it at Christmas, and has been harassing me ever since about wanting one of her own. I picked up an inexpensive knit from the bargain table at Hancock's so that she could make one.

Since she is still a little unsteady with the scissors, I cut the pattern out for her, otherwise there would be no way that we could leave the edges raw. Whether I let her use the scissors or the rotary cutters, anything she cuts looks like a pack of squirrels gnawed the pieces out of the fabric. I don't really know how to help her fix that, cutting smoothly is something that is so second-nature to me, I can't effectively explain to her how to do it, or diagnose what she is doing wrong. I am assuming she will get better with practice, since I assume that that is how I learned!

She did a good job sewing, however. I helped her with the shawl neckline, since that was a bit difficult, but she did the rest, and also sewed on the serger. I watch closely to make sure she is not zipping along too quickly, but she does very well controlling her speed. Here she is showing off all the different ways that her cardigan can be wrapped:





She just thinks she's the bee's knees, doesn't she? For her cardi we used the size small, and had to shorten the sleeves by 3 inches. She has a very long torso in relation to her waist, so we did not shorten the top at all. We have to do serious shortening on her pants and skirts, but shirts and jackets we don't alter.

As for my sewing, I have been planning some upcoming projects...some have been started and some have not. This year I would like to create fewer UFOs than I have in past years, perhaps I should have put that on the list of New Year's Resolutions. I have two unfinished projects that I want to work on in January.

I still need to finish my Chanel-style jacket. I started it during the sew-along, but then totally lost my mojo. But, it will be fantastic when it is done. I have the perfect combination of tweed and lining:


I will be using this pattern, in the shorter length but with longer sleeves:

Second, I have some shirts to make for my husband. I purchased a Japanese book on shirt-making, that has some fantastic patterns in it:


Once I get the muslin worked out, I'll make at least one version from this striped shirting from Fashion Fabrics Club:


I also purchased two very nice cotton shirtings while I was in Portland, and once I get the kinks worked out, I'll use those. They were recockulously expensive, so I will use the cheap stuff first.

I have a second FFC striped shirting, as well:


I am seriously considering using it for this shirt dress from the January Burda:


I love the shape of this dress, and I will have to size it up, but it should be fairly easy. I think that it would look nice in the stripe. Of course, I could be completely insane. That same issue also has a shirt pattern that is a serious contender for my Liberty fabric that I have been hoarding:


In fact, they recommend Liberty in their description. I think this would be a great way to show off the pretty fabric, although I have concerns that those pleats in the front will just make me look pregnant:


Of course, that is what muslins are for! I still have this blue from FFC:


Lastly, I would like to make this tunic/dress from the "Take one, Make four" section:

I have this silk charmeuse from the Vera Wang sale at Fabric.com, and haven't been able to come up with anything to make of it:


But, with the scribbles, and variation in color, I think the simple pattern will be better. I had also considered using this Vogue:

But I am afraid that the pleats at the neckline would make the dress just a touch too "boob-tastic." While I am sure I could skip the FBA on the dress with the pleats, I just don't see it going well. I may make a muslin of each and see what is the best look.

I would also like to make a couple more pairs of the Hot Patterns Marrakesh Pant. I am really happy with how they turned out, and I have a couple of "tweaks" I would like to make to make them even MORE awesome.

Hot Patterns Marrakesh Drawstring Pants

I finally finished my Hot Patterns Marrakesh Pants:


I thought that this would be a very bad style for me, but then I saw so many people making them on PR with fantastic results, as well as seeing Trudy's videos, I decided to give them a try. And can I say I was pleasantly surprised by the muslin? I had two tiny, tiny wrinkles under the bum that showed that I needed to extend that crotch curve on the back pattern piece, and I had to add a tiny wedge to the back to cover the bum and fix a little bit of "gaposis." This may SOUND like a lot of alterations, but in my experience with pants, these were NEARLY PERFECT. Seriously, I would have totally worn a pair of RTW pants with the minor issues that the muslin had.

So, I made my alterations and cut my fashion fabric. I had this deliciously drapey poly suiting that I bought in Portland at Fabric Depot, and some leftover zebra charmeuse that I used for the pocket bags. I know no one will see it, but it makes me happy.


I have to say, though, that I would be very reluctant to post a review about my happiness with the draft of this pant in light of a recent thread on PR, in which a couple of members accused reviewers of deliberately "glossing over" issues with patterns because a) the company is small, or b) we personally like the people who make them, or c) god knows why.

As far as I can tell, the original poster was stymied by the fact that where the inseams meet the crotch curve, there is a little hump...i.e., it does not make a perfect "U." The claim was that a beginner wouldn't know how to fix it, and because everyone else has conspired to hide the fact that the pattern draft is faulty, that we are complicit in chasing beginners away from sewing. OK, so I paraphrased, but that was the basic point...that beginners would be discouraged and might quit sewing.

OK, I understand frustration. I have been very frustrated by patterns. I was frustrated by the 4 million muslins I had to make to get a pair of pants that I wasn't ashamed to leave the house in. My response? That I could not post on the boards because there was no way I could "be nice?" Scroll up to the image of the pattern. See the two little dress forms at the top? Know what that means? NOT A BEGINNER PATTERN. As an "Advanced Beginner," the assumption should be that perhaps you have actually seen a pants pattern before, or would know how pants patterns go together, or have enough experience sewing (and wearing clothes) to know that pants crotch curves should not have a lump poking you in your junk. Having just completed this pattern, I can attest that this is a rather involved pattern. Between the waistband with a drawstring, the pockets, the topstitching, and the fly front...this had quite a few fiddly bits that beginners would be frustrated with long before they got to the crotch curve.

Not to mention, probably half the pants patterns I have ever sewn (and let's face it, I have sewn A LOT of them) have that hump and you just straighten it when you sew the legs together. I have done this to Vogue pants, to McCall's pants, to Burda, and I had to do it to this Hot Patterns draft. I don't even mention it in reviews because it happens all the time, and you just correct when you sew. The mismatch of the seams also tends to be "enhanced" once I start making my alterations.

But, no matter how many people pointed this out in the thread, the entire thing just became an excuse to bash Hot Patterns, or bash the people that said that they had had good luck with those patterns. So therefore, I will probably not be posting a review on PR, because I don't feel like being abused. Suffice it to say, I was very happy with these pants, and any issue with the crotch curve is so minor and so ubiquitous to pants patterns as to not warrant mention.

Here is the final product:


You can see that the back fits very well, with no pulling or creasing. To achieve this, I added 1 1/2 inches of length to the back crotch curve, blending back down into the inseam. I also added a 1 inch wedge to the back to raise the waistband and keep the undies from peeking out. I also tilted the back seam so that it would curve over the top of the derriere and prevent "gaposis."

I also added a slight bit of width to the front pattern piece, and may add more...but I can't decide if the creases at the crotch are because of fit, or because I've hiked them up by tying the drawstring too tight. The description says that the pants sit one inch below the natural waist, but in this picture I have them at the natural waist. I think I just need to loosen the drawstring:


Overall, I am extremely happy with these pants. Normally for pants I use fabrics with much more body, and these are like wearing pajamas. The only concern that I would have is that they don't exactly camouflage anything...so Spanx may be in order. I think a minor tweak here and there to account for other fabrics and these could be a fantastically versatile pant. I think that you could even use them for a lounge pant in a stretch knit, and omit the zipper. I am looking forward to using this pattern again.

End of Year Retrospective

Today I decided that I would take a look back at what I worked on this year, which has been a busy sewing year. I am actually quite surprised at the number of items that I made...especially considering how frustrated I was with fitting pants, and feeling like I made an extraordinary number of UFOs.

Here are the totals:

This year I made 49 items for me. I also sewed 16 projects made with my niece and nephew, Sadie and Darrell. Both are busy learning how to sew, although as much as Darrell likes to wear the clothes I make him, he would rather sew things like bags and puppets. I also made 14 gifts.

This makes for a total of 79 items sewn. Of the 49 items that I made for me, here is how they break down:

A total of 8 shirts. Of those, 1 was made from a vintage pattern, and 1 was unwearable
I also make 4 skirts.
I made a total of 5 jackets, although ended up giving one away because the sleeve bands were too tight on my fat little arms. I gave it to a girl that I work with, who reports that she gets compliments every time she wears it and she happily tells them that I sewed it.
I made a total of 7 dresses. 1 was from a vintage pattern, and 1 was from a shirt pattern that I extended into a dress.
I also made in inordinate number of pants in my quest for a good fit. I made 24 total, of which 4 were unwearable. I also gave all but one of those away.
Finally, I made a cape. That doesn't really fit well into any particular category, does it?

Of the projects with the kids, my niece Sadie made 1 pair of pajamas, 2 skirts, 6 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, and 1 pair of pants. My nephew Darrell made himself 3 puppets.

Of the items that I made for gifts, I made one very nice linen shirt for my husband, a shirt for my brother Ricky, 2 shirts for his son Caiden, and a total of 5 shirts and 2 pair shorts for Little Darrell.
I also finished some UFOs and gave them to my mom. She got a matching skirt and shirt. I also gave her a very well-sewn jeans-style jacket in white linen that I thought looked like a lab coat when I wore it. for mom.
I also made a coat for my grandmother and a dress for my niece Sadie for my wedding.

This came up to a total of about 160 yards of fabric.

I made a couple of "advances" this year, as well:

1. This year I made my first patterns from BWOF magazine. I started with a lined jacket, which probably wasn't the smartest thing that I have ever done, but it got finished all the same. Since then, I have regularly sewn from BWOF.
   
2. I purchased and sewed my first ever vintage patterns. I now have a collection of about 30 vintage patterns, and have sewn two of them.
3. I worked very hard on improving the appearance of the interiors of my garments, and learned how to do hong kong finishes, flat-felled seams, and french seams.
4. I also got a serger, and have been practicing with it.
5. I also made pants for the first time, and while I still have a few kinks to work out, my fit is MUCH improved.
6. For the first time, I drafted my own patterns.
7. I also learned much more about proper fit, and am not afraid to make even major alterations.

Here are some images of some of my favorite projects of the year, starting with a white eyelet shirt with batiste underlining:


Hot Patterns Uptown Downtown Knit Dress:


Short sleeved linen jacket. This is the one I gave away because the sleeve bands were too tight:


Motorcycles and Flames outfit for my nephew, he loves it and even wore it for his school pictures:


Burda Safari dress. One of the most complex dress projects I have ever done:


BWOF Shirt from embroidered lawn:


Sadie's pajamas:



Coat for Grandma:

As for sewing goals for this year, I would like to:

1. Make more garments from vintage patterns.
2. Continue to work on improving fit.
3. Make a pair of PERFECT pants.
4. Finally finish the coat that I started for my husband.
5. Finish the Chanel-style jacket that I bought the fabric for, the lining, the pattern...and then never did anything with.
6. Become more proficient using the serger.
7. Repair and learn to use my treadle.
8. Focus on making better fabric choices for projects, and not be afraid to use expensive fabrics.

I also have the various and sundry other New Year's resolutions...lose weight, get healthier, keep my house cleaner, make a budget and stick to it...but you don't want to hear about that boring old mess!

McCall's 5764: Cape and Belt

Or, yet another installment in "How to Make a Relatively Simple Project Incredibly Involved and Difficult."


Over the Christmas holiday, I took a short hiatus from the cape that I had started using McCall's 5764. I started with a brown, beige, rust, and black plaid from Hancock's that also had a touch of gold thread in it:


Because I wanted this to be warm for winter, I decided to do two things that the pattern did not call for....I both lined and interlined the cape. This meant that what was originally a very simple pattern suddenly became very involved and labor intensive. I started by hand-basting the flannel interlining to the suiting so that it would not shift during construction:


From there, I constructed the cape (for the most part) according to the instructions. Here is the finished product:


And from the back:


I was able to match the plaid across the front and the back, but not on the shoulder seams. I, unfortunately, did not think to buy extra fabric to match the plaid, so only had enough to match the fronts and backs. The fronts matched fairly well, even across the buttons:


The interior was a bit of a chore, I added binding to the edge of the facing and the hem so that I would not have to fold it over and hem that way. The hem is also the LONGEST HEM I have ever sewed, and all by hand. I also treated the holes for the belt like giant button-holes. The belt has to go in the holes on the back, go around the waist, under the arms, and then back out the holes in the front. The instructions have you stitch around the holes for the belt and then cut the center out. That didn't seem like a good solution considering how much the fabric raveled and also the number of layers that I was working with:


I think my method of satin-stitching around the hole looks nicer and will also help prevent the holes from getting ravelly. Had I really been thinking ahead, I would have done them as bound buttonholes. That would have looked nice, and also fit in with the theme...making a simple pattern as complex and labor-intensive as possible.

Overall, I am very happy with the way the cape turned out, although thanks to my delaying working on it, it is now frigidly cold, and much too cold to wear a simple cape rather than a full coat!

A Tiny Detour

I took a small detour in finishing my cape and sewed Simplicity 2603, a pattern for both a Misses knit top and cardi wrap with front variations. The pattern includes a wrap with a long front drape, a wrap with a short front drape, choice of three-quarter or cuffed sleeves. The top is sleeveless with a neck band and gathering at the centre front.


Now, I had every intention of finishing my cape...the reason that I was at the fabric store to begin with was to get another card of buttons, since I had managed to lose half of the original buttons that I purchased for the cape. But of course while I was there I HAD to check the discount tables! I had been looking for a very lightweight knit for MONTHS to make this pattern with, and had been unsuccessful. Everything was t-shirt weight, which was too heavy, I really needed a tissue knit. But I found this heathered grey mystery knit for 1.95 a yard on the bargain table and decided to give it a shot.

Overall I like the pattern, although it is a pain to cut out, since it has to be done flat and the pieces are HUGE. I found while I was cutting out the fabric that my mystery knit was one of those that liked to curl at the edges, so I decided to take advantage of that and just let the edges curl rather than hemming it. Since I don't have a coverstitch machine, the hems wouldn't have been very pretty, and with all the flipping and twisting and tying, there was no way that they wouldn't show. So, I just cut veerry carefully, and the edges curled up like a charm.

I made a large, which is for a 40-42 inch bustline, with no alterations since, well, I had no idea how I would make any alterations to those crazy-shaped fronts. The shawl collar drape is helped along by a strip of elastic sewn to the seam at the back of the neck, but otherwise the construction is very straight-forward, especially when you completely forgo hems. The shoulders are a touch wide, but that is fairly typical for Simplicity patterns for me. However, I am not overly worried about it because that just gives it a bit of extra room should I decide to wear it over something heavier than a t-shirt or cami.

Here is the finished product:


And here are some of the drape variations:




I strongly suspect that this will get worn quite often as a cover-up in the office, where the temperature is highly unpredictable. Plus, the grey is a great neutral color that, let's face it, matches most of my wardrobe.

Happy Holidays, everyone, and I hope you have a great New Year.

Do I Really Need a Cape?

Wow, it's been a long time since I have sewn anything! It seems like there is always something else pulling me away, now that the holiday season is in full swing. But, this weekend I was finally able to carve out a few minutes for myself and work on a project that I have been thinking about for a while.

Over the summer, my friend Laurie picked up this fantastic cape from Anthropologie while I was visiting her in Portland. I happily flounced around the hotel in it, but like fool did not immediately take myself up the street to Anthropologie and purchase one for myself. And now, they do not have this cape available any longer:


Fortunately, McCall's 5764 is a good substitute, and Hancock's had them on sale for $1.99 last weekend:


I also picked up a plaid suiting at 30% off. I decided to not do a coating, because I wanted the cape to have the nice drape of the Anthropologie cape, and all the coating available was very heavy and stiff. But, all the suiting was very thin, and would not be very warm. So, I purchased (also on sale) some nice cotton flannel for interlining. I also decided to line the cape, even though it did not call for it in the instructions. The fabric is a brown, beige, black and rust color with a little bit of gold thread, and the lining matches the rust color:


Today I spent most of the time in the sewing room doing prep-work, and attaching the interlining. I hand-basted the flannel to the fashion fabric, so that I could treat the two pieces as one:

All of the handwork is done, and tomorrow I should be able to finish up the machine sewing. My friend Monica is coming over (who also collects sewing machines...my husband is afraid, very afraid!) and she is bringing HER cape and we are going to work on them together. Hopefully I will have a finished product to show soon!

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.