Winter Sewing

Tags

Butterick 5826, FESA 2014, sewing

Winter arrived here in eastern Washington last week.  One day it was beautiful fall weather, sun shining, highs in the 50s, and the next day it was lows in the teens and predictions of snow.  The snow just missed where I live, but the cold temps stayed.

Out came the fleece, the hot tea, extra blankets on the bed, and the long underwear.  Our two cats are mostly hibernating, though they seem to come alive like lizards when the sun comes out.  (That’s the good part about living in the desert–it gets cold, but the sun comes out to cheer you, even if it doesn’t really warm you up.)  I feel a bit like I’ve been hibernating, too; I’ve been struggling in the healthy eating/daily exercise part of my life, and skipped my weekly weigh-in last weekend, but I’m adjusting and things are improving.

I’ve got plenty of sewing projects lined up for the winter, so I was happy to get this one finished yesterday.

These are two blouses I made for a friend of mine using Butterick 5826.

She wanted a couple of lightweight cotton blouses with collars to layer under cardigans, so we chose the pattern and fabric late in the summer and finally got together the other weekend to do the final fitting.

I cut the pattern to her measurements and was a little worried that it might turn out HUGE on her–Butterick patterns, especially ones described as “loose fitting” on the envelope, always seem to be massive–but I only needed to take it in about 1/2″ on the sides and to cut a few inches off the bottom before hemming.  For the sleeveless one, I increased the arm hole size by 1/2″ and finished it with a quilt-type bias binding.  At my friend’s request, I used a narrow seam allowance on the binding so that a bit of it would show on the right side.  We also skipped the buttonholes; one top is just sewn shut at the front band and the other has a single large button sewn through all layers.  The style is loose enough that she can still pull them over her head when they’re sewn shut.

This was an easy pattern in general, though I must have puzzled over the front band instructions for an hour before I was fairly certain I was doing it the right way.  A clearer drawing of the step would have been helpful there.  The other hassle was the loosely-woven white seersucker, which frayed like crazy and would NOT be pressed into straight folds.  It will be lovely to wear, though, especially when it’s hot.

Next up is some work to reduce the size of the mending pile, which is frankly scaring me.

Then it’s back to the dress pattern that I’m testing.

Those who are following along at home may notice that several of my projects for FESA 2014 just didn’t happen.  I’ve decided I’m okay with that.  Those projects are  still on my mental list, but too many other things came up for me to stick with the rather ambitious plan I originally made.  The most important goal that I had for FESA, that of keeping me sewing during the fall, was reached, so I’m happy with that.

STH

Birthdays and Other Bits

Tags

cooking, FESA 2014, sewing

Happy Monday, everybody.  My week has gotten off to a productive start with some chores around the house and taking my partner’s van in for service this morning.  I’m trying to get outside more to enjoy the mild fall weather while we have it, so I’m planning on a walk this afternoon.

Friday was partner’s birthday. and I wanted to sew him something special.  The initial plan was to make him a cycling jacket, as he’d admired this one at Universal Cycles and mentioned how great it would be in wool.  He nixed that idea, though, as more fuss than he thought I should put into his birthday, so I made him a bike mascot for his new recumbent instead.

The pattern was originally meant for making a doorstop, but I printed it out at 1/3 size to make about a 3″ tall mascot of wool felt.  It’s mostly hand-sewn, though I did get frustrated about halfway through sewing the body and sewed the main seam with my machine.  I was trying to backstitch it for a secure seam, but the black embroidery floss just sank into the wool and I couldn’t tell where one stitch ended and the next began.  And you can’t see much of it in this picture, but I sewed two strips of felt into the side seams; they overlap at the back of the post and secure the cat with Velcro.

I have nothing but respect for people who make tiny, precise little dolls and stuffed toys because, boy, that is SO not my thing.  I named this mascot “Wonky Cat” in my head as I was working on it (apologies to Elton John and also to anyone who happens to acquire an unfortunate earworm as a result of this sentence) because everything about it is a little bit off and screwy.  And that’s AFTER much seam ripping and re-sewing.  The combination of bad eyesight, sewing tiny little things, and last week’s sky-high anxiety levels does not make for the best sewing results.  Still, I like how it came out and so did partner.

Wonky Cat was accompanied by chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and excellent Indian food from the new restaurant down the road from our house.

Nothing fancy there, just a simple, delicious cake for the chocolate lover in the house.  The recipe is here; I made a quarter recipe, which yielded 7 cupcakes, a perfect number for the two of us.

In other sewing news, I finally finished my pajama top yesterday, but the pants are currently stalled at about 3/4 finished.  I was sewing the crotch seam when my sewing machine just stalled.  I unthreaded it and cleaned and oiled it, but there must be something jamming it deep inside the machine–it will sew, if you floor it, but there’s way too much resistance at the same point on every stitch.  Very, very discouraging.  Depression and anxiety are hanging over my head these days, and sewing is what I’ve been relying on to keep my spirits up.  And I really can’t spare the cash to take the machine in for service.  So I’m researching to see if I can try to fix it myself.

In the meantime, I’ve got some hand sewing to do, and I spent some time on Saturday night cutting new pattern pieces from the jumper I’m restyling for my next FESA project.  Another tricky project, as I came to the conclusion that I needed to cut the bodice from one pattern and the skirt from another.  I swear, for my next project I’m going to make something that I actually have enough fabric for; I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Have an excellent day, folks.

STH

First FESA Project Finally Done!

Tags

FESA 2014, sewing

I finally finished the fleece cycling jersey for my honey yesterday!

The pattern is Jalie 2216.

I first made this pattern a couple of years ago in a bright orange sport knit; it was a bit of a nerve-racking experience, as I haven’t sewn much with knits, I’d never used a Jalie pattern before, and I rarely sew for other people.  It was a challenge, but I did a muslin in a cheap knit fabric first, and that was a big help in getting the fit right, and also clarifying what he was looking for in a cycling jersey.  A problem that I’ve had in sewing for  non-sewers is that they tend to come up with “it would be great if you could . . . ” ideas when it’s too late in the process to accommodate them!  (It occurs to me as I write this that he’s told me in the past how annoying that can be with his software clients at work.  😉 )  He wound up pretty happy with the orange jersey, though, and I used what I’d learned doing that to make the fleece one.

The last version was modified to have a full-length zip, but we stuck to the half-zip for this one.  We changed the pockets a bit, though, and I changed the sleeves to make them full-length, with elastic at the wrists.  I’m not sure what I did wrong–I started this thing almost a year ago, so my memory is a bit hazy–but they turned out not nearly roomy enough (and of course I didn’t discover this until they’d been sewn).

So what to do?  Since the tightness started at the underarm, I decided to insert a long strip of fabric that would extend into an underarm gusset ending 3″ below the shoulder.  I used one of his other fleece pullovers as a guide for how much to add.

A big help in this process was the realization that I didn’t have to actually unpick the seams to insert the gusset; since the seam allowances were only 1/4″, I was able to just cut them off, then add another 1/2″ to the insert to make up for the loss.  Whew!

Lessons from this project:

—  When sewing for other people, talk a lot about what the recipient expects and wants in the item.  This guy’s been cycling his whole life, so he has some opinions about cycling gear.  So what features does he like in the jerseys he’s worn?  What doesn’t he like?  This actually was the source of the project, as he had plenty of fleece pullovers and cycling jerseys, but hadn’t been able to find a jersey made out of fleece.

—  Have the recipient try on the item at several stages of construction, if possible.  Baste, try on, discuss, repeat.

—  Double-check by comparing the item to similar pieces that fit well.  I wish I had compared my sleeve pattern piece to his other clothes before cutting it out!

I’m glad to have this done–next up is my PJs!  I’ve also got an idea cooking in the back of my brain to make myself a vest with the leftovers from the jersey . . . .

STH

(FESA Flickr group is here.)

Ups and Downs

Tags

FESA 2014, sewing

Well, I’m sorry to say that the green FESA blouse isn’t going to get finished.  I haven’t thrown it out–hope springs eternal, don’t it?–but it just became clear it wasn’t going to work.  It always takes me a while to give up on things, and this time it took until the blouse was finished except for the front bands.

The project was trouble from the start.  I had less of the green linen than I thought, so I decided to cut the neck and front bands from a lovely cream linen that I’ve been trying to find a home for.  Then I tried on the blouse when the major seams were basted and discovered that, not only was this thing HUGE on me, but there was no way I could wear that fabric for any length of time–the itching would have driven me to murder in no time.  So I took the blouse in by many inches and cut a cotton muslin lining using the altered pieces as a pattern.

I kept seeing problems during construction, but I kept going until I finally had to accept that the pattern just doesn’t work for me, at least in that fabric.  The lining reduced the drape of the linen, making the sleeves look lumpy.  The length of the blouse hit me at exactly the wrong place.  The overall effect was of a green linen cube–not a great look.

I would like to try this one again someday, but it’s going to need a soft, drapey fabric and some serious alterations to the pattern.  Not something I’m going to take on right now.

So time to move on to my partner’s fleece cycling jersey, as the mornings are getting cool here and he’s once again wearing warmer clothes to ride.  I’ll be happy to get that UFO out of my stash.

On the plus side, I had a brainstorm this week and remembered Freecycle.  My weight is creeping down–pound by hard-fought pound–and pretty soon I’m going to be out of pants I can wear.  But I don’t have a lot of fabric that’s appropriate for pants, especially the Colette pattern I won.  Well, why not look for some fabric on Freecycle?  God knows there are always sewers with extra fabric they know they’ll never use.  So I put up a request and should have some fabric to pick up next week.  W00T!  I’m so looking forward to this!

STH

Sewing Contest Bag (UPDATED)

Tags

cats, FESA 2014, sewing

As I’ve written here before, I’ve sewed since I was a little girl, but I haven’t made any clothes for myself in several years.  Then, several months ago, I was looking at a catalog and saw a blouse I really liked and it occurred to me that I could easily make myself something similar.  So I dug through my stash, made that blouse, and promptly got myself obsessed all over again with sewing clothes.

So, being a person who spends way too much time on the internet, I went searching for blogs about sewing and Facebook pages for pattern companies and sewing magazines.  And found the brave new (to me) world of online sewing contests.

Hence this bag.

I’m sure it’s obvious that I did not take this picture.  Ahem.

My wonderful partner, a REAL photographer (unlike me), was kind enough to take this with all his fancy gear and pretty it up in Photoshop for me.  I’ve entered it into this BurdaStyle contest–grand prize a new serger.

Bags are really my thing, sewing wise, and they’re largely what I’ve been sewing while I’ve been away from sewing clothes.  So when I saw the free Burda bag pattern for use in the contest, I knew that was the one I would make.  I got out my box of velvets and satins, decided on a color scheme, and the design just seemed obvious to me.  I let the idea cook in my head for a couple of days, but this just seemed right.

What I learned making this bag:

1.  STRETCH VELOUR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.  Seriously.  It WILL make you crazy.  I was smart enough to underline the body of this with cotton broadcloth (best decision ever), but didn’t underline the black velour overlay.  MISTAKE.  Then combine that with slippery satin, a rotary cutter blade that isn’t super sharp, and a design that’s supposed to be very precise and YIKES.  I was able to get the overlays to work on the one side, but what you can’t see in the picture is that there’s only the one layer of black velour on the back.  With a lot of sweat, I was able to get that to match the front at the seams, but I could not get the satin to work.  After the second attempt, I just laughed and resigned myself to a one-sided design.

2.  I need to trust myself and my sewing skills.  I always get unreasonably nervous when I do things differently than a pattern instructs, but I really need to stop worrying about that so much.  I made several changes to this and all worked out well.

For example, I attached the top binding like quilt binding so that I could avoid flattening out the velour with machine stitching (and because it never turns out as neatly as hand sewing).  And, since I knew my rotary cutting of the satin for the drawstrings hadn’t been perfect, I figured out what their final dimensions should be and sewed them to get that.  That is, instead of sewing with a set seam allowance of 1/2″, I turned the strips of fabric over so the fold was at the 1/2″ marking on my sewing machine.  That way I knew I’d get a finished width of 1/2″ on the drawstrings.

3.  I need to do more hand work.  I really liked doing all the hand sewing and beading on this; I find it to be very calming to my anxious brain.  Not sure how I’m going to fit that into my other commitments, but I’m storing it away as something to work toward.

The Burda contest will be decided through online voting beginning October 1.  If anybody likes the bag, I’d appreciate a vote for it very, very much.  The link is here.

In the meantime, I’ve finally started work on one of my FESA projects, the green linen blouse.  It was supposed to be a quick and easy project.  YEAH RIGHT.

Even with Shelby’s assistance, this is going to be another challenging project.

BELATED 10/5 UPDATE:  The submission period for the Burdastyle contest has been extended through 10/6.  I’m guessing voting starts on the 7th, but the post doesn’t actually say.  Anyway, here’s the link.

In other exciting STH contest news, I’ve entered the Fat Quarter Blouse in the Joann Sew Your Style Contest.  Voting is going on now and ends 10/7.  The site seems to allow multiple votes on some days and not others (don’t ask me, I just sew).  The blouse, which I creatively named the Fat Quarter Blouse, shows up on the second page of entries (you have to scroll down to the bottom of the first page and click “load more.”)  Votes are very, very appreciated. Thank you.

Fall Essentials Sew-Along

Tags

FESA 2014, sewing

I’ve been thinking fall thoughts lately.  Well, it really started in the HEAT of August–I started longing for some cool fall weather.  Then I saw a reference to the Fall Essentials Sew-Along and thought this might be a good way to connect with the online sewing community (which I am new to) and motivate myself to get some fall sewing done.

Because I’m difficult that way, I am bending the rules to fit what I really need/want to get done.  My goals for the Sew-Along are to try to use exclusively fabrics from my stash and patterns that I already own (I expect some notions will have to be purchased, especially zippers, but I’m also going to try to use stash buttons), make some warm, layer-able clothes that are also professional-looking, and learn how to make pants for my rather unusual shape (and finally give up on crappy RTW pants that don’t fit me!)

So here’s my FESA plan (apologies for the crappy photos; I’m in a bit of a hurry):

1.  Fashionable Foundations for Frosty Weather

This is where the pants come in.  I’ve got two patterns I’m going to try.  First is this Colette slim pants pattern (I won it from Sew News magazine!  Which I am inordinately excited about!!  All the exclamation points!!!)

The striped fabric is what I’m going to have to use for my muslin, as it’s the only stretch fabric in my stash (yeah, I don’t get it either, but there it is).

I also have this Sandra Betzina pattern from Butterick; I’ve already made the blouse and that fit me well, so I thought I might take a chance with the pants.

The nasty cream cord is for the muslin, the nice black cord is for the for-reals pants.

2.  Chic Chemises for Cool Climates

First in line is this Butterick pattern which I think has some really nice detailing.  The fabric is a green linen-rayon with a lovely drape.  Not sure if I’m going to keep the slit in the sleeves–might be a bit chilly for here.

Next is a fleece pullover, which is a major wardrobe staple for me in the winter (have I mentioned it gets cold here?)  View E is what I have in mind for this fleece.

And here’s where I bend the rules.  I started a fleece cycling jersey for my partner last winter, then got insanely busy and didn’t finish it before the weather warmed up.  I need to finish that ASAP so that I know he’s warm and cozy out on his bike.

3.  Fabulous Frocks

I’m really looking forward to this one.  This fabric is (I think) a poly-rayon blend that I’ve had for years and it just has a gorgeous drape and beautiful weight to it.  And that color!  I’ve been so enjoying just looking at the fabric sitting in my sewing room these past few weeks while I pondered what to do with it.  I really like the long jumper in this pattern, and it should be so cozy worn over a turtleneck and tights.  I expect the fitting to be tricky, though.

More rule-bending on this one.  My sister gave me this rather shapeless dress after giving up on trying to fit it.  I don’t blame her one bit, as the fit on it is just weird (I think it was a Pavelka pattern, FWIW).  I want to try to re-cut it using this pattern.  It’ll be a bit of a challenge, but I just love the fabric and buttons and don’t want to give up on them.

6.  Those Cozy Nights

There are some who would have a problem with a plus-sized woman wearing flannel PJs with sleeping pigs on them.

I am not one of those people.

I am so looking forward to these.  Soft, colorful, and warm–three of my favorite things!

I’m ready to get sewing!  I have a project to get done first, though; I’m hoping to take care of that in the next week or so.

STH