Catching up. The excitement is building!

The work schedule is continuing at a dizzying pace, and we are looking forward to going on vacation next week, so I want to get as much work done as possible. Everyone thinks being self employed is wonderful, and at times it is, but what they don't think about is you don't get paid vacations. That means for vacation, you have to cover the missed income plus what you'll be spending or your finances wind up kind of upside down. To that end, I've been adding a few jobs into an already full schedule, which leaves little time for sewing or for me!

We're going to San Diego for my sister and brother-in-law's 50th Anniversary. I can't believe that they've been married so long! Although they got married quite young, it doesn't seem possible that we're all so old. We'll be staying at the beach in Oceanside, and for the first time in probably about 20 years, my children with spouses and grands, and my sister and brother-in-law, and all their 8 children with spouses, grands and great-grands will be within a few blocks along the beach in rented beach houses. I expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 of us! AMAZING!!! Unfortunately, my oldest granddaughter won't be there as she's not able to take additional time off work. She will be sorely missed. I expect a week long party. It should be fun, exciting, full of love, family and fun.

BUT... all that said, I've been trying to stick to my 15 minutes a day at least, and it is helping me progress my SWAP. The brown pants are complete and have been worn, and are into the rotation. The striped shirt turned out quite well if I do say so myself. Front and back stripes line up perfectly, which may not be apparent from the picture. The sleeves are cut on the straight grain, so they don't line up that well, but it is what it is. I'm quite pleased with the tee, it fits well, and is flattering.

I am excited about sewing right now, and have moved on to the next top, which is a rayon knit in a batik of browns. I love the fabric and think it will make a nice and more dressy looking top for work.

 I also have my second "muslin" of the Style Arc Franki top cut out and ready to go. The first was made of real muslin, and this is from a wild looking rayon knit I got on sale. It's not my usual style or colors (on line shopping sometimes elicits surprises LOL,) but I think will be fun for summer. The fabric feels wonderful and drapes fantastically. I'm hoping the alterations I made will make for a really nice fitting and flattering cowl neck top. I love the pattern, and I love cowls. Fitting me with them is more difficult! If I can make this one work, I have a luscious chocolate brown knit for it.


After working on the batik top last night, when I was getting a bit tired but not ready to go to sleep, I pulled out a Burda top and started tracing and doing my standard alterations on that one. It's Burda 2898, I'm pretty sure it's currently OOP. But I have loved this pattern since I bought it and never made it up yet. To me it's lovely and will look wonderful for a summer top of a light weight fabric. I bought a beautiful French Cotton Lawn from Marcy Tilton and that will go beautifully with my swap and be perfect for work for summer time.
The muslin for that will be coming up soon.



AND on top of that, I have the Butterick #5616 top also in the "next up" pile. It's undoubtedly out of print too. It is going to be a muslin of denim first, and will be useful for a light weight jacket.  I have a muslin fitted except the sleeves, and hope to trace them off tonight and get a sleeve done to see if it will fit my bodacious biceps. They measurements look okay, but I never know until it's put together and tried on. I'm hopeful that no further alterations  will be necessary on this one. Once the fit is correct, this one will be made in a beigey-tan stretch cotton and will be my bridging piece. And because I love, love, love, red, expect to see it in a red too. That will be my next core collection after the SWAP is completed.

I have several more knit tops to do, and am optimistic that my SWAP may actually get completed this year in the appropriate time frame. AMAZING!

Hope you are all doing well on your sewing and having fun with it!

 

Thought clippings and some progress

I can't believe it's February 4 already. I had a busy January which is usually the only time of the year I get some down time. So who knows what this year will bring.

Last weekend was my birthday weekend, so my hubby and I, my daughter, and two Grands met up in Berkeley for a little fun. We got there early so had time to go to Stone Mountain and Daughter which is my all time favorite fabric store. I got several pieces that called to me, and you'll see many of them over the course of the next few months. Then we had lunch at a Brazilian place, never had Brazilian food before, but we'll be going back. It was yummy. Then over to Laci's textile museum. They are the most fascinating place, and I'd wanted to go for years and never got there before. The exhibit was exquisite hand made laces from as early as the 1600s. We got a history lesson along with the docent led tour. My husband wasn't too thrilled when I first talked to him about it, but loved it as much as we did. They even had one piece made of human hair in the 1500s I think!

My second pair of brown pants are complete except for the waistband hook and eye. They look good, and did require a bit of alterations. I'm not sure why, but my standard pattern draft had got off somewhere along the line. These are a charcoal and bittersweet chocolate pinstripe that I actually cut cross grain because I don't want stripes going around these hips! LOL Pictures will follow.

After taking Don McCunn's pants class multiple years and about 50 pounds ago, I have drafted all of my own pants patterns and at this point don't have any RTW pants in my closet. But I get lazy, and as you make multiple copies, the darts start to fall apart, as does the front markings for the fly. So instead of doing a new draft, I copy, and then recopy, and then change for whatever design feature I want, and so on and so forth. Well, after the brown wool fiasco, I bit the bullet and redrafted the pants pattern once again true to my current measurements, so I should be ready to go.

I'm going to do what I call instant gratification sewing for a week or so, and then back to pants. I have several tees in the works that will go along with my SWAP, and not look like plain tee shirts, but a little dressier and/or interesting. I love, love, love, stripes, but again, at this size, don't want stripes running around my body. I found this wonderful cotton/lycra knit at Stone Mountain and Daughter in Berkeley, and couldn't pass it up. It's the stripes I love, good colors, and fits perfectly in with my SWAP.

I sure hope you guys like my ideaas much as I think I will. That's on the cutting board right now, but it is taking a while as I want the stripes matched perfectly.


As I've been driving, sewing, and my various other tasks, I've been thinking about all things sewing, and thought I'd share. If you know everything, then skip this part.

Pins, scissors, and pointy things. We all know to get our scissors sharpened because they do get dull, even if you're careful to only use them on fabric. A gentleman who used to come around showed me how to tell when you're due. If your fabric is kind of bunching up as you cut, it's time. Along those lines, I just had the most amazing thought pop up a few months ago. I am good about having my scissors sharpened, but was using a seam ripper that was probably 25 years old. They, too, need to be replaced. And what a difference it makes! :P}}

Pins... I have multiple types of pins. For me, ruining a fabric that I purchased and loved because I had a pin not sharp enough that pulled the threads is so frustrating! And it has happened rather frequently with knits before I started replacing all of my pins every 3 to 6 months, depending upon how much I use them. Having a run up the front or back of a beautiful knit fabric because your pin had a burr is nightmarish! I have separate pin cushions, and/or magnetic pin cushions for my various types. I use ball point for knits; round head pins for wovens, sometimes the flower head pins for wovens, as they have long, narrow shafts that work well on thick fabrics, and I have dedicated silk pins for fine fabrics. It just makes my life easier.

Thoughts on pockets... use twill tape along the pocket edge seam line, about 1/4" shorter than the seam, and stretch to fit as you're sewing. It will keep your pants pockets from gapping. Also, I use twill tape along the back crotch line seam. If you've ever had a back seam pop, you'll know much more security with that little piece of twill tape to reinforce your stitching!

When I'm making pants pockets, after stitching the underside to the outside, I pink the seams at different widths. Then press open on a Tailor's Board, and press together over a ham using lots of steam to get it nice and flat. Once you have it flat, do your topstitching, and again, press over the ham, using lots of steam and a clapper. Your pockets will look super professional.

Along those lines, I do use my ham more than any other tool in my sewing room except my machines. Whenever you are pressing a part of a garment that goes over curves, the ham is your best friend. I use it to press darts, pin my pocket bags together, be sure my waistbands are pinned well, and so many other areas where one side is being drawn in to a smaller side. Try it. You may find your garments coming together just a bit nicer!

Well, it's Monday morning, and my week needs to get moving. Hope yours is fantastic!

Mama said there'd be days like this!

Okay, not to complain, HOWEVER, ahem. Some days I feel like I have lost my mind. I now know not to cut out my patterns early in the morning without checking and double checking what I'm doing! Senior moments happen more frequently when I'm not fully awake. :P}}

I spent last week working on my next SWAP garment, a pair of trousers in a nice brown wool from the stash. I was quite careful and did an excellent job if I do say so myself. All the top stitching was good with no wobbles, and the pockets were as close to perfect as I could get. Photo below:

 

So this made my third garment, and it was the end of the third week in January. Good. I'm keeping up and that's wonderful. I may actually get through this with flying colors. Since it was my TNT, self drafted pattern, I never even thought to pull them on until they were completed. Then... WHAT? I can't get them zipped. I know I'm a little bloated, but come on.

 

Panic sets in. What the heck. I run jump on the scale. No, I haven't gained 20 plus pounds in the last week. So what's going on? I am frustrated and confused. I pull out another pair of pants from the same pattern, in a similar wool fabric (from last year's SWAP) and they are fine. Scratching my head, I finally pull out a tape measure.

 

OMG! The proverbial light bulb went off. I was cutting out early in the morning to get them done so I could sew in the evenings. My pattern was drafted without seam allowances, as I can more readily adapt it to other designs. I CUT THESE SLACKS OUT WITHOUT SEAM ALLOWANCES, and then proceeded to sew them together. They may fit if I loose between 20 and 30 pounds. But not now.

 

Lesson Learned! I either have to add seam allowances to each pattern when I draft it, or check, recheck, and recheck again. A whole week's worth of sewing, and a lovely wool pair of slacks, which I need, going in the give away bag.

 

I have the next espresso brown wool for the next pair of slacks and a tweed for a jacket at the cleaners right now. They will be ready for pickup tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm starting on the next pair of slacks. A heavy charcoal/brown very subtle pinstripe in a cotton. I think I may add extra seam allowances this time just in case. LOL

 

Hope you all are having a wonderful time and getting great garments fit to your unique bodies!

 

More later!

 

 

 

 

Onward and upward!

Not a huge week for sewing around here. We have been fighting the bug that's going around. The flu hasn't hit yet Northern California as dramatically as it has the East, but that's not to say it isn't here.

As an Appraiser, I am absolutely flabbergasted that someone who is too sick to go to work would have me come to inspect their house while breathing their germs all over me and expecting me to shake their hand.

I am a firm believer in Zicam and seem to be abusing it somewhat because I don't have the time, or the desire to become ill. If you haven't tried it yet, think about it. For both Dale and I, when we notice a cold or flu coming on, we instantly start taking it. It generally will either prevent or lessen any symptoms almost immediately. I'm not in any way affiliated with the company, but heard about it from a Pharmacist many years ago and have been a die hard fan ever since. That said, I have been Zicamming a lot more than usual, and sleeping a lot more than usual, but didn't go down completely. So I'm happy!

In my spare time, around working, sleeping, and all the rest, I did have a few minutes this week to work on my second SWAP garment. It's my TNT Pamela's Perfect Tee shirt pattern, this time with a round neck and long sleeves. It's in a luscious silk/wool jersey from Mood this time. I love it and will get a ton of use out of it as it's the right weight for Spring and Fall as well as winter with a jacket.

And thanks to Caroline from Diary of a Sewing Fanatic for the hint about the knits. I only wear natural fiber fabrics and it's hard to find sweater knits that are attractive and don't have either poly or acrylic or some other such fiber mixed in. This one is as soft as can be, and I have enough to also make a tank for wearing under jackets in the warmer months. Woo Hoo!

Lying on my cutting table right now is some brown wool from my stash for slacks. Again, my TNT self drafted pants pattern will be used. Now debating on whether they need a separate lining or if I'll make a "pant liner" which to me means a pair of Bemberg rayon slacks with an elastic waist. I think it's a good option as I don't much like to pay dry cleaners, and if the slacks don't have a stain, generally I can get away with just steaming after wearing and airing. BUT, the pant liner can be washed much more frequently. I think it's a win, win.

I'm feeling encouraged that it's the end of the second week in January and I have two SWAP garments already done. I've made so many pants that those are almost second nature, so they will go quickly. I may actually finish a SWAP this year! WOW.

More later!

Tah Dah!

Just a quick moment this morning. Getting ready for work. Here's a picture of the aqua and brown floral. It's a silk/cotton/spandex stretch woven from Gorgeous Fabrics. I love it and it will fit well with my Chocolate Dreams SWAP.

Have the brown silk-wool tee cut out and on the sewing table to start this evening. All threads have been changed and a new needle installed in my sewing machine. Serger has brown thread and is ready to go. The 15 minutes per day seems to be working out rather well.

Yesterday afternoon, another of my goals was started. I hope to spend more time with hubby instead of just working all the time. We need to relax together. So we went to see a movie... first time in I don't know how long. Parental Guidance. Cute movie. Good comedy. Great actors. Lots of giggles!

More later!

Working It!

Today is Saturday here, and I'm trying to keep my blog posts up as well as do my "15 minutes" per day that usually turns into an hour every few days. But it does progress the projects and gets more clothing into my closet. That's the really good part.

I was not as successful at the 15 minutes per day as I'd hoped this first week in January. I started the week behind with the Holiday in the middle, and continued to work pretty long hours all week, usually finishing at 6:30 or 7:00 pm. That means after I fix dinner, and we eat, I'm usually all in. AND I've been getting up at 6:30 am to start work at 7:30 am. Just long days overall.

I don't like the early mornings in the winter much. As a San Diego girl, I love the sunshine, and winter darkness and cold doesn't get my mojo working the way I like.  I also believe I have a bit of the Seasonal Affective Disorder, which means I get down in the dumps when there isn't enough sunshine. Oh, well. I live in Northern California which most people still think is California with sunshine all the time, but in winter, I am cold, and it rains too much for me!

Moving on, I'm working on a tee out of a lovely rayon print, cream, aqua, and browns that should be done later today. I'll post a picture when it's finished. Not much to say because it's my TNT Pamela's perfect tee shirt pattern, this time with 3/4 sleeves so I can wear it most of the year, and I could probably make in my sleep. But the fabric is lovely and it will actually go with my SWAP.

The really good news is I have enough left over to make up the sleeveless shell too. I was looking at the one Sydni made over at Stitcher's Guild from the Burda pattern with the cowl, and I'm pretty sure I can alter my Ala Mode Margarita top that is already fitted to have the same type cowl neckline. I'm loving the look of cowls on almost everyone, and since I can, why not. It will make a nice spring top for under jackets, and a great summer top on its own.

I need to finish up an appraisal this morning, and then hope to finish the rayon top, and get my next project cut out for sewing this weekend. It's a gorgeous silk/wool blend in a dark almost expresso colored chocolate from Mood Fabrics. It's going to be another Pamela's tee with long sleeves this time. I figure even though I'm not officially throwing my hat into the ring, I do want to work on the SWAP and see if I can actually get enough garments finished.

On another note, I bought a new little Embroidery Machine! Saw the article in Threads about the Brother PE 500 Embroidery machine for under $300, and have been wanting to get something inexpensive for monograms. My really old Pfaff (circa early 1980s) did script, but it is failing after all the years of heavy use, and I only use it as a backup machine now. I wanted something that I could actually do large monograms if desired, and also that I could do my own personalized sewing labels. I'll get it set up later today too! I doubt I'll ever do a lot of embroidery because that's just not my style, but having the ability to do beautiful monograms makes my day!

Hope your day is fabulous!

Simplicity 9825, First Garment 2013

Well, as promised, here's my first garment of 2013.

I made a skirt for my granddaughter, fits well, and she liked it very much. Will be a nice addition to her work wardrobe.

 

I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of it on her, but she refused to pose since she was still in her jammies and hadn't showered, etc.

 

It's a virgin wool from my stash bought in Sicily several years ago. Grey with a fine white pinstripe, and a bemberg rayon lining.  The pattern is quite easy, and sews up nicely. I started at a 12 waist and a 14 hip, and it was just right for her. I eliminated the front and back seams and installed a side invisible zipper.

 

Not much else to say, but I'm hoping my sewing productivity is way up this year. It gives me joy and relaxes me from the stresses of work and tight deadlines.

Hope your year is off to a great start!

 

 

Happy 2013!

Just a quick post this morning. Happy 2013 to everyone!

I hope to let the tides wash away all the unfinished business of 2012 and start 2013 with a great attitude and wishes for all, (including myself!) for happiness, health, prosperity, and the time to enjoy them all.

My goals for 2013 are to find more time to relax. More time to sew. Get out more and work less. Take the time to run energy so I can stay grounded and get my brain out of monkey mode so things will progress faster. I hope to blog more frequently. AND I'd like to complete the 2013 SWAP whether or not I officially throw my hat into the ring.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Day and a phenomenal 2013!

PS... I'm already sewing for 2013. I have a skirt on the table now that I hope to have pictures to show you later today. Not for me, but for my wonderful, accomplished, granddaughter for her new Corporate position.

Thinking SWAP 2013

I don't know if I'll actually throw my hat into the ring over at Stitcher's Guild, as I believe we're going to have a VERY busy first quarter in 2013. We are hoping to get approved to buy a new to us house, which will of course involve a move; my sister and brother-in-law are having a 50th anniversary which will involve a very large, wild group of family in the San Diego area for several days; and of course I still work full time on top of everything else.

BUT I really feel like I accomplished a lot of coordinated sewing after planning last year's SWAP even though I didn't come near finishing in the allotted time frame. I did finish most of the garments, and wound up with some nice wardrobe basics. As a result, today I spent most of the day coming up with my 2013 SWAP, Chocolate Dreams. Could be coffee too, but Chocolate is really my fav, so that's what it is.

It will fit my lifestyle perfectly with slacks and tops for work and the bridge piece is a "jean jacket."

The pants are my self draft as they're the only ones that fit me, and are so much easier than trying to reinvent the wheel. The knit tops will be Pamela's Perfect Tee shirt for the same reason. The woven blouses are both from a new to me Butterick pattern, #5616. One will have a 3/4 sleeve, probably without the band at the end of the sleeve, and one with a cap sleeve for spring and summer. They will both be able to be worn over another shirt if desired. The jacket is my first foray into Stylearc patterns, but everyone who uses them seems to love them, so there you go. I'm hoping I'll feel the same way.

My fabrics are pretty simple and should be super versatile. I have medium brown and bittersweet chocolate wool for the winter pants with a silk/wool jersey, a mesh knit, and a cotton print top to go with those. The spring to summer grouping will have taupe cotton twill and espresso brown subtly striped twill pants, a natural tan color rayon/linen jersey, a dark chocolate rayon jersey, and a cotton stretch woven print for tops. The jean jacket bridge piece is a taupe-brown stretch denim. Everything looks like it will work well together, at least on paper!

There are myriad other garments I'd like to add to this, not the least of which is a wool tweed jacket for now, but it won't work as a bridge piece. It may get made first just the same. And of course, it's kind of boring with just brown and cream, so along the way there may be pops of color that jump in. We'll have to see how it goes.

I'll be doing my year end goals in lieu of resolutions in a few days, and then it will be a New Year. I'm hoping to do more sewing, more blogging, and in general have more fun.

Hope your year end is going well!

October was a little slow in sewing world

Well, a quick recap on September. Not much happening in the sewing world. I moved ahead and finished a pair of charcoal pants and a pair of black pants. Set the one quilt aside to work on another time when I'm more into quilting.
Work has been super busy which is good. We're working on getting approval to buy a new house. Not the easiest thing when you're both self employed in industries that have been decimated by the housing bust. Plus at 65, we just can't work as hard as we used to.
We're kind of looking in a nearby community for a "retirement home." That to me means hopefully within walking distance of services, hopefully very affordable, with a space for a garden and fruit trees, hopefully with at least peeks at the water, and with a nice room that can become my sewing studio. For Dale, it means hopefully peeks at the water, room for his boat to be at home and off the street, (which I would like to be behind the fence!) a nice big garage, and hopefully an art room so he can create also.
My brain is bubbling with lots of ideas of things I want to create. If I had the time, I expect I would be producing quite a lot of garments, new and old designs, in fabulous fabrics. As it is, I think about them, dream about them, and get a few items actually sewn.
So, now it's to work, and I'll try to be better about posting now that November is almost half over! :P}}

Thoughts on the Autumn of my Life & Fitting Older Bodies

I just want to say first, that September was kind of a wasted month in my sewing life. I worked on quilt pieces, which are going to take a long time to complete, and I fiddled with the pearl gray jacket for way too many hours hoping I could figure out a way to fit it correctly. AND, I remade the pearl gray trousers. I was reminded of why I don't do alterations and mending. Although the pants are wearable, I don't really like them any more, and the jacket, which probably had 150 hours in it, finally got tossed into the garbage.

The consensus is that I HAVE to buckle down and complete Don McCunn's drafting classes sooner rather than later. I need to draft a torso block for me, my husband, and my daughter with personally fit sleeves. Once I have a block that fits, I am hoping I won't have the odd problems here and there with diagonal lines and folds that I can't figure out but know relate to fit. Don's retiring the end of 2013, and although I figured I had forever to complete these and there was no rush, there is now a sense of urgency. I need someone with Don's experience to help me "read" the lines in our clothing to enable a perfect fit on less than perfectly proportioned bodies. :P}}

The really good news is that the wedding got called off, so I will hopefully have a long time before the quilt needs to be completed. I think it (the marriage) was never a really good idea, but a chance for an 18 year old to be on her own and away from her parent's rules. Unfortunately, switching from conservative parents to a demanding and inconsiderate, overbearing man that thinks he can command you to do whatever he wants, isn't any better, and is actually worse than conservative parents! Getting married to run away from something isn't ever a good choice IMO.

To the end of perfect fit clothing for us, I also purchased a new book, The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting by Sarah Veblen. I received it yesterday and started reading in my lunch hour. I will be reading this through cover to cover I believe. She starts with basics and moves easily through what from first glance appears to be the very basics into complex adaptations of OTC patterns to help everyone achieve perfection in their garments. None of us have the standard "dress form" shape, so I believe between Don's class and this book, we should come out in fantastic shape.

As I have been contemplating fit and bodies and all of the appurtenant issues over the few months, I have come up with some interesting conclusions about my body and aging, and my life.

As a young to middle aged person, I took for granted that I was active, healthy, and could do anything and everything I wanted with minimal effort. I have always had a touch of OCD, and dove right in trying to be the best at whatever I was doing, with little regard for whether or not it was good for me, or healthy, or anything else.

As I've aged, wierd and mysterious (to me) things have happened that I never would have believed COULD happen to me. I've shrunk by about an inch. Due to multiple events and health problems, I am almost 80 pounds heavier than I have ever been in my life, and for various reasons can't seem to elminiate that excess.

Things have fallen from where they originally were placed, and I have bumps and bulges I wouldn't have thought possible. I have learned, that for me, "good enough" is not good enough! I want perfection, and although I've always strived for that in my life, I didn't know enough to know that perfect fit in clothing was achievable with enough knowledge, time and effort.

I just took out three paragraphs of what was TMI and not interesting to others, but a good introspection for me.

It is time to quit resting on my laurels and get moving towards my goals. I want to be healthy and active again, and have perfectly fitting garments that always make me look elegant and well put together. I will survive, and thrive!

More soon I hope!

August Recap

Well, it looks like I'm doing a month's blogging all at once. Work has been busy, thank goodness. Sewing gets done when I'm not too exhausted to remember "right sides together."

I did get the little pencil skirt done for my granddaughter. Drafted her a pattern, added a kick pleat, and typed up very involved instructions so someone with no sewing experience can recreate a skirt from the pattern. That one also has a fly front, so those instructions were very detailed, and she has some good information there. She did mention that she thought it was a tiny bit too big. But hasn't sent any pictures, so I don't know if she's talking a half inch or two inches. Just going to wait until I hear from her. Here's a picture of the skirt on the hangar.

Kick pleat showing

 

Front

 

Once I had Kristi's skirt completed and in the mail, I continued to work on the Margarita top. I kept at it trying to get the fit exactly right for my body, including changing the shoulders and neck edge until it was something that I felt good about. To this point, I have three totally wearable tops that work well with or without a jacket. No bra straps show with these versions. Plus a few others that get worn for pajama tops at this time of year. The ones for "real" include a navy cotton overlock knit from Hancock's fabrics; an Ecru LaCoste mesh knit from Denver Fabrics, and another from a grey, red, and cream knit from Emma One Sock. Navy, beige, and gray are my core colors, so all will be immanently wearable, and get lots of use.

 

 

 

I also made a blouse from my Favorite Hot Patterns Plain and Simple shirt. I used a Bali handpainted Batik from Emma One Sock for that. It's already my new favorite top.

 

 

 

 

So on the table right now is a half completed pearl gray jacket that will match the pants previously shown. I also have 3 pair of pants cut out and ready to go ~ charcoal grey, black, and tan. I figure if they're ready to go they have a much better chance of being queued up and getting sewn quickly. Then I have the granddaughter's quilt partially cut out. I'll be starting sewing the strips together when I'm too tired to make sense of anything else. :P}} They can bet done while mindlessly watching television. I'm itching to get to the reds though. In my head I have a red jacket waiting to be made also! We'll see how quickly that comes together! LOL I think I'll use my TNT base jacket pattern, and do a Mandarin collar, then slant down to the bust level like it were a collarless jacket. In my head, it's going to work really well! LOL

 

I have a Butterick top partially adapted and ready for a muslin too. Oh, for the days when I could just cut a pattern out and it fit good enough that no one knew it wasn't perfect but me! Reading other's blogs, I most identify with SD Bev. I have narrow, sloping shoulders. Need a FBFBA. That's full bust, full belly adjustment. I need a sway back adjustment. I have what Carolyn calls Bodacious biceps, so those have to be adjusted. And then I'm short waisted, so things need to be adjusted in length too! I just need several more hours every day and I could be so productive!

 

Well, off to my day.  It's always a tightrope walk to balance my days and evenings with everything involved in being self employed, work, food prep, grocery shopping, and time for sewing. Still trying to eliminate some of the pounds brought on by my body's reaction to gluten and stress. I figure that's going to take a long while at the rate I'm going, but I am moving in the right direction, albeit VERY SLOWLY! Hope your August very productive.

 

More later!

 

 

It's been a while.

I don't know why, but I finally figured out if I want to get so busy at work that I'm doing 12 hour days, 7 days a week, all I have to do is decide I'm going to do some garment sewing ala 6 Pacs or SWAP over at Stitcher's Guild. I'd really like to do some concentrated sewing of multiple garments in cores, and that's the goal.

The summer 6-Pac, which I was working on, got waylaid when I got super busy at work, my planned crop pants got very weird legs, and my granddaughter came for a visit. She generally comes for a few days each summer when she comes from Denver to California to visit her dad. I get a couple of days and her dad usually gets a week or a week and a half since she's been in high school. Before that she'd spend the entire summer with him.

She's very interested in fashion and design, probably because she's tiny and can't find a lot of clothes outside the children's section, which on an adult look strange. We've talked about her learning to sew for years, and I finally got through to her that she won't make the perfect garment the first time she sews. So this time, she wanted to learn how to sew, and wanted to make a pencil skirt. We drafted one, she sewed it with my directions, and btw, I've never seen a first time sewist so accurate... do you think OCD and perfectionism are inherited?...unfortunately, we didn't have time to do a muslin. It looked perfect until we got to the waistband. YIKES! She has the family need for a sway back adjustment. As we started tearing stitching out, I realized that the inexpensive denim we'd used showed all of the old stitching.

Long story short, I went back to the drawing board and she went home without the pencil skirt. Moving forward, I redrafted the pattern and did a bit of tweaking, moving dart placement as I thought they were a bit off, doing the sway back adjustment, and then getting more fabric. She's 22, works at Whole Foods, and although she wants a pencil skirt, denim is the most practical and will get the most use. I didn't have a dark wash in my stash, so got some at Hancocks sale.

I was ready to start pinning it to the new fabric when the most horrible flu I've ever had hit. I was down for the count for a full week, and another week to get back on my feet. Trying to work full time around the flu isn't fun. But as a self-employed individual with work that has to be completed within a strict time frame, I was out of luck. Had to run to appointments and hope I didn't spew in someone's house.

Finally, I have the skirt cut out and am ready to start sewing again. And of course, the summer 6 Pac that I was sure I'd have enough time for is over. :P{{ That said, I decided that I'd do the Stitcher's Guild Autumn 6-Pac. I have time to make the pencil skirt and still get six garments completed. I have TNT patterns for slacks and knit tops, and have one jacket pattern, and have started alterations on Butterick 5616 that I can use for a woven blouse and also for a light weight jacket. Plus my favorite TNT Hot Patterns blouse. Should be good to go, right?  But, wait for it!

Yesterday, a bomb got dropped. Totally out of the blue, the fourth granddaughter announced her engagement. She graduated from high school in May, and has been waffling about what she wants to do, no job yet, thinking about culinary school, thinking about other things, but her boyfriend lives in another town, a little over an hour away, and she wanted to be closer to him, they were discussing, etc. Turns out the discussions turned pretty serious! They are planning on a wedding next May. Not much time, IMO!

Well, I had promised my oldest granddaughter that I would make her a Melinda's Heart barguello quilt for a wedding present. She finished grad school in May, and her boyfriend started grad school this July. They are not officially engaged as yet, so I figure I have a few years to get it done, and I'll be taking a class in November, so it should work out well. That's been percolating on the back burner of my brain. Oldest GD said I have to set her quilt aside and make one for Alex for her wedding. I've only made a couple of lap quilts to date, so need to find something quick and easy. Zowie!

Last night I got out my quilting books to search. Looks like I can do a rail fence quilt. The book promises they are quick and easy. Yeah, sure. But I will have it professionally quilted on a machine, so that will help a lot. I think fate is intervening. I have a postcard from my local quilting shop... it's their 8th anniversary sale. 25% off all fabrics. Sale yesterday and today. Better hustle my bustle as I have an appraisal that has to be finished today, and looks like I'm going shopping too!

So around my attempt at an Autumn 6-Pac, a denim pencil skirt, and working too much, looks like I'm going to be making a quilt too! Gives me something to do in my spare time! ROFLOL a little hysterically I must say. Not that I'm an overachiever by any stretch of the imagination!

I have been missing my blogging. Too much work, too much time at a computer. But I take great joy in reading everyone else's so I want to get back to it.

I'll keep you in the loop!

How to draft a pocket for pants that don't have one.

Since I'm working on my gray pants and decided to make a regular quarter pocket instead of an inseam pocket or a patch pocket, I decided to share with you the way I got about drafting and sewing these pockets.

I don't claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm mostly a self taught sewer, but this is the way I do it, and for me, it's easy, intuitive, and goes rather quickly. 

DRAFTING a 3/4 Pocket for your slacks draft

Start with a copy of your basic slacks front draft. Take the front piece, and pin out the darts, with the dart legs going towards the side seam, as if they were sewn.

Because I'm attempting a weight loss program and hope that I will need to take in the side seams on my pants, I've used a larger than normal pocket area of about 1/3 of the distance from the center front seam to the side seam for my pocket depth. Anything from 1/4 to 1/2 of the front is typical for slacks pockets, but for women, quarter pockets are most seen.

Draw in the shape of the pocket you want. I've made mine a bit deeper and wider than I normally would. Mark the grain line on the pocket piece before cutting! Cut the pocket piece off the draft. If you want seam allowances added to your pattern, add them now to each cut edge so you won't forget. You will use the cut off piece as a facing for your pocketing if you make it out of quilting cotton or regular pocketing. 

Get a new piece of tissue paper, and trace off the front side piece. You can do any width up to and including the full front width of the pants, or more typically, start at the inside dart and draft from there. Be sure to add the grain line that mimics the pants front.

The next piece of tissue paper will be the back side of the pocket or pocket pouch. I do separate pieces as it takes less fabric and I can use scraps or remnants for the pocketing. Trace off the pocket piece top, center, and bottom lines. Trace the side seam off your front pattern piece. Mark grain lines and add seam allowances if desired. If you prefer, you can just double your tissue paper when you're making the first pocket piece, cut it double, and then cut off the facing piece before adding seam allowances. Note the notch where the pocket piece edge should hit.

Note: These are your pants, so if you prefer, you can use a rectangle with straight bottom and a fold on the interior side of the pocket. I like the rounded pockets a bit better as I feel they produce less lint. 

Cut your pocket pieces from your preferred fabric. I like quilting cottons for the cheerful view when my pants are open, but you can use fashion fabric, dedicated pocketing, or even heavy muslin.

Cut your pocket facings from your fashion fabric using the piece you originally cut off the side of the pants front, and being sure to add seam allowances.

Cut the facings out of your fashion fabric if you're using any thing other than fashion fabric for your pocketing. 

SEWING:

Finish the inside edge of your pocket facing if you are using one prior to any other steps. I have had them ravel inside the pocket and it's a mess! 

Sew facing to pocket bag with wrong sides together. Press to set stitches and then set aside. If you haven't done so already, sew darts in front. 

Place wrong side of pocket piece to right side of front. You can see where I didn't get my seam allowances exactly the same. I'll fix that when I'm doing the waistband. Stitch along the curved edge, being very careful not to stretch the seam. 

If you want to be sure it doesn't bag, you can sew a narrow piece of twill tape to the underside of the seam. (Sew the twill tape to the wrong side of front.) Cut it about 1/4" shorter than the seam, and stretch the twill tape to meet the length of the pocket edge as you're sewing. 

Press flat first. Then press seam open. Clip curves. Trim seam allowances. Under stitch. 

Turn pocket to  inside, and edge stitch and then top stitch the outside edge of the pocket. Press again to  to set the stitches. Use clapper if necessary to get it nice and flat.

Get the pocket pieces you previously set aside. You want to place them under the finished front pieces being sure the facings are under the pocket opening if applicable. Match the side seams and the waist seam line and carefully pin the pocket pouch under the front piece. Note: If you have a tummy, placing the pieces on a pressing ham will give you a slight curve to allow for the tummy. Baste the pocket edge to the pocket pouch. 

Now, turn the pieces over and stitch the pocket seam. If the pocket pouch and the pocket seam lines don't match perfectly, that's fairly normal. Once you've stitched the seam and reinforced it with a second line of stitching approximately 1/8' away, you can either serge the bottom or zig zag in a very tight stitch for further reinforcement. Press flat. Baste upper pocket edge to waist seam allowance. You're done!

Finished pockets on Pants Front

If there's something I didn't make clear, drop me a note and I'll see if I can explain more fully.

More Later!

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Moving forward in my spare time!

Well, I finally have a few minutes to update the blog. Things seem to be moving slowly as I've been super busy at work, and that's taking a lot of my time. Don't you hate it when your real life interferes with your sewing time!

Here are the two pair of pants I made before my Cambridge/Boston trip. Unfortunately, they're not on me, but on the shower rod as I don't have the amazing ability to take my own picture. :P}} With the dark color, you can't really see any details even though I lightened them and tried to get the pockets visible. I did stick a handkerchief it the pocket of the twills, but it's barely visible either!

Navy cotton twills with patch pockets

Denim Trouser Jeans with patch pockets

They are very similar, and both fabrics are from my stash. One is a cotton twill from Joann I think, and the other is a dark wash denim from who knows where. I did manage to find a nice brass button for the denim ones, so they at least resemble jeans. I've gone back to buttons for my pants instead of the little hooks. For one thing, I have about a zillion buttons around here, and for another, I think they look nicer and make a flatter waistband under knit tops.

I'm posting a picture of the latest Collette Sorbetto top. It's a woven, quilting cotton, bought in 2011 I think, that's been in my stash. The jacket is one I made last year, or maybe the year before, which is a major morph that started life as Simplicity #4273. It's from a piece of Rayon-Linen blend from Joann with a Bemberg Ambiance lining. I love that stuff! I try to use it for all my day to day linings, including when I'm making wool pants. It just feels great against my skin, and the ability to breathe makes it appropriate for all but the hottest days. When I'm making a really spiffy jacket though, I'll go with a wild printed silk charmeuse. To me, it's worth the extra cost to have the luxury of a silk lining, and since my clothing is usually kind of staid, the wild prints make me happy and fulfill my wild child side. :P}}

Cotton Sorbetto top Morphed into a tank top

Cotton tank top with rayon-linen jacket

I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to get the Summer 6Pak at Stitcher's Guild completed. I did the navy pants and the jeans in May, so they will count, if I get a navy jacket done to make an outer column. I am trying how to figure out how to make this top count, and I have some gray cotton twill on my cutting board with enough to make pants and a jacket. Then I've been looking at Robin's jacket in progress over at A Little Sewing, Vogue #1293, and think it would be fabulous as an upscale Jean Jacket. So I have the pattern here, and that will probably get started as soon as I finish the grey pants and jacket unless I decide I need to do the tan crop pants and top first. We'll see how things go. I'm thinking the tan crop pants and top will make a nice inner column, and I couldn't help myself and just ordered a nice cotton floral with creams and various tans and browns that would make a nice over shirt that can be worn as a jacket or a shirt when it gets colder. I'm thinking Simplicity #2370 for it. Don't know whether it will be cap sleeves or longer sleeves?

I know it's not too exciting to see my pants sewing as I've done so many pair, they're almost done by rote now, with few changes other than pockets. So I won't bore you with that! But I do hope to have a new outfit posted soon!

Now to get the next outfit done. I'm so excited about sewing again since I've found the "sewing community" over at Stitcher's Guild.

More later!
Lynda