Sew What

Layered Raw Edge Letters

2011-06-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

I finally set up my Pfaff Creative Vision to do embroidery. Honestly, I don't know why I waited so long. I had forgotten how much fun it is to watch as it stitches! My last machine was a Husqvarna Viking D1. I traded it in for the Pfaff after sewing and embroidering with one in a class at the Sewing and Quilting Expo a few years ago. I fell in love with the precise positioning feature. I had made a few projects which used multiple hoopings before and I did a decent job getting the motifs where I wanted them, but it was nearly impossible to get them absolutely exact which kind of bummed me out. All I could think of was all the cool things I could embroider IF ONLY I could get the designs to line up perfectly. So you can see how I was immediately sold on the Creative Vision. Well that was years ago and I have embroidered a big fat nothing with the machine. Zilch.

I love the way embroidery can take clothing to another level, but I cannot articulate exactly how to get that effect myself. I think the design needs to seem like it is integrated into the garment, and not slapped on as an afterthought. This shirt I embroidered last week is an example of what I mean. Although the letters themselves look great and they are lined up perfectly, to me, it looks like the embroidery was an afterthought. Don't get me wrong, I like the way the shirt looks. But the embroidery does not take it to that other level and I would not expect lettering to do that in any case. I guess now that I have "broken the seal" on my embroidery attachment, I am anxious to do more embroidery. How do I select a design and integrate it into a garment?

New Hair Color!

2011-06-18T18:12:00.000-04:00

I have been deliberating for a year. I finally bit the bullet and got a two tone hair color. I think I need a little time to get used to it. Most things need a while to grow on me lately. I must be getting old! My daughter says the hair makes me look younger. I'm all for that! Now all I need is to make some new clothes to go with my new hair.

Keeping It Simple

2011-06-17T14:13:00.000-04:00

I love my BURDA Magazines. Some of the photography gives me a chuckle sometimes, but really, it is my favorite fashion magazine. This month, there was a quick beginner pattern. I stitched it up in some artisan silk that has been in my stash for years. A long time ago, I though I would make ties, but I never got around to it and I have since begun using my tie interfacing for sleeve heads. I had to deviate a little form the instructions since the artisan silk has no give whatsoever. Instead of folding the top under and stitching to form a casing, I cut bias strips of a really nice wool fabric that I used last year for a fabulous pair of pants. I used the wool as a facing on the right side. I also cut bias strips to make binding for the armscyes. Lastly, I made one long bias tube and thread it through both the front and the back and tied it at one shoulder. Oh yeah and did I mention that the hem edge is the selvedge? I am working on a skirt to match. I just have to add a contrast band in the green wool at the bottom and face the waist. The top looks really good if I belt it. If I don't, it looks too shapeless on me. Stiffany (That's my mannequin's name - get it? - she's stiff - hah hah!) looks great in it because she can wear anything well. I have a belt buckle kit which I have been dying to try. I think a slef belt with a fabric covered buckle would make the whole outfit look retro chic.In other news, I have been learning about pattern grading and sizing. Here is something I learned. I always thought that pattern sizes were such that if I gain weight, I go up a size. Well that is not the whole story because if a size 12 fits perfectly and I gain weight and move to a size 14, not only has the girth increased but the lengths have also increased so my bust to waist and my back length in the size 14 will have to be shortened ever so slightly. This is also true of RTW. My favorite Ann Taylor blouses were getting to tight and as I gained weight and moved up a couple of sizes, I eventually found that petite sizes fit me better - even though I am 5'6"! Food for thought...

Stash Cataloging

2011-06-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

How do you keep track of your fabric stash? I love to come up with elaborate systems of organizing my things - systems which are sometimes impractical for me to follow. Currently, I have three methods of cataloging my fabrics. The simplest is a few digital photographs of my fabric armoire, and cupboards with the doors open. I keep the pictures on my iPhone so I will have them available to review while I am out shopping. Next, I have a page on my blog with snapshots or downloaded images of fabrics. I can pull the blog page up on my iPhone any time I have cell service. My latest inspiration involves actual fabric swatches. After cutting apart my Vogue Fabrics Swatch sheets so I could play "mix and match" with them, I had a wonderful idea to cut swatches of my own fabrics - including those I have already used. I made a spreadsheet file in a program called Numbers. Numbers is like a very pared down version of excel which allows quick and easy creation of charts and tables. It works on Mac OS devices. I used my iPad while watching TV with my husband. The result was a quick template which has 8 rectangles and a few lines of text per rectangle. I cut the rectangles apart with a big paper cutter and stapled swatches of my fabrics to the little paper cards. Under each fabric swatch, I have listed the fiber content, width, design repeat, yardage or finished item, and any special notes. I use these fabric swatches to plan projects and coordinate fabrics. What do you do to keep track of your stash?

Mommy and Me

2011-04-11T11:04:00.001-04:00

I interrupted my jacket project to make a little skirt for spring. My daughter loved it and said she wished she had one just like it. So I made one for her with the left over fabric. My first Mommy and Me sewing!

In other news, I have been busy learning fashion design! I have been working with some expensive Adobe software learning how to draw fashion flats and illustrations. I have been learning about flat pattern drafting and dart manipulation as well as pattern grading. All of this learning is fueling my passion for sewing in a way that has my head buzzing with a menagerie of creative ideas. When I figure out how to put it all together, I will have more to share.

What to do with this?

2011-03-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

Fashionistas help!! This jacket needs something. I am glad I made this mock-up. I am not diggin' the look on me. It looks like it needs to be a little longer. I had an idea to add a zip on peplum, but I really like the idea of a cropped jacket. Maybe it just isn't fitted enough? Should I take a little ease out of the side seams and see if I like it? Or maybe tack some fabric along the bottom edge and see if the longer length helps? The back neckline is too low and too scooped as well. I feel my mojo slipping... I would rather be sewing spring dresses, but I don't want another UFO hanging around my sewing room. The pictures are cell phone pictures and not the best, but if you click them, they get bigger. What should I do with this?

Tweed Zipper Jacket Mock-up

2011-03-21T00:10:00.000-04:00

I have been playing with an iPad app called Adobe Ideas. Above is a sketch I drew of the jacket mock-up for the tweed zip front jacket. I left the sleeves off, but I will be adding sleeves to test my pattern before I cut the Linton tweed. The app is a lot of fun. I can sit and draw pictures while I watch TV with my husband. Below are a few pictures of the real life mock-up on my dress form. The zipper is hand basted in. I will take it out when I am satisfied with the mock-up. The pictures expand when you mouse over them. (Someone asked how I do it. I use a JavaScript and some CSS coding. It doesn't work in google reader, though.) I am enjoying this project. I did some pattern editing, some draping, and some hand sewing so far. Maybe the mock-up will be another wearable muslin. Here's hoping...

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary this weekend. Here are a few parting shots from our wedding album.

Drafting the Zippered Jacket Pattern

2011-02-28T21:11:00.008-05:00

Thanks to all who helped me choose which jacket to sew next. I started work on the zippered jacket this weekend. I decided to create my own pattern. First, I had to think about the fabric and the fit to determine what to do with the bust darts. The tweed is a loose weave with horizontal stripes of color and sequins, so I wanted a simple design. I like something with waist definition, so I decided on waist darts for shaping. I have a jacket pattern which fits me very well, but it has princess seams, so I needed to do some pattern manipulation.

I began with the BML belted jacket pattern which I used for this jacket. I cropped the pattern at the waist and taped the side front to the front along the upper part of the princess seam. Then I covered the pieces with tracing paper.

I traced the two pieces as one, converting the princess seam to a waist dart. I also redrew the neckline, using my french curve. For this pattern, I omitted the seam allowances. I find it easier to work with patterns when there are no seam allowances. I will add the seam allowances when I cut the fabric.

Here is what the half front looks like.

The jacket will have an asymmetrical front closure, so I will need to start with a full front pattern piece which I will later cut in two to make a left and a right side. Here I have folded the tracing paper along the center front line and traced the rest of the jacket front onto the folded tracing paper. I divided it by extending one of the dart legs up to the shoulder seam. (I later changed this when I determined where I wanted my neck opening.)

Next, I cut the new pattern pieces out, cutting the left and right apart along the dart leg and its extension.

Here are the two pieces. When I wear the jacket, I would like the zipper to appear to anyone who sees it to go from the top left toward the bottom right. I find that diagonal line to be more appealing than one which goes from top right toward bottom left. That means that from the wearer's point of reference, the zipper will be on the right hand side. Therefore, the larger front piece will be the FRONT LEFT. I always find this confusing and even though I may mark a pattern, I never trust it and I will always double check as I cut. I have learned not to bother marking the pieces. (Does anyone else do this? - second guess yourself to death?? I can't tell you how many pattern pieces I have with markings that are crossed out, changed, crossed out yet again, and changed back to the original markings. I drive myself crazy.)

Here is where I decided on the neckline and the collar. I went back and forth in my mind over having a wider neckline as in my drawing, or a smaller one. I opted for the smaller one with more coverage as I am always cold, and it will look nicer when layered. I drew a dotted line to indicate where the edge of the collar will fall. At this point, I noticed the front opening will not intersect the neckline. That needs to be fixed.

Here, I taped the fronts together and redrew the opening. I am not convinced I like it as much as my original idea with the wider neckline. Also, that diagonal line I had in my mind for the zipper is not going to work out. I think I need to let this marinate a little before I cut any fabric... I may redo it and go with my original sketch.

50s Revival and Vintage Patterns

2011-02-23T12:53:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else totally digging the full skirt look? Everything I am wearing here is purchased. I have no trouble fitting into RTW in this style, so I am OF COURSE thinking I might need to do very little adjusting of patterns in this style. I have not bought a pattern in a long time. I am wondering if vintage is the way to go here, or should I opt for more modern patterns with vintage inspiration? I am fairly confident with sewing patterns which have little or no instruction. I know there are many of you out there in the bloggosphere who have taken a turn with a vintage pattern or two. What are the differences between vintage and modern patterns?

Which Jacket is Next?

2011-02-18T12:01:00.000-05:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I can't watch TV with my husband without also doing something sewing related at the same time. I am either surfing the web to satisfy my voracious hunger for fashion images and sewing blogs or I am flipping through BURDA Style or Threads Magazine or like last night, planning what I want to sew. I bought this beautiful sequined Linton Tweed a while ago and I have been reluctant to sew it. My first idea was a cropped Chanel inspired jacket, but I was only lukewarm on the idea. I made a mock up and that is as far as I got with it. Then I got an idea to make a zippered jacket with a big fold-over collar trimmed with fringe. The other drawing was inspired by a hole in my wardrobe. I need a longer black jacket. I bought a fabulous cut of cashmere and it would be perfect for channel-stitching. Maybe I'll even add little black seed beads at the neckline. I have to make and test patterns, but I think I can use Bernina My Label software to draft something close for starters. Then I will make edits to add the style elements I want. I'll post all the details as I go.

But here is the real dilemma. Which one should I do first???

More Color

2011-02-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

So while I am so ready for spring, it is in fact still winter and here in New England the snow banks are piled over my head in most places. That means I need tights if I want to wear a dress. These are actually ski underclothes, but shhhhhh. Don't tell anyone. How do you like my new yellow bag? I got it at The Limited.

Adding Color to my Wardrobe

2011-02-15T13:33:00.002-05:00

I normally do not wear this many colors together. My inclination would be to wear a black jacket instead of the blue cardigan, but I am trying to add more color to my wardrobe. I just love the raspberry wool fabric I used for this skirt. The pattern is the Bernina My Label basic skirt. The top is Cache - just got it this weekend. The cardigan is Ann Taylor 2009.
I am so ready for spring. I bought sandals and a yellow bag this weekend as well. I am rethinking my sewing queue. I want to have more color and pattern. Do you think the design lines need to be simpler as the color and pattern get bolder? I am trying to wrap my brain around a more contemporary style.

Bernina My Label Princess Dress - Another Wearable Muslin!

2011-02-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

Look at this fantastic fit! I am blown away!! This is a mock up of the Bernina My Label Princess Dress without sleeves. Another wearable muslin. Since I started using this program six months ago, the only garments I have made that I do not wear are the two qualification muslins I made - because I used actual muslin and marked the waistline. I wasn't sure about this one - the princess dress - since it is so fitted. I didn't want to take any chances so I used this rayon print from my stash to test the fit before cutting into the cashmere I want to use. I widened the hem circumference. The pattern is for a pegged dress, but I made it straight so I can redraft the side seams to my liking. I made two changes to the style measurements. I increased the hip to equal my hip at crotch measurement because that is my largest hip measurement. I also increased the waist to hip measurement and made it equal to my waist to crotch measurement. I did not increase the hem circumference with the software. I did that when I cut the pieces by changing the side seams so they were parallel to the grainline from the widest part of the hip (at crotch level) down to the hem. My original plan was to pin a nice slightly pegged side seam and measure it with a French curve. Then I could make a side seam template for future use. But I decided not to bother since I will probably want to customize the side seams on a garment by garment basis. And I think I prefer more of an A line on my body anyhow, so it wouldn't be necessary to make a template. Here is the back. What do you think? More of an A line???

Free MARFY Patterns

2011-01-26T10:39:00.002-05:00

Here are the new Free MARFY Patterns included with the 2011/2012 catalog. There is a dress, a cardigan, two skirts, and four blouses. The cardigan is loose fitting and has 3/4 sleeves with contrast bands and a flounced double collar. The dress is fitted with armscye princess seams, empire waistline, lace bodice, and ballet neckline. It is sleeveless with extended shoulders, and a gored skirt which is fitted through the hip and slightly flared to the hem which lands just below the knee. Skirt 0467 is a straight, above knee length skirt with center front seam and slit. Skirt 0460 is an A line, mid knee length skirt with a deep contrast band at the hem. Blouse 2467 is fitted with shaped dart legs extending to the high hip length hem. It has a scooped neckline with a partial double collar and buttons at the center front. The sleeves are full length, gathered, set in sleeves with a slight flare which is gathered to the cuffs. Blouse 2461 is semi-fitted. The dartless, high hip length blouse is gathered to a front yoke. It has contrast bands at the V neckline/center front opening and sleeve bands. The sleeves are 3/4 length with fullness gathered to the contrast bands. Blouse 2483 is fitted with a contrast band at the high waistline. It is high hip length with cut out shoulders and 3/4 length gathered sleeves and a gathered neckline. Because of the fitted waist, there is either a side opening or a center back opening. Blouse 2484 is dartless and semi fitted with short sleeves and a deep, flounced, buttoned, V neckline. The sleeves and the neckline are finished with contrast binding.My first response to the patterns was SNOOOOOOOZE. But after taking the time to really consider them, I think I understand why MARFY chose this bunch. These patterns are great basics with nice details. They do not have complicated lines and would not be difficult to fit. After fitting one of the free patterns, it would be easy to determine what size to order if we want something more complicated. There are offerings for both woven and knit blouses, and both a mid weight and light weight woven skirt. The cardigan would work for many different fabrics as well. And the dress is fitted which really helps when trying to figure out what typical alterations might be necessary for other fitted MARFY designs. And you can't beat the price!!! Eight free patterns! Those of us who resolved not to buy so many patterns this year, can you hear me now???? Technically, these don't count

Some Things Just Need A Little Time...

2011-01-07T11:18:00.001-05:00

Although I wish this jacket had turned out nicer, I guess it isn't so bad afterall. I like the way the fabrics coordinate with the silk shell I made to go with it. Both items were made with redesigned BML patterns. I have a pair of pants made from the same fabric I used for the olive colored piping and I am in the process of making a pair of pants from the same fabric I used for the binding, so I will have lots of options to make outfits with this jacket. I am in the process of rearranging my sewing room, and my dining room is now a disaster, but in time, it will also be better.

Bernina My Label Basic Skirt

2011-01-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

I did a little sewing over the weekend. In an effort to keep my sewing enjoyable, I made a decision to include some simple projects in my sewing queue. I made this skirt in record time - for me anyway. I could not be happier with it! The fabric is a gorgeous raspberry wool from my stash which I have been afraid to cut until recently. With all the success I have had with Bernina My Label, I finally have the confidence to work with some of the better fabrics I have collected. The only change I made to the pattern was to lengthen the skirt an inch and a half. It is described as a 22 inch knee length basic skirt, but the finished length is not based on the model's waist to knee measurement. It is 22 inches no matter what the model measures. I also added an extra inch of wearing ease from the hip down to the hem. I used one inch side seam allowances and basted the skirt together at the drafted seamlines and the fit was perfect, but I wanted a little extra room, so I stitched the side seams a quarter inch out from the basting, tapering to nothing from the waist to the hip.

For the facing, I used a really nice knit elastic which I bought from JoAnn's a few years ago. This stuff is absolutely perfect for any fabric like medium weight wool or Sophia knit. When you see it, buy the whole roll. It is gold! It gives a nice, professional finish and looks and feels great when worn. I did not line the skirt. I finished the seam allowances with hug snug rayon using a binder attachment foot. I have to say I love this finishing technique. It doesn't add bulk and it looks pretty. For the finish on the kick pleat, I used the selvage. I just cut the pattern pieces so that the edge of the kick pleat was on the selvage. My plan is working. This skirt was easy to make. The wool fabric sews like a dream. The finishing techniques weren't complicated or difficult. And most important, the pattern really fits me! I think I will continue to include quick and easy projects in my sewing plans. Happy Sewing All!!

I Hate It

2010-12-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

My little cropped jacket has been a learning experience. I started by redesigning one of my Bernina My Label patterns. I experimented with drafting a three piece sleeve from a two piece sleeve. Then I stitched a muslin and finally this jacket. There are several things I will do better next time. I will still wear it, but not as proudly as I had hoped. I enjoyed sewing it. The fabrics are all stretch fabrics and my Pfaff IDT really came in handy. I have been sewing with my Pfaff Creative Vision for a year and a half and I have not used the embroidery arm yet. I am really looking forward to incorporating machine embroidery in my future creations. I'm a bit disappointed, but it's late and tomorrow I'll feel better I am sure. I really wanted this jacket to be perfect...

V1183 - the back

2010-12-07T11:35:00.001-05:00

Vogue - V1183

Here is a picture of the back of the Kay Unger dress I finished recently. I love the fit of this dress. My husband took this picture before we left for work this morning. I am still working on a cropped jacket to layer over the top. The fabric is a delight to work with. I do not usually sew with knit fabrics, but I am quickly learning to love sewing knits! I can't wait to show you the little jacket! Soon.....

How my blog helps me sew

2010-11-17T13:59:00.001-05:00

I posted a page where I can upload images of my fabrics. Now when I am shopping for patterns or fabrics, I can whip out my iPhone, pull up my blog, click on My Fabric Stash in the left hand column, and be reminded of some of the contents of my stash. Here are some of the scans I have put up so far. Those of you who blog, what clever ways do you use your blogs to help with your sewing?

Vogue V1183

2010-11-09T12:16:00.004-05:00

I went on sewcation last weekend! I made Vogue pattern V1183 designed by Kay Unger. I used my Bernina My Label princess dress pattern to help me fit a mock-up. I did a post about it here. My dress is not quite finished, but I am wearing it anyway.

I still want to custom fit the skirt. I think the darts are unnecessary, but it's too late to take them out, so, I will lengthen them instead. Also, the hip curve needs tweaking. I did not use the Bernina pattern to fit this portion of the dress. I only used it to make sure I would have enough fabric to cover my body. I think the hip curve on a fitted garment needs to be custom fit for each garment. I may decide to use my French curve to record my changes, but I am sure each new garment will require its own tweaking to adjust for fabric drape.
Most of my sewcation was spent doing hand work. I used tricot to line the bodice and finish the neckline and armscyes. I used machine stitching to thread mark the lining pieces along the front and back princess seam lines. Then I assembled the lining in three pieces, leaving the princess seams unstitched. I machine sewed the three pieces into the dress right-sides-together along the armscyes and the neckline. I pressed, graded and clipped the seam allowances and turned the three lining pieces to the inside. Next, I understitched the lining in place at the neck and armscyes using hand backstitches to tack the lining to just the seam allowances. Then I slipstitched the tricot lining together on the inside along the princess seams. I did this by folding one side under and butting the fold against the other seamline. The machine stitching made this easy since the fabric wants to fold around those threads. I left the bottom unattached for now. I will finish it with a ribbon and secure it with thread chains to the midriff seam allowances after my final alterations.
Next up is a matching jacket! I have done the mock up already. You can read about it here. I decided to use two fabrics for the trim, both of which I will have pants made from. One is a sand colored Italian tropical wool, and the other is the olive colored wool fabric used for these pants. I cut bias strips of the olive wool to use as flat piping, and I cut wider strips of the tropical wool to use as binding. I have already sewn the overarm seam on the sleeves. I inserted strips of the tropical wool in the seam. I am psyched that this jacket will match a dress and two pairs of pants when it is finished. I can't wait to post pictures! I really like what is happening to my sewing now that I have pattern drafting software that is working for me.

ETA (December 07, 2010): Click here for updated picture of the back view after alterations.

Inspired By Mondo

2010-11-04T18:55:00.003-04:00

Mondo really knows how to flatter the female figure. I'll bet I am not the only woman who wants this dress! But how many of us can sew her own custom fitted knock off. Oh YEAH! That's what I'm say-in!

Yes, I know, I need another project in the queue like I need ... But but but I have to have it. I can start with a princess seam dress pattern and make a few small changes. I'll have to lengthen the sleeve and remove the style ease. I even picked out the perfect fabrics! I think I will eliminate the patent leather wide piping between the side and front side pieces.

If you are reading this from my blog (and not Google reader or another RSS feed reader) you can click the images for an expanded view. Look how I reshaped the neckline. I'll use leather there and on the cuffs and at the hem as well - if I can find the right leather. Otherwise, I'll find or make a trim. I am not quite sure if I should go with a rayon burnout for the center or silk twill. All the fabrics are Vogue Fabrics from the Fall 2010 swatches. Aren't they gorgeous. I always like the Transition and Fall swatches the most.

Where would you put these fabrics? Should I use them all? Any ideas for a handmade trim?

Over-the-Knee Boots

2010-11-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

You may recall that last year I wanted to purchase a pair of thigh-high boots, but I was in doubt about whether or not they would be appropriate for the office, so I deliberated until they were no longer available. Well, I saw them this year and I snapped up a pair before I could think twice. I figured the ivory color, instead of the black that I originally wanted, was a more subdued choice. Here I am heading into the office wearing my new boots with a Ralph Lauren silk jersey dress. The heels are 5 inch stillettos with inch-and-a-quarter high platforms. They are extremely stable and comfortable to walk in. I have recieved compliments from the women in my workgroup and I may even have sold a pair to one of my coworkers who does not usually wear heels! If you love them, they are available on line at bakersshoes.com. Search for Farah. I tried to crank the "sexy" down for the office. What do you think? Too much for daytime?

Another BML Success

2010-10-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

Here is a wearable mock-up of a Vogue pattern I have been itching to make. I used my Bernina My Label princess line dress pattern to help me fit the pattern. I think the fit is pretty good. The mock-up fabric is a moderate weight knit fabric. I bought a nice ivory knit from Waechter's Fine Fabics a while back. I plan to make this dress with a little Chanel inspired cropped jacket. For the trim on the jacket, I will use an Italian tropical wool that I plan to make pants from. If it comes out really well, I will also make a Linton tweed cropped Chanel inspired jacket. I may even make a second dress and jacket pair from a beautiful black cashmere knit I got from The Fashion Sewing Group last month. Such ambitious plans...

Three Piece Sleeve Mock Up

2010-10-07T15:50:00.000-04:00

I know I am supposed to put BOTH sleeves in and have a look, but I got so excited after just one, I had to post pictures! Look how nicely it fits!!! If you click to expand the pictures, you will see I have pinned the sleeve vent shut. I can get my hand through the sleeve without opening the vent. I think I am going to make it tighter at the wrist and possibly all the way up to the shoulder. I have other alterations in mind as I morph this Bernina My Label jacket pattern into a cropped Chanel. I'll take pictures as I go and keep you posted. Here is a kind of before and after to whet your appetite.

Drafting a Three Piece Sleeve

2010-10-06T17:01:00.002-04:00

I am pretty sure I want to use a 3 piece sleeve for my Chanel jacket, but the problem is I have a custom drafted two piece sleeve and I am not sure how to convert it to three pieces. I searched my pattern stash, and it turns out, I have Vogue 8529 which has a three piece sleeve. I examined the pieces, and the three seam lines appear to go along the outer arm and about an inch to either side of the underarm. Perfect. Now, I just have to make my two piece draft into a three piece draft.

Here is what I did last night. I started with my Bernina My Label jacket sleeve which is a two piece sleeve. I traced it without seam allowances onto tracing paper and marked the grain line. Next, I marked a line perpendicular to the grain line on each piece a little below the curved section at the top of the pieces. I laid the overarm piece on top of the underarm piece wrong sides together and used the angle to help me add a seam line down the outside of the arm.

Next, I split the underarm piece so that my new underarm piece is only two inches wide - the same width I will use for my side panels when I alter the jacket side-front and side-back pieces. This left me with four pieces. The next step is to combine the overarm back piece with the underarm back piece.

This is where I got stuck. How do I combine the middle two pieces? What happens to the sleeve dart? I am thinking it converts to ease at the underarm seam and the top of the sleeve where it is set in. I think I am going to cut that third piece at the perpendicular line and flip the bottom portion from left to right so that the dart leg becomes the underarm seam when I merge the pieces together.

I think that looks right. I will make a sample and report my results. In the meantime, my daughter has asked me to make her a pair of jeans. I am trying to decide whether to go with the Jalie 2908 pattern that everyone loves so much, or use Bernina My Label. She's 17 with no figure problems. Any advice?

Making a Chanel Jacket

2010-10-05T08:12:00.000-04:00

I know there are some of you who have made Chanel jackets. I am a fan of Go Chanel or Go Home. The workmanship in the pictures posted is inspirational. Recently, I bought a fabulous Linton tweed and the woman who cut it for me asked if I was planning to make a Chanel jacket. Truth be told, I never really have been a fan of boxy styles on my body. But the more I read about Chanel jackets, and the the more images I see of celebrities wearing Chanel jackets on the internet, the more I am coming to realize that these jackets really are not so boxy. From what I understand, this is because the Chanel "pattern" makes use of a three piece sleeve and side panels which nip the jacket in against the body along the sides and against the arms at the underarm. I have decided to join the ranks of sewists who have attempted a Chanel inspired jacket. For my jacket, I would like to do a cropped style. Here is my fitted mock-up without sleeves and shoulder pads. I pinned out the extra shoulder height. I have since edited the pattern to include two inch side panels instead of side seams. Next, I attempted to alter the two piece sleeve pattern to have three pieces - one of which is two inches wide and runs down the underarm side of the sleeve. This is where I got stuck. I was up late last night trying to wrap my brain around a way to draft my own three piece sleeve from the two piece draft I have from Bernina My Label. I like the Chanel sleeve with the seam on the outside of the arm and the sleeve vent and buttons on the side as opposed to the back. I went to sleep thinking about how to redraft my sleeve pieces and this morning I woke up thinking I should just use a pattern. What do you think? Is it worth the bother? Can anybody tell me if they notice a difference between a two piece and a three piece sleeve? Can anybody recommend a good three piece sleeve pattern that is slim? I have thin arms and most jacket sleeves are roomy on me. Does anyone know of a sew along currently taking place for Chanel jackets? Can I join Go Chanel or Go Home? Or is it too late since I am just getting started? I am looking forward to working with that fabulous tweed, but the seeds of uncertainty are sprouting...

The marriage of Math and Sewing

2010-10-04T11:57:00.000-04:00

Sewing is a form of engineering. We take fabric and exploit its properties to manipulate and control its form. Our creations are not static. They exist in four dimensions - 3D fabrications which move in time with the wearer. Our art is highly technical - whether we like it or not. There are all sorts of mathematical calculations which can be made to describe and predict the behavior of fiber strands. Some of these characteristics change over time with washing and wearing like stretch and recovery or tensile strength. There are equations for the behavior of knit fibers vs. woven fibers. There is math to describe the drape of one type of weave vs another, like silk organza vs silk georgette. Also, what about calculations which describe the effect of gravity on a woven material hung on its bias? There are also calculations which can describe the topology of our bodies. Angles and curves change with body position. Sportswear like a motorcycle jacket or snowboard pants can be articulated to fit the body in a specific position. How about the calculations involved in specifying the amount of plaid material needed to cut a jacket and have the plaid match at the seams? Or the amount of fabric required to make 5 yards of 1 inch wide fringe? I am amazed how much we understand intuitively. I mean, really - how often do we break out our calculators or run to our computers to perform a topological simulation?

I made fringe this weekend. I cut bias strips of tweed and sewed them to bias strips of silk organza. I pressed the strips as shown and unraveled the tweed to make my fringe. I forgot that the hypotenuse of an equilateral right triangle is equal to the length of one of its sides times the square root of two. So my fringe was roughly 40% longer than I thought it was going to be. See how when I unraveled the fabric, the diagonal strands made the length of the fringe longer than the width of the fabric? It's a good thing I made a sample first. If I had cut enough to make 5 yards, I would have cut up 40% more fabric than I needed! That's an extra 40 cents for every dollar spent on the fringe. I think I should be making better use of my knowledge of trigonometry and geometry in my sewing. I wish I knew more about fluids and topography. I wonder what my sewing would look like if I thought of fabric as a fluid, instead of a rigid 2 dimensional material.

Ode to Chanel

2010-09-29T11:45:00.000-04:00

Tweed is in! I am seeing Chanel inspired jackets everywhere. This fantastic Linton tweed is telling me it wants to be a little cropped Chanel. And this buttery soft silk charmeuse wants to be the lining. My head is spinning. Now that I have basic pattern blocks to start with, I cannot stop designing things in my mind. Another hurdle... design... With a whole world of possibilities open to me, I have to figure out how to make great design choices. The learning curve never ends. It's great!

I think I will use the Bernina My Label military jacket pattern as a starting point. I'll crop it and remove the collar. I have so many more design decisions to make. Jacket length - should I crop it above the waist like a little shrug? Maybe it should come right to the waistline? I have a smallish waist... What should I do about the front closure? Should the center fronts overlap and button? Bound buttonholes or hand stitched? Or should the center just butt with hooks and eyes? Maybe I should design it to be worn open and not even meet at the center front? Will it look like the jacket is too small if I do that? And trim? I think the tweed will make really nice fringe... but I am not always a fan of fringe. Too sloppy and bulky... What do you think yay or nay on the fringe? Maybe a simple contrast ribbon trim since the tweed has so much texture? Pockets? Do I want pockets? I like to carry my iPhone, but I am concerned about the weight of the phone. Maybe faux pockets to add interest? Do I even need them if the jacket length is cropped? Will they look good on me? Sleeve length - I am thinking bracelet length sleeves, but then should I go discreet with the trim and buttons? Maybe full length sleeves with 3 buttons will give the same effect as bracelet length sleeves - calling attention to the small circumference at the wrist? Oh this is too much fun...

The Silk Print Knit Shell

2010-09-28T09:53:00.000-04:00

Here is my latest Bernina My Label success! I started with the tunic pattern. I used a half front on the fold, so I cut the pattern right down the center line. First, I redrafted the neckline and armscyes. Then I drew lines for the yoke and armscye bands and cut them off the pattern on both the front and back pieces. Next, I made four slashes in the front from the yoke seam line to the bust point. I closed the bust dart and let the slashes open. Then I taped tracing paper under the pattern to fill in the slashes. Finally, I redrew the yoke seam line straightening out the jaggies and added seam allowances to the yoke and the armscye bands. There is enough ease in the tunic design not to need a zipper or button closure. I used the yoke and armscye band pattern pieces to make facings. I cut fusible knit interfacing for the yoke and armscye bands. I did not have to finish any of the seams or the hem because the knit fabric does not ravel. For the hem, I just sewed three rows of straight stitches to add weight and make it look finished.

Weekend Inspiration

2010-09-14T17:31:00.000-04:00

I met Kenneth King this weekend. He gave a presentation and two workshops at a beautiful new local boutique called Unique Boutique. It is the place where I had my body scan done. In addition to offering the body scan, they have a fabulous, well planned workroom in back with bright lighting, lots of table space, and comfortable rolling chairs. The wiring for electricity comes down from the ceiling, so rolling carts do not get hung up on cords taped to the floor. There are multiple pressing stations equipped with tailors boards and Rowenta steam irons as well. Around the perimeter, there are threads and notions for sale, including interfacings, needles, chalk, pins, and even a few books for sale. They also have a little kitchenette - everything you need for a sewing retreat. The front room is a showroom which features impeccably executed garments made from high end fabrics - real eye candy! The idea is we can have custom fitted clothing made to order, or custom patterns which we can stitch up ourselves. The owners, Lorrie and Jan, are fun and friendly, and very accommodating. They whipped up a last minute kit for me when I showed up unprepared for my workshop. (I neglected to read the supply list with my email confirmation.) Thank you so much, guys!!

If you have met Kenneth before, then you know that he is very entertaining. His slide show presentation was peppered with stories from his "checkered past". I won't give away any of the details of his stories or repeat his gossip - and yes he does dish the dirt. You will have to sign up for one of his events to hear for yourself. My lips are sealed - wink!

I learned a couple of things from his slide show which I will share with you, though. He showed us giant slides of architectural detail found on buildings in neighborhoods not known for opulence. He spoke about how the residents lived with this beauty as part of their daily lives. It wasn't "saved for something special". This made me think about the use of trims and embellishments for daywear and casual dress. Why not?? Who says it has to be a formal occasion to wear something adorned with beauty. Another pearl for me was a tip he gave us regarding successful use of pattern on pattern design. He said he likes to play with scale. This reminded me of a thought I had regarding fractals. I watched a documentary in which a mathematician was credited with the discovery of fractals, and I thought to myself that artists long before his time discovered this scalar repetition as evidenced by the use of it in their paintings. The thought was, "Maybe it is just the same idea in a different language." It made me think about how to apply this to printed fabric, embroidery, and trim. This is something I would like to explore. Another thing I learned which was worth the price of admission alone, was how to integrate trim and beads into a garment without having it look like an afterthought. Kenneth likes to anchor his embellishments by beginning and ending it at a structural element of the garment. I often struggle with how to employ embroidery when I attempt to design a garment. I do not like the look of a floating embroidery stitchout. To my eyes, it looks like I purchased something and slapped a patch on it as they do in logowear. Kenneth's dinner jackets are fabulously decorated in such a way that the jacket and its trimmings look like they belong together - a marriage of practical and fanciful.

In one of the two workshops, he showed us his embellishment techniques, and we were able to duplicate the process and create our own samples. In the other workshop he showed us how to execute a perfect welt pocket and how to draft and sew a one-piece pocket flap. He also autographed my copy of his 1996 book entitled Design Techniques. It is the original version of Cool Couture. I ordered a copy and I can't wait to get my hands and eyes on it.

The Kenneth King events were quite enough excitement for me over the weekend, but there is more!! A new fabric store opened called Silk Road. I think I have heard of them before. The name sounds familiar. I went to the grand opening and BOY did I love it there! It is just lovely. Everywhere I looked, I found treasure. The fabrics were luxurious, yet reasonably priced. I bought two and a half yards of a fabulous Linton tweed with sequins sewn on both sides, two yards of silk charmeuse, a yard of printed silk georgette, and a half yard of this wonderful cheetah print faux fur. I also could not leave without six beautiful one inch shell shank buttons, and two more books for my collection. They served punch and mini cupcakes, and I saw a few familiar faces as I browsed. All in all, I had a wonderful weekend. What should I make with my fabulous new fabrics?

The Tailored Shirt

2010-09-09T17:25:00.001-04:00

Look at how fabulous this tailored shirt mock-up came out!! Doesn't it make me look tall and slim? I think it's the high armsyce and the fitted underbust. Look at how nice it behaves when I put my arms up. It lies nicely through the waist and hip. I'll bet if I were so inclined, I could wear this tucked in and not have to keep adjusting it all day. You know what I mean - when you wear a blouse and you reach for something and it starts to come untucked and look all sloppy and blousy? Mmm hmm, I know you're feelin' me. If I had known this would fit so well without alterations, I would have matched the print better. I don't even like this fabric and I still love the blouse. This was done WITH ZERO ALTERATIONS! Can I get a WAHOO? Oh yeah THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT! I have been fantasizing for years about being able to sew something right out of the envelope and have it fit well. Now, not only can I have a good fit, I can also check the proportion on my body before I sew it. You guys - this is like sewing nirvana! Look - no fold of fabric at the back waist. I didn't even have to do a sway back alteration. The pattern drafts with enough width at the hip so that there is no "riding up" in back.

Here are some detailed images of the collar, button placket, and seam finish I employed.

The buttonholes were made using a built in stitch on my machine. I have a Pfaff with a sensormatic buttonhole foot that makes the exact same size buttonholes all day long. I am so not afraid of buttonholes anymore. I do have to say, though, that when I make this again, I will make the buttonholes vertical instead of horizontal. The instructions are for vertical buttonholes. I have no good reason why I made mine horizontal - just didn't reference the instructions when I made them. Oh, speaking of the instructions, I have a gripe about the instructions. I know - a complaint?? How DARE I complain after such wonderful results. In my defense, it is actually a small teeny-tiny comment, really. Although I don't really use instructions anymore, (I think BURDA and MARFY have weaned me off the instruction sheet) I printed out the instructions - just in case. Well, the instructions refer to pages in the help menus of the program. If you plan to use the instructions with this program, you should do as I have done - print all of the pages from the help section of the program and bind them in a book for easy reference. Okay, I am done with the complaint portion of my post.

For the seam finishes, I used Hug Snug seam binding. I also used it for the hem. I learned about it reading one of your blogs. I love reading your blogs and seeing what you are making. I am so thrilled to have this internet community. I take my iPad to bed with me so I can check in with you before I end my day. I get so many great ideas and so much inspiration from your pictures and tutorials. I never would have thought to finish the inside of a garment this way until I saw one of you do it.

I still have to finish the sleeve cuffs. They need buttonholes and buttons. Often, I get close to finishing a project and I get so excited to wear it that I frequently have pins holding my clothes together. Anyone else do that? Or am I the only gun-jumper? Needless to say, my mind is already on the next project. I have this nagging unfinished object guilt tugging at me to finish the MARFY dress I started this spring, but I really want to play more with my new software. Here are two more pictures showing the horizontal buttonholes and the Hug Snug seam binding finishing on the hem and the inside of the button placket. The last image is of a purchased RTW blouse that I used to think fit me pretty well. Notice how messed up the collar and neckline appear? Boy have my standards changed! HaPpY SeWiNg!!

Fall - a time for new beginnings

2010-08-25T21:37:00.000-04:00

Well last weekend I saw it - the first sign of autumn in New England. I was riding my motorcycle up route 100 in Vermont and there on the side of the road, I spotted the first yellow and almost orange leaves on a few trees. The return of the cooler air is always bittersweet for me. As the long, golden, carefree summer days come to a nostalgic end, the cool fresh crispness of fall brings with it new beginnings. I remember this time of year from my childhood - the smell of newly sharpened pencils and shiny wax crayons, new teachers and classmates, the crackle of new book bindings and the snap of binder rings closing though a new pack of blank loose leaf paper, a flashy new lunch box with matching thermos bottle proudly showcasing my favorite character that year, brand new episodes of my favorite TV shows, and my favorite of all the new things - new leather shoes and new clothes in my favorite fall colors.

As the old worn out summer clothes were thrown out or given away, the idea of a fresh new start always filled me with resolutions of getting perfect grades, having neater handwriting, keeping my book covers clean and fresh, and even getting along better with my little sister and brother. I have always loved getting brand new school clothes, and my Mom always saw to it that we started school with a new wardrobe, even though we had very little money.

The fall season has been my favorite fashion season for as long as I can remember, despite my passion for spring dresses and strappy sandals. Now that I have seen the yellow leaves, and it has been rainy and cold for a couple of days in a row, I have started dreaming about silk and tweed, wool and cashmere, suede and leather. My thoughts turn to big purses with shiny hardware, long leather boots with stack heels, chunky buttons, crystal zippers, pleated trim, velvet ribbon, plush scarves and wraps with fringe, huge sparkly baubles and bangles, buttery soft leather gloves, felted wool coats, capes and hats, oversized sunglasses, red lipstick and thick lashes. I find myself craving cappuccino and pumpkin pie...

I am so excited that my sewing has FINALLY gotten to a level where the things I make fit me well enough that I can focus on style instead of fit. I can't stop thinking about what to make! I have some gorgeous fabric in my stash that I have been afraid to cut. Now, I can't wait to stitch it up. In an attempt to formalize my fall wardrobe plan, I have sketched a couple of variations of the tailored shirt pattern included with My Label. I plan to make a woven silk print shell to wear under a jacket, a woven silk tailored shirt with a crystal zipper up the center, a stretch knit silk print wrap top, and a woven silk print blouse with pleated self fabric trim, as well as three more pairs of pants from wool crepe, stretch tropical wool, and a beautiful fine menswear pin stripe - all from my stash! CoLoR mE HaPpy!!

On another happy note, my daughter joined me for lunch today and complimented my outfit. When I told her I made the dress myself, she was delighted and asked me if I could make one for her as well. YES!! Life is good.

Bernina My Label - feature wishlist

2010-08-17T16:31:00.000-04:00

After using the program to make one outfit, here is a very rough post describing some of my wish list items for the BML software and what I might do as a workaround. I do want to say that I recommend this program most enthusiastically.

exporting and saving:

ability to export to a cad program for editing - I would LOVE to see this

worktable:

ability to cut pieces in half for use on fold - not a big deal, but would be nice to have
ability to group pieces together (facings and pockets with their respective pieces - i.e. front pocket bag, front pocket facing, and front all grouped together and positioned in place on the front piece) - not a big deal, but would be nice to have in order to facilitate layout efficiency (i.e. flipping a group of selected pieces does not flip them all around the same line and rotating a group of pieces does not rotate them around the same point. If I could group them, I could move them around and flip or rotate them using the same reference point.)
ability to change seam allowance - not a big deal, but would be nice to have

printing:

ability to print selected pieces on same sheet - each piece prints on its own page or set of pages - I would LOVE to see this improved. As a (hopefully temporary) workaround, I will look into using a PDF editor that allows selection of pieces as objects so I can move all the pieces onto one page. (First I need to determine if the pieces in the PDF are separate objects or if the whole thing is a bitmapped image. Maybe GIMP can help me do this? Or PhotoShopElements?)
ability to print to plotter roll - instead of having to specify a sheet size - I would LOVE to see support for this! As a (hopefully temporary) workaround, I will look into using a PDF editor that allows me to edit page size so I don't have to keep guessing how much paper I will need every time I load a new pattern. I can just leave the default set at something huge and print one page to a pdf, take it into an editor and adjust the page size there.

simulating:

ability to enter asymmetrical model measurements - not a major pain but would be nice to determine if it's worth the bother to make separate left and right sides.
ability to edit drape characteristics for stiffer or stretchier fabrics - I realize this is the "bones" of the program and there is a LOT of math involved in these simulations. I am sure the ability to do this would make the program run slower and take up more disk space, but it would be SO nice to have. I am not expecting to see this any time soon.

Bernina My Label - first outfit

2010-08-16T14:50:00.005-04:00

I sewed this weekend. Here is my first outfit made with Bernina My Label. I took my time with the construction of the pants since I was confident they would fit. I have to say I am thrilled to have pants that fit me well, These are drafted to have the waist be a half inch below the natural waistline in the back with a 5/8 inch pitch. That means the front is 1 - 1/8 inches below the natural waist in the front. I used a wider waistband on this pair because I wanted to use this way cool waistband facing technique that I copied from Ann Taylor RTW. I would have lowered the waistband edge on the front and back pattern pieces, but I forgot and by the time it occurered to me, I had already completed the pockets in the front. Live and learn... The pants are still very wearable with the high waist because I am long waisted. It has been a long time since I had pants with a waistband that sat right at my waistline. The style looks a little dated if I tuck my top in, so I won't be tucking anything into these. Even though the high waisted style doesn't look good on me, they feel so comfortable and secure that I don't think I will lower the waist on the next pair. It's nice to know I can wear a top with a hemline that sits at my high hip and I won't expose my mid section if I raise my arms.

Here is a detailed image of the waistband facing. You can read more about it here. I will be using this treatment on all future pants.The buttonhole was made using a built in stitch on my machine with a sensormatic buttonhole foot. I have always been afraid of buttonholes, but this one has really changed all that for me. It was a breeze to get the perfect size and position. I hand sewed the button and the hooks and eyes as well as the hems, but the waistband was done entirely on the machine.

For the seam finishes, I used Hug Snug, a rayon seam binding which I discovered recently. I love using it. It's machine washable and dry cleanable. It is not bulky. And with this neat foot, it goes on so easily. It gives such a nice looking professional finish to the inside of my clothes. It is now my preferred method of finishing all seams that will show on the inside. I apply the seam binding to the flat pattern pieces before stitching the seams. Then stitch the seam and sandwich press. Press open and bam - done.

The tunic was a breeze. I did not have enough fabric to make sleeves, so I left them off. The fabric is a knit and it stretches quite a bit. I am sure I stretched the seams and the hem while I was constructing it. I steamed the crap out of it while I was making it. I wonder what it will look like once I wash it. I used a facing, fusible weft, and multiple rows of topstitching to give the neckline some body. I am sure I stretched it while I was sewing. I felt it grownig in my hands. I wonder what it will look like once I wash it. The armholes got bigger. The neckline got bigger. The side seams grew. But I still love it. In fact, I think my wrap pants are going to be repurposed into a tunic soon.

Tomorrow, I will post some more notes about the Bernina My Label program. These notes are mostly for me, but anyone interested in the program may find some utility in the post. Happy sewing!!

Bernina My Label - first thoughts

2010-07-22T14:26:00.002-04:00

Can I just gush for a few minutes about Bernina My Label? I LOVE this software! The model looks so much like me, I am embarrassed to post a picture of her without clothes on.

Although the model on the left is wearing a different style than the muslin I am wearing in the photo on the right, you can see that the figures have the same posture and all the curves are in the right places and have the same proportions. The model is wearing shoulder pads and a bra. I am wearing just a cotton/Lycra camisole under the tunic, which accounts for the slight difference - if you even noticed it!

I looked at this program and downloaded the demo a while ago, but I decided I didn't need it at the time. Then I read about Robin's success with it here and I started to think I would really like having a virtual model to help me decide what to sew. I still wasn't ready to go ahead and buy the program, though, because I have two other pattern drafting programs which I never use. Also the program only has 20 different styles, so my assumption was that I would still be using commercial patterns and doing edits anyway. As much as I wanted to play with the model and try different styles on, I felt it was not a practical purchase.

Instead, I had my body scanned at Unique Boutique and I intended to purchase custom patterns from a retailer who would draft them according to my scanned measurements. When I got my measurements and my point cloud image, I was shocked to learn that my body is very asymmetrical. At the time, I was just beginning to suffer from frozen shoulder. I quickly lost most of the range of motion in my left shoulder and arm. I couldn't use a hair dryer, or dress myself for a while. My head is not centered and I have one shoulder that is higher and has a shorter seam length. The condition pulls at my neck causing it to be off axis. I also have a protuding scapula on the frozen side. In light of all this, I decided to focus on fitting pants until my frozen shoulder goes away. In the last several months, I have recovered much of my range of motion and I feel normal again, but I still have a slightly asymmetrical figure. During the process of trying to fit pants, I made several unsuccessful attempts and finally in a moment of desparation, I dashed out to buy the software.

There are not too many mathematical or geometrical things which challenge me the way making pants does. In fact, I can think of no greater challenge I have had with anything topological. I was convinced I could do this myself and it became a matter of pride not to buy the program even though in my heart of hearts, I lusted after it.

Once I knew I wanted it, I still needed a reason to swallow my pride and pony up the cash. I think it was my frustration with being so close and every time I thought I was fixing something, my pants got worse. Buying the software was my way of looking the answer up in the back of the book - so to speak. I wanted to get a good draft and reverse engineer it to see what I was doing wrong. I bought it impulsively and I am glad I got it. I think of it as I think of all the books I read about sewing. It is a source of inspiration and information, and I think it will accelerate me to where I want to be with my sewing - making clothes I can actually wear.

The program works really well. Yes, I have two other pattern drafting programs but this one is different. It lets me try things on my body. Some styles won't look right on my body or fit me well even if they are custom designed for me by the program. This is because the number of measurements used to make a custom draft are too few to cover every single figure variation known to mankind. Some people are just going to have to make manual alterations. Because of this, Bernina has given users fantastic support though forums, webinars, and documentation as well as personal email. This support has made the BIGGEST difference for me. I feel as though Bernina cares about each and every one of us home sewing enthusiasts and they have decided to teach us everything we may possibly need to know in order to be successful. They use pictures - lots and lots of pictures - to illustrate every detail of instruction. I have had more than one Ah-HAH moment reading through the PDF documents they post on line at the yahoo user group.

The actual pattern drafts are spot on. Seams which are sewn together are equal. The curves do not have jaggy-looking points along them. There are match points and circles 3/8" from dart points (called drill holes) which allow me to place tailors tacks right where I need them - or clips and tiny holes if I feel very confident. The ability to see the custom pattern stitched up on my body before I cut into fabric is a real time saver. I can tell if I am going to need to tweak a pattern before I even attempt it.

Some things the software does not do which would be useful for me are:

Allow asymmetrical model measurements - right now, you have to save a right and a left model and tape the different pattern pieces together down the middle. This is great, but I cannot simulate any garment on an asymmetrical model, so I cannot see if I will need to go through the trouble of using a separate left and right side. Some styles are more forgiving than others and may not need left and right sides. I would like to be able to tell before I sew.
There is no way to export the pattern pieces so I can edit them in a drafting program.
When using a plotter with roll fed paper, I still need to specify the exact length of paper I will need, because the program generates match marks at the four corners of whatever sized paper I tell it I am using. If I tell it I have a twelve foot roll of 36" paper, it will print one page - 12 feet x 36 inches. There goes my whole roll of paper! If I could eliminate the match points for printouts which only require one sheet, my ploter would print only what I need and I wouln't have to monkey around with the page size for each printout.
The program will simulate some Bernina embroidery designs and print marks on the pattern to help you place the stichout exactly where you want it. This is fantastic! I can tell if the design needs to be a little to the left, or a smidge higher, etc... I would like to be able to import my own embroidery designs. The instructions say to choose a similar design and use that to approximate. I could do that, but then the coolness of knowing exactly where the design will stitch out is lost.

All in all, I think this program and I are going to have a long and fruitful relationship. I cannot wait to sew my Fall 2010 wardrobe. I will be able to wear pants! You have no idea what this means to a girl who is always cold. Sure, I love my dresses and tights, but now I will have another option. I do not have to put up with pants whose waist gapes away from my body in the back, or pants with big wrinkles pointing to the crotch, or pant legs that are way too tight in the thighs and huge everywhere else. I don't have to wear ultra low rise pants which reveal my underwear in the back when I sit down. I won't have to wear long, untucked shirts and blouses which end at the mid thigh level - the place where I want to focus the LEAST amount of attention. And hey, that belted jacket on the model doesn't look half bad. I make whip myself up one of those as well. Now, all I need is more TIME to play with my new toy!

I Have Great Fitting Pants!

2010-07-20T13:31:00.004-04:00

I have been busy busy busy trying to make a well fitted pair of pants. You may recall my first attempt. I tried them on and smoothed them out in front of my mirror and thought they were a little tight, but otherwise excellent - until I walked around in them and saw what happened once the stretch fabric "relaxed". I made a second pair of pants from a self drafted pattern and I was so disappointed, I wanted to cry. They were just terrible and I had such high hopes for them... In desperation about a week ago, I called Nashua Sew and Vac 30 minutes before they closed last Sunday and asked Sherri if they had Bernina My Label in stock. She said yes. I told her I would be there in ten minutes! I didn't even ask her how much it was! I remembered looking at the program about a year ago and deciding it was too much money, but now I was desparate to get a good fitting pant pattern and dissect it to find out what makes a good pattern fit. It turns out I got it at quite a bit off the original retail price of $499! I am doing the Happy Dance!! I love this software!!

My Label is pattern drafting software with a really cool feature. It allows you to customize a 3D model with 47 measurements. As the measurements are entered, the model morphs to reflect each measurement. After all the measurements are entered you can choose a style and see a custom drafted pattern appear on the work table. You can tweak the style measurements (which are based on the model measurements) and then try it on the model. I have had so much fun playing with this virtual fitting room! I can see what styles look good on me without having to stitch them up first! I have made two test garments and I am working on qualifying my measurements - a process of making a muslin and measuring the fit of the muslin in order to tweak the model measurements.

I have a really good fitting pair of pants from my first draft! The beauty is that there is FABULOUS support documentation available. I found this PDF file which taught me about some of the figure variations I had never considered before and how to correct the pant pattern to fit better. If you have ever had trouble fitting pants, give it a read.

Understanding a Pants Pattern

2010-07-06T14:56:00.003-04:00

I am really trying to wrap my brain around the pant draft. I design three dimensional objects in flat layers for a living, so the ability to see two dimensional objects take shape in three-D is something that I have practiced and developed over the course of the last - well let's just say - large number of years. With all that experience, one would think this would be a cinch. I *will* figure this out! And I will share :)

This is what I have done so far: I traced my RTW pieces onto tissue and cut them out. Next, I used my flexible ruler to get my crotch curve. My waist is level, so I positioned the flexicurve with the waist level. The waistband is two inches long and I will wear these two inches below my natural waist, so the pattern pieces come up to four inches below where the waist is marked on the curve. I widened the legs by adding a half inch to both sides of each piece, giving a total of two more inches in circumference. (After the pants are finished, I will put them on inside out, pin out any extra fullness and then transfer back to the pattern.

FRONT piece:
- marked the grainline with a fold
- positioned the grainline perpendicular to the waist level line
- taped the pattern to the flexicurve
- scooped out an inch from the front crotch curve
- added the inch back to the hip by slashing and spreading the pattern piece
- added an inch to the extension
- measured from my crotch down to my knee on my body
- marked the knee with a fold the corresponding distance down from the crotch
- marked the crotch depth with a fold
BACK piece:
- marked the grainline with a fold.
- positioned the grainline perpendicular to the waist level line
- taped the pattern to the flexicurve
- I had to do some folding and some spreading to get the pattern to follow the flexicurve. You can see where I made several abandoned attempts where there are crease lines.
- marked the knee with a fold.(There are two folds at the knee. It's the fold on the bottom. The top one was an abandoned attempt to make the leg go straight after adding to the extension. I am going to remove that addition to the extension. You can still see it in the picture. It is where the crotch extensions overlap.)
- marked the crotch depth with a fold. It's the one on the top. It lines up with the crotch depth of the front piece. The bottom fold is how far below the crotch line the back piece dips. (Actually now that I think about it, the bottom line is the real crotch depth. When I sit down, the inseam of my pant legs is above the level of the chair by about the distance between the two folds. this makes sense to me now as I am processing and typing. I will go and raise the fold on the front piece.)
- folded and trued the dart
- checked the inseam lengths to make sure they are equal
- checked the outseam lengths to make sure they are equal
- checked the total circumferences against my personal measurements at the knee
- checked the total circumferences against my personal measurements at the thigh
- checked the total circumferences against my personal measurements at the bottom edge of the waistband - 4 inches below natural waist
- checked the total circumferences against my personal measurements at the crotch depth

This is what my pattern looks like. You can click it to make it bigger or see it full-sized here. There is a two inch wide contoured waistband not shown. There are no seam allowances. The back crotch scoops down below the height of the inseam. See that angle to the back? And the center front is off grain. Does this look right? Does anyone else have a back pattern piece that looks like this?

Help Me Diagnose These Wrinkles

2010-07-02T21:39:00.000-04:00

The pants are finished! They are too tight to actually wear but the next pair will be great! I think if the fabric were a thicker material like stretch denim, I could use the pattern as is, but this light weight stretch tropical wool needs a little more ease. After wearing the pants for a while, I noticed wrinkling at the front crotch. My daughter says this is because the legs are too tight and they are riding up. Does anyone concur? I would love to just cut another pair with wider outseam allowances and have them fit.

RTW Knock-Off - A Smashing Success!

2010-07-01T14:25:00.002-04:00

Here is an update on my RTW trouser knock off project. I have to rave a little bit about the menswear waistband. WOW! I may have to do a tutorial on this. It would simply be unfair to keep this gem to myself. As you know, the pants are made from stretch tropical wool and they have a contoured waistband. With the menswear facing/interfacing assembly, the pants hang perfectly and look neat and tailored. The cool thing about using this method is that I can make yards and yards of the stuff and use it to face all of my waistbands! I noticed that tie interfacing is not the same stuff used on my RTW waistband. The tie interfacing is sturdier and bulkier but I am going to stay with the tie interfacing since I have so much of it. After I ordered from Peggy, I checked my stash and sure enough, I had already bought some from her at the sewing expo, so now I have three yards of it. I have enough to make 32 more waistbands before I run out.

The pants are almost finished. I just need to hem them and add hooks and eyes to the waistband. Originally, they were a little tight in the thigh, so I let the inseams and outseams out, adding a total of an inch to each thigh. Then when I tried them on I was happy with the fit but unhappy with the ridge along the outseam. I restitched just the outseams with 1/2" seams and tried them on again. They are still a little tight, but they are made from stretch fabric. My husband and my daughter each give the pants two thumbs up. My husband said it was my best work to date. My daughter couldn't believe I made them. She thought I bought them. Since I buy my pants at Ann Taylor, I was impressed that my daughter couldn't tell the difference. I am attributing this to the waistband.

My daughter was so impressed with the pants that she was inspired to sew something for herself. We sat looking through the July issue of BURDA Style Magazine together and she decided to make this skirt. It seams like an easy enough and forgiving enough project for a beginner to tackle. I knew I saved my Elna all these years for a reason! I hope she enjoys sewing as much as I do! I am keeping my fingers crossed. My husband has cautioned me not to get my hopes up too high. I am trying not to run around yelling "YIPPEE!! YIPPEE!!"

Updates and pictures to follow!! Happy Sewing!!

I Miss the BURDA Fashion Website

2010-06-28T18:09:00.001-04:00

I miss being able to look up BURDA technical drawings and fashion images on line. I have been a member of Burda Style for some time, but I never preferred it to the Burda Fashion site. While nothing can substitute for holding the magazine in my hands, I prefer to browse electronically sometimes, especially when I have a specific design in mind. I am so bummed out.

Duplicating Menswear Construction Technique on my Waistband

2010-06-25T14:12:00.003-04:00

I have stitched the wool pants and tested the fit - a little tighter than I like - even with the added width. I think I will let the seams out slightly. I should not have been so confident when I cut the fabric. I used 1/2 inch seam allowances. I will let the upper thigh out a quarter inch on the outseam and the inseam for a total of 1 inch. I hope that gives me what I need because it's all I have! I took this picture showing where I added to the leg seams and now I can see that I added mostly to the hip curve and not so much to the thigh. This is called learning by doing.... I guess I have yet another reason to start using my exercise bike again. Anywhooo, I have been working on duplicating the waistband. I really like the menswear construction.

One thing I had not previously noticed about the construction is that the interfacing is sewn to the top of the waistband facing and waistband, but it hangs free at the bottom, enclosed in a bias cut single folded binding. A second bias folded layer behind it is sewn to the waistband at the bottom. It is stitched from the public side in the ditch where the waistband attaches to the pants. The stitching goes through both layers of the second folded bias - the one without the interfacing enclosed. I think this allows the waistband to stretch a little at the bottom but be nice and stable up at the top without causing rippling. I am in the process of constructing my own version of this interfaced waistband facing using tie interfacing, twill tape, bias binding and rayon seam binding. I am using double folded bias binding ordered from zipperstop.com to duplicate the white fabric, rayon seam binding also ordered from zipperstop to make the piping, and twill tape in place of the branded ribbon on the RTW waistband. I ordered tie interfacing from Peggy Sagers at Silhouette Patterns for the interfacing. My hope is that if this waistband facing works well, I can make lots of it and cut it by the yard when I need to make a waistband. It never occurred to me to face a shaped contoured waistband with a straight rectangular facing cut on the bias, but I have a real life example that is well constructed and lies nicely on the body.

Copying RTW Pants

2010-06-18T15:57:00.003-04:00

This is what the waistband of the pants looks like. You will notice one leg is missing from the pants. I cut that off to use as my pattern. A close inspection of the waistband reveals several layers. The outermost layer is the fashion fabric. There is a center back seam. The fashion fabric is cut in a contoured shape with the lengthwise grain running parallel to the floor at the center front and the center back is on the bias. The waistband looks like tie interfacing. It is behind the facing layers. The facing has a bias cut woven section at the top with piping and stable ribbon in the center and a pleated woven bias section which hangs free in front of another woven piece on the bias at the bottom edge.What is the purpose of the free hanging pleat? I think I might eliminate that from my copy. I also will eliminate the belt loops and maybe even the pockets as well. That should make the assembly less complicated. So the order of operations will be:

cut all pattern pieces
overcast all edges
apply interfacing to fly pieces and waistband pieces
stitch darts in back pieces
sew pant legs together along inseam and outseams
sew crotch seam from center back to just below zipper in front
make fly front zipper assembly
insert zipper assembly
make waistband interfacing and facing assembly
sew interfaced fashion fabric waistband pieces together at center back
attach fashion fabric waistband to top of pants
try on and adjust fit of waistband at center back
mark locations for hooks and eyes and inside button on waistband
attach waistband interfacing and facing assembly to top edge of waistband
fasten hooks and button on facing side of front waistband extension
sew eyes on underlapped side of waistband
fold waistband to inside of pants
sew free edge of waistband facing to inside by stitching in the ditch from right side
sew buttonhole on underlapped side of waistband

Peggy Sagers gave me a nice printed sheet of instructions for the zipper assembly which I have used ever since. I am wondering if there is a tutorial available for the waistband and facing assembly available anywhere. Does anyone know of a good visual reference for this? Maybe David Coffin? What material is the facing made of? Is it a shirting? Cotton? Polyester to prevent shrinking? How do you make your waistbands?

Duplicating Ready To Wear Pants

2010-06-17T18:40:00.003-04:00

You may remember that I recently ordered a pair of trousers on line in order to copy them. Well I got them and the first thing I did was try them on of course. They are a bit snug - too snug in fact, but I am going to try to fix that. Here are a couple of pictures of what they look like on. These are not the same pair. They are the same cut with a slight difference in style. The pockets on these open along the side seam, which when worn gape open. The ones I am copying have pockets in the same place, but the opening is at the top, like blue jeans. Also, they seem to be a little smaller with more stretch. I took one leg apart and left the other attached to the waistband for reference. I noticed something which has me curious. The crotch seam and hip seams have double stitching - both the bobbin and top thread are doubled. How do they do that? Is there a special industrial machine that uses two bobbins? Are two threads wound around the bobbin at the same time? I sense some experimenting in my future...The waistband is a two piece contour waistband.

Other observations about these pants:

All seam allowances are 1/2 inch
All exposed raw edges are overcast
All exposed seam allowances are pressed open
the hem uses rayon seam binding
The waistband is a two piece contour waistband
The waistband fashion fabric and front fly assembly pieces are interfaced with fusible interfacing
The waistband uses many layers
- seam binding
- tie interfacing
- woven shirting rectangle cut on the bias
- seam binding folded in half lengthwise to form rayon piping
- woven ribbon label with designer name repeated
- a lengthwise pleated woven shirting rectangle cut on the bias
- a final woven shirting rectangle alos cut on the bias

I have been trying to find information on line about waistband interfacing and construction. I think I want to make my own version of menswear waistband interfacing. I really like the way these pants are constructed. I will have to post pictures when I can so you can see what I mean. Happy Sewing!!

I Sewed This Weekend!

2010-06-07T15:17:00.000-04:00

I sewed this weekend. Actually, I serged this weekend. I made these really quick pants to try my hand at making a knock off. For some reason in all my years of sewing, I have never tried to copy a RTW garment. While my wool trousers are en route to me, I decided to start with something uncomplicated to get the hang of it. These pants are made of two rectangles with U shapes cut out of the top side of each rectangle. The pieces are perfectly symmetrical. I thought about customizing the U to my exact crotch curve, but since the exercise was to perform a knock off, I copied the pants exactly. Here is what the pattern looks like. I cut two pieces - one for each leg. They have no side seams. The sides are overlapped and worn open, wrap style. There are no buttons or zippers. The pants are tied on in front and in back. The pants I copied had self ties. I used some ribbon I had on hand instead of self ties. The ribbon does double duty as a waist facing to stabilize the waist in front and in back. I cut extra to hang free on each side of both the front and back waist edges for the ties. First, I serged the two legs right sides together at the U shape. I used stay tape to keep the crotch from stretching out of shape since my fashion fabric contains Lycra. next, I overcasted and trimmed the selvages from the side edges. Then, I overcasted the bottom edges, attaching a fusible stabilizer tape with the fusible side out on the reverse side. The next step was attaching the ribbons to the public side of the front and back waist. Once all the overcasting was done, I set my serger for cover stitching. I folded the hem under and pressed to fuse using a Teflon press cloth. Then I used a wide cover stitch to finish the bottom edges. I cover stitched the side edges next, turning under as I serged. The final step was turning the ribbon to the inside and running two rows of cover stitch at the front and back waist. Done! Easy Peasy!

A Closet Full Of Fit Muslins?

2010-06-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

I think I need to clean out my closet! I took a look at what's in there and asked myself if each piece met my standards for fit and I was woefully surprised at how many pieces I have that don't quite pass muster. Then I got an idea! I sew!! Well fitting items that are worn out, ripped, or stained can be taken apart and used as patterns. Except, I have nothing that really fits well that is in bad shape. My closet rejects are rejects because the style doesn't flatter my figure, or the fit is a little off. Maybe I can use them as fit mock-ups and tweak the style and fit and THEN use them as patterns. Why have I not thought of this before? Now I can clean out the closet without feeling guilty about the money I have spent on what is in there.

My husband commented that he liked a pair of pants I was wearing recently. It figures that I didn't get a picture of them on me. They do fit well. A little too well if you know what I mean. They look great when I am standing but a little tight in the thigh when I sit. The fabric has a little stretch and a slight wrinkle appears across the top of my thigh. Also, the center back waist dips ever so slightly when I am standing and more when I am sitting. I thought I could take those apart and use them as a pattern. I can add a smidge more fabric in the thigh and center back and they would be perfect. But then I thought I can't part with them. I love the stretch tropical wool charcoal fine pinstripe fabric too much. So last night, I tried to copy them using my TNT fit muslin. I figured the pinstripe is a perfect grain line. How hard can it be to copy them? I pinned the muslin and started fussing with it. Actually, I was fighting with the stretch fabric and the muslin, trying to be patient. I really wanted to take the darned things apart, lie the pieces flat, and trace them. Then I got another idea. What if I just buy another pair? The time I will save will be worth the money. No pattern tracing, measuring, tweaking, mock-up making, mock-up tweaking, or transferring changes back to the pattern necessary. Just cut apart, and use the pieces as a pattern! BING!! Light bulb over my head... I went on line and checked the web site for the store where I bought them and they didn't have them anymore. But, there was another pair with the same cut and stretch tropical wool fabric in black! WooHoo! - and it was on sale!! I ordered two pairs - one for me to wear and one to use as a pattern. I hope they aren't too tight in the thigh. I am definitely keeping one pair to cut apart as a pattern.

Some More Thoughts About Style

2010-06-03T18:09:00.003-04:00

I have been doing less sewing and more thinking lately. I am good at doing up front planning at my job, so it surprises me that I have not really taken the same approach to dressing. I wonder what would happen if I take the same approach with choosing my clothing as I take with a project at work. Is it possible I can target specific things to sew which will result in clothes that I feel good wearing? Some days I get dressed and I feel great.

I would take stock of my resources - my raw materials, building blocks, and basic elements. I would then go about asking, "How can I manipulate my resources in order to meet my goals?"

Other days, I feel "off". On the "off" days, I usually experience more pain and fatigue, a general feeling of looking forward to taking a hot bath or putting on jammies and curling up on the couch and being done with the day. I wonder if my feelings about my appearance fuel the malaise. Can I make clothes that look great, fit well, flatter my figure, suit my lifestyle, and also feel comfortable? Clothes that will energize me? If clothing is a form of public speaking, can I choose my message as well? If this were a project at work, how would I begin?

I would start by defining goals, objectives and limits. Then I would take stock of my resources - my raw materials, building blocks, and basic elements. I would then go about asking, "How can I manipulate my resources in order to meet my goals?" I believe that all good designers manage limits well. I do this naturally at my job because I am well versed in the ways in which I can manipulate my resources. I can be very creative managing the limits which derive from my objectives because I have so much experience with the things I can do with my materials. This is where I think mastery comes from. How can I apply this to my sewing?

What do the masters do? They understand how to use the properties of raw materials - fabrics, buttons, zippers, trims, to create elements of design and style. They speak the language of clothing. What are the elements of style? What is the language of clothing? What are the limits and how are they managed? I have defined my message and my objectives, Now I need to derive my limits and use what I know about fabric to manage those limits. An example of a limit is the need to keep private parts private. A way to manage that limit is to use opacity and structure in those areas of a garment. Using my knowledge of fabrics and techniques, I can think of a few ways to create opacity - choose an opaque fabric, use a lining, use multiple layers or gathering, etc... But what do I know about style? About the language of clothing? What does a ruffle say to me? A sheer fabric? What says casual? What says professional? Does it depend on the type of garment - a jacket or a blouse or a skirt?

My wardrobe needs to meet different objectives for different activities. Therefore I am going to divide my wardrobe into capsules. I have a weekend capsule, sports capsules, and a work capsule. Since most of my time is spent in my work clothes, I will start with the work capsule. I need to define my objectives.

Work Capsule Clothing Objectives and Limits

Great Fit
- Hems and side seams are straight
- Button plackets, vents, and pockets do not gape
- Collars lie flat
- No ripples or strained seams
- Pant legs skim the tops of my shoes
- Sleeves are not too tight
Comfort
- Adequate wearing ease for activities such as reaching, bending, and sitting. My thighs spread when I sit, so I need extra ease in pant legs. I like close fitting clothing, so a little Lycra can be beneficial.
- Seasonally appropriate - I am always cold. In summer months, I am cold indoors and warm outdoors. In winter, I am just cold everywhere. In summer months, I walk to lunch. My wardrobe will need to consist of outfits which adapt to temperature changes. - Short or no sleeves with a jacket or sweater to layer on top in summer and long sleeves in winter.
- Fabrics and underpinnings do not abrade, dig into, tickle, itch, or leave marks on my skin
Pristine Condition
- Wrinkle free - I would like my clothing to look fresh all day long. I sit for long periods and do not want wrinkles across my lap.
- No stains, rips, runs, missing buttons, etc...
Current or Classic Style
- Outdated clothing looks dowdy and frumpy. It is difficult to define what is modern, but I would like my outfits to look current without being too trendy.
- Check fashion magazines for colors and style elements which are fresh and compatible with my other objectives
Figure Flattery
- Proportion - I look and feel best in clothing that is shaped through the waist.
- Color - I prefer solid colors that are warm and moderately bright.
- Scale - I think I look best in medium to large scale prints.
- Contrast - I do not have much natural contrast in my coloring and I think I look best in prints or color combinations with medium to low contrast.
- Texture - Judicious use of texture and shine can divert attention and focus. I would like the focus of my outfit to be near my face.
- Support - Although this is an important criteria, I am not amply endowed and have no issue here except for modesty.
- Modesty - There are areas on my body that I prefer my exact shape remain mysterious.
Professional Appearence
- I would like my clothing to impart a degree of formality and professionalism.
- My neckline needs to be modest because people approach me on foot while I am sitting.
- My skirt length gets shorter when I am seated, so it needs to be knee length or longer when standing.

Mastering My Craft

This is where knowing how to manipulate materials to achieve goals comes into play. I have been sewing for many years and have learned much in the way of technique. Now I need to figure out when to apply those techniques and how to achieve the look I am after. This is the area I need to think about. How do I speak clothing? What do certain elements say to me? Here are some of my personal opinions:

I think floral prints are romantic.
I think contrasting colors are bold.
I think pleats are smart.
I think ruffles are youthful.
I think exposed skin is exciting and sexy.
I think dresses and skirts are feminine.
I think stiff fabrics are authoritative.
I think long skirts are formal.
I think prints are fun.
I think piping and trims are dressy.
I think rounded collars are more youthful than pointed collars.
I think sharp angles are stricter than curves.
I think clothing which fits well looks confident, and ill fitting clothes make a person look absent minded.
I think wrinkles are sloppy, but gathers and ruching are chic.
I think symmetry is proper and asymmetry is unconventional.

These are not hard and fast rules, but starting points to think about when I begin to design a look for myself. When I decide to make a garment, I think I should ask myself what I want it to say and choose elements that come together to communicate that message, while avoiding things which contradict it.

These are the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my brain. Hopefully, I will begin to figure out what I want to sew soon.

My Critical Eye??

2010-05-28T17:58:00.002-04:00

I am beginning my list of style elements which work for me. I would like to identify styles which suit my figure type - the pear. All of the advice I read says that I should avoid halter styles and yet, I feel best and receive the most compliments in these three dresses.

So instead of consulting the style guides, I am going to start with direct feedback and my own critical eye. I have been taking pictures of the outfits I am wearing for a few months, now. One interesting thing I have found is that when I look at thumbnail sized images, I get a better idea of whether or not a particular silhouette works for me. I think I am going to start photographing the back view as well. In order to identify style elements which reflect the personality characteristics I would like to convey, I think I should look at fashion magazines and pattern catalogs with a new objective. Instead of looking at the clothes and whether or not I like them, I will look at the model and ask myself, do her clothes give the message I want to give? If yes, why? Does a top or blouse with a collar portray more authority than one without a collar. What about a jacket vs. a sweater? Ruffles vs. pleats? Print vs. solid? I think I need to retrain my critical eye...

A Little Talk With Myself

2010-05-27T17:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had a little conversation with myself that went something like this:

You know the summer will be over before you finish embroidering this dress.

I don't want to rush it.

I'm just sayin... You could start on something else while this is progressing. All of your blog friends are making dresses. Wouldn't it be nice to complete something in the meantime?

Yes, but I can't decide what to make.

What's wrong with all those patterns you have?

Nothing. I just don't know how I want to dress anymore. I am having trouble with my objectives for dressing and it is stifling my sewing mojo. I don't want to go through all the trouble of fitting and sewing my beautiful fabric only to make another outfit for the mannequin. I want to look good and feel good and confident when I leave the house. I'm not sure the styles I wear are working for me. It may be time for a style overhaul.

After watching every episode of What Not To Wear and Tim Gunn's Guide To Style, what have you learned about wearing clothes? Anything you can use?

Fit, Proportion, and Style!!! I want my clothes to fit me well, accentuate the positive while minimizing the negative, and be suitable for my lifestyle and personality.

Okay, let's think about 'be suitable for my lifestyle and personality'. What does that mean?

I am struggling with that. Who am I? I want my clothes to be honest - except for the accentuate the positive while minimizing the negative part - then I don't mind being a little deceptive.

So, Who are you?

I am a 40 something wife, mother, career professional, sewing enthusiast, motorcycle rider...

So leather, fringe, metal studs, boots, these are style elements that reflect who you are?

No no no... forget the motorcycle stereotypes. I mean, I wouldn't rule out any of those style elements individually, but that "motorcycle look" is not me.

Why not? Who are you?

Hey this is deja vu. Didn't I already answer that?

So, jogging suits and comfortable clothes for shlepping the kids to and from soccer games in the minivan...

No no no - not me. I don't even have a minivan. I like comfortable clothes but I look like crap in a jogging suit. There is a woman on our street who can throw on a jogging suit and sunglasses and look fabulous. That is not me. I look dumpy and sloppy in a jogging suit. My body is all wrong for jogging suits.

Okay, so you do not define yourself by your passion for motorcycle riding or your role as a mother. Is that right?

Perhaps I do not want my appearance to be a stereotypical example of these things.

Maybe instead of asking you to describe who you are, I should be asking what you would like your appearance to communicate about you?

I am comfortable with my age, gender, relationships, and societal roles, but I do have an independent streak, and can be fun and even impulsive at times. I am detail oriented but not uptight. I am confident and secure, dependable and considerate, but not a push-over. I am intelligent and assertive. I am powerful yet protected. I have a social network and a place in society that is respectable. I am loved and respected by people who know me. I enjoy being a woman and celebrate my femininity. I am healthy and take care of my body. I prefer order over chaos. I like myself. You like me as well.

These are things I would like to communicate to the world on a subconscious level.

What types of clothing reflect these things?

I see where this is going!

Maybe it is a good idea to take some time and write down some style elements which you feel reflect the things you would like your clothing to communicate about yourself.

Yes yes yes, I will spend some time thinking about those things and make myself a list. I do like my lists....

Dear Readers, why has it taken me so long to have this little chat with myself? I have been choosing my own clothing for all these years and I never really thought of getting dressed as a form of communication - a kind of public speaking, if you will. Am I the last soul to figure this out? Do all of you know what your clothing says about you? Or are you like me and maybe never thought of anything more than "Does this fit? Can I afford it?" and "Does it hide my figure flaws" in the dressing room?

Defining a Personal Style

2010-05-25T11:34:00.005-04:00

In my quest to look good, I have been thinking an awful lot about style lately. It seems that although I have always enjoyed sewing, I have had a love/hate relationship with the things I make. Over the years, I have tackled various challenges to increase the love part. At first, when my body was younger and able to fit easily into RTW clothes, I was disappointed with the quality of my sewing. The seams weren't straight enough. There was rippling and asymmetry where I didn't intend it. The drape was "off". Things looked homemade and I would have thought it a supreme compliment to be able to sew something that looked purchased and have someone comment that they were surprised to hear that I "made that". I focused my learning on technique and equipment. I upgraded to a computerized sewing machine and was amazed at how straight my seams became. I used better thread and learned about types of interfacing and linings and how they made a garment hold its shape. I learned about pressing and clipping. Eventually, my sewing began to look fabulous. I loved watching my creations come to life - only to try them on and hate the fit.

So my next frontier became fitting. I began to accept that altering a pattern was a necessary step in the sewing process. It took a long time to accept, because I never had to alter ready to wear garments. I expected the things I sewed to just fit like the things I brought into the dressing room. As I learned more about fit, I began to realize that the ready to wear things didn't always fit me. I began to understand the difference between wearing ease and style ease. I had been choosing styles with ease in the places I needed more room to fit. Meanwhile, my body is decades older. I have more fitting "uniqueness" and my standards for fit are next to impossible to satisfy. I still wear mostly RTW clothes, but I am less satisfied with the fit as I learn more. Project Runway introduced me to the concept of draping and my understanding of fit has undergone a quantum leap. Now, I never sew without making a mock up first to refine the fit. As my fitting skill improves, I am more satisfied with my sewing, but still not in a place of what I would call bliss. I find myself approaching another frontier. Style. What good are impeccably made, well fitting clothes that do not flatter the figure or suit the style of the wearer? I still have not made a single thing in all my years of sewing that I feel is amazing. I have been proud, but there is always something I wish I could have done better. I have been blaming my body, but I think that is akin to accepting defeat. I have been taking pictures of the outfits I wear in an attempt to figure out what looks good and what defines my personal style. My goal is to figure out what to sew. It is heartbreaking to work on a jacket for months only to love it on the dress form and not on me. I have posted many pictures of outfits I have worn for the last few months here. Some I like. Some I don't. I thought each was a good outfit at the time, but as I look through them I think I can do better. These make me cringe now. If you are reading this directly from my blog, you can click them and they will get bigger.

Also, I have included a critique which shows up when you click. Click again to make the images get small again. Sorry the script does not work in Google Reader.

Here are some of my favorites. Someone recently used the phrase a little bit of va-va-voom to describe my style. I hope it was meant to describe a subtle undertone. I would like to be thought of as less vamp-y and more classic or elegant with only the tiniest hint of sexuality. I wear these clothes to work. I am a semiconductor mask designer and most of my coworkers including my husband who works with me are male engineers. We are not required to dress up and jeans with polo shirts are the normal attire. I think I look terrible in pants - especially jeans. Based on my favorite outfits above, what do you think? Too much va-va-voom? Do I need to turn it down a notch?

Cast On Roses

2010-05-18T12:15:00.009-04:00

Here is a better picture of the cast on rose stitch. I used a single strand of DMC six strand cotton floss. I am still not ready to jump in and start embroidering the panels just yet. Since the embroidery will be positioned at my waist, I want the detail to be visible from 5 feet away. The single strand stitch out may be too small. I want to see what it looks like using two strands. I also need to settle on the color scheme of the embroidery. I am thinking of adding yellow detached chain stitch daisies with fuschia and purple seed bead accents. I don't want to get too complicated with the design as I will be stitching it twice - once for each panel - and the designs will need to mirror each other. I do hope after all of this decision making that I will be happy with the final dress! I hate when I put so much work into a project only to be disappointed with the results. It's a good thing I enjoy the process so much. It really would be torture otherwise.
On a more personal note, I have great news! My daughter has agreed to let me make her prom dress! This is HUGE! For the last ten years, she has not been interested in wearing anything made by Mom. I shortened and hemmed a bridesmaid dress last year for her for her to wear to a dance, and she was pleased with the results. She said she never wanted to wear the things I would make because she didn't like the style of any of the clothes I made. She also said she didn't want to stress me out. (Okay, I *have* had my sewing tantrums...) I suspect she just lacks confidence in my sewing skill. She sees what I make and thinks, "UM... yeah... I would NEVER wear that..." I am hopeful that this will be a positive experience for both of us.

Here are before and after pictures of the dress I hemmed. I showed her the original hem after she closely inspected the shortened dress and she was impressed that my work was better. What is it about teenagers? Why do they think their parents cannot do anything right?

Embroidery Design

2010-05-12T18:23:00.006-04:00

I tried separating the plies of the wool yarn, but there were a couple of problems. First, even a single twisted strand was too thick and the stitching looked sloppy, and second, without the support of the other plies, the fibers would just pull away and the strand kept coming apart. So, I experimented with some of the leftover DMC Medici wool that I used on the blanket and made some sample stitch-outs of the Palestrina stitch that I like so much. It looked a little anemic with one ply, so I tried it with two and I liked it a bit more. I went on line and ordered some Appleton wool in varying shades of purple. In the meantime, I thought it a good idea to practice with some DMC cotton floss to perfect my stitching. As I stitched,I began to wonder why I didn't want to use the floss originally. I think I rememeber making a cross stitch design on a romper for my daughter when she was a baby and the color bled in the wash. Since this dress will be lovingly hand washed in Eucalan, I tested the DMC floss for colorfastness by rinsing a sample in some cold water and setting it by my fireplace to dry. No bleeding - even after I rolled it in white paper towels while it was wet! I did not use the Eucalan, though. I hope it doesn't make a difference. Now that I am typing this, I am thinking I should do a test with the Eucalan just to be safe. I have to say I really like the cotton floss and as luck would have it, I have lots of it, too! I think I am going to use cotton floss instead of wool. It looks really nice and it stitches up like a dream. I took another look through my A to Z book and found a cast on rose that I wanted to play with, so I practiced it a bit. Then I began to doodle on a trace out of the pattern piece and I came up with a design for the embroidery that I think satisfies me.

My Pattern Stash

2010-05-11T21:47:00.003-04:00

I have decided to start a catalog of my patterns which I can reference on line. Here are my first few entries. I will be adding more until I eventually get my complete stash on line. Now, I can whip out my iPhone and pull up my blog and hit the My Pattern Stash page link and see all of my patterns anytime I want. I love technology!

Overnight Inspiration

2010-05-06T17:57:00.005-04:00

I have been stumped for a few days about how to embellish the side panels on this dress. It is on my mind as I fall asleep and still there when I wake up. This is not a bad thing. If I were not trying to resolve something sewing related, I would be focused on corporate level decisions which are beyond my level of authority at the company where I work, or federal politics or some other such issues over which I ultimately have minuscule or zero control, and I would be very frustrated and unhappy. For me, the return to sewing has been about focusing my attention on goals which I actually might achieve. It is very therapeutic to have something into which I can pour my loving energy and over which I alone have ultimate decision making power. So when I lie down to sleep at night, I wrap my thoughts around fabric and trims, fashion, style, fit, and design challenges related to making a dress I don't really need. It sounds trivial, but I need that triviality. If my current project turns out to be a disaster, nobody will die. I can roll over and get some sleep when I am tired of thinking about it. And the sleep is good sleep. Sometimes I wake up with a gift from my subconscious, an idea I had not thought of before.

Yesterday's gift was hand embroidery. If I use hand embroidery, I can use wool which is thick enough to show up on the raw silk fashion fabric. Also, it solves the problem of how to program the stitches to turn a non 90 degree corner. I can follow the outline of the panel on three sides instead of just one. But what stitch should I use? Can I still use beads? Will the beads I have picked out now be too small? Should I use floral motifs? Do you see how one little flash of inspiration leads to more decisions? I love it. Really, I do. It gives me some puzzle to figure out. I think I am only truly happy when I am solving puzzles.

Many years ago, I made this little wool lap blanket. All the embroidery was done by hand with strands of wool. I remember how satisfying it was to watch it progress. I had done cross stitch before and similarly enjoyed the process, but the wool blanket was more dimensional and the larger strands were more satisfying to work with as the design progressed faster. Plus, it used beads! The blanket was made with a kit from INSPIRATIONS magazine. If you have never seen this magazine, I caution you - you WILL want to take up hand needle work when you see the breathtakingly gorgeous photography of the stunning projects. There. Don't say I didn't warn you. Ever since I finished the blanket, I have wanted to do another wool embroidery project, but I wanted to design my own instead of following a kit. I got stalled and never figured out what I wanted to make. I think sometimes that good design is about managing limits. When I am faced with endless possibilities, I often feel my creativity is crippled by the lack of limits. I think the little side panels on this dress offer me the limits I need. I turned to my bookshelf to find a few examples of hand embroidered border stitches to use as inspiration. I found what I was looking for in one of my A to Z books. I love these books. They are spiral bound and full of well illustrated instructions. I almost don't even need to read the text.

I found my inspiration on page 81. While I like the motif, what inspires me is the stitches used. I like the rows of stem stitch and blanket stitch, and especially the Palestrina stitch worked around the outer edges of the petals. I think I want to experiment with a combination of these stitches to create a border. I hopped on my bike at lunch yesterday and rode to Michael's to have a look at what they offer for wool embroidery. The best I could do was skeins of wool/acrylic yarn. I am going to try to separate the plies and see how that works out for me. Maybe I will figure out a way to incorporate beads. That will be sweet.

I am tempted to start my next sewing project since the sewing part of making this dress is on hold until I embroider the side panels. I usually don't like to have more than one project going at a time. It makes my sewing room chaotic. But these hands gotta be sewing something or I get restless....

Marfy 2255 Beaded Embroidery Woes

2010-05-04T17:38:00.001-04:00

This raw silk is driving me nuts! I made a sample stich out with the 30 weight thread and it disappeared in the weave of the fabric. Next I tried using two strands of rayon 40 weight thread in deep purple and gunmetal grey. That also seemed to disappear. So I tried using a topper - one that you remove with heat. I didn't want to chance getting my iron all gummed up, so I used a teflon press cloth. Bad idea! The topper melted and formed a sticky glue which stuck my fabric to the non stick press cloth. I laid the teflon back down, and pressed again, hoping by some stroke of magic that it would make a difference. Nope. If I worked quickly enough, I could remove the teflon before it stuck again, but I still had a melty mess. Then I was sticken with a flash of sheer stupidity. Somehow, I thought it would be a great idea to try appying the iron directly to the goo. Maybe it will just disintigrate into thin air. Maybe the teflon press cloth was the reason the topper didn't just disappear... Nope. The sticky goo shrunk into little bits of brown gunk. And my iron was smeared with it. And my fabric looked like crap. So, I tried to clean the iron with a damp sponge while it was still hot. Then I thought, maybe it needs to burn off. My sewing room began to have this smell... I got the iron good and hot and tried to rub all the goo off on some cotton drill cloth. Then I gave up and unplugged the iron. Later, I thought about the beaded embroidery and began to think it would be a good idea to make my own embroidered ribbon trim and use that instead of embroidering directly on the raw silk. I stitched out the design and painstakingly picked almost all of the stabilizer off the back side. Then before beading, I folded the "ribbon" in half and gave it a nice pressing. AAAaaaaargh! brown steaks on my rayon from the gunk still stuck to my iron!! Luckily, it is on the side that won't show. I hand beaded some of it, and the more I worked with it, the more I began to hate everything about it. Does this ever happen to you? I am losing my mojo on this project. It seems to happen a lot, lately. I remember I couldn't WAIT to be done with the suit dress. Why is it that my sewing can never live up to my standards????

Does anyone know of a good way to clean gunk off of an iron without scratching it?

Calf Hair Shoes All Fixed

2010-05-03T13:23:00.011-04:00

You may remember that I was having a little shoe crisis recently. Well, I am happy to report that I received a package in the mail last week. The folks at Ann Taylor sent me a whole bunch of extra tap lifts for these shoes - enough for a lifetime! I am so happy to wear them once again!

MARFY 2255 color blocking - yay or nay?

2010-05-01T21:30:00.007-04:00

So the next decision I have to make is whether or not to use a different color for the side panels. Here I played with GIMP and added color to my muslin. I am leaning toward using the same color and having only the embroidery to call attention to the side panels. What do you think? Color block - Yay or Nay?

Beaded Embroidery

2010-04-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Ann for the suggestion to add beaded trim to the side panels. I did a little test stitching to find a machine stitch that I can embellish with beads.

This is one of the designer stitches that came with my machine. Isn't it fabulous! I think I like this 30 weight thread. And look how cool it's going to be with beads! I have had these tubes of beads for years. I bought some simple embroidery designs which used tulle to make little appliqué patches that you fill with bead gravy - essentially little seed beads and bugles made of glass. I went a little crazy buying beads when I saw tubes like the one pictured in Michaels. I embellished one pair of jeans for my Mom and she said all the beads came out in the wash. So I have been holding on to all of these little beads knowing I could use them for something.... someday....

Saturday in Concord MA

2010-04-28T10:15:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we had fabulous weather in Massachusetts. My Mom came up to visit and I took her shopping in Concord. Here are some of our pictures.

We strolled in and out of boutiques, trying on jewelry and scarves, purchasing trinkets and looking at all the fine details of some of the fancier clothes. I felt a little funny about taking detailed photos, so I refrained. My Mom snapped pictures from the sidewalk of a few dresses that were in shop windows so I could add them to my inspiration files. We figured that was okay since anyone could see that much from the street. There was a historical cemetery with tombstones from the colonial days which we found fascinating. Mom has more pictures. We stopped for salmon wraps at Helens right around six when the stores were closing. The food was yummy and reasonably priced, and the staff were fantastic. I had a nice Saturday with my Mom.

MARFY 2255 style options

2010-04-26T17:33:00.007-04:00

For the side panels, I am considering a few options. The fashion fabric I chose for this dress is an olive colored raw silk that I bought from Cynthia Guffey a few years ago at the sewing Expo. I bought several colors from her and I am considering using a different color to accentuate the panels. Another option is to simply topstitch and edgestitch in a contrasting thread color. Or I could experiment with using my embroidery machine and stitch out an endless design. I am having trouble deciding...

MARFY 2255 fitting

2010-04-25T21:15:00.002-04:00

Here is my second MARFY 2255 muslin. The fit still isn't just how I want it, but I am happy with the upper back. I added length and width to the back pattern piece. I essentially did a "full butt alteration" and now the back is longer than the front. The bust darts are a little too high as a result of an alteration I made to the slope of the shoulder. I think I can fix the pattern pieces and go straight to fashion fabric, but I have an issue with the style. I don't like the pleats in the front. I cannot decide whether or not to eliminate them.

Waechter's Fine Fabrics

2010-04-22T20:42:00.001-04:00

I just bought these two beautiful cuts from Waechter's on line. On the left is a 4 yard cut of Marigold Wool Crepe and on the right, 2 yards of Ivory Rayon Nylon Lycra Ponte De Roma. They sent it to me all wrapped in tissue with a pretty bow. It was like getting a present! There was a hand written Thank You note tucked into the package and some complimentary buttons included as well.

Vogue 1182

Vogue 1183

I have two dresses in mind for these beautiful fabrics. Both patterns are recent purchases. I succumbed to temptation during a recent Vogue Patterns sale.

Which one is your favorite?

MARFY 2255

2010-04-21T17:46:00.003-04:00

I am ready to start my next project. I would like to thank those of you who voted in my poll to help me decide what to sew next. The choices were MARFY 2255 (one of the free patterns with the purchase of the 2010 pattern catalog) in raw silk, Jalie 2908 stretch jeans, or Vogue 8379 wrap dress in stretch silk from Jones New York.

There was a tie for first place between the Jalie jeans and the MARFY dress. Since I have been so inspired by what I learned at the Expo about upper back fitting, I have decided to do the MARFY dress. The pattern has a center back seam. I altered it and cut the muslin. I will be stitching it together tonight. Stay tuned for photos!

Upper Back Curve Fitting Part II

2010-04-20T18:06:00.003-04:00

Here I will show you how I edited my pattern to fit my upper back curve. If you mouse over the images, they will get a little bigger. Additionally, all the images can be clicked for a larger view in a separate window.

My pattern has princess seams in the back, so I taped those pattern pieces together. I chose to fold the center back piece under on the seam line and lay it over the side back. I had to clip the seam allowances, so they would lie flat. Using my chart (image 1.) for reference, I marked slash lines at the distances from the base of the neck where slashes would be cut*. (image 2.) Then I slashed ONLY the bottom line. I taped the bottom part of the pattern onto a sheet of tissue paper and spread the top up the amount which corresponded to the bottom slash line. Then I added another piece of tape to hold it. (image 3.) I continued this until I had slashed and spread each line**. (image 4) Next, I trimmed my tissue. I had two pattern pieces, so I cut the tissue apart along the edge of the side back piece and added more tissue to the center back piece. (images 5, 6, and 7.) Then as a measure of sanity, I compared the resulting curve to the muslin from the class. (images 8 and 9.)***

* I forgot one in my example and I added it later.
** It is best to do this one slash at a time to avoid a big mess of tissue strips flying around and getting ripped apart from the pattern.
*** I made a mistake transcribing my distances, so my slashes did not line up perfectly, but the curve was the same.

image 1

image 2

image 3

image 4

image 5

image 6

image 7

image 8

image 9

After the tissue was trimmed and the pattern was compared, the next thing I did was fix the grain line by extending the original grain line from below the alteration.

The next alteration was for shoulder width, and finally shoulder slope. Here is my mock-up. I stay stitched the neck and hem edges and cut off the seam allowances. Cynthia Guffey taught me to always put both sleeves in my mock-ups since the sleeve affects the fit through the shoulder and the neck.

Now that I have fit my upper back, let me tell you what other problems have been fixed:

No more loose armholes in back!
I used to think I was petite from shoulder to bust because I had extra fabric wrinkling in the armhole area. I would petite the pattern and then the bust would be too high, so I would lower the bust points and be back where I started, trying to get rid of the problem by altering the front of the pattern when all the while, the issue was with the back!
No more tightness in the front armhole!
I used to think my sloulders were "forward" because my front armholes were tight. In reality, my upper back curve was pulling the sleeve to the back and causing the problem. Now, I will be able to wear a sleeveless dress with a jewel neckline without getting red marks from the sleeve cutting into me in front. Yaaaahhhhyyy!
No more getting choked by a jewel neckline!
I used to think my head was pitched forward along with my shoulders because my clothes were pulling to the back at the neckline.
No more wrinkles under my arms in the back!
I forgot to clip the armsyce seam allowances after setting the sleeves in on my mock-up. This is what is causing that little wrinkle at the side back. After I took the picture, I clipped it and checked it and it is perfect.

Now that I know about this, I can tell you I am unhappy with all my RTW jackets. I will be making jackets, now! I never bothered to adjust a pattern for upper back curve before because I didn't think I had a curve there. Look at the picture. Does that look like a curved back? I thought that was for little old people who are all hunched over. W R O N G!!!

HELP! ISO Tiny Stiletto Heel Tips

2010-04-18T11:59:00.001-04:00

I LOVE these shoes, but I lost a heel tip and my local shoe repair guy cannot retip them because the pin size for the heel tip is smaller than the smallest one he can get. Does anyone know where I might find stiletto heel tips with an extremely small 2.0mm pin?

More Upper Back Cuve Part I

2010-04-17T10:44:00.003-04:00

Here are some more images to illustrate the draping process that we used in the workshop. You can click them to see a larger view in a new window. The first image shows how the fabric hangs away from the body before making the alteration to our muslin. See how straight the fabric hangs in the second picture? That is what we were looking for when we were positioning the slashed sections in place.

Here are three more images taken before and after the alteration. Notice that in the first image fabric is rippled as it hangs, but after slashing and spreading, the fabric hangs almost perfectly straight in the next two pictures. I have an asymmetry which accounts for the slight ripple. I decided not to fit it because it is temporary. I have frozen shoulder on my left side and my left scapula is protruding. In time with physical therapy, the scapula will return to its normal position.

In part II, I will show how I altered jacket pattern to fit my upper back.

Upper Back Curve Fitting - Part I

2010-04-13T18:10:00.009-04:00

I spent the latter half of last week in Worcester at the Sewing and Quilting Expo and my head is still spinning with creative inspiration. I wake in the morning to find I have been dreaming of fitting, draping and pattern-making.

One of the classes I took in particular has me energized. It was the Upper Back Curve Fitting Workshop with Cynthia Guffey. Watching her work is worth a thousand hours of reading. I am going to share with you the process she led us through to perfect the fit of the upper back curve.

First, it is important to note that we worked in pairs. (If you want to duplicate this process and do not have a sewing friend, choose a detail oriented partner with patience.) We began with a few supplies.

We each had a piece of muslin cut to about 20 inches x 36 inches with the grain line parallel to the 36 inch side. The lengthwise grain was marked down the center of the muslin. From the top, perpendicular lines across the grain line were marked at 1 inch intervals. These lines were used as guides for cutting along the CROSSWISE grain.

We took turns draping the muslins on each other. The fittee stood in front of a chair dressed from the waist up in undergarments. We were sure to post DO NOT ENTER signs on all the doors so nobody would walk in on us. One of us suggested we write "naked ladies" on the sign. I thought it would be more effective to write "naked OLD ladies". That would be somewhat less enticing than oh I don't know... RADIATION perhaps? I kept that thought to myself, though... I didn't want to annoy anyone who might not share my sense of humor about aging. You know we all feel more vulnerable in our underwear - especially in front of strangers. I figured it would be best if I juuuuuust let that one slide. A friend of mine describes my sense of humour as "razor sharp sarcastic wit". I'm trying to be more sensitive. But that's not what I want to discuss here. Forgive me. I digress. I digress a LOT. Where was I?

Oh yeah, we were standing around almost half naked.

The fitter placed the muslin on the fitee with the grain line along the fittee's spine. The muslin was adjusted so the top was right at the base of the neck. The the fitter would step back and take a look at where the curve in the back was located. Next, the fitter placed marks to indicate the crosswise lines which were over the curved part of the spine. Then, we marked lines where the armscye would be if the muslin were a pattern piece.

Next we took the muslin OFF the body and cut slashes along the crosswise lines which were marked. We slashed all the way from armsyce to armsyce. Then, we secured the slashed muslin back on the body using masking tape at the shoulder, making sure the top of the muslin was positioned at the base of the neck. Then, the next strip was positioned so that it went smoothly from armscye to armscye without drag lines. Once in position, we taped it to the top strip using masking tape along the spine. There was a little space between the strips. We were preserving this little space when we taped. So some of the tape was sticking to the back of the fittee. We repeated this process for all the strips. Next, we evaluated the result by checking to see if the muslin hung straight from the bottom slash. If needed, we would cut more slashes - removing the muslin first.

Two things happen to the muslin when there is a curve that needs fitting. One is that there exists a wrinkle from the center back out to the armscye. The other is that wrinkles or ripples form in the fabric which is hanging below the curve. When these two things disappear, the back curve has been fitted properly.

When we were satisfied that we got the upper back curve fit, we added extra tape to make sure all the sections were secured. Then, we gently removed the muslin from the body and laid it on a table with the masking tape side down. Next, we measured the position of the slashes and the amount of corresponding spread. NOTE: When we measured the position of the slashes, we skipped over the spaces with the tape measure. The measurements were recorded in a simple chart with two columns labeled DISTANCE FROM BASE OF NECK and AMOUNT TO SPREAD.

In part II, I will show you how we edit a pattern with this new information.

Dry Cleaning Accident?

2010-04-05T11:21:00.003-04:00

It is such a beautiful day today. I have been looking forward to wearing my lovely summer weight dresses with bare legs and peep toe shoes for what seems like forever. My dresses have been waiting so patiently - all fresh, cleaned and pressed from the dry cleaners - for the day they will frolic in the sun again. I pulled one of my favorites, a silk sleeveless empire waisted style with an A line skirt out of my closet only to notice stains. It looks as though the print from one of my other dresses, transferred to it during the cleaning and I didn't notice when I removed the plastic. I wore it anyway, with a sweater, and pretty peep toe shoes. The thing is, (there is ALWAYS a thing, right?) I love the way the dress suits my figure. When I add the sweater, it is a different outfit and all that figure flattery is lost. These pictures are taken from an angle that is not exactly glamorous and I was having a little static cling episode, but I think it illustrates the difference the sweater makes pretty well.

I have a great idea! I am going to turn this dress into a pattern! I already know it will fit and more important than fit, I already know this is a style that I like on my body. Since I never would be willing to sacrifice a beloved garment to this process, this stained dress dark cloud has a silver lining. I was heartbroken early this morning. Now I am energized.

PS - you can click the pictures for a bigger view.

What Should I Make Next?

2010-03-30T14:50:00.004-04:00

I have three options competing for my sewing attention. I would like to sew stretch jeans. I bought the Jalie pattern everyone is raving about on pattern review. But - there is ALWAYS a but - I hardly ever wear jeans anymore. I have a few pairs of jeans which fit me well, so I don't *need* to sew jeans. I have no idea why I want to sew them, but the pattern is calling to me. Another project on my mind is a DVF inspired wrap dress in the Jones NY stretch silk that I recently picked up in Boston. I love wrap dresses, but I am not sure about the amount of fullness in this pattern, so I am a little stalled. I am thinking I should draft my own from the BURDA pattern I used for the suit dress, since I got it to fit so well. Why reinvent the wheel, right? Another option is one of the patterns included with this year's MARFY catalog. I have some raw silk which I purchased from Cynthia Guffey a few years ago, and it would be perfect for tubino 2255. I have had fantastic luck with MARFY in the past, but I have gained weight since then...

I could use a little encouragement to motivate me. Which would you like to see? Jalie Jeans? Vogue Wrap Dress in stretch silk? or MARFY Dress in raw silk?

The Suit Dress Is Finished

2010-03-30T09:54:00.005-04:00

Finally, I have finished this dress. If you guys are like me, you are sick of looking at this dress. Really, I lost interest in it last month and it was a chore to finish. There were some unexpected challenges with this project and I am not as happy with the results as I had hoped. Still, I consider it wearable, and I may even sew the pattern again, but not in the near future. I am happy to cross this off my list and move on to the next challenge.

The Suit Dress Snag

2010-03-21T23:40:00.011-04:00

click for a larger image in a new window

I finished all the seam allowances yesterday. I used the pink polyester seam binding shown above. It is called Hug Snug. I broke in my handy seam binder foot for the job. This little contraption folds the binding around the seam allowance edge and holds all three layers in place to be stitched with a straight stitch. I bought the foot for my Husqvarna Viking D1 but I never used it. Now I have a Pfaff Creative Vision. I had invested a small fortune in machine feet for the D1 and I was really bummed that they do not fit on the Pfaff. Not willing to part with my accessory feet without a fight, I bought a replacement ankle for the D1 and tried it on my Pfaff. It fit. Schweet! Then I tried snapping on a foot and taking a few stitches. I checked that the needle alignment was compatible and that the feed dogs were also aligned. Everything looked great, so I broke out the bias binder foot and gave it a try. I have to say it was not as easy as it looks at first, but I got the hang of it after a few runs.

I removed the temporary zipper and closed up the center back seam. I inserted an invisible zipper in the left side seam after fusing interfacing along the left side seam allowances. I attached the collar and tried the dress on. Here is how it looks with the collar.

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I know I said I was going to line the dress if it turned out I need to wear something underneath it, but I am just dreading that whole process and not loving the dress enough to want to put that much effort into it. So, I cut the one piece facing. I stay stitched the neck and armsyce seam allowances a mere needle's with away from the seamline. Then I finished the edges with Hug Snug. I attached the facing at the neck edge, clipped, understitched, and pressed the seam. It was looking great. Then I clipped the armsyce seam allowances and pressed under to the stay stitching on both the facing and the dress. I basted the pressed edges, clipped them together with binder clips, and edge stitched the facing to the dress along the left armsyce - the side with the zipper. I was a bit annoyed that the dress armsyce length was longer than the facing. I stay stitched it and I didn't think it would stretch after the stay stitching. Maybe I didn't turn the facing under enough? I didn't really think much about it beyond my initial annoyance that I expected it to be perfect and it wasn't. By the time I pressed it, I was quite pleased with how nice and flat it came out and how even the edge stitching came out.

At this point, I was ready for a break. I was thinking, I'll finish it up tomorrow. Smiling to myself about being almost finished and ready to start another project, soon, I picked up the shaped wooden coat hanger I have been using to hang the dress on and got ready to set it aside until tomorrow. Well, the smile didn't last too long, as I noticed the dress seemed to hang funny on the hanger. I fiddled with it and tried to make it look pretty, of course dropping it off the hanger more than once while I was at it. I began to realize that the facing was "not right". I think it is rotated slightly in the armsyce. I need to take it apart and redo it. AAAaaaarrrrrrrghhh! I am too tired and discouraged to fix it today. I'll take it apart next time I sew. Sorry, I was in too crabby a mood to take and post pictures of it. I'll do that when I m not disgusted with myself....

On a happier note, Faye has nominated me for this award! I have never earned any distinction of any kind for anything sewing related. This is a lovely surprise! Thank you, Faye. You made my day! The requirements for accepting this award are as follows:

1. Place the logo within your blog or post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within the post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

So here are my nominees:
1.A Little Sewing On The Side
2.Two On Two Off
3.Sew Passionista
4.The Sewing Lawyer
5.Ten Thousand Hours Of Sewing
6.Ruthie K Sews
7.A Tailor Made It
8.Adventures In The Art Of Sewing
9.La Sewista
10.Beccabeckstuff
11.Carolyn's Sewing Room
12.Diary Of A Sewing Fanatic

THREADS Magazine

2010-03-15T16:28:00.005-04:00

I began sewing in 1993 and discovered THREADS magazine a few years after in a bookstore/cafe. I used to love when I found a new issue on the magazine rack, and soon I was a loyal subscriber. I have every issue I ever bought including two duplicates. I keep them all in a cabinet/window seat that I made for my sewing room. Maybe I should say they belong in the cabinet, but often, issues can be found on my night table, by the bathtub, or on the living room hassock. My THREADS back issues have made friends with my MARFY catalogues and old BURDA magazines, and they can be seen hanging out together all over my house. A couple of years ago, THREADS changed their format, and I was very disappointed. While I enjoy reading most things sewing related, THREADS Magazine was always a special treat because it featured advanced techniques and fabulous photos of details I might aspire to be capable of duplicating one day. I found it a source of inspiration month after month. I enjoyed the photographs and letters sent in by folks like me who love to challenge themselves with couture quality garment sewing. I drooled over the back covers with their beautiful detailed photographs of museum quality embroidery and beading. But then Threads changed and began to include more articles about sewing basics and every day notions. There was a big article on pins, and I remember being a little sad, thinking there must not be enough people like me to support the magazine, and they had to expand into a different market. I began to read letters from readers who absolutely loved the new style, and those who, like me, were very disappointed. Some cancelled their subscriptions. I held out for a few issues, remembering the new Coke fiasco and hoping Threads would also revert back to the old successful formula. But then I cancelled as well.
When I heard that THREADS was selling an archive DVD including every issue from 1985-2009, I was undecided about buying it. Mostly when I am on line, I read blogs and snoop shop, looking for pictures, pictures, pictures. I can't get enough pictures of clothes, accessories, shoes - anything fashion! I dismissed the idea and went on happily with my life. Then I read a thread on artisan square about the archive and it was so highly recommended, I began to reconsider - especially after reading that THREADS had a rough patch and had gotten better. I thought maybe I jumped ship too quickly by cancelling my subscription and I started to wonder what I had missed. I went ahead and ordered the archive DVD despite some customer reservations which were expressed regarding missing articles and the way TAUNTON PRESS handled the situation.

I picked up the MAY 2010 issue while I was in Boston shopping at Winmill Fabrics, but I was not encouraged, and I was beginning to think I should not have ordered the archive DVD. Recently, it was delivered and I discovered that even without launching the application on my Mac, all of the content is searchable using spotlight (command spacebar). Color me happy! I remembered an article written by Pam Ptak about S-shaped darts, but I couldn't remember what the picture on the cover was or even the title of the article. I typed in S-shaped darts and BINGO! up pops a link to a pdf of the entire issue featuring that article! SCHWEEEEET! I have not yet read through any of the recent issues which I missed. After looking through the April/May 2010 issue, I must say I was somewhat disappointed. What is your opinion? Are the glory days of THREADS all passed?

Suit Dress Update

2010-03-10T15:15:00.002-05:00

click for a larger image in a new window

I tweaked the shoulder slope and restitched the darts. Now the suit dress looks a little better. I am going to leave the sleeves off, but I have decided that I do want the collar, so I have to move the zipper. The zipper in the center back was basted in just for fitting purposes. I do not want to have a zipper in the center back of the collar. Now that I have the side seams as I want them, I will pull that zipper out and stitch the center back seam. I will put an invisible zipper in the left side seam. The seam is curved and the fabric has a slight stretch to it, so I need to stabilize the seam allowances before I sew in the zipper.

I also have to adjust my facing pattern since I have altered the shoulder seam. This pattern did not come with lining or facing pieces. I drafted my own. It is really easy to do. Since BURDA patterns have no seam allowances, it was especially easy. Basically, all I have to do to make lining and facing pieces is duplicate the front and back pieces, draw a line where I want the facing and lining to meet, and cut the pieces apart.

click for a larger image in a new window

In this picture, I have drafted just a facing. I taped the pattern pieces together at the shoulder, then covered them with architectural tracing paper. I outlined the pattern pieces at the armsyce and neckline and drafted a lower edge to make a one piece facing. The facing will be cut out with the center back on the straight grain fold.

I still have not decided if I am going to make a lining for this dress. It will depend on how low the neckline is once the collar is attached. If I have to wear a blouse or something underneath, I will want a lining to keep the gabardine from sticking to the blouse fabric. If the collar is modest enough, I may see if I have enough fabric to make a shrug to wear over it. I always need sleeves. I am always cold.

A Day Trip To Boston For Fabric Shopping

2010-03-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

From left to right: Debra, Betsy, Denise, and Prabhat

Saturday, I met up with a few local women who love to sew. We planned a day trip to Winmil Fabrics in Boston. It was a beautiful day in the city. Here we are on our way to lunch with our packages.

I bought a few yards of stretch silk from JONES NEW YORK. It has moderate stretch and good recovery. I think it would make a great sleeveless wrap dress, worn under a little shrug with stappy heels. I ordered a pattern from Pamelas Patterns for the shrug, and I have a Vogue pattern for the wrap dress. I am thinking of using a chocolate brown bamboo knit that I picked up last year at the Worcester Sewing and Quilting Expo from Emma Seabrook's booth for the shrug.

I have very little experience sewing knits, and I have a million questions: Should I use a serger for these pieces? What size seam allowance should I use? Should I use a stabilizer in the shoulder seams? Along the neck and wrap edges? Interfacing - yes or no and where? What about a muslin? Do I need one, or can all adjustments be made during a final fitting? How should I finish the hem?

My Sewing Room

2010-03-04T18:35:00.006-05:00

I cannot remember where I sewed the garment that started it all - an A-line dress to wear when I was pregnant with my daughter. It must have been on my dining room table. I can barely remember that first sewing machine. As the years have gone by, I have lived in many places and set up many sewing spaces. Since that first project, I have always set aside some square footage of my home for sewing. Over the years, I have had a sewing machine in my bedroom, in the living room, in the dining room, in the basement, in a spare bedroom, and now in a room designed (by me) especially for sewing, although technically, this is my living room. All of the funiture in the room is solely used for my sewing. I love this room. It is a little haven in the world that I do not have to share with another living soul. Don't get me wrong, I love when I have company in there, but it is still all mine! Every single other place in my life, I either have to share with somebody, or it does not belong to me, but here, I can leave my scissors lying around, or drape clothes over the chair, or leave a pile of magazines on the floor for a month, without feeling guilty because my things are in someone else's way. I don't exactly trash the place, but these pictures were taken when I first finished the room, and it has not been that tidy since! There have been a few changes since these were taken. The furniture was rearranged slightly to make room for a big, flat screen TV/monitor that my husband bought for me to use at work, before checking to see if it was allowed. Apparently, it is too much of a luxury item for me to have a huge monitor, even though the design work I do with graphics has a dynamic range which is so wide, it requires constant zooming in and out. Okay, I'll stop my rant right there...

On any given Saturday, you can usually find me in my sewing room watching Lifetime movies, or sewing DVDs, or Project Runway DVDs - you get the idea - stuff my husband isn't interested in watching, although, he does like to watch current episodes of Project Runway with me. I usually have something going on the stove or in the oven on Saturdays, and I love that I can sew, cook, and do laundry all at the same time. On week nights if I don't work crazy late, I sometimes have the energy after dinner to be in there sewing. My husband has a hobby room as well, which is equipped as an electronics lab with various meters and tools. He loves that space, as I love my sewing room. We put in long hours where we work, and it is so nice to have these rooms where we can work on projects and leave them for any length of time without having to put all of our tools away in between creative sessions.

Remember Casual Corner?

2010-03-02T12:11:00.002-05:00

Today, I am wearing three pieces that have been in my closet for ten years. The short jacket with black color blocking at the waist is one of my favorite jackets. It is light and comfortable, and the style suits me well - pun intended? The silk blouse fits me perfectly, and who could not use a long, black matte jersey skirt? I miss Casual Corner and their collectible pieces. I shop at Ann Taylor (mostly) these days, but the prices are getting out of control. I can't make a purchase without a coupon anymore...

Where do you like to shop for clothes?

The Fitting Struggle Continues...

2010-03-02T11:20:00.010-05:00

I had a duh moment and realized I needed to release the fish eye darts. This helped the dress hang much better. I took in the side seams a quarter inch which eliminated 1 inch of the 2 inches of ease through the waist and hip. I think I like the fit more, now, but the darts ... ugh! I am fairly confident I can fix this if I restitch them, curving more and ending tangent to the fold. But now, I am thinking this is just not the right color for me...

Should I Continue With This?

2010-02-25T22:23:00.009-05:00

I really hate the way this dress is coming out. I don't like the bubbles at the bottom of the back darts. I think it is too big and baggy looking. The gabardine does not drape the way I thought it would. Maybe it will hang better once it's lined? I really cannot decide whether to keep working on it or to let it "rest" for a while. Sometimes when I hate something and I try to save it, I get really creative and end up truly loving the result. My psychic spidey senses are not seeing good things for the future of this project. I am calling out to all of my fellow sewing fashionistas. What would you do with this?

back view

front view

I tried styling it with a thick knit turtleneck and a wide patent leather belt, but I am just not feeling it.

front view

back view

Here is what the finished dress is supposed to look like. Should I leave it sleeveless? I am afraid there may be just too much azalea gabardine...

technical drawing

from BURDA Style February 2010

Grading BURDA Plus Fashions Down

2010-02-23T18:33:00.006-05:00

I really like some of the BURDA Plus size offings the last couple of months. Take a look at these:

February 2010 style number 139
organza ruffled trimmed dress

February 2010 style number 132
gabardine pea jacket

February 2010 style number 139
chanel inspired jacket

February 2010 style number 138
striped shirt dress

February 2010 style number 133
trench coat

February 2010 style number 135A
pin-striped trousers

I may have to just go ahead and experiment with grading. I have never done it before, but BURDA must be reading my mind because they put instructions for down grading in the February 2010 issue. Then the March issue came along with these two styles that I love...

March 2010 style number 132
blue silk dupioni dress

March 2010 style number 130
blue silk dupioni coat

According to BURDA, all I have to do is draw an additional size line on the multi-sized pattern, keeping the same proportion between the new size line and the other sizes. Where there are match points, draw a line connecting all the match points. Measure the distance between two consecutive match points and add the new match point along the connecting line at that same distance. Sounds pretty simple. Has anyone done this? How easy is it?

Pant Fitting

2010-02-18T23:47:00.007-05:00

back close up

front close up

I thought these pants were a good fit. Good enough to be my TNT (tried and true) pants. There are a few wrinkles across the front, but I have since corrected the pattern by shortening the front crotch curve. Well a couple of days ago, I read this blog post by Victoria and now my standards for a good fit have changed...

here you can see the leg does not hang straight

and notice all that poofiness (is that a word?) in the front?

Now when I see these pictures, I regret having cut this beautiful silk/wool blend fabric before I perfected the pattern. The good news is that I am inspired to do better. I would like to thank all of you blog authors for sharing your pictures, tutorials and comments on line. I am so happy to have found people who want to sew clothes that fit well! I ordered a used hardcover copy of the Singer Pants Fitting book that Victoria spoke so highly of in her blog posting. I can't wait for it to get here so I can begin to tackle this issue!

Suit Dress Muslin

2010-02-16T06:00:00.012-05:00

I have my husband to thank for this. It was at his urging that I got up off of the couch at 8:00 last night and whipped up a muslin to test the fit of this pattern. The only alteration made to the pattern is that I added some fullness through the hip and thigh. I think I will go ahead and cut the gabardine with 1 inch side seams and add a little more ease below the waist.

Fitting the Suit Dress

2010-02-15T14:06:00.019-05:00

After all of my alterations, the shoulder slope just didn't look right to me. I thought maybe with all the years of folding ready to wear laundry which never fit quite right, finally seeing something that fits me well ought to look odd.

But, just to be on the safe side, I cut the front and back half pieces out, folded the bust dart, and taped the pieces together at the shoulder and side seams before slipping it on to test the fit. It turned out the shoulder slope alteration was good, but the bust dart was too high, and the waist was also too high all the way around, so I undid the tuck I made to petite the armsyce, but then the shoulder didn't lay right. Then I undid the shoulder seam alteration, and now it looks like this.

This looks fine to me. Maybe I should make a muslin? I sure wish I had a TNT sheath dress!

Leather Skirt Debut

2010-02-14T18:53:00.002-05:00

Well I finally got the snaps attached and the leather skirt is ready
to be worn. Here I am on my way out to celebrate Valentines Day with
my husband. Oh and by the way, did you notice the sensible shoes? I
hate them... But my feet are very happy today.

Killer Heels - Why do I TORTURE myself like this?

2010-02-12T10:37:00.006-05:00

I love Love LOVE these shoes I bought last weekend. I am almost six feet tall when I wear them! But these shoes were NOT made for walking...

They will spend more time sitting on my desk than on my feet today. At least I will get to admire them...

Compromise??

2010-02-11T11:49:00.011-05:00

You know, I really wanted the black thigh high boots, but...

I fear they will give the message that I want to look sexy. I prefer a look of sleek sophistication. I still have not decided against the Farah boot, though. I bought these which I love. They are extremely comfortable and I think they are more office appropriate than the black platform boots.

Thigh High Boots - Yay or Nay?

2010-02-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

I saw these boots in Bakers over the weekend. So here is my question for the day. Can a woman aged 40+ get away with wearing thigh high boots? Is there a way to give these sexy boots enough sophistication to be worn to the office? What do you think? Yay or Nay?

2010/11 MARFY Catalog Favorites

2010-02-09T07:14:00.002-05:00

Yes, I bought the catalog. It arrived today. 10 new patterns for me and so many more to wish for... Here are a few of my favorites.

A simple armsyce princess blouse with a twist on the sleeve, I like the neckline and the two color combination.

On the left, I like the waist style lines and zippered pockets. On the Right, the raglan sleeved jacket with asymmetrical closure has pockets in the princess seam. I would omit the buttons on the pockets - too much hip area emphasis for me.

Another raglan sleeved jacket. I like the purse :)

Don't you just love this dress?

Fitting and Measurements

2010-02-08T15:20:00.004-05:00

I had a "duh?!" moment in a sewing class I took years ago when a woman asked where her shoulder point was. I was wondering the same thing. The answer was it's the place where you want your shoulder seam to intersect the sleeve. It was one of those moments where the lightbulb turns on. Have you ever gotten so caught up in some intermediate thing that you lost sight of the end goal? Ever since then, measurements have made a little more sense to me. I stopped using patterns with seam allowances after that. The pieces make more sense to me without them. I use a self-healing mat and a rotary cutter with a gauge when I cut my fabric, now, and I think less about body measurements and more about the finished garment measurements.

That said, I decided to get a body scan this fall. I was hoping to import the scan results into a 3D modeling program and see if I could drape fit myself in virtual reality. I was disappointed when I realized I would not have access to the 3D image file, but the disappointment was only slight. I have since found myself reaching for the comprehensive measurements every time I trace a pattern. I get out my measuring tape and start comparing the pattern to my measurements. Then I start tweaking. Now, like most people, I am not perfectly symmetrical. Also, there are bumps and bulges that I prefer to be my little secret. Shhh... don't tell anyone. Somewhere in all this, I have again lost sight of the end goal - flattering clothing! I am having another "duh?!" moment today as I hear the echo of Cynthia Guffey in my head saying "... you know, there are some things you don't want to fit..." I am thinking about my hip measurement which is constant from full hip through the thigh area. If I make the pattern match my measurements through this area, I will have a garment that hugs every curve, and my profile will have an S shape. Fine if that is what I want, but I always reject clothes in the fitting room that fit me too well below the hip. So why am I going through all this trouble to do the same thing to the ones I sew???

How to Petite a BURDA pattern

2010-02-04T13:01:00.003-05:00

Love the regular sized pattern but need a petite version?
Here is how I petite a BURDA pattern.

I have a copy of my measurements, my pattern traced on tissue paper with no seam or hem allowances, a tape measure, a pen, some adhesive tape, and a French curve handy on my drafting (dining room) table. I also use a gridded mat and a TNT (tried and true) skirt pattern cut from a plastic quilter's template sheet.

In my case, I only need to petite the front piece, but the technique is the same except for the sleeve piece which I will explain later. First, I compared my bust tip to waist measurement. The waistline is marked on my pattern, but the bust point is not marked. I extend the center line of the dart about 1/2 inch and that is what I use for the bust point. My bust span is about 8 inches, so I check to make sure the bust point is about 4 inches from center front. I usually need no petite adjustment in the area from bust to waist, but I check it anyhow. In this case the pattern was a match so I made no adjustment. If you need to adjust this area, you would pinch a fold just above the waistline to make the bust to waist measurement of the pattern match the length of your body. You would do this for both the front and the back, pinching the same amount on the back piece so the side seams would be equal.

Next, I measured the pattern from the neckline at the shoulder seam to the waistline, and compared with my measurements. (I could also have used neck/shoulder to bust point - either would have been fine - but since the waistline is more clearly defined, I chose that method.)

The pattern is too long, so I made an adjustment by pinching a fold above the bustline, and smoothing out the seamline at the armsyce and the neckline. If I needed a petite adjustment in the back, I would pinch the same amount from the back pattern piece and smooth the center back and back armsyce seams, but this is not necessary for me, so no adjustment was made to the back. The lapel and sleeve pattern pieces needed corresponding adjustments after this alteration.

To adjust the sleeve pattern piece, I lined the sleeve seamline up with the armsyce at the front match point and rotated the sleeve along the seamline until I reached the fold on the front piece. I pinched an identical fold on the front side of the sleeve, tapering to nothing at the back of the sleeve (since I made no adjustment to the back piece). Now the shortened sleeve pattern piece will fit the adjusted (smaller) armsyce. If your petite adjustment affects both the front and the back pattern pieces, you will pinch a horizontal fold all the way across the sleeve piece to fit your new smaller armsyce.

Next, I adjusted the lapel pattern piece. I laid the lapel pattern piece on the front pattern piece along the neckline opening matching seamlines. I pinched a corresponding amount out of the lapel in the same place where the neckline was shortened by the petite adjustment on the front pattern piece. Now the shortened lapel will fit the new altered (smaller) neckline.

Other adjustments made to this pattern:

I find BURDA patterns are drafted with shoulders which are an inch wider than my shoulders. Also, my shoulders slope a little more than normal, causing unflattering wrinkles in the front and back of ready to wear clothes. So I integrate two adjustments in one step - shortening the shoulder seam and adjusting the shoulder slope.

I took a fitting class taught by Cynthia Guffey at the Sewing and Quilting Expo which has helped me to identify and fix my shoulder slope problem. If you ever have an opportunity to attend a class or a workshop by Cynthia, do it! She is meticulous. You may not always want to bother making perfectly fitting clothes for yourself, but you will know how to do it when you DO want to bother. (Personally, I ALWAYS want to bother, but I am picky picky picky.) Everything she teaches is available on DVD, so you can relax, put your pencil and notebook down, and just pay attention,learn, and enjoy. She is really fun in class, as well. You will laugh, and I promise, you will have several "ah-HAH" moments. She showed me how to figure out what she referrs to as shoulder slope. In order to fit me perfectly, the shoulder seam on my back pattern piece needs to have a slope to it which allows the shoulder point to be 1 1/8 inches lower than the neckline at center back. No matter what I make, a jacket, a blouse, a t-shirt, if there is no shoulder pad, I need this same slope on that back pattern piece! (If the pattern has a different shoulder seam as in a tank top that does not go from jewel neckline to shoulder point, the slope or angle is still the same.)

Whatever I have to do to my pattern piece to get that slope in the back, I repeat it for the front. In this case, I had to lower the shoulder. I started by cutting the pattern piece from close to the shoulder point to just below the armsyce. I dropped the shoulder point to 1 1/8 inches below the neck seamline at center back, matched the side seam, and slid horizontally until my shoulder seam measurement matched my body measurement of 4 3/4 inches. Then I held that shoulder point down and pivoted until the side seams matched up so I would not alter the side seam. Next, I redrafted the shoulder seam.

The final pattern adjustment involves redrafting the side seams along the hip line. I slipped my TNT skirt front pattern underneath the dress front pattern tissue and matched up the waistlines. Then I redrafted the side seam to match the TNT.

For the back, I need a sway back adjustment. It looks like this if I
use a one piece back. In order to keep the grain line straight, I cut
the pattern apart at the waist and keep the upper part of the pattern.
I use my TNT skirt back for the lower part of the dress. I will pin fit the dart with help from a DD or DH during the final fitting.

There you have it - my pattern alterations for the suit dress :) Now, do you see why I have reservations about MARFY patterns? I do love the designs, but I am challenged when it comes to alterations. I guess I could rationalize that I *need* the practice...

What are your alterations?

To Buy or Not To Buy - That is the Question

2010-02-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

The New annual MODA Marfy 2010/11 is here! And it comes with 10 FREE patterns!

I posted this picture of these gratuitous MARFY patterns earlier this month.

I have been trying to decide whether or not to buy the new pattern catalogue. I really love all the free designs. They are SO worth the price of the catalog all by themselves. Not to mention that the catalogue is truly inspirational to me when I am looking for that something special. I love Italian design and the way they show a whole outfit - including a coat - that just works so well together. I love that the style lines are not the same old same old that I have grown bored with. There is a timeless elegance to the designs which reminds me of the styles from the 40s and 50s when women wore tailored clothing. A time with shoes and hats and stockings and lipstick and pin-up girls and curves... I love the formal look of well fitting clothes. Even if I don't order the patterns, the ideas are there for me to interpret and incorporate as I develop my own style.

But I do have a few issues:

1.    I already have SO MANY patterns.
2.    MARFY patterns with their interesting style lines are harder to petite
3.    I have a subscription to BURDA Style which has lead to
4.    I have a backlog of patterns in queue waiting to be sewn which leads to
5.    I just don't have the time to sew everything I would like to sew.
6.    I am trying to control my impulse purchasing
7.    Did I mention I have SO MANY patterns?
8.    Judging by the overflowing closets, dresser drawers, and laundry baskets in my home, I don't need any more clothes...

HELP! Any thoughts? Suggestions? Rationalizations??

Almost Finished

2010-02-02T05:15:00.002-05:00

I ordered these beautiful edge snaps made in Italy from Birch Street
Clothing. Well I realized that I don't have a fastening tool that will
work with them, so I placed another order today. These little beauties
will be the perfect finishing touch for my leather skirt. In the
meantime, the skirt is hanging on my dressform waiting patiently. Since
I cannot wear it, I thought I would share a picture.

Inspiration

2010-01-29T07:28:00.001-05:00

So I came into work this morning and switched my calendar page to find this:

I'm thinking how cool would it be to make a pair of pumps I already have into boots to match my outfit! And what a nice canvas for embroidery!

Suit Dress Embroidery

2010-01-27T12:21:00.003-05:00

I bought an embroidery design CD years ago because I loved this picture.

The designs are from Inspira.
I loaded the designs on my computer, but have never stitched them - not one. I think the highlighted design below would look great stitched down the left side of the collar of the azalea suit dress.
I think I will change the flowers to yellow to contrast with the dress.

Here is a rough idea of what I am picturing:

The Suit Dress

2010-01-24T10:57:00.001-05:00

I ordered this beautiful azalea wool gabardine suiting from vogue fabrics today.
It is for the yummy yellow dress from the February 2010 issue of BURDA Style. The pattern is very simple, so it will showcase the lovely drape of the gabardine.

I am thinking of embroidery for the collar, and a self belt with a little embroidery as well.
Picture something with minimal thread coverage and maybe a few swarovski crystals. I will report back after reviewing my embroidery designs.

Meanwhile, the leather skirt is still on the sewing table and will hopefully be finished before I get too involved with the planning of my next project.

My new year's resolution to focus less on work has suffered a minor setback as I worked both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, but I think I will ask for a day or two off midweek next week to stay home and sew. That would be terrific! A whole day or two to myself....

Leather Jacket Sew Along

2010-01-23T16:09:00.002-05:00

Last fall, I participated in a fun sew along on line at artisanssquare.com. This was my first time sewing leather - actually it was faux leather. I have never sewn real leather.

Here is the pattern I used:

It is from BURDA Style magazine October 2009. It is a petite sized pattern. I cut size 21.

This project held a few firsts for me.

* sewing a material which will have permanent needle holes

* using fabric glue

* bagging a lining

* using lapped seams

* attaching a collar with a collar band

* pressing a fabric which will melt if touched with the iron

Some of these things posed bigger challenges than others for me.

sewing a material which will have permanent needle holes

This was especially difficult for me. I like to baste before I sew.
I also often take seams apart and resew them until I am satisfied.
Two things which helped were binder clips and IDT. IDT is a feature on
some Pfaff sewing machines, which feeds fabric from both the top and
bottom as you sew. It is like a built in walking foot. But by far,
the biggest help was using lapped seams. With lapped seams, I did not
have to sew reverse curves together in the princess seams. I simply
laid one piece over another and sewed. Well, it wasn't really that
simple. I marked all the seam lines as the pattern pieces were cut.

using lapped seams

The pattern calls for lapped seams, which I really liked sewing.
See how the backing of the fabric is a white color? I was worried that
the white would show if I used lapped seams, so I made some test
samples and found it would not be a problem. I experimented with
thread color, stitch length and presser foot pressure, and the sample
to the right is what I set my machine up to produce. I used
contrasting thread for my samples to make it easy to judge the right
tension, and I really liked the the look of the olive color against the
red, so I went with it for the finished version. I did have some stray
white fibers peaking out of the seams in some places. I used tweezers
and sharp embroidery scissors to trim them all back.

Once I decided to use lapped seams, I had some work to do. The first
thing was to decide which seams would be lapped and which would not.
For example the sleeve back seam was sewn right sides together. Once I
decided which seams were lapped, I had to decide which was the underlap
side. Since Burda patterns do not have seam allowances, I had to add
seam allowances to all underlapped pieces as well as those wich would
be sewn right sides together. I did this by marking the pattern pieces
with dashed lines on all edges which I did NOT want seam allowances
added. When I cut the fabric, I used a rotary cutter with a gauge set
at 2cm (5/8in) to add seam allowances where I wanted them. I did not
add seam allowances to my pattern pieces. After the pattern pieces
were cut, I marked seam lines on the right side of all underlapped
seams by tracing along the edge of the pattern piece with a chalk
wheel. I did not mark the seam lines that would be sewn right sides
together. Now, I realize I could have cut all pieces with 2cm seam
allowances and trimmed them off the overlap side just before sewing,
but I think the extra legwork made my pattern pieces truer and the
sewing went quicker. The sewing was actually a joy. Having the seam
line marked on the underlapped side, I just lapped the pieces right
along that line and edge stitched them together. Additionally, I
drafted the lining from the pattern pieces, subtracting the facings,
and converting seams to darts. This was easily done since the pattern
pieces did not have seam allowances.

What did I learn?

I learned how to bag a lining. I had read how to do it a number of
times over the years, but I never did it by turning the whole assembly
through an opening in the sleeve.

What would I do differently?

I was challenged by the collar. Since I was not able to baste, I
have two rows of stitching holding the band to the jacket - One for the
inner band and then another for the outer band. Next time I sew this
type of collar on faux leather, I will use glue to hold the inner
collar in place. Then I will have one line of stitches showing where
the outer collar band is attached. Another thing I will do differently
involves the zipper seams. Again, I have double stitching in some
areas around the zippers which would be eliminated with the use of
glue. Normally, I baste and then remove those stitches, but this type
of fabric is incompatible with that method.

*Use fabric glue to baste where necessary

What I will definitely do again?
*use binder clips
*mark underlapped seam lines
*make samples to determine stitch length and presser foot pressure
*use low heat and a thick press cloth and press test samples
*draft a facing for the peplum

This leather jacket sew-along was a fun project for me. The
encouragement, advice, and praise from all of the women on artisan square was wonderful.
It was like having a bunch of friends in my sewing room with me as I went along.

Here are some pictures of my progress

The first thing I assembled was the full back.

Then the fronts with their zippers, the side seams and the shoulder seams...

Next came the collar...

...then the sleeves and the lining.

Here
I have it turned inside out to show the lining. I used a silk print I
found at the Vogue Fabrics booth at last year's Sewing and Quilting
Expo in Worcester. (I will not be able to machine wash it. I'll just
use a steamer on the inside and a damp cloth on the leather.)

If you look closely at the sleeve seam, you can see how big the opening was that I used to turn the lining to the inside.

All finished and ready to go out on the town!

But first I need to finish my coffee!

The
shoulders are a little too wide, but I am happy enough with it to
actually wear it. Overall - pretty decent fit for ZERO pattern
alterations!!
Now to make a skirt....

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