tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355151982024-03-12T16:36:45.914-07:00Sewing Up the Neighbourhoodin everyday clothesneighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-22942495109206741582020-09-26T10:01:00.002-07:002020-09-26T10:01:36.445-07:00Jalie Overalls! Pattern #972<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxu9M_HaFocVFFBhjLqdR9cXKULEtXLpM1-Q9VDFoLtGNf7rF1w0ahuP48_IPibgGH_83kLc9djSY3xhfgal67_2LI8OR3DsrG_oxvaUxyGP_HbcZToNWlltBZytLlf-HzGd5GA/s2564/IMG_20200906_183331.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2564" data-original-width="2564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxu9M_HaFocVFFBhjLqdR9cXKULEtXLpM1-Q9VDFoLtGNf7rF1w0ahuP48_IPibgGH_83kLc9djSY3xhfgal67_2LI8OR3DsrG_oxvaUxyGP_HbcZToNWlltBZytLlf-HzGd5GA/s320/IMG_20200906_183331.jpg" /></a></div><p>Over the past couple of years there have been several new patterns released for varying sorts of overalls/dungarees. My main problem with all of them was that the styles just weren't what I wanted. I was looking for classic, mid-nineties overalls. The kind with a Y back and lots of pockets and, most importantly, no ties or waist definition. I spent a fair bit of time searching the internet and Instagram for options and wouldn't you know it, one of my favorite pattern companies had just the pattern I was looking for!</p><p>This is <a href="https://jalie.com/" target="_blank">Jalie Patterns</a> <a href="https://jalie.com/jalie972-overalls-pdf-pattern" target="_blank">#972</a>. The downloadable PDF is a scan of their out-of-print paper pattern, so it does not have layers or any of those cool features that modern PDF patterns have. I made a size X and other than making the bib and the straps a little shorter, I made no other alterations. And they fit! And I loved my first pair so much that I made a second pair!</p><p>My first pair were made from a 100% cotton, linen-like IKEA curtain that I purchased at a thrift store.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginz4cOE8x4pxdHlv-1ITPaSVc1wvC8SM2xG9fvGOBBePzQESBb7vIaQwq_AbUhrkbhXrLKYZs2WpYZpqnrs0_Vlras58jS4ZYikRAIOQFtwoFewYYrPQTnvG5gSh7uV058b6xTA/s2989/IMG_20200519_171630.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2989" data-original-width="2989" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginz4cOE8x4pxdHlv-1ITPaSVc1wvC8SM2xG9fvGOBBePzQESBb7vIaQwq_AbUhrkbhXrLKYZs2WpYZpqnrs0_Vlras58jS4ZYikRAIOQFtwoFewYYrPQTnvG5gSh7uV058b6xTA/w200-h200/IMG_20200519_171630.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4-UBSXVi0EgTLrqKLKWK6wRKQQ0x_oisqCBkVcR_TWZFJOaZeh5-0ty2lMW24Bkfc3N0g8pmGZXyWfyof0YAbWHgheK3S6-oyp6UMB0ZsuIgFDq8wI5JskajOiQyWUfhIZFcbw/s2412/IMG_20200519_171809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2412" data-original-width="2412" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4-UBSXVi0EgTLrqKLKWK6wRKQQ0x_oisqCBkVcR_TWZFJOaZeh5-0ty2lMW24Bkfc3N0g8pmGZXyWfyof0YAbWHgheK3S6-oyp6UMB0ZsuIgFDq8wI5JskajOiQyWUfhIZFcbw/w200-h200/IMG_20200519_171809.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXK81h9AnhtfqRL8qOBhu0i7ReGcFltd4CqwBlS8teG8qq8GCDxslDmqo_P9LQ3-moMNRtBHGsH41suLmhQec8XXOKRCOEHbq06K_wXD58WSl5aptLGb3IMSIIbxd33XslESyR_g/s3480/IMG_20200519_171837.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3480" data-original-width="3480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXK81h9AnhtfqRL8qOBhu0i7ReGcFltd4CqwBlS8teG8qq8GCDxslDmqo_P9LQ3-moMNRtBHGsH41suLmhQec8XXOKRCOEHbq06K_wXD58WSl5aptLGb3IMSIIbxd33XslESyR_g/s320/IMG_20200519_171837.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I cuffed the hems, which I love, despite their constantly catching plant matter and needing to be ironed after every wash. The instructions contained a few points of confusion for me, primarily around the leg pocket. The notches for that pocket are not distinctive and I got confused and attached it too low on the leg on my first pair. It's fine, because I'm not likely to use it anyway and, thanks to the shelter-in-place order, only my family has seen these in person. Also, this pattern does not call for any interfacing - even where the buttons are attached. So in my second version I added that.</p><p>I searched high and low on the internet for a matching set of overalls buckles with sliders and extra sliders and buttons. As far as I can tell, only <a href="https://store.closetcorepatterns.com/collections/sewing-hardware-kits/products/jenny-overalls-hardware-kit" target="_blank">Closet Core Patterns</a> offers these and at the time I was looking, they were out of stock everywhere. Also, this project calls for eight buttons, so I needed to be able to buy additional matching buttons. This was too much to ask back in the early days of the shelter in place order. I ordered the buckles with sliders and the extra sliders on <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CY4T381/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. I already own a large snap press from <a href="https://kamsnaps.com/" target="_blank">KAMsnaps</a>, so I bought the <a href="https://kamsnaps.com/collections/jean-buttons" target="_blank">adapters and dies and jean buttons</a> from them. Luckily, all of them look nice together and work together well.</p><p>My second version is made from a <a href="https://www.sewingstudio.com/shop/Fabric/Twill/p/Chino-Twill-Stretch---Light-Navy-x49410118.htm" target="_blank">wonderful stretch chino</a> from <a href="https://www.sewingstudio.com/" target="_blank">The Sewing Studio</a>. I actually bought a shorter length to make into shorts, but the fabric ended up being much darker than I thought it would be (I am not a fan of my super pale legs sticking out of dark shorts). The fabric did seem perfect for a pair of work-wear overalls, though, so after washing and drying and ironing the fabric, I laid out the pattern pieces on it to see what I could cut out of that length and then estimate how much more I would need to buy to cut out the rest. I ordered the amount I would need (thankfully it was still in stock) and presto! Within a week, I had overalls!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVgGfqfWrFXZP6njV_Dk_ujfDQChboyeDN1TXBX0HXtsTx86G1z7ZN7vu6crkf4Y6AGsgKnA3xw0iEeKLN6-zU-M7vdsKr_Nuz3-M353QqU_pp5MKauifNqqIoUi9EwaOz0fLsw/s2692/IMG_20200906_183333.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2692" data-original-width="2692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVgGfqfWrFXZP6njV_Dk_ujfDQChboyeDN1TXBX0HXtsTx86G1z7ZN7vu6crkf4Y6AGsgKnA3xw0iEeKLN6-zU-M7vdsKr_Nuz3-M353QqU_pp5MKauifNqqIoUi9EwaOz0fLsw/s320/IMG_20200906_183333.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRah0VDtk_lotTyINrCSfC7sHDQYO8gckQjr9veUdma_YJhiyMTmhrS6rJEZb9uPz1hWUn8rHwCp2btlUVJCtbH8Oi5YMqeybJIrcJpoIV0GQfAeZMdHcGNdZcO24GyRJ0A0_ksw/s2786/IMG_20200906_183346_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2786" data-original-width="2786" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRah0VDtk_lotTyINrCSfC7sHDQYO8gckQjr9veUdma_YJhiyMTmhrS6rJEZb9uPz1hWUn8rHwCp2btlUVJCtbH8Oi5YMqeybJIrcJpoIV0GQfAeZMdHcGNdZcO24GyRJ0A0_ksw/s320/IMG_20200906_183346_01.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some close ups of the second pair.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7YeRCHShUmEVAsEFPspxx3nek0lAGnKml8xfMqe1OCd1O54lgXdrukxpCcY41594PWOlbmBhruQqLpIksjWJMFgxxfcSl20z1cPN-nSNM4xt1D7qfNWdEZSRvwFpxo7SHyje-w/s3469/IMG_20200906_162717.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3469" data-original-width="3469" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7YeRCHShUmEVAsEFPspxx3nek0lAGnKml8xfMqe1OCd1O54lgXdrukxpCcY41594PWOlbmBhruQqLpIksjWJMFgxxfcSl20z1cPN-nSNM4xt1D7qfNWdEZSRvwFpxo7SHyje-w/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_162717.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhseF2rUfySmlBgvGQfWmAEJqx1vghU_cs5vGgj09umyCBfxAQ47mTsLou3pwH-WsO95BDQyDFT7eRUDYTj9WSwiVQHjvuve2xGIrRL3GDrHhltSXV_e7tKowstRQJlu8280Z-ig/s2928/IMG_20200906_162753.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2928" data-original-width="2928" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhseF2rUfySmlBgvGQfWmAEJqx1vghU_cs5vGgj09umyCBfxAQ47mTsLou3pwH-WsO95BDQyDFT7eRUDYTj9WSwiVQHjvuve2xGIrRL3GDrHhltSXV_e7tKowstRQJlu8280Z-ig/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_162753.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgTzSW1OlrZkpSHOz5wJ62glmGJvScKt2xDhtXeW6O2qleks5ARMq7HMlDK-b2oS96AeBzLuOyxJ9KsEFitJT9iP7gpPFN1LrRYILvIX76t93h2hJGzctf9h_d1ywCVte6DmNAw/s3488/IMG_20200906_162806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgTzSW1OlrZkpSHOz5wJ62glmGJvScKt2xDhtXeW6O2qleks5ARMq7HMlDK-b2oS96AeBzLuOyxJ9KsEFitJT9iP7gpPFN1LrRYILvIX76t93h2hJGzctf9h_d1ywCVte6DmNAw/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_162806.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixU_q3jVrJk9wwMMCtBAkmeDXI0bUrUO9HiWV4XFGXweMP3veK0WYepuaq3VfYe-rkMkqm7hUWnn2Q1WOBHgKLiCJxLvMnEyKRa3gC0PbU7Pk1F5jFCMs8sLLqWOqzYD-ka2zLuA/s3488/IMG_20200906_162912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixU_q3jVrJk9wwMMCtBAkmeDXI0bUrUO9HiWV4XFGXweMP3veK0WYepuaq3VfYe-rkMkqm7hUWnn2Q1WOBHgKLiCJxLvMnEyKRa3gC0PbU7Pk1F5jFCMs8sLLqWOqzYD-ka2zLuA/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_162912.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>I bought fun quilting cotton for my pocket bags and belt lining at <a href="http://millendstore.com/" target="_blank">Mill End</a>, and I made sure that the right side was the side I see when I put the overalls on. Usually my pocket bags are made from remnants of quilting cotton or the cotton bedsheets I purchase at thrift stores for muslins, but I've used up almost all of that making face masks for my family. It was time to restock.</p>neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-83145157561133084392020-09-18T13:57:00.000-07:002020-09-20T16:11:26.699-07:00Wiksten Shift Tops<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueBFcNc9fRH8sAVURJ4Twn9pSX103ZmZafzw_lBzzlXxwfBQ-o2cC-8OXsuTsAfnzniuwDNzrmaHDNvazchor6WiLPDFmT-cwUzUg9U0hcVJXNe91nuHK8XNySElMp84IOrMNQA/s2048/WikstenTopCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueBFcNc9fRH8sAVURJ4Twn9pSX103ZmZafzw_lBzzlXxwfBQ-o2cC-8OXsuTsAfnzniuwDNzrmaHDNvazchor6WiLPDFmT-cwUzUg9U0hcVJXNe91nuHK8XNySElMp84IOrMNQA/s320/WikstenTopCollage.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Sometime mid-May, I started thinking about boxy, woven t-shirts, with either set-in or cut on sleeves. I am really not a fan of raglan sleeves. I asked for input from the Instagram sewing community and decided to give the <a href="https://shopwiksten.com/products/womens-modern-shift-dress-top-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">Shift Top</a> from <a href="https://shopwiksten.com/" target="_blank">Wiksten Patterns</a> a try. Enough people had tried it that it wasn't hard to find images of this top on other people with a similar body shape to my own. I'm pretty sure that according to the pattern's suggested sizing I should have cut a size 10, but with everyone's input I decided to try sizing down two whole sizes to a 6. I am glad I did.</p><p>The first one I made was out of an old white sheet that I thrifted to use as muslin. I am really glad that the fit turned out so well, because I love this top. The fabric is 100% cotton and is so soft from years of use and washings. Looking back, I realize that I should have waited to wear the white top a few times before cutting into the other fabrics I had in mind for this pattern, but I didn't. If I had, I would have made a high rounded back adjustment, because the top does slip backward regularly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrVRNQHcnaViJRul649ZlwR5yDtCGjGVkhptl4aWb3bWRpjPbcYug-ckTQqeMDbaBOe0OIr_fGf6n662bA3kU40IuWossX8Tceoi3DK3ypXgddiG6wWz08-zqQyzuihCUQB6GOQ/s2447/IMG_20200906_175929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2447" data-original-width="2447" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrVRNQHcnaViJRul649ZlwR5yDtCGjGVkhptl4aWb3bWRpjPbcYug-ckTQqeMDbaBOe0OIr_fGf6n662bA3kU40IuWossX8Tceoi3DK3ypXgddiG6wWz08-zqQyzuihCUQB6GOQ/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_175929.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEp67_jttgk__rBAAT41Sec4LPFmA5An8WVKpnjrwmRGOtDNeB4VYsbQvhEzsgHIzll6Ya9pgAGK-JBZiuaF3yoZqeJlZiwj5zNkAgAUUsqB9ujhQ98PhU0zKD_nprSlqFJpUPQ/s2638/IMG_20200906_180021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2638" data-original-width="2638" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEp67_jttgk__rBAAT41Sec4LPFmA5An8WVKpnjrwmRGOtDNeB4VYsbQvhEzsgHIzll6Ya9pgAGK-JBZiuaF3yoZqeJlZiwj5zNkAgAUUsqB9ujhQ98PhU0zKD_nprSlqFJpUPQ/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_180021.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV42Xel8es5ay153KxYSCR-nCIONlrvmLsjbNAk8tvxAQDajrUM3igCs9Eor3sr1q09dh-yRysfWhZNan1NslaIKhGkhhAlXyS7hWWTuX1kxvJSbbAm5W05M3m0td2-gsh64FIw/s3488/IMG_20200906_160413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV42Xel8es5ay153KxYSCR-nCIONlrvmLsjbNAk8tvxAQDajrUM3igCs9Eor3sr1q09dh-yRysfWhZNan1NslaIKhGkhhAlXyS7hWWTuX1kxvJSbbAm5W05M3m0td2-gsh64FIw/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_160413.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmoMcKeIOchooIKMURPiyd6oRhIGWRLx3PrhD1VhEuwXc5h1q52_3ro4Ih6MW40OzQnRuf7-aoaVOIelcIdz5WaiHxeX-Js59XLJtO78pOGoFa00__bmbkN7XXttAEMSnupJKjw/s3386/IMG_20200906_160522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3328" data-original-width="3386" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmoMcKeIOchooIKMURPiyd6oRhIGWRLx3PrhD1VhEuwXc5h1q52_3ro4Ih6MW40OzQnRuf7-aoaVOIelcIdz5WaiHxeX-Js59XLJtO78pOGoFa00__bmbkN7XXttAEMSnupJKjw/w200-h197/IMG_20200906_160522.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>I liked the look of the back yoke that Wiksten suggests for the dress version of the shift, so I used that for the shirt back on all of my tops. It all came together so nicely, and it felt good to wear, so I forged ahead and cut out two more short sleeve tops.<div><br /></div><div>The first was out of a remnant of embroidered navy linen. I can't exactly remember where I bought this fabric, but I really like it. And thankfully, the embroidery does not snag or catch on things. Due to its boxy shape and the cut-on sleeves, this pattern is a bit of a fabric hog. As a result, I had to cut the back with a center seam and I didn't have enough of the linen for the facing or the inside back yoke. Honestly, that probably would have been an itchy choice. Instead, I used a remnant of flannel. This has resulted in a very comfortable, slightly cozy, very nice looking top. I also used some leftover homemade bias in a lightweight silk-cotton to finish the sleeves.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrihxzUkbxfqHWZXaqSuj5qYYFElLaPsYG5rh0VnO0T-E9H5hT_u370PDsFgflgpSw9eR6b_sRgD1YrqzzcKLBEGguHU34bagIlgTMeNj1L6ZFDmDEfbYx-lQDum39CXu_sDLdBA/s2752/IMG_20200906_181117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="2752" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrihxzUkbxfqHWZXaqSuj5qYYFElLaPsYG5rh0VnO0T-E9H5hT_u370PDsFgflgpSw9eR6b_sRgD1YrqzzcKLBEGguHU34bagIlgTMeNj1L6ZFDmDEfbYx-lQDum39CXu_sDLdBA/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_181117.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmr-D2B14eI1wtyATU8fp0-NvHXChitRmAfzpJfvR-KiZp-omAvRtZ4O5IomlLPRpvvDiQ8i-f2s1mqrBZEHwajV8duIwtYlz7A7dNOCZdfGhonB5nR0xP9soI50V93xF6a1db1g/s2388/IMG_20200906_181049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2388" data-original-width="2388" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmr-D2B14eI1wtyATU8fp0-NvHXChitRmAfzpJfvR-KiZp-omAvRtZ4O5IomlLPRpvvDiQ8i-f2s1mqrBZEHwajV8duIwtYlz7A7dNOCZdfGhonB5nR0xP9soI50V93xF6a1db1g/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_181049.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SUPxmk3fjAKevMDt6lAe5VjUp16EkTFIchyphenhyphenkQv4nKc02ZKsseVHbG2HiVDM2yzGIGplRrZcf0g8ONKr9MuLQfepx44Mtm0ba-5xzMeNXfQdjPHt84ergpmqxoKIFdKRcsmsg4w/s3488/IMG_20200906_160637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SUPxmk3fjAKevMDt6lAe5VjUp16EkTFIchyphenhyphenkQv4nKc02ZKsseVHbG2HiVDM2yzGIGplRrZcf0g8ONKr9MuLQfepx44Mtm0ba-5xzMeNXfQdjPHt84ergpmqxoKIFdKRcsmsg4w/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_160637.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OT1vlx3D7qz-vIpWn-5FGmrDIivqoaiqc6-QwlULddLW_EP0ZgRD4ADWmM7wrqIPWT1KJ_T6HDWQv0id0CAAV_fscTsdG8M-C9POJ5XNaLHD7rWL3NNiArOUC92NZyJVbZkhCw/s3488/IMG_20200906_160711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OT1vlx3D7qz-vIpWn-5FGmrDIivqoaiqc6-QwlULddLW_EP0ZgRD4ADWmM7wrqIPWT1KJ_T6HDWQv0id0CAAV_fscTsdG8M-C9POJ5XNaLHD7rWL3NNiArOUC92NZyJVbZkhCw/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_160711.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>My third version was made from a black and cream ikat purchased online from <a href="https://www.sewingstudio.com/" target="_blank">The Sewing Studio</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k-zW9T0sp5vgwEu_8cPUcVdvRahCK5RVNIHEKZlfdY83A0uKz15ld9wyGPuIj3QvBKVtsR6zoPiXLjAn7CAtA8Jx_wNFoDXM2WETGgZxNQrcv-9aAfMCiAldEbAUc-DqjWfkdg/s2696/IMG_20200906_181608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2696" data-original-width="2696" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k-zW9T0sp5vgwEu_8cPUcVdvRahCK5RVNIHEKZlfdY83A0uKz15ld9wyGPuIj3QvBKVtsR6zoPiXLjAn7CAtA8Jx_wNFoDXM2WETGgZxNQrcv-9aAfMCiAldEbAUc-DqjWfkdg/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_181608.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZZz4Qs6CsqG4Al_s7rP8M5NzZnDVJDNerI9LQTK2cw9wPu7QkrIIm0kEQGUiRPzIVBK6g_AIMGy6NcZowBxf_qHcX467_C0mJV2iHNHeeVDfHUACjYUTkj6edytoz4bb3mIuUg/s3488/IMG_20200906_160800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZZz4Qs6CsqG4Al_s7rP8M5NzZnDVJDNerI9LQTK2cw9wPu7QkrIIm0kEQGUiRPzIVBK6g_AIMGy6NcZowBxf_qHcX467_C0mJV2iHNHeeVDfHUACjYUTkj6edytoz4bb3mIuUg/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_160800.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>At the same time that I purchased the ikat, I also purchased some navy double gauze with small white dots. I have another shirt made of double gauze and I love how cool and cozy it is. I wanted to make a version of this top with long sleeves. The pattern comes with 3/4 length sleeves, but I work at a computer all day and my wrists get cold, so I added some length to the sleeves to bring them down to the knuckles on my hands. This would allow me to fold up a cuff and show off the reverse side of the double gauze. I was also playing with another pattern (discussed in a future post) that I wanted to make out of the same double gauze, so this long-sleeved version has some piecing on the outer back yoke and a different piece of double gauze for the inner back yoke.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PwPHsXox2WaxfB9x4e7n5nQAKvE_7hnucWPdfqjPbxJ7V_7nMumxyz5OJcHKx0LcDi10CGmHpEremRjViOqqRoP3NQGnegWJ3Vo0fiXPl3IZc5GdD36jeiv6lpp4y_d5xZOMAQ/s2479/IMG_20200906_182203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2479" data-original-width="2479" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PwPHsXox2WaxfB9x4e7n5nQAKvE_7hnucWPdfqjPbxJ7V_7nMumxyz5OJcHKx0LcDi10CGmHpEremRjViOqqRoP3NQGnegWJ3Vo0fiXPl3IZc5GdD36jeiv6lpp4y_d5xZOMAQ/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_182203.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuK0ZpNBKT8JkyE4EIfIdNdAdXPB4bQGJoPJBCAToCtlAQklWn_U0aSHcXVEJdWjZvszIOqgDPKFg8QgeNDwUf9LOReEIbn5gEsIsq8nbnVBCIvAs1otLEvtLcJecfWW8N1VeIgA/s2573/IMG_20200906_182210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2573" data-original-width="2573" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuK0ZpNBKT8JkyE4EIfIdNdAdXPB4bQGJoPJBCAToCtlAQklWn_U0aSHcXVEJdWjZvszIOqgDPKFg8QgeNDwUf9LOReEIbn5gEsIsq8nbnVBCIvAs1otLEvtLcJecfWW8N1VeIgA/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_182210.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID7tGuIfpj8pbUnLOQWFCsgS1FOz3IQJc3-ZUeGfdsvwSH8ChlO92VQTaJP0sd9JgB94y2byCSN-KWn647cIHbbBDYFIyNqBpsfjCbe1JcmkRy3w1WcsuV5Sf0c_7sX_tKENu-g/s3488/IMG_20200906_160946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID7tGuIfpj8pbUnLOQWFCsgS1FOz3IQJc3-ZUeGfdsvwSH8ChlO92VQTaJP0sd9JgB94y2byCSN-KWn647cIHbbBDYFIyNqBpsfjCbe1JcmkRy3w1WcsuV5Sf0c_7sX_tKENu-g/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_160946.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNP5qlkGp4pbv-bTu0Bf0z0lhwV9daYwObPZz6jFheEhyphenhyphenuwQrMldWmG5qx9CXqZm7z_Mmj5sZ0SGjOxHwTbHgiK3ll84HHOnT000eaUB9KEnYMlvpaBuoFVDVlamhH7GP2J9xig/s3488/IMG_20200906_161022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNP5qlkGp4pbv-bTu0Bf0z0lhwV9daYwObPZz6jFheEhyphenhyphenuwQrMldWmG5qx9CXqZm7z_Mmj5sZ0SGjOxHwTbHgiK3ll84HHOnT000eaUB9KEnYMlvpaBuoFVDVlamhH7GP2J9xig/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_161022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p>This one is definitely my favorite to wear. When I was laying it out to photograph, I noticed that the elbows are wearing thin! My next project is to find a couple of scraps of this fabric to make contrasting elbow patches.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRBO1YluBd-xUKYS4IxmEp081s2OB_sKWvi7L-ZwR5s3enVXnkZES-uthJvMDiR8kVYZiSN9qL0VjJ06GLiK2G1UMyTrEZu36I5pxbR5xJMHHisDbGo5lC8BS96P9qZSU67HqjQ/s3488/IMG_20200906_160915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRBO1YluBd-xUKYS4IxmEp081s2OB_sKWvi7L-ZwR5s3enVXnkZES-uthJvMDiR8kVYZiSN9qL0VjJ06GLiK2G1UMyTrEZu36I5pxbR5xJMHHisDbGo5lC8BS96P9qZSU67HqjQ/s320/IMG_20200906_160915.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Finally, I wanted to make another version of this long-sleeve top to wear with a couple of skirts I had already made (which will also be covered in a future post). At the time I still thought I would be heading back into the office in the late summer/early fall and I wanted to have some office-appropriate outfits to wear. I found a bright yellow stretch linen at Mill End Store and it has also proved to be a very functional garment. I even wore it kayaking as a lightweight layer to cover my arms.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnsPOIJ5OScMldJjOC8jNkZjFZr7CBrD8xi_nLY2o8Ye8l-5MIZZGogDBBZve-m_vwEk-Jlnm9U5DM0O5C4box5Al3lrDkdndA57RGuKMKM40Bfeww6EXCH5vM6k1q-GQS-6zgA/s2547/IMG_20200906_182618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2547" data-original-width="2547" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnsPOIJ5OScMldJjOC8jNkZjFZr7CBrD8xi_nLY2o8Ye8l-5MIZZGogDBBZve-m_vwEk-Jlnm9U5DM0O5C4box5Al3lrDkdndA57RGuKMKM40Bfeww6EXCH5vM6k1q-GQS-6zgA/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_182618.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTD6iBALFi-S5oSDG_AeePCJBMdgnVE7r31GwjgsA9RfkQtD6GkAP_zU1PpIuLPdHFuan0sn4XEqeMw151Sw1ZCyC4EamtBqiIXjVji6mNFFaDVz6gpHgP4oD388DoPSCvesLRw/s2419/IMG_20200906_182905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2419" data-original-width="2419" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTD6iBALFi-S5oSDG_AeePCJBMdgnVE7r31GwjgsA9RfkQtD6GkAP_zU1PpIuLPdHFuan0sn4XEqeMw151Sw1ZCyC4EamtBqiIXjVji6mNFFaDVz6gpHgP4oD388DoPSCvesLRw/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_182905.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd0GF5t2xREAODlp8SfwF0kDkEGebZCLdjTGgO0euhHikegxDIBq2ekVa4bDAHKK3m29653iedwUn5Aaa67mf7QdR2EgUIJEhImI5oUQMI82G6gzXEJ1lpID8dD8AgC2bplsDAw/s3394/IMG_20200906_161134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3394" data-original-width="3394" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd0GF5t2xREAODlp8SfwF0kDkEGebZCLdjTGgO0euhHikegxDIBq2ekVa4bDAHKK3m29653iedwUn5Aaa67mf7QdR2EgUIJEhImI5oUQMI82G6gzXEJ1lpID8dD8AgC2bplsDAw/w200-h200/IMG_20200906_161134.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7II7-TxMLV1ufZX9OrO-LD-irQ3iVHPGHSt1tVx0Vro1O-QizkERwuuC-u8fTEA0JjNmG09RVMsOK33xROe6z9COpTilp9aoA9vh2aNV2Z8u-bILiYmhu0Wp2wtH04mZo0FAMMg/s1536/1595017121806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7II7-TxMLV1ufZX9OrO-LD-irQ3iVHPGHSt1tVx0Vro1O-QizkERwuuC-u8fTEA0JjNmG09RVMsOK33xROe6z9COpTilp9aoA9vh2aNV2Z8u-bILiYmhu0Wp2wtH04mZo0FAMMg/w200-h200/1595017121806.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p>I think I'm done making Wiksten Shift Tops for a while, but I think this will become a pattern that I come back to over and over again.</p></div>neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-59962928565721615012020-09-14T21:56:00.000-07:002020-09-20T16:10:49.183-07:00High-Vis Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater #1<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPfVVIU3hnIuiGD_GGAW3RIPPhgT3EcuLz9sbgEtn38-a_vaSDcFizh09KW0nPn-hyMHGaoX10jORa7f1J99imgyBdbTtUhKmm0lnrBxhEwXv936dg_aHSLjTCnaZp-Pg9dv74A/s2288/IMG_20200906_180638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2288" data-original-width="2288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPfVVIU3hnIuiGD_GGAW3RIPPhgT3EcuLz9sbgEtn38-a_vaSDcFizh09KW0nPn-hyMHGaoX10jORa7f1J99imgyBdbTtUhKmm0lnrBxhEwXv936dg_aHSLjTCnaZp-Pg9dv74A/s320/IMG_20200906_180638.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am a fair-weather cyclist. I enjoy cycling, but it is not my main mode of transportation. Many things seem to get in the way of regularly cycling to work during dry weather - mostly my kids' extracurricular activities. It's hard to plan all the taxiing to and from lessons that happen right after school/work when you are also factoring in one adult's desire to walk to work and the other adult's desire to cycle to work. Luckily, for a while our schedule worked so that two days a week I either cycled or rode the bus to work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I live only 5 miles (8 km) from work and it is a relatively pleasant 25 minute ride. A good portion of the way is on a bike path, but most of the route is on shared roads - some with marked bike lanes, but not all. After a couple of close-ish encounters with automobiles, I started to think about a lightweight, high-vis jacket that I could throw on to help drivers see me pedaling along.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fabric I found is one of those super-light wicking fabrics. It's breathable, but a little sheer and so lightweight that I thought a zipper would be quite stiff and awkward. I shifted my thoughts to a pullover garment - loose enough to fit over a t-shirt, with long sleeves and a collar to protect me from the sun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided on the <a href="https://sewhouse7.com/collections/paper-patterns/products/toaster-sweater-1-pdf-pattern" target="_blank">Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater #1</a>. There are a lot of very cute and cozy versions of this sweater out there, so I look forward to making a version for the cooler weather, too. I'm not usually a fan of raglan sleeves, because I find them hard to fit, but I liked all the other aspects, so I went for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made a muslin out of some knit fabric with a similar stretch to the high-vis fabric, and I found that I wanted to both lengthen the bodice and narrow the waistband.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5Hn63dVyQV3FiCwA8FR_LCh3f7ysInAMAlE4jcFBKK-0OYihEY2WLBgLWV__SByrZJkmSA8wdCPFQfzg3hakJ2yNhyphenhyphennGMbXiwhi19COUujxHgQ3JQe6qweYq1daEdqz9BYLD9g/s2269/IMG_20200306_193241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2269" data-original-width="2269" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5Hn63dVyQV3FiCwA8FR_LCh3f7ysInAMAlE4jcFBKK-0OYihEY2WLBgLWV__SByrZJkmSA8wdCPFQfzg3hakJ2yNhyphenhyphennGMbXiwhi19COUujxHgQ3JQe6qweYq1daEdqz9BYLD9g/s320/IMG_20200306_193241.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vLrta1TJhXER7uyURjjt0rHAbBjoGrnFxn2zUaINGQtGqmo0D3sFkNH5X-Ya49Q3RxMwelKF86JFcy4IFP2D_U3WBRuY1EA_K519PqVQkcNSsyG4PELfDOSGEUqvK6Au_Jlqqg/s2448/IMG_20200306_193328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2447" data-original-width="2448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vLrta1TJhXER7uyURjjt0rHAbBjoGrnFxn2zUaINGQtGqmo0D3sFkNH5X-Ya49Q3RxMwelKF86JFcy4IFP2D_U3WBRuY1EA_K519PqVQkcNSsyG4PELfDOSGEUqvK6Au_Jlqqg/s320/IMG_20200306_193328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished the muslin on March 6, 2020. I went on to make the high-vis version, not knowing that in ten days I would be working from home and no longer commuting anywhere!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj7QgSarl5y54sZweKLVcpXX2Bmh83XrwfXn5pXBtLlJGQTw4P-LCnqPmqs46gh7Qp6pjrzuClwZC9qb7WHB2R8rW0yZZLLJadH4wpZFM8heoc2jluR9mQw_j8Yobhx2zjvgfHg/s3488/IMG_20200906_160202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj7QgSarl5y54sZweKLVcpXX2Bmh83XrwfXn5pXBtLlJGQTw4P-LCnqPmqs46gh7Qp6pjrzuClwZC9qb7WHB2R8rW0yZZLLJadH4wpZFM8heoc2jluR9mQw_j8Yobhx2zjvgfHg/s320/IMG_20200906_160202.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p>When I am working with lightweight knits, I often have problems with using my serger to finish the seams. Often they roll up and do not lie flat. Then I loosen the tension and then the threads do not lie nicely against the raw edge of the fabric. It's tricky for me to find the sweet spot. So my go-to strategy is to use the 3-step zig-zag on my sewing machine to finish the edges of the seam allowances. For this garment, I top-stitched them with a narrow zig-zag to keep them flat, but stretchy.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGiYbOcuLNkyfqte_rIDkLVtsnuVq8x7VYNQ3CDeD0Uw4R2tvUiDEbnxAi1M_-NYHLkQYjPfqlaiQlEkFjnC7T-oKjrouusFJezcBmFqgkUTW-wqUmNGRdtfhrLHJ-dxeBMSKmA/s3488/IMG_20200906_160304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3488" data-original-width="3488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGiYbOcuLNkyfqte_rIDkLVtsnuVq8x7VYNQ3CDeD0Uw4R2tvUiDEbnxAi1M_-NYHLkQYjPfqlaiQlEkFjnC7T-oKjrouusFJezcBmFqgkUTW-wqUmNGRdtfhrLHJ-dxeBMSKmA/s320/IMG_20200906_160304.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finally wore this top one night recently. David and I have been routinely walking a couple of miles in the evenings since we've been working from home. One night it was already getting dark and cool when we left, so I threw this top on over my t-shirt. It worked perfectly! I felt visible to traffic and I didn't get hot.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQwcFiDt5c1t9Y6maTDDeHQUtvX328wVTu7tmsLtMRJ_czyAbPCB4MVLr54rSTufLaL8jmFwko5U9BcbFIbF8t15gqEvklgW0tazOLIR1Jl5suqdSgrQb2PqFuz6-8wzxu42zig/s2443/IMG_20200906_180603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2443" data-original-width="2443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQwcFiDt5c1t9Y6maTDDeHQUtvX328wVTu7tmsLtMRJ_czyAbPCB4MVLr54rSTufLaL8jmFwko5U9BcbFIbF8t15gqEvklgW0tazOLIR1Jl5suqdSgrQb2PqFuz6-8wzxu42zig/s320/IMG_20200906_180603.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So this is a success! And I will keep my eyes open for appropriate sweatshirt/sweater material, too.</div><br /><p></p>neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-90929051588226986222020-09-12T11:21:00.000-07:002020-09-12T11:21:05.322-07:00Everything I haven't blogged<p>I've wanted to come back to this blog for a long time, but I allowed myself to put things off and then I allowed myself to be stymied by all the things I had wanted to write about, but hadn't. I've done a lot of sewing over the past couple of years, and my body has changed enough that I can't even wear some of those beloved items.</p><p>Anyway, I thought I might briefly recap my favorites from the past couple of years, just in case someone is looking for information about any of these patterns. So many photos ahead!</p><p>First up is my plaid flannel tuxedo shirt. This shirt is everything. It was so worth the effort I put into it. It felt good to wear and always looked sharp in a quirky casual way. This was the <a href="https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/patterns/brands/burda-style/burda-style-pattern-7136-blouse/" target="_blank">Burda envelope pattern 7136</a>. It's a reasonably decent pattern, which <a href="https://sewinguptheneighbourhood.blogspot.com/2018/02/burda-7136-muslin-or-i-rarely-choose.html" target="_blank">I wrote about previously</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4w8Zy4Zi1B5T8iFvwRA4P9l7FcVvJ-nLlViNK4Y2-poPDlMbKynTLPeux3KuTTjo6EOP46xXorKqEQP2XYtA3uSu6cMVg8oycZL21sN2wqp5VPc4_pxbvb0pIBgNqrHlNWyJqA/s3480/IMG_20180419_073139.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3479" data-original-width="3480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4w8Zy4Zi1B5T8iFvwRA4P9l7FcVvJ-nLlViNK4Y2-poPDlMbKynTLPeux3KuTTjo6EOP46xXorKqEQP2XYtA3uSu6cMVg8oycZL21sN2wqp5VPc4_pxbvb0pIBgNqrHlNWyJqA/s320/IMG_20180419_073139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkUKeWSzVGf80k_uheDUq2ILy9vZJzv9pjIkKXoTZamQNB_CJ9fqIanDPWlbgTPV77XCBnyG-Se6I-cIThxSiIObgPsYi7T1OI5wHhY7hsyxQQM4nAJJLBw8Hv3GrsAhF_wn54Q/s2448/IMG_20180419_073044.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkUKeWSzVGf80k_uheDUq2ILy9vZJzv9pjIkKXoTZamQNB_CJ9fqIanDPWlbgTPV77XCBnyG-Se6I-cIThxSiIObgPsYi7T1OI5wHhY7hsyxQQM4nAJJLBw8Hv3GrsAhF_wn54Q/s320/IMG_20180419_073044.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This is the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/583536328/perth-dressblouse-pdf-sewing-pattern?ref=shop_home_active_3&crt=1" target="_blank">Carolyn & Cassie Perth Dress</a>, which I made in a blue eyelet. I loved the look of this dress, but I found it difficult to sit in. I have retraced this pattern in my current size and have made a few other changes to make it more comfortable when seated.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK71p6nfChbdn9t-51PDiajwUv0DdVe-BQU_P52P5fDeklZ7SohehXvdLkIWUDBXANXBjWJvhO1V9U4vmr1edjEei4fz2mSOCTqB_hH5oMTYX8uakWY4qjGrDu5uqlBdfNB0h2-g/s2048/Perth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1112" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK71p6nfChbdn9t-51PDiajwUv0DdVe-BQU_P52P5fDeklZ7SohehXvdLkIWUDBXANXBjWJvhO1V9U4vmr1edjEei4fz2mSOCTqB_hH5oMTYX8uakWY4qjGrDu5uqlBdfNB0h2-g/s320/Perth.jpg" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made this shift dress from my trusty vintage pattern. It's <a href="https://vintagepatterns.fandom.com/wiki/Simplicity_8884" target="_blank">Simplicity 8854</a>. I played with the pattern pieces to make a front yoke this time. The vaguely floral-feeling paint splotch fabric is a lightweight stretch cotton.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XQGpiO-on_MSvCuhVUd3otn057NqdGaO06sWFTMhbTkqKBDJtKZR2UzX-B2ilJwzjByfDMrHuHWfjLi_4SFMeITvvNd-wA4w6Rzc4PSzqeQ0jMjLhahoU5irSmm78WSmF1M8WA/s2048/Paint+Splotch+Shift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XQGpiO-on_MSvCuhVUd3otn057NqdGaO06sWFTMhbTkqKBDJtKZR2UzX-B2ilJwzjByfDMrHuHWfjLi_4SFMeITvvNd-wA4w6Rzc4PSzqeQ0jMjLhahoU5irSmm78WSmF1M8WA/s320/Paint+Splotch+Shift.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's my <a href="https://www.seamwork.com/catalog/variations/amber-a-line-skirt" target="_blank">Seamwork Amber</a> sundress (with the A-line skirt) that I made for the first Portland Frocktails! This was comfortable in this mid-heavy very stretchy cotton twill.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NV6GmZ2uNP0XXkxEQV8YfAF66FU-y7IThcsBeItpBzOn3LILJCLAsHqvoBJzgZFctxYcWYcFa6ChiCbCVZQouSI-ODcYNZuidJuMFGtkggljpUYKT4e0fLjcp0PZL4tSPizlWA/s2048/Seamwork+Amber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NV6GmZ2uNP0XXkxEQV8YfAF66FU-y7IThcsBeItpBzOn3LILJCLAsHqvoBJzgZFctxYcWYcFa6ChiCbCVZQouSI-ODcYNZuidJuMFGtkggljpUYKT4e0fLjcp0PZL4tSPizlWA/s320/Seamwork+Amber.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This rainbow cat print top got lots of unsolicited compliments when I was out and about. Even at the grocery store! I used the <a href="https://grainlinestudio.com/products/alder-shirtdress?variant=22533586124882" target="_blank">Grainline Alder</a> pattern for this one. The print is very fun, but the fabric is a quilting cotton and I find it to be a little scratchy. You can see here that originally I had two chest pockets, but even though I had measured correctly, they were not evenly balanced. Rather than forcing the two to work, I just removed one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBgZ4IUNFGFLwCet59ESATX6wkZk9MdCdbYQFvb0PTCA7wRiIXuR-L6DhxeXFE7vW6uoZq6ZjdtjaJwn9CR1pxu1juu95f2Ufn1g9wplJR-6u6qldvvj8nkdCpdl7gG-C7D4doQ/s2048/Cat+Print+Alder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBgZ4IUNFGFLwCet59ESATX6wkZk9MdCdbYQFvb0PTCA7wRiIXuR-L6DhxeXFE7vW6uoZq6ZjdtjaJwn9CR1pxu1juu95f2Ufn1g9wplJR-6u6qldvvj8nkdCpdl7gG-C7D4doQ/s320/Cat+Print+Alder.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This <a href="https://paprikapatterns.com/shop/jasper-sweater-dress/" target="_blank">Jasper Sweater </a>still gets a lot of wear, but I remember really struggling with this pattern. There was something difficult about lining up the hood/yoke to the body. I also made the project more complicated by lining the hood. The fabric is a French terry, and is nice to wear when a light layer is needed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVaWlWAx5uEUEYVyiSlVzGr5IRAaYHqS9duHx7o4mdZCi6yorGIgslrfoINIrumesKAElKugD3CR9o6B79pI0QXnguzmND08Kpl4UANFo8qKi6x3I9jVgbnyXlBSElGgdMVzZHg/s2048/Jasper+Sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVaWlWAx5uEUEYVyiSlVzGr5IRAaYHqS9duHx7o4mdZCi6yorGIgslrfoINIrumesKAElKugD3CR9o6B79pI0QXnguzmND08Kpl4UANFo8qKi6x3I9jVgbnyXlBSElGgdMVzZHg/s320/Jasper+Sweater.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This rayon pull-over blouse is made from the bones of that <a href="https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/patterns/brands/burda-style/burda-style-pattern-7136-blouse/" target="_blank">Burda 7136</a> shirt pattern. There are definitely things that are wrong with my drafting on this, but it is great to wear at the office. It is warm, but breathable and not static-prone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJw34YbVzhGY7R183bch0MoJfDPx96KSET_ZPBRx51dbmjMYPGkGW9kLMmQqJXd_PioaBich6zmu8OUFMgen8k3jgNjwPQA31IwRjsgFXx6rsQWi_2BfctQehxIp2G0UWcNqkj5Q/s2048/Burda+Shirt+Variation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJw34YbVzhGY7R183bch0MoJfDPx96KSET_ZPBRx51dbmjMYPGkGW9kLMmQqJXd_PioaBich6zmu8OUFMgen8k3jgNjwPQA31IwRjsgFXx6rsQWi_2BfctQehxIp2G0UWcNqkj5Q/s320/Burda+Shirt+Variation.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I look forward to wearing my zebra print <a href="https://jalie.com/3896-yoko-square-turtleneck-free-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">Jalie Yoko</a> turtleneck when the weather gets cooler. I remember that on this one I cut the collar in two pieces so there is a seam along the top edge instead of a fold. This allowed me to use the wrong side of the fabric against my neck. The zebras printed on this fabric have a bit of a texture that I thought I might find unpleasant on my neck.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_2nqytI9KT9NUSUd8YvrC_YonJunH1z6Zouj5gfiArU5OBB7l3DJnT91N6BM2R40LKHcnG43RmOVRCR73DlgEKYk2dp5ywh6JdasMR0t1EzLl65sruf7G-WAyHl-9-gdMyQ5Eg/s2048/Jalie+Yoko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_2nqytI9KT9NUSUd8YvrC_YonJunH1z6Zouj5gfiArU5OBB7l3DJnT91N6BM2R40LKHcnG43RmOVRCR73DlgEKYk2dp5ywh6JdasMR0t1EzLl65sruf7G-WAyHl-9-gdMyQ5Eg/s320/Jalie+Yoko.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>I made these wide-leg pants from another vintage pattern <a href="https://vintagepatterns.fandom.com/wiki/McCall%27s_5197" target="_blank">McCalls 5197</a>. These red pants are made from a thrifted IKEA cotton curtain. I love these so much that I made another pair in a light beige heavy linen-rayon. They are a little tight around the waist now, but still wearable.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQv1Sb1S6Wh3DP9q7mj828zQ2sQ9cr1sBHySM73EbE84T89JW69voJ1Y9h38ZRbqQI9sAZcb0K_eN4VV90ufRplK3g0Atmz3ID1QdqrGRx9qxzLdljvyczp397qb-KjPbuh0ncg/s2048/Red+Wide+Leg+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQv1Sb1S6Wh3DP9q7mj828zQ2sQ9cr1sBHySM73EbE84T89JW69voJ1Y9h38ZRbqQI9sAZcb0K_eN4VV90ufRplK3g0Atmz3ID1QdqrGRx9qxzLdljvyczp397qb-KjPbuh0ncg/s320/Red+Wide+Leg+Back.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTVyqqfZERDpoRiI7ozAP_pFZ1nF47Q4XkEf8HXh-uHEmmiQMl5STqejaxLqPROQIeMZvZ9FZS599MTNPewMBLKVW2PuaBoYZ3SEO89It7N0CkceCXqV4xqYOdS_5uKtJ7l-lUQ/s2048/Red+Wide+Leg+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTVyqqfZERDpoRiI7ozAP_pFZ1nF47Q4XkEf8HXh-uHEmmiQMl5STqejaxLqPROQIeMZvZ9FZS599MTNPewMBLKVW2PuaBoYZ3SEO89It7N0CkceCXqV4xqYOdS_5uKtJ7l-lUQ/s320/Red+Wide+Leg+Front.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I made this cute top from the <a href="https://www.tessuti-shop.com/products/bondi-dress-pattern" target="_blank">Tessuti Bondi Dress</a> pattern. I found a remnant of embroidered white cotton at a charity event and I lined it with a soft white cotton sheet. It's still breezy, but not translucent. This one I have a difficult time wearing, because it is astoundingly difficult to find a racer-back bra in my size. I am on the hunt, though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFG8ure7GKLVxPD59CxMXhUPi9FleLq9Yp3czm-SZ1dDol7RLhybSo4l8TpaysaYknjiL8V27FNT-cpybl0lgk5lYVD_2iXaBLtgv9RYMD1i9lc73CQ2kPe-n6cuG8W641VinTg/s2048/Tessuti+Bondi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFG8ure7GKLVxPD59CxMXhUPi9FleLq9Yp3czm-SZ1dDol7RLhybSo4l8TpaysaYknjiL8V27FNT-cpybl0lgk5lYVD_2iXaBLtgv9RYMD1i9lc73CQ2kPe-n6cuG8W641VinTg/s320/Tessuti+Bondi.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This dress is a mash-up of the <a href="https://www.stylearc.com/shop/pdf-sewing-patterns/toni-designer-dress-multi-size-pdf/" target="_blank">Style Arc Toni Designer Dress</a> and the <a href="https://www.tessuti-shop.com/collections/digital-download-pattern-dresses/products/lily-linen-dress-pattern" target="_blank">Tessuti Lily Linen Dress</a>. I loved the collar but not the body of the Toni, so I put it on the Lily, which has simpler lines. The pockets on the Lily should be avoided, though. The construction is odd and difficult to make look nice after washing. I made this out of an ikat I purchased from <a href="https://www.boltfabricboutique.com/" target="_blank">Bolt Fabrics</a> and I underlined the fabric with a sheer cotton shirting from <a href="http://millendstore.com/" target="_blank">Mill End</a>. The underlining provides stability and strength to the loose weave of this ikat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bh-cv2kGZTQDmZ5bZi5iIJlD6PrkOmSI-Bge897CoJcVp-wDTIB5syqFCmiwSp_cm-qfVOjhGWkzPkNDjH87l997xHaHk4YdglHDoUjM-RtCVoW6RCd_lRQAmTVWOldrAO9M5g/s2048/Style+Arc+Toni+Tessuti+Lilly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bh-cv2kGZTQDmZ5bZi5iIJlD6PrkOmSI-Bge897CoJcVp-wDTIB5syqFCmiwSp_cm-qfVOjhGWkzPkNDjH87l997xHaHk4YdglHDoUjM-RtCVoW6RCd_lRQAmTVWOldrAO9M5g/s320/Style+Arc+Toni+Tessuti+Lilly.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>For the second Portland Frocktails I made the <a href="https://www.tessuti-shop.com/collections/digital-download-pattern-dresses/products/lois-dress-pattern" target="_blank">Tessuti Lois</a> dress out of a rayon that had been in my stash for many years. This one is fun to wear: light and swishy with a dramatic neckline.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NNtUrht8R2gryl2e5rNGHmSuwxIwx7foP7yqpJaulPPlab4joVFYkfF1D7lHHlFQjVp-4jTRk-mZ3xrQcRcxQseiDMmPUq2b4RSGAkvQP3RVkLnUmiDCyt5IesC66k6m7TL7RA/s2048/Tessuti+Lois.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NNtUrht8R2gryl2e5rNGHmSuwxIwx7foP7yqpJaulPPlab4joVFYkfF1D7lHHlFQjVp-4jTRk-mZ3xrQcRcxQseiDMmPUq2b4RSGAkvQP3RVkLnUmiDCyt5IesC66k6m7TL7RA/s320/Tessuti+Lois.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I made the <a href="https://victorypatterns.com/products/lola-pdf" target="_blank">Victory Patterns Lola Sweatshirt Dress</a> and while it is comfortable to wear, it is a huge fabric hog due to the pocket design. This one needs some sneaky pockets sewn inside the GIANT pockets to keep anything I put in there from sliding to the back and becoming unreachable. I have since modified the pattern pieces to avoid this in the future, should I ever find sweatshirt material that I like. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjLBz_mdu7bgDUqyq_YNXKUvl2uxkG11tpLn3pTMgwWY__O3mKNPZQbgyxg8s4UDYaW5UKAl7LWbwQalp1K-YTYS6PykMfJZZVbBxlT2rFqf1F4mV5Xzwp0E3W83bcY2EjJ6j-g/s2048/Lola+Sweatshirt+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjLBz_mdu7bgDUqyq_YNXKUvl2uxkG11tpLn3pTMgwWY__O3mKNPZQbgyxg8s4UDYaW5UKAl7LWbwQalp1K-YTYS6PykMfJZZVbBxlT2rFqf1F4mV5Xzwp0E3W83bcY2EjJ6j-g/s320/Lola+Sweatshirt+Dress.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, I made this sweater dress from a piece of knit boucle. It is underlined with a cotton interlock. I love this dress, but the seam allowances are mildly itchy and the biceps are a little tight. I traced this pattern off a thrifted cowl-necked sweater dress, but I changed the neckline to something simpler that would fit nicely under coats and work with scarves. Maybe I can hand-stitch some rayon bias tape over the seam allowances to make this less itchy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlmy2jW189tW_NKr9whmu2jrCJZlr73VWRzHwFzwHkL89HA38Lh8XAyHO9EZzhUvA3nZWeyglwrijiR9RQDjvJYk8WIii7zpVfZ6RF0KWSjMveJLWMe7_p63VbnfKy8QD6jXVQA/s2048/Boucle+Sweater+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlmy2jW189tW_NKr9whmu2jrCJZlr73VWRzHwFzwHkL89HA38Lh8XAyHO9EZzhUvA3nZWeyglwrijiR9RQDjvJYk8WIii7zpVfZ6RF0KWSjMveJLWMe7_p63VbnfKy8QD6jXVQA/s320/Boucle+Sweater+Dress.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div>neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0Portland, OR 97222, USA45.4485068 -122.628610917.138272963821152 -157.7848609 73.758740636178842 -87.4723609tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-12109368793415703352018-02-20T10:34:00.001-08:002018-02-20T10:34:51.022-08:00Burda 7136 - The Muslin (or, I Rarely Choose the Easy Path)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Back in November, I purchased several 3-yard pieces of yarn-dyed flannel that was on sale at The Mill End Store and added those to the two pieces that were already in my fabric collection. What can I say, I am a sucker for yarn-dyed plaids. I brought them home and in a gesture of goodwill and selflessness, I offered my husband first dibs.<br />
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Surprisingly, he picked the bright green plaid on the far left! Thankfully, David knows that just because a fabric is"his" it doesn't move up the sewing queue any faster. A new shirt for him may be on my list, but I had other ideas bouncing around in my head that I needed to make happen first.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8k8OeKb2Mr91NvnyS2WNdAv1hXxVPSq607OkOD-NtA9_N4Nsc_a5U53_GM0iraFXGLY8VjcaewUNi-Hg26r9UC48Minf5_GZYgAqMdk0jAhLS7PQ966K99u-tnTDWylo0f9CqDQ/s1600/IMG_20171112_183623_865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8k8OeKb2Mr91NvnyS2WNdAv1hXxVPSq607OkOD-NtA9_N4Nsc_a5U53_GM0iraFXGLY8VjcaewUNi-Hg26r9UC48Minf5_GZYgAqMdk0jAhLS7PQ966K99u-tnTDWylo0f9CqDQ/s320/IMG_20171112_183623_865.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New yarn-dyed flannels! Three yards each.</td></tr>
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First up was to try making the <a href="https://oliverands.com/shop/digital-gallery-tunic-dress-sewing-pattern.html" target="_blank">Liesl + Co Gallery Tunic</a> out of one of the older flannels. I must confess that I rushed the cutting and planning, so none of the seams matched. I also had a lot of trouble with the flannel shifting when sewing seams. That was fairly unexpected. Anyway, the collar turned out rather wonky, and that combined with the nothing-resembling-matching seams made this tunic an ABYSMAL failure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlbiBR3sombBw0S6fx6KLIYpjDe0YzCoUCvFw1wxJvBUqw4udIrFWgg4jTUgSZIjyII78GmLQ9ine-ldKnD_1JFlKZELcz7TqeVyKju4YI3TcUXfT6dwevdJQRax42MEpXvWRrw/s1600/IMG_20171208_202919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlbiBR3sombBw0S6fx6KLIYpjDe0YzCoUCvFw1wxJvBUqw4udIrFWgg4jTUgSZIjyII78GmLQ9ine-ldKnD_1JFlKZELcz7TqeVyKju4YI3TcUXfT6dwevdJQRax42MEpXvWRrw/s320/IMG_20171208_202919.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty mirror photo, but look at the collar - one side folds nicely and the other sticks out straight.</td></tr>
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This was my first time sewing a collar with the stand cut on, so I don't know if the wonkiness of this collar is my error, the nature of this kind of collar, a problem with the pattern, or some combination of the those. I scrapped the idea and salvaged the fabric and made my own version of the <a href="https://www.sewaholicpatterns.com/alma-blouse/" target="_blank">Sewaholic Alma</a> top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEl1Smd9ScxQr0WyeEWk13Ce9L_SA3nmB0-JcIbwplfxCrrdV5TxzGK45BgKufERjQE6ji1sc36I7Z4Fa3XBFIofAemx6QPhMCWyLQFDqvZTSMciyciM2DPYv6xmPROKppi6CJpw/s1600/IMG_20171225_105950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEl1Smd9ScxQr0WyeEWk13Ce9L_SA3nmB0-JcIbwplfxCrrdV5TxzGK45BgKufERjQE6ji1sc36I7Z4Fa3XBFIofAemx6QPhMCWyLQFDqvZTSMciyciM2DPYv6xmPROKppi6CJpw/s320/IMG_20171225_105950.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a little pajama-y, but it is cozy and comfortable.</td></tr>
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The careful reader at this point is wondering what the above escapade has to do with Burda 7136. That experience reminded me that working with plaid takes time and it turned out that what I wanted was a more traditional shirt with a traditional collar. Enter Burda 7136 with its <i>(BONUS! EXCITING!)</i> tuxedo shirt with pleated bib and wing collar.</div>
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<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/burda-style-pattern-7136-blouse/B7136.html#q=burda%2Bstyle%2B7136&start=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1231" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixQl8FyrugsBtC4ED1YhsBnJ3DawwcoSW_sFSGiN0d3RY8t8qwnkD2F7WE2XUppmZQ2EQ4TktQnkvYnsKUB2HKqFqOrmKDku29ZG2BzdDTEYBCip8VqfBKpzsV-guP-gbp4ZPqw/s320/7136.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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I thought I could trace out both views, make a muslin of the regular shirt, transfer any adjustments back to both views, and then be able to knock out TWO finished shirts! Clever, no?<br />
I received an <a href="https://www.janome.com/en/accessories/sewing-machine-feet/even-feed-foot/" target="_blank">even feed foot for my Janome</a> for Christmas, and I used it a lot with this shirt. It solved most of my shifty flannel problems. But then I went and made things a little more difficult for myself. You see, I had two old flannel sheets in my muslin bin and I liked the way they looked together. So I changed course a bit and completely finished the muslin. This made the whole process take longer, but if I hadn't I might not have noticed just how tight the shirt was around my shoulders/high bust. And I certainly wouldn't have noticed the TERRIBLE instructions for the sleeve placket and cuff.<br />
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Moral of the story: sometimes making things difficult pays off in the end.<br />
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"Come on," you say, "just how terrible could the placket instructions be?" Look for a minute at this pattern piece for the sleeve placket and sleeve:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZMPPZd_pBo229OADKH3aOYoYtqq3aMETkvcWhfkIMhG-4BO-Cv7tUjAVF6qfRCsVxDMTDGRI6IEHVg9qkgc_nt4-Nsw47p9cYulsDPANwE_jOAQHCcmtvoyEY1hLbwRrSBruGg/s1600/IMG_20180127_085714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZMPPZd_pBo229OADKH3aOYoYtqq3aMETkvcWhfkIMhG-4BO-Cv7tUjAVF6qfRCsVxDMTDGRI6IEHVg9qkgc_nt4-Nsw47p9cYulsDPANwE_jOAQHCcmtvoyEY1hLbwRrSBruGg/s320/IMG_20180127_085714.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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I mean, what even IS that? As I worked through the instructions, I came to discover that not only does Burda tell you to <b><i>sew the sleeve seam</i></b> first and then <i><b>cut the placket</b></i><b><i> slit </i></b>second, they want you to stitch the top part of the placket together and then turn it right side out! Then somehow you are supposed to magically get it attached to the sleeve <i>(which, you recall, is tube-shaped and has an un-reinforced slit cut into it)</i>. Here's a close-up of that placket again. <b>Feel free to print it out and pin it to a dart board.</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWOixeAfisoM934jUSg9EChB-YY83HZmJB-PV7rJ2zV-dviTDjbQbXwUhOxvSh8FKzmLoyRQOV_N_fmurRm56JAf_7L94zKJFxnJS6dPRWl4TKCN7tlve_UItoCbc4agV3gO3Hw/s1600/IMG_20180127_085722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="1438" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWOixeAfisoM934jUSg9EChB-YY83HZmJB-PV7rJ2zV-dviTDjbQbXwUhOxvSh8FKzmLoyRQOV_N_fmurRm56JAf_7L94zKJFxnJS6dPRWl4TKCN7tlve_UItoCbc4agV3gO3Hw/s320/IMG_20180127_085722.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talk about being set up for failure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I got to this point and realized the enormous mistake I was making. I have made several better sleeve plackets in the past with the instructions from <a href="http://www.powells.com/book/shirtmaking-developing-skills-for-fine-sewing-9781561582648/62-0" target="_blank">David Page Coffin's book, Shirtmaking</a>. <i>(Anyone who might ever make a shirt or anything shirt-like should own this book. Borrowing it from a library is not enough. Also, I won't get any kick-back if you click any of these links or place orders from these sites.)</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2q3TdWwyEfOtcsvqyJ3XltlnDILSnvjM-Kj0q312xZuU2_o45I-Mh5Sp0KRQy674lh7-4zZJGsZeENOuVv05OleM0mm2Jc49ovE48s9hItFEzkDQ45VGD3ggaCBluZaRtpkMRQ/s1600/IMG_20180127_085532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1212" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2q3TdWwyEfOtcsvqyJ3XltlnDILSnvjM-Kj0q312xZuU2_o45I-Mh5Sp0KRQy674lh7-4zZJGsZeENOuVv05OleM0mm2Jc49ovE48s9hItFEzkDQ45VGD3ggaCBluZaRtpkMRQ/s320/IMG_20180127_085532.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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I am lucky that I keep a little bag of 1/2" wide bias strips of lightweight fusible interfacing. I used two of those strips to stick the cut edges of the slits back together and then proceeded with Coffin's instructions as usual. Well, not quite usual, because I had to work with sleeve tubes rather than flat sleeves. (I had already serged the allowances of the sleeve seams.)<br />
Coffin instructs you to do most of the folding and pressing of the placket first, then you sew the placket to the sleeve, around the slit, right side to wrong side, and THEN you cut the Y-shaped slit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQ-6K_lDYAzOzat71zd-lChA0RsexFXSWcbRaT2Es3c7E2In3P7dxPy4ZZit6Q4jIbd6gPFS2afD1121BRy_L516l14iMcMpY_jjuwWhaf-rxbAiVfwJUhYgV6tTY6qiaQXa62Q/s1600/IMG_20180127_090258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="1600" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQ-6K_lDYAzOzat71zd-lChA0RsexFXSWcbRaT2Es3c7E2In3P7dxPy4ZZit6Q4jIbd6gPFS2afD1121BRy_L516l14iMcMpY_jjuwWhaf-rxbAiVfwJUhYgV6tTY6qiaQXa62Q/s320/IMG_20180127_090258.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next you turn the placket to the right side of the sleeve and press the opening. The most important bit to press is the tiny triangle of fabric at the top of the opening.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJ-cE5t3WjSP6yZQGFJv9YWfespqQ-_MUyRfwQJrWHH_izHlucbpcU9uzWI1y0lVxyktFpb7-jPT2OJjNnoc3IRYGcqWEDWKrIjYAn5cDKaG-mbxXeru-cGuFyQWdtRGpZiZANA/s1600/IMG_20180127_090545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJ-cE5t3WjSP6yZQGFJv9YWfespqQ-_MUyRfwQJrWHH_izHlucbpcU9uzWI1y0lVxyktFpb7-jPT2OJjNnoc3IRYGcqWEDWKrIjYAn5cDKaG-mbxXeru-cGuFyQWdtRGpZiZANA/s320/IMG_20180127_090545.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now you fold the shorter side, so that most of the fabric covers the opening and the outer folded edge just covers the stitching of one side of the opening. Press.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWbGC71tOjSg8ln-4r2HW11RxKIpJozbbWy07p-jjCGHGjVWUmRZ0oM2EqS1zogAnGfCRjNMywd6BrkjUcGJ4ldKBB9pT8OHaNTPZd4uduIg3fkyd8vUTvoruSLQ24gJYXQoJ1g/s1600/IMG_20180127_090729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWbGC71tOjSg8ln-4r2HW11RxKIpJozbbWy07p-jjCGHGjVWUmRZ0oM2EqS1zogAnGfCRjNMywd6BrkjUcGJ4ldKBB9pT8OHaNTPZd4uduIg3fkyd8vUTvoruSLQ24gJYXQoJ1g/s320/IMG_20180127_090729.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Similarly, you now fold the taller side of the placket so that most of the fabric covers the other side of the placket and the outer folded edge just covers the stitching of the opening. Press.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxgBzR_YnanEdAus2Tm6esuT-V2bqSdZ0EL3ibRvMrYQ7LlhHGUL_csGpckAhaVM-Q3CcjOx0ZkUK6mRy4i2NNNgd_b8BUVsDyAIV7vVysxgicnrq0rQHliHfnFwm5Vam4Sl1_w/s1600/IMG_20180127_090922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="1600" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxgBzR_YnanEdAus2Tm6esuT-V2bqSdZ0EL3ibRvMrYQ7LlhHGUL_csGpckAhaVM-Q3CcjOx0ZkUK6mRy4i2NNNgd_b8BUVsDyAIV7vVysxgicnrq0rQHliHfnFwm5Vam4Sl1_w/s320/IMG_20180127_090922.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYy7PpaCxjtcPt-pnR0nI-1RLiKE85Fs6cIEBWiEBPXOwaw9Xkyj60pFxURDxpPFynO1Y_tzlOXN6mcnVKyFxiTLYEug2FshL3SRt-yQ-RInNjKiXxWCSRaeYmCjHcrokDjEljA/s1600/IMG_20180127_090936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1543" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYy7PpaCxjtcPt-pnR0nI-1RLiKE85Fs6cIEBWiEBPXOwaw9Xkyj60pFxURDxpPFynO1Y_tzlOXN6mcnVKyFxiTLYEug2FshL3SRt-yQ-RInNjKiXxWCSRaeYmCjHcrokDjEljA/s320/IMG_20180127_090936.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now you edgestitch the short side, then close it all up and edgestitch the taller side, making a rectangle around the top of the placket opening and bar tacking. When everything is done, your placket <u>should</u> be neat and tidy with no raw edges showing anywhere, like so:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9yWRYb6LxpE1Oxb0QCVh2Pe7rSsDbLlLiD-lsEnrmLo7b_O7I_qgsY8fkFfeYUJ389YMvYjwjvDGY6pIJHD7VveGBT5R5YOljqrohoeUqG4SCRyQzQot1itWuUpgvJLz9NUC_g/s1600/IMG_20180127_090013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9yWRYb6LxpE1Oxb0QCVh2Pe7rSsDbLlLiD-lsEnrmLo7b_O7I_qgsY8fkFfeYUJ389YMvYjwjvDGY6pIJHD7VveGBT5R5YOljqrohoeUqG4SCRyQzQot1itWuUpgvJLz9NUC_g/s320/IMG_20180127_090013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQoF2Al2I-1VWQvaX6utqXdGjHJXcGbFLBCdHRJ3fjUNxqFJHofAdo3YzBA7Rt5SAobhqoBlR2hp1rc3eCVy72l6U6UVUmZ9kWS59H4KH7WjHuDbuxV6zu6OCNZo1P6_KwcWLlw/s1600/IMG_20180127_090103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQoF2Al2I-1VWQvaX6utqXdGjHJXcGbFLBCdHRJ3fjUNxqFJHofAdo3YzBA7Rt5SAobhqoBlR2hp1rc3eCVy72l6U6UVUmZ9kWS59H4KH7WjHuDbuxV6zu6OCNZo1P6_KwcWLlw/s320/IMG_20180127_090103.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The careful observer will notice the little bit of interfacing sticking out on the inside. This is the excess of interfacing I used to stick the slit back together.<br />
At this point I realized that the all-in-one folded cuff piece that Burda suggested was not going to take turn of cloth into account. So I split them in half and cut new inner cuffs and followed Coffin's instructions for those, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1BdTE753AQmAvXmloPo4C-7Ws4sJAlI3tonNe0B3psVcZaZtFx6IVjPtWglWgJ6IqXf-r1zMOhzRKnRQcTIZ4GMQZ1TWLgCG6QmE-5SsxrcYsKM7MJ_uKjDxSpbzdi25Q9tjAQ/s1600/IMG_20180127_113530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1BdTE753AQmAvXmloPo4C-7Ws4sJAlI3tonNe0B3psVcZaZtFx6IVjPtWglWgJ6IqXf-r1zMOhzRKnRQcTIZ4GMQZ1TWLgCG6QmE-5SsxrcYsKM7MJ_uKjDxSpbzdi25Q9tjAQ/s320/IMG_20180127_113530.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg364wEHOlPYFlhpYfM51BHUbIFtD9WoKu1Gs5PHRIwjh8BX_4wdDvdQD-m6bplNHTuXX_Uy3IBRyeb57-6Bdhy2i1WcAmFWH7LkvByh7klBfIzehsldZ3V-PIprlb_CRLebp84w/s1600/IMG_20180127_113639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg364wEHOlPYFlhpYfM51BHUbIFtD9WoKu1Gs5PHRIwjh8BX_4wdDvdQD-m6bplNHTuXX_Uy3IBRyeb57-6Bdhy2i1WcAmFWH7LkvByh7klBfIzehsldZ3V-PIprlb_CRLebp84w/s320/IMG_20180127_113639.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This method makes the inner cuff just a little smaller than the outer cuff. This helps it hold its shape nicely. His collar instructions are similar, so I followed those, too, but I didn't photograph each step.<br />
After all that detail work, I still had button holes and buttons to add. I knew at this point that I was not likely to button the top button on this version of this shirt. It is too casual and too tight. So I left off the very top button and hole completely. My <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Simflex-HSG10015-Expanding-Sewing-Gauge/dp/B01H96S8N8" target="_blank">expandable sewing gauge</a> to evenly space the buttons, keeping one at the fullest point of my bust. I also used my trusty vintage buttonholer attachment to make all the button holes <i>(fourteen in all)</i>. This was as painless and perfect a procedure as one could hope for. I hand stitched the buttons and put the shirt on!<br />
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<u><b>Changes I made to the pattern before making the muslin <i>(beginning with a size 12)</i>:</b></u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>FBA</li>
<li>removed waist shaping</li>
<li>reduced sleeve cap height a bit</li>
</ul>
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<b><br /></b>
<u><b>Changes made during the muslin:</b></u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>reduced sleeve cap height further</li>
<li>new sleeve placket pattern</li>
<li><br /></li>
<li>new cuff pattern</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Changes made to the pattern after finishing the muslin:</u></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>added 5/8" width to shirt fronts <i>(both views, bib front not affected)</i>, both sides of yoke, and both sides of shirt back</li>
<li>added 1" length to sleeve.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Conclusion:</b> I love my old flannel sheets shirt, even though it is small in the shoulders. I am super excited to make two more plaid flannel shirts, starting with the tuxedo shirt and the black watch flannel. Who wouldn't want a flannel tuxedo shirt, I ask you?</div>
neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-76962774126773633942018-02-08T21:56:00.003-08:002018-02-08T22:15:54.568-08:00Sewing and Story<div dir="ltr">
One of my goals for the year is to revive this blog, both as a way to practice writing and as a way to better contribute to the sewing community. I recently began listening to the <a href="http://lovetosewpodcast.com/" target="_blank">Love to Sew</a> podcast and the stories the shared on their <a href="http://lovetosewpodcast.com/episodes/episode-24-sewing-makes-you-love-yourself/" target="_blank">Sewing Makes You Love Yourself</a> episode gave me the inspiration to write that I was looking for.</div>
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So, to introduce myself: my name is Sarah. In my head, this is what I look like:</div>
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And things haven't changed much since that photo was taken. I still primarily wear jeans and t-shirts, my hair is still cut in a bob, and I've been recently considering buying another pair of Doc Martens. Here is a more recent photo:</div>
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Twenty plus years later I am married, a mother of three pre-teen/young teens, the office admin at a local church, and someone who appreciates sewing for its blend of puzzle solving and creative expression.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
I learned to sew from my mother and from countless sewing bloggers around the world. I began with sewing clothing, then drifted to crafty sewing for a number of years before returning to clothing and costumes. I started this blog back in 2006, but the sewing focus came after my mother's death in 2009. Back then, I was active on <a href="https://sewing.patternreview.com/" target="_blank">PatternReview.com</a> and followed maybe 20 blogs. (I remember <a href="http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/" target="_blank">Gertie</a> before she had a book deal!) Many of those bloggers are still writing about and sharing their creative endeavors and I am incredibly thankful for <a href="https://dressaday.com/" target="_blank">Erin</a>, Summerset, <a href="https://missceliespants.com/" target="_blank">Renee</a>, <a href="http://theslapdashsewist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Trina</a>, <a href="http://sewingfantaticdiary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Carolyn</a>, <a href="http://malepatternboldness.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Peter</a>, <a href="http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dawn</a>, <a href="http://handmadebycarolyn.com.au/" target="_blank">Carolyn</a>, <a href="http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shams</a>, <a href="https://3hourspast.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/sharing-endeavours/" target="_blank">Steph</a>, <a href="http://blog.gorgeousfabrics.com/" target="_blank">Ann</a>, <a href="http://sewingbytheseatofmypants.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Karen</a>, <a href="https://selfishseamstress.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Elaine</a>, and <a href="http://littlehuntingcreek.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ms. Hunting Creek</a>.</div>
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<br />
From those bloggers I learned that there are reasons why some sewing projects don't work out, that sometimes a little time away from a project will restore your love for it, that there are a few simple practices that will make all of your projects turn out better, that you can reinvent yourself, and that you <u>can</u> make clothes that make you feel good. I was also constantly reminded by these (extra) ordinary humans that life is full of ups and downs: illnesses, break-ups, disorienting moves, tantrums, career switches, etc; but that sewing (and creative endeavors more generally) makes things better.</div>
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I have come to understand that sewing is a point of intersection. As <a href="http://jasikanicole.com/try-curious-blog/" target="_blank">Jasika</a> recently <a href="https://sewcialists.wordpress.com/2017/12/15/my-crafting-like-my-feminism-is-intersectional/" target="_blank">wrote</a> and as the <a href="https://sewcialists.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sewcialists</a> often demonstrate, we cannot separate our craft from all the other significant aspects of our lives. Specifically for me, sewing is a physical expression of my feminism, a source of life-long learning, a way to tell a story, an act of resistance, and above all, a great gift. So many of us have grown up believing that there was something wrong with our bodies - and maybe something wrong with us if we were not interested in changing our bodies to match the ideal.</div>
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Some folks may argue that studying proportion, color theory, and body shape simply capitulates to society's norms. I believe that one must understand the rules before breaking them. When we know why certain fabrics/shapes/prints/colors/garments have certain rules or associations, we can intelligently and mindfully choose something different for ourselves. And that choice is a great gift; a gift of feeling good in our clothes.</div>
neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-35938141372621650932017-03-08T23:20:00.001-08:002017-03-08T23:20:36.993-08:00Thoughts on Excellence, Mastery, and Embroidery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6HY4y4pQKCYY_zISW7Gu9WlxltrvHbdzpnLItbVHzFLXtkyUvRMS65_v49bxkiJRT22XnahZd5-nz5jLnLHx8H3qsZxZCDOIapkn9SyKGWX2WSsPuTugwW-saYuuXVcOE8p4-g/s1600/IMG_20170226_204015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6HY4y4pQKCYY_zISW7Gu9WlxltrvHbdzpnLItbVHzFLXtkyUvRMS65_v49bxkiJRT22XnahZd5-nz5jLnLHx8H3qsZxZCDOIapkn9SyKGWX2WSsPuTugwW-saYuuXVcOE8p4-g/s320/IMG_20170226_204015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have been thinking a lot lately about excellence and mastery. When did North American culture shift away from excellence? We certainly still praise and find ourselves in awe of people who are masters of their craft, but it feels like there has been a societal shift away from expecting people to master anything. Perhaps the shift is a result of a backlash against cruel and unsupportive coaches, teachers, and parents from our generation's past. In an attempt to avoid being unkind, mentors and trainers must now accept any amount of effort as much as full effort. Participation trophies for everyone!<br />
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The problem is that this theory falls flat. Even when our instructors can't bring themselves to say it, we know that when we don't work hard, we don't get better. And being praised for performing badly does not actually encourage anyone to continue to practice. It <u>is</u> important to learn a skill in a supportive, safe environment, but the support should be toward mastery and excellence. Students of all ages and of any topic should have an appropriately high bar set for them and supportive skill-building to reach it. There is something important about learning: about practicing a skill over and over in varying situations; about acknowledging mistakes and then actually fixing them rather than either abandoning a project or pretending as though the mistake doesn't need to be fixed.<br />
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In the past year or so, I have been learning embroidery. I chose embroidery because I have found it difficult to prioritize making time to sew clothing on a regular basis, but I still need a creative outlet. Embroidery is fairly portable, and thankfully I do not experience motion sickness, so I can do it in the car or bus almost as easily as at a coffee shop or on my lunch break. My instructors have been a few booklets of stitches, some internet research, and a handful of other creators who are willing to answer questions about the work they post on Tumblr or Instagram. The projects you see here are almost all gifts for friends. It's been a good experience. I used to dislike hand sewing hems or facings, but now that seems so simple and straightforward compared to getting a French knot to land exactly in the destined spot.<br />
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The projects here are in reverse order. The first embroidered gifts I made are at the bottom and the most recent one is at the top. Unfortunately, I did not use the same technique to photograph the pieces, so it is difficult to see the progression of skill, but I know it is there. I have learned different things with each one, and with each one I made new and different mistakes. The piece at the top was put on hold for quite a while after I had to rip out two entire flowers, do a little more study, and reconsider how to make them. (The original peachy pink one looked like an anus.)<br />
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People who see me embroidering often feel compelled to remark on it and I have noticed that the remarks typically fall into one of two categories. Category 1 is "I Could Never Do That". Usually I just smile and nod and let that kind of remark go, but it makes my stomach churn. Are you physically incapable of passing a needle and thread through fabric? No? Then yes, actually, you could do this. It is possible that you never tried it, or that it never occurred to you, or that you did try it but didn't push yourself past the frustrating early stages. It is also very possible that embroidery does not interest you; that it is in no way a priority for you. Any of those answers are actually honest and perfectly acceptable. I am certainly not going to try to convert you to embroidery.<br />
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The remarks that make up category 2 are "Horror Stories From My Childhood". These stories typically sound like this: my grandmother tried to teach me and she would rip out my stitching when it wasn't good enough. Okay. Let's all just take a breath and remember that we are adults now. While it is possible that you were left in the care of a nasty horrible grandparent who was mean and made you sit in the corner and sew, chances are very good that you were just young, with developing fine motor skills, possibly more interested in climbing trees, and you struggled to keep the thread from tangling and knotting. In order to correct your mistake, your stitches had to be removed (ripped out) and you needed to start over. This is certainly disappointing, but definitely what everyone who masters any skill does.<br />
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My husband was recently reading the book <i>The Glass Cage</i> by Nicholas Carr. It's the kind of writing that requires that I block out the rest of the world with white noise in my earphones in order to concentrate enough on the text to retain any of the information. The book is mostly about the rise of automation, but the last chapter is different. The last chapter talks about the goodness that comes from physically working. Here is a quote from that last chapter that made my husband think of me and my sewing practice over the years:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It follows that whenever we gain a new talent, we not only change our bodily capacities, we change the world. The ocean extends an invitation to the swimmer that it withholds from the person who has never learned to swim. With every skill we master, the world reshapes itself to reveal greater possibilities. It becomes more interesting, and being in it becomes more rewarding." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Nicholas Carr, <i>The Glass Cage</i></blockquote>
<br />neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-67996136079317889062017-02-19T21:27:00.002-08:002017-02-19T21:30:08.920-08:00Five Years. It's Been Five Years.So it's been five years since I posted here. And truly, those last two years were pretty spotty. There have been many times over the past five years that I wanted to come back, but due to forgotten passwords and associated email addresses and expired credit cards and someone else taking over my previous domain name, well, it was just too many hoops to jump through for a long time.<br />
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There is so much to say. So much has happened. But I think I will start fresh and only occasionally show you something that I made during my hiatus.<br />
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Some of my links in my old posts won't work anymore and I will try to go back through and remove the links, but I am not promising to get them all.<br />
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But guess what? The undershirts that are in the previous post? David only JUST retired them this winter. They lasted five years of regular wear for seven or eight months a year. Wow.<br />
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And because I don't want to leave you without anything to look at, here is a stuffed elephant I recently made for a birthday gift from a BurdaStyle Magazine. We added the mustache because the recipient is "very into mustaches". I used two layers of a cotton jersey and instead of stuffing the ears as per the directions, I used a layer of polar fleece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYuZf4t7FFMBME0Dqja7SMqEu5Q-3zu9zTmwaeBIywkBwbMuAR1D7bkhie8g3SNM8uml3Rr20h19a_ByjpxP1a9mJ47oqvALwSjNLV42nWXCbDgMC-mRwMb8WE6OFcNf63CDbxw/s1600/IMG_20170203_144019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYuZf4t7FFMBME0Dqja7SMqEu5Q-3zu9zTmwaeBIywkBwbMuAR1D7bkhie8g3SNM8uml3Rr20h19a_ByjpxP1a9mJ47oqvALwSjNLV42nWXCbDgMC-mRwMb8WE6OFcNf63CDbxw/s640/IMG_20170203_144019.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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CAUTION: The pattern suggests you use a woven fabric, but if you did that, you would need to do something magic with the edges so they didn't fray. The seam allowance called for is TINY. I used 1/4 of an inch and couldn't have made it bigger due to the shape of the main body piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgkmQZcC5sMqkJRlyTSrPd6fxJm7v4PFd7KBS81RxMnvMF0AaKtCOxjBUo2gLJrfXiPxg1eBaQavefh_ong1t-B__vmHfQiN6pDdV-8OSGF3-YP3m7i4Qqx0XLrMA4givH_TWuA/s1600/IMG_20170203_144012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgkmQZcC5sMqkJRlyTSrPd6fxJm7v4PFd7KBS81RxMnvMF0AaKtCOxjBUo2gLJrfXiPxg1eBaQavefh_ong1t-B__vmHfQiN6pDdV-8OSGF3-YP3m7i4Qqx0XLrMA4givH_TWuA/s640/IMG_20170203_144012.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
It's pretty cute, though!<br />
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<br />neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-63734468167546437082012-11-06T11:49:00.002-08:002012-11-06T11:49:27.309-08:00Utility Sewing - Long-Sleeve Undershirts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S4-9wDamr6s/UJli2SWwt8I/AAAAAAAAHIU/7aFK9wttbys/s1600/P1030343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S4-9wDamr6s/UJli2SWwt8I/AAAAAAAAHIU/7aFK9wttbys/s1600/P1030343.JPG" height="470" width="640" /></a></div>
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Imagine four more like this one.</div>
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For the last year or so, David has been wanting long-sleeve undershirts. Remember how I mentioned that we <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2012/10/leggings-galore.html" target="_blank">do a lot of layering</a> here in Vancouver? Right. Well, David is no exception. His office is half-underground (not really a basement, as there is an actual, underground basement, but still) and his small window is north-facing, which means it is cool most of the time - even when the heat is on.<br />
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So, long ago, I tested out the t-shirt from Jalie 2212 using the long sleeve from 2919 using some left-over jersey (I'm thinking it was an organic cotton/lycra). It turned out well, but the neck band was wider than his regular undershirts and the fabric wasn't quite right - too clingy. It took a while, but I did find some white jersey in a similar weight and stretch as his short-sleeve undershirts. I tested out the pattern again, because the fabric had significantly less stretch than the pattern called for. Good thing, too! I had to widen the sleeves and make the armscye larger. Then I set about making as many shirts as I could from the rest of the fabric. Five shirts (and one too-small muslin that I will cut up and turn into a shirt for a kid) from six meters of fabric. Not bad!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73dlPHfNhR4/UJlixLF8W1I/AAAAAAAAHIM/WjuvuLMNM0s/s1600/P1030347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73dlPHfNhR4/UJlixLF8W1I/AAAAAAAAHIM/WjuvuLMNM0s/s1600/P1030347.JPG" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here you can se that even though I do not have a serger or a coverstitch machine, I can get good quality results with knits. I sew the main seam first with a plain zigzag - about 1.5 - 2 mm wide and 2mm long. Then I go back over the seam allowance with a triple-stitch zigzag (like you would find on bra elastic). I prefer this stitch to a regular zigzag, because it holds the seam allowance very flat and stretches very well. I am even becoming more fond of zigzag topstitching rather than twin-needle topstitching. Again, it just performs better in my experience.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ay-USWeLkQ/UJlitFAvZbI/AAAAAAAAHIE/IOLhitLk7K4/s1600/P1030349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ay-USWeLkQ/UJlitFAvZbI/AAAAAAAAHIE/IOLhitLk7K4/s1600/P1030349.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
This is a close up of one cuff and the hem (flipped up so as to fit on my table). The cuff is made of ribbing and is not top-stitched like the neckband. The hem is a simple zigzag.<br />
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And with that finished, I feel like maybe I can get back into the sewing room. Sometimes one project can just drag me down, and then the growing stack of projects to complete glares at me and keeps me away. Next up: some comissioned skirts (another example of many items all alike - except for colour). But I will be sewing with a new-to-me fabric: acetate slinky. Woo!<br />
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In parting, I leave you with photos of our Halloween costumes. I did very little for the kids' costumes this year. Value Village all the way!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fmo1ODYpsbI/UJljKgCM5EI/AAAAAAAAHIc/P0L5Bj4D-Oo/s1600/P1030318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fmo1ODYpsbI/UJljKgCM5EI/AAAAAAAAHIc/P0L5Bj4D-Oo/s1600/P1030318.JPG" height="320" width="111" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l7tPOG2C-b4/UJljTS2mpsI/AAAAAAAAHI0/UQcgTFgIJ8g/s1600/P1030329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l7tPOG2C-b4/UJljTS2mpsI/AAAAAAAAHI0/UQcgTFgIJ8g/s1600/P1030329.JPG" height="320" width="161" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzfibW-eztg/UJljPsdxZlI/AAAAAAAAHIs/63eNtko82eU/s1600/P1030324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzfibW-eztg/UJljPsdxZlI/AAAAAAAAHIs/63eNtko82eU/s1600/P1030324.JPG" height="320" width="162" /></a></div>
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Clara the cat, Lucy as Cherry Jam (from the world of Strawberry Shortcake)</div>
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and Peter as Calvin (with Hobbes) </div>
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David as Mr. Rogers and me as Cruella DeVil</div>
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<br />neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-56216208377578651062012-10-29T20:39:00.000-07:002012-10-29T20:39:42.009-07:00Flannel Pull-over Shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_DlR5-ZNObk/UIcE-ypJRGI/AAAAAAAAHFw/wWPJY5Vc1V8/s1600/P1030241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_DlR5-ZNObk/UIcE-ypJRGI/AAAAAAAAHFw/wWPJY5Vc1V8/s1600/P1030241.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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HUZZAH! This was one of those projects that had been in my mind for months before I was able to complete it. It all began with the shirt I made for Peter's <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2011/10/han-solo-shirt-finished-burdastyle-05.html" target="_blank">Han Solo</a> Costume last year. Within a month or so of making tat shirt and posting it on my blog, I received four different requests for shirts all based on the that one. David, in particular, wanted one made of flannel.<br />
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There's not much out there in the way of men's shirt patterns, let me tell you. You can get a <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-2252-boys-and-men-shirts-shorts-hat.aspx" target="_blank">big boxy pattern</a> or a <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8759-products-14729.php?page_id=180" target="_blank">narrow fitted pattern</a>. There are few stops in between - nowhere near as many options as for, say, a woman's dress pattern. Anyway, given that all of the men who approached me about shirts are all slim and that slim-fitting shirts are the sartorial norm here in Vancouver, I purchased Vogue 8759 (linked above). I made <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2012/03/menswear-in-progress.html" target="_blank">one of the shirts</a> with very few alterations for a friend of mine just to test the fit and practice my skills.<br />
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At some point, I was in a fabric store and looked at the plaid flannels. I knew I wanted something of good quality (nothing like those printed flannels that are so stiff and thin) and somehow the plaid had to look like something my husband would wear. Well, this yarn-dyed plaid about lept off the shelf at me! That David of mine, he likes to keep things subtle. And he can wear earth tones wothout looking ill, so this was a good choice.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFSg1tbmG0Q/UDg-ZDzE-SI/AAAAAAAAHEI/pzM-fxppQXU/s1600/P1030126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFSg1tbmG0Q/UDg-ZDzE-SI/AAAAAAAAHEI/pzM-fxppQXU/s1600/P1030126.JPG" height="320" width="154" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T1Zwq26jEGo/UDg-aKpEITI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/CZqlrkM0Gok/s1600/P1030127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T1Zwq26jEGo/UDg-aKpEITI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/CZqlrkM0Gok/s1600/P1030127.JPG" height="320" width="185" /></a></div>
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I started with a muslin, checking to see how much ease I needed to add in the back and how long the neck opening needed to be to have it pull over easily. I had already blended the panels into one back piece, and then I needed to add more for elbow room. Then it was on to cutting out (and matching) the plaid. I did a bit of sewing and a bit of pinning and head him try it on again.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1WWc_lUj-Q/UI8zDpGbXsI/AAAAAAAAHHo/9cPjB45YzVA/s1600/P1030131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1WWc_lUj-Q/UI8zDpGbXsI/AAAAAAAAHHo/9cPjB45YzVA/s1600/P1030131.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sG6zhRbY-K0/UI8y9rOPKJI/AAAAAAAAHHg/2vFlUu4sGmw/s1600/P1030132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sG6zhRbY-K0/UI8y9rOPKJI/AAAAAAAAHHg/2vFlUu4sGmw/s1600/P1030132.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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It wasn't easy to decide what to do with all that extra fabric. There was just too much for one box pleat. and I even felt that there was too much for two shoulder blade pleats. I took a couple of days to notice the shirts the men around me were wearing (one Sunday in particular I approached every man at church who was wearing a woven shirt and asked if I could look at the construction on the back). In the end, I decided to go with two pleats over each shoulder blade. This way I could try to line up the plaid at the center back of the collar and the back with the center of the bias-cut yoke.<br />
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Once that was decided, it was just a matter of plugging away and finishing the job. Again, I used plackets from David Page Coffin's <i>Shirtmaking</i>. I think if I were to do this again, I would make all of the plackets (sleeves and neck) narrower and make the ends of the plackets shorter.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj39dhEHq3Q/UIcFGByZAzI/AAAAAAAAHGA/fMb0YLrk-ZE/s1600/P1030244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj39dhEHq3Q/UIcFGByZAzI/AAAAAAAAHGA/fMb0YLrk-ZE/s1600/P1030244.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hjw8Hxj7vmQ/UIcFCYSsiEI/AAAAAAAAHF4/0_qJ3VkMfwM/s1600/P1030243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hjw8Hxj7vmQ/UIcFCYSsiEI/AAAAAAAAHF4/0_qJ3VkMfwM/s1600/P1030243.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Hey, speaking of plackets, Can you see what I did wrong with the sleeve plackets? I decided that no one but I would notice the error. It was a good learning experience! Ha!<br />
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All in all, it looks pretty good on him. He has worn it once every week since the weather turned cold. That's a winner in any book! He could also wear this shirt untucked. It has vents on the side seams (the construction of which I just made up as I went along).<br />
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Looking pretty pleased with his new shirt, eh? Pardon the indoor photos. It was a dark and dreary day, but he was wearing the shirt, so the photos had to be taken!<br />
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neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-26242065230852986612012-10-23T14:51:00.001-07:002012-10-23T14:51:31.884-07:00More Stretch French Terry!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I bought the second pile of Stretch French Terry for my daughters' leggings, I bought more black because I wanted to use some to make a simple t-shirt dress for myself.<br />
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Two summers ago, I bought a simple t-shirt dress at Zellers just before going on a trip to visit family in Georgia. The dress is a very pinky magenta and I receive compliments every single time I wear it. It's made of a cottony-looking polyester knit with very little stretch, but it is a little hot to wear.<br />
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People who know that I sew always think that I made that dress and finally, at the beginning of last summer, I took the hint and traced a pattern from it. With the kids home all day every day, I don't get much sewing and even less fabric shopping done, so the pattern sat patiently in its envelope. Until I found that Stretch French Terry!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here I am showing you the patch pockets!</span></i></div>
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I whipped up the dress in next to no time. The sleeves are cut on, so there's really just a front, a back, and two patch pockets. And, because I am short, it only took about a meter, so I still have another meter of this lovely black fabric sitting in my stash! Can I just tell you? This is the most comfortable thing to wear. I feel good in it and I am not restricted by it. I'm thinking I'll be making some more of these!neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-76336560878472006762012-10-23T14:35:00.000-07:002012-10-23T14:35:02.784-07:00Leggings Galore!You know those cool fall days, where you want to cozy up in a sweater, scarf, jeans, and boots, eat soup, and drink tea? Well, that's pretty much what the weather is like here in Vancouver for maybe 8 months out of the year. It's rarely COLD, but it is often cool and damp. Because of this, most everyone I know wears a lot of layers - including my girls.<br />
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In order to make their dresses and skirts more wearable, they need leggings. Now leggings take a lot of abuse on the playground, but they hold up much better than tights. (I have just about given up on tights for little girls.) Last year I made them some leggings for the spring/summer out of lightweight jersey (maybe a bamboo-lycra mix). To do this, I copied a pair of store-bought leggings that fit both girls, but had a hole in the knee. This worked, but as the summer went on, I realized that the lighter fabric just wasn't holding up as well as I would like and it was obvious that both girls were getting taller.<br />
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Around this time I found a link to directions to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-tuesday-design-sew-your-own-leggings/" target="_blank">draft your own leggings</a> on Pinterest and I considered that, but then I realized that for growing children, it might be easier to start from an already established pattern. Enter <a href="http://kwiksew.mccall.com/k3476-products-20042.php?page_id=3348" target="_blank">Kwik Sew 3476</a>. Say what you will about Kwik Sew's less-than-inspiring pattern illustrations, but my experience has only been good. They make nicely drafted, highly wearable patterns.<br />
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I purchased one meter each of black and teal Stretch French Terry from Fabricana and gave it a go. This fabric is such a dream to work with! It has a lot of stretch and great recovery. It's cozy to wear and behaves well in the machine. And, since my girls are still quite small, I can get two pair of leggings on each meter of fabric! Score!<br />
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After figuring out how to alter the pattern for each of my girls, I went back and bought a meter of red, a meter of purple, and three more meters of black. Here is a sampling of the end result:<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The red pair was pulled out of the dirty clothes for this photo, so you can see a little bagging and wrinkling, but they still look pretty sharp for being worn all day!</span></i></div>
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Each girl ended up with two pair of black leggings, and one pair each in red, teal, and purple. That makes a total of ten pairs of leggings sewin in September. The fabric cost alone comes to about $5 each, but then you ought to add a bit for thread and elastic, and then some for my time, but since I did them production-style, I was able to finish them all in just a couple of days' worth of free time. All in all, a good value!neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-77627784017245981512012-09-04T20:33:00.002-07:002012-09-04T20:33:46.280-07:00Another Burda 03-2009-105!Earlier this summer I made another of <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2009/05/what-plan-who-said-i-wanted-to-sew-with.html" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2010/05/nearly-finished-jalie-2804-and-burdamag.html" target="_blank">skirts</a>. They are excellent: comfortable, breezy, have ample pockets, enough room for cycling, etc. I also have a thing for patchwork plaid fabric. Well, really, it's just a thing for plaid fabric. And stripes. Anyway, I bought the fabric for a skirt for me, and ended up using the remnants for shorts for Lucy (which you have already seen).<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QMZXr9jgpyM/UEa97AeqhhI/AAAAAAAAHFA/I3uovh9A5kQ/s1600/P1030158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QMZXr9jgpyM/UEa97AeqhhI/AAAAAAAAHFA/I3uovh9A5kQ/s640/P1030158.JPG" width="282" /></a></div>
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This skirt differs from my two previous iterations in one significant way and one minor way. Funny that the minor difference kept me from wearing it all summer, but I digress. The major difference is that I added a lining. I used ivory Bemberg rayon. For this lining, I cut the pieces the same size as the skirt, but just took two larger pleats on the front and two on the back - off set from the skirt pleats to avoid added bulk. I also took a heftier hem. I like a heavy hem on a full skirt.<br />
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The lining <i>was</i> the only difference until the second or third wearing of the skirt when I found that the tape on my invisible zipper had begun to disintegrate! The zipper wouldn't pull past the problem area. Well, guess how much I like to replace zippers? Yep. Not at all. I tend toward being a creator rather than a mender. So the skirt sat in my sewing room all summer. Ridiculous!<br />
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Finally, on Labour Day weekend, I removed the old zipper and gave the skirt some thought. I decided that the invisible zip didn't like all the seams in the patchwork fabric, so I put in a lapped zip. Scruffy Badger's <a href="http://scruffybadgertime.co.uk/2012/08/my-mammas-lapped-zipper-tutorial/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews#" target="_blank">tutorial</a>* helped inspire me.This worked pretty well, though, since the seam allowances were pretty small, I added a bit of bias binding to the raw edge of the lap side to make it work. I have long since run out of matching thread for the blue yoke pocket inset, I used a combination of machine stitching the zipper in over the patchwork and hand stitching over the blue.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W63mDsR1yVc/UEa9-Uhkb2I/AAAAAAAAHFQ/qk5CryXcci0/s1600/P1030165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W63mDsR1yVc/UEa9-Uhkb2I/AAAAAAAAHFQ/qk5CryXcci0/s640/P1030165.JPG" width="432" /></a></div>
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It really didn't take THAT long to fix the skirt and I am glad I did. I wore it all day today. (Thankfully, it is still a bit warm this week here in Vancouver.) The bonus is that the skirt goes so well with this blouse I thrifted a couple of weeks ago to wear to a job interview. Sweet!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Oh my goodness! I am wearing my old Crocs for my blog!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I have a number of sewing reference books with goodness knows how many instructions for inserting a lapped zipper. But something about Scruffy's text and photos really clicked with me this time.</span></div>
neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-30421182819708041152012-08-26T22:34:00.000-07:002012-08-26T22:34:34.768-07:00Sample-Making: Why do I do it?Last week a local friend of mine who used to sew regularly asked me why I make samples for so many of my projects. She isn't the only person locally who has questioned me on this. One friend, in fact, told me he thought making a sample was silly since I spent double the amount of time for a single garment!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit38E1wNiVNzosIIWSXucXn16wxh_bsDeX-RCWMrBMxvASYAjN9LmNX1UbucnwackBVznsaaHDdw-jQmYuyWXBcurXnNdh0x2r_KyLWF9nMeahse5WTYduQp1Wc62_xiEtwORScQ/s1600/P1000360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit38E1wNiVNzosIIWSXucXn16wxh_bsDeX-RCWMrBMxvASYAjN9LmNX1UbucnwackBVznsaaHDdw-jQmYuyWXBcurXnNdh0x2r_KyLWF9nMeahse5WTYduQp1Wc62_xiEtwORScQ/s320/P1000360.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Muslin of Peter's R2-D2 hat.</span></i></div>
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These comments always catch me off guard, immersed as I am in the sewing blogger world. Many of the bloggers I read make a muslin (or a sample) for any project that has a new and possibly unknown variable. Trying a new style of garment? Working with an unfamiliar fabric? Trying a new sewing technique? Making something for someone else? All good reasons to make a quick sample. It doesn't have to be pretty and it doesn't have to take long.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bJeWCIgKpqCQGkj5mYZ2_LwqiIq9Uefei-oqD1FznS9DWso94qOgzkBSjQlt2u6lXDiv8rYnbl5vaGH9rOLuqcm97nxpQHv6dIdyQMa8nKzhAqx6uXwl1RTFYbSnZoMgTBtM0Q/s1600/P1000335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bJeWCIgKpqCQGkj5mYZ2_LwqiIq9Uefei-oqD1FznS9DWso94qOgzkBSjQlt2u6lXDiv8rYnbl5vaGH9rOLuqcm97nxpQHv6dIdyQMa8nKzhAqx6uXwl1RTFYbSnZoMgTBtM0Q/s320/P1000335.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Muslin of that waterfall cardigan everyone was making a couple of years ago.</span></i></div>
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The main reason that I make muslins is because my body only vaguely resembles the model that pattern designers use. Some garments that just don't look right on my body, even when they fit properly. While I am mastering the sewing techniques, being able to envision how a garment might look is a different skill set altogether. Making a sample helps there.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8IC1SSRDzTU/ToXx2Gmm-xI/AAAAAAAAF_Y/8hyiC1as_34/s1600/P1020444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8IC1SSRDzTU/ToXx2Gmm-xI/AAAAAAAAF_Y/8hyiC1as_34/s320/P1020444.JPG" width="113" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Muslin of my Cruella DeVil coat.</span></i></div>
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Another thing that is important to me is scale. I am considerably smaller than the model used by pattern designers. Not only am I short, but I am technically petite, proportionally smaller torso, legs, arms, etc. (of course, my hands, feet, and head are all large, but you can't win at everything!). Even with kids' clothes, proportion is important. I make a fair number of kids' clothes and I don't want my kids to be swallowed up in fabric. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiyZAvlDMDW538djjOghE8zYxtgrLOOQYbgQLGNuKoh21SeegCI6sEln4OEaYLbTL-rqh3D0EkIQ0vYk8MCNsYwzlW5-mVSzzG9GvTRhztUX9fwF_QBZUrsIWADCboFHj2elkww/s1600/nightgownmuslin1%25262onclaracollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiyZAvlDMDW538djjOghE8zYxtgrLOOQYbgQLGNuKoh21SeegCI6sEln4OEaYLbTL-rqh3D0EkIQ0vYk8MCNsYwzlW5-mVSzzG9GvTRhztUX9fwF_QBZUrsIWADCboFHj2elkww/s320/nightgownmuslin1%25262onclaracollage.jpg" width="244" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuoaRpKADq8/TWXZQJsRIwI/AAAAAAAAFv4/sAPqxQzVBsQ/s1600/P1020047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuoaRpKADq8/TWXZQJsRIwI/AAAAAAAAFv4/sAPqxQzVBsQ/s320/P1020047.JPG" width="103" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Muslins of a nightgown and my non-standard body.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Muslin of the cocktail dress I wore to a good friend's wedding.</span></i></div>
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There are some folks that say you should make a muslin out of the cheapest fabric you can find that shares the same qualities as the fabric you plan to use to make your final garment. There are other folks that say this is a wasteful use of fabric. They feel that you should do a fair bit of tissue-fitting and make wearable muslins. I think I fall somewhere between.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7fHHeCHx_Q/TeRXVFsEtHI/AAAAAAAAF60/5MaiULlwXvY/s1600/Princess+line+dress+with+orange+neckline.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7fHHeCHx_Q/TeRXVFsEtHI/AAAAAAAAF60/5MaiULlwXvY/s320/Princess+line+dress+with+orange+neckline.JPG" width="113" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Muslin of a vintage princess seamed dress with a neckline electronically drawn in.</span></i></div>
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I have discovered that faded old sheets from a thrift store make excellent muslin material for most anything woven. Inexpensive and plentiful. At one point, during a great sale, I purchased several meters of a cheap jersey to use as muslin for knitwear. I have used it up here and there, but have yet to replace it. To decrease the cost further, I reuse pieces from old muslins. I have occasionally used the muslin itself in the finished garment. The muslin of the R2-D2 hat became the base upon which the rest of the hat was constructed. I made a dress for one of my daughters and used the muslin as an underlining to give added warmth.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFSg1tbmG0Q/UDg-ZDzE-SI/AAAAAAAAHEI/pzM-fxppQXU/s1600/P1030126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFSg1tbmG0Q/UDg-ZDzE-SI/AAAAAAAAHEI/pzM-fxppQXU/s320/P1030126.JPG" width="154" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T1Zwq26jEGo/UDg-aKpEITI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/CZqlrkM0Gok/s1600/P1030127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T1Zwq26jEGo/UDg-aKpEITI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/CZqlrkM0Gok/s320/P1030127.JPG" width="185" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Muslin of a pull-over woven shirt.</i></span></div>
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Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of muslins I've made primarily to test out a pattern and find out its quirks. But this is a worthy use of sample-making as well. I made a lined vest/waistcoat for a friend and timed myself. Imagine my surprise to find out that the construction of the vest took me two hours, but easily half of that time was spent on the two welt pockets! Thankfully everything went a bit quicker for the final garment.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXkShSSa4RA/UCgQY0NaYZI/AAAAAAAAHCE/dmSEdbIuma4/s1600/Altered+shorts+muslin+with+lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXkShSSa4RA/UCgQY0NaYZI/AAAAAAAAHCE/dmSEdbIuma4/s320/Altered+shorts+muslin+with+lines.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Muslin of shorts with front fly and yoke pockets.</i></span></div>
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Making a sample does take time, but it can be a real confidence booster! Above you see my very first efforts at making a fly. It went so much more easily than I could ever have imagined. I would have been incredibly nervous to make my first go at it with the final fabric. The other great advantage is that if the garment ends up being well-loved, then it should be no trouble at all to make another given all that you learned previously! <i>(Well, at least for those recipients who have the decency to not grow between makes.)</i><br />
neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-78512762185252773722012-08-13T12:48:00.001-07:002012-08-13T12:48:12.087-07:00High-waist Full Skirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Two posts in two days! Crazy! </div>
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Long, long ago, during the summer of our house renovations, I started a dress. <a href="http://www.sewserendipity.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_37&products_id=142" target="_blank">The Monique Dress</a> by <a href="http://www.sewserendipity.com/index.php?cPath=22" target="_blank">Serendipity Studios.</a> I added a lining, altered the neckline, made my own piping, blogged about my excitement <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2010/07/vacation-pattern-acquisition-part-3.html" target="_blank">here</a> and my problem-solving success <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2010/08/little-slapdash-sewing.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Then I tried it on to mark the zipper placement. <a href="http://www.sewinguptheneighbourhood.com/2010/08/oh-woe.html" target="_blank">Oh, woe.</a> So it sat in a drawer. For two years.</div>
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Two years.</div>
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Finally, this year I took it apart. I decided that I really liked the skirt portion. And that's what it became. A high-waisted full skirt: <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Pardon the headless shot - couldn't get decent-looking hair and a nice expression working with the self-timer feature.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZzaKpmQp9s/UCggB7dTpYI/AAAAAAAAHDs/LTt4qWkd45E/s1600/P1030120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZzaKpmQp9s/UCggB7dTpYI/AAAAAAAAHDs/LTt4qWkd45E/s640/P1030120.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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And it's pretty good! The waist band is a little snug and gets pretty hot on a warm day, but overall, it's a good, useful skirt. I installed the zipper so that it was exposed, but I am thinking that this feature is kind-of lost on the full skirt - not to mention that a zipper shield would have been nice! The other problem is that the zipper comes undone a bit while wearing. I added a tab and button to the inside to keep it together, but this only prevents it from falling off - the zipper keeps sinking anyway.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yB7Wyq1MkdE/UCgYPv-w0BI/AAAAAAAAHDA/r_0SSjB1hsE/s1600/P1030006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yB7Wyq1MkdE/UCgYPv-w0BI/AAAAAAAAHDA/r_0SSjB1hsE/s320/P1030006.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dWS57KwiAFE/UCgYME_rtEI/AAAAAAAAHC4/ZAab8-iw6M4/s1600/P1030003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dWS57KwiAFE/UCgYME_rtEI/AAAAAAAAHC4/ZAab8-iw6M4/s320/P1030003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm glad to have the UFO out of my drawer and something useful hanging in my closet instead!neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-45490975625990713562012-08-12T13:46:00.001-07:002012-08-12T13:47:35.036-07:00Kid Shorts! Burda 04-2009-137I am super excited about this, folks. In fact I was so excited that I forgot that I hadn't blogged it. Ha!<br />
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Those of you who know me in real life know that my middle child is incredibly slender. She is about average height for a seven-year-old, but about as big around as your average three- or four-year-old. This makes buying pants tricky for her. Even that buttonhole elastic thing doesn't help, there's always too much fabric ballooning in the other places.<br />
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Also, one of my goals is to learn to make my own jeans, but I've never made anything with a fly front before. Somehow all of this added up to making Lucy a pair of shorts using Burda 04-2009-137.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GC8Rd7vtIS0/UCgQZujh9uI/AAAAAAAAHCM/GgC_eTT7uEU/s1600/P1030024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GC8Rd7vtIS0/UCgQZujh9uI/AAAAAAAAHCM/GgC_eTT7uEU/s640/P1030024.JPG" width="264" /></a></div>
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OK, so I know that this isn't the best photo for details, but there's more! I traced the pattern in a size 98 for width and size 122 for length. I did make a muslin out of old sheets:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRuyd-S3qow/UCgQSb2Ue2I/AAAAAAAAHBs/R4gcDbU9fv0/s1600/P1020958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRuyd-S3qow/UCgQSb2Ue2I/AAAAAAAAHBs/R4gcDbU9fv0/s320/P1020958.JPG" width="210" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pd7mXfR9RsY/UCgQTC21I-I/AAAAAAAAHB0/i9e0YWBvbbs/s1600/P1020959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pd7mXfR9RsY/UCgQTC21I-I/AAAAAAAAHB0/i9e0YWBvbbs/s320/P1020959.JPG" width="196" /></a></div>
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Here's the muslin without a zipper in the fly. The back fit pretty smoothly over her bum (I do think I had to make those back darts a bit snugger). The waist fits, but there is too much fabric right below. There is a front pleat, so what I tried was taking all of the pleat fabric out entirely:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXkShSSa4RA/UCgQY0NaYZI/AAAAAAAAHCE/dmSEdbIuma4/s1600/Altered+shorts+muslin+with+lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXkShSSa4RA/UCgQY0NaYZI/AAAAAAAAHCE/dmSEdbIuma4/s400/Altered+shorts+muslin+with+lines.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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Here's the muslin with a test fly and one leg cuffed. The red lines show where I removed the excess fabric. It worked! look how much better the shorts look in the front!<br />
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Encouraged by this, I dived into making the shorts out of the patchwork madras. Inspired by my new David Coffin Page Trousers book, I extended the side yoke with pocket to make a fly shield and, as I was short on patchwork, I made that piece out of a solid coordinating fabric. I left off the rear pockets.<br />
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The pattern wasn't without it's confusions, however. I recall sending off an email to Cidell, Trena, and Steph asking for help interpreting Burda's directions for cutting the waistband. I always second-guess myself when it comes to those rectagular pieces that they give measurements for. So confusing! The other problem came when attaching the waistband - somehow I stretched the shorts and ended up with a waistband that was a smidge too large! Aaack!<br />
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I just cut open the inner waistband, ran some wide elastic through it, and stitched the elastic in place (and closed the cut opening with a closely-spaced, wide zig zag. This does show on the front, but only if you are looking for it. And really, what seven-year-old sits still long enough for you to find flaws in her home-made clothes?<br />
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What's more exciting is that I am thinking that I could extend the leg length on this pattern and make jeans! Lucy has never had a pair of jeans that fit! Hooray!neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-4561957194960525122012-06-04T21:38:00.000-07:002012-06-04T21:39:28.261-07:00I have Been Sewing! Vogue 1240Boy, do I have a lot of projects to report! It may seem like I have simply crawled into my bed and refused to come out, but NO, this is not the case. Although I would like a couple of days to simply stay in my bed and refuse to get out... just sayin'.<br />
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Anyway, one of my dear friends was married back in April and this was such a celebration that it demanded a new dress. And not only a new dress, but a <i>fancy</i> dress. I looked at many dress patterns, my own and those available to purchase. I settled on <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1240-products-14151.php?page_id=854" target="_blank">Vogue 1240</a>. Wow! What a change from my usual dress style! My husband was skeptical, but I was certain. This fun special occasion dress was calling to me.<br />
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And not only was the dress calling me, but there was a fabric calling me as well! I managed to purchase the exact same polyester satin that <a href="http://tanitisis.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Tanit-Isis</a> used for a <a href="http://tanitisis.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/a-silkier-slip/" target="_blank">Ruby Slip</a>! Let me tell you, this is a lovely fabric! It is not static-prone (compared to other polyesters I have used), and it holds a crease quite nicely.<br />
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Luckily, the day I purchased the pattern and fabric, Fabricland was having quite a sale, so I picked up some inexpensive teal/peacock georgette to make a muslin. I am glad I did! The dress goes together easily, though you do have to match a lot of dots to make all the odd little pleats and there is quite a bit of narrow hemming. I did check the pattern tissue against my body and thought it should fit just fine with a little added length <i>(go back and look at how much thigh is showing on the model - seriously)</i>, but I forgot that in a fluid fabric, gravity can make a lot of difference in fit. Here are the pictures of the muslin (pardon the specks of yuck all over the mirror):<br />
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This is where I wish the muslin had worked out. That colour looks nice on me. Even in bad lighting!</div>
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The back looks pretty good!</div>
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Hmmm. I can see a bit of my bra peeking out there.</div>
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Holy! That's way too low!</div>
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I think this side was worse due to the weight of the zipper. <i>(And because the collar is only pinned shut, so it is gaping a bit at the bottom.)</i> I also checked the bust darts on the underlayer. They were easily two inches lower than they should have been.</div>
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I decided to take an inch or so out of each pattern piece between the neck and the bust point. I also decided to make the armholes a bit higher, though that may have been overkill. I didn't have to worry about exposing my bra in the finished dress, but the alterations did significantly change the angle from the neck to the underarm, and my final fabric wasn't quite as fluid as the georgette, so gravity wasn't able to distort it as much.</div>
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What I forgot to do was add more length near the hem.<i> **Note to self: when removing length in one area, consider adding back that length in another area.**</i></div>
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With those changes, I felt confident to go ahead and cut out my final fabric. I didn't have many photos taken of me the night of the wedding, but, as luck would have it, we attended another wedding just a couple of days ago and I wore the dress again!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gov9ND5fw/T82Hc3fF6mI/AAAAAAAAHBY/Rkjn4Pu8ZlE/s1600/Leigh+and+John%2527s+Wedding+Guest+Book+126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gov9ND5fw/T82Hc3fF6mI/AAAAAAAAHBY/Rkjn4Pu8ZlE/s400/Leigh+and+John%2527s+Wedding+Guest+Book+126.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the photo taken of David and I for the guest book. I do not even want to talk about the number of wrinkles around my eyes. Not at all.</div>
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The dress in all its glory! And Clara - yes, this is what she chose to wear to the wedding this past weekend. She wore a proper party dress to the previous wedding.</div>
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From the back...</div>
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And the side - can't see my bra now!</div>
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Detail shot of the zipper...</div>
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Now let me say that this is a <i>fun dress </i>to wear. It's a great dress to wear if you might have to be doing anything with your arms. You can reach and lift and carry and all manner of thing without ever having to readjust your dress. You can also eat happily, and still look svelte because of all those fluid layers.<br />
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It's not a great dress for sitting in, however! I should have tried sitting in the muslin. The lining and underlayer are tight and SHORT when sitting. I would have added width to the hips/thighs had I tested it out sitting. Luckily there are the outer layers that can be draped gracefully over my thighs, but I do have to think about it every.single.time. I sit down.<br />
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All in all a successful dress! Three Cheers!neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-42546336691728283782012-03-25T15:59:00.000-07:002012-03-25T15:59:11.938-07:00Menswear in ProgressWe are coming to the end of our two week Spring Break here in Vancouver. This was preceded by three days off for a teacher strike. None of which I am complaining about, but I haven't done much of any sewing in the last three weeks and I am starting to get a little twitchy.<br />
Back in February I was sewing far more regularly thanks to the childcare help of several friends. Here are a couple of works still in progress from that month.<br />
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First we have a shirt for a friend of mine. I am using <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8759-products-14729.php?page_id=180" target="_blank">Vogue 8759</a>, but I changed the collar and collar stand to one from David Page Coffin's book, <i>Shirtmaking</i>. This shirt still needs cuffs attached, hem, button holes, and buttons. The cuffs are the most logical next step, but that will require a good chuck of uninterrupted time (i.e. not something I can do with kids bickering). I have no idea if I am following Coffin's steps correctly or not, but I am pretty pleased with my work. Here's hoping the shirt fits!<br />
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The big idea for this shirt is to fit it and then use the resulting pattern as a block (of sorts) and make changes to the neckline, etc. Making it as a traditional shirt first also gave me more practice with the million little details that go into shirtmaking.<br />
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Collar close-up</div>
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Sleeve Placket!</div>
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Secondly, I have made a vest for another friend. This is a gift to him in honor of his father's death. In his culture, 40 days after a loved one's death, friends give you white cloth to make new garments to signify the end of mourning. A group of people chipped in money to pay for the fabric and a portion of my time.<br />
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I used <a href="http://kwiksew.mccall.com/k3662-products-20198.php?page_id=3344&search_control=display&list=search" target="_blank">Kwik Sew 3662</a>. It's looking a little rumply there on the hanger, but I think it just needs a good press. I need the fellow this is made for to drop by so I can feel better about the button placement. And check out this:<br />
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My first real attempt at double welt pockets! Not too shabby, though I can see that they are a little puckery.<br />
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In addition to these items, I also spent a chunk of time in February altering a nightgown for a friend and making five fabric flowers for folks in her wedding. These were more time consuming than I assumed they would be, but they turned out quite charming.<br />
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The tablecloth skirt is a pretty simple creation to begin with and since I already planned to complicate things by trying to line it, I didn't want to make it even more complex by adding a zipper and waistband, so I used elastic inside an added casing.<br />
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The material is a stretch rayon-linen. Not the easiest stuff to work with, given the stretch, but it is heavy and I thought it would drape nicely. For this skirt I used a 50-inch square of fabric plus four rectangles that were 15" x 50". I cut a hole in the middle of the square that was 2" larger in circumference than my hips. Now, I am not a tall person. I am short - 5'4" on a day with good posture. This skirt was so long that to hem it, I folded up one inch, pressed it, turned it up another two inches, pressed it and stitched it. And it's still crazy long. Obviously, I could have used a smaller square to begin with.<br />
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Initially, I tried underlining the square with Bemberg as a means of lining the skirt. For some reason that I don't remember clearly now, this didn't work. I am thinking it had to do with the stretch in the outer fabric. In theory, this would be a good way to manage lining this skirt so it doesn't stick to tights. I ended up cutting a square of Bemberg with a hole out of the middle. The lining square was as wide as my lining fabric (60"-ish?), so I pinked the two raw edges rather than hemming them. I matched up the holes and attached the casing to both the skirt and the lining.<br />
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You can see this makes for an odd lining. I will probably trim away those points with my pinking shears one of these days. <br />
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The non-roll elastic I bought (packaged from Fabricland) is so super stretchy, that I had to make it ridiculously smaller than my waist size so that it would hold up the weight of the skirt. Unfortunately, immediately upon finishing the skirt, I put it
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nice. I think it was a combination of the elastic waist and the heavy fabric. I wore it once and was terribly frustrated, so I hung it in my closet and tried to forget about how much fabric I used on an unflattering skirt.<br />
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A week or two later I had to chair a meeting at my daughter's preschool. I like to dress a little bit nicer than my usual jeans and t-shirt for these meetings, so I pulled out the skirt and paired it with a jeans jacket that would hide the bulky waist. To my surprise, the waistline was no longer bulky! Everything hung nicely. Hooray for gravity (and the Magic Closet)! The skirt is still entirely too long for dealing with stairs or sitting in a rolling chair, but otherwise it is very functional.<br />
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When I make this skirt again, I hope to remember to use a smaller square of non-stretch woven, underline the square before I cut out the circle, and go to the effort to make an actual waistband, as this would reduce the bulk further.neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-27731782087648373862012-03-08T12:23:00.000-08:002012-03-08T12:23:52.124-08:00Kid PajamasI happened to find this really lovely striped cotton interlock for cheap (maybe $4.99 a metre?) at Dressew back in the fall and I bought a bunch of it to make kid pajamas. I use Kwik Sew 3234 just like <a href="http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com/2012/03/second-pair-of-jammies.html" target="_blank">Dawn</a> does. Peter needed PJs most, so I made two sets for him and one for each of the girls. Clara, of course, wanted a nightgown. My pattern for this was originally based on a Jalie pattern, but at this point it's been slashed and spread and a different sleeve added, etc, so now it's pretty much my own pattern. Sorry there's no clear picture of the nightgown...<br />
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Here are the green and blue striped PJs:<br />
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I too add a loop of twill tape to the backs of my kid garments. But since there were similar looking garments in different sizes, I stitched the first initial onto the loop.<br />
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Cozy for bedtime reading!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-djlthPQtE0I/T1j-3Ns_KkI/AAAAAAAAGfM/akCHozPwmak/s1600/P1020670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-djlthPQtE0I/T1j-3Ns_KkI/AAAAAAAAGfM/akCHozPwmak/s640/P1020670.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I used the serger I borrowed for constructing these PJs. I have to say I was less than impressed at the strength of the seams. Maybe I had the tension set wrong or something. Anyway, I think at this point I am happier with my zigzag machine even though it means that I have to go over every seam twice (once with very narrow zigzag to stitch the seam and once with the triple-step zigzag to secure the seam allowances).neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-77443483261100965892012-02-13T23:15:00.000-08:002012-02-13T23:15:55.905-08:00Handmade DavidClaudine posted her <a href="http://couturearts.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/handmade-bernie/" target="_blank">Handmade Bernie</a> and Robin at <a href="http://alittlesewing.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">a little sewing</a> posted a Handmade Howie, but has since taken it down. And because it's been a while since I posted (lack of photos, yada, yada), I thought I would make a Handmade David...<br />
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<i>(and if you don't get the joke, check out the <a href="http://handmaderyangosling.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Handmade Ryan Gosling tumblr</a>.)</i>neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-7214571253096591342012-01-11T14:15:00.000-08:002012-01-11T14:15:55.594-08:00Utility Sewing - Ironing Board CoverHello Friends,<br />
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After I cleaned up my sewing space, I had that one bin that was so full of fabrics it wouldn't close, remember? Well, down in the depths of that bin were two lengths of spongy boiled wool that I had bought on clearance to use as padding for a replacement ironing board cover. See, my old cover was just something I bought who knows how many years ago (before marriage? after?) and was not only ugly, but had these wrinkles that would transfer to my material particularly when I was fusing interfacing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O04a3dVZ09Q/TwyTgeX0DzI/AAAAAAAAGZg/UwLM_Y5VDj8/s1600/P1000341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O04a3dVZ09Q/TwyTgeX0DzI/AAAAAAAAGZg/UwLM_Y5VDj8/s320/P1000341.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do NOT recommend the iron pictured for sewing. It has an automatic shutoff that is so sensitive, you can't fuse interfacing without the iron shutting off. It went right back to the store.</td></tr>
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See those wrinkles? They were a pain - literally as well as figuratively. If I was pressing anything fine or detailed like a very narrow hem on a handkerchief, the wrinkles made channels for the steam to shoot out and burn my fingers! Yeeouch!<br />
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But now they are gone. Behold my new cover!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xP6eNMsUFzQ/TwTSvfDxfpI/AAAAAAAAGYQ/7QwF-vE_3lw/s1600/P1020616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xP6eNMsUFzQ/TwTSvfDxfpI/AAAAAAAAGYQ/7QwF-vE_3lw/s640/P1020616.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Granted, it isn't beautiful. The top is made from two layers of a pale pink duvet that was given to me by a friend. I kept hoping to find a cheap 100% cotton fabric with a large check to use for a cover, but this seems to be the holy grail of utilitarian fabric purchases. So, I ended up giving up the check in favour of cheap (free) cotton. And really, in the end, the check might have driven me crazy if it was pulled a little off-grain, so it's probably a good thing I went with the solid.<br />
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I have no great words of wisdom for you if you want to recover your own ironing board. There are only about a gajillion tutorials out there. My new cover has five layers of wool and two layers of cotton (it was quite thin). The cotton has double fold bias tape stitched on to the edge with elastic within. Here's a shot of the underside:<br />
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Part of my goal with this project was to use only materials I had on hand. So this means that my bias tape and elastic are quite narrow. The narrow elastic doesn't quite have as much oomph as a wider one might, so I pinned pieces of remnant elastic across the underside to hold it tighter. It works.<br />
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And the best thing is, the fabric bin can close with room to spare!neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-14172564600935027682012-01-07T21:41:00.000-08:002012-01-07T21:42:47.606-08:00Tartan DressHello All! I hope you all have made it nicely through the Christmas Season and into the New Year with relatively few scrapes and bangs. I thought I would post about a piece of fabric that haunted me for months until I bought it and then only took a week to transform it into a dress (And then only two months to blog about it!)<br />
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But before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you this story... (my apologies to <a href="http://www.pilkey.com/meet-dav.php" target="_blank">Dav Pilkey</a>)<br />
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Once upon a time there was a little girl who attended grades 1 through 4 at a tiny private school in her hometown. The school required uniforms - and not dress codes masquerading as uniforms, but actual, honest-to-God uniforms - that required a special trip to the industrial section of Portland to the uniform shop. The little girl's uniform consisted of a plaid jumper with a pleated skirt, a white blouse with a Peter Pan collar, and a red cardigan. All items contained a significant amount of polyester (for sturdiness and washability, I imagine) and were relatively comfortable, but the jumper was both a source of pleasure and pain for the little girl.<br />
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The little girl was pained by the jumper, because it was breezy and it showed off undergarments. The little girl had accompanied her mother to the uniform store and knew that plaid slacks were available. But alas, the school board (or whoever made the decisions) was not amenable to the idea. The undergarment issue was solved by wearing summer shorts underneath.<br />
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But the plaid of the jumper was a source of pleasure to the little girl. Countless hours were spent admiring the lines of colour intersecting, blending, and making new colours. The geometry was symmetrical, which pleased the girl's mathematical side a great deal. Over time the girl grew to love plaids - particularly even plaids - they spoke to her of order, neatness, and class.<br />
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Flash forward nearly 30 years and the girl - now grown with small creatures of her own - is waiting in line at a large fabric store, standing near a remnant bin. Something catches her eye. It is the plaid from her childhood! She picks up the carefully rolled and labeled fabric. The plaid is a bit larger in scale and certainly without polyester content, but the same plaid, nonetheless. Unfortunately, even at 50% off the original price, the remnant is far outside the woman's price range.<br />
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Over the next five or six months, the woman makes two or three more visits to this particular fabric store and each time, she lovingly picks up the remnant, places it in her basket, and carries it around the store. But also, each time, when she heads to the cash register, she sadly returns the fabric to the remnant bin. It is just too expensive and the wool is perhaps too high-maintenance for her lifestyle.<br />
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But! On her next trip, the fabric is still there and the store is having a remnant bin sale - buy one remnant get another remnant free! Luckily, there is a thin pinstriped fabric also calling the woman's name. The purchase is made and within a week, the plaid is transformed from flat fabric into a simple dress. No pleats this time as there isn't enough fabric.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SaOde8VYQAo/TwTZQ7RBl2I/AAAAAAAAGYg/eblfPpKJfwY/s1600/P1020634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SaOde8VYQAo/TwTZQ7RBl2I/AAAAAAAAGYg/eblfPpKJfwY/s640/P1020634.JPG" width="336" /></a></div>
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Truly, I am far more happy with this dress than I appear to be. This was photographed on its fourth or fifth wearing and I can see that the wool has loosened up in spots. The first time I wore the dress without a shirt underneath and with a sheer black wrap, black hose, and black heeled oxfords to go to a fundraising dinner. Daily wear sees it more like this: white-ish turtleneck sweater, leggings and boots (here the boots have been replaced with my slippers - it's a sewing blog, not a style blog, after all).<br />
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Here you can see the store-bought piping I used. I would have made my own, but time was running out. I like to make my own because I can control the amount of seam allowance on the piping. As it was I forgot that the two seam allowances were not the same and thus the straps are a bit wider than I'd like. But, that's a small thing and not worth taking the entire dress apart.</div>
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This photo of the back does show me that I need to put a hook and eye or loop and button at the top of the zipper. </div>
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And here I shamelessly show off my plaid matching skills. Not that it was difficult. Since my body requires little to no waist shaping, matching plaid across a princess seamed dress simply takes a little time and a forgiving fabric.<br />
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I did line the dress in Bemberg rayon in a green that matches almost exactly.<br />
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It's such a comfortable dress to wear - light but warm. I am so thrilled the fabric waited for me.<br />
<br />neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-2631495514882582182011-12-29T23:58:00.000-08:002011-12-29T23:58:18.882-08:00My Sewing Mess -or- Shout Out to Karen!Hello Friends,<br />
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Recently, Karen of <a href="http://sewingbytheseatofmypants.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sewing by the Seat of My Pants</a> posted about the, erm, <a href="http://sewingbytheseatofmypants.blogspot.com/2011/12/thousand-words.html" target="_blank">tremendously cluttered state</a> of her workroom. I thought I would attempt to stand in solidarity with her. Here are a few before and after photos of my sewing space.<br />
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Here I have attempted to label all of the interesting and not-so-interesting clutter. I was totally at my limit trying to organize this space and get the fabric to fit neatly into my bins. You see them below blocking the doorways. They usually live in a closet off our daughters' room, but I had dragged them out so things could be put away.<br />
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My worst enemy are my remnants. In my mind a scrap is something smaller than my hand, but a remnant is larger. I have no good system for keeping them tidy. I know that fabric remnants can be terribly useful with crafty sewing, but they drive me crazy. As I have gained more experience with sewing, I have become more of a fabric snob, so getting rid of some of the fabrics was easy. But the cottons and the wools and the lining and the fleece... I finally had to hand my husband a bag of possibly useful scraps and tell him to just stick them in some bin. I just couldn't make any more organizational decisions!<br />
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I kept at it, with David sitting at the kids' art table working at his lap top and playing upbeat music. Slowly, everything found a home (or its way into the fabric recycling bin). Look! I can actually access my BurdaStyle and Threads collections without knocking over other pattern books or bike locks or anything else:<br />
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And there are no bags of fabric on the floor. Here is the proud stack of bins:<br />
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The blue plastic Ikea bag holds foam and stuffing. Below it is the uncloseable bin of large pieces of thick fabric, then craft sale/Etsy materials, and finally a bin of home dec, vinyl, and quilting cottons. The shorter stack is topped by a white plastic bag holding the materials for my Cruella DeVil fake fur coat, underneath this is a bin of lighter weight fabric <i>(which is far heavier than anyone ever anticipates)</i>, and finally a bin with fake fur and batting.<br />
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The good news is that I was inspired to whittle down the uncloseable bin and now it can close with plenty of room to spare <i>(blog posts forthcoming)</i>. The bad news is that my sewing space is getting a little ridiculous again - so much so that I am avoiding being in there. The never-ending cycle begins again...<br />
<br />neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515198.post-7004456698173947192011-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:002011-12-24T11:53:04.892-08:00Sham's Tablecloth SkirtAnother moment of planets aligning! Toward the end of November, I was given the task of making seven "simple" skirts for a group of girls to wear in a presentation at our church. I agreed to do it even though I am not thrilled with the thought of making seven of anything, but then I was given the fabric and nearly fainted. Polyester organza, people. Just about my least favourite. And the girls who were to wear the skirts are roughly 10 or 11 years old <i>(larger than any of the child models I have running around my house)</i> and not at all the same size. Ack! This project went from simple to not-so-simple in the blink of an eye.<br />
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Then I stumbled across <a href="http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/2011/11/self-drafted-tablecloth-skirt-with.html" target="_blank">Sham's Tablecloth Skirt tutorial</a>. Actually, I think I followed a link to it from <a href="http://blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com/2011/11/shams-tablecloth-skirt.html" target="_blank">Myrna's blog</a>. Anyway, the simplicity of the rectangles appealed to me and my loathing of laying poly organza out for cutting. I asked a friend if I could borrow her serger, which I thought would make the process easier. This was my first time using a serger and I did appreciate not having to finish the seams.<br />
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Here is one of the finished skirts backstage. I couldn't get a decent shot of all eight on stage together. As it turned out, I ended up making eight skirts. There were two skirts made from pink squares, two from navy blue squares, two from forest green squares, and two from light blue squares. The pink fabric shredded when you looked at it funny <i>(certainly when young people are struggling into their clothing during a quick scene change)</i>, so there were repairs that needed to be made after the first rehearsal to the ones with pink. I used a very wide black elastic for the waistbands, which helped them to blend in with the black t-shirts and pants the kids wear during the performances.<br />
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The girls loved their skirts and so did the director. They were easy to make - so easy that I didn't bat an eye over making an eighth one the night before the opening performance.<br />
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I've actually torn the fabric to make myself one of these skirts. Mine will be a linen-rayon-lycra blend.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RT4WxwNsV4c/TvYrv6tdWCI/AAAAAAAAGQQ/Vtgcx5BnSJQ/s1600/P1020600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RT4WxwNsV4c/TvYrv6tdWCI/AAAAAAAAGQQ/Vtgcx5BnSJQ/s400/P1020600.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is the serger I have borrowed. It's a Pfaff Hobbylock 2.0. I made a few other things with it (posts forthcoming) and have enjoyed having it around, but I am ready to send it back.<br />
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<br />neighbourhood.galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312982850571575165noreply@blogger.com0