Questions, answers and the beginnings of a LOUD Jacket...

Debbie Cook posted some questions/answers on her blog apparently pertaining to a discussion over on Pattern Review.  I haven't been spending much time on the boards, so this one has gotten by me, but I thought I'd answer Debbie's questions, too...if for no other reason than I would please myself by putting up posts two days in a row... ;-)


1. Do you cut with your fabric RS out or WS out? 

Depends.  If it's more stable one way or the other, I'll cut it that way.  Sometimes you don't have a choice...witness the project that I spent most of the day yesterday cutting out:

It will be a McCall's 5191 jacket; that print is so big that I thought I should pay attention to placement and ended up doing my best to match it at the most obvious seams.  I know I made a boo boo at least one spot...hoping it's not horrible.  A near match is worse than a total mismatch...  anyway, that fabric had to be cut right side up.  One piece at a time.

2. How do you make your pattern markings?

I have two basic methods...tailors tacks for interior marks and snips for notches/dots on the seam line.  On rare occasions I will pull out the tracing paper and spikey wheel when those two things are  not sufficient.

3. Do you follow the cutting layout in patterns?

Why?  There's enough info on the pattern pieces to lay them out...and, normally I'm using stashed fabric which will be either more or less than stated on the envelope anyway.  You do what ya gotta do.  That McCall's layout certainly looked nothing like that photo...

4. Are you obsessed with re-folding your pattern tissue on or very close to the original fold lines?
Oh, yeah.  But I trace all my patterns and then put the sheets back in the envelopes uncut.  Well, actually, most of them don't go back in the envelope; they go in the zipper portion of those special pattern-keeper bags that I can't find at Nancy's Notions at the moment.  The envelope, instructions and traced pieces go in the front pocket of the bag.

5. I thought of one more ... Do you make all the markings? 

Nope.  Just the ones I reasonably expect I'll need.  Button/button holes are NEVER marked; I mark that placement after the garment is constructed based on my own anatomical requirements...i.e., there must be a button/buttonhole at the full bust level.  Which I guarantee you will not be where one is marked on the pattern.

Also...if you don't mark button/button hole on a sleeve cuff, you don't have to worry about that little notch that tells you which end of the cuff goes where.   Just put the cuff on and then mark your buttonholes on the correct side and sew the buttons correspondingly.


And, yes, that jacket is going to be purple and lime green, which are the choir colors for this month.  I ordered it early in the summer, before I knew I would be sitting out of choir a bit.  I *may* be back by the end of the month (since there are 5 Sundays in September this year) and it was on the top of the pile...; -)

I also cut out another Simplicity 2599 shell top, this one from lime green rayon challis that actually belonged to the Princess.  She left it behind when she moved out, and when I asked her if she had plans for it (seeing as how it IS the green for choir this month) she told me to have at it.  This will be the 3rd iteration of that top...the review picture looks pretty awful, and I've already sent that version on to Goodwill.  But if this one actually fits well, I'll update the review.

Which happens to be my most recent review and is almost exactly a year old. The little sewing I've been doing for the past year has all been TNT's.  Just haven't tried anything new.  For a year.  Sad.