Maybe it's not just me...

I have had a very  common experience when making banded-collar shirts.

If you'll excuse the blurry photos, I can show easier than I can explain:
The collar wraps so far around that it overlaps when the band button is done up.

Of course, I will never wear it done up, but it's annoying just the same


Since I was doing laundry today, I had one of my hubby's RTW shirts handy, to photograph for contrast.
Not only do the front collars not overlap, there is a substantial gap between them.  


For years and years, I have assumed it's because I'm such a mediocre seamstress that I just can't get the collars right.

But I'm coming to a different conclusion now.

I think the drafts are bad.

You'd think I would have figured this out by now, and started walking that seam to make sure it's going to work.

I will be pulling that pattern out and giving that a good check before I write the review.

But first I have to pick out about 4 buttonholes.

The 'this ought to be a good idea'  buttonhole foot.

You put your button in the little space at the back and it automatically makes a buttonhole to fit it.

Except it makes a buttonhole that's a bit too big, so I actually have to use a button that is slightly smaller than my intended button in order to get one the right size.
I made buttonholes in the neckband and sleeve cuffs, then tried it on to mark the rest of the buttonholes on the band.  Well, actually to just mark the button that goes at the full bust, since that 's the one spot that there Must Be A Button.  Then I marked off the rest of the buttons from that.

And I thought that those buttonholes looked awfully big...but I hadn't moved anything so I just shook my head and kept going.

I had to refill the bobbin...that's when I noticed that somehow the little slider that holds the button in place on the foot had gotten jostled or somesuch thing and was not holding the button securely.

So it was making buttonholes about 1/8" too long.

Sigh.

Choir Wardrobe...February 1st. Already.

One month down in 2015.  Staggering.

But February is the EASY choir month...black and white.  Which means I can pull any number of things out of the closet. 

Today I found clean in my closet: 

The Vogue 8305 Drapey Cardigan, in soft drapey shape-shifting  rayon/lycra jersey,   very stout cotton/lycra blend knit done up in   Burda Magazine's Boat Neck top from Feb 2010 .  That black and white stripe actually has a hint of gold Lurex outlining the stripes.  Nothing major, just a hint, and I didn't know it was there when I ordered the fabric.  I think I have about a yard left; I need to make myself a shell top out of it.  Cause it's just that cool.

Black Lee straight leg jeans that are really looking more charcoal gray these days.  I've heard of folks overdying faded jeans...I may give it a go sometime.

I fought with the unblocker this afternoon and managed to watch the recap of the 2014 Great British Sewing Bee.  The folks who were in that group of sewing enthusiasts were just charming. 

I think I'll go spend an hour or two in my sewing room tonight. ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 01 25 15

AND...the number one compliment of the day was for the straight hair.  I replaced the flat iron I broke two weeks ago and am finally kinda getting the hang of using the thing.  Not sure I want to do it all the time, but it is nice that I can do it the day before and it will still look good...so I don't have to wash it again in the morning and leave the house with damp hair. 

Options are good.

Last Sunday for royal blue and black; I fudged a bit and wore a Today's Fit/ Vogue 8043  jacket made up in Fall Sky Tweed offered by Nancy Erickson about 10 years ago,  which has a good bit more white than black, but it blends well so I got away with it. ;-).  Repeated the royal blue bamboo jersey Burda Style funnel-neck top that I still haven't reviewed; I think the pattern was in the Sept. 2009 issue but I won't swear to it.

At-the-waist Coldwater jeans, since the jacket is short.

And an actual matched pair of shoes. ;-)

Working on the SWAP

Justa little.

I have finished the muslin for the black denim jacket; actually, it's not too bad, aside from the bit that's really bad...

Here's the OOP pattern...

 I don't remember when or where I got this; but it's been in my cabinet for ages.  I really like the little pleated back peplum and have thought it would make a great denim jacket.  When I went digging through the stash for a suitable pattern for the black denim from Miriam, this one came out on top of the stack.

The shoulder looked wide and the armsceye low, though.  But, hey, it's an illustration.  The actual pattern, once made up, might not fit quite like that, right?


Well, maybe if it was a Big 4 pattern.  In this case, I believe the artist was spot on.... (Pardon the awkward bathroom selfies...)

Yup.  That combo of wide shoulder and deep armsceye means I can't lift my arms.  But it seems to fit well otherwise, so I'm going to go back to the table and 1)raise the armceye at least 1.5" and 2)tip it 1" back into the shoulder. 1".  There was excessive ease in the sleeve cap; I trimmed the front of the cap a bit (There was 1" too much ease in the front, 1/2" too much in the back) to get the muslin to work; I'll reshape the sleeve once I see how big the resulting armsceye is.

I think the bagginess in the back is due to the lightweight muslin clinging to the t shirt underneath...I didn't notice that going on when I did the mirror over the shoulder look...we'll see if sturdy denim does better. So much bagginess from the shoulders; it's hard to tell what will be left once that's gone.  It will be as good as RTW in any case, probably better....

And, for an update on my Hubby's job situation...he started a new job today.  Pretty amazing events...the story is over on the faith blog, if you're interested.  Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement!

Choir Wardrobe 1/18/15

This is another one of those times when talking about what I wore is just...pitiful.

We had a leadership conference at church this weekend; our speaker was Wellington Boone.  He also spoke for all three church services yesterday AND a special Sunday night service last night, which lasted 4 hours and capped off 8 days of prayer and fasting.

I can't begin to tell you what this weekend has done in my spirit.  Phenomenal word and paradigm shifting.

But.  Sewing blog and all.  January colors are royal blue and black; I pulled out one of my favorite shirts ever...the silk dupioni Sewing Workshop Chopin Blouse, put it over jeans and called it good.  Kinda tricky to put on the leadership badge w/no top layer, but I just ducked into the bathroom when I needed to put it on after choir, or take it off before we went up on the platform at the start of each service (no choir for the evening service...just the on-mike team).  Awkward but do-able. 

I've finished the first muslin for the potential black denim jacket pattern; I need to rework the shoulders but I think I like the overall style.  Photos tomorrow.  Hopefully.

Meantime, I'm still processing the weekend...probably will post more to the faith blog later...

Can't I just buy something?

There are a lot of my fellow sewing bloggers who are determining to go a whole year without purchasing any  Ready to Wear (RTW) clothing...committing to making every new garment that goes into the closet this year.

I think that's terrific.  But I'm not going to do that.

In fact, I'm trying to go the OTHER way...give myself permission to actually buy a RTW garment from time to time.

After years of making most of the clothes I own, that's a hard one.

Oh, I don't have a problem buying things like blue jeans or sweaters.  But stuff that's easy to make, or at all fitted...I just can't get myself to do it.

But, I want to change my paradigm from 'I have to make all my clothes' to 'I choose to make some lovely clothes', so instead of just looking at the pretty clothes online for inspiration, I've actually started clicking through to look at them as possibilities. 

Man, y'all. Clothes that are anything close to well made (and some that aren't) are expensive.

Scarves?  I cannot fathom paying $450 for a scarf.  Sure, it's pretty and a work of art and all, but one bad dribble at lunch... because I know I'll forget to take it off to eat...and, oy.  I have a scarf with a small hole in it because the first time I wore it, it got a chinese noodle drip.  Off to the dry cleaners, where they...I kid you not...put one of those plastic tag ties through it.  And, as if that wasn't bad enough, when I snipped the thing off at home, the tie rolled a bit and pulled a bit of the fabric up into the scissors.  So the little snaggy hole has an actual teeny oval cut right next to it. 

Nope.  Not paying more than $50 for a scarf.

Today I looked through the offerings of one particular upscale label on the Nordstrom site, found a pretty shirt-tail sweater...and then noticed that the curved bits on the hem rolled to the outside.  Or tried to, rather, and ended up just winging out. 

Any of us could've thrown it in the bin in frustration for an issue like that.  But there it was, offered for $127.  On sale.

I decided to try a service that sends a box of goodies to you for $20 after you fill out a size/style questionnaire.  The idea is that you look through the offerings and send back what you don't like.  The $20 is applied to the purchase price, and if you get everything in the box (5 items),  there's another discount.

It was kinda fun, I'll admit.  The box arrived yesterday and I had one hour before I had to leave the house so I thought I'd see what they sent.

A black knit dress...cute, but too small.  Had a stiff elastic cinched waist that would only look good on someone who actually HAS a waistline.  Not a pudgy post menopausal lady like me.  So I obviously would not be keeping the whole box.

There was a silver cuff bracelet.  Whoops, I should've checked 'Bracelets' under the 'don't send' header...they annoy the stew outta me when I'm typing on a key board, which is pretty much what I do all day.

There was a pullover sweater w/ a kangaroo pocket and a hood.  Taupe and white.  The color was a bit odd, and the sweater was just tight enough that the V-neckline...which plunged low enough that a cami underlayer would be a necessity...rippled and gaped and looked stretched out.  It wasn't, but...1/2" more girth on it and it might've been a keeper.

There was a pair of boyfriend jeans.  The cut on those was really, really cute; the length was spot on and the denim was butter soft.  But they had distress lines on them...and I am NOT a fan of the artificial distressed look...and they were just a hair too big.  I could actually pull them off and on without undoing the button/zipper.  Having lost 5ish pounds in the last month or so, and hoping that more will follow, I wasn't sure what to do with them.

The final garment was a burgundy blouse.  Pretty color, and burgundy is an annual color for the choir wardrobe in November. It had an interesting neckline w/ plether trim and the cut was good; the shoulders and bust actually fit pretty well.  But it was a poly crepe blouse (I had requested no polyester) and the sleeves were 2" too long.  But maybe I could move the button and cinch the cuff a bit....

Then I looked at the prices.  The dress and the bracelet, which were for sure going back, were $78 and $30, respectively.  The hooded sweater, which I was pretty sure was going back, was also $78.  The burgundy blouse was $68 and the jeans blew my mind at $128.  About twice as much as I have ever spent on a pair of jeans.

 Now, if any of those things had been truly wonderful I believe I would've paid the stated price for them and added something new and different to the wardrobe.  I might even have gotten the jeans if they'd been a hair snug instead of a hair loose.  If they had also been a good dark wash I probably would've gotten them. If the blouse had been rayon instead of polyester, I might've gotten that.  If the sweater had just been a pinch bigger around, or been more definitely either brown or gray, I might've kept that as well.  Aside from the two that didn't work at all, it was a box of near misses.

So, I ate the $20 deposit and sent it all back.  Left feedback so that if I decide to try again they have a little more data to work with.


And it occurred to me that the things that bugged me, bugged me because I sew.  My standards may be impossibly  high.

Back to the sewing room. ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 1/11/15

...The goofball edition.

At first glance, there's nothing really wrong with today's outfit...modified Loes Hinse Oxford Pants, a funnel-neck top from Burda magazine...Sept 2009, I think, but I somehow didn't ever get a review written...and the Vogue 8305 drapey cardigan.





But look close.  Look real close.







You know you were distracted when you got dressed in the morning when you look down and see this:

The funny thing is that I didn't even notice until almost the end of 3rd service today.  I was trying to make up my mind which shoes to wear...the sturdy cushy shoes or the cute shoes...and apparently got sidetracked before I made up my mind. 

Looking back...

2014 Stats:

Fabric In: 89.625 yds
Fabric Out: 36.875 yds
Last fabric added: 12/10/14
Garments made for me: 15
Garments made for other family members: 1
Muslins:  2
Misc. Church Sewing:
1 Girls Only Grad stole
Mystery Christmas gifts: yes. ;-) (actually, a set of waterbed sheets.  7 yards out...)

Truly abysmal...I bought nearly 90 yards, but did not get quite 40 sewn.

The one true, redeeming factor for the year is that

I MADE AN EPIC TRENCH COAT!

I will totally absolve myself of all quantity issues...that represents 3 months of sewing and I've worn it and worn it this fall.

Wiping the stats and starting over for the year now.

I've already resisted a couple of tempting sales...just because, really, I don't need anything at the moment.  I need to sew what I already own.

I really want to do a SWAP wardrobe this year...and my plan includes several garments that were in *last* year's plan.  But we're going to be launching a new data base application for an affiliate ministry in the next few months, so once again, sewing time may be hard to come by.

But I'ma gonna try. ;-)

Work Wear 14

Sigh.  I'm never really happy with the 'jump in front of the camera on a timer' photos, but, well, ya do what ya gotta do.

Actually wore the fuzzy cut-from-a-panel vest to work today; styled up with a RTW sweater and black jeans in boots it kinda sorta worked and I got a ton of compliments.   It does look better in person than in that photo.

I actually was considering cutting away the fuzzy edging and binding it, but every single person I mentioned that to vetoed the idea.

So,well, I guess I'll keep it.

If I'm doing caveman chic, I might as well do it all the way. ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 1/4/15

2015.  Can. NOT. Fathom. It.

But...ready or not, it's here...and our January colors of royal blue and black are pretty much repeated from Januaries past...which makes me happy, since royal blue is my Favorite Color In The Whole World.

I had a rather inexperienced photographer today; I didn't realize my scarf was so uneven and she didn't know enough to tell me.  But it's ok...you get the idea.  Lee jeans and a Lands' End sweater shell, under a blue wool flannel Silhouette Patterns Robin's Jacket...with the aforementioned scarf, which was pieced together from remnants.  



I did get one sewing related Christmas present...Edna Mode is probably my favorite Pixar character.  We have a little half wall, which is slowly being taken over by the talking Hallmark Ornaments that really have nothing to do with Christmas and just stay up year-round.  We  have 3 or 4 Muppet ornaments (Two of them belong to The Actor...), a Star Trek ornament w/ Captain Kirk up to his armpits in tribbles, and now...Edna.

She makes me smile.

You have my attention, darling.  Now speak before you lose it.

Happy New Year!

Choir Wardrobe: Last 2014 post...

Being as we'll be absent from choir next week, this is the last choir wardrobe post for 2014.  Seems kinda hard to believe...this year has gone by so fast.  Almost scary fast....

But today was the uber festive day; we arranged the choir around a large fresh cut fir tree that smelled SO GOOD...took me back to the days of my childhood, when that sharp scent was a true harbinger of Christmas.  I managed to stand next to the tree, just so I could inhale. ;-)

Sigh...today's ensemble was all stuff that fit way better ten pounds ago, but, well, I kept moving so it really didn't matter. ;-).

Silhouette Pattern's Robin's Jacket, made from a wool/lurex blend that I got from Nancy Erickson several years ago and made up almost immediately (relatively speaking; it got made in the same calendar year I bought it...) specifically to wear for choir in December.

I have on a black rayon/lycra turtleneck and, I'll be honest...I can't for the life of me remember what pattern I used on it.  It's probably at least 5 years old...As are the black wool Oxford Pants.  Column dressing at its best.

And, while I had on the nice black column, I thought I'd get a quick photo of the latest project:  the cut-and-wear vest.

When we last left our heroine, she was trying to decide the best way to discourage the knit from following its natural tendencies and curling like the tail of a whipped puppy.  Ultimately, I rolled the fuzzy borders to the outside and handstitched them down.  That helped stabilize the edge a bit...didn't do the trick entirely, but it did help.  I also ended up doing the same thing to the armholes; I tried it on w/just the raw edges and, not only did it look unfinished, but the cut edges wanted to spread.  Not good.  So I also rolled and stitched the armholes.

The Flute Player, home from the internship for the holiday break, asked me what I was making.

I replied that it would either be a funky fuzzy vest or something that looked like cave man attire.

I think if I styled it right...I might get away with funky fuzzy vest... ;-)

Family Photo Season

One good thing about the end of the year...everyone seems to be a little more willing to be photographed.  It's sort of expected that there will be Family Pictures Taken. 


The first picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day, after the pecan pie evaporated.  It's hard to believe those sweet kids have grown up into these awesome adult people....or that it happened so incredibly fast...

 

 

 

 

 

Picture two was the Christmas Letter Photo... these are the ones who are still at home. 

The holiday season is a great time of year, if for no other reason than I  get to hang out with these folks a little more than usual.

Choir Wardrobe 12 14 14

I admit.  The pants are a repeat from last  week, the never-yet reviewed Jalie Classic Women's Trousers, in that perfect for the month red/gray pinstripe on black.  Coldwater Creek boat  neck sweater shell and my TNT Jalie Pleated Cardigan, with a drapey modification to the back. 

And the red shoes.  Of course.  Because I can. ;-)

Sheepish admission...fabric in...

Trying really, really hard to curtail my purchases.  Not only am I becoming more and more reluctant to add to the fabric stash, but, well, the financial future is a little iffy, although My Sweet Babboo has some very solid job leads developing and we're hopeful that he'll transition to another company in the area.  But, well, temptation crossed my path and I succumbed.

I came across an interesting piece of fabric at Fabric Mart...at first glance, it wasn't much, but they had a picture of it on one of their employees and I thought, 'Now, THAT'S different...'

 It was sold by the panel...knitted wool blend.  It's way fuzzier on the reverse side than I expected, almost fleec-y.  And there must not have been much of a margin between the panels, I'm not sure it isn't cut just slightly into the circle on one side.

But ....according to the website, all you  have to do is cut around the border on the outer edge and the inner holes and, bingo, it's a vest with a drapey collar!

But, looking at how the panel is curling, I think it's going to take a bit of effort to deter that.

I'm thinking I'll fold the fleecy band to the other side and hand stitch it down.  That should deter the curling on the outer edge; I might not need to do that for the arm holes. 

It will be very warm and funky...

And, while I was there, I also snagged a piece of cotton/lycra t-shirt jersey with a cool blue/white marbled print.  Been wanting some cozy long sleeved t shirts...that will be great.

But this *should* be the last fabric in of the year.

Maybe. ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 12/07/14

I got me a couple of new red shirts!

They are not perfect.  That's a post for another day.

But they are as good as RTW and they are DONE and IN THE CLOSET.

And I wore one today, since December's choir wardrobe is the very seasonally appropriate Black, Gray and Red.

Jalie 2566,  which I GOTTA write a T-shirt review for on of these days, kinda frankenpatterned  up because there is no long-sleeved T version in the envelope, made in a yummy warm and comfy bamboo jersey that's been in the stash a while, Ann's Cardigan from Sewing Workshop and the first out-of-the-envelope go of Jalie's classic boot cut pants, to which I added pockets that were about twice as deep as necessary, so that my keys are nearly banging the top of my kneecap. They're made of a poly/lycra suiting that came from the dollar table at Wal-Mart, back when the dollar table at Wal-mart actually had useable fabric on it.  I really don't like the fabric..it feels cold and heavy...but I LOVE the colors with the red and white pinstripes on black, so I keep wearing them...and I have never reviewed that pattern, either, since I haven't got it tweaked for perfection.

Not doin' jeans if I can help it this month...it is the Christmas season, after all.

And...red shoes, which should make me happy, but my photographer failed to indicate that I had one pants leg hung up on the shoe. 

Ah, well... ;-)

Christmas Rhyming...just for fun

I posted a rhyme on facebook, and then thought, what the heck, I'll put it up here, too.

Inspiration that hit as I was pulling our our polyglot assortment of Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree this year.  I thought it might be kinda fun to see if anyone who hung out at the house would actually try to find all the stuff; I might even procure a small prize.  Sort of like the Pickle Game, taken to another level.

I admit I bobbled the rhyme/meter just a bit in the verse about the angels.  But the rest fits my memory of those 'I Spy' books my kids had.

I challenged my facebook friends to write a similar rhyme about their tree.  But after a few days, I began to realize there may not be much response there...as I looked through the photos of my friends' Christmas trees, I realized mine is rather old-fashioned and out of date.  I mean, who puts lights and random ornaments on a tree anymore?  The standard seems to be a few sets of color-coordinated ornaments, net and ribbon, with a pouffy bow or floral arrangement or something at the top.
  
Something like this: (courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens)

 Or  this:

  Or this:

Not much to I SPY on any of those.  But the old fashioned tree at our house...yeah, there's some I SPY possibilities there...

So what kind of tree is at your house?  BH&G beauty, or kitschy old fashionedness?


 I SPY UPON THE CHRISTMAS TREE…
A dolly named Sue and the Grinch with a tree
Two turtledoves and a partridge with a pear
Four bristle-tail birds and a wild black bear

A horse pulling a sleigh, a swirly sea shell
A World War One Ace (twice!) and a green striped bell
Three young carolers and their shadow
The State of Indiana and Three bells in a row

Three horses that rock, Chuck and the Gang
Two street cars and A Ford Mustang
A sewing basket, a box with thread
A tree in a thimble and a quilt edged with red.

A cat with a hat and a red hair bow,
A dulcimer and a barn with silo
A tree full of candy from 2009
A bristly rabbit and a duck made from pine

An angel in a rosy dress,
One with golden wings
A crystal angel with a tree
And one with a book to sing

A mouse in a nutshell, two birds in a nest
Two tiny sheep under a star to rest
Wise men on camels, a pair of mittens
A butcher shop and two mischievous kittens

Two lamp posts and a red front door
A doll named Ann and a Santa by Shore
A holly necklace on a dove
A round-headed kid with a tree that needs love.

Ice skates on Santa and on a Snowman, too
A red-striped shirt and a shirt that is blue.
I’ve found all this and more on our Christmas tree
How many of these things can you also see?

Work Wear 13

It's the same dress as yesterday! :-)

Only...not the EXACT same dress.  Another Sewing Workshop Cityscapes dress made in slinky knit; this time topped with a wool jersey Pamela's Patterns 110 Draped Front Cardi.

The infinity scarf was a random purchase, just because I loved the colors in it.

 I wondered if anyone at work would notice that it was the same dress, but I don't think anyone did.  But then, I'm not sure the folks in the office really even saw me at church yesterday, so I guess it was a long shot anyway.

:-)

Choir Wardrobe 11/30/14

I think I've worn this dress on the Sunday after Thanksgiving every year since 2007.  A slinky knit dress with no waistline is the perfect cover for the indulgences of the holiday week... and the burgundy color is so spot on for November.

So I went Sewing Workshop today...the new Ann's Cardigan, and a very old Cityscapes dress.  In gray rayon jersey and burgundy slinky, respectively.

Hm.  Maybe I'll wear one of my other Cityscapes dresses tomorrow...would be comfy...

Me-made

I sat down when I got home and suddenly realized that my outfit for the day...Lee Jeans, Lands' End Turtleneck and cardigan from Coldwater...was totally from retail. Nothing me-made.   And I thought...wow,  that really is kinda unusual.

Then I realized, no, I'd worn the Epic Trench Coat over it all against the forecasted drop in temps. 

And the scarf I wore was a hemmed remnant.

I really do almost always have on at least one thing that I've made...

:-D

Choir Wardrobe 11/23/14

Bugundy, yellow and gray are the colors for November...and I'm back to old stuff.  

It's the Burda 3116 wool/lycra trousers again,  this time paired up with my burgundy/gray brocade Sewing Workshop Tribeca top, which is, um, 7 years old and surprises me that it still fits well enough to wear.  It does tend to be a little gappy if I don't stand straight, though, so I've got a gray Jalie 965 on under it, just for insurance purposes.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is Thursday??? 

Just in case I don't get another post up between now and then, I hope everyone has a wonderful day of family, friends, food and content reflection!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Why a fabric stash is a good thing...

...because you never know when the economic axe will catch you ....

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2014/11/boeing_layoffs_in_huntsville_t.html#incart_river

We've dodged that bullet for over 35 years...but this time My Sweet Babboo got caught out on the wrong project at the wrong time and was one of the 50.

So.  We shall see.

Choir Wardrobe 11 16 14

Hey, I finished a project...that wasn't just a t shirt...made from a recent purchase... in one week.

Woot!!!!

The skinny pants are Neue Mode 21670, made in 2002 from gray rayon/lycra double knit that would no doubt be labeled 'ponte' today.  They're old and fit much better when I was 20 lbs lighter, but,  hey, under the tunic no one can tell the pockets are gaping, right? ;-)

The tunic...well, it's supposed to be a dress...is Butterick 5244 and hot off the Janome. It's comfy and looks way better than I expected...it may turn into my Christmas day outfit. Who's to know the whole deal is just a glorified sweatsuit anyway, right? ;-)

If you click on the photo to look closer, there is a shadow on it that looks like I dribbled my water at lunch.  I didn't ...I've no idea what it is...but the camera battery died so that's the photo I'm stuck with today.

A couple of  hours later...Ok, I had to log back in because I wanted to share something...

This morning as we left for church, it was raining and about 42 degrees F.  I commented to My Sweet Babboo...'If this were last year, I'd really be wishing I'd have made that trench coat!...but it's THIS year, so I'm wearing the trench coat!'...and I reached into the closet and pulled it out.

I may not have tons of yards out, but having that trench in the 'Done' column is QUITE gratifying!

A Lot Has Changed in 26 Years...

(This probably should be two posts, but I don't want to break up the story.  Just be warned. ;-) )

You know, I don't even remember how I found out about Sew News magazine back in the late '80's.  I do remember that I decided to subscribe  as part of my 30th year 'time to grow up and get good at something' resolution.

So much came from that decision....

Sew News introduced me to the home serger...and I bought one.  Sew News introduced me to Fashion Fabrics Club, pre-internet when they were mail-order only, and I became a swatch subscriber and my fabric stash became a reality and then started growing.

Sew News introduced me to Threads Magazine, and I subscribed in 1991.

A few years later, after internet came to our house,  one of those sources mentioned Pattern Showcase...an online place to buy patterns produced by folks other than the Big 4.  I would read and re-read the pattern reviews listed there, delighted to  hear even indirectly from folks who were sewing garments and doing it really well and sharing the experience.

I bought a few patterns, inspired to try something new, and an email announcement of an upcoming live chat led me to Pattern Review .  A whole site for sewing enthusiasts!  I was in Hog Heaven.  I joined up in May of 2002, although a server crash updated the start date on my profile to August.  My first pattern review, the Sewing Workshop Hong Kong Vest, was review number 470 (I just checked; the most recent review listed as of this moment was number 105,262). 

Pattern Review opened a whole 'nuther level; I found Sewing World, which has since been replaced by Stitcher's Guild at Artisan's Square.  Online fabric shopping sites, Sewing Expos, special events...ohmigoodness, places I went,  the tools I acquired and the things I learned (and the fabric and pattern influx that has really only  recently begun to subside a bit...).

And, you know, it was via those discussion boards that I discovered blogging...and, ultimately started my own blog.

I can pretty much trace it all back to Sew News.

The irony is that, after a number of years of subscribing to both Sew News and Threads,  Sew News began to change to be more of a chatty ladies magazine with crafty DIY articles...and I let my subscription lapse.  Reupped  a few years later, to see if it had improved and...not so much.  So I didn't renew.

However, a couple of months ago I won a subscription from a giveaway on Rhonda Buss's blog and the first issue of my gift subscription arrived this week.  In a weird coincidence, this week I also stumbled upon a file box that contained articles I'd cut from Sew News back in the day and kept.

The very first article I cut out had a dress alteration that looked similar to this...a wide Ultra Suede midriff.  This is NOT that first article...not sure why I couldn't find that...but it is one of the oldest I have (The date on it is December 1988; I later found an article on using a serger to decorate a sweatshirt from August 1987).

Note the format change... Sew News was a newspaper-like product until 1991 or 1992.



I found the original instructions for an outfit I'd made for my older daughter in 1990; she wore out the leggings and I think I made another set, but by the time my younger daughter wore it the leggings were gone and she wore the top with jeans.  There are several Sew News - inspired outfits sprinkled through out our photo albums of those growing-up years.





















And...showing fashion repeats...from March, 1991, instructions for a lace top that would be right on trend today.  Maybe I should dig through those folders a little more...

And the new magazine?  Well, an early perusal is hopeful.  More sewing and less fluff than I remember.  I think I'm going to enjoy the subscription...Thanks so much, Rhonda!

9 Year Blogiversary Give Away

I threw the names of the 15 commentors (who did not specifically request not to be in the drawing) into a box, and My Sweet Babboo drew three names:  Here are the three winners:

So, Kris C., Rita (yes, with an 'i', just for clarity...) and Sew Ruthie... if you ladies could email your address to tig77LW at yahoo, I'll get your pattern pack off to you ASAP.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on the blog this week!  It's always fun to see who's actually reading it...sometimes I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself.

I'm already thinking about what I can do to celebrate ten years next fall... :-)

Sewing ADD

...what happens when plans are made, new projects are cut, bagged and in the queue...

And an off-the-wall inspiration sweeps through and suddenly another project shoulders its way to the front of the line.

Somewhere around the end of last week, I decided I had to use one of the pieces of burgundy double knit that I recently received from Fabric Mart and make a new something for choir this month.

The knit is actually double-sided, with black on the reverse, but for my purposes that didn't matter.

I settled on Butterick 5244, after much deliberation, intending to use the shorter length as a tunic.

The deciding factor was the pockets.  It has pockets.

So I cut it out Saturday and began the ol' ten minutes here, ten minutes there approach to construction.

The pockets are on.

They are ugly, if you look closely, but they're on.

I'm pretty much counting on the fact that it is very unlikely that any one is going to look at them closely.

Single welt pockets in a soft stretchy double knit.  What on EARTH was I thinking?

The directions are a little disaster-making, too, as there is no instruction to actually interface the dress in the pocket area.

I did that...and thought that I could get away without the specified stay-stitching, since I had fused on the interfacing.

Um, I really think you need both.  Were I to do it again, I would do both.

So I needle-and-threaded the wobbles on the ends of the welts; not perfect, but not visible from a distance and this IS for choir, so it will only be at a distance.

Assuming, of course, that I don't put it on when it's done and think 'UG!!'.  This is a little out of my normal style comfort zone.

But I'm hoping that over gray leggings or at least gray skinny pants, it will look kinda cute.

We'll see.

(Have you entered the giveaway?  Just leave a comment before midnight tomorrow and I'll throw your name in the hat...)

Choir Wardrobe 11 09 14

How often does the choir wardrobe and a classic old hippie concert intersect?

After church yesterday, we got ourselves something to eat and then hit the road for a little jaunt up to Nashville to attend a James Taylor concert....still celebrating My Sweet Babboo's 60th birthday.

We enjoyed concert...nice mix of old stuff and some new stuff, very nice lighting/video work along with the music, and, the best part, time spent with my favorite guy.  Our seats were in front row of the balcony of the arena...not good for someone who tends to acrophobia...but I managed.

But, wow, the concert didn't start till 8...it was after one AM when we got home.

He actually took some time to sign autographs at the start of the second set...which was utterly charming, but I found myself thinking, 'People!  Let him sing!  You're cutting into my sleep time!'

Old Hippies.... lol...

So...with gray, burgundy and yellow to choose from, I went with gray.  Well, silver is gray, right?


The dressy CWC jeans, the Jiffy Pop top, and woo/lycra blend Loes Hinse Bolero Jacket that's, like, 10 years old... It was fine for both church and concert, although to be honest, pretty much anything would've done for the concert.  Folks ranged from t-shirt-and-ratty jeans to some pretty snazzy dressy clothes.  I was pretty much in the middle.

Oh, and I wore the Epic Trench Coat on top of it all to walk around downtown Nashville.  It's working great. ;-)

Don't forget to leave a comment somewhere on the blog this week to be entered in the 9 Year Blogiversary pattern giveaway...I'm drawing this Thursday...

Reminiscing...

I guess because I'm celebrating the 9 year blogiversary (You have entered the celebratory giveaway, right?), I found myself wandering through the archives of the early years.

I'm kinda jealous of the blogging time I had then.

Part of me, reading that, was like, 'Wow, you posted a lot of non-sewing drivel, didn't you?'

And another part was a little proud, 'Look at how many posts you wrote!'

And yet another part was, 'Oh, you were much more open and free back then! You talked about so much more than just sewing!'

I really did do my best to post every day.  And I just about did.

But that was kinda when I had the 'one blog fits all'...trying to cover sewing and life and faith and all in one place.

But when I created the faith blog,  I didn't double my blogging. My intention was to really  just talk about the aspects of faith that were too deep for this side; do some online Bible studies and such.  But somehow more and more of the topics I used to talk about on Sew Random ended up there.

Because this was the sewing blog, you know.

I didn't even realize I had really cut back on the 'random' part of the blog until I reread the old stuff and saw how much 'random' there really was.

The 'random' really came from the challenge to write a blog post every day.  When life got too demanding (read: paying job entered the equation), I let myself off the 'blog daily' hook.

Instead of writing to write, I began to write only when I had something pertaining to sewing to talk about.  Or something pertaining to faith issues on the other blog.

Random life stuff kinda fell by the wayside.

So, in the blogiversary week, I'm going to make myself a little challenge...

Get the 'Random' back in the game. ;-)

A random bit for the day:

As I was typing away, Frisco (the sewing assistant kitty) came up behind my desk chair and commenced to meow.  Took me a minute to realize she had brought me a pipe cleaner (twisted into a circle -- one of her favorite toys).  I threw it, she retrieved it.  I threw it, she retrieved it.  Repeat several times...then she carried it off and I went back to typing.  A few minutes later, she was back rubbing on my leg, meowing, and the pipe cleaner was at my feet again.  Repeat entire scenario.  Go back to typing.  Repeat again 3 minutes later.

Life's more fun with kitties. ;-)

It's Been 9 Years...

Sew Random was actually birthed as a place to share the frantic costuming journey for the Rock Family Worship Center 2005 production of 'The Gospel According to Scrooge'.  I'd set up the costume shop in October and nearly monopolized the costuming thread on Pattern Review as I described the first projects...

But,as my life was consumed by that massive assignment and I felt compelled to share it with folks who might 'get  it' just a little...two things happened.  First, my older daughter made some comment about something, stating, 'Oh, that's so random!'  and Kathleen Fasanella sent me a PM on Pattern Review rather out of the blue,  encouraging me to start blogging.

Convergence.

'Sew Random' first appeared on Nov. 4, 2005.  I did really, really well at it for a while, blogging nearly every day until I returned to the workforce in early 2009. In 2008, I created a second blog, Beer Lahai Roi, to discuss more in depth topics about faith that I really didn't feel fit well here.

It has been a wonderful journey; I've been challenged, made new friends, found sewing resources, gotten crucial help...and documented the creation of stage costumes, ministry costumes,  special event costumes,  SWAP wardrobes, an epic garment or two, lots and lots of knit tops, and a wadder or two, outfitted myself for church choir...and learned a smattering of HTML and whined about the impermanence of web photo hosting.

My sewing production has dropped dramatically since I started back to work, as has my blog posting, but it's still a wonderful place to connect and share and, while I may hit a point where posts are few and far between, I don't think I'll ever quit blogging entirely.

So now's my opportunity to thank everyone who stops by Sew Random...whether you subscribe or not or comment or not...I really and truly appreciate each and every one who comes by.

So....drumroll...a little reader appreciation.  I dug out 9 patterns that I decided to give away...mostly because I have more patterns that I can reasonably expect to make in my lifetime...and because, you know, patterns should be sewn instead of occupying space in a drawer.

I pulled some oldies but goodies, some indies, some that are nearly duplicates of other patterns I own and some that I just thought would be nice to put in a giveaway.  Last year I put 8 patterns into a bundle and sent them all to one person, this time I've got three  three-packs and I'll draw three names.

So, if you want to be entered in the drawing for a 3 pack, just leave a comment anywhere on the blog in the next week. Since Wednesdays are really, really busy, I'll take any comment that is entered between now and midnight CST on Wednesday the 12th.

You don't have to be in the US, or be on a any kind of list...just say 'hi' and you're in.

Because you took the time to stop by, and I'm grateful.

Here are the three-packs; I'll pick who-gets-what, just to keep things simple. ;-)

Chop Job The Second

Something was wonky with the light settings...and the cat hopped into every picture...but here's the second T I chopped.  I didn't take a 'before' picture of the XXL original, but here's what I had after cutting it apart and reshaping it.  It is the original length...if I get brave and trendy, maybe I'll wear it with leggings or skinny jeans... ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 11-02-14

November has arrived with some blustery weather and new colors for the month.

The combo for this month is burgundy, yellow and gray.

So, for me, that pretty much means burgundy and gray.

The knit top came from Lands' End, but the jacket and the pants came from the sewing  room.  That's the Jalie Denim Jacket, from 2011, and the pants are wool/lycra...perfect for chilly weather...from Burda 3116, which I made in 2004.

They came out too big back in '04; I put 'em in the back of the closet and kinda forgot about them.   When I pulled them out again a couple of years ago, I was surprised to see that they pretty much fit...Middle age spread has now made them one of my favorite pairs of pants...sigh...  I suppose I should make more.

But I do need to adjust the hem a bit if I'm going to wear them with flat shoes.

Eureka! :-)

I watched the three Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Specials this weekend...so charming, as usual...and I was determined to sew something, even if it meant staying up till midnight last night.

And I got one in the 'done' column!

Well, actually two, but the first one was just a second chop job on a T shirt.  I don't have a photo...but we were given T shirts from the DIVE school I attended (That's Deep Innovative Vertical Expression, not something involving large bodies of water).  However, the stock was running low and there were only extremely small and extremely large sizes.  So, knowing I could whack it down, I cheerfully took a 2XL and cut it down, using Kwik Sew 2900  just as I did on the one I chopped earlier in the summer.  This T was a rayon blend, much thinner and drapier than the beefy cotton on the first T so I did a couple of things a little differently: 1) placed the sleeve  pattern  on the cut -and-flattened sleeves so that the top of the cap hit the top of the cut sleeve, letting the hem fall where it may, which made the sleeve much shorter and 2) I left all the length on the top that was there.  So all I had to do was put the new sleeves on the new armsceyes and sew up the new side seams...all the hems were original.

It works.  I'll try to get a picture soon.

But I do have pictures of the second top.  It's Sewing Workshop's Eureka top, made from a stylized silver and black printed rayon/lycra jersey.

That fabric was almost my undoing.  Things were going together fairly well until I got to the hem.

I could not get a decent looking stitch.  The fabric was so stretchy that it stretched going between the feed dogs and the presser foot (even with the even feed foot attached), and when it relaxed, the stitches were all loose and loopy.  I tried a single needle and a double needle, I tried adjusting the tension...finally I fused the hem up with some old Steam A Seam and, because my new sewing machine does not have the capability to adjust the pressure foot pressure (why???  Who thinks to look for something as basic as that???) I even pulled the old Janome out and ran it through that one.  That was a little better, but it's still pretty wonky if you look closely.

Next time I make something out of this fabric I'll sew through tissue or something.  It was crazy.

But it's a kinda crazy shirt anyway.

Work Wear 12

I didn't post a Choir Wardrobe photo yesterday, since what I wore was an almost line-by-line repeat from two weeks ago; I wore a different necklace, but that's pretty much the only difference.

So, for the kinda sorta weekly 'I wore something I made' post, here's what I wore to work today:

It was in the mid 80's for all that it's the last week in October, so brown linen pants (Stretch & Sew 707 - No Side Seam styling with pockets!) were just fine. 

I have a remnant scarf...I think it was actually a remnant I bought for pennies and then hemmed...with woody fall colors in it, so it let me get away with the teal rayon/linen Cutting Line Stars In Heaven tunic.

Over all was a rust colored crochet vest from Coldwater that I intended to wear for choir this month...but just wasn't up for the brown turtleneck that would've had to go under it had I worn it yesterday.

Gonna see if I can get a little time in the sewing room today...and I need to update the side bar totals.  Got suckered into a couple of sales...

Which really is not a problem unless I don't sew.  But I haven't been sewing.  So...need to correct that issue...

A bit of cutting...

Company coming this weekend means that the spare room that has morphed into the cutting room has to be cleaned up and turned back into a bedroom.

So I decided to cut several projects out...so I won't have to turn it back into a cutting room in the near future...and I have some projects that I can work on in small increments.

A Jacket muslin.  A first go at a button-front shirt.  Three t shirts and a novelty top.

And I have another mongo promo shirt that I've whacked down that just needs to be sewn back up.

That was about all my complaining back would allow at one go.  But now I've got a small bin of projects all ready to sew up.

'Course...company coming this weekend means I won't have much time for sewing this week, but, well, it'll be ready when I am. 

Choir Wardrobe 10 19 14

October colors are mustard yellow, burnt orange, browns and tans.

The only me-made in the outfit today is the orange stretch lace top; made from the TNT pattern Jalie 2566, for which I have reviewed the cardigan but not the T (note to self: do that before the end of the year!).

The jacket was a Cold Water Creek sale find;  it's perfectly lovely, once I overlook the fact that it has no pockets.  And the pockets in the CWC jeans I wore today are shallow to the point of nearly being useless.  Cell phone, keys, leader badge and a kleenex or two nearly exceeded their capacity.

There's just a hint of color on the maple tree; we've probably got a couple of weeks before we hit the peak color season.

Lord-have-mercy, this year is going fast...

SWAP 2015 is coming...

The discussion's been up on Stitcher's Guild for about a month now... I want to holler, no, wait, I'm not done with my 2014 SWAP yet...I actually only got the Trench Coat and a couple of knit tops done.  I *could* have done the rest of the knit tops on the plan, but I decided to work on the woven things...two shirts and the black denim jacket...and I didn't have TNT patterns for those.

So, amongst other things that needed sewing that weren't on the plan, I've been fiddling around trying to get some TNTs for those garments.

It took forever to actually decide which patterns were promising enough style-wise to put in the effort.

I picked a Palmer/Pletsch pattern for the shirts, and pulled out an old Neue Mode pattern for the jacket.

Took forEVER to get the patterns copied off.

I just cut the shirt out of some blue shirting that 's been in the stash for years.  I think it came in a bundle from Michael...back when we lived in the old house. I made some preliminary adjustments to the shoulder and to the sleeve length, so hopefully even if it's not a dead perfect fit it will be at least as good as something I could buy off a rack someplace.

The jacket patterns... I have two traced off, one for a classic jacket and one for the denim...will be muslined before I cut into good stuff.  I have no idea how the neue mode will fit; the line drawing shows some awfully low armsceyes but, as I do not have a TNT to go by, I can't really compare the pattern to anything to see if they really are as low as the artwork makes them appear.

But...it's the middle of October.  Next year's SWAP will be up and running in a matter of weeks.

Maybe I'll put those three garments into the 2015 plan and just keep going...

Choir Wardrobe 10 12 14

(For those who are new to the series, please see the link 'What's with the Choir Wardrobe?' on the sidebar...every now and then I just have to throw in the disclaimer that my participation in the worship team is NOT about making clothes for it...)

Back from an amazing week at DIVE worship school; I'll be talking about it at length on the other blog, so here I'll just say...it was transformational.  Amazing.  Incredible. Et Cetera. :-)

But, for the sewing blog, I'm back in my spot in the choir and the colors for October are burnt orange, mustard yellow,  with browns and tans.

The temps really haven't dropped to the fall range yet, so I had to go to the off-season storage to pull out my brown wool jersey Pamela's Patterns 110 Draped Front Cardigan, since that was the only brown topper I had that would work with the under layers...

We had a short afternoon break at a local mall while I was in Dallas, and I wandered into Ann Taylor Loft with a few of my fellow students, kinda thinking I'd look for a lacy top to wear over tanks.  I really wasn't expecting to find one, but I lucked out and found a nice beigey Guipure lace tank that even pretty much fit...on a double markdown rack.  The left armhole was a little gappy, but I thought I could fix it, being as how I don't think I could've bought the lace fabric for the price on the tag.

But once I got it home, I realized that I will probably NEVER wear it without a jacket or cardi over it, so who cares if the armhole gaps a teense?  :-D

I pulled out my burnt orange rayon jersey Jalie 965 Tank Top  and put the new lace top over it.  Perfectamundo.

Coldwater Jeans today.  I have seen that an investment company has purchased the Coldwater brand and intends to relaunch an online store with the name...I'm gonna watch and see if it is up to the 'old' Coldwater...

You may see that lace top many times with various colors under it.  I intend to get my money's worth. :-)

A little work, a little indulgence

Hope springs eternal.

Even though my sewing is proceeding slower than a snail on Benadryl, somehow I manage to justify fabric purchases.

Behold the latest acquisitions:

4 pieces of knit...left to right...

Cream rayon/lycra jersey.  On sale from a vendor I haven't tried before, the service and quality were fine but, oh, my, the shipping.  Took that piece of fabric from the listed price of 8.96/yd to 13.89/yd, once the math was done.  Sigh.  Don't know if there's an optimal amount to purchase to minimize the shipping cost...may or may not try them again to find out.

All in search of a white or near-white knit that is not translucent.   Still searching.

The rest are from Fabric Mart's recent knit sale.  The first, a cotton/lycra interlock knit in a bright cherry red; thinking comfy tunics but we'll see.  The other two pieces are a true windfall...I ordered 2 1/2 yards, but as it turned out, my order came in just as the bolt of poly/rayon/lycra double-sided doubleknit was at the end of the road...and they did not have 2.5 yards in one piece.  So they sent me 2 - 2yd pieces.  Black on one side, burgundy on the other.  It feels wonderful.

I see something colorblocked in my near future from this. ;-)

But I am working away on a project...little bit by little bit.  You can see the pattern behind the fabric; I'm tracing/doing the first-pass alterations on McCall's 6436, looking for the Basic Shirt TnT pattern for the white shirt that was supposed to be in the SWAP in the early part of the year.  I've been tracing about one-two pieces each time I can grab a minute...I'm about done tracing.  I'm going to pull out some of the inexpensive shirting I've got stashed and make a test run on it.  So far I've shortened the sleeves, narrowed the shoulders and adjusted the curve on the front hem slightly.  I will have to reduce the circumference of the sleeve cuff; true to what I have observed with the Palmer/Pletsch patterns, the cuff is HUGE.  It looks like I'll need to shorten it about 1 1/2 inches, and adjust the sleeve accordingly.  But I'm almost ready to put fabric on the table.

This fall is shaping up to be really, really busy; I think all Saturdays in October are booked.  I'm beginning to despair of getting my last SWAP plan finished before the next one kicks in...