Lining the Coat

I finished the shell of the coat early yesterday and got the lining put together and ready to go in.

So...all I have to do is sew in the lining, then add the braid 'buttonhole' trim to the jacket front and I'll be finished w/the machine sewing. The rest will be needle-and-thread stuff.

But I can charge ahead with the machine into the shirts....

I'll try to post a photo later today when everything's done but the handstitching, if I can get My Sweet Baboo to be a model for me ;).


*later that same day...*
I had to pin the lining up in the sleeves while it was worn, so My Sweet Baboo got pressed into use as a fit model ("I don't know how fit I am" he commented when I asked him to provide that service...). It's all done to the handwork at this point; I need to stitch down the lining and add buttons.

So I'm off to sit on the lovely front porch swing and enjoy the afternoon whilst I stitch away...

Pirate Progress

Posted by Lisa Laree to Sew Random

I'm plugging along on that coat; once it's done to the buttons I can set it aside and start on the shirts, since DD #2 has an orthodontist appointment Tuesday morning to get her braces off, I think sewing buttons on the coat (it requires 28!) will be my 'sit in the waiting room' activity.

But the front facings are on; the sleeves are made...all I have to do to the shell of the coat is the side seams, side godets, and insert the sleeves. Then it will be ready for the lining.

I'm aiming to have the lining in by tomorrow night.

Arg, mateys!

The Death of the Iron

Posted by Lisa Laree to Sew Random

Things were going along just fine; fusing the interfacing to the huge cuffs of the pirate coat sleeves. But after the second one, the iron started beeping (it's a Conair; it beeps to tell me it's ready, it's not ready, it's been down too long, it's tired of staying on...I got used to it). But this wasn't a 'I've been face down too long' beep, nor was it a 'I'm at the right temperature now' beep...it was a Beep That Didn't Stop.

A 'Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep....' kind of beep.

I turned it off and on...still beeped. Tried setting it at different temperatures. It kept beeping. I thought maybe I'd drained it dry. It'd never beeped 'I need water' before, but it was worth a try. I filled the reservoir; it finally quit beeping. There was some (not a LOT, you understand...just some) gunk from the fusing process built up on the surface that might have made it think it was overheating; I cleaned it off (the iron cleaning process requires a high temperature and 2 - 3 bursts of steam). Once it was clean, it appeared to be just fine and I fused the third cuff. But as I was finishing up fusing the third cuff it quit making steam. I couldn't even get it to do a 'burst' anymore...and after a few moments, water began dripping from the steam holes. I turned it off and let it cool completely, then turned it back on.

No heat. The iron was dead. I'd used it pretty seriously for about 3 years.

I still had my spit-prone old Rowenta that the Conair had replaced; it was my 'carry to church for costume construction' iron, so I've pulled it out to keep going; the pirate coat really needs to be done by the end of the weekend.

Sigh. I didn't expect to be in the market for an iron...time to go read some reviews.

Refashioning

Posted by Lisa Laree to Sew Random

I thought I'd post a project that I did when I was on blog hiatus, since I don't have much to talk about on the pirate stuff yet (I did change out all the thread and put new needles in the machines...how's that for progress??? But yesterday was a busy day).

About 4 or 5 years ago, I spotted a very nice black and tan jacket on a local department store's sale rack. I needed black-and-tan for choir, so I tried it on. Wonder of wonders, it fit. And it was such a sale...I got the little unlined jacket, PLUS a nearly ankle-length black linen sheath dress for $15. I've worn the jacket quite a bit, but the sheath...not once. The length looked rather dumpy on me, especially with the jacket, and it had a long slit up the back, but there were generous folded-back facings on either side so I thought I'd convert it to a vent. Well, it hung in the closet.

To be honest, I forgot about it.

When cleaning out the winter things, I came across it and decided it was time to fix it. So I took 8" off the length and converted the slit to a vent.

I think I'll wear it now. ;)

Surcoats Down, Pirate Coat Up!

I finished off the surcoats yesterday afternoon, delivered them this morning, so now I've got to collect my sewing nerve and tackle that Simplicity 4923 jacket. The reviews on it are widely varied; everything from 'I enjoyed making the outfit, and even though the coat took time and effort, I was pleased with the results, my husband has fun wearing it, and we get lots of compliments.' to 'This is absolutey the WORST pattern I've EVER worked with.'. So I'm going to proceed slowly and with great caution!

Jalie Dress Conversion

It began with the slinky fabric I purchased at Textile Fabrics; fabric I probably didn't *need* but just fell in love with. I thought I would just make another Madison Avenue Dress from it, but I wore the green Jalie 2682 top last week and suddenly wondered if I could turn it into a dress. I had the cutting table out to trim the surcoats, so I decided to do a little pattern drafting...just to see if it would work.


What I did:
I laid a second piece of tissue paper over the bottom bit of the lower top back, marked the overlap line, extended the fold line down the new piece 14" and across. Then I made a mark about 1" below the bottom of the side seam and 1/2" out from that line and extended the seamline from about the waistline over to that mark, to allow for, um, the fuller part of my hipline. Then I continued down to the hemline with a very, very slight angle; I can't tell you what the measurement was; I just eyeballed it. Then I repeated the process for the front, using the just-drafted back piece as a guide.

I made a boo-boo in that I didn't allow enough overlap for a smooth transition from the top to the added piece; but I took care of that when I cut it out by laying my ruler over the two pieces to 'fill in the gap'.

The dress went together nearly as quickly as the top; I wore it out last night. It does need some 'shapewear'...and it probably wouldn't have hurt to duplicated the flare at the bottom of the Madison Avenue dress pattern, but overall I like the dress.

One note about using slinky for this pattern (top or dress); it makes for rather lumpy serged seams; a conventional machine w/a very slight zig-zag might be a better choice. And I found the front armsceye (2 layers of fabric there) bulky and difficult to turn under (especially since I used clear elastic to pull in the slight gap there). It's not as smooth as I would like, particularly on the left side.

But that's just between you and me. ;)

Choir Sundays 2008 # 15

This Month's Colors: Jeans w/black and/or white
Top: Hot Patterns Cadeau T, black/white strip rayon/lycra jersey knit

RTW Lee dark wash flared leg jeans

New sandals w/a bit of heel... ;)

We do not yet know what we'll be wearing in June; I'm expecting it'll be a repeat color...

OH! We found out this morning that our entire Sunday morning services, including the worship, are now streamed live on the web; you can click on the sidebar link for details if you're on the 'Net between 8:30 AM and about 12:30 PM Sundays US Central Daylight time... (which is 6 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time, I think...)

Workin' It In

I'm learning that I'm a much happier costumer if I can squeeze in a project from my sewing queue once in a while, so last night I did a little project squeezing.

I had to clear off/open out the cutting table anyway to trim the flare from the surcoats (total removal: 12 inches from the hem circumference), so, while it was out, I indulged a whim I'd just had and drafted extensions for the lower portions of Jalie 2682 top to make it into a dress. Then I cut the new pattern from the printed slinky I got on my Mother's Day Weekend trip to Textile Fabrics. THEN I trimmed the surcoats ;).

Since I was planning to sew the surcoats today (preference from Pastor D: clean finish, no binding), I went ahead and thought I'd see how far I could get on my dress. And you know, I got all the way to the edge finishes. Armholes and hem and it's done. So I might squeak that in today before I change the thread on the serger for the surcoat finish.

I don't think it's *quite* as flattering as the Madison Avenue Dress, but that could just be because black is more slimming than the watercolors of the Jalie 'dress'. But it's not bad! I'll post a photo when it's done....

And that table's still out; maybe I'll trace a White Blouse Pattern before I put it away... ;)

Pedal Fix

A couple of teeny nuts and bolts took care of it.

Which is good, because I finished opening up the seams on the surcoats yesterday. Hopefully they'll get finished off today, but I thought of a question about how it should be done. Should I bind them in bias to match the binding around the edges (and the hem, which I had to cut open), or should I just turn-and-stitch them down? Both have pros and cons; I'm not sure how to proceed.

I think an email to Pastor D is in order to see which way *he'd* like it done.

Which will give me a little time to fold some laundry, etc etc....

The Cover is Definitely Blown

Got a phone call yesterday afternoon from the lady, whom I've not met, who is heading up costuming for a local community theater production of the musical The Children of Eden. This production company has some connections (ok, a VERY STRONG connection) to the Lee High School magnet, and she was given my name from someone who told her I was 'very good'. Could I please help out? I thought I detected a hint of desperation.

The problem is, regardless of whether I'm 'very good' or not, I'm definitely Very Swamped. I hedged, explaining that I'm already involved in a costuming project...when does the show open?

June 13.

Hm....well, I gave her my email addy and told her to keep me in the info loop; if all goes well with the pirate costumes I might be able to help a little later. If I can.

If.

She was disappointed...and I hate disappointing people.

Truth is, I'd kind of like to do it, just for the education I'd get from it. But I don't expect to have time right now. And there's nothing I can do about that.

I've got one of the surcoats opened up at the seams...the second one is about a quarter done. It's tedious...but once the seams are opened it should go back together fairly quickly. I hope. ;)

I gotta hit those piratey things next week.

Not For Cowards

I don't know how many of you folks have the comic strip Luann in your newspaper, but there was a series a few weeks back that made me smile; I thought I'd share the main smile...

There is a boy, Gunther, that kind of likes Luann, but she (and her friends) think he's a bit nerdy. He refuses to believe it's because he wears one of several identical shirts every day; could it be his hobbies? He does magic shows for little kids, draw cartoons, and sews costumes for Luann to wear while she's doing story time at the local library.

Check out his defense of his hobbies... sewing is not for cowards! ;)

Surcoat Surgery

'Surcoat'! That's the word...

Ok, I'm altering two surcoats to be less, um, dress-like, since Pastor D will not be riding horses in the meetings they'll be conducting. These were purchased from an online vendor, and I must admit they're well-made. At first, he just wanted me to take up the side seams so that the flare was eliminated, but I'm afraid that would also take away all the walking ease. Yes, the garments have front and back slits (for riding the horses, you see), but I think they'll be better with a little extra room.

So the 'take up the side seams' has turned into 'open up the side seams and finish them off'.

And the side seams have been stitched conventionally, then serged, then pressed flat and topstitched down.

So the opening of the side seams is a little more of a production than I had anticipated.

But...I have one seam down and three to go.

No Pressure

At least compared to some folks, my costuming efforts are rather low-key.

Oldest DD read the following aloud to me from yesterday's Parade Magazine (Sunday paper insert), from the 'Personality Parade' (Q&A) page:

Q: I love the gorgeous clothes...the..women have worn this season on Dancing With the Stars. Where do they get them?

A: They're made from scratch. 'After Tuesday's eliminations, we spend just 15 minutes with each contestant to design new outfits,' says Randall Christensen, the show's head designer. 'We shop on Wednesday, sew on Thursday, fit on Friday, apply glitter on Saturday, do a final fit on Sunday, and dress the dancers two hours before airtime on Monday.'

Wow. That's pressure!! I wonder how many seamstresses/tailors he has working for him?

Maybe I should fire up the TV and watch at least one episode, just to see the costumes?

Choir Sundays 2008 #14

We've officially gone to 'Summer Casual' in choir, even though we've got a week before Memorial Day. From now 'till August (or maybe even September), we'll be wearing 'Jeans And...' for choir.

This month we're wearing 'Jeans w/Black and White'. And folks are starting to have fun with my monthly photographs...


As for me, I wore my Lee jeans w/ the Vogue 2945 top, made from the white-ovals-on-black rayon/lycra jersey I got from Hancock's.

I really need taller shoes w/these jeans; they work good w/my 2" heeled boots, but I don't have any pretty summery shoes w/heels that I could stand to wear for the amount of time we stand in choir. That's on my list...

Alterations...quick?

We didn't quite get everything cut out on the pirate cosutmes; we've still got one pair of pants and the linings for the vests to cut (first, I gotta get some suitable vest lining). But the coat and its lining...the Big Cahuna of the whole project...is cut and I should get started on it this week. Miss A took one of the shirts home to work on it.

But first I need to do a little alteration for our Childrens' Pastors (As this is the third year I've been involved in costuming for them, I decided they're entitled to their own Post Label! ). They've been doing traveling family ministry w/a medieval theme for three years now; this year their bookings have really filled up and they needed several items. So, they went online and bought several pieces, and when they came, they found a couple of them needed a bit of altering. Turns out the over robe (doublet? My mind has gone blank...I know the name...) was designed to fit someone who was astride a horse. Pastor D does not ride any horses in the presentations, so the A-line flare of the garment needs to go away. Their first event is in just a couple of weeks; I brought home his two brand-new, made-to-order garments and will be altering them slightly so they don't flare out so much.

Before I start sewing the pirate things.

But while I was talking to them, PJ gave me a flyer from their promo material. It's kinda cool; you can see the Gold dress and the Squire tunics I made for them a couple of years ago (Pastor D added the studs to the tunics). Neat! :)

Puzzlement

Posted by Lisa Laree to Sew Random

Miss A and I worked on tracing all the pirate costume pieces yesterday; but we were stymied by the breeches in Simplicity 4923. The back crotch was, to be honest, shaped like a clown costume backside. The crotch curve was very shallow, and the crotch seam rose to several inches above the waist. The back waist is then gathered to the waistband, so all the fullness from that long shallow seam would balloon out, creating the fanny shape.

But that would be bone fide clown butt.

Now, the breeches have the double-welt flap in front instead of a fly; they have buttons at the bottom...in other words, they look pretty authentic everywhere else. But we're wondering about the back shape.

Senior Ranger Commander recently purchased a pair of pants for his costume that he was quite happy with, so we only have to make them for the Deputy Senior Commanders (one of which would be My Sweet Baboo). Anyway, before we cut the pants as described, we called Sr. Commander and asked him to bring in his 'good' period breeches so we can see how they were made.

That way, we'll at least be sort of consistent...

Blogroll!

Going to the Backup...

Posted by Lisa Laree to Sew Random
The foot pedal on my primary New Home sewing machine had been doing some kind of weird things...getting kinda twisty when I used it. I thought a screw was loose but hadn't really taken time to look at it. Then, when I was sewing down the narrow hems on the Purity Blouse yesterday, this happened:



The welds popped! I guess that's not unreasonable for an 18ish-year-old machine, but I was surprised nonetheless to see that something that got as much stress as that foot pedal lever was held on with little welded dots. I tried using it without the lever, but that switch is very stiff and I could only get it to go by pushing Very Hard at Just The Right Angle. The result was that the machine roared along at an unbelievable...and unmanageable...speed. So I hauled out the backup Kenmore, ripped out the wild top stitching and finished out the blouse, finally.

So here's the finished product (and a glimpse of the New Hair). There really are three problems with this blouse, all of which are my issues at this point:
1) I need a square shoulder adjustment. Cynthia Guffey commented on my square shoulders in Atlanta this year; I need to just get into the habit of squaring that shoulder line on about everything. Dunno why I haven't figured this out before now.
2) I was scared it'd look tight so I added too much to the hips; that'll come off before I make it again.
3) The fabric, while sheer enough, isn't really drapey enough. A chiffon or georgette would drape...and skim...much better.

Anyway, you can read the details in The Review.

And My Sweet Baboo thinks he can put a couple of screws into the foot pedal to make it useful again...

I'm off to trace and cut today!

Focus...focus....

Posted by Lisa Laree on Sew Random
Yesterday ended up being a 'run around' day; I didn't get much done here on anything. I *did* get a significant hair cut, though, and I'll post a picture as soon as I can. I like it...but it was a bigger change than I expected!

But I'm definitely going to be cutting (or, at the rate I'm going, tracing patterns and cutting) the pirate costumes at church tomorrow and Friday. So much easier when I can push four tables together and have one big surface...

Meantime, I'm progressing slowly on the Purity Blouse. I did a pin-fitting; to my surprise it looks like it's going to work, but I've got to shorten the darts about 1 1/4". This is after I shortened them about 1" when I traced the pattern. Those were really long darts; I can't believe there's too many ladies with that narrow of a space between the bust apexes. 'Nuther one of the 'software drafting' glitches, I suppose. Anyway, I've got some unpickin' and restitchin' to do.

I am, however, making much use of the current issue of Threads. There's a great article by Linda Lee on mitering corners that greatly facilitated the finishing of the tie on the blouse; the mitered corners look much neater than the overlapped folds recommended would look.

Dragging my feet...

Must. Trace. Pirate. Patterns.

Must. Cut. Costumes. Out.

But I don't wanna! I wanna sew my new stuff! However, as Miss A pointed out to me yesterday, "You do realize June is only about three weeks away, don't you?"

So I guess it's time to take a deep breath and start tracing...although I do expect to finish the Purity Blouse this week before I dive into swashbuckle sewing. I hope.