Thinking about taking up sewing?

 While I am still trying to find the time to get the buttonholes and buttons on that #omigoshthisistakingFOREVER pink twill shirt; I stumbled across an article on the interwebs that has struck a chord. Why Retail Clothes All Look the Same isn't the actual name of the article but it is the theme.   And it contains a link to a clip from The Devil Wears Prada, which is worth a watch, too.

I have long rebelled at the whole 'Colors of the Season' thing...the idea that someone in an office in Manhattan or Paris or London or Tokyo or wherever...has the power to pick what colors the world will wear for the next season/ year.  

It's why I have a ridiculous fabric stash, y'all.  Buy the fabric in the color you love whilst it's available, because in a couple of years you won't be able to find it.

But the idea of the style on repeat...that is one of the best reasons to take up fashion sewing. You don't want puffed sleeves?  You don't have to put them on the dress.  Even if that pattern shows them...just switch it for another one from another pattern.

We don't have to participate in the Fashion Great Chain of Being.

You can find a style that suits you and make it, in fresh fabrics, whenever you want.  It doesn't have to be On Trend to look good.  

Or maybe you like that style that you see, but hate the icky polyester fabric it's made of.

Same deal.  Find a similar pattern (or frankenpattern one from two or three, if necessary) and make it up in a nice silk or linen or cotton or whatever strikes your fancy.

There is SO MUCH information on the internet now...sewing websites like Pattern Review; YouTube videos by the score demonstrating basic skills....even not-so-basic skills.  (One of these days, thanks to YouTube tutorials,  I'm actually going to tackle pad stitching, lol).   A decent sewing machine is not terribly expensive...all you need is one that will do a nice straight stitch and sew a decent buttonhole.  If it will do those things, it will cover all the requirements.  A serger is nice but not necessary...certainly not in the beginning.  A good iron is a must.  

Start with a pull-on skirt; that's almost instant gratification and a good place to learn how to sew a straight seam.  Botch it up?   It's just practice...a learning curve.  Did you pick the wrong fabric for the pattern?  Like, it sticks out instead of swishing?  Or did you pick the wrong size?  You can't assume your ready-to-wear size is what you make in the pattern...heck, you can't even get the same size from one retailer to another in RTW anyway, so don't expect the patterns to be different.  Just measure yourself and the pattern before you cut anything and you should be able to make a fairly educated guess.  You may learn you like more or less room (aka 'ease') in a pattern than what is included.  Trial and error is your friend.  You will learn faster than you think, if you really want to.

Sewing frees you from the People in the Room Who Pick From The Stuff...and from the computer algorithms that are increasingly determining what shows up on the racks in stores and online.  

We don't have to follow their dictation.  We can sew.

Workin' on the Second Set

 ...because I feel really lame talking about the February wardrobe picks when it's halfway through May, lol.

But, we had ankle pants, a knit top, and a denim overshirt for February.   I had some pink chambray for the overshirt; I copied off the pattern and laid the fabric out and realized that I just wasn't going to be happy.  It was too red.  I wanted a true pink, not red mixed with white to look pink.  So I did one last check of what was online, found some lightweight pink cotton twill and ordered it.  But that meant the shirt was on hold.

So,  I waffled a bit on the ankle pants.  I thought about just using denim capris, but it didn't really fit the aesthetic.    I pulled up my pattern catalog (the whole reason I keep my Pattern Review membership, lol) and got reminded of a pattern I've been wanting to make for a while now...an Out of Print Vogue/ Marcie Tilton pattern for lantern-style pants, Vogue 8712.  I dug around and found some very lightweight rayon-blend denim, purchased something like 8 years ago to make a shirt. But it was a bit darker than I wanted, once it arrived, so it has been in a bin since.  The reviews indicated that a drapey fabric would be best for the pants so...bingo.  I had actually altered the pattern a couple of years ago but didn't get it made up and I had a jolly time trying to figure out what I'd done.  I finally pulled out a TNT  New Look pull on pants pattern to compare and convinced myself they would work.

I decided to make a cut-on waistband, so I raised the top edge, and then I reshaped the pockets a bit. With the side entry I kind of thought stuff would fall out, so I made them a little deeper and shaped them so they wouldn't be hung up in the sideseam quite as much.

So I cut out the pants Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday the pink twill arrived.

Ohmigoodness, it's PERFECT.  I ran it through the washer and dryer and got it about half cut out last night.  Finished cutting it a little bit ago; all that's left to cut is the interfacing.

But LOOK at that pink.  It's a dead match for the pink in the first set.

And I can't remember the last time I actually had something cut out the day after I got the fabric.  

Changes to that pattern...I turned the collar piece into the cut-the-upper-and-under-collar-at-once shape that Nancy Zieman and Louise Cutting advocate, and I pulled out my copy of David Page Coffin's Shirtmaking to get the placket for the sleeve; the pattern just had a continuous lap, which I thought would be truly awkward in the twill.  It's light enough for a shirt, but it's bulkier than I wanted to do something as fiddly as a continuous lap.  This will be my first go at DPC's placket technique, but I've done it before with other patterns so I think I can make it work.

I have some more cloth diapers to finish off before I change the thread in the serger but I think I'm going to have a really good start on the 'February' combo.  'March' will be easy...I can pretty much pull that from the closet.    

Still playing catch up...lol...

Got Caught...

 

We'd managed to avoid it all this time, but apparently mild covid is running rampant in our part of the country and...it caught us.

I honestly think it tagged onto the back end of my annual sinus infection, although I suppose it's possible it was masquerading as the sinus infection all along.  The antibiotic seemed to help for a few days, and then suddenly I had chest congestion and the test I took just to humor the doctor came up positive.

So, My Sweet Babboo, who also tested positive, and I are doing the remote thing.  He was actually supposed to return to his office for the first time since March of 2020 this week...but, nope, he got another week of doing rocket science from home.

According to the CDC guidelines, we should be good to venture back out into the world on Thursday, but I think I'm going to hang out around the house until the chest congestion clears up.  I have a subconscious urge to beat on my chest to knock the junk loose, lol, which I'm sure will look...inappropriate...in public.

But, that's ok.  I can do data base janitorial stuff from home as easily as I can do it in my office.  And it is easier to drink tea by the gallon at home.  Hashtag keep those fluids going...

Surely this will clear out before long.

And I pulled the picture from an archive and just realized...wow, that's from before the remodel project in 2015, lol.  That door is gone now...

Squeezing Pants on short yardage

 I mentioned that I had to piece the crotch point on the one-seam linen pants...thought I'd post a few pics.

The fabric wasn't quite wide enough for the full width of the pants, since they go from front crotch point to back crotch point.  I don't know if I could've wrangled a one-layer layout or not...maybe if I had turned the legs opposite each other?  But I was really rushed for time and I just didn't want to mess with trying. 

Much easier to

1) just let the back point run right off the selvedge and cut them out

It's only a little bit in this case; I've done bigger piecing in the past.

2) Just cut a chunk from the remnants, also along the selvedge,  then 

3) lay the little bit right sides together and serge the selvedge right off.  That keeps them on the same grainline.

4)Press the seam nice and flat, then 

5) lay the pattern back over the pants and cut the point out.

Lookit how much time and effort that saved...not to mention fabric, lol.

And...the results of the SWAP are in already, since, for whatever reason, I was the only person who actually finished and uploaded pictures. I feel rather odd about it...I really didn't go into it thinking there was a chance for me to win with a bunch of quick-to-sew garments (with the exception of the cardigan, lol).  I am guessing the pandemic-inspired lethargy hasn't quite let go of everyone yet.  It was just a good time for me to make 9 things.

But I am still WAY behind on the Start with a Scarf wardrobe; planning to do some work on the 'February' selections later this week. We have some traveling coming up again (gotta take the Flute Player's kitty down to her once they get moved into an apartment....THAT's going to be interesting)  but we have no actual dates for that yet. So I may get another weekend or two here, although I would HATE to put it off till Memorial Day.  We'll just have to go when they're ready.

So...I need to trace a pattern and put the pink thread back in the machines...

The 2022 Swap Photo Shoot

 Well, we can't exactly upload pics to the swap this year; the gallery broke, so I have to upload these things somewhere so I can link them to Stitcher's Guild.

So...here's the final thing, frizzy hair and all!  (I am SO overdue for a haircut....)

First up, the three 3-packs:

Three pack one:   The McCall's 6844 Cardigan, crafted from a poly/ rayon / elastic sweater knit.  It has a very textured surface and I had to be very careful sewing it.  But it is soft and warm to wear.  I picked this pattern because it had no closures, no binding and no facings; the most simple thing to make from such a persnikity fabric.  Next is a short sleeved Jalie 2566 T shirt, made from a substantial cotton / lycra jersey.  The pants are the allowed 'Previously made garment'....Sewing Workshop Helix Pants, with Loes Hinse Oxfort Pants pockets morphed on.    It's made from Telio's Jockey Ponte...a lovely nylon/rayon/ lycra blend that has nearly doubled in price in the last year or so.  As much as I like it...I may not be buying much more.  I probably made these about 5 years ago and they are wearing like iron.

Three Pack two:  The pink top is a  3/4 length sleeved Vogue 9057, made from a very soft cotton/lycra jersey.  It's paired up with a long sleeve Jalie 2566, made from the same piece of fabric as the short sleeved t. Had to do some creative cutting but I got them both out of two yards of fabric.  The pants are the allowed purchased garment...dark wash skinny jeans, purchased from Talbots maybe 4 or 5 years ago. 

Three Pack number three...from the same length of pink cotton/ lycra jersey, a cap sleeve Vogue 9057 (I frankenpatterned the cap sleeve from a Jalie pattern, I think.  It's been quite a while since I cobbled it up, lol) and a Pamela's Patterns Cool Cardigans: Drape front cardigan.  The pants are Stretch and Sew 704, 'Quick 'n Easy Pants and Shorts' (Copyright 1997).  They are no-side-seam pants with a sort of welt pocket. The pocket piece is used to face the opening, then flipped around and topstiched to the leg of the pants to create the pocket.  Well, I don't like pockets sewn to the face of the garment like that; you can't put anything in them without causing a lump on the garment.  So I altered up the pattern a bit and made double-welt pockets.  So I have a nice pocket bag to hold, say, my cell phone or keys or a kleenex or whatever with out it just lumping right up, lol.  The fabric is the heavy linen from Fabric-Store. Com...I think the color is 'cobalt'.  I washed and dried it three times to soften and shrink it before I cut it out.  I also had to piece the back crotch point but I'll write a separate post about that, lol.

Finally, the two 'wild card' garments:

Two more Jalie 2566 t's, made from a two -yard cut of very nice merino wool.  I'd been seeing lots of advertising on my social media feeds about the superiority of merino wool for t shirts so I thought I'd give it a go.   I got the fabric at a slight discount, but it was still pricy enough that I was a bit nervous about sewing it and wanted to get the maximum value out of it.  Creative cutting ...I got two t shirts with a handful of scraps left over.  Success.

Here's everything, with the scarf that is the inspiration for my wardrobe sewing this year:

I have...stuff...in the room, so I had to squeeze everything on one end of the closet to actually be able to get it all in one pic, lol.

And, you know, you gotta see the garments on the hoof, so here's the rest of my allowed twelve pics:

Now...off to see if I can actually get these to link to Stitcher's Guild...

Start with a Scarf 2022: The first addition

 Ok, so it's May 1 and I'm just now posting the January addition...which I just finished sewing last week.

All I can say is...life's been busy, lol, and I was also trying to finish the required garments for the annual Stitcher's Guild SWAP competition.  I actually finished the last garment for that on Saturday, and I was going to take the pictures to post for it and suddenly realized that one of my shirts was in the laundry.

Oopsie.

So, whilst that load is running through the machines I thought I'd just go ahead and post what I have for the first installment in the the 12 months series.

For a refresher, HERE'S what Janice selected for the six different wardrobes...and here's my interpretation thereof:

A 3/4 sleeve shaped hem T shirt from Vogue 9057, an out-of-print Marcy Tilton pattern.  The cardigan is Pamela's Patterns  Cool Cardigans: Drape-front Cardigan.  I might as well admit that they are from the same fabric, so they are a dead match.  I  *might* have also made a short sleeved t from the same chunk of fabric, which could possibly show up later on...

The earrings are from Novica and I have to say that the image, which I downloaded from the site, is a bit deceptive.  The set I got is translucently *barely* pink and stupid me, I didn't look at the listed dimensions.  They are, um, rather large.  The post is stout as well, so I'm wearing them around the house a bit to get adjusted to them before committing to wearing them a whole day.  They are statement earrings, no doubt, lol.  

Janice listed black leather goods for January, so I followed suit.  I'd been looking for an excuse to get a good cross-body bag, and I finally found one (on sale!) from Wilson's Leather online.  The boots are actually from my closet...they're the boots I bought for the 2019 SWAS wardrobe and they're still in pretty good shape.  The loafers are Rockport/Cobb Hill and I may have been a little overly cautious by ordering them in the extra- wide width.  At least I can wear them with nice thick merino wool socks, lol.  I will likely order a pair in blue later in the plan and if I do I will just get the plain ol' wide width.

So, dusting off my graphic arts skills (which could easily be brushed away with the dust, lol), here's the whole set at the moment.  

 I'll actually start wearing the new stuff once the SWAP pics have been procured.

Now, off to work on the February selections.  And study what has been posted for May...

Start with a Scarf 2022: The Core

 So last night I finished the last of the T shirts for the 5-Garment Neutral Core that Janice announced back in December, lol.

I confess to being slightly intimidated by the cardigan fabric and probably that contributed to the slow start here, lol.  But to be fair...this has been a very, very busy start to 2022.

My Sweet Babboo commented last night that he's ready to Not Do Stuff for a bit, lol.

Anyway.

The neutral color for my scarf, Hydrangea by PJ Studio Associates, is navy blue, and the 5-Piece Core consists of a sweater, a long sleeved t-shirt, a textured cardigan, and two pairs of casual pants...Janice chose some navy knit pants, one heavy cotton jersey and the other knit corduroy.

So, here's my take on it:

Top Row:  Cashmere crew neck sweater by Quince.  Believe it or not, I have JUST THIS YEAR splurged on some cashmere sweaters. I had never owned one before...caught a couple of serious sales at Lands' End and then, when I was looking for a blue sweater for the core set, I found Quince. You can't beat the price.  And...wow...I really, really am a cashmere believer now.  So soft and warm, but not overly hot.  So I have ventured into new wardrobe territory already, lol.  Next up is the cable knit cardigan (Mc Call's 6844)

 And then a cotton/lycra jersey Jalie 2566, with the cobbled up long sleeves (sleeve cap from the t-shirt, sleeve length from the cardigan):

The pants are from my closet, so I didn't take specific pics of them...Sewing Workshop Helix Pants, with a pocket added, made from Telio Jockey Ponte, for which I paid about $12 a yard maybe 5 years ago?  And now sells for about $25/ yard from the same vendor.  Oy.  And a pair of slim leg dark wash jeans that I got at Talbot's at least 3 years ago.

ETA:  I forgot how to photograph these things, lol.  Here's the composite of the core set, which may be a little easier to see...

So there's a Core Wardrobe, lol.  Next up:  A pink knit twinset, plus some accessories.  Dug through my patterns this afternoon to try and make up my mind what I shall do; I may go a little wide of the recommendations but hey, it's about breaking out of the patterns I've had for a while, lol.

And I thought I'd throw this in, too, just for grins...I'm five garments in for the SWAP wardrobe, which is slightly different. I may or may not use the pants I picked for the Start With A Scarf...we'll see how much sewing I can get done before the SWAP deadline, which is in about 6 weeks.

It's the Blue Cardigan, plus 4 Jalie 2566 T's.  I had two yards of the blue jersey, so I did the same thing I did with the red merino wool...and got a long and a short sleeve T.  I will say...I have really liked wearing the merino wool T's as well. They are not as soft as the cashmere, but they have worn well so far.  It's kinda nice to know that 2 yards of 60" knit will yield a long and a short sleeved T shirt if I cut it right.

I have some garments in mind for this wardrobe...a pair of striped ponte pants, a pair of linen pants and a linen skirt, along with at least a couple more tops.  And maybe a dress. 

In six weeks. LOL.

The Cardi is Done!

 And I wore it to work today, lol

McCall's 6844, from a really intimidating cabled sweater knit.  I totally picked this pattern because...no closures, no details...it HAD to be simple, because the fabric wasn't.  It's really interesting...the cables are supported from the back with elastic threads (ignore the total color washout). 

It was a bit tricky...and the center back neckline, where the collar seams stack, was, of course, on top of one of the cables (I had to put one down the center back to look right) and was waaayyy too bulky for my serger; as a result it's a bit stretched and not at all pretty.  But it's in the back, under the collar roll, so I'mma gonna pretend it's fine.  I hand hemmed the sleeves and lower edge because I knew trying to topstitch it would be a disaster.   

It is very soft and comfy to wear, but also very warm so I'm not sure how much I'm going to get to wear it this season.  It *does* snag VERY EASILY

I'm also wearing one of the two merino wool tees I made back in February, too...the short sleeved one.  I'm thinking I'm going to use the t's in the SWAP wardrobe...there's nothing that says it HAS to work with any specific thing, so it really doesn't matter if it doesn't work with The Scarf, just as long as they work with the rest of the SWAP designated pieces. So I'm gonna do a few pieces outside the Start with a Scarf wardrobe for the SWAP.  

I need to sew faster.

Something that has been brewing....

 Well, I need a picture for Facebook so...

 Here's one that has absolutely nothing to do with my topic, just so I don't have some random thing pop up  (Moonrise over the mountain last week)

Making the 'Random' in the title carry its weight today....

Today is International Women's Day....and March happens to be Endometriosis Awareness Month. So I'm departing from my normal sewing update and actually getting a bit bold because I honestly believe that the number one women's reproductive health issue is...endometriosis.

Now, I will say up front that this is not an issue I have experienced first hand, but someone close to me has been dealing with some of the symptoms so, to learn what I could to encourage her,  I joined a Facebook education group, Nancy's Nook,  and have been following the stories and learning a lot.

The information is incredible and the suffering of so many women is heart rending.

I know that over the years I had heard that endometriosis happens when menstrual tissue 'backflows' through the fallopian tubes and becomes trapped in the abdomen.   However, that has been shown to be false...endometrial tissue has been found to be present at birth in some females, lying dormant until puberty, when it begins to cause pain.  And, while this tissue is similar to that found in the uterus, it  has been proven to not be the same. 

“Endometriosis is a systemic, inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue found in extrauterine sites.” (Kennedy S. et al., 2005; Klemm et al., 2018; Saunders et al., 2021)...“Endometriosis is a common, benign, inflammatory, generally gynecologic disease that includes the presence and growth of dysfunctional endometrial-like glands and stroma often with reactive fibrosis and muscular metaplasia outside the uterus." (Lagana et al. 2019) From Endo Girls Blog 

Did you know that it is estimated that approximately 10% of all women of childbearing age suffer from endometriosis?

Did you know that the AVERAGE time from when a woman first seeks medical help for her condition to a confirmed diagnosis is 7 - 10 YEARS??  And even once a diagnosis is confirmed, it can be even longer...as in years longer... before they finally can get treatment?

Did you know that endometriosis is a progressive disease that worsens over time?

Did you know that women are routinely told they are imagining the pain, or are just having bad cramps, or have a low pain tolerance, or have anxiety that is causing their debilitating pain?  I read story after story of women who were dismissed with a prescription for birth control pills, or told they needed an IUD or told to 'get pregnant' to reduce their symptoms (spoiler...birth control or other hormone treatments can suppress the symptoms but  do not stop the progression of the disease).

Did you know that there are three surgical options...ablation, excision, and hysterectomy...that are available (not to all women, I might add.  Many doctors only offer hysterectomy and possibly ablation) BUT only one -- excision -- actually removes the disease?  

Did you know that endometrial excision is a highly specialized skill and there are a very limited number of physicians who are actually competent to perform the surgery?  Often women wait MONTHS for consultations/ appointments/ surgeries, traveling hundreds of miles to the nearest trained physician.  Insurance coverage is a whole 'nuther deal...going outside of the coverage area for treatment often means denial of insurance benefits, putting an enormous financial strain on women and their families to obtain the only truly effective treatment.

Did you know that there is a whole class of drugs that chemically induce menopause that are used as treatment for endometriosis, despite being ineffective against the disease and often causing permanent damage?  I am not typing the names of the drugs here because I don't want to trigger search engines but you can click through to the articles and find them.

Did you know that hysterectomy is often advised for endometriosis, even though the uterus is only involved if there is adenomyosis (endometrial tissue in the muscle tissue of the uterus)?  Removing healthy reproductive organs will not treat endometriosis, which manufactures its own estrogen.

Did you know that endometriosis lesions can literally occur just about anywhere in the body?  It is rare outside the abdominal cavity, but it does happen.

There's more...lots more...information out there, with the result that most of the women who suffer and do the research know more about endo than their gynecologists do, but are marginally treated, offered only ineffective...but costly, both in dollars and physical toll...treatments.  Some are seen as pain-pill seekers and as such are not even given strong pain meds to counter the agony.  It's not uncommon for them to be sent home with the pronouncement 'call me when you're ready to do something' when they refuse the treatment they know to be worthless or even dangerous.

I  am telling you, the stories are heartbreaking.  If you have symptoms of endometriosis, please, please educate yourself on what your options are; don't settle for something that doesn't really help and may actually hurt you. If you love someone who has symptoms of endometriosis, BELIEVE HER.  Nancy's Nook facebook group is a great place to go for information, and they have a list of vetted doctors who specialize in excision.  Not in every state, alas, but at least there is a list.

And all of us need to advocate for research in search of real treatments, honesty from the drug industry, awareness in our physicians, and support from the insurance industry to alleviate the suffering of one in ten women globally.  It is completely unacceptable that here, in the 21st century, women are still being told they are mentally ill  because they try to get help for debilitating pain.

A Blast from the Past

 Something like 3 years ago, I happened to land on a shared photo album from a fellow home sewing enthusiast...and she had a most awesome jacket posted.  I asked her for the pattern; turns out it was a long out of print Vogue Oscar de la Renta pattern.  Ah, well, perhaps I might stumble onto it one day...

Well, as we were driving back from Florida I got a message from that lovely lady, who had found a factory-folded copy of that pattern in my size.

Y'all, I ordered it right there from the car.

It came this week.

 This one's from the glory days...

SEPARATE PIECES FOR THE LINING AND THE INTERFACING.

Who DOES that anymore?

Of course, due to its vintage status, I don't expect it to have the bust point marked, or the finished garment dimensions anywhere to be found.  I haven't unfolded the tissue yet to verify it, but I can use a tape measure to determine what alterations I need.

Unless it's buried on the tissue paper somewhere, there's no copyright date to be seen; I really don't know how old it is.   The model doesn't have Big Hair, so that rules out the late 80's - early 90's, lol.  But...the price on it is $6.50, which I would put early 80's.  

Six dollars and fifty cents.

I paid a fair amount more than that, especially throwing in shipping.  But what I paid is comparable to the current list price on designer patterns.

Not sure when I'm going to work this into the sewing queue; I have done nothing to the blue cardi since I cut it out...although I did put blue thread on the serger, lol.

But I am looking at it a lot. :-)

Starting The Cardigan

 I just realized the other day that, while I have chatted in online groups about The Cardigan, I haven't actually posted about it here...

So, back in January I posted about doing the 'Start with a Scarf' wardrobe building exercise this year. But Janice didn't start the wardrobes in January...she actually picked the scarves and posted a 5-garment core group back in December.

So by January I was already 5 garments behind, lol.  Add to that the garments she posted for January and the garments she posted for February and I am really playing catch up.

I did some poking around on retail sites to see if I could purchase any of the beginning stuff that wasn't already in my closet; I found a good deal on a cashmere crewneck sweater but came up empty on everything else.  I had blue jersey knit in the stash for the knit shirts but could NOT find a blue cardigan.

So I ordered some blue cable knit from Emma One Sock and, armed with knowledge from folks who had blogged about sewing that rather contrary fabric, began the debate about what pattern I should use.

I finally settled on McCall's 6844 ...mostly because it didn't need any closures, lol.  Also no skinny little bands to deal with.  And I have made MULTIPLES of that cardi in the past...although I've always been using a nice stable double knit.  This floppy sweater knit would be a whole 'nuther deal.

I knew that the cutting would make or break it, so I  actually played around with a layout after I cleared all the procrastination other projects out of the way (I actually had to make a handful of masks for the family vacation to see the mouse last week).  But, home from vacay, nothing in the way, it was time to start.

Normally, this cardi would take about four hours, start to finish, but I spent all day today (around laundry and a couple of other things) working on cutting it out.  

First, spread the fabric evenly, being careful not to stretch anything; use a ruler to make sure the cables are dead straight, and lay the front piece so that the front seamline (where the collar/ front band joins) is abutted right up against a cable.  This puts a cable pretty much on the center of the shoulder and running down the mid front, although I do have a bit of the cable in the side seams.

Mark the notches with lime green thread tailors tacks.

Flip the front and repeat.  For the back, I put the fold line on a cable, then flipped it so the fold line was still on the same cable to cut one back piece w/o folding the fabric.  Marked the notches; cut all 4 of the collar/ band pieces with the outer edge seam on the edge of a cable; that put the jacket body seam in the middle of a cable, which may prove to be too bulky.  If it is, I will trim it off and just have a slightly narrower front band, but I did a little practice serging on scraps and it really didn't seem to have too much trouble sewing on the grainline, even over the cabled bits, so we'll see.  I cut the sleeves with a cable running down the middle, from the shoulder point to the wrist.

It is a pain to do a single layer cut out, but given the crucial necessity of everything being balanced and straight I didn't see any way around it.

This is a busy week; hoping to get to sewing on the weekend.

It is going to take me a bit to get caught up; the March wardrobe additions will drop next week, lol.  If I want to use this for the Stitcher's Guild SWAP contest, I need to get a move on... I need to sew a minimum of 9 coordinating garments by the end of April, if I use the 'one purchased, one previously sewn' options.

But in all honesty, I think the worst of this is behind me.  If it stretches too badly under the double needle I may have to hand hem it but that won't be too onerous.  

The next thing up is about 4 knit t shirts; those should go pretty fast. Then a woven shirt that might take a minute...and then whatever comes down for March...

Here we go.

In which she made nothing she wore....

 

So, this is what I wore to work on Monday.  The day after we got home from vacation; the red fuzzy blanket is mercifully covering the pile of laundry waiting to get a trip through the machines.  The white jeans and black sweater tunic are from Lands' End, I think the white shirt came from a local department store and I honestly don't remember where I got the scarf. The SAS loafers are something like 12 years old.

Why am I sharing this when I made none of it?

Because at some point on that day I clicked on my Facebook memories, and came across a rant from several years ago that was a reaction to an article I'd read online on 'How not to dress like an old person'.  I don't think that was the title, but that was the gist of the article.

One of the things that the article claimed makes one look old is 'never wearing white pants in the winter'.

Well, on Monday, I just so happened to wear white pants so I snapped a pic to prove that I surely do not look old, lol.

Seriously...and this was the point of my rant...why would 'never' doing something fashion wise make me look old?  Two days later I wore doubleknit pants with a striped t-shirt and a knit cardigan (all made by moi, btw)....did my white pants on Monday negate the fuddiduddiness of the home sewn knits?

Now, there are some things that I agree will make me look less than my best...wearing clothes that don't fit, or that are faded, pilled or otherwise worn looking, or reveal the bumps and bulges a little too literally...but to say that 'never' doing something will result in me looking better or worse on any given day is just a little far fetched.

I wore the white pants because it made me happy.  Also because, well, laundry, lol.

Which I need to hasten off to begin. Planning to start construction on the planned wardrobe this weekend...crossing my fingers it happens! 

Not the Cardi...

 So,   I bought some merino wool jersey right at the end of the year, because I wanted to see if the whole 'wool jersey t shirt' thing that I've seen promoted on social media is worth the hype...only I didn't want to spend 90 bucks on a shirt.  A T SHIRT.  

So I got a yard and seven - eigths of some nice merlot jersey from one of my favorite dealers, er, online fabric stores, because I wanted a long sleeved T and knew I'd need at least two body lengths worth of fabric, but it was pricey and I shaved a few pennies off the expense by keeping it under two yards.

Pulled out my Jalie 2566 pattern with the long sleeve I'd cobbled up between the cardigan sleeve and the short t shirt sleeve and laid it out to cut it out today, and, yes, I needed two body lengths (the long sleeve is pretty much the same length as the body pieces).  Just can't get a front, a back and a pair of sleeves out of the width of the fabric.

But I had a whole lotta fabric leftover.  I had, oh, maybe a quarter yard extra in length but with only the sleeves cut out of the second 'body length' there was a BUNCH of fabric there that probably couldn't be used for anything.

Or could it?

I finagled around and discovered that, while I couldn't get a front, back, and two sleeves off of the first body length, I COULD get a front, back and ONE sleeve, by folding in the lengthwise edges each just wide enough to cut a body front on one fold and a body back on the other, with enough single layer in the middle for one sleeve.

So, I did that twice (being careful to flip the sleeve the second time), and I could get both short sleeves and two neckbands off the bit leftover.

And this was all the fabric I had left:

So...getting two t shirts out of my pricey fabric...which was still a little less than one T shirt at retail...makes me very happy.   Having mere scraps leftover makes me exceedingly happy. Planning to sew them tomorrow so I can wear at least one of them during our cold spell next week.

I had hoped that this would work for the SWAP wardrobe but it's got just a little too much brown in it to work with the deep pinky-red in the Hydrangea Scarf.  Rats.  But...it should be quick sewing.

I think I've made up my mind on the cardi pattern.  No buttonholes or facings.... more news on that next week.

The Hoover Trunk, Part 5 : Accessories

 I *think* I have sifted all the accessories out of the bin and photographed them...maybe...

Anyway, first up, SCARVES:

I am pretty sure all of these are silk.  And they all have abraision damage/ tiny holes and/or stains.  But...what era?  The teens?  The twenties?  The fifties?  Who knows?

The first one is black w/ gold threads around the border

Then we have this red, blue and gold scarf that I love.  Such rich color!

Cream, rust, orange jacquard...the sides are reverse images.  Not sure which one is supposed to be the 'right' side

It's pretty grungy...I wonder if a cleaning would damage it or refresh it.

There were actually two of these long skinny ties; I just didn't photograph the second one.  They are woven to that width; not a tube and not hemmed.  I'm guessing an ascot type of tie?  Wrapped around the neck a couple of times and then knotted?  They're both about 4 feet long...I took this pic and then packed it up before I figured out I should make use of  tape measure, lol.

Next up, we have this interesting little printed leather bag:

I didn't realize it was leather until I actually picked it up.  

It has a little snapped case at the top...for coins, I suppose, but it could also be for a housekey.  The bag is lined, but the case is not and you can see that it's actually leather.

I don't know if the metal snap/ grommets would be useful in dating it.  I think it's adorable.

Finally, I have a couple of things that I think are more modern...I am pretty sure these gloves are from the 1960's or early 70's based on the print on the bag...and the fact that they came in a plastic bag at all:

They are nylon knit and I held my breath when I put it on...but I have small hands and it worked.  And I cracked up that shiny nylon knit was marketed as 'leather look'

The last thing I'm going to include on this batch is a sunbonnet...but I suspect that this sunbonnet was made for the Bicentennial in 1976.  I took a picture showing the black braided elastic that cinches the back but it didn't focus well; I tried to take it too close up.  But this fabric doesn't have that vintagey feel to it the obviously older cotton fabrics have...and a truly older one would not use elastic at the back neck. But even if it was made for the bicentennial, it would be about 46 years old, so that's something, lol.

There is another sunbonnet in the bin but it matches a shirtwaist and I do think it's old...at least, contemporary with most of the rest of the garments in the trunk.  I haven't photographed them yet so that'll be a later post.

And I thought the Hoover Trunk would be good for two posts, lol.  I obviously did not know what I was getting myself into.