Stash busting: Scoliosis Brace Cover / Body Sock

 

One more extended tube top / scoliosis brace cover / body sock.  Chose your label.  This is an undergarment that I can wear under the brace and turn it up from the bottom to cover the velcro straps and hopefully protect my clothing that I wear over the brace.  I copied the genius design from Brace Buddies, they get all the credit.  I highly recommend their products, I'm just trying to use up the stash and make a few at home. 

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  I should also mention that my inspiration from Brace Buddies is also a Canadian company--Go Canada!   The fabric is a cotton knit French terry from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The fabric scissors used to cut this fabric is a product from Taiwan, purchased from Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were pulled from the stash, all Gütermann Threads.  The cotton thread used in the sewing machine was made in Greece.  The polyester thread used in the serger was made in the U.S.A. purchased prior to the boycott.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1 metre

Pattern:  None used, copied shape from a previously purchased Brace Buddies body sock.  

Additional Tools and Supplies:  cutting table, pins, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, measuring tape, measure gauge, iron, ironing board and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Neck-to-Back Heating Pads

In less than two weeks, my copy-cat version of a neck-to-back heat pad was in need of mending.  The serged edge closing the top of the bag opened and started spilling some of the filling.  Since that happened until the time I found some free time to repair it, I went without.  And that is how I ended up making three back-up neck-to-back heat pads.  

The fabric is a medium-weight 100% cotton denim.  It has been in the stash for years.  The filling is what I would find on hand, a mix of rice and lentils.  The fabric was previously pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer.  The pattern is a copy of the original Magic Bag.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8--3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.0 metre

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, seam ripper and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: New Batch of Panties / OOP Simplicity 8229

This batch of panties will replace the previous batch made about sixteen months ago because the elastic feels like it is cutting into my leg.  These are made in a lighter cotton knit than the previous batch.  The fabric will be more comfortable to wear.  The other cotton knit has less stretch and was a bit thicker.  And the elastic will be a little looser in the thigh area.  So for now, it's back to the cutting table with out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 8229.  

The pattern has been a keeper and a go-to for making panties.  Looking back at previous posts for this pattern, it first made an appearance at the worktable in 2017.  It's a great pattern.  The 97% cotton / 3% spandex knit fabric has been in the stash for quite awhile, same with the elastic.  Years already.  It's nice to finally have this want-to-make project done.  There was enough fabric to cut out six pairs of panties.  That wasn't the case for the elastic, two pairs were sewn with an ivory coloured elastic whereas four have matching pink elastic.  

Sewing IS Political

This is a Canadian made and tariff free project.  All of the supplies used to make these were found in the stash and did not contribute to the convicted felon's economy.  The out-of-print pattern, Simplicity 8229, is a U.S.A. product that has been in the stash for years.  The fabric has also been in the stash for years and came from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The picot elastic is from Marshall Fabrics, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The fabric scissors used to cut out this project were made in Tiawan and were purchased at Fabricland.  The threads are an assortment of various shades of pink and purple pulled from the stash, some from Woolworth's which was a retail store from back in the day.  Since it's underwear, I didn't feel the need to run out and pick up matching thread and just made do with what was found here.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) and zig-zag stitches

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres

Elastic:  14.4 metres

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, thread clippers, pins, Janome 4190 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, a lot of thread, tweezers, heating pad and tea.    

Good tunes:  Bad Bunny.  I became a fan huge fan the other night.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.   

The Hidden Story Behind the Heated Rivalry Fleece

 

Lately, it seems like a fleece jacket is all the rage since it appeared on an episode from the show Heated Rivalry.  Last night a local sewing business, Lilax Studio, was featured on the news for offering classes for sewing the fleece.  And last month this fan of the fleece created her own version.  I've never watched the show or read the book which the show is based on and I'm not into leisure sports garb.  But what I find it interesting all the attention this simple zip front style fleece is getting in the media lately.  

Photo source

Even the Prime Minister of Canada has been photographed in the fleece.  It's that popular and the question lingers who is behind this pop cultural moment.  Is it the actor who modelled this garment on the show.  Or does the credit go to the show's Toronto costume designer, Hanna Puley, who has been credited for designing the fleece?  Not so fast.  

Kuwalla Streetwear brand is behind the fleece design, a Canadian label based in Montreal whose clothes are available in Simon stores.  It was a Kuwalla-Tee Bonded Sherpa fleece jacket that was decorated by the show's costume designer to look like an Olympic jacket for the show.  Yet, nowhere in all the press coverage or celebration of this jacket is it mentioned that this is a Kuwalla Streetwear jacket.  So why is Province of Canada, a Toronto based fashion line releasing the jacket.  Not cool.  

Hey, I've been known to sew copy cat designs at the sewing table.  Most recently, a couple of days ago I copied and made my own Magic Bag heating pad.  It was another great Canadian design but I didn't try to hide the fact that I'm copying someone else's design ideas.  That's the part that is not cool.  It would have been cool if they worked with Kuwalla to re-release the jacket.  Is this another Montreal vs. Toronto rivalry?  Oh, the drama and heated rivalry of these two Canadian fashion brands.

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Neck to Back Heat Pad

The Magic Bag Heating Pad that I've been using has been hitting the mending pile recently.  And when the latest patch work started to open again, I decided that it was either time to buy another (these are a Canadian product) or sew a new one.  I decided to save some money and sew my own.  

I cut open the straight edge and removed the filling, saving it to reuse in the new bag.  I used the old Magic Bag as my pattern and cut out the fabric, a medium weight 100% cotton fabric.  

I transferred the topstitching line on one side and folded it over to transfer the design on the other side.  Then I topstitched the lines before filling the bag.  The bag was closed with the serger.

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  0.4 metres

Pattern:  Old Magic Bag

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Raw Silk Pullover Top / OOP Vogue 9246

This project is all about stash busting this beautiful piece of raw silk.  There was a struggle to find a project worthy for this fabric.  You see, with only 1.9 metres to work with the plan for Vogue 1899 didn't work as there wasn't quite enough width for the 114 centimetre wide fabric to accommodate the corner of the sleeves.   But OOP Vogue 9246 worked out for this small piece of silk.   

OOP Vogue 9246 has a super easy pullover top to sew.  It is an excellent project for a beginner.  It's a well drafted pattern.  I made it in a size large and there is ample ease, I could have gone down to a medium at the neckline and yoke seams.  The neckline and yoke were cut as a size large and the side seams and length on the sleeve is cut as an extra-extra large.  It's big on me but I will be able to wear this over the back brace and that is a good thing.  The bodice hem was increased to two inches and the sleeve is finished with a three quarter of an inch hem.  The neckline was finished with seam binding.  

The fabric is a medium to heavy weight silk noir in a beautiful raspberry colour.  It was an absolute pleasure to sew.  I wish that fabric like this were easily found in the fabric store aisles, but I believe this is a fabric from bygone days.  I picked it up at Winnipeg Sews when they acted as a fabric reseller.  It was pretreated before hitting the cutting table.  Going forward, this will be a hand washed garment.   

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  Everything needed and used was sourced from the stash.  The fabric is a second hand find from Winnipeg Sews, a now closed down Canadian fabric outlet.  The pattern, OOP Vogue 9246, is a made in the U.S.A. product that was in the stash prior to the convicted felon's tariff war against the world.  The fabric scissor is from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The paper scissors were made in Taiwan and were purchased at Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads used were from Gütermann Threads, a German company.  There are labelled as made in Greece and were purchased from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.9 metres

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 9246, circa 2017

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, paper scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, tailor's chalk, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, lint brush, canned air, iron, ironing board, tailor's ham, sleeve ham and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Scoliosis Brace Cover / Tube Top

This is basically a tube top for my scoliosis brace.  But let's call it a brace cover.  It is for the original brace, the one that I wear during the day and especially when clearing snow.  Since it's winter, I would like to wear sweaters but I'm scared to damage them with the Velcro straps on the brace.  I took inspiration from Brace Buddies and made a brace cover and it works like this top, just without sleeves.  

It's currently a little snug but it works.  I'll take it out for a test run before I make more or changes.  The fabric has been in the stash for many years.  To be honest I'm not sure when it entered the stash or if it came from Mitchell Fabrics or Marshall Fabrics.  All I do know is that you don't see cotton knit like this in the fabric stores now-a-days.  The last time I used some of the yardage was for this top about five years ago.  It is a medium weight cotton knit.  And it was previously pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before returning back to the stash and making it onto the cutting table for this project.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  Everything used to create this project was sourced from the stash.  The beefy knit has been in the stash for decades.  I do not remember where I bought this but I know it wasn't Fabricland, it was either Mitchell Fabrics or Marshall Fabrics.  Anyway, all three mentioned companies are all Canadian.  The scissors used to cut out the project are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were all pulled from the stash and are a mix of Gütermann and Coat's and Clark threads.  

Project Details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1 metre

Pattern:  None

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, thread clippers, and the Janome AirThread 2000D serger.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.