Stash busting: Black Wool Knit Palazzo Pants / OOP Vogue 1334

Out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1334 is all about comfort.  It has an elastic waistband that I can slip over the lower part of the back brace.  And I love the wide legs on these palazzo style pants.  It has a retro vibe that remind me of late 1960's Italian fashion and designers like Emilio Pucci.  Minus the vibrant patterned fabric, this pair is all about comfort in a neutral colour.  

This is a Today's Fit pattern by Sandra Betzina.  They actually turned out better than I hoped after reading some insights found on Pattern Review.  I have no dislikes to report.  This is an easy pattern to sew and came together quickly.  I would absolutely recommend this pattern for a beginner willing to give sewing knits a try.  Sandra Betzina lays out different fabric, fit and fabric scenarios to help make this pattern a success.  I highly recommend reading the "Before You Start" section of the pattern instructions. 

The only changes to the pattern was to cut the pants at a size F with the exception of size G at the side seams which I graded back down to F by the notch marking.  I wanted the extra bit of ease since I will be wearing these over the brace.  The hem length were cut at the smallest size.  The elastic width that the pattern calls for is a one inch width but I thought that the crotch length looked too big so I went with a two inch wide elastic.  I could have gone with a one and a half inch elastic if there was any left in the stash.  I was working with what I have on hand.  I would like another pair of these pants (they are that comfortable!) and I do have some gray French terry to make another pair, so I think there might be an elastic run in the near future.  

The photo of my pants do look much wider than the photo on the pattern envelope.  I wonder if this a reflection of the "Make the legs narrower" instructions listed within the "Before You Start" section?  Or maybe the pants on the pattern photo were made in a woven fabric?  Sandra Betzina also outlines how to make the fabric switch.  I wish the patterns would mention what fabric was used in their samples.  Anyway, these are the only things that may explain why there appears to be a difference in the drape and width between this project and the sample photo on the pattern envelope.  

The fabric is a medium weight wool knit and it has a lovely drape.  It was pre-treated with a tumble in the dryer along with damp towels. 

Sewing IS Political

This is a Canadian made and tariff free project.  All of the supplies used to make these pants were found in the stash.  The medium weight merino wool is the same fabric used for this hooded scarf and has been in the stash for a couple of years prior to the convicted felon's tariff war.  It came from Marshall Fabrics, a western Canadian fabric outlet.  The Vogue pattern is a recent Etsy purchase from a Canadian reseller.  The threads are Gütermann Threads and have been in the stash for a long time, likely from Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The scissors are from Taiwan and were purchased from Fabricland.  The elastic is also came from Fabricland.  The label is from KATM, an Australian company.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  4.5 metres (this fabric was 110 cm wide)

Elastic:  1.4 metres

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 1334, circa 2012

Label:  1--"one off" KATM label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, cardboard cutting mat (for table extention), pins, wrist pin cushion, paper scissors, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, tweezers, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, safety pin and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Elastic Back Skirt / OOP Vogue 1247 and 9918

Redesigning out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1247 skirt pattern into an elastic back version is all about comfort.  With an elastic back waist, there was hope that it can be worn with the back brace.  And I'm thrilled that it worked out.  

There were two patterns, OOP Vogue 1247 and vintage and OOP Vogue 9918, merged to create this skirt.  The front of the skirt with those lovely pockets is cut from Vogue 1247 and the back piece is cut from Vogue 9918.  

There were also several changes to the pattern pieces to make this fit over the lower part of the brace.  The back piece from 9918 was cut as a size 18 and an inch width was added at the centre front.  The front pieces also had an inch width added at the centre front.  The front darts were removed and the waistline adjusted accordingly.  The waistline curve at the front side seam was eliminated and straightened to match the shaping with the back side waist.  There is an added ten inches of length added to the front and the back piece was adjusted to match.  I should add an inch or two to the length on the next version so I could sew a blind hem.  This one is finished with seam binding to keep the length.  The waistband was cut narrower, shorter to fit the front section only and was not interfaced. 

The fabric is a medium weight cotton sateen with stretch.  It's been in the stash for years, many years.  It was pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing.   

Let's talk about thread for a moment.  I like Gütermann threads, but lately not so much.  Most of the Gütermann threads in the stash are cotton and made in Greece.  Love the quality, there are no complaints with the cotton threads made in Europe. 

But there are some spools that are polyester Gütermann threads in the stash that are the absolute worst for my Janome sewing machines.  The polyester threads entered the stash because I was trying to match colours with a project fabric and they were on sale.  Sometimes a sale is not a good deal even if the colour selection is wonderful.  These spools are made in the U.S.A., very thin / fine and feel like plastic.  When used in any of my sewing machines and serger, I have problems, skip stitches and constantly having to rethread the machines.  It's not a tension or needle issue, I've checked and adjusted and the problems persist.  I wish I checked online before picking these polyester thread spools as I would have discovered that others had issues as well.  And this doesn't seem to be a recent issue according to the two year old Reddit post.  So, I was careful to pick out spools of cotton thread for this project.  Now, what to do with the remaining Gütermann polyester threads in the stash?  Thankfully, there are not a lot of these lingering in the stash.  

 

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  All of the supplies used to make this skirt were found in the stash.  The fabric has been in the stash for a decade and was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The elastic was also sourced from Fabricland.  The scissors used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company.  They were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The Vogue patterns are products from the U.S.A. and are from a pre-Trumpian era, not contributing to the convicted felon's tariff economy.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8--3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Elastic:  0.7 metres

Seam binding:  1.3 metres

Patterns:  OOP Vogue 1247, circa 2011 and OOP Vogue 9918, circa 1980s.

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, iron, ironing board, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, tweezers, seam ripper, thread clippers, measuring gauge, tailor's ham and tea.   

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

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.