Today, I'm literally threading a needle in celebration of National Thread the Needle Day. I'm currently working on out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 2571 and there has been a lot of basting and hand stitching involved. It's worth all the hand work and time involved with this project. Maybe in another week or so I will have more to show. Until then carry on celebrating National Thread the Needle Day!
Happy Sewing!
The tape measure just might be the most important and least celebrated tool in my sewing basket. I use it every time I'm laying out a pattern on top of a yardage of fabric. It's essential for making sure the pattern pieces are placed on the grain. I use it to check the yardage of a piece of fabric before deciding if it's going to work on a project. And I certainly use it to check body measurements and make alterations.
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| Source: Moschino |
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| Source: Etsy |
Sewing, Mending and Alterations
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| Top L to R: navy cotton sateen pullover top (Closet Core's Ebony), cotton caftan (McCall's 8516), denim gardening apron (Tessuti apron). Bottom L to R: cotton shirt (OOP and vintage Simplicity 7840), cotton butterfly print shirt (Butterick 5891), cotton sateen pull-on skirt (The Assembly Line S:403). |
First, before anything else, let's talk about the fabric used for this project. It's a light-weight cotton sateen with some stretch. Yes, I did use a woven fabric for this latest Ebony top. I figured since this is a loose-fitting tent style top that it could work in a woven fabric. And I'm thrilled with how it turned out, it's very comfortable.
The fabric has been in the stash for decades and it was previously pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer. It did hit the ironing board for a steam press this morning before moving to the work table for cutting.
The pattern is absolutely a keeper and a quick project to put together. Perfect project for beginners. Since I was working with a woven, there wasn't enough stretch for the neckline piece to stretch into place. A trip back to the cutting table for a new piece. This time I cut it on the bias and extended the length a wee bit. If there was some navy ribbing fabric in the stash, it would have been perfect. But now that I'm thinking about it, there is some cotton knit that would have worked perfectly. Oops.
Project details
Seams: 2.8--3.0 straight stitch
Seam finish: Serged
Fabric: 1.7 metres
Additional Tools and Supplies: Cutting table, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, thread clippers, Janome serger, threads (cotton thread for the sewing machine and polyester threads for the serger), sleeve ham, iron, ironing board, back brace, heat pad and a smoothie break.
Happy Sewing!
This denim gardening apron is made from recycled and fabric scraps.
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This skirt was made to go with the kAtheRine Tilton top I finished yesterday. It's the A-line midi skirt from The Assembly Line.
This is a basic elastic waist pull-on skirt pattern with the most wonderful front pockets. These are pockets that you can actually use, not dainty little pockets that won't even hold car keys. Love that. Also love the raised waistband and wide elastic. It's one comfortable skirt.
The pattern comes with variations for the skirt waistband and hem options. I went with the basic A-line design, but now that I've tried the pattern, I wouldn't mind making the paper bag waistband with the belt loops one day.
The only changes were to shorten the hem four inches before sewing a one inch hem, I omitted the center front and back seams by cutting on the fold and opted out of top-stitching. I think this is a wonderful pattern for beginners.
The fabric has been in the stash for well over a decade, actually it's left-over from this project. And there is maybe enough for a pair of shorts? But I digress. It is a lovely medium weight cotton sateen, one of my favourite fabrics to sew. It was previously pre-treated and ready for the cutting table.
Project details
Seams: 2.8 straight stitch, 3/8" seam allowances
Seam finish: Serged
Fabric:
Elastic: 1 metre
Additional Tools & Supplies: Cutting table, fabric scissors, paper scissors, tailor's chalk, pins, pin cushion, thread clippers, cotton thread, polyester serger thread, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, blind hem foot, screwdriver, Janome serger, safety pins, iron, ironing board and coffee.
Happy sewing.
With the arrival of the official first day of summer, out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 5891 makes another appearance.
This kAtheRine Tilton design is a favourite summer-time top pattern. It has long sleeves to protect from those nasty mosquito bites--they're fierce this year. And pockets! Ah, gotta love a garment with pockets.
There was one small change made to this version. The center back was cut on the fold and fanned out two inches at the bottom hemline to provide more ease in the back.
The fabric inspired this project. When I stumbled across it in the quilting cottons, I was smitten with the print. It was listed as a craft cotton but this 100% cotton fabric worked out just fine for garment sewing. Although I wouldn't use it if you're sewing something that needs the fabric to drape. The fabric was pretreated with a tumble through the wash cycle and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing.
Project details
Seams: 2.8--3.0 straight stitch
Seam finish: Serged
Fabric: 3 metres
Buttons: 4--1" recycled buttons
Sewing label: 1--"I sewed this!" label
Additional Tools and Supplies: Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushions, measuring tapes, measuring gauge, tailor's chalk, cotton thread, silk thread, hand sewing needle, thread clippers, tailor's wax, Janome sewing machine, Janome serger, iron, ironing board, screwdriver, buttonhole foot, walking foot and tea.
Happy Sewing!
Today, I'm literally threading a needle in celebration of National Thread the Needle Day. I'm currently working on out-of-print (...
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