April in Review...

 

It doesn't seem like there was a lot coming off the sewing machine this month. But with how my sewing mojo has been in hiding I'm going to take two items as a win.  

The plaid silk shirt was started months ago and then somethings just pushed its way ahead, over this project.  It feels great to have this finally done and when I have my sewing mojo back I wouldn't mind revisiting this Assembly Line oversized shirt pattern again. The little girls' dress was remake of a project I first made decades ago.  This time around it was a refashion project as well. I really wanted to give a second chance to the ribbon decorated fabric.  

I probably would have sewn more if I weren't watching out for my wrist and avoiding cutting out big projects. Would it be nice if you could just hand off your piece of cloth to someone else to cut for you? Ah, a gal could dream!  

The end of April means that tomorrow is the start of Me-Made-May 2021. I wonder how much different things will look into the second MMM pandemic edition?  

Output

Fabric:  2.6 metres (April) + 1 recycled skirt (April) + 32.5 metres (prior months) = 33.1 metres + 1 recycled skirt

Zippers:  0 (April) + 1 - 55 cm zipper = 1 

Buttons:  18 (April) = 18

Seam binding:  0 (April) + 7 metres (prior months) = 7 metres

Knit 'N Stable Tape:  0 (April) + 9 metres (previous months) = 9 metres

Twill Tape:  0 (April) + 0.5 metres (prior months) = 0.5 metres

Spools of thread:  2 - 275 metre spools (April) + 1 875 metres (prior months) = 2 700 metres

Sewing machine needles:  0 (April) + 3 (prior months) = 3

Hand needles:  0 (April) + 1 (prior months) = 1

Sewing Label:  1 "me made" label (April) + 0 (prior months) = 1

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Monday's Mending Pile: Good-bye Pajama Bottoms, Hello Refreshed Jacket!

Well, I decided to take the advice of a reader and go for it.  Thanks Laurinda!  I'm actually happier than I thought I would be with how it turned out.  

A small hole developed at the bottom front of this jacket, circa 2015.  I would like to make another one but the price of sweatshirt fleece has doubled since I made this one so that's off the sewing table. I am willing to fix this one and see if I can get another six years out of it.  

The first step was to stitch the edges of the hole together. For this task, I used silk thread as it is less prone to tangling. And the stitches wouldn't be as bulky if I opted for a poly-cotton blend or cotton thread run through some tailor's wax. 

The final step was to cover the patch job with a sewing label. This "me made" label is by Kylie and the Machine.  And now that little hole is our secret.  

And there was more work on converting the elastic on my face masks, circa 2020. I've been switching up the ear elastic to an around-the back-of-the-head style. But there was one issue, the 6 mm wide elastic was uncomfortable where it laid over the top of my ear lobe. I switched to a 3 mm wide elastic and that seems a bit more comfortable. 

I wasn't so lucky on the next item that ended up on the mending pile. It was time to say good-bye to my first pair of me-made pajama bottoms, circa 2017.  Then again, 2020 was the year of living in pajamas during the lockdowns and they did see a lot of use even in the daytime hours. 

The less worn and frayed parts were cut down for rags and I was able to recycle the elastic. I am going to re-use the elastic for a replacement pair in a navy cotton that I have in the stash. It will go well with the pajama top, circa 2017, which is still in good condition.  

Well, on that note, I should get to work cutting out the new bottoms. 

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

Fashion Revolution Week: Eight, really? It's Been Eight Years Ago...

I don't know what to write today, on the anniversary of the building collapse in Bangladesh that killed over a thousand innocent people and injured another twenty-five hundred. I don't know what to write because when I reflect back, I fear that very little has changed.  This is what I wrote back then

I've been [...] watching the news channel talk about the sewing factory collapse in India. It is heart breaking to say the least. Words can not explain how painful it is to watch the news coverage, again. Is it me or does it seem that there are a lot of fires or building collapses in that part of the world's garment industry?

Some people in the media are blaming the shopping attitudes of North America for the tragedies that have been occurring in the East surrounding the billion dollar garment industry. North Americans, they argue, want cheap fashions forcing India and China to compete with cheap labour. Then there is another segment that blames the owners of the factory that ordered the workers back to work even though the building was deemed unsafe. Everyone is blaming everyone! But no one is offering any solutions. Some people want to boycott Joe Fresh one of the Canadian garment lines whose labels were found at the collapse building site. Where others are pleading with North American shoppers to not boycott the garment manufactures because they bring much needed work to the region.

Tonight on the local news station they asked a poll question and when I went to check the result, it made me even more sad.

CTV Winnipeg Web Poll - April 26, 2013

Would you pay extra to buy clothes made in fair trade factories?

Yes		177	(53 %)
No		154	(47 %)

Total number of votes: 331

I would have thought that the "yes" response would have been much higher considering the heart-breaking images that have been on the news. But I don't know why I am surprised. As a person who sews, I am often asked to sew for others who are ignorant of the time and work that goes into sewing something because they have been conditioned to paying such low prices. Of course consumers are often getting low quality as many fast fashions are simplified in style and technique.

{Source}

I am often saddened when "home economics" classes were taken to a new direction since I was in junior and high school.

It seems that if a school offers home economics now-a-days the sewing component of home economic classes is pushed to the sidelines as cooking and finances take centre stage. I don't feel that one component is more important than the other rather they are equally important.

I often wonder if there was a greater focus on the sewing component of home economics maybe, just maybe we could educate a future consumer that has an appreciation for the work and skill that goes into creating a garment. Sewing a garment is not just about making something, it is also involves math and communication skills and lessons on aesthetics and ethics.

Even if a student does not continue onto a career that involves sewing or sews their own wardrobe, they would develop skills to help them make more ethical and informed consumer decisions about quality fashion and the work involved in creating such items.

I wonder if the lack of sewing skills currently taught in school contribute to the callous way we think about fashion. This is such a complicated issue. What can we as consumers do? How can consumers be sure that the products they purchase are ethically made in safe working conditions? There are so many questions that arise in yet another tragedy. I pray for those who have lost their lives and who are exploited in horrified working conditions and that cultural attitudes towards fast-fashion change. There has been way too many deaths and injuries in the name of cheap fashion, way too many.

The Fire and Building Safety Accord in Bangladesh, signed after the building collapse, is set to expire at the end of next month. Not one clothing brand that had signed the accord has stepped up to re-sign the agreement. Although, Canadian clothing purchasing habits declined and changed during the pandemic, overseas garment workers continue to pay the price. 

Clothing brands are not stepping up and honoring their purchase orders and someone along the line will have to pay for it.  

When global brands do not honor their purchase agreements, it is the garment workers who are once again punished.  Someone always pays when it comes to cheap fast-fashion. This hasn't changed in the eight years since the Rana Plaza tragedy.  

The pandemic has monopolized  media coverage on the local news this year. If it weren't for the social media coverage from #FahionRevolution this issue would have quietly faded to the background this year.  

#FashionRevolution still has an important role in bringing awareness to issues that are still relevant today as it was eight years ago. And perhaps the pandemic might just shed some more awareness on social justice issues that remain in the fashion industry.   

Fashion Revolution Week: The Environmental Impact of Face Masks or Why We Should Wear Re-Useable Masks

More than a year into the pandemic, wearing a face mask has become the norm for many of us. Unless you were a spectator at the Texas Ranger season opener, then you may have been a baseball loving environmentalist worried about the environmental impact that disposable face masks is having on our global home? But I digress...

Locally, these things are littering our streets and boulevards. They are everywhere. It was recently estimated that 129 billion BILLION face masks are being disposed of globally each month.  Many of these make their way into our rivers, lakes and oceans and have a dire impact on these ecosystems. Medical grade and disposable consumer use face masks are made from polyproplene, a type of plastic. And it is estimated that it takes hundreds of years to degrade. 

So what can you do?  It is said that even after we get a majority of our population vaccinated we'll still be wearing face masks.  

I'm all for making re-useable face masks. At work I have to wear a medical grade face mask but I also wear a me-made mask on top of it. I prefer to use cotton, linen or hemp fabrics and include a third layer with an organic cotton knit. Not only is it about using a natural fibre for some added kindness towards the environment, it's also about finding that perfect fit.  

Happy Earth Day!  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

Fashion Revolution Week: Sustainable Sewing Tips

What does sustainable sewing mean to you? Does it mean being a conscious consumer? Or do you go further and realize that even though you're a conscious consumer you're still consuming. How and what we consume has an impact on our communities, human rights and the environment.    

I've been sewing my own clothes consuming textile products for a long time. It all started restarted as a quest for clothing that fit. It evolved over the years as I learned about the impact of fast-fashion on human rights and the environment. And it is an awakening of sorts to the impact that deforestation and water diversion in the name of fashion has in other aspects of our lives. 

There are big steps (education) and small steps (how we sew) that we can take in order to have a positive impact no matter how small they might seem.  

1.  Sew the Stash!  

Okay, I realize that fabric shopping and sewing with fabric are two completely different hobbies for some of us. 

Sure, it's fun a distraction during the pandemic to scroll the online fabric collections now that the pandemic has striped away the ability to walk into a fabric store and touch textile products like we once did in the past. If anything, lockdowns provide the time to shop the stash and rediscover pieces that might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. Along with searching for the last bits of elastic during the great elastic shortage of 2020.  Oy!

Can't find the right colour of fabric in your stash or want to jump on the tie-dye trend? Consider dying fabric that is already in your stash. You don't even need to run out to the craft or fabric store for store-bought dyes. You might have all the materials needed in your pantry or garden. Added bonus, natural dyes are kind to the environment. It will feel like you have a new fabric that you pulled out of the stash.   

2.  Wear What You Make, Make What You and Your Community Needs

In a few short days we'll be in the midst of Me Made May festivities. It's an annual online celebration of what has been created and worn.  You don't even have to document the process if you don't want to, it's just a time to be mindful of the clothing items that are waiting to get out of the closet and be worn. 

Lately, most of my sewing projects have not been photo shoot material. There hasn't been much fancy pretty things coming off the sewing machine. Instead, my sewing projects have been highly worn needed items. Face masks, undergarments, and scrub caps are not the most glamorous projects but they are the most appreciated.  

And on a sustainability note, these prized and highly sought after items are small enough to use up small remnants of fabric left over from other projects. There are many groups (hospital / health care workers, homeless shelters, community groups) that would benefit from any left over face masks, undergarments and scrub caps that could be send their way.  If it's possible to do, it's a great way to care for our communities.

3.  Care for Your Clothes

"Loved clothes last," is the catch phrase but it's also true.  We all invest a lot of time into creating our me-made wardrobes. Doesn't it make sense to care for them after they leave the sewing machine? 

 

Let me tell you a tale about this white shirt. Back in 2019, I was so thrilled that I finally managed to sew a white shirt that was comfortable and fit. It's all about sleeves that hit my wrist area and enough ease around the mid-section.  And then in my joy over finally having a white shirt that fits, I wore it out in the public sphere and while at work a blue ink stain appeared on the front band.  

I know, I was shocked as well.  I have no idea how it happened, I'm usually very careful except for this time.  I tried every commercial product stain remover I could get my hands on, from a Tide™ stain remover stick to Shout™ spray stain remover, but nothing worked. In matter of fact the ink stain spread.  Sadness quickly followed when I realized that the there was no more white cotton with stretch in my fabric stash.  

The once loved shirt sat in my mending pile for months waiting for me to recycle those buttons and cut it up for rags. It sat there for that long because I just couldn't do it. And during that time, I started to wonder about that urban legend out there that says, hair spray can remove ink stains. Could it be that it might actually be true? What did I have to lose?  Well, besides a stack of new rags.  

It did work despite all the online posts that hair spray contains less alcohol as it did back-in-the-day. The current advice seems to be to use a bottle of alcohol instead but with the pandemic making alcohol supplies at the drug store a rare find, I'm glad I gave the hair spray trick a try. I invested in a non-aerosol bottle of extra hold hair spray and it worked, much to my relief. The moral of the story, sometimes it's worth the risk. And if it doesn't work, there is a source for rags oh let's not go there. 

4.  Learn to Mend and Love the Process  

Mending is the greatest sewing technique that you can bring to your sewing process. Yeah, I can hardly believe that my fingers hit those keystrokes to spell that out. I've come a long way in my view on mending. There has really been a mind shift over the pandemic. 

The above ready-to-wear shirt has ended up on the mending pile once again. I'm thinking about how I want to repair the small hole developing on the upper back of this top. And I'm thinking about doing some visible mending with this one. I've been intrigued by Sashiko, the Japanese technique of visible mending. I think it could look quite pretty, maybe try it out with some silk thread so not to compete with the light-weight fabric.  

5.  Use Old Clothing as Your Fabric Source

According to a report by the United States Environment Protection Agency, many of the previously desired clothing that we donate to charity and second hand shops still end up in landfills and contribute to greenhouse gases.  

Have you considered using your old clothing as a fabric source instead of donating them? It couldn't be a better time to consider it as the patchwork trend is sticking around for 2021.  

How about using big people clothing pieces to recreate little people clothing? The above dress was created with a much loved piece of cloth from a me-made skirt that no longer fit. Fabrics have certainly changed over the decades as manufacturers blend natural and man-made fibres in order to save money. Those quality natural fibre fabrics are becoming harder to find in fabric store shelves replaced by polyester options. But those gems might still be sitting in your mending or donate piles waiting to be recreated into something new.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sustainable Sewing!

The Assembly Line: T:205 Oversized Shirt

The fabric for this project is another home décor find. It's a 100% silk plaid fabric and I was smitten at the moment I spotted it. It's been in the fabric stash for years waiting for the perfect pattern to come along.  

Enter The Assembly Line's (TAL) oversized shirt pattern. I actually started this project months ago and then well, life procraftination happened and it fell to the side lines. But I digress... 

After pretreating this silk fabric it lost it's stiffness and felt less like a home decor fabric. It still retained some of its structure but with some much welcomed softness. The pattern pieces were carefully laid out on the cross grain only because I wanted the black stripes in the plaid to run vertically. For the front piece, I placed the pieces as a single layer mindful of the potential of silk to be challenging to cut and the added challenge of matching the plaid. Thankfully, it appears to be worth the extra effort.   

The pattern is an absolutely a keeper. First, this is a well-drafted pattern, the style is so comfortable and I love the fit. BONUS:  IT HAS POCKETS!!!  I placed the upper edge of the pocket six and a quarter inches below the armhole seam but I think next time I may raise it a half or three quarters of an inch higher. Even though I love the fact that this shirt has pockets, my fabric choice makes me question whether I want to use them for more than keeping my hands hidden.  

I did switch something up, the sleeve placket. I'm not a fan of the slit and continuous lap option that is used on this pattern and most women's clothing. Instead, I opted for the tower placket style most commonly found on menswear. And I shortened the length of the sleeve.  Maybe a wee bit more on the next one but for this one, I'm okay with the length and can get away with it just fine. But the next version, I will tweak the sleeve length.   

I do have to applaud The Assembly Line (TAL) for their instructions. They really do a fine job with explaining tailor tacks and other techniques not typically explained on modern North American the Big Four's pattern instructions. TAL's detailed instructions is what makes their patterns quite suitable for beginners and a true treasure. 

Another thing that I did adjust was the seam allowances, I'm just not used to sewing 3/8" seam allowances. I could have easily left the pattern as it was (exception the collar and neckline) and sewed 5/8" seam allowances without compromising the fit. It really is an oversized relaxed fit as described on the pattern.  

Now, the time has come to plan the next version. Perhaps a linen, lengthened into a shirt dress option?   

Project Details

Seams:  2.2 -- 2.4 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Interior seams are serged

Tip:  Cut plaids as a single layer so that they are easier to match.

Fabric:  2.1 metres

Interfacing:  1 metre fusible

Buttons:  11 - 3/8" 

Label:  1 -- "me made" from Kylie and the Machine

Patterns:  The Assembly Line T:205 and Vogue 1503 (sleeve placket pattern piece)

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Flip chart paper, rulers, marker, pencil, measuring tape, tailor's chalk, pins, pin cushion, scissors, thread clippers, serger, sewing machine, walking foot, threads for the machines, new sewing machine needle, silk thread for hand stitching, hand sewing needle, sleeve ham, wooden collar press, measuring gauge, screwdriver, cutting board, hammer, buttonhole cutter and many breaks over a course of months.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Monday's Mending Pile

On my on going quest to find the best fitting facemask, I decided to change up the elastic. Instead of the ear elastic, I've switched the elastic to fit across the back of my head. It stays in place better and instead of pulling my ear lobes forward it wraps around the back of my head. 

It's okay for short time wearing but I find that the elastic hurts the top of my ear if I wear it for more than a hour or so. I might have to go back to the cutting table and look at using a thinner width elastic and give that a try.  

There was some repair work done to this shirt. I made this twenty-seven months ago but but the look of the elbow wear you might think it's older than this. It must have been well-loved and worn.  

At first I thought to patch the elbows but then I found another small hole in the lower shirt front and then decided to cut the sleeves.  I changed the sleeve into a short sleeve and use a small piece of the discarded lower sleeve to cut out a patch and repair the front.  

Looks like it might be time to pull out McCall's 2447 out of the drawer and start planning another long sleeve shirt project.  

Before then, I'm trying to figure out how to repair a very small hole in the lower front corner of this jacket. I wear this one mostly when out doing yard work or running errands.  Do I leave it since it's just weekend / errand wear or should I try to patch it with a "me made" label near the bottom zipper corner?  Or should I just mend it with a few hand stitches to close up the hole?  I wish I still had a remnant of this fabric.  I would have just patched it.  Hmmm, I  might go with the label.  What do you think?  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

National Tartan Day

All tartans are plaid.  

That said, not all plaids are tartans.  

So what's the difference?  Well a tartan is a specific type of plaid design that is specific to a family clan, a place or even a military unit.  There is even a registry that notes the specifics of the design as to the colours and threads that cross each other.  

Not so for plaids.  Here in North America a plaid refers to any fabric that has a crossed checkered design.  

And did you know that Canadian provinces and the territories have their own tartans? So even if your heritage is not Scottish you can wear your local tartan to observe national tartan day.  Although, many provincial "tartans" fabrics found online are actually printed cottons.  Guess that would make it a plaid. 

Stay Safe and Happy National Tartan Day!   

Easter Dress: OOP McCall's 8548

 

Goodness, I don't know where to begin with this project.  Hmm, let's start with the pattern. This little dress was created with out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 8548. Back-in-the-day, I had a copy of this pattern and made a little floral dress for my niece. That was a life time ago. This is a new-ish copy found at a second hand shop.  

It was with a sense of nostalgia that it made it back to the cutting table. The same can be said about the fabric. The ribbon decorated cotton was in my stash for a long time before I cut it into a skirt. Years later, it doesn't fit and it ended up on the cutting table as a refashion project. The bodice, sleeves and undercollar were cut from another green cotton from my stash.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.4 straight seam length, 4.0 gathering stitch length

Seam Finish:  Serged

Fabric:  Recycled skirt and 0.5 metres 

Interfacing:  1 metre fusible

Buttons:  7 - 3/4" buttons

Pattern:  OOP McCall's 8548

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, scissors, pins, pin cushions, seam ripper, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, serger, screwdriver, threads (finished off 100 m spool), cutting board, buttonhole cutter, hammer and tea.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!