August in Review...

Sewing

This month I didn't sew anything that I planned to sew a month ago.  The birthday caftan that I thought about sewing did not materialize.  The black denim that I was thinking about sewing a denim jacket with became a pair of culottes.  And it proved to be the wrong fabric choice for the project.  Frugality played a part in sewing a cell phone protector.  Little girl dresses were part of gift sewing projects.  And then my sewing direction took a turn into some serious stash busting territory after Pattern Review announced their stash busting contest.  

Stash busting

All of the projects sewing were made with fabric and supplies found in the stash.  There were 15.3 metres of fabric, 5 spools of thread, 9 metres of trim, 1 metre of elastic, 1 cord stopper, 1 button, 1 zipper and 0.5 metres of Knit 'N Stable tape stash busted this month.  

I'm so grateful that I decided to join the Stash busting contest at Pattern Review.  Once I started with a fabric, it seemed easier to match it with a pattern or project.  It feels wonderful to use these sometimes overlooked pieces and transform them into objects that can be used or gifted.  It feels good.  I won't win any prizes for most yardage used, I'm not as fast as some of the others who have entered the contest.  But I do feel like a winner for finally using the fabric for the scarf and that denim for the grocery bags that have been in the stash for way-too-long.  My goal is to at least empty one bin by the end of the contest.  

What's Next?  

I'm just going to keep sewing.  I have that tweed fabric I wrote about this month at the foot of my cutting table.  My focus is to use the oldest fabrics that have often been overlooked over the years.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: Reusable Grocery Bags / OOP McCall's 4851

Back in 2020 when I first made out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 4851, I made five bags and wrote that I didn't think I would revisit the pattern.  I thought that five reusable grocery bags would be enough to get through life.  I was wrong.  I made many more since those initial five bags.  I use them a lot more than I thought and I've even gifted some away.  Not only do I use these for grocery shopping, they are perfect for organizing items in the freezer.  

And then the Stash busting contest over at Pattern Review made me deep dive into my fabric stash and that is how these four reusable bags came to be my next sewing project.   

This is a denim weight fabric.  I purchased it years and years ago at Marshall / Northwest Fabrics and at the time picked up three different cuts.  They were precut pieces.  Back in 2020, I made a pair of white denim jeans out of one of the cuts.  The jeans didn't last very long, as the fabric pilled.  I was told when I picked up these cuts that it was a 100% cotton but I suspect there may be some synthetic fibres in there as well.  I'm not sure as the fabric didn't have a label nor was it on a bolt.  And I didn't feel like going through a burn test to confirm if it is a 100% cotton.  So the remaining piece sat in the stash since I didn't want to put the effort into another pair of jeans that may again pill.  

Since it's a strong fabric, worthy of holding heavy grocery items, OOP McCall's 4851 seems like an appropriate project.  I made the same small change as the last batch of bags, straightening the top edge For the straps, I used a cotton rooster embroidered trim.  I sewed two pieces of the trim together to create the handles.    

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch 

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.4 metres

Trim:  8 metres

Pattern:  OOP McCall's 4851

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, measuring tape, scissors, iron, ironing board, sewing machine, Schmetz leather 90/14 sewing machine needle, walking foot, Jean-a-ma-Jig™, serger, screw driver, tweezers, threads, thread clipper, seam ripper, and some time listening to a sewing podcast.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: T-shirt / OOP Vogue 8582

What do you do when you are almost finished sewing a project and realize that it is not a perfect fit?  Do you finish it?  Take it apart and try to recycle the fabric?  Do you toss it?  Or do you finish it and donate it in hopes that it find is forever home?  

Out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 8582 is a Marcy Tilton design that is similar to a ready-to-wear (RTW) en THREAD brand t-shirt I have in my closet.  

This RTW t-shirt is so comfortable to wear and it's a cotton knit, love that.  Comfort is king now-a-days.  It is the asymmetrical hem that drew me to both the t-shirt and the Marcy Tilton pattern.  I thought that I could recreate and fill my closet with this style of t-shirt.  

I'm not quite there yet.  

It's finished and off the sewing machine.  I'm going to keep it.  It will be something that I'll wear around the house.  I'm not sure if I want to wear it out in public unless I loose some weight.  

The me-made version is a little snug.  You can see the curvature in my spine, the mid-section bulges and the fabric pulls across my bust in a way that I do not feel comfortable.  If I were to rate the me-made version on comfort, it's a big fat fail.  

Yup, that's F.A.I.L.  

First attempt in learning.  

It's not the pattern's fault.  It's a lovely pattern if you like the fitted look and have the body or a pair of Spanx shapewear to pull it off.  I have neither.  

This is a well-drafted pattern and the pieces came together beautifully.  The size 14 pattern did not have as much ease as the size small RTW t-shirt.  I can work on that.  What I do like is the sleeve pattern and how well the shoulder fits.  That was a big win.  

There were a few changes.  I shortened the length by three inches.  The hem on the sleeves are designed to be unfinished.  On this top, the sleeves have a one inch hem.  The neckband has a twisted design but I went with a plain neckband finish.  The hem was finished with a machine rolled hem achieved with the help of the Janome serger.  Oh, and that drape, I moved it to the left side.  

The next go at recreating this RTW t-shirt I might do a merger of Vogue 8582 and Vogue 1733 to try and get the ease around my mid-section to my desired comfort level.  Or, I can paper trace the shape of the RTW t-shirt.  We'll see.  I did notice that the RTW top has the extended piece start higher up than on the Vogue pattern.  Something to consider changing on the next one.  

The fabric is a cotton knit that has been in the stash for a few years.  This was picked up with a t-shirt project in mind but fell into one-day-I'll-get-around-to-it pile.  I didn't have OOP Vogue 8582 in mind for this fabric at that time, just thoughts of a basic t-shirt to wear under a jumper.  The pattern is a recent find and with the stash busting contest as motivation, plans changed.  

The fabric was pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer.  And it shrunk quite a bit.  If I didn't shorten the length, there wouldn't have been enough yardage to cut out this project. 

Project Details

Seams:  Knit stitch / lightening bolt stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Knit 'N Stable tape:  0.5 metres

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 8582, Marcy Tilton Design

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, scissors, pins, pin cushion, measuring gauge, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, Janome serger, screwdriver, threads, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, Fray Check and tea.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

In Sewing News Today...

According to this site, "Digital Lavender" will be the colour of 2023.  It's a close match to 2022's "Very Peri."  

I don't think there is any lavender or peri hues lurking in my fabric stash other than a purple cotton eyelet.  

There is no sewing mojo towards sewing the purple eyelet.  

Not yet anyway.  

Maybe in 2023?  

The sewing mojo is focused on practical sewing.  

Mostly mending.  

So much mending.  

Mostly the crotch curve on pajama bottoms and the armscye on pajama tops.   

They seem to be constant stress points.  

Perhaps, I should reconsider the amount of ease in these sections.  

Perhaps, a gusset?  

It's been so long since I sew a gusset into a garment.  

I could throw in an additional exercise routine or two to help with the fitting ease issue.  

Weight loss would certainly help with the amount of mending.  

Or start sewing knit pajama sets.  

But I digress...

We were talking about colour, right.  

Lately, in this part of the world grey has been a hot topic.  

It all happened when a popular and well respected news anchor was let go from an organization she worked at for over 30 years.  

There were accusations of ageism at play.  

You see Lisa Laflamme let her hair go to it's natural grey colour during the pandemic.  

On national television.  

Oh, the horror!  

That's sarcasm if you're a new reader.  

I embraced the natural hair colour look over ten years ago.  

I applauded LaFlamme's decision to be her authentic self.  

And I think she looked polished and professional.  

I'm disgusted with Bell Media actions.  

And good on the people supporting LaFlamme and opening up a discussion on ageism in the workplace.  

It's long overdue.  

Well, I should get back to sewing.  

I'm off to cut out a new project in some brown and pink spec tweed.  

Apparently, it's a good colour to wear with grey hair.  

I honestly had no idea when I picked it up.  

Funny how things work out.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

Stash Busting: Unlined Tweed Jacket / OOP Vogue 8430

This unlined and loose-fitting jacket will be perfect for the end of summer and moving into autumn.  It's made with out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 8430.  This project was an easy make.  I evened out the hem, left off the dart on the lower sleeve and roll hemmed the edges.  

The fabric is a cotton tweed.  It's not listed as one of the recommended fabrics for this pattern but I like the pattern design on this one.  I know that this fabric has been in my stash for many years because I purchased this one at Mitchel Fabrics when it was open.  It closed down in 2017.  And then I remembered that I made a jacket with Vogue 8916 and this fabric.  It turns out that this fabric entered the stash in 2014.  Yes, I've held onto some pieces for a long time.  It's nice to have finally stash-bust this one.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged interior, edges finished with a machine rolled hem

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 8430

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, clapper for weights, pins, pin cushion, scissors, thread clippers, Janome sewing machine, regular presser foot, Janome serger, threads, iron, ironing board and chai tea and audio book.  

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!

Stash Busting: Reversible Girl's Dress / OOP Vogue 1455

I think the last time I made a little girls' dress with out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1455 I claimed that I would be retiring this pattern.  Well, it's come out of retirement for this stash busting project.  

I forgot how much fun it is sewing this dress pattern.  I adore that it is a reversible dress even though it does take up a lot of fabric, I think it is cute.  I like the playful bubble hemline and the options to change the ribbons on this dress.  It's just a fun pattern with creative opportunities.  

All of the fabrics have been in the stash for years.  The blue floral sateen fabric was recently used for this little girls' dress and made its way into the stash approximately 2019.  The orange cotton contrast has been in the stash for about the same time, since 2019.  The strawberry print has been part of the stash since 2017 when I used part of the yardage for an apron.  And the other white contrast fabric has been in the stash since 2020 when I made this shirt.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  4.6 metres

Ribbon:  2.4 metres

Buttons:  4

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 1455

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, scissors, pins, pin cushions, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, measuring gauge, sewing machine, buttonhole foot, regular presser foot, serger, threads, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, iron, ironing board, screwdriver and tea.  

Stash Busting: Art Full Scarf

If it weren't for the Pattern Review Stash Busting contest on right now, I might not have dragged this fabric out of the stash yet.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, it's been in the stash for around twenty years.  I picked up 2 metres of it on a trip to Toronto.  There were once plans to use it as an overlay piece for a dress.  And then incorporate it into a pullover top.  It just sat there while ideas floated around as to what it should become.  I really like the print and wanted to showcase it some how.  

In all honesty, turning it into a scarf is the most practical thing.  I first thought to sew the ends closed and the stitching didn't quite look good.  Because of the fraying it would be best to work with a French seam and the sheer polyester fabric was a bit challenging.  So after a length of stitching, the seam ripper came out and I turned to my Janome serger for some help on this one.  

I removed one of the needles, adjusted some dials and got to work on a roll hem.  Everything was going perfect until I tried to trim one end with the serger.  

My sweet Janome was not having anything to do with that plan when some excess width got caught in the bottom needles.  Luckily, I was able to cut into the tangled mess and set the almost completed scarf on the cutting table for some trimming before finishing up this what should have been an easy peasy, done-in-no-time project.  The corner tails on the rolled hem were trimmed down and given a dab of Fray Check to prevent unraveling.  

Project Details

Seams:  None

Seam Finish:  Rolled hem

Fabric:  2 metres

Pattern:  None

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, scissors, thread clippers, Janome sewing machine, seam ripper, screwdriver, Janome serger and a good kick in the pants from Pattern Review to stash bust this one.  

Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: Girl's Floral Dress / OOP New Look 6493

 

It is as if this fabric has been hanging out in my stash waiting to be sewn into a cute little girls' dress.  Unlike the previous project, this fabric with this pattern, out-of-print (OOP) New Look 6493 is a perfect match.  

The dress is made straight out of the envelope in a size 5.  It looks long but then I might not be the best judge.  It has been a long time since I sewed a size 5 garment for a wee little girl.  This will be gifted and my fingers are crossed that this will fit.  But I digress.  OOP New Look 6493 is a keeper, it's well-drafted and the instructions are well-written.  I really like that the dress bodice is self-facing and the generous amount of gathering.  This will be a cute dress for twirling.  

The fabric is a cotton sateen with a wee bit of stretch.  I picked it many, many moons ago and it was already pre-treated waiting to be turned into something.  The yellow button and the orange elastic used for the loop in the back were also stash finds.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch, 4.0 gathering stitch

Seam finish:  Serged skirt and hem, interior bodice pieces were pinked.  

Fabric:  1.5 meters

Button:  1 -- 7/8" button

Pattern:  New Look 6493

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Flip board paper, markers, paper scissors, cutting table, scissors, measuring tape, weights, measuring gauge, pins, pin cushion, basting tape, elastic cording, hand sewing needle, silk thread for hand stitching, Janome sewing machine, Janome serger, threads for the sewing machine and serger, thread clippers and audio book.  

Happy Sewing!

Change of Plans: OOP Vogue 9091

Quite awhile ago, the black denim was laid out on the cutting table ready to be cut and sewn into a denim jacket when I realized that there was enough fabric to sew a pair of culottes.  And that is when plans changed.  Seven years ago I made culottes using out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9091.  I liked them and have been meaning to revisit this pattern.  Yes, that's in the past tense.  I no longer have the original pair due to fabric pilling.  Discovering that there was enough black denim to revisit the pattern, it seemed like a change in plans would be a good idea.  It will be something that I can wear now and when the season changes and the winter boots come out.  

I cut this project out weeks ago and it sat there waiting to be sewn.  Procraftination, plain and simple.  Finally, they are done.  

The fabric is a 100% cotton denim that I found at Northwest / Marshall Fabrics many, many moons ago.  I picked it up with plans to sew a pair of black denim boot leg jeans prior to the pandemic and before there were thoughts of a black denim jacket.  That was also before I started cutting into the yardage to sew facemasks at the start of the pandemic and before face masks were readily available for the general public.  And then there was no longer enough yardage for the boot legged jeans.  The fabric sat there waiting for another project to appear.  It was, long ago, pretreated and ready to cut until the idea of sewing OOP Vogue 9091.  

It proved to be the wrong fabric choice.  The pattern fabric suggestions include a light-weight denim and this is not light-weight.  Maybe I should have made a denim jacket after all?  But I digress. It was back to the sewing machine to close the pleats.  

With the pleats tamed and stitched down, I feel that I can wear this out in the public sphere.  

The pattern, OOP Vogue 9091, what's not to love?   This pattern is well-drafted.  Please don't let my poor fabric choice deter you from trying out this pattern if it's on your wish list to make.  

I did make a few changes.  The pockets were cut but in the end I decided to leave them off.  An inch was added to the side seams for some extra ease after comparing my body measurements with the pattern.  It ended up being too much and I took it in a half presser foot width and then take in some more from the waistband tapering off towards the first notch.  The culottes were hemmed with an inch and a half hem.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch

Seam Finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.8 metres

Lining:  0.2 metres cut, but not used.

Basting tape:  0.2 metres

Zipper:  8" invisible 

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 9091

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushions, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, measuring gauge, scissors, iron, ironing board, Janome sewing machine, Jeans sewing machine needle 100/16, regular zipper foot, invisible zipper foot, walking foot, regular presser foot, screwdriver, Janome serger, threads, thread clippers and a hand sewing needle.  

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!  

No Pattern Needed: Cell Phone Protector / Cover

With an idea, tools and supplies anything is possible.  

Once the idea popped into my head, this project took less than an hour from start to finish.  There was no pattern needed.  I just needed a ruler and the cell phone to measure, trace and cut out some left over cork I had sitting in the stash.  

The interior is filled with cardboard for protection and there is a sleeve to slide the cell phone into before it folds over like a book.  

It's secured closed with a Velcro™ strap that wraps around.  There is nothing fancy about this project, just practical sewing and trying to use what I have on hand.  

The cork fabric was locally sourced at Northwest / Marshall Fabrics many moons ago.  It is left over from a handbag and eye glass case project.  I'm unintentionally creating matching cork accessories.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Fabric:  0.20 metres

Velcro™:  5 cm strip

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, ruler, cardboard, pen, scissors, sewing machine, walking foot, thread and coffee.  

Happy Sewing!

In Sewing News Today: Issey Miyake

The Toronto Star is reporting that Issey Miyake passed away.  Rest in peace.  And thank you for all the sewing inspiration over the years.  

This is sad news for the sewing community, one of the many communities that will miss him.  His sewing patterns for Vogue Patterns, now considered vintage, are works of art and a wonderful awe inspiring journey in sewing.   

Decades ago I made out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 2748 in a linen fabric and did some decorative stitches along the zipper edges and bust darts.  It was during a burst of creativity inspired by the pattern and a new Janome sewing machine I recently purchased.  That project, the fit, the excitement of sewing on that beautiful sewing machine with decorative stitching, it turned me into a Miyake fan.  And there were other sewing projects that followed.  A fleece wrap made with OOP Vogue 1476 was like wearing a blanket.  It was way too long on my barely five foot frame but I loved it and the pattern is still sitting in the collection with a thought of one day revisiting it.  There were other Issey Miyake patterns that brought joy during the sewing process.  Issey Miyake's patterns are nostalgic sewing at the best.  

Perhaps, it might be time to break out one of his sewing patterns as a tribute.  

Monday's Mending Pile

Mending work appears at the ironing board, otherwise they would most often go unnoticed.  

These linen pants, Vogue 1642, are a wearable toile and have been a summer staple since they were made three years ago.  A small hole was starting to appear on the side just under the pocket opening.  

If there was a generous amount of ease the side seam could be taken in a bit this would have been a quick fix.  That was not the case so the next option was to patch.  

These labels were used on microwave cozies back-in-the-day and proved to be suitable patch material.  

Some basting tape before topstitching it place and these pants are saved for many more wears.  

Next up a small hole on a shirt back.  Hmmm, patch this with a small length of seam binding or perhaps the darning stitch on the sewing machine?  I'm thinking the patchwork on this one too.  

Happy Sewing!