Year in Review...

January

The year began with speculation if 2023 would become the year that Covid-19 is declared an endemic.  Hopeful speculation as it came to light that 2022 was the most deadly year for Covid in Canada.  Yet the public sphere would illustrate otherwise as many citizens ignore this January 30, 2023 Government of Canada advice, "[a]s Covid-19 activity continues and hospitalizations remain elevated in Canada, layers of prevention, including keeping up-to-date with Covid-19 vaccinations and personal protective practices remain our best approach to reduce the risk of developing severe illness and limit the burden on the health system."  Face masks, once the hottest fashion trend, are not part of the 2023 everyday wear as provincial governments drop restrictions and Covid updates are erased from newscasts.  

Sewing projects continue to reflect pandemic life and trying to avoid the public sphere as much as possible and stay healthy.  No need for dresses or going out clothes.  Most of this month's sewing were gifted.  Only a sweatshirt toile as I tried to work on an oversized sweatshirt.  

February

Global inflation continues to be found in every aspect of daily life.  Even sewing.  Dreams of a 100% cotton sweatshirt fabric are out reach when I spotted it priced at $45.00 / metre.  Looking to make something to keep me warm, I reached for a boiled wool fabric that I picked up for $5.00 / metre many moons ago for my oversized sweatshirt fabric.  I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and used up all the scraps left over from other projects as well to make a second version.  God had a different plan and it was better than mine.  

March

A wrist fracture put a halt to sewing activity this month.  It actually took four weeks to detect the fracture because the x-rays were obscured with the arthritis in my hand.  I might be coming to terms that my sewing days may be numbered?  

April

As spring is fast approaching and my wrist is still in a cast, the need for pull-on clothes rages on.  But my sewing ability is limited.  Thankful that I managed to sew a pair of pull-on pants.  

May

Remember that fracture diagnosis last month, it was actually a misdiagnosis.  A CT scan confirmed that I should not have even been in a cast!  The doctor is now calling it a sprained wrist and shoulder.  Sewing is my physio as the doctor's instruction is to "work through the pain."  It's just nice to be free of the cast.  Sewing projects reflect another recent weight gain as I stopped walking while in the cast resulting in need for more ease in my clothes.  

June

Yardwork has been taking over my free time that I hoped to devote to sewing.  It's surprising there was even yardwork done along with these sewing projects!  Physio exercises also monopolized my free time.  The sprained shoulder is taking awhile to get back to pre-fall condition.  

July

Last month the weather was hot, like July hot.  But this July, the temperatures are on the much cooler side.  Early July felt like autumn was in the air and my sewing thoughts did turn to cooler-weather wear. 

   

August

Celebration was in the air this month as the sewing machine was busy stitching together two dresses for a very special occasion.  

And with some left-over fabric, I was able to refashion my "Every Child Matters" t-shirt into one that I can fit into.  

September

September sewing was motivated by sewing for others and trying to sew comfortable items to accommodate weight gain.   

October

October sewing came to a stall when the serger went in for repair.  Thankfully, there were a few items that came out of the workspace.  

November

Once upon a time, people sewed clothes before home-use sergers.  The pinking shears came to the rescue this month.  And then Covid stalled worked at the sewing work table.  

December

People need to stop saying that the latest "it" variant of Covid is "mild".  It's not.  Not for some of us.  On the positive side, I did manage to lose ten pounds while dealing with Covid and now can fit into my wool pants that I thought I would have to refashion. 

This past year, despite all the start and stops in the sewing workspace, there were 27 items made for moi and 14 items sewn for others.  There were two household items, 1 outerwear garment, 15 tops, 5 undergarments, 6 pull-on pants, 3 skirts (+ 1 refashioned), 4 dresses, 1 cardigan and 3 sleepwear pieces sewn this year.  One top and dress didn't work out and were donated.   

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!

Top Five Lists: The 2023 Edition

The Top Five Sewing Bloopers

Plaid skirt with wide two-tired elastic waistband, circa September 2023.  Pattern:  The Assembly Line's Elastic Waist Maxi Skirt.  Sewing blooper:  not noticing the twisted elastic on the lower tier (oops!) until I put it on and then continued to wear it again before fixing it.  

Orange and beige dress.  Pattern:  Simplicity 9744, circa June 2023.  Sewing blooper:  The hem length was trimmed too short (oops!) and didn't feel comfortable to wear.  

Cotton pullover pleated top, circa May 2023.  Pattern:  Clochette by I AM Patterns.  Sewing blooper:  Cutting out the fabric before making a toile / muslin version first.  It is a beautiful pattern but on me the fit could be better if I just took the time to pay attention to the fit.  

Car coat, circa November 2023.  Pattern:  Out-of-print New Look 6074.  Sewing blooper:  I let this sit in an abandoned sewing project pile.  And thinking that I had all the pattern pieces cut I used the remainder of the fabric for hats and scarfs, only to realize that I did not cut out the front facing (oops!).  

Cotton knit pullover dress, circa August 2023.  Pattern:  Asymmetrical Dress by SD Patterns (an Etsy shop).  Sewing blooper:  Purchasing an on-sale PDF pattern while thinking that I could send it to a print shop.  It wasn't so, and I ended spending too much time printing and taping.    

The Top Five Sewing Room Tools 

Pinking shears.  There was some retro seam finishing done with pinking shears while the serger was in the repair shop.  

Safety pins.  There were twelve projects that needed elastic to be moved through casings.  And safety pins were more economical than investing in elastic threaders.  Twenty twenty-three was the year to make do and budget.  

A pair of table legs were a give-away item and came in handy for cutting out those large single layer pattern pieces from Butterick 6784.  

Spring hinge scissors.  I wouldn't have been able to do some sewing work while in a cast without this tool.  

Buttonhole cutter.  This little tool made the opening of the buttonhole on this coat possible.  

The Top Five Misses

These pants looked good hot off the sewing machine, but after several washes the fabric sort of lost its appeal.  Fabric can make or break a project.  I should have tested it first.  

Any tips for sewing waffle knit?  It was a sewing challenge that I did not master.  

Yeah sometimes those pieces of fabric that have been sitting folded up in the stash for decades have those fold lines that set in really good.  These pants were still worn for yard work.  

There is still some ponte knit lingering in the stash even though I vowed a few years ago to stick with natural fibre fabrics.  This didn't last long in my wardrobe.  It has zero warmth factor for a prairie winter.  

It just didn't work out.  

The Top Five Makes

Gifted pajama bottoms, out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 2372.  Circa January 2023.  

Gifted pajama top, OOP and vintage Simplicity 6851.  Circa January 2023.  

Gifted boys' Super Mario shirt, OOP and vintage Butterick 2122.  Circa September 2023.  

Gifted boy's dinosaur shirt, McCall's 6972.  Circa July 2023.  

Gifted child's dress, OOP Vogue 9072.  Circa August 2023.  

Happy Sewing!  

Stash busting: Pull-on Denim Pants / OOP Butterick 6716

What to say about this project?  It's a pair of pull-on pants made with out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 6717.  The print version of this pattern is no longer available but it is still available on the Simplicity.com website as a PDF pattern.  This pattern has made an appearance here several times.  It's become my go-to pants pattern.  

This pair once again does not have the side pockets and the length is shortened about an inch and a half with a three quarter inch hem.  

The fabric has been in the stash for decades.  It's from Fanny Fabrics back in the day prior to their closure in 2005.  I figured since I used this denim for the collar of the last project, why not make a pair of pants to go with the top?   And that's how I ended up with a pair of pull-on denim pants.  

The fabric was previously pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam press.   

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch  

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.1 metres

Interfacing:  0.2 metres non-fusible 

Elastic:  0.7 metres

Pattern:  OOP Butterick 6716 (only available as PDF)

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, measuring tape, pin cushions, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, safety pins, measuring gauge, threads, Janome serger, thread clippers, iron and ironing board.

Happy Sewing!  

November in Review

Sewing, Alternations and Mending

This month was all about slow sewing.  The jacket, out-of-print (OOP) New Look 6074, was created without a serger.  The top, OOP Butterick 5891, was sewn in small bursts of stress relief sewing while in Covid isolation.  

Alterations and mending wise, small repairs were made to winter scarves and gloves with little holes that needed to be closed.  There are some wonderful tutorials on how to repair holes in knits using yarn.  I'm not at that skill level and can't knit to save my life, nor do I owe any yellow yarn.  So silk thread and a visible sewing technique was applied.  I'm good with it.  The jacket made earlier this month also ended up back on the work table for an additional snap to close a gap below the large button.  

Hand Made November 2023 

At the beginning of the month, I was all into participating in Hand Made November 2023.  Think Me Made May but for our winter wardrobes and then November didn't cooperate.  Where is all the snow?  

Seriously, after one snow fall in late October and a mad rush to get snow tires on the vehicles, this part of the world has hardly seen any snow.  My November wardrobe was starting to look like May wardrobe pieces.  Hmmm, I wonder if we'll have a white Christmas this year?  

Stash busting

This month  6.9 metres of fabric, 1.4 metres of interfacing, 4 buttons and 2 snaps were stash busted.  One spool of black button thread was added to the stash.    

Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: OOP Butterick 5891

Once upon a time, there was enough of this Japanese cotton printed fabric to cut all the pattern pieces found in out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 5891.  Then Covid happened and this 100% cotton fabric ended up on the cutting table to make face masks and scrub caps during the pandemic.  

The denim collar is just because I was short of this Japanese cotton to cut out the collar piece.  Oops.  And sometimes a sewing oops works out just fine.  There is a pair of pants cuts out of the denim used here so it might just end up looking like an intentional design feature.  But I digress.  

These fabrics were in the stash for years.  Which year I can't recall but it was many years before the pandemic.  The printed Japanese cotton was a discounted Fabricland find.  The denim I'm pretty certain originated from Fanny Fabrics which closed down in 2005.  The fabrics were pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing.  

The pattern, OOP Butterick 5891, is a favourite and an absolute treasure.  I've made a few versions of view D and it is a very comfortable top to wear.  Best part of this design would be the side pockets which I did raise an inch.  That is the only alteration / change made to the pattern.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres (narrow width)

Interfacing:  0.7 metres 

Buttons:  3 -- 7/8" recycled buttons

Pattern:  OOP Butterick 5891

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushions, tailor's chalk, threads, Janome sewing machine, buttonhole foot, walking foot, thread clippers, Brother serger, tweezers, cutting board, buttonhole cutter, hand sewing needle, screwdriver, clapper (used as a hammer), iron and ironing board.  

Happy Sewing!  

Sewing Retro Style: Coat / OOP New Look 6074

I started to cut this project years ago.  It wasn't until recently that I stumbled across the forgotten pattern pieces cut from the coating fabric and finished cutting the lining.   And then I started sewing despite the fact that my serger has been in for repairs for almost a month and I have no idea when it will come out of the shop.  We're waiting for a new needle plate to arrive.  So, I'm sewing retro style, pre-1964 sewing technology.  And it turned out.  Go figure.  

This is a fully lined coat.  The faux lambs wool coating fabric did not fray and the seam allowances were not serged or required any finish.  The cotton back satin lining did fray and the seam allowances were finished with pinking shears.  Retro style.  

Also retro style was the hand worked buttonhole.  The automatic buttonholer on the Janome sewing machine would not handle the thickness of the coat fabric plus the canvas interfacing.  Never mind that it doesn't have the range to sew a button of this width.  The vintage Brother sewing machine might be strong enough to create a buttonhole but the thickness of the fabric wouldn't fit under the presser foot.  So that left me with two options, use a large snap or sew a hand worked buttonhole.  

This hand painted rooster button was the one I really wanted to use so snaps were quickly eliminated as an option.  This lead me to sit down and do some research and reading since it's my first ever hand worked buttonhole.  

This vintage Singer Sewing Library How to Make Buttonholes and Pockets and The Vogue Sewing Book were my go-to resources.  A quick trip to the fabric store for some button and craft thread and I was ready to attempt my first hand finished buttonhole.  

The button was a cherished find that I stumbled upon during a sight-seeing day-trip to Gimli with a dear friend many moons ago.  It was a lone hand-crafted button found at the local quilt shop.  I've held onto this button for years waiting for the perfect opportunity to showcase the rooster design.  The rooster is a national symbol of Portugal and my parent's home country.  Perhaps that explains the attraction to this cherished lone button.  

The Pattern  

Out-of-print (OOP) New Look 6074 was a second hand store find and it's a keeper.  This is a well drafted pattern.  There is a generous amount of ease that will be great for layering this winter.  Best yet, there is enough room for unrestricted arm movement while winter driving.  And I don't mind the dropped shoulders.  I will note the princess seam hits at my natural shoulder length.  

This project was a slow process with lots of hand stitching.  The canvas interfacing was basted in place along with stitching tailor tacks for transferring pattern markings.  I haven't sewn tailor tacks in decades.  Tailor's chalk wouldn't transfer well on the pile of this fabric, so retro style tailor tacks were in order.  It was worth all the little extra steps, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I quite enjoyed sewing this project.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Wool coating fabric is left alone since it doesn't fray.  The lining fabric and front facing were finished with pinking shears.  

Fabric:  3.9 metres

Interfacing:  0.7 metres tailoring canvas

Button:  1 -- 1 1/2" decorative button

Snap:  1 -- medium sized, black

Pattern:  OOP New Look 6074

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, measuring gauge, fabric scissors, thread clippers, hand sewing needle, thimble, button thread, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, polyester thread, steam iron, clapper, pressing cloth, ironing board, buttonhole cutter, cutting board, many breaks for rest and tea.  

Happy Sewing!

October in Review

Sewing, Alterations and Mending

Top left clockwise:  cream coloured merino wool sweater (OOP Kwik Sew 4192), men's blue sweatpants (OOP Kwik Sew 3663),  chair cover and pillow sham (no pattern used) and white organic cotton knit panties (Simplicity 8229).  

Mending wise there were a few unexpected projects that needed some tender loving care.  

• A small hole near the back neckline seam was found in the pink merino dress as I went to get dressed.  It seems that is when I discover that items should be in the mending pile instead of hanging in the closet.  I used matching silk thread for mending this hole.  
• The hand-stitching on the inside cuff needed to be re-stitched on a favourite shirtdress.  Actually this one was not unexpected, rather it was sitting on the mending pile for months.  I hand-stitched it back in place with some cotton thread.  
• Small holes discovered on RTW t-shirts were also taken care of to extend the life for another season?   I used Fray Check™ around the edges of the hole and a polyester thread.  Here is a really helpful tip when using Fray Check™.  

Alterations were made to the hem of these pants.  Believe it or not the the non-existent hem allowance was shortened an inch.  

 

Life Without a Serger & Stash Busting

The serger sieged earlier this month and has been in the repair shop for weeks.  It's waiting for a new needle plate.  It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  The blessing came in the form of an opportunity to organize the workspace and prep future projects.  Despite being without a serger for most of the month, there were 5.84 metres of fabric and 3 metres of elastic stash busted this month.  

Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: Pillow Sham

There's more home décor sewing.  This time it's a pillow sham to go with the arm chair cover.    

An easy project that took minimal time to sew.  I used a pillow case to cut out the shape needed, one side was cut five inches longer than the other and then it was cut in half.  The edges of the cut edge were finished with seam binding.  

It's a little snug.  I could have added an inch or two for a more relaxed fit but that's a minor issue.  I'm okay with the snug fit since it will sit on top of the arm chair and the back of the chair has a curve.  

This finishes the last bit of this polyester home décor fabric.  Yippeee!  Polyester is not my top fabric choice for environmental and sustainability issues.  But for this type of project, it will be durable and will protect an arm chair that needs to be reupholstered in the future.  Until then, this will do.    

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Zig-zag stitch

Fabric:  0.7 metres

Seam binding:  1.2 metres

Pattern:  Pillowcase

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushion, Janome sewing machine, thread and coffee.  

Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: Chair Cover

This fabric has been in the stash for many, many moons years.  It previously made an appearance here on the blog as an arm chair caddy and reusable grocery bag and this time as a chair cover.  It's a discounted home décor fabric that I picked up for a song at Fabricland.    

An easy peasy project, I cut a length of 1.74 metres and sewed a narrow rolled hem at each cut edge.  I didn't finish the selvage edges because the short navy frayed edge that looked quite nice.  This 100% polyester was pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer.  

Project details

Fabric finish:  Rolled hem, 4.0 straight top-stitching

Fabric:  1.74 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, L-shaped ruler, clear ruler, tailor's chalk, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, iron, ironing board, fabric scissors, polyester thread and an exercise break.  

Happy Sewing!