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!

New Undies: Simplicity 8229

Replenishing the underwear drawer is proving to be a challenge this year.  First, are we in another elastic shortage?  There is no picot elastic to be found in any of the local fabric stores this year.  None.  I couldn't even source locally two inch wide elastic for another project.  But I digress.  Thankfully, there were bits and pieces of white picot elastic to stitch together for this pair.  

Another pair is cut and the elastic is a mismatch of what I could find on hand.  The elastic for the waist is white and the elastic for the leg openings is cream coloured with different scalloped edges.  As Tim Gunn would say, 

So I made it work, the best I could and I'm okay with it.  Guess I'll have to look online if I want to find picot elastic.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit stitch

Topstitching:  3.0 zig-zag stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  0.5 metres

Elastic:  1.8 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, Janome serger, threads, thread clippers, tweezers, iron, ironing board and coffee.  

Happy Sewing! 

Winter White Cardigan: OOP Kwik Sew 4192

This cardigan is made with out-of-print (OOP) Kwik Sew 4192 and a beautiful second-hand merino knit from Winnipeg Sews' Fabric Collective.  This fabric is a rare find in this part of the world.  According to the visual representation of the fabric store aisles, I seem to live in polyester country.  So, this really is a rare find.  It's light weight and has a beautiful hand.  I am really grateful to have found this small treasure.  

The fabric was pre-shrunk with a tumble in the dryer along with several damp towels.  Going forward, this will be strictly hand-washed and laid flat to dry. 

The pattern, OOP Kwik Sew 4192, is a tried and true pattern.  There were two previous versions of this cardigan made in black and they are staples in the winter.  It is hoped that this version will go well with these winter white wool pants.  High praises for this pattern as it is a well drafted pattern and an easy project to complete.  It is sad that Kwik Sew is not longer around but if you are lucky to stumble across it through a re-seller, I would certainly recommend giving it a try.  The only changes to the pattern were finishing with a machine rolled hem and shortening the length on the sleeves.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit stitch

Seam finish:  Serged 

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Pattern:  OOP Kwik Sew 4192

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, clappers used as pattern weights, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, pin, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, Janome serger, screwdriver, lint brush, threads, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, measuring tape and measuring gauge.  

Happy Sewing.

Men's Sweatpants: OOP Kwik Sew 3663 and McCall's 6973

These patterns, out-of-print (OOP) Kwik Sew 3663 and McCall's 6973, made a re-appearance at the cutting table in order to produce a made-to-order pair of sweatpants.  OOP Kwik Sew 3663 has a great fit.  McCall's 6973 has a cargo pocket that is the cat's meow.  It is the perfect shape and as requested, the pocket was placed on the left front leg.  The pants have an elastic waistband minus the drawstring.  The leg length was also adjusted.  

The fabric is a cozy cotton sweatshirt/pants fabric from the stash.  It was pre-treated with a tumble through the washing machine and dryer before hitting the cutting table.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.10 metres

Elastic:  1.2 metres

    

Patterns:  OOP Kwik Sew 3663 and McCall's 6973

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

Happy Sewing!