April in Review

Seriously, where did the month go?  April flew by in the blink of an eye.  I had big sewing plans for the month but back and shoulder pain put the brakes on any plans.  Although, I did manage a wee bit of sewing.  

Sewing, Alterations and Mending

L to R:  The Assembly Line's (TAL) puff sleeve shirt in a cotton stretch denim coloured fabric (T:204) and 100% cotton denim skirt (OOP Vogue 1247)

Honestly, I wasn't trying to be on trend nor was I trying to go for the Canadian tuxedo look with these two April makes.  One was what I hoped would be a wearable toile and the other was a scrap busting project.  These weren't even projects I hoped to work on this month.  

I was thrilled with how the puff sleeve shirt turned out, hot off the sewing machine, the fit was lovely.  I wore it briefly one day before it got dirty and ended up in the laundry.  Fast-forward, it no longer fits.  Even though I pretreated this fabric, it shrunk some more.  ~sigh~  It's currently too tight and too short and it will be going in the donation pile.  There is still some of this denim coloured stretch fabric left-over but I think this will remain as a toile / muslin fabric.  I am happy with the TAL pattern and I'm just thinking about moving onto sewing another version in a different fabric.  The fabric for the denim skirt held up much better.  No additional shrinkage to report. 

In the alterations and mending department, nothing to report other than the mending pile keeps growing.  Those sweatpants that I thought I would work on last month are still sitting on the mending pile.  There are also some previously made projects waiting for some alterations.  

Stash busting

This month, I stash busted three metres of fabric, one invisible zipper, one KATM label, one snap, forty centimetres of basting tape and half a metre of elastic.  There were no notions, fabric or patterns added to the stash.   

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Earth Day and Fashion Revolution Week

This week is deep in reflection.  

Yesterday, waking up to the news that Pope Francis passed away was incredibly sad.  It marked the start of nine days of mourning for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.  His words and actions throughout his life will hopefully continue to inspire those to continue to care for the environment and the poor.  

Today is Earth Day.  It's actually the fifty-fifth anniversary of Earth Day but somehow, it seems more important as it falls on a period of mourning for a man so devoted to environmental issues.  And more urgent as the convicted felon down south has withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accord and signed executive orders reversing climate policies.  And yet today, on Earth Day, the White House tries to portray the convicted convict as a hero on environmental issues.  Is anyone buying it?  Sigh.  Does it matter?  What we do as individuals in our everyday lives does matter, whether it's something big like protesting and voting to have our voices heard or something as simple as recycling or growing a garden.  

Even sewing matters in the context of caring for the environment.  Chose sustainable fabrics, be mindful of using scraps, using quality techniques to create items that last.  And embrace repairing and mending to make loved clothes last.  

Today also marks the beginning of Fashion Revolution Week.  This is an annual event to mark the anniversary of the 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse that killed over a thousand garment workers and injured many more.  It brought to light the terrible conditions these garment workers experience while making fast fashion clothing for the global market.  In its aftermath, it highlighted the poverty that garment workers experience while producing multi-million dollar clothing brands.  Along with the environmental impact of the fashion industry.  This year's theme is to think globally, act locally and many of the events surrounding Fashion Revolution Week encourages community engagement, "[c]ommunity is not just a group of individuals; it is a powerful tool for justice that can transform fear, anger and grief into hope." 

It sounds like a good week for some hope. 

Scrap busting Project: Denim Skirt / OOP Vogue 1247

I still had a wee bit, about 1.5 metres, of denim left over from this project.  And so, I thought to make one of my favourite skirt patterns, OOP Vogue 1247, from way back-in-the-day.  This skirt is a Rachel Comey design, circa 2011.  

The skirt was lengthened twelve inches with a two inch hem.  Other than that, there were no other changes to the design.  Oh, wait a second, I also finished the seam allowances with the serger instead of the Hong Kong seam finish recommended in the pattern instructions. 

Fabric

This medium weight denim fabric is to die for.  You don't find 100% cotton denim like this in the fabric store aisles anymore.  Well, at least not around here.  It's been in the stash for decades.  It's been in the stash long enough to have a faded fold line down the middle.  Yup, that long.  Thankfully this denim is wide and I was able to cut out this project around the faded line.  It was pretreated several times with tumbles through the washing machine and dryer.  It was steam pressed before hitting the cutting table.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made 🍁 and tariff free project.  Today, the convicted felon's plans to annex Canada made headlines in the news once again.  This disrespectful rhetoric against Canada's sovereignty and the global tariffs are my reasons for sewing from the stash and not purchasing anymore American products.  All of the supplies and equipment used to create this project were from the stash with the exception of the zipper.   

• The fabric was part of the stash for over twenty years.  It came into the stash from Fanny Fabrics, a Calgary based fabric store chain that closed down in 2005.  
• The pattern, out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1247, is an American product that has been in the stash for over a decade.  It was back in 2012 that I made my first version with this pattern.  
• The zipper is a  Costumakers zipper by YKK.  YKK is a Japanese company and the Costumakers zippers are made in Canada .  
• The threads are a mix of Gütermann threads and Coats and Clark.  Even though the Coats and Clark threads are labelled as made in Mexico, Coats and Clark is an American company that donated to the convicted felon's election campaign and once they are all stash-busted will not be replenished.
• The sewing label is a Kylie and the Machine product from Australia.   
• The snap fastener was made in India and imported by H. A. Kidd and Company Ltd., another Canadian company. 

Project details

Seams:  2.8--3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Zipper:  20 cm invisible zipper

Basting tape:  40 cm 

Pattern:  OOP Vogue1247

Snap:  1--15 mm metal snap

Label:  "Me Made" KATM label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushions, measuring tape, tailor's chalk, ruler, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, invisible zipper foot, regular zipper foot, medium sized snap, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, threads, iron, ironing board, back brace, many breaks and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Slow Sewing: The Assembly Line's Puff Sleeve Shirt / T:204

This is my wearable toile made in a chambray cotton with some stretch.  It took weeks to complete, not because it is complicated rather I was sewing in spurts while dealing with fatigue and back pain issues. As Bette Davis said, "this getting old thing is not for sissies," and it's interfering with my desire to sew.  But at last it's done.     

The plan was to try out this pattern and possibly make a version in a silk noir.  I'm not sold on moving onto cutting into the silk.  There is nothing wrong with the pattern, it's lovely and if my body was more model-like, the fit would be spot on.  Instead, I have scoliosis and a shoulder that sits higher than the other and when I have swelling, it is noticeable in this top.  But that will not stop me from wearing this one.  The lovely boat shaped neckline would look lovely on a person with perfectly aligned shoulders and back.  And I'm not sure how nor do I have the energy to alter the pattern to address this unique fitting issue.  Like I said, that doesn't mean that I won't wear it.  It is a very comfortable top.  

The pattern is perfectly drafted and the instructions are well written and illustrated.  No complaints about the pattern, you can still count me as a TAL fan.   

I cut a size medium and added to the seam allowance so I could work with 5/8" seam allowances.  I didn't follow the order of steps laid out in the instructions.  I didn't sew set-in sleeves instead I sewed the sleeves before sewing the sides and left the cuffs to the end.  The length of the sleeve was shortened three inches and the hem by 1 5/8" and has an inch hem.  Since this is a toile, I opted to go without interfacing.  

The cotton stretch fabric was found in the stash and pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam press.  It handled the pre-treatment process well.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made 🍁 and tariff free make.  Yup, we're still doing this while the convicted felon down south and his cohort are creating chaos around the world, threatening other countries' sovereignty including Canada and crashing stock markets.  Let's just say, that sewing has been a much needed escape from all the chaos and hardship the convicted felon and his cohort is trying to unleash on the world.   

I am happy to report that everything used to make T:204 were non-American supplies and did not contribute to the convicted felon's economy.  The fabric is from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric retailer.  It has been in the stash for many moons.  The pattern is a recent addition from The Assembly Line, a Scandinavian company. .The threads used in the sewing machine and serger were Gütermann threads.  The sewing machine and serger are Janome, a Japanese company.  The fabric scissors used were from Merchant and Mills, an U.K. company and were sourced from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric and sewing supply company.  And the sewing label used is from Kylie and the Machine (KATM), an Australian company.   

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Label:  1--KATM "me-made" label

Pattern:  Puff Shirt T:204 by The Assembly Line

Additional Supplies & Tools:  Cutting table, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushion, measuring tape, pins, ruler, red marker, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, tea, many breaks along the way and a radio.      

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.