September in Review

Sewing, Alterations and Mending

Dresses:  Butterick 6784 and Style Arc Top / Jacket

There was sewing this month!  Woohoo!  This was the best way to celebrate National Sewing Month.  All of these were previously cut and ready to sew.  I just needed to change the thread on the machines.  That made it easy.  

I have been going through my wardrobe to reassess what needs to be replaced, altered or recreated into something new.  After sewing the latest version of Butterick 6784, I was reminiscing about the first dress I made with that suiting fabric.  That led to an alteration project, this shirt dress had two and a half inches removed from the hem before taking it to the ironing board and sewing machines for re-hemming. 

In mending news, these sweatpants needed some reinforcement at the centre back seam.  I discover most repairs while ironing clothes. Maybe that is why I'm not a fan of ironing?  But I digress.  It was a straight forward easy fix.  

Stash busting

This month I stashed busted seven metres of fabric, 0.4 metres of Knit 'N Stable tape, six spools of thread, two sewing labels and used one new-to-me pattern.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Monday's Mending Pile

It's been awhile since I focused on mending and alterations.  Things have been piling up and now that I'm switching over clothes to reflect the seasonal change I'm finding more things that need some care and love.  

Source

First up is this shirt dress that needed some attention.  Nothing to mend, it's actually held up well but I don't reach for this dress like I did when I first made it.  It's long, longer than when I first made it, and then throw in that my heel wearing days are behind me.  I look like I am drowning in it.  You see, I've lost some height in the past seven years, I'm not as tall as I was back when I made this dress.  

The shirtdress was shortened two and a half inches and had a rolled hem resewn.  Done!  

Next up was this recently made dress.  Even though I cut it at the same time as this dress, it is longer than the red version.  It's the fabric, the light purple coloured fabric is a four way stretch and has more drape that the red version.  And with the weight of all the fabric, it just hanging longer.  

If I compare the two dresses together there is a three inch difference.  I wanted it a little shorter.  I cut five inches off the bottom and then applied Knit 'N Stable tape and finished it off.  It is still below knee length and it now gives the appearance that it fits better.  Done!  

Next up is a mending project, a simple repair to some broken crotch seams on these sweatpants.  That was easy, no idea why it waited so long.  

And then this coat / jacket caught my attention while going through winter coats and jackets to see if anything needed repairs.  It is shy of two years old and honestly the fabric looked in rough shape.  I am saying this after only wearing it one season, I didn't wear it at all this past winter.  The faux lambs wool 100% polyester fabric pilled that first winter.  It's not pretty.  Fabric makes or breaks a project.  And despite looking like a warm jacket, it didn't hold a candle to the other wool winter coats and jackets I've sewn in the past.  

I'm not sure what I will do with it other than rescuing the rooster button and snaps.  I might try to save the the lining and see if it can be used in future project.  

The last mending task was to reattach and reinforce buttons.  Another easy mending task that I can't explain why it took so long to do.  

Mending Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, thread clippers, fabric scissors, iron, ironing board, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, hand sewing needle, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, tailor's wax and a pumpkin spice latte.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing mending.   

Stash Busting: A Winter Version of Butterick 6784

This is my dream-come-true dress.  It's comfortable, has the best pockets and it's made in the most incredibly beautiful cashmere and wool blend fabric.  

Butterick 6784 is a tried and true (TNT) pattern and the forth version of this dress.  The pattern is well-drafted and designed.  It's another kAtheRine Tilton design and a fun project to sew.  I enjoyed sewing this pattern and have no dislikes to report.  The hem length was shortened by two inches and hemmed with a one and a half blind hem.  I made this version without the collar and interfacing the sleeve facing.  There were no other changes.  

The fabric was pretreated before hitting the cutting table.  This beautiful cashmere and wool blend has been in the stash for eight years and it actually made a previous appearance on the blog here.  I made a shirt dress with this fabric which is still in my wardrobe.  It still fits and it's in excellent condition.  I do like a shirtdress but I haven't been reaching for it lately.  It's not the fabric, the fabric is gorgeous.  It needs the hemline shortened since I've lost some height in the past seven years.  And since I have threads in the serger and sewing machine I think that will be next.  But I digress.  

The fabric was pre-treated with a tumble in the dryer along with damp towels followed by a steam pressing.  Post-construction, this dress will be treated with care and hand washed when needed.   

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian 🍁 made and tariff free sewing project.  No sewing supplies used to create this dress contributed to the convicted felon's tariff economy.  The fabric has been in my stash for years, many years, and came from Mitchell Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet which closed down in 2017.  The threads used in the sewing machine and serger were Gütermann thread and likely purchased at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The "made in U.S.A." pattern, Butterick 6784, was in the stash for years prior to the convicted felon's global tariff war.  The fabric scissors used are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company and were purchased via The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The sewing label is from KATM, an Australian company and were purchased directly from KATM last year.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.5 metres

Knit 'N Stable tape:  0.2 metres

Pattern:  Butterick 6784, circa 2020

Labels:  2--one fabric label and one "Bespoke" label 

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting tables, pins, pin cushion, pin box, fabric scissors, measuring tape, measuring gauge, tailor's chalk, thread clippers, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, blind hem foot, screwdriver, extra bobbins, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, mini vacuum, tailor's ham, sleeve ham, clapper, iron, ironing board, good tunes, heating pad, Dr. Ho, rest breaks, and pumpkin spice latte.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Pullover Dress with Pockets: Butterick 6784

There are a couple of versions of Butterick 6784 cut and ready to sew.  This is my most recent version.  

Why so many?  Butterick 6784, designed by kAtheRine Tilton, is one comfortable dress and it has generously sized pockets.  That's it, right now in my life, dressing is all about comfort and pockets. I'm working on versions that will keep me comfortable in the autumn and winter months.  

The fabric is a medium weight cotton sateen with stretch that I found in the discounted section of the fabric store last year.  Why this beautiful fabric with this vibrant colour made it to the discounted section is beyond me.  I'm just thrilled it was there when I spotted this fabric.  It was pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam press prior to cutting.    

This is a well-drafted and fun project to sew.  It's a size medium and the only changes to the pattern was to shorten it two inches and to sew a 1 1/2" hem.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian 🍁 made and tariff free project.  The fabric was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet and was discovered before the convicted felon was voted back into the white house and started his global tariff war.  The "made in U.S.A." pattern, circa 2020, was in the stash before the convicted felon won a second term and did not contribute to his tariff economy.  The cotton thread used to sew the dress and the polyester threads used in the serger are Gütermann threads and were purchased from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The scissors used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company and were picked up at The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The label is from KATM, an Australian company purchased directed from the company.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.5 metres

Knit 'N Stable tape:  0.2 metres

Pattern:  Butterick 6784, circa 2020

Label:  1--"Me Made" KATM label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting tables, measuring tape, measuring gauge, pins, pin box, fabric scissors, thread clippers, Janome 4190 QDC sewing machine, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, iron, ironing board and many breaks.

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Fall Sewing: The Elita Designer Jacket / Top

Cooler temperatures arrived this week as a reminder that autumn will soon be here.  So, when it came to picking the next project from my cut pile, the Elita Designer Top stood out.  This was a quick and easy make and I was able to sew this in an afternoon.  

This is my first Style Arc pattern and it turned out well.  I found this pattern to be well drafted and fun project.  If I were to struggle to find something to complain about it would be the text size of the instructions.  Without glasses, it's a complete blur!  A magnifying glass might come in handy if this weren't an easy to construct garment.  

I decided to omit the ties because I wasn't certain about the fit and if the placement would be good for my petite stature.  I do like how this wears with a brooch and am glad I left off the ties.  I did not do any adjustments to the pattern when I cut it out.  As you can see, I could shorten the sleeve length although I am not bothered by the rolled sleeves.   And maybe the hem length as well, we'll see.  The edges are left raw but I might go back and finish it with the rolled hem feature on my serger.  I didn't top-stitch anywhere on this project.  Instead, I used my clapper and pressed open the seam allowances.  

The fabric suggestions for the Elita Designer Top are ponte, boiled wool and knit jersey.  The fabric used on this project is a boiled wool.  It was pre-treated with a wet towel in the dryer method.  Hopefully that will take care of any shrinkage.  

Sewing IS Political

This is the latest Canadian 🍁 made and tariff free sewing project.  No equipment, supplies or notions used to create this jacket contributed to the convicted felon's economy.  The fabric was an end-of-the-season find last year from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads are Gütermann threads.  The fabric scissors used to cut out this project are Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Raw

Fabric:  2 metres

Pattern:  Elita Designer Top

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting tables, fabric scissors, paper scissors, assorted heavy objects used as pattern weights, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, iron, ironing board and clapper.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

In Sewing News Today

Today marks National Little Black Dress Day.  I didn't throw on a LBD but I just want to mark the occasion because it has a deeper meaning behind it other than a fashionable history.  National Little Black Dress day is about raising "awareness of the importance of having a healthy heart and taking essential measures to maintain cardiovascular health."  And this has a connection with sewing.  Sewing is good for a maintaining a healthy heart.  

I can't say that my main motivation for sewing is my heart health but it nice to know that this is yet another benefit associated with a hobby that I enjoy.  

I've sewn many black dresses over the years, some were gifted and some were for myself. Only the black turtleneck has survived the years of weight gain and loss.  Sadly, I shrank it and the length is shorter than I want.  Maybe it might be time to sew another LBD?  

Today also marks National Sewing Month.  I can't find any mention of any specific theme for 2025 which is different from previous years.  No worries, there are many reasons to celebrate our sewing journeys, right?  Whatever reason you chose to celebrate sewing activities, I hope it is a productive and joyful time well spent.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.