Stash busting: Boy's Winnipeg Jets Shirt / McCall's 8537

This is a gift sewing project, a boy's NHL print shirt featuring the Winnipeg Jets logos.  The fabric stores have a selection of sports themed fabrics to satisfy sports fans across the hockey league and other sports franchises.  And this shirt is going to be gifted to a big sports fan.  

The fabric has been in the stash for awhile, picked up on a rare occasion when the NHL line of fabrics went on sale.  It was pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing before moving onto the cutting table.  There was noticeable shrinkage in this 100% cotton fabric.  

Let's talk about McCall's 8537, it's a keeper and I only made the shirt.  I bought the pattern for the vest.  This is a well drafted shirt pattern, everything pieced together perfectly.  The instructions are well written and thoughtful.  Like all patterns there is a glossary of sewing techniques that are also highlighted within the instructions.  I was quite surprised that find an explanation for staystitching that felt like encouragement not to skip this step.  And the instructions include a QR Code linking the customer to sewing videos.  I didn't view the videos but I can appreciate how this would be a welcome tool to the younger sewing audience.  Oh, I just dated myself there without displaying my vintage Vogue Sewing book from the 1970s.  But I digress.  It is a beginner friendly pattern.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  This fabric came from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The McCall's pattern was printed in 2024, the year that the convicted felon was elected back into the white house and escalated his anti-Canadian and tariff war rhetoric.  This pattern was not on my radar until it was discovered in the discounted basket as Fabricland announced their discontinuation of sewing patterns.  Although I jumped off the boycott wagon to pick this pattern up, I'm glad I did as the big four patterns are a scarce find lately.  The patterns were deeply discounted and Simplicity website no long ships patterns internationally.  It's the end of an era.  The fabric scissors are from Merchant and Mills, a United Kingdom company and were purchased at The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The buttons were recycled and found in Mom's button stash.  They were gifted for this project.  The label is from Kylie and the Machine (KATM), an Australian company and were purchased from their online site.   

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.9 metres (115 cm width)

Interfacing:  0.7 metres

Buttons:  6--1/2" recycled buttons

Pattern:  McCall's 8537, circa 2024

Label:  1--"original" label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, measuring gauge, fabric scissors, paper scissors, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, Brother vintage sewing machine, threads, thread clippers, buttonhole cutter, cutting board, hand sewing needle, lint roller, tailor's wax, sleeve ham, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

New Raincoat: OOP Vogue 2571

It's November, there is no snow on the ground and a raincoat project hit the worktable.  There might be a chance to wear this before spring since the temperatures are lingering in the plus side.  But I digress.  

The fabric was spotted in the discount section of the fabric store.  It's a polyester waterproof fabric that has a fleece backing.  I failed on the "No More Polyester" pledge with this fabric.  But it's a cute print and water rolls off the surface.  

The pattern is a repeat project with out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 2571.  I used this pattern to make a winter jacket and figured that it could work as a spring / fall jacket as well.  Since this fabric has a fleece backing, I did not make this a reversible garment.  The fabric doesn't fray and I'm cool with leaving the edge unfinished.  The pockets were omitted and the sleeves and coat pieces were shortened to the petite markings.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian and tariff free project.  The fabric was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Vogue pattern is a U.S.A. product but came into the stash in 2023 via a Canadian pattern reseller.  It did not contribute to the convicted felon's tariff economy.  The scissors used to cut the fabric were purchased at Fabricland.  The polyester thread were pulled from the stash and likely came from Fabricland.  

Project details

Seams:  3.5 straight stitch

Seam finish:  None needed

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Velcro:  7--3/4" circular shaped, stick-on Velcro pieces

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 2571, circa 2001

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, fabric clips, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot and thread clippers.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

In Sewing News Today

Sewing IS Political

And congratulations U.S.A. on your mid-term election results.  Kindness prevailed.  Thank you.  The world is breathing a sigh of relief.  I cried at this imagine that appeared during the news coverage last night.  Thank you.  I needed that cry.  

Sewing is political.  All the chaos and corruption affected the sewing mojo and costs at the stores and the availability of supplies.  I can breathe a little easier and I actually felt the desire to cut out a project and sew today.  The past two years of the convicted felon's rule is not over, that is understood.  The boycott is not over.  But there is hope.  

Sewing is political.  The budget will be released tomorrow and sewing entered the political sphere with the finance minister's tour of Pajar, a Canadian manufacturing facility.  It is not just a tour, the finance minister will assist in making footwear before picking out a pair of shoes.  Here in Canada, there is a tradition of wearing (or not wearing) new shoes as a signal of the direction the budget will take.  It appears the budget will focus on supporting our Canadian manufacturing sector.  We'll see if that is the correct visual message tomorrow.  In the meantime, I should get back to that sewing project while I still have some sewing mojo.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.   

Monday's Mending Pile

There has been way more mending, repairing and just simple caring for the me-made of the past and other items around the house.  This has been a shift in this sewing journey.  Once upon a time, I really did not like mending and the mending would pile up.  Not so much lately.  I like my clothes and want to keep them in rotation while they are still functionable and fit.    

This reversible jacket was showing some wear around the cuff area.  It just needed some care and love to get it back to looking like new.  

Tools & Supplies:  Lint brush, thread clippers, WonderLint fabric shaver, ironing board.  

A fitted bed sheet became a mending item when a tear was discovered near the elasticized corner.  It was patched with a sewing machine stitch.  

Tools & Supplies:  Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, thread, and thread clippers.  

These pants ended up having a small section on the back crotch seam fixed before I accidently put them in the washing machine in a regular cycle and shrunk them.  If I lose some weight and never bend down while wearing them, maybe I will be able to wear them again.  I defiantly can not put my hands in the pockets anymore.  They are a little too snug in the hip area.  There looks like a refashion project just might be in the works.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

 

Stash busting: Instead of Curtains...

This morning it was back at the sewing table to make a narrower width of the curtain.  This one will fit more like a panel over the window.  The final decision of gathering or not is for someone else to make.  Although I do have an opinion on which one I prefer.  This is purely a gift sewing project so I'm leaving it to the gift receiver to make.  I'm done at this stage, I just have to finish the bottom hems once a decision is made.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  left over piece from yesterday's project

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, fabric scissors, iron, ironing board, tailor's ham and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: New Silk Curtains

There was some more home décor sewing happening this afternoon.  This curtain panel was made for a tall narrow window.  It is seventeen inches wide and eighty-eight inches long.  The fabric is a home décor silk fabric that I found in the discounted section many, many moons ago.  Held up to the window, it did let more light through than wanted so this was double for more coverage.  Another easy peasy project.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric was pulled from the stash and entered before the convicted felon started his trade wars with the world.  This beautiful silk was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  No pattern used but there were rulers and measuring tapes utilized and were from the stash as well.  The fabric scissor used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K company.  They were purchased from The Workroom another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were all pulled from the stash and were likely picked up from Fabricland.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.3 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, straight ruler, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, regular presser foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, seam ripper, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Refashioning the Wrap Dress Into Something I Will Actually Wear

Many moons ago, I scored the original copy of a DVF wrap dress pattern, vintage Vogue 1610.  Today, you can find a copy via Vogue patterns as many DVF patterns are being re-released.  This re-released wrap dress design is now listed as Vogue 2040.  It's a lovely pattern and if you do fancy yourself a wrap dress, I would certainly recommend it as a pattern to try.  

My wrap dress wearing days are behind me, due to scoliosis, this is not a flattering look on an asymmetrical body no matter how loud fashion influencers and fashion writers claim it's a miracle garment design.  It's pretty darn close though.  But I digress.  Other than to say, wear whatever you feel good in.  The wrap dresses are not so much doing it now-a-days.  Even so, I could not let the dress go.  It was the fabric.  That gorgeous cotton knit that came from Emma One Sock many moons ago.  Swoonworthy is the fabric.    

I got to work deconstructing the dress to see if I can salvage enough of the fabric to make something that would actually work in the wardrobe these days.  And I came to the conclusion that I need want  another sleeveless polo neck (turtleneck) top.  I cut the pattern pieces so that I could keep the hem from the dress and everything worked out nicely.  I did add a bit more ease to the polo neck (turtleneck) pattern piece and added as much ease as I could at the sides, centre front and back.  That's about it, easy peasy.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric came from a company in the U.S.A. before the convicted felon started his trade war with the world and made fabric shopping from the U.S.A. crazy expensive, unless you're a billionaire.  I am not, so no more EOS shopping has been happening the past few years.  The vintage pattern is also a product of the U.S.A. and I'm happy to report it contributed to the local economy.  It came from a Canadian reseller.  The fabric scissors are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were pulled from the stash and were purchased at Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The sewing label is from KATM, an Australian company that now ships from Canada so that we can avoid paying tariffs.  Thank you KATM!   

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightning bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged and cover stitched

Fabric:  Skirt portion of one wrap dress

Label:  1--"me made" label

Pattern:  Vintage and OOP Vogue 7323, circa 2000.  

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, seam ripper, fabric scissors, pins, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, regular walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, Janome 1000CP coverstitch machine, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, hand sewing needle, silk thread for basting, clips, pin cushion, pumpkin spice latte and a wee little break.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Sunday's Mending Pile

During the seasonal wardrobe changeover, I've been pulling out the jumpers (sweaters) and making sure they are ready to go when the cooler weather arrives.  

This, years-ago thrifted and vintage, cashmere polo neck (turtleneck) jumper (sweater) made it to the ironing board to have some surface pilling removed.  That is when I discovered two small holes and my heart sank a little.  One hole is on the inside of the hem and the other is on the front near the hem.  I did take some time to think how I was going to take care of this hole.  I thought about using the serger to do some visible mending like on this jumper (sweater).  

In the end, I just gathered up some cotton thread to mend the holes.  It worked out fine and if it didn't this is just my go-to turtleneck for snow clearing.  No one will admire my handy work while wearing this jumper (sweater).  

Next up were these trousers with the need to have a crotch hole closed.  They are one of the few wool trousers made years ago that still fit and I can wear these with the back brace.  It was an important piece to get back into rotation.  It was an easy fix, just needed to change the thread on the sewing machine and get to work with a length of straight stitching.  

In my fantasy wardrobe, I would still be reaching for wrap dresses to wear.  Now that I'm wearing a back brace and the scoliosis curve is more noticeable in tight fitting clothes, wrap dresses don't look good on me anymore. I'm not sure that they ever looked good on me but they were sure comfortable to wear.  This wrap dress has been in the donation box but I am having a hard time to let go because of the lovely cotton knit fabric.  I picked it up from Emma One Sock many moons ago.  

The skirt was cut off at the waistline seam and there seems to be enough fabric to sew another sleeveless polo neck (turtle neck) top.  I recently finished one with OOP Vogue 7323 and plan to make another one with the wrap dress fabric. 

Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, assorted objects for weights, curved ruler, fabric scissors, threads, hand sewing needle, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, regular presser foot and pumpkin spice chai.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Knit Stirrup Pants / OOP Vogue 7630

Last month I made a pair of stirrup pants to wear while doing yardwork and hopefully prevent tick bites.  Yeah, that is a thing now.  But I digress.  The stirrup pants are so comfortable, I've been wanting to make another pair but not for yardwork, just for everyday sort of wear.  

This time around, I used a cotton knit fabric.  I like how they turned out, they feel like they have more ease than the first pair which was made with a non-knit fabric.  I could certainly tighten up that waistband elastic but I'm waiting to try these with the back brace on before I commit to cutting down the elastic.  The pants were shortened just like the first pair.  I did reshape the ankle side widths, used a machine blind hem along the edges and then added the elastic.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  The fabric has been in the stash for many years, well before the convicted felon started threatening the world.   It came from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Very Easy Very Vogue pattern is a made in the USA product but did not contribute to the convicted felon's economy.  It was a vintage find, circa 1989, purchased from a Canadian reseller.  The label is from Kylie and the Machine (KATM), an Australian company.  The scissors used in the making of these stirrup pants are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased at The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads and elastic were pulled from the stash, purchased at Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.8 metres

Elastic:  0.8 metres

Label:  1--"me made" KATM label

Pattern:  OOP and vintage Vogue 7690, circa 1989

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, scissors, thread clippers, canned air, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, regular presser foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, safety pin, clips and warm milk with honey.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash Busting: Pull-on Wool Pants / OOP Simplicity 2372

This pair of wool pull-on pants has been gifted.  They are made with out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 2372.  I don't know what to say about them because there have been a few versions made over the years.  I will mention that I had to go back to the very first pair made with this pattern and copy how the elastic waist was created.  

The first pair did not work out in that the waistline was too short.  I made a waistband to hold the elastic on the first pair and increased the height to fix the issue on other pairs that followed.  But it appears that the first pair was the most comfortable of the bunch.  So, instead of a casing for the elastic made by folding over and stitching, there is an attached waistband for the elastic.  I left off the side pockets like on the first pair as well.  

The only difference is the quality of the fabric.  It is a beautiful wool suiting fabric from another era.  I would be hard pressed to find, let alone afford wool suiting fabric of this quality now-a-days.  It really was a joy to sew.  The fabric was pre-treated with the towel method in the dryer (on the delicate setting) followed by a steam pressing before hitting the cutting table.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The beautiful wool suiting fabric was picked up at Mitchell Fabric's closing sale about a decade ago.  Mitchell Fabrics was a Canadian Fabric outlet.  The Simplicity pattern is a U.S.A. product that has been in the stash since 2012, pre-boycott.  The fabric scissors used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were pulled from the stash and were purchased at Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres, 100% wool suiting fabric

Elastic:  1.2 metre

Sewing label:  1--"YOU CAN'T BUY THIS" label

Sewing pattern:  OOP Simplicity 2372, circa some time in the 2000's.  

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, tailor's chalk, pins, pin cushion, measuring gauge, fabric scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, regular presser foot, blind hem foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clipper, iron, ironing board, tailor's ham, pressing mitt, safety pin and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.   

What The Fudge, Nike and Converse

I'm not going to repost the disgusting and sickening ad that has Converse shoes in the news.  If you want to read about it, here is a link to an article.  It is racist and is worthy of a boycott and should also call for Converse's President and CEO, Aaron Cain, to step down.  Their so called apology is as equally as insulting.  

And it feels, as it should, as empty words.  The ad is out there, people around the world have seen it and are rightfully horrified that such an image made it into the world.  Karina, a South Korean member of a musical group called Aespa is featured in the ad.  How did she even think that this was appropriate?  I have no words.  My heart aches for those living with generational trauma and were hurt by this ad.  Everyone should be hurt by the callousness of this ad.  

And now I confront my own shoes, newly washed and worn in.  They are comfortable and disgusting to look at.  I have no desire to slip my feet into them again.  Let along walk around and advertise these brands with each footstep.  Nike and Converse are American brands and there is a boycott already happening due to the annexation rhetoric and tariffs from the convicted felon but this boycott is something that will last longer than the tariff war.  As for the shoes, they're going in the trash.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

It Feels Like a New Robe!

About seven years ago, I made this robe and for the past year, I haven't worn it.  Actually, I didn't wear it often for a couple of reasons.  The length was too long and I would trip on it when walking upstairs.  So I cut the hem length shorter.  

The sleeves are also too long and even though they were meant to be rolled up, I found it too cumbersome to wear that way.  I could either donate it or try to fix the sleeves.  It has been sitting in the donation pile for months but something was holding me back from letting it go.  

I knew this would be an easy alteration if I would get over my fear of removing those hard to see stitches.  My fear was damaging the fabric.  

I mustered up some courage and a seam ripper and got to work.  Sometimes you just have a vision of lounging in an armchair by a fireplace with a good book and a latte wrapped up in an oversized cozy robe.  So not my life but I digress.  I got to work to make this robe fit into my real life.  

There is a small hole from removing the hem on the sleeves, adding one more fix to the mix.  

The sleeves once opened had seven inches cut from the length and were stitched back up with an inch and a half hem.  The length that was cut off from one of the sleeves were transformed into pockets, something that I did not sew originally on the robe.  The other length made two face clothes.  

Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, seam ripper, thread clippers, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Merino Wool Sleeveless Turtleneck Sweater / OOP Vogue 7323

Out-of-print (OOP) and vintage Vogue 7323 has been in the stash for about a year waiting for a decision on a fabric.  There was enough left-over fabric from this cardigan project to make the sleeveless top.  And now, I have a sweater set.  I didn't set out to make one, but happily, here we are.  

It wasn't all smooth sailing on what looks like a simple project.  The initial plan was to make view B, the turtleneck with long sleeves.  The fact that there wasn't enough fabric to cut all the pattern pieces lead to a plan to use some left-over wool from this sweater for the back and cut the front, collar and sleeves in the ivory wool.  My heart wasn't into a colour-blocking project.  That is when plans changed to sewing view C instead.  

I didn't want a "close-fitting" top with a back zipper.  The centre back seam was removed and cut on the fold easing the pattern piece out one and a half inches from the hemline foldline.  Then I needed to add another 5/8" width to the collar back edges.  The front centre hemline has the same amount of additional ease as the back.  And the waistline curve at the side seams was removed providing even more ease.  

I wasn't sure if the extra ease to the neckline and collar would be enough to eliminate the zipper and make this a pull-over top.  Thankfully, it worked out.  It was however tricky to sew the collar into the neckline.  Would you believe I had to use a seam ripper on the merino wool fabric to correct some puckering?    

All thanks to God, I was able to fix this without stabbing a hole into this beautiful merino wool.  Seriously, all thanks to God.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric came into the stash years ago from Winnipeg Sews, a now closed Canadian fabric reseller.  The Vogue sewing pattern is a product of the U.S.A., and is a vintage find dating back to the Clinton era.  It was purchased last year from a Canadian reseller and was not subject to tariffs.  The scissors used to cut the project were made in Taiwan and were purchased from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were all pulled from the stash and were not new purchases.  

 

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged and Coverstitched

Fabric:  1.1 metres

Pattern:  OOP and vintage Vogue 7323, circa 2000.  

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, measuring tape, measuring gauge, tailor's chalk, threads, thread clippers, Janome sewing machine 4120 QDC, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, Janome 1000CP Coverstitch machine, iron, iron board, tailor's ham, hand sewing needle and a seam ripper.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Designer, Bob Mackie

Source:  Photo Credit: Harry Langdon/Getty Images

Today is a sad day in the designing and sewing world, Robert Gordon Mackie passed away.  He is known as Bob Mackie in the fashion and theatre world, an Emmy and Tony award winning fashion and costume designer.  

I grew up watching Bob Mackie's designs come to life on the television way back-in-the-day.  My first introduction to his designs came into my orbit via The Sonny and Cher Show and The Carol Burnett Show.  I just dated myself.  

Source:  The dress concept was Bob Mackie's idea and it is current in the The Smithsonian. 

Mackie designed for many other big name celebrities as well, you can read about his influence on the entertainment world in the many touching tributes that are popping up today.  

But did you know that Bob Mackie also designed sewing patterns for McCall's in the late seventies and early eighties?  Here's is a look back at his contribution to the home sewing community.  

Rest in peace Bob Mackie.  Thank you for the wit, glamour and inspiration that you brought into our sewing rooms through your designs.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Labour Day

Source:  Women shirtwaist makers, 1909

Courtesy of Kheel Center, Cornell University

This weekend, actually today, we're celebrating Labour Day.  There is a lot to be grateful for in the Labour movement.  There are many reasons to thank a union from laws ending child labour and sweatshops to pensions and health benefits.  But today, with trade wars and billionaires actively attacking workers rights it feels like there is more to fight for rather than celebrate.  We're living in an eerie time of AI art that is disrupting workplaces and creativity.  Even sewing factory workers and creatives are not immune from being replaced with robots.  

So what does this mean for us that sew as a creative outlet, a labour of love?  Will there be a backlash?  There has been so many changes in the sewing and creative industry.  What will never change is the joy, that labour of love that is obtained and embraced when a needle and thread is held between our fingers and moved through a piece of cloth.  

"Hands that create deserve our applause."

Inhale, exhale, pick up a needle and keep sewing.  And celebrate a Happy Labour Day.  

Scrap busting: Kyoto Vest / Tessuti Patterns

This is my wearable toile version of the Kyoto Vest by Tessuti Patterns.  

The pattern has been sitting in the stash for nearly a decade.  I don't know why it took so long to finally sew up this project.  Maybe it was fear of cutting into the boiled wool or cotton fleece sitting in the stash without knowing if the pattern would work?  Silly me, just like the Eva and Lily dress patterns by Tessuti Patterns, the Kyoto Vest is a gem.  It's quite simple to sew, only one pattern piece.  There are no side seams.  The edges are supposed to be finished with binding.  The pattern has wonderful instructions and photos on how to finish this vest.  However, I didn't follow them and finished the edges with the rolled hem feature on my serger.  

I pieced together the left-over fabric from this coat project.  Not quite enough length but I did patch together pieces to make enough yardage and get this cut out.  I trimmed the seam allowance and then top-stitched along the seam using my Coverstitch machine.  If I was more caffeinated during the cutting and piecing process, I would have sewn the seam with wrong sides together instead of right sides together, this way the top-stitching would have been on the wrong side of the fabric on that big beautiful shawl collar.  None-the-less, I'm just being picky, I'm thrilled with how it turned out.  I will be wearing this toile for sure.  If I make another, I think I might lengthen the shorter version a bit or give the longer version a try.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  The incredibly beautiful and warm wool coating fabric came from Winnipeg Sews, a now-closed Canadian fabric reseller.  It came with a tag dating it all the way back to 1984, this is a vintage treasure.  I'm sad they're closed and that this type of quality fabric is rare to find.  A trip to Fabricland to see the new fall offerings recently was a huge disappointment as many of the labels were polyester, polyamide and viscose blends.  I did not find a mention of wool in the new selections offered this year.  But I digress.  The fabric scissors used were from Merchant and Mills and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads used in the sewing machine, Coverstitch and serger were Gütermann Threads and are labelled as made in Greece.  They have been in the stash for quite some time as Gütermann Threads stopped labelling where their threads are made.  This lack of transparency is so not cool.  The threads were purchased at Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch + coverstitching to patch together pieces

Seam finish:  Serged + rolled hem

Fabric:  0.40 metres + remnant pieces stitched together (the pattern calls for 0.90 metres of fabric for the short version)

Pattern:  Kyoto Vest by Tessuti Patterns, circa 2017

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, ruler, tracing paper, pencil, paper scissors, fabric scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Jean-a-ma-jag™, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, Janome 1000CP, iron, iron board, clapper, snacks and good tunes.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Scrap busting: Cotton Panties / OOP Simplicity 8229

There wasn't an urgent need to sew anymore pieces of underwear, just a wee bit of left over cotton knit fabric to use up.  This white cotton knit used in this project is left-over from this slip project completed last month.  There was enough left over fabric and picot elastic in the stash to make two more pairs of panties.  The pattern:  out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 8229.  This has been a go-to panties pattern for several years now and is highly recommended.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  The fabric had been in the stash for decades and came from Fanny Fabrics, a long-time closed Canadian fabric outlet.  The elastic, found in the stash, came from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The scissors were from Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The cotton thread used in the sewing machine are Gutermann threads, made in Germany.  It has been in the stash that long!  Gutermann threads were appearing in the fabric stores labelled "made in USA," but lately there is no longer any country of origin label on their spools.  Not cool Gutermann.  In a time of global tariff wars, this is important information that affect consumer decisions about price increases and quality.  The spools used in the serger have also been in the stash for many years, and did not contribute to the convicted felon's tariff economy. The serger threads are Surelock brand, made in India, by Madura Coats Private for Coats and Clark in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Oh what a tangled web these threads weave.  All of the threads were found at Fabricland.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (Lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  0.8 metres (made 2 pairs)

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, thread clippers, threads, iron, ironing board, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, good tunes and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Weekly Mending Pile

Another mending Monday--a portion of the day devoted to examination of existing garments, sewing up broken seams, reattaching or securing loose buttons, re-stitching fallen hems and adjusting fit of pieces that still have some life in them.  

There hasn't been a whole lot of new sewing projects hitting the sewing machine lately, even though there are cut projects sitting on the side and thoughts of new projects floating around. 

First up are these black wool knit Palazzo pants that were made back in March.  I thought to leave the hem unfinished but they made it to the mending pile to take 5/8" off the left leg and hem them with a half inch cover stitched hem.  

Next up was a pajama top that was missing a button.  I misplaced the orange button that fell off and just went with whatever I could find in the stash that matched the size of the buttonhole.  I'm good with the mismatched button.  

And then this decade old dress hit the mending pile.  It has held up well over the years and only ended up on the mending pile because the a section of the blind hem was coming down. The request was made for a top-stitched hem.  

Next up is to take a look at the stitch length inconsistency that is happening with my Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine.  This is how a 3.0 stitch length is coming out, something is off.  The machine might need some TLC as well.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

 

Stash Busting: Cotton Sateen Curtains

One more set of curtains rolled off the worktable this weekend.  This pair is made out of 100% cotton sateen sheet fabric.  I'm not upcycling here, this is a new fabric that I pulled from the stash.  Well, not really new, its been there for years.  But I digress.  

The open panel shown here is one 1/2 of the width of the fabric.  I actually cut it down the centre.  Same finishing as the previous version, a three inch upper casing for the curtain rod and a two inch hem.  

Sewing IS Political

This is one more Canadian made and tariff free project.  The fabric was in the stash for many years and was discovered in the home décor section at Marshall / Northwest Fabrics, a western Canadian fabric outlet.  The thread was pulled from the stash and is another item that has been there for years since I stopped purchasing Coats and Clark thread.  The fabric scissors used to cut the fabric are Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.   

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, ruler, measuring gauge, measuring tape, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, walking foot, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, back brace and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.