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.   

Stash and Scrap Busting: Back-up Curtains

 

There was quite a bit of yardage of this home décor fabric in the stash.  There was not fixed project in mind other than it was a discounted to the point that I couldn't resist the bargain.  It first made an appearance here last week when I made a pair of curtains.  And at that point I knew that I was going to make a second pair.  Tada!  

I still have 0.49 metre left over and I think I will be able to squeeze out one more reusable grocery bag with the last bit of fabric, we'll see.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free set of curtains.  The stash fabric was discovered at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  All the measuring tools (ruler, measuring gauge, measuring tapes) used have been in the workroom from a pre-trade war era.  The Gütermann threads used in the sewing machine and serger were sitting in the stash and are products of the U.S., purchased prior to the convicted felon's 2.0 tariff war.  The threads were purchased at Fabricland and future thread purchases will, obviously, have to be scrutinized more closely.  Maple washing is not just happening at the grocery store.  The fabric scissors are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased at The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, straight ruler, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, ironing board, iron, back brace, pins and pin cushion.  

Stand strong, support local, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Book Review

How to Sew Clothes:  Learn with Intuitive, Super-Hackable Patterns

by Amelia Greenhall and Amy Bornman

ISBN:  978-1-4197-6202-4

Published by Abrams, 2023

Canadian price $50.00

208 pages.  

This is a book that I spotted in the book store and its the quilted jacket on the front that actually caught my interest.  In my sewing dreams, I would like to sew a quilted jacket.  In reality, I couldn't bring myself to cut a quilt.  But I digress.   

The hefty price tag for simple patterns lead me to the library to check out the book further.  I was surprised to find this is more than simple patterns.  

This is a wonderful book for encouraging one to start sewing regardless of their sewing knowledge and skill.  Absolutely believe this to be a treasure for those starting out on a sewing journey and wanting to build up their confidence along the way.  Greenhall and Bornman offer practical advice for sourcing materials and making the basic patterns into your own style.  

The patterns included in the back of the book are simple, boxy shaped clothes making them forgiving in terms of fitting issues.  I did enjoy reading the well thought out advice and options provided in the book.  This book and along with the patterns are geared to the beginner.  No pants pattern found in the offerings but there is a section that suggests some pants styles to attempt on your own.  There are lots of photographs and illustrations to help encourage creativity.  I wouldn't add it to my personal sewing library just because I have enough books on this hobby.  But I wouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up and checking it out.  

Stand strong, elbows up, support local and keep sewing.  

Monday's Mending Pile

Well, this mending item was unexpected.  Just when you think you're all caught up, something else makes its way to the pile.  

The duvet came out of the wash a little lighter and the dryer revealed that it's shedding feathers.  Again!  I just patched up some holes about five months ago and today I discovered more spots to patch.  Once the holes were located, I used the sewing machine to close them up.  Despite the duvet becoming a wee bit thinner (lol, I didn't lose that many feathers), it's nice to have this piece of bedding back in use.  

Stand strong, elbows up, support local and keep mending.  

Stash busting: Another Curtain Project

Here's the latest curtain project.  I really like this blue printed cotton fabric.  The plan was to turn this fabric into a dress with my eye on McCall's 8090.  And then once again, plans changed.  The fabric was used for a set of kitchen curtains.  The lightweight 100% cotton fabric was previously pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer and was ready to hit the cutting table.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric has been in the stash before the convicted felon's tariff and trade war.  These are times for sewing the stash or just plain reconsidering a project as fabric prices continue to increase.  Even threads are hit with price increases that makes one reconsider colour matching.  A close enough colour of thread will do just fine, as in this case (blue thread for top-stitching and beige threads for the serger).  The fabric was an end of the season discounted item from many moons ago.  I found this fabric at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Gütermann threads were pulled from the stash and also came from Fabricland.  The fabric scissors used to cut out this project are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet. 

Project details

Seams / Top-stitching:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:   2.5 metres

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

Stand strong, elbows up, support local businesses and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: New Curtains

This is a simple project after measuring and cutting out the fabric.  This gifted project came to be after it was spotted in the stash and dreams of new curtains started to materialize.  I, on the other hand, saw this fabric at the store as a potential coating toile fabric or perhaps some more reusable grocery bag fabric.  The curtain project won in claiming this fabric.  And I think they turned out lovely, so I am glad that plans changed along the way.  

The fabric was a discounted bargain find in the home décor department.  It was such a great bargain that I bought the remaining bolt deciding that I will figure out its future at a later time.  It now looks like another set of curtains will be made with the remaining yardage.  The curtains are fifty-four inches long, have a two inch hem on the bottom and a three inch opening on top for the curtain road.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  Everything used to make these curtains were found in the stash.  The fabric was a bargain find in the home décor section at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  No pattern needed but the measuring tools used to measure the fabric has been in the stash for years, circa pre-Trumpian economic warfare.  The scissors used to cut the fabric are from Merchant and Mills, a U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads are all Gütermann threads pulled from the stash.  

Project details

Seams / Topstitching:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, rulers, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome 2000D AirThread serger, threads, thread clippers, iron, ironing board and a good cup of Canadian coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Monday's Mending Pile

Back in January, I made this top and it hung in the closet until it was reluctantly moved to the donation pile.  And that made me sad because it's made with the most gorgeous silk.  I pulled it out of the donation pile this weekend trying to save it from that horrible decision.    

You see, I thought that if I made it oversized that I would get a lot of wear while wearing the back brace.  And then the back brace was modified and I no longer have a piece of hard plastic riding up my left underarm.  Ahhh, the freedom!  

So I thought, if I just create a centre back pleat maybe it would be a better fit?  

It turned out to be a simple fix and for the first time in a long time, it's back in rotation.  I'm grateful that I was able to rescue this one.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep mending.  

Trending and Stash Busting: Stirrup Pants / OOP and Vintage Vogue 7630

Honestly, I had no idea that stirrup pants were trending this year.  And I swear I didn't go searching for a stirrup pants pattern to be trendy.  Here in the Canadian prairies, land of sweatpants, jeans, and shorts with t-shirts country, we're not well known for being a trendy or a fashion centre.  

This project ended up on the work table because I am trying to find yardwork clothing that will keep me covered up to, hopefully, prevent tick bites.  Something I can tuck into a pair of work socks and rain boots.  Man, I miss winter.  And words can not adequately express how much I miss the tick free summers of my youth.  But I digress.  This is not a post about climate change.  But here I am sewing clothes because of the effects of climate change.  

History of Stir-up Pants

Stirrup pants are a tapered style of pants with its signature feature of a strap or loop attached to the hem that sits under the foot.  This design feature helps to anchor the pants in place and prevent it from riding upwards.  They became popular as equestrian clothing in the late 19th century and were adopted as women's riding wear in the 1920s.  In the following decade this style of pants moved into other sports, such as skiwear, marked with an appearance in the 1936 Winter Olympics.  

In the 1950s and 1960s, stirrup pants remained in wardrobes moving into casual everyday wear.  

Stirrup pants returned to its athletic roots and reinvented itself into aerobics wear in the 1980s where its evolution continued into a mainstream fashion wear.  The pants became known as a wardrobe staple moving from sports and dance spaces into everyday wear.  

And then it quietly disappeared from our everyday wardrobes, but not for long.  Stirrup pants are showing up on fashion runways and according to British Vogue, stirrup pants "are replacing tailored trousers."  I'm not ready to go that far, these stirrup pants are entering the wardrobe as strictly work pants styled with rubber boots not heels as styled on the fashion runways.  

I was over the moon when I found this vintage pattern, OOP Vogue 7630.  The closest thing to stir-up pants found on the Simplicity website are patterns for leggings.  But there are a lot of stirrup pants patterns found via Etsy and eBay resellers of vintage Burda, Vogue and Kwik Sew patterns from back-in-the-day.  

The fabric is a medium weight woven cotton with some stretch.  The fabric's stretch did not meet the pattern envelope stretch guide suggested amount of stretch, but none the less, this fabric worked out well for the pattern.  The fabric was previously pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a press.  

There were some alterations to the pattern.  They were shortened a lot!  I'm not hitting five feet at this stage of my life's journey and if I wanted the ankle design to work on the stirrup there was some adjustments to be made.  The casing for the elastic was sewn with a one and a half turn down and I used a one and a quarter inch elastic.  I made these in a size sixteen since my fabric didn't meet the recommended stretch and cut the crotch and ankle curve at a size fourteen.  I could have cut the crotch at the size twelve line but instead if I revisit this pattern, I will shorten the crotch length.  Again, Vogue patterns are not designed for the petites in mind.  This pattern did not contain any finished measurements on the pattern pieces and thankfully, the adjustments worked out just fine.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project as the convicted felon throws more tariffs at Canada.  [Insert eye roll here.]  But I again digress.  Everything with the exception of the pattern was found in the stash.  The fabric has been in the stash for years and was found in the discount section of Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The vintage Vogue pattern, circa 1989, was a recent Etsy find purchased from a fellow Canadian.  The fabric scissors are from Merchant and Mills, an U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The elastic was also pulled out of the stash, not sure where it was purchased, could be Fabricland?  The label is from Kylie and the Machine (KATM), an Australian company and were purchased from another Canadian Etsy seller.  Side note:  KATM labels are now shipping from Canada--Yippeee!  This means domestic shipping and no extra fees or tariffs to pay.  And the thread, all pulled from the stash, are cotton Gütermann threads and were purchased at Fabricland.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.10 metres

Elastic:  1.10 metres

Pattern:  OOP and Vintage Vogue 7630, circa 1989

Label:  1 -- "MAKE ᐧ WEAR ᐧ WASH ᐧ REPAIR"--KATM label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, paper scissors, fabric scissors, pins, wrist pin cushion, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, walking foot, safety pin, threads, thread clippers, cello music and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Monday's Mending Pile

It didn't take long for the refashioned slip to end up on the mending pile.  After trying it on with this dress, it became evident that it needed to be shortened.  Just a turn up, press and then top-stitched in place with the knit stitch on the sewing machine.  

And this gifted slip came back to be taken in at the side seams.  I thought I copied the toile version, not quite sure what went wrong.  The side seams were taken in at 3/4" and serged for a three inch total reduction in the width.