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.  

Stash busting: Elastic Back Skirt / OOP Vogue 1247 and 9918

Redesigning out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1247 skirt pattern into an elastic back version is all about comfort.  With an elastic back waist, there was hope that it can be worn with the back brace.  And I'm thrilled that it worked out.  

There were two patterns, OOP Vogue 1247 and vintage and OOP Vogue 9918, merged to create this skirt.  The front of the skirt with those lovely pockets is cut from Vogue 1247 and the back piece is cut from Vogue 9918.  

There were also several changes to the pattern pieces to make this fit over the lower part of the brace.  The back piece from 9918 was cut as a size 18 and an inch width was added at the centre front.  The front pieces also had an inch width added at the centre front.  The front darts were removed and the waistline adjusted accordingly.  The waistline curve at the front side seam was eliminated and straightened to match the shaping with the back side waist.  There is an added ten inches of length added to the front and the back piece was adjusted to match.  I should add an inch or two to the length on the next version so I could sew a blind hem.  This one is finished with seam binding to keep the length.  The waistband was cut narrower, shorter to fit the front section only and was not interfaced. 

The fabric is a medium weight cotton sateen with stretch.  It's been in the stash for years, many years.  It was pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing.   

Let's talk about thread for a moment.  I like Gütermann threads, but lately not so much.  Most of the Gütermann threads in the stash are cotton and made in Greece.  Love the quality, there are no complaints with the cotton threads made in Europe. 

But there are some spools that are polyester Gütermann threads in the stash that are the absolute worst for my Janome sewing machines.  The polyester threads entered the stash because I was trying to match colours with a project fabric and they were on sale.  Sometimes a sale is not a good deal even if the colour selection is wonderful.  These spools are made in the U.S.A., very thin / fine and feel like plastic.  When used in any of my sewing machines and serger, I have problems, skip stitches and constantly having to rethread the machines.  It's not a tension or needle issue, I've checked and adjusted and the problems persist.  I wish I checked online before picking these polyester thread spools as I would have discovered that others had issues as well.  And this doesn't seem to be a recent issue according to the two year old Reddit post.  So, I was careful to pick out spools of cotton thread for this project.  Now, what to do with the remaining Gütermann polyester threads in the stash?  Thankfully, there are not a lot of these lingering in the stash.  

 

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  All of the supplies used to make this skirt were found in the stash.  The fabric has been in the stash for a decade and was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The elastic was also sourced from Fabricland.  The scissors used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company.  They were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The Vogue patterns are products from the U.S.A. and are from a pre-Trumpian era, not contributing to the convicted felon's tariff economy.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8--3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.5 metres

Elastic:  0.7 metres

Seam binding:  1.3 metres

Patterns:  OOP Vogue 1247, circa 2011 and OOP Vogue 9918, circa 1980s.

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

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: New Batch of Panties / OOP Simplicity 8229

This batch of panties will replace the previous batch made about sixteen months ago because the elastic feels like it is cutting into my leg.  These are made in a lighter cotton knit than the previous batch.  The fabric will be more comfortable to wear.  The other cotton knit has less stretch and was a bit thicker.  And the elastic will be a little looser in the thigh area.  So for now, it's back to the cutting table with out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 8229.  

The pattern has been a keeper and a go-to for making panties.  Looking back at previous posts for this pattern, it first made an appearance at the worktable in 2017.  It's a great pattern.  The 97% cotton / 3% spandex knit fabric has been in the stash for quite awhile, same with the elastic.  Years already.  It's nice to finally have this want-to-make project done.  There was enough fabric to cut out six pairs of panties.  That wasn't the case for the elastic, two pairs were sewn with an ivory coloured elastic whereas four have matching pink elastic.  

Sewing IS Political

This is a Canadian made and tariff free project.  All of the supplies used to make these were found in the stash and did not contribute to the convicted felon's economy.  The out-of-print pattern, Simplicity 8229, is a U.S.A. product that has been in the stash for years.  The fabric has also been in the stash for years and came from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The picot elastic is from Marshall Fabrics, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The fabric scissors used to cut out this project were made in Tiawan and were purchased at Fabricland.  The threads are an assortment of various shades of pink and purple pulled from the stash, some from Woolworth's which was a retail store from back in the day.  Since it's underwear, I didn't feel the need to run out and pick up matching thread and just made do with what was found here.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) and zig-zag stitches

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres

Elastic:  14.4 metres

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, thread clippers, pins, Janome 4190 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, a lot of thread, tweezers, heating pad and tea.    

Good tunes:  Bad Bunny.  I became a fan huge fan the other night.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.   

New Batch of Undies: OOP Simplicity 8229

Simplicity 8229 is now an out-of-print (OOP) pattern.  If you can find it, it is one that I highly recommend.  I've made more than a few pairs of cotton panties for myself and others over the years using this pattern.  It is my absolute go-to and trusted pattern for this project.  

The fabric and elastic are pulled from the stash.  The fabric is a light yellow cotton knit from the now closed Mitchell Fabrics.  The blue picot elastic was sourced from Marshall / Northwest Fabrics many years ago.  

This is the first pair of a batch that I plan to make.  On that note, I should get back to work.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit / Lightening bolt stitch

Seam finish:  Overlock and Cover stitch

Fabric:  0.5 metres (95% cotton, 5% spandex)

Elastic:  2.4 metres

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 8229

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

Happy Sewing!  

International Sweatpants Day: Vogue 8909

I need sweatpants that fit and that is how this pattern, Vogue 8909, ended up on the cutting table.  The timing of this project just happened to fall on International Sweatpants Day.  So, that is how I celebrated, sewing a pair of sweatpants.  

Happy International Sweatpants Day!  

The Pattern 

Vogue 8909 is a new-to-me pattern even though it came out in 2013.  This pattern is listed on the pattern envelope as being "fitted" and "below waist" which are two red flags since I do not typically go for those design elements.  It is the many pattern reviews found online that convinced me to give this pattern a try.  It's a keeper, I'm thrilled with how it turned out.  Several reviewers noted that the pattern runs on the big sizing scale.  I double checked the finished hip measurement and since I didn't want a "fitted" pair of sweatpants, I decided on sewing a size large.  I like the "baggy" look especially with the light weight French terry knit these are sewn in.  

There were some changes to the design.  First, there is no drawstring.  Instead, I put elastic through all three casings.  The height of the waist was raised an inch but since these were cut in a large, I didn't need to do so as these are not sitting at "below waist" level.  I should have raised the crotch length since I went up a size.  An adjustment was made to account for one leg being shorter than the other.  

The Fabric

This is a light-weight French terry knit with some drape.  The fiber breakdown is 67% bamboo, 28% cotton and 5% spandex.  I picked it up for a song from the Fabricland discount section a couple of years ago.  It is the same fabric, different colour, that I used for this top.  And since I like how the fabric has handled over the years with the previous project, I thought it might be a good choice for the sweatpants.  I cut an extra 0.15 cm to allow for shrinkage of the bamboo fiber content which is know to have a shrinkage rate of 6%.  I didn't need to add that much to the recommended yardage since it was a wide yardage and that saved on the length needed.  The fabric was pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the cutting table.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit stitch (also known as the lightening bolt stitch)

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.6 metres

Elastic:  3 metres

Pattern:  Vogue 8909, circa 2013

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, wrist pin cushion, tailor's chalk, iron, ironing board, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome serger, thread clippers, tweezers, safety pins, many breaks and tea.  

Happy Sewing!

June in Review

Sewing, Alterations and Mending Projects

It was a slow month at the sewing table, more dreaming about sewing than actual work.  With the appearance of warmer weather yardwork certainly monopolized my time and cut into my sewing time.  L to R:  Orange cotton dress (Simplicity 9744), cotton pull-over top (McCall's 7630) and navy cotton sateen pull-on pants (out-of-print Butterick 6717).  

I guess all the projects were items I need, pullover easy-to-wear clothes.  The orange print dress ended up in someone else's closet but there are plans to revisit this pattern.  

And there was some mending.  But would you believe a fitted sheet?  I do love my flannel so of course when my flannel bedding required some tender care, it became a priority project.  Other than this the navy pants that I made this month quickly ended up on the mending pile to have the back elastic waist tightened.  

Stash Busting 

This month I managed to stash bust 5.6 metres of fabric, 2 buttons and 0.75 metres of elastic.  I did enter the stash busting contest over on Pattern Review but did not make anything that qualified to be entered.  This year there was a twist.  Contestants had to have both a piece of fabric and a pattern that was in the stash prior to 2023.  I only met one of the two.  By the time I would test a pattern, using fabric from the stash it would disqualify the entry because the pattern was already used, so I mentally dropped out of the contest not wanting to enter a toile.  The other two projects I was willing to cut into fabric that would have qualified were paired with a TNT pattern therefore disqualifying the entry.  

Upcoming Plans

I'm not really thinking about summer wear.  This year with all the smoke from forest fires and dealing with allergy symptoms I'm not all that keen on venturing outdoors.  I am thinking ahead to when the weather cools down and that I will need sweaters due to some stubborn weight gain over the last couple of years.  But I digress.  I've been on the search for a copy of the Toaster Sweater pattern by Sew House Seven but the only copies I can find are from international sellers and the shipping.  Oy!, the shipping costs are putting a halt to those plans.  

We'll have to wait and see.  

Happy Sewing!

Monday's Mending Pile

On my on going quest to find the best fitting facemask, I decided to change up the elastic. Instead of the ear elastic, I've switched the elastic to fit across the back of my head. It stays in place better and instead of pulling my ear lobes forward it wraps around the back of my head. 

It's okay for short time wearing but I find that the elastic hurts the top of my ear if I wear it for more than a hour or so. I might have to go back to the cutting table and look at using a thinner width elastic and give that a try.  

There was some repair work done to this shirt. I made this twenty-seven months ago but but the look of the elbow wear you might think it's older than this. It must have been well-loved and worn.  

At first I thought to patch the elbows but then I found another small hole in the lower shirt front and then decided to cut the sleeves.  I changed the sleeve into a short sleeve and use a small piece of the discarded lower sleeve to cut out a patch and repair the front.  

Looks like it might be time to pull out McCall's 2447 out of the drawer and start planning another long sleeve shirt project.  

Before then, I'm trying to figure out how to repair a very small hole in the lower front corner of this jacket. I wear this one mostly when out doing yard work or running errands.  Do I leave it since it's just weekend / errand wear or should I try to patch it with a "me made" label near the bottom zipper corner?  Or should I just mend it with a few hand stitches to close up the hole?  I wish I still had a remnant of this fabric.  I would have just patched it.  Hmmm, I  might go with the label.  What do you think?  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

Face Masks: Not Just for Halloween

Remember back-in-the-day when kids were getting ready to go out for Halloween and masks were discouraged in favour of face paint.  Boy have times changed!  

I've tried a new face mask pattern.  This one is the Aplat-Mask, it's an origami design.  

This is the first one I've made of the origami design and so far the only complaint I have is the elastic cord that I used.  That's an easy fix.  And the only reason is that I wear glasses and it's just too bulky with an elastic cord and the arm of the glasses competing for top-of-the-ear real estate.  Otherwise, it's a great fit.  

The pattern calls for two layers of canvas fabric.  Instead, I used two layers of printed quilting cotton plus one layer of white cotton.  If you don't feel like sewing your own, you can purchase a ready-made one from their website.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.4 length straight stitch

Seam finish:  No interior seam finishing but the outer edges were top-stitched.  

Tips:  There is no one perfect face mask pattern that will fit everyone since we're all different shapes and sizes and some of us wear glasses while some don't.  So I won't endorse any of the face masks patterns that I've tried over the others.  The best that I can tell you is to experiment and find your best fit.  

Fabric:    0.24 metres 

Elastic Cord:  0.80 metres

Pattern:  Aplat-Mask Free Download

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Computer, printer, paper scissors, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, pins, pin cushion, iron, ironing board, thread clippers, sewing machine, and a zipper foot.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

In Sewing News Today...

There has been more face mask sewing.

The text on this one reads, "THIS IS AN ACT OF LOVE." It refers to the recent medical advice not to use a face mask with the thought that it makes you invincible rather that you will be protecting others more than yourself.  

On one mask to be worn by someone who wears glasses I switched to twill tape instead of bias tape used on the very first model.  I thought this would provide more cushion between the wire.  

Yesterday, during a shocking look at Canadian models Dr. Tam, Canada's Medical Officier borrowed a quote from Felix J. Palma's 2008 novel, The Map of Time, 

We are the authors of our own fate--we write it each day with every one of our actions. ~Felix J. Palma

I thought the original quote was more suited but this edited version from Dr. Tam is embedded in our collective recent memory as a call to action.

This couple (Men's and Ladies) set is made in a black 100% cotton denim and lined with a 100% cotton shirting fabric.

And there was one more Alice Cooper inspired face mask in the mix.

I still have more face masks to make as a friend asked me to make nine for her family. Unlike these ones, I won't personalize them. I just want to get them out in the post as soon as possible. It's my pleasure as spending my free time sewing face masks makes me feel like I'm doing something helpful. There seems to be a lot of people doing the same.  I will probably keep sewing until I run out of supplies.

Talking about supplies, along with flour and yeast at the grocery stores, there are local reports that there is a fabric store shortage of elastic used for face masks. Do you find this in your community as well?  I wonder what the online options are like or if this is a local occurrence.

I've been noticing that a lot of face masks are being made out of polypropylene fabric sourced from recycled reusable grocery bags. I would never have thought of using this material and at first I thought it was an odd fabric choice.  It seems that polypropylene fabric is also used for sportswear, cold weather undergarments, military wear and diapers. Many reviewers are claiming that this is the best option but I'm happy with cotton fabric. It's breathable, comfortable to wear, resists static electric build-up, and can withstand heat, detergents and bleach. Okay maybe mixing bleach and the black denim might not be a good combination. If you're making face masks, what's your fabric of choice?

Well, that all in sewing news today. I should get back to work.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

New Pants: Vogue 1642

Vogue 1642 caught my eye because of that comfy looking top with pockets. But then as I took a closer look I became enthralled with the pants pattern as well. It has front darts, front waistband and a back elasticized waist. Oh, and did I mention it has pockets?  And the best part of the pattern is where the waistband sits - at the actual waistline!

Vogue 1642 is a perfectly comfortable looking pair of pants. And I could use a pair of comfortable pants. Even though I have some wool suiting fabric that would be perfect, I didn't want to cut into it before I tested the pattern. I chose a striped linen that I found in the home decor department a couple of years ago. I picked up this fabric thinking to make a pair of drawstring pants but never did. I thought this would be a good fabric to test out the pattern and hopefully have a wearable muslin. And it worked out wonderfully.  

I requested the size combination Y (XS to Med), instead was given the larger size by the salesperson at Fabricland. This mistake has happened in the past. I should have learned not to trust that I will be given what I ask for but I didn't check the pattern size before I left to store. Not realizing I had a different size combination than requested and until I arrived home and removed the contents from the envelope. This is God at work because once I looked at the finished measurements on the pattern pieces, I realized that I should be sewing a large for the pants, medium for the top. Thank you God for that intervention! Sometimes I forget I'm shaped like a pear.  

There were some changes, I raised the crotch, cut the inseam as an extra-large, side seams as a large, shortened the hem by four inches and the left leg by an additional five-eighths of an inch. I opted for cutting the pockets in the linen instead of one side with lining fabric. Next time around I will raise the crotch a little more. This is certainly a wearable muslin and I'm sure it will be a favourite for the remainder of the summer. I think I'm ready to cut that wool suiting fabric now.  

The Stats

Fabric:  2.1 metres

Interfacing:  

Elastic:  1 metre of 1/2 inch 

Pattern:  Vogue 1642

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

Happy Sewing!

Saint Nick Brought Knickers!

Now that the gift-giving portion of the holiday festivities are over I can share some of the makes. Mama R recently asked me to stop off at one of those discount department stores to pick up some cotton undies. I know, the horror!

"I can make you those," I protested. Not that I wasn't willing to drive her to the store. And not to toot my own horn, but I knew I could do this.

"You have no time," she said. 

"I have lots of time," knowing full well that it was a lie. Drats!, she quickly exposed the flaw in my plan, time.

"I can do it!," I exclaimed trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince Mom. Besides, we always make time for those we love. That's the meaning of Christmas, right?

I knew I had the perfect pattern in my collection. Simplicity 8229 has been my go-to panties pattern and it was the pattern that I used for this very important project. Once I made a pair for Mama R to try on for fit and then it was tweaked to her liking, there was no stopping me.

I made a new stocking and started stuffing it with newly made custom fit cotton undies. And of course a few Japanese mandarin oranges. What's Christmas without mandarin oranges?  

     

The fabric used for the panties is a cotton knit and the stocking fabric is an upholstery fabric. Both fabrics were from Fabricland and the picot elastic was found at Northwest Fabrics.

The Stats:  

Fabric:  6 metres (5 metres of cotton knit and 1 metre of upholstery Christmas print fabric) 

Elastic:  36 metres picot elastic (for the panties)

Ribbon:  0.5 metres grosgrain ribbon (used on the stockings) 

Pattern:  Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, scissors, thread clippers, tweezers, sewing machine, serger, threads, iron, ironing board, new sewing machine needle, and seasonal merry Christmas music for motivation to sew through some late nights.  

Happy Sewing!  

You'll Never Guess What Happened Today!

I stopped in at Marshall / Northwest Fabrics and was surprised when I came across this, 

picot elastic! There's an assortment of colours to chose from, ivory, pink, navy, black and grey. Needless to say, I was over-the-moon thrilled and picked some up. Once I have my current project completed, I'll have to dig out my Simplicity 8229 pattern again.    

Happy Sewing!  

More Cotton Knickers

I refuse to buy any more knickers now that I have Simplicity 8229 in my pattern collection.  

Seriously, with this pattern and some cotton knit fabric I just want to replace all the ill-fitting RTW undies in my drawer.  

These beige / taupe coloured pairs are made with left over cotton knit from this top. I recently found this cotton knit fabric at Fabricland. The picot elastic is from Marshall/Northwest Fabrics but I haven't seen any more of each of these on my last trips to the stores. Thankfully, I have a few leads on some online shops that sell picot elastic. 

The Stats:  

Fabric:  1 metre 

Elastic:  4.8 metres 

Pattern:  Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Sewing machine, serger, walking foot, scissors, thread clippers, pins, cutting table, iron, ironing board, thread for the serger and sewing machine, box of kleenex (I can't be catching a cold!), cup of tea with lemon and honey, and a couple of breaks.  

Happy Sewing!  

Practical Sewing

UPDATE:  Over at PatternReview.com Quiltfixer shared another source for 3/8" plush picot elastic:  Sew Sassy.  Thanks Quiltfixer!

Simplicity 8229 has to be hands down one of the most valuable sewing patterns in my collection. With this pattern I'm able to make the most comfortable panties imaginable.  

The most difficult part of this project is finding the supplies. There was no problem sourcing the cotton knit fabric, it's the 3/8" wide plush picot elastic that is proving to be a bit of a challenge. For this pair I used a 1/2" plush picot elastic that I found at Fabricland. I can't find 3/8" wide elastic anywhere near here in a brick and motor shop. Thankfully, Tany posted a link to this shop, B,Wear, out of Sweden which sells elastic for panties.  

Back to the elastic that I did use for this pair. It worked out great. The only thing that I had to do differently is sew a second row of zig-zag stitching to make sure the elastic was properly stitched in place after it was turned over. It just took a little more thread and time to complete. It was all worth it in the end and it's good to know that the 1/2" elastic works just as well as the 3/8" wide elastic.  

The Stats:  

Fabric:  0.5 metres of cotton knit

Elastic:  2.4 metres of 1/2" wide picot elastic

Pattern:  Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Scissors, pins, cutting table, sewing machine, serger, walking foot, iron, ironing board and thread clippers.  

Happy Sewing!  

Fancy Pant[ie]s

I swear, I'm never ever buying panties again now that I have Simplicity 8229. This pattern is on its way to being a go-to item for knicker-making.  

This latest pair is made in a lace stretch fabric and the elastic used at the legs has a pleated edge. They're my fancy pant[ie]s! 

The lace fabric, pleated elastic and the beige cotton used for the crotch lining were all Fabricland finds. The waistband was finished with beige picot elastic that I found at Northwest Fabrics. I wish I picked up more of the beige picot elastic when I had the chance. Oh well. I picked up plenty of the pleated elastic and have enough green lace to make another pair.  

The Stats:  

Fabric:  0.7 metres of stretch lace and cotton knit

Elastic:  2.8 metres of pleated and picot elastics

Pattern:  Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Sewing machine, serger, 100% polyester thread for the machines, cutting table, scissors, thread clippers, tweezers, pins, pin cushion, iron, ironing board, wrist brace, and some good tunes.  

Happy Sewing!  

In Sewing News Today...

I bought myself a birthday present. Oh, it was my birthday a couple of days ago.

Isn't it lovely. Fabricland is currently having a sale on their sewing baskets. My sewing table has never looked so organized and tidy. It is even large enough to hide hold my large fabric scissors--love it!  

And yesterday, this pattern came in the mail.

Yeah, I spoiled myself this birthday. I can't wait to get to work on this one. Right now I'm working on my outfit for the Pattern Review "Inspired by Books" contest.

In other sewing news, have you hit the fabric stores lately? They are filling up the discount sections with the summer fabrics and starting to display the fall/winter lines. Biggest surprise is that velvet and stretch velvet has a salient position in the fabric store. Holy Batgirl (RIP by the way), I have velvet and stretch velvet sitting in my stash! Goodness, goes to show you that if you hold onto something long enough it comes back in style. Perhaps a stretch velvet cat-suit? Just kidding.

Well, that is all in sewing news today. I'm off to pick up some elastic for my Pattern Review contest entry. Hope to have it finished soon.

Happy Sewing!

You're a Star!

There is a whole lot of crazy-ness going on my sewing table right now. What started out as "just serge the edges" of eight kid-size star cut-outs has turned into a real production.

Finger elastics, ankle elastics and neck-ties, oh my! All for a worthy cause, for those little stars. Sew much sewing, sew little time. The kids will be taking to the stage for their curtain call in nine days! Yikes!

Happy Sewing!

The Un-mentionables

Stash-Busting 2013:  (Unfinished and Trashed) Project #30

Fabric Used:                .5 metre 100% cotton

Pattern Used:             Kwik Sew 2100

Zipper Used:               37" elastic 

*****

I didn't finish this project, it is back at the drawing board (literally) as I redraft this pattern and hopefully come up with a better fit.

I am counting this unfinished project as part of my stash-busting count none-the-less. The fabric has been in my stash for over a decade. The elastic was a fairly recent purchase from Fabricland around the time of Sew Grateful week when I first dabbled in sewing panties. Hopefully, I will be successful at creating a well-fitted pair before I go through all the elastic I picked up. I bought this knit when Fanny Fabrics was closing down in the city and it has been a go-to knit when I'm making baby gifts. I still have quite a few metres of this fabric left. Come to think about it, it would be perfect for tee-shirts too.  

Moving along.... 

Nip and Tucks

Stash Busting 2013:  Project #16

Fabric Used:     2 metres of double knit.

Pattern Used:    Vogue 8637, circa 2010.

Elastic Used:      1.1 metre of 1 cm elastic.

*****

I've had this pattern in my stash for a couple of years. I'm kicking myself for taking this long to make this skirt, I love the nips and tucks! And it is really comfortable.

Vogue 8637 is still available on the Vogue website but under the out-of-print section.   

There are only three pattern pieces and the most work was involved with transferring all the pattern markings. But it was all worth the time involved.

I used the same fabric that is found in the Marcy Tilton jacket, Vogue 8839. The fabric made it into my fabric stash in the past year. I do like the colour even if I do wear it without the matching jacket.

I think I'm going to need another one in black...

Happy Sewing!

February in Review

February was a busy month. It was the month that I was busy breaking my sewing resolutions like nobody's business. I was tempted by the online Vogue pattern sale and by some fabrics. My bad. I also managed to get some sewing done before my Lenten Sewing project occupied my sewing calendar.

What did I sew?

Well, using Vogue 1038 I made one of the most comfortable skirts in my closet. It is a pattern that I hope to revisit for a summer version maybe in linen.  Then using a previously loved pattern, McCall's 9264, I have a new floral dress. I want to make another version in a wool and wear it as a jumper in the fall. I switched from my original plan to make a hat and came up with a super soft and cozy stole.  And I exposed myself as an undergarment-making-virgin, until I gave Brigitte's free downloadable pattern a try. My lenten sewing project is purificators, no pattern needed. Just a lot of pressing.

Sew far this year, I managed to stash-bust a total of:

• 20.36 metres of fabric, 
• 6 previously unused patterns, 
• 4.6 metres of trim, 
• 3 zippers, 
• 5 spools of thread, 
• 3 sewing machine needles, 
• 3 snaps,
• 9 buttons and
• 1.7 metres of elastic.

And this month I took a detour and added to my stash:

• 5 Vogue patterns
• 18 metres of new fabric (4 metres of Vintage Brushed Cotton, 4 metres of embroidered cotton plaid, 3 metres of lining, 4 metres of cotton/linen blend, 3 metres of beige stretch denim.)
• 2 metres of elastic

Happy Sewing!