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.  

 

Flannel Pajamas: OOP Vogue 9217 and Butterick 6296

Another winter's arrival along with thoughts of sewing another pair of flannel pajamas.  This new pair will replace this one that recently became drying rags for my automobile.  Once again, I turned to true and tried (TNT) patterns to make this set, out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9217 for the pajama bottoms and Butterick 6296 for the top. 

The Patterns

The pajama top, Butterick 6296, was cut in the shorter length with the front pockets near the front hemline.  I would like to say that it went together without a hitch especially after sewing a few versions in the past, but I can't.  I did sew seam binding to the edge of the front facing before I applied the fusible interfacing.  And there was the mistake from back in October when this project was originally cut.  I accidently cut the wrong cuff pattern piece.  Oops!  Thankfully, there was enough fabric to recut these pieces.  

I made an extended back facing piece and finished the facing edges with seam binding.  The sleeves were shortened and other than that, no other changes were made.  The buttons are vintage and sourced from the stash.  

The pajama bottoms, out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9217, are not an actual pajama pattern.  They are a pull-on, elastic waisted pants pattern that are comfortable and that's all that counts when it comes to sleepwear.  The pattern has a dolphin hem that was changed to a full length leg and adjusted to fit my petite height.   Since there are two front pockets on the pajama top, pockets on the pants were omitted on this pair.  

The Fabric

This is the Ojibway Floral fabric designed by local Canadian artist Jackie Traverse.   It was a lovely surprise to find that Marshall Fabrics is carrying her fabrics.  This is a 100% cotton flannel.  It's soft and full of joyful colours.  And there are other Jackie Traverse fabrics and prints to be found at Marshall Fabrics in quilting cotton and satin.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 -- 2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  5 metres of 109 cm wide flannel

Interfacing:  1 metre

Buttons:  4 recycled buttons

Patterns:  OOP Vogue 9217 and Butterick 6296

Label:  1 - KATM "BESPOKE" label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, Janome sewing machine, cotton thread, walking foot, buttonhole foot, buttonhole cutter, cutting board, thread clippers, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, Janome serger, polyester serger threads, seam ripper, iron, ironing board and tea .  

Happy Sewing!

Top Five Lists: The 2023 Edition

The Top Five Sewing Bloopers

Plaid skirt with wide two-tired elastic waistband, circa September 2023.  Pattern:  The Assembly Line's Elastic Waist Maxi Skirt.  Sewing blooper:  not noticing the twisted elastic on the lower tier (oops!) until I put it on and then continued to wear it again before fixing it.  

Orange and beige dress.  Pattern:  Simplicity 9744, circa June 2023.  Sewing blooper:  The hem length was trimmed too short (oops!) and didn't feel comfortable to wear.  

Cotton pullover pleated top, circa May 2023.  Pattern:  Clochette by I AM Patterns.  Sewing blooper:  Cutting out the fabric before making a toile / muslin version first.  It is a beautiful pattern but on me the fit could be better if I just took the time to pay attention to the fit.  

Car coat, circa November 2023.  Pattern:  Out-of-print New Look 6074.  Sewing blooper:  I let this sit in an abandoned sewing project pile.  And thinking that I had all the pattern pieces cut I used the remainder of the fabric for hats and scarfs, only to realize that I did not cut out the front facing (oops!).  

Cotton knit pullover dress, circa August 2023.  Pattern:  Asymmetrical Dress by SD Patterns (an Etsy shop).  Sewing blooper:  Purchasing an on-sale PDF pattern while thinking that I could send it to a print shop.  It wasn't so, and I ended spending too much time printing and taping.    

The Top Five Sewing Room Tools 

Pinking shears.  There was some retro seam finishing done with pinking shears while the serger was in the repair shop.  

Safety pins.  There were twelve projects that needed elastic to be moved through casings.  And safety pins were more economical than investing in elastic threaders.  Twenty twenty-three was the year to make do and budget.  

A pair of table legs were a give-away item and came in handy for cutting out those large single layer pattern pieces from Butterick 6784.  

Spring hinge scissors.  I wouldn't have been able to do some sewing work while in a cast without this tool.  

Buttonhole cutter.  This little tool made the opening of the buttonhole on this coat possible.  

The Top Five Misses

These pants looked good hot off the sewing machine, but after several washes the fabric sort of lost its appeal.  Fabric can make or break a project.  I should have tested it first.  

Any tips for sewing waffle knit?  It was a sewing challenge that I did not master.  

Yeah sometimes those pieces of fabric that have been sitting folded up in the stash for decades have those fold lines that set in really good.  These pants were still worn for yard work.  

There is still some ponte knit lingering in the stash even though I vowed a few years ago to stick with natural fibre fabrics.  This didn't last long in my wardrobe.  It has zero warmth factor for a prairie winter.  

It just didn't work out.  

The Top Five Makes

Gifted pajama bottoms, out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 2372.  Circa January 2023.  

Gifted pajama top, OOP and vintage Simplicity 6851.  Circa January 2023.  

Gifted boys' Super Mario shirt, OOP and vintage Butterick 2122.  Circa September 2023.  

Gifted boy's dinosaur shirt, McCall's 6972.  Circa July 2023.  

Gifted child's dress, OOP Vogue 9072.  Circa August 2023.  

Happy Sewing!  

Sewing Retro Style: Coat / OOP New Look 6074

I started to cut this project years ago.  It wasn't until recently that I stumbled across the forgotten pattern pieces cut from the coating fabric and finished cutting the lining.   And then I started sewing despite the fact that my serger has been in for repairs for almost a month and I have no idea when it will come out of the shop.  We're waiting for a new needle plate to arrive.  So, I'm sewing retro style, pre-1964 sewing technology.  And it turned out.  Go figure.  

This is a fully lined coat.  The faux lambs wool coating fabric did not fray and the seam allowances were not serged or required any finish.  The cotton back satin lining did fray and the seam allowances were finished with pinking shears.  Retro style.  

Also retro style was the hand worked buttonhole.  The automatic buttonholer on the Janome sewing machine would not handle the thickness of the coat fabric plus the canvas interfacing.  Never mind that it doesn't have the range to sew a button of this width.  The vintage Brother sewing machine might be strong enough to create a buttonhole but the thickness of the fabric wouldn't fit under the presser foot.  So that left me with two options, use a large snap or sew a hand worked buttonhole.  

This hand painted rooster button was the one I really wanted to use so snaps were quickly eliminated as an option.  This lead me to sit down and do some research and reading since it's my first ever hand worked buttonhole.  

This vintage Singer Sewing Library How to Make Buttonholes and Pockets and The Vogue Sewing Book were my go-to resources.  A quick trip to the fabric store for some button and craft thread and I was ready to attempt my first hand finished buttonhole.  

The button was a cherished find that I stumbled upon during a sight-seeing day-trip to Gimli with a dear friend many moons ago.  It was a lone hand-crafted button found at the local quilt shop.  I've held onto this button for years waiting for the perfect opportunity to showcase the rooster design.  The rooster is a national symbol of Portugal and my parent's home country.  Perhaps that explains the attraction to this cherished lone button.  

The Pattern  

Out-of-print (OOP) New Look 6074 was a second hand store find and it's a keeper.  This is a well drafted pattern.  There is a generous amount of ease that will be great for layering this winter.  Best yet, there is enough room for unrestricted arm movement while winter driving.  And I don't mind the dropped shoulders.  I will note the princess seam hits at my natural shoulder length.  

This project was a slow process with lots of hand stitching.  The canvas interfacing was basted in place along with stitching tailor tacks for transferring pattern markings.  I haven't sewn tailor tacks in decades.  Tailor's chalk wouldn't transfer well on the pile of this fabric, so retro style tailor tacks were in order.  It was worth all the little extra steps, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I quite enjoyed sewing this project.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Wool coating fabric is left alone since it doesn't fray.  The lining fabric and front facing were finished with pinking shears.  

Fabric:  3.9 metres

Interfacing:  0.7 metres tailoring canvas

Button:  1 -- 1 1/2" decorative button

Snap:  1 -- medium sized, black

Pattern:  OOP New Look 6074

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, measuring tape, measuring gauge, fabric scissors, thread clippers, hand sewing needle, thimble, button thread, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, polyester thread, steam iron, clapper, pressing cloth, ironing board, buttonhole cutter, cutting board, many breaks for rest 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!

Orange is the Happiest Colour: Butterick 6296 and OOP Vogue 9217

The reason I picked this flannel print is the the presence of the colour orange.  I agree with Frank Sinatra that it's the happiest colour.  And then throw in a dog outline print, this fabric is pure awesomeness.  

And it's so soft.  

I turned to my go-to sleepwear patterns, Butterick 6296 for the pajama top and out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9217 for pajama bottoms.  

Actually, Butterick 6296 is the only pattern that is designed as sleepwear but I replaced the pants for something that doesn't have a back yoke.  The top pattern (view A) is a well drafted pattern and the only change was to shorten the sleeve length.  Vogue 9217, another well-drafted pattern, has an elastic pull-on pants pattern with a dolphin hem.  I eliminated the dolphin hem design and opted for a straight leg finish with a topstitched hem.  

The fabric was a recent score from Northwest / Marshall Fabrics reduced to 70% off during their moving sale.  The buttons are recycled and rediscovered in the button stash.  The elastic is of a vintage age found in Mom's sewing notions stash.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  5 metres (104 cm post-washed width)

Interfacing:  1 metre fusible

Buttons:  5 - 1" buttons

Elastic:  1 metre - 1" width

Label:  1 - "me made" 

Patterns:  Butterick 6296 and OOP Vogue 9217

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushions, scissors, tailor's chalk, thread clippers, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, buttonhole cutter, chopping board, clapper (I couldn't find the hammer), Janome serger, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, threads, seam ripper, safety pin, measuring tape, measuring gauge, iron, ironing board, heater and tea.   

 

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!  

When Fabric and Pattern are a Perfect Match: OOP Butterick 5891

Back-in-the-day, many, many moons ago, I found these beautiful printed cottons in the discounted section of the fabric store.  I picked up three different print patterns and with them, over the years, I made three versions of out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 5891.  The Katherine Tilton pattern and the cotton fabric happen to be, in my humble opinion, a perfect match.  The first version was made in 2013.  The second version replaced the first in 2020, after a hair dye accident.  This is the latest 2022 version.  

Over the years, this top pattern, made in the other versions, has been a favourite piece of clothing.  Although, it's not suitable for a brutal prairie winter, there is hope that spring may soon arrive.  And with that the possibility to wear this without a shiver.  It was a tough winter, but I digress.

I was thrilled when I discovered that there was enough of this fabric to make one more version.  And even though I wasn't looking to sew another version at this time, I also didn't want to pack this piece of fabric back in the stash.  It's been aging in there long enough.  And it was pretreated in the past, all I had to do was cut and sew. 

The only changes to the pattern was to first raise the pockets a wee bit, something that I've done with the other versions.  The hem on the sleeve is a two inch hem instead of the recommended one inch hem.  And I left off the interior button as I usually wear a brooch in its place.  

This pattern is a keeper.  I don't think I will make another version any time soon but I do know I will hold on to this one for awhile longer.  It's well drafted and I really enjoy the shape of the collar.  I love that it has side pockets.  The buttons were also hiding out for a long time in my button collection.  I had everything I needed in the stash to start and finish this project.  

It was the perfect rainy weekend project.  A bit of nostalgic sewing I guess.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres (112 cm width)

Interfacing:  0.8 metres

Buttons:  Recycled

Pattern:  OOP Butterick 5891

Additional Supplies & Tools:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushions, scissors, tailor's chalk, clapper (used as a weight), iron, ironing board, thread clippers, sewing machine, regular presser foot, buttonhole foot, measuring tape, measuring gauge, serger, threads, buttonhole cutter, cutting board, hammer, hand sewing needle and tea.  

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!

Sunday Mending: OOP Simplicity 6851

Perhaps, this does not fall under a mending job.  More like fixing my sewing blooper.  Remember this project?  

I made it back in December and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out until it was brought to my attention that I sewed the buttons and buttonholes in the wrong spot.  

Today was about mending my ways.  I stitched the old buttonholes closed, sewed on new buttons and sewed new buttonholes on the opposite side.  The buttons were changed as requested.  I thought the other buttons looked nice but this is not something I made for myself so it really doesn't matter what I think about the buttons.  It's what the person who will be wearing it thinks that is important.  Thankfully, they're happy with the new changes.  

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!

Raglan Sleeve Robe: Vintage Simplicity 6851

Out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 6851 made it back to the cutting table when a request came to see if I could fix the buttons and transfer them to "right side" of the previously made robe.  Actually, on both prior versions of the pattern, I managed to sew the buttons and buttonholes on the wrong side.  Yup, I'm disappointed with those mistakes.  Happy to report, I finally got it right!  

I declined the offer to fix it and offered to make another robe.  It broke my heart when it was brought to my attention that I made that error.  And I really wanted to make it right and start over again.  Now that this one is done, I will go back and fix the other robe.  

But let's talk about this one first.  There was one additional change to this robe.  Another request for a longer sleeve length happened with the second robe but I did not have enough yardage to accommodate that request.  With this fabric, there was ample yardage and the sleeves were lengthened seven inches.  The height of the pockets were raised.  And all hems and facings were top-stitched in place.  

The fabric is a 2021 find from the discounted home décor fabric selection at the local Fabricland store.  It is a 100% cotton and it went through the pre-treatment process before hitting the cutting table.  It was pre-washed in the washing machine, followed by a tumble in the dryer and a steam press.  

The sewing process was smooth and without incident until it came to the buttonholes.  Not for the same reason that occurred with the first two robes.  The automatic buttonholer on the sewing machine was challenged with sewing a nice buttonhole.  On two of the six buttonholes, the seam ripper was used to pull out stitches when the timing was off.  It might be time to take the machine service and have it checked out.  For a moment there, I thought I might have to pull out the vintage Singer sewing machine and sew buttonholes old-school style.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch 

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  3 metres

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 6851

Buttons:  6 - 1 inch buttons

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushions, scissors, tailor's chalk, clapper (used as a fabric weight), thread clippers, sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, seam ripper, buttonhole cutter, cutting board, hammer, iron, ironing board, serger, threads, new serger needle, measuring tape, measuring gauge and tea.  

Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!

Sewing Room Lessons: The 2021 Edition

Even though there was some good work that came off the sewing machine, the year did present some sewing lessons. 

Take to the time to do some research.  If I took the time to read some reviews on TAL's Box pleat dress pattern I could have saved myself some time and fabric. This leads into another lesson that I forgot, it's wise to sew a toile first.  

It might look like I'm being frugal (I am) but patchwork is actually a trend.  

It's good to change perspectives so that you don't kick yourself for something that might appear to be a sewing blooper to others.  Gender placement for buttons and buttonholes are outdated.  Go ahead and be a rule breaker even if it's unintentional.  

Saving scraps can come in handy for unexpected mending emergencies during the lifetime of a sewing project.  

Stay safe and keep sewing!