Pattern Give-away Time!

I think I need a break from sewing. I know, I can't believe I'm saying that myself. I need to catch up on some mending and alterations. And I also need to clear off the sewing/cutting table for the next project. Oh, and I'm going to have to think about what my next project will be, sew much to do.

Sew, while I'll be busy with other things and the weather is heating up in these parts (summer is almost here!) I thought what a perfect time for a pattern give-away.

What is up for grabs?

Style 2092, this Misses' Separates pattern is perfect for the summer. It is an uncut pattern and includes all sizes from 6-16. The pattern envelope description:

Short sleeved jacket has asymmetrical single buttoning fastening and center back seam with vent detail.  Top with fitted panel seams has front tie detail and center back button closure.  Low-waisted trousers and shorts have front and back darts, belt carriers and left side zip closure.  Trousers have side seam slits at hem.

And there is more,

• a piece of white cotton stretch sateen for a pair of shorts (there is enough fabric if you even wanted to make the shorts a wee bit longer), 
• plus a 7" (18 cm) white zipper.   

You know the drill... I just ask that you promise not to sell the items, give them a good home, use them, and when you are done with the pattern pass it along. Leave a message in the comments and I will draw for the give-away on Tuesday, May 22nd.

Happy Sewing!

The Big Reveal!

This is Simplicity 2398, finally.

I made if for my niece. I can't wait for her to come over and try it on so I can hem it. The hem is the last finishing touch.

I have to say I do like the pattern, not so much a fan of the instructions though.  

I made just a few changes.  Instead of a lap zipper, there is an invisible zipper. That meant sewing the back pieces first instead of the bodice pieces.

Sewing instructions should include a tip for using basting tape, greatest invention ever! If you're working with special occasion fabric that has a slippery or silky texture I would highly recommend picking up this tape.

I also didn't care for the way the front skirt A piece was cut into two pieces (a skirt front and a skirt front end) so another change occurred there too.

Sew, on the shopping trip for fabric the one request that I had was that the fabric had enough width to avoid this issue. I was then able to cut the skirt front as one piece.

The pattern instructions suggest a narrow machine hem for the skirt hem. I don't think I'll take that route. I'm thinking about a hand stitched hem with invisible thread.

I do like the colour my niece picked out, she does have great taste. It will match her brown hair and eyes perfectly.

In Sewing News Today...

Getting Ready for the Final Fitting...

Simplicity 2398 has been quite the project. I'm using this pattern for my niece's graduation party dress.

She picked out a beautiful green coloured special occasion fabric which has been a bit of a challenge.

Once I got out of my sewing natural fabric mode and changed the needle on my sewing machine everything was a go. And everything was going along smoothly until the unthinkable happened.

I found a spot on the fabric.

I know! I freaked before moving onto panic mode. How the heck did this happen?

Spot cleaning with water didn't work. This was serious and demanded a road trip. So it was off to the store in search of Tide to go and a heartbreaking trip to the fabric store to discover that there was no more fabric left. Luckily, the Tide to go worked and I escaped from that close call.

I've been ultra careful with this fabric ever since this near mishap. Tonight, the dress is almost done minus the hem. I'll need to do a final fitting for the hem. I'm just working on the facing and hemming the second strap. Promise, pictures will come soon. But I think I'm about ready to call it a night sew not tonight.  

Big Plan, Sew Little Time...

My plans to enter the Pattern Review The Best Pattern Contest were ambitious and I'm quickly running out of time. Oh, who am I kidding the contest closes on May 15 and I haven't even cut out my fabric.

Oh, and I picked out beautiful colours, I don't have anything like this in my closet. I found this rich green coloured cotton stretch sateen for the skirt and a multi-coloured 100% polyester with a wonderful drape for the top.

The pattern, Vogue 1247, has been in my stash for some time. Of course, I will have to lengthen the skirt significantly if I want to ever wear it to work.

There are so many versions of this Rachel Comey design and all of them have turned out beautifully. It is no wonder that this pattern made it on the Pattern Review list.

Well, even though I am running out of time, this pattern is still on my list of projects. I just won't have it ready for tomorrow's deadline. My bad.

Anyway, that is all in sewing news today.

Happy Sewing!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm not a mom. I am a god-mother and aunt but not a mom.  I do celebrate Mother's Day because I have a wonderful Mom. No, I have THE MOST WONDERFUL MOM.  So, today is all about celebrating the most wonderful woman I know.

Words can not truly describe what my Mom means to me. I tried once. Let's just say that she's more than a Mom, she's my best friend too.

She selflessly shares her gifts and talents with others. She has a heart of gold and will do anything for her family. Even when we have broken her heart she has always welcomed us back.

She is the rock and protector of our family.

I love you Mom. I hope you have a great Mother's Day!

How Did I Live Without You?

I have a new favourite tool in my sewing kit. It is basting tape. Seriously, I don't know how I coped without this two sided tape in the past.  

I'm working on a dress for my niece, Simplicity 2398, and I have to tell you I was a little nervous about installing the invisible zipper.

It wasn't the actual sewing of the zipper that had me worried. I threw away that plastic invisible zipper foot (don't waste any money on those things) and have a solid-made-for-my-machine invisible zipper foot for sewing invisible zippers. It had to do with the fabric that I'm working with and the design of the dress.

The fabric is a fancy occasion fabric, shiny on one side, dull on the other and slippery silky to the touch. The design of the dress demands that I match up three seam lines across the back width. Yeah, Yikes!

Honestly, I don't know if I could have done a good job without basting tape. So Sew, there you have it, my recommendation for the must have sewing item in everyone's sewing room.

Me-Made-May '12: Week Two Round-up

Monday, May 7th.  Rainy Monday morning and more rain throughout the day in the forecast. 

Daytime:  Crazy busy workday that included an early morning volunteer appreciation committee meeting, department meeting, recess duty, workshop, missed lunch and afternoon coffee break. Yes, I did end up changing my shoes before the day's end.  

Evening Plans:  Pick up my niece from school, drive her home, get some food!!! (I was starving and ate in the car) on my way to the chiropractor and when I got home I passed out on the couch. Oh the exciting life I lead!  

Dress:  Vintage Vogue 9229
made in a medium weight cotton sateen

Pleated Suit Jacket:  The Bay
Black Bow Belt:  Borrowed from another dress

Leopard Print Head Band:  The Bay 
Glasses:  DKNY

My Oh So Sexy Knee Braces:  Ossur

Outer Footwear:  Wedged heel Rubber Boots, Cougar.  

Indoor Shoes:  Red shoes, Steeve Maddin
Wedged heeled shoes, Local. 

Tuesday, May 8th.  Another rainy May morning.

Daytime:  Workday.  

Evening Plans:  Catching up on paper work and watching the next episode of Fashion Star.    

Dress:  Vogue 8577, 

made in a green and red plaid cotton/silk blend

Glasses:  DKNY
Necklace:  Red stone on silver chain

Outdoor Footwear:  Wedged heel Rubber Boots, Cougar.

Indoor Shoes:  Wedged heeled shoes, Local.  

Wednesday, May 9th.  Finally, they are predicting sunshine and a high of +20!

Daytime:  Workday involves recess duty.   

Evening Plans:  Chiropractor appointment, stop in at the fabric store, and an evening of sewing.

Dress:  Burda Style 7798

made in 100% cotton fabric

Long Blue Ruffled Sweater:  I.N.C International Concepts

Glasses:  DKNY
Cat-eyed Sunglasses:  Vogue
My Oh So Sexy Knee Braces:  Ossur

Outdoor Footwear:  Mephistos 

Indoor Shoes:  Wedged heeled shoes, Local.

Thursday, May 10th.  Another gorgeous day! 
The +27 C temperature promise that summer is on its way.   

Daytime:  Workday involves recess duty  

Evening Plans:  Pick up my niece from school, drive her home and myself, then pass out on the couch!  I think I'm not used to the heat.  

Dress:  Burda Style 7517
Navy Light Knit Cardigan (worn at work):  Liz Claiborne

Glasses:  DKNY

Cat-eyed Sunglasses:  Vogue

My Oh So Sexy Knee Braces:  Ossur

Outdoor Footwear:  Mephistos 

Indoor Shoes:  Wedged heeled shoes, Local

Friday, May 11th.  We're back to spring time weather, a wee bit cooler than yesterday, about 11 degrees cooler. Sorry, no photographic evidence of MMM'12 outfit.  

Daytime:  Workday involved three recess duties, lots of exercise!  

Evening Plans:  Massage appointment with plans to go to the Winnipeg Art Gallery to catch an art exhibit by Ottawa artist Stephen Hutchings and a group of musicians billed to bring his art to life. By the time I got there tickets were sold out. Drats! So there was downtown shopping instead.  

White Skirt:  Vintage Vogue 2885,
made in a heavy weight cotton sateen stretch
Top:  Marcy Tilton, Vogue 8709
Yellow Coat Sweater:  BCGB

My Oh So Sexy Knee Braces:  Ossur

Outdoor Footwear:  Mephistos 

Indoor Shoes:  Wedged heeled shoes, Local

Saturday, May 12th.   A gorgeous day, lots of sunshine. Don't ask why I took an indoor picture.    

Daytime:  Running what felt like a million errands all across town. Best part of the day, scoring a bag of plantains at 50% off.  Gotta love young student grocery store clerks that don't realize when plantains are perfectly ripe!  

Evening Plans:  Stay in and hopefully get some sewing done.

Pink striped skirt:  Vintage Vogue 2885,

made in 100% linen

Blue Knit Top:  Olsen
Glasses:  Ohh la-la de Paris

Shopping Bag (for carrying all those plantains and other goodies): McCall's 8705
Apron:  Butterick 5263

In Sewing News Today...

The bodice pieces from my niece's graduation party dress have been re-cut and sewn using the brand spankin' new microfibre sewing machine needle. The seams look perfect and there is no fibre damage to the fabric. I'm glad that problem was solved.

I did decide to sew the seams open after I serged each side of the seam allowance.  It just looked too bulky when I serged the two layers of fabric together.

Do you press open your seams?  

I have to admit that I do like the look of a seam pressed open but I am guilty of taking shortcuts every now-and-then and often will just serge my seam allowances together before taking it to the ironing board to be pressed.  

I'm going to be on my best sewing room behaviour with this project, taking the time to press every step along the way. The extra time has been paying off so far. Mind you I haven't progress very far into the project yet.   

Frances Kennett in Secrets of the Couturiers states that the "emphasis on careful pressing cannot be overdone; it makes the difference between success and mediocrity in finish" (16). And taking the time to try the two methods just proved the point. No short-cuts for me on this dress.

I'm going to tease you with just the photo of the fabric. I hope my niece will allow pictures of the dress when she comes for her next fitting. I might have to hold the dress hostage is she declines. I'm kidding C!  

New Patterns were added to my pattern stash this afternoon. No, my Vogue pattern order has not yet appeared in the mail. I can hardly wait until they get here.

The new patterns I picked up were a couple of Burda Style patterns.

The first one is a vintage re-issue blouse, Burda 7255. I'm planning on sewing the one with the 3/4 sleeve and waistband.

The next pattern I picked up was for the pants. Over at Pattern Review someone reviewed a beautiful pair of pants that had me wishing I could create a pair of my own. This pattern is a big step for me, I can't remember the last time I made a pair of pants. I think I only made pants once back in the eighties. Forgive me the eighties are kind of a blur.

What in the world is making me think I should make a pair of pants now, you might be wondering. Well, I found a 239-page bundle of courage at a charity book sale called Fantastic Fit for Every Body by Gail Grigg Hazen. This book is a treasure for someone like me who recently (over the past few years) has been gracing a different shape than I had in my youth. And now with this by my side, I think I might be able to pull off a pair of pants.  

At the same sale I found this gem, Every Kind of Smocking. I can't wait to try my hand at some of the projects in this book this summer.  

That's all in sewing news today.

Happy Sewing!