Loungewear for Mama R

Stash busting 2014:  Butterick 3576

Fabric:    3.4 metres

Pattern:   Vintage Butterick 3576, circa 1970s

Buttons:  7 clear buttons

Have you ever sewn anything that you are too ashamed to even photograph? I have.

Mama R wanted a housecoat for some time now. She even had the fabric picked out. Sadly, it did not turn out. The pattern, Butterick 3576, was an uninspiring pattern at best. The fabric was not my choice at all. Mama R offered it for the housecoat because she was trying to stash bust. The two together created an epic fail. Um, I mean I created an epic fail.

I don't even want to photograph it. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Mama R has it earmarked for the next donation pick-up. It is that bad.

Well, at least I can admit that I sometimes sew ugly things.

Happy Sewing!

Pattern Give-away Winner

The winner of Simplicity 9999 dress pattern is

Result:3

Carolyn! Congratulations Carolyn.  

  

Pattern Give-away Time: Sailor's dress pattern

It is a fine time to sew a sailor's dress, don't you think?

I have a vintage Simplicity pattern, circa 1981, up for grabs.

Misses' Pullover Dress has full skirt, elastic waistline casing, cut-in armholes, front slit opening with loop and button closure and pleated button belt. Braid trimmed view 1 has sailor collar, tie and patch pockets.  

It is a size 10 pattern. I just ask that you give it a good home, promise not to sell it, use it, share it and make something awesome with it. Yup, that is it.

Oh, wait!

And leave a message below if you are interested and a way that I can reach you if you win. I will draw for this pattern on Wednesday. And I do ship internationally.

Stay tuned, there is more to come.

Happy Sewing!

In Sewing News Today...

I signed up for The Pants Contest over at Pattern Review. The plan has been to make a pair of pants using Vogue 8887. I chose this pattern for the challenge. You see, they're underlined and it has a gross grain ribbon waist treatment.  

I've never sewn an underlined pair of pants. Plus they have pockets and cuffs. Sew far, the challenge has been pretreating my fabric. Yup, I haven't even cut them out yet. I picked out an olive green linen and lining. I serged the edges and threw them into the washing machine on the delicate cycle.  

Everything appeared to come out fine until I was pressing the last bit of my linen and noticed spots. These spots were not there before I pretreated my fabric. I suspect they are fabric softener stains. And they are stubborn.  

My linen fabric went in the wash for another tumble minus the fabric softener this time. It came out a wee bit better but there are still remains visible stains. Right now it is soaking and waiting for another tumble in the washing machine. Fingers are crossed that the stains come off this time. I doubt that I will have enough time to finish them for the contest. None-the-less I hope the fabric can be saved and I'll be able to make these pants for the summer. 

While I spent my day trying to pre-treat a piece of fabric, I did manage to do some sewing. It falls under  the ugliest thing I ever sewed. And it is for Mama R. Some days are just not meant to be spent sewing. I could try to blame it on the sinus infection and cough but I shouldn't. I should have trusted my instincts.  But I didn't.   

Hopefully, Sunday will be a better sewing day. I picked up McCall's 6654 and plan to make another maxi skirt to replace the one that was destroyed by weeds last summer. 

Well, that's all in sewing news today.  

Happy Sewing!  

A Repeat Performance!

Stash busting 2014: Mama R's Favourite Dress Pattern

Fabric:     2 metres

Zipper:    22" invisible zipper

Basting Tape:    44" length

Thread:   I managed to polished off two previously used spools

Mama R can't seem to get enough of this dress pattern, Simplicity 2372. I think if I didn't try to talk her into another pattern every now and then she would have a wardrobe full of dresses made with this pattern. I really should recopy this pattern onto a sturdier paper as I'm sure this won't be the last time I use this pattern.

This is another repeat performance, different fabric though.  

The fabric was found in the home decor department at Fabricland earlier this year. I picked this fabric with thoughts of sewing a sailor's styled dress. Let's just say sometimes plans change and this is one of those occasions. I don't mind that I'm losing this fabric to Mama R, honest. I think it looks lovely with this Simplicity pattern and really I don't need another dress, never mind a sailor's style dress. Since this dress style took less fabric than the Vogue dress I originally thought of making it in, I now have enough fabric to make a top or maybe a skirt.

The fabric is a 100% cotton sateen, has a lovely hand and despite being a home decor fabric it is perfect for this dress. I was careful with the pattern placement since there is a repeat directional pattern to this fabric.

The thread and zipper used in this project have been in my stash longer than the fabric. I stash busted my last navy invisible zipper. And I actually used different shades of blues to put this together, trying to use the partially used spools of thread found in my stash. It worked out great since there's no top-stitching. I did save the one spool of thread that matched the fabric perfectly for the blind hem and the narrow hem on the sleeves.

No surprise that Mama R is pleased with her new dress, it is after all her favourite dress pattern.

Happy Sewing!

We've Come a Long Way, Baby!

A few years ago there was dread associated with installing an invisible zipper. I longed to learn the secret behind those perfectly hidden invisible zippers I would inspect in ready-to-wear garments. I was at the time sewing with one of those plastic invisible zipper foots. Big mistake. 

Invisible zippers and I have come a long way. Since that time, I have mended my ways and picked up a few tricks along the way. First you'll need to gather some tools for the job.  

1.  A quality invisible zipper foot. Invest in an invisible zipper foot specifically for your sewing machine. Trust me, those plastic ones you can find in fabric stores are not worth the time or expense.  

2.    Regular zipper foot.  

3.    Invisible zipper.  

4.    Thread.  

5.    Scissors for clipping loose threads if you need. My latest machine has a built in thread clipper.   

6.    Basting Tape.  

7.    An iron.  

8.    And of course, your garment.  

The first thing I do is finish the seam of the garment where I plan to insert the invisible zipper. I usually finish the edge using my serger.  

Then I prep my zipper by pressing the coils open. Don't skip this step! I found that it makes a world of difference. Next, I tape the edge of my finished edge with a length of basting tape nearly matching the length of the invisible zipper. I don't use pins. The basting tape works like a charm and dissolves during laundering. You can find basting tape in various widths. I find that the longer the zipper the wider the basting tape I like to use.  

Using a quality invisible zipper foot meant for your specific machine, go ahead and stitch each side of the invisible zipper in place. I start at the top with a locking stitch and work my way down. I only use the regular zipper foot to stitch the centre back pieces below the zipper. Using the regular zipper foot allows me to sew close to the bottom edge of the zipper.  

And there you have it, my stress-free method for sewing an invisible zipper.  

In Sewing News Today

Today I woke up to sad news that Canadian/British designer Pat McDouagh passed away. I had the pleasure of working for this lovely woman back in the nineties eighties. She was a class act with a sense of fun and passion that she put into her day and work. 

I remember her as a designer inspired by fabric. I admired that about her design process. She was comfortable with all sorts of people and had the gift to make people feel at ease. Rest in peace My Lady, rest in peace.  

Toronto Star article about her career.