A Cardigan for Mama R

Stash-busting 2015:  Butterick 5760

Mama R has been waiting for another cardigan since I made her this one. She's a very patient woman.  

The Pattern:  

This cardigan is made with OOP Butterick 5760. There's not much to say about the pattern right now other than it is well drafted and an easy make. The pattern also includes a dress, pants and blazer patterns but I've only made the cardigan so far.    

I shortened the length by an inch, the sleeves by two inches and instead of interfacing the front band as asked for in the instructions I used gross-grain ribbon on the underside of the facing. Mama R didn't want any buttons or buttonholes so this made it a quick make.   

The Fabric:

Would you believe me if I told you that I picked up this medium weight cotton knit for 99¢ / metre?  I recently found this at Northwest Fabrics. If there was more on the bolt, I might have been tempted to pick up more yardage. It looked like it was from end pieces shipped in from another business. I did manage to pick up the last 1.1 metres and thankfully it was enough to make the cardigan.  

The fabric was pre-treated in the washing machine and then the dryer at regular settings and there are no complaints about how it handled. Sewing-wise, I stitched this with the lightning bolt stitch and used the walking foot.  

The Stats:

  

Fabric:     1.1 metres $1.23 ($0.99 / metre + taxes)

Ribbon:   1.3 metres $0.51 ($0.35 / metre + taxes)

Pattern:    OOP Butterick 5760, already priced out with this one.

Thread:   Averaged out $3.00 for this project. I finished off two cones of serger threads during this project.

Needle:  $0.76 ($5.40 for a package of four - 50% off + taxes) Broke a serger needle during this project.  

Additional tools:  Janome sewing machine and serger, walking foot, cutting table, scissors, dressmaker's chalk, and a hand needle.  

Happy Sewing!  

Charcoal Grey Top

Stash busting 2015:  OOP Vogue 8118

This is a perfect addition to my winter work wardrobe and I have Carolyn from Diary of a Sewing Fanatic to thank. Thank you!  

The Pattern:

OOP pattern, Vogue 8118, looks simple but there are some special design features. There is so much that I like adore about this pattern.

• The two piece sleeves are the cat's meow!
• It's petite-able! and I totally took advantage of this feature.  
• Multi-sized pattern which I fully utilized with a size 14 at the shoulders and bust, size 16 at the waist and graded to a 18 towards the hemline.
• The empire waist and bust pleats.  

I made version B with the three-quarter length sleeves which look more like full-length sleeves on me. I'm good with it. I did omit the ribbon ties and that would be the only change that I made. I find that the hem feels a little uneven and the fit feels a bit loose around the bust line but I do realize that it is because I left off the ribbon ties. When I pull the top where the ties would be, the hemline is perfect. So I'm kind of on the fence as to whether or not I'm going to add ties. I'll have to check out the ribbon selection next time I'm at the store since there is no more grey ribbon in my stash. Although, I do like the loose comfortable fit.      

The Fabric:

The fabric is a charcoal grey satin-back crepe has been in the stash for many moons. Okay, I know in recent memory there was a time that I had a strong dislike to sewing this fabric. Oh, those foolish days! 

Before I started on my cut pieces, I tested out how my needle, thread and stitch length choices would work tougher on a scrap piece of fabric. I changed the needle to a sharp needle 70/10, sewed the project with 100% polyester thread, and used small stitches (2.4 on my Janome machine). Once I felt confident to start sewing my fabric, I changed to a walking foot to help with those curved seams on slippery fabric. Seriously, if you do not have a walking foot I really do recommend adding one to your tool kit. Also wonderful for sewing knits but I digress... 

Honestly, this fabric would not be in my fabric stash if it weren't for Mama R. It is her favourite fabric and we picked it up when it made it to the discount section. There is still enough to make Mama R a dress. I made the top in this fabric because it is one of the recommended fabrics and I wanted a top in a heavier weight for cooler weather coming that is here. I have to admit that I do like the way the fabric turned out. Who knew?

I did not pre-treat the fabric before I cut it out. It is polyester and I don't recall much shrinkage after using this fabric in the past. I plan to wash it in the delicate cycle and hang it to dry as I wear it. As far as pressing goes, I steam pressed the seams as I sewed using the synthetic setting and it handled the process well.

The Stats:

Fabric:   2 metres $12.20 ($18.00 / metre - 70% off + taxes)

Pattern:  Free!  Thank you Carolyn!

Thread:  I have calculated $3.00 for the thread used on the serger and sewing machine.

Needle: $0.76 ($5.40 for a package of four - 50% off + taxes)

Additional Tools:   Janome sewing machine, serger with a walking foot and sharp 70/10 needle. I used a tailor's ham and steam iron for pressing.

Happy Sewing!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!, my sinuses are starting to clear up, the swelling of my right side of my face is setting down, my head has stopped pounding (thanks to meds) and the forth and final angel costume is done! I can now tackle some of the projects waiting in queue. Umm, I mean, Queue the singing angels. Hallelujah!    

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These costumes are to be used for the Advent concert at my workplace. They're made out of 100% cotton which I hope will keep the little angels cool while they are under those bright lights. I can't wait to see them up on stage in a couple of weeks.

                                                                               The Stats:

Fabric:    Total fabric yardage used:  13.3 metres.  1.3 metres of cotton sateen $12.34 ($28.00 / metre - 70% off + taxes). The other 12 metres of fabric were covered by my workplace at a cost of $73.09: $5.99 / metre - 10% school discount + taxes) 

Pattern:   OOP McCall's 2340, $11.23

Thread:    $6.10 (I finished off three small spools of thread plus serger thread on the serger.)

Hook & Eyes:  $0.23, 4 sets from my stash  

Additional Tools:   Sewing machine, serger, walking foot, iron, pins, scissors, and a hand needle.  

                                                                                  ✄ ✄ ✄

Talking about angels... Carolyn from Diary of a Sewing Fanatic recently sent me this pattern. 

She really is an angel because I left a comment about how much I liked the pattern and would have to search online for it, not thinking that I would be entered but I won. And then I felt immensely guilty because I live in Canada and the give-away was open to local entries (honest, I missed that part when I left my comment). This angel sent the pattern anyway. Thank you Carolyn! This will be the first project to make it onto the sewing table. I'm quite excited to make this one after seeing Carolyn's version. She made a beautiful version in a panel print, you can check it out here. I hope to have it done soon as I do believe this style would be perfect for work. 

What about you, do you have any special sewing angels in your life? 

Happy Sewing!  

The Yellow Brick Road

There's a Globe and Mail essay, As a Plus-Sized Woman, I Have a Right to Buy Clothing That Fits My Body currently floating around on the web. It appeared in the paper earlier last week. It's a piece that echoes what many have found out about ready-to-wear. And many of the issues she describes can easily be related to any sized person.

[Clothes] are shoddily designed and executed with poor fabrics... Most women I know would be delighted to find stores stocked with tops and pants made from breathable fabrics – cotton, linen and other natural materials. 

I agree with the author, Katherine Adlam, that the modern day retail landscape offers an over abundance of polyester and other fabrics that do not breath well. I see it here whenever I'm window shopping at my local mall and creeping into the fabric stores as well. Her comments about bling dressing covering up shapeless styles echoes Elizabeth L. Cline's insights found in Overdressed:  The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion on the same issue. 

But can we, the consumers of ready-to-wear clothing and cheap polyester fabric, be to blame? Nothing is cheap unless you exploit someone in the process. Is our desire for convenience and our want for things to be cheap driving this shift towards shapeless polyester products. And in turn, consumers are the ones that are exploited along with the underpaid garment workers who create cheap fashion. It is interesting to read that the author of this piece still demands quality from the retail market when there are talented seamstresses and tailors who are willing and able to provide the product this consumer is seeking. I wonder if the author lives in a area where someone could provide this service? Although, she does mention her desire for quality supplies and techniques.  

And please use good threads and finish your seams properly. Nothing is worse for anyone than a seam unravelling, revealing our plump bodies in all their glory.

Do consumers have the right to demand quality fabrics, threads and seam finishes if they're not looking at what is driving the shift in standards, style and fit. The author thinks that it is her "right" to demand such luxuries from a fast-fashion environment. Good for her! But it is a long journey back to the yellow brick road.  

Home sewists appreciate the time and skill that goes into creating a quality and stylish garment that fits. It is one of the many reasons that we sew. But I also find that good quality fabrics, threads, trims are becoming scarce in the retail landscape as well.  

I think Adlam's piece is not only a call for  a wake up call to the skills many have discarded over the past decades and that we all have to become more vocal. The comments section to this article are equally an interesting read. Many have commented about learning how to sew because they were seeking many qualities not found in the retail landscape. It makes me thankful for the people who inspire me in my sewing journey, the skills and equipment that I have acquired over the years, and that Mama R and I are not limited to the choices offered in the current retail market. 

Happy Sewing!  

  

One More to Go...

Well, there is one more angel costume on the table. This will be the forth and final costume that I ran out of fabric to complete.

I was able to score enough white sateen to cut the back pieces. This is the fabric that I wish all four costumes could be made out of but at $28.00 / metre there is no way it would fit in the budget. It is lovely fabric and I only splurged on this piece because I found it marked down 70% off. I have enough of the original fabric to cut the front, sleeves and facing pieces. Even though it won't be in the same fabric, I think it will work out as the sateen has some sheen to it. I guess we'll see how it turns out.

This evening the fabric has been pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer. It's just laying on the ironing board waiting for a good pressing before I settle into my workspace and get this  cut and sewn.

I'm beat though. My sinuses are acting up and my back is aching. Even though there is one more to go and I can't wait to get these finished, it will have to wait until later this week.

Happy Sewing!

My Day of Marathon Sewing...

I might be finished almost finished sewing the costumes! I just have the eye and hook closure to hand-stitch in place. I can squeeze some hand-stitching into my lunch break. I feel like I lost my weekend to a marathon sewing blitz. And last night, I'm icing my sore shoulders after sewing all those rolled hems. I'm so happy (and can hardly believe) that I managed to get two cut and all sewing up.   

The big mug of coffee certainly helped. And the fact that I didn't leave the sewing room since the morning and neglected all housework. It was a day of caffeine infused marathon sewing and there is a mess to clean up when I get home. It is all good because it feels great to have this off the sewing table.

These make three angels costumes. The first one can be found here. And the bad news:

There were supposed to be four but with a wee bit of fabric remaining on the bolt and I wasn't able to squeak out four costumes. This is likely because the fabric wasn't wide enough to cut the sleeve on the grain line and I had to place the sleeve pattern (x 3) on the cross grain taking up more yardage. Would you believe that this simple costume takes over three metres of fabric? There is no yardage information on the pattern envelope, it is found on the instruction sheet in yard-measurement only. I may have mis-calculated when I purchased twelve metres of fabric as it is obvious that I do not have enough. I should note that if you're going to make view A/H note that the widest point of the sleeve measures 80 cm (31 1/2 inches). Oh well, mistakes happen. Today's task is to find a solution. Maybe a different fabric for the back?     

I haven't seen anymore of the fabric when I was last at Mitchell Fabrics. I'll have to wait and see what they want to do at work. Or maybe I could make the forth in another fabric?

Happy Sewing!

In Sewing News Today...

I've tried to quit coffee but much like this year's RTW fast I stumble every now and then. It is when doing some marathon sewing that I most miss having a cup of joe near by to keep me motivated.  Maybe that explains the decline of productive sewing?  

I need all the help that I can get since my sewing mojo is back and I have a whole stack of fabric that I would like to get my hands on once the costumes are done.  

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Do you want to see?

This is a medium weight cotton knit that I picked up for 99¢ / metre. Yeah, that wasn't a typo. I recently found this piece at Northwest Fabrics. It will be another cardigan sweater for Mama R just like this one. I even found navy ribbon for the front band pieces. 

   

This fabric might look familiar. I made a Kathryn Brenne jacket with this fabric a little while ago but sadly, I'm not a tall, lean, Vogue model and it didn't fit like it did on the model on the pattern envelope. I'm going to try to remake this one in a smaller size. I'm just happy there was still more of this at the store.

I've had my eye on this 100% cotton fabric for years. I found it reduced to 70% off and I picked up enough for a dress.

 
This is a knit fabric that I found at Mitchell Fabrics and I scored the last two metres. I would have picked up another metre if there was more for a dress but even so, I think it would be lovely as a Marcy Tilton skirt.

I found this knit fabric at Northwest, it is quite soft and it would work for chemo caps.

This is a bubble textured polyester. I didn't pick up much of this fabric as I'm thinking of using this for the bodice and sleeves of a dress and mixing it with something else from my stash.

This fabric is not new, it has been in my stash for over a year but I'm quite excited to sew this light-weight tweed because I recently found this pattern in my size.

The plan is to make the main part of the dress with the tweed and the sleeve and upper bodice in a pink knit that I have in my stash.

And I picked up a few patterns.

There are baskets of patterns, many of them current stock, that are found at Fabricland. And they are priced from $2.00 to $5.00, seriously. Not. Kidding. They are stamped from a Saskatchewan location and ended up here. And they are in perfect condition. I don't know why they are on sale this cheap, but it is one of those "START THE CAR!" shopping moments.

Anyway, those are my plans once I pump myself up with some coffee and get to work on the rest of the costumes. The first one was delivered this past week and it was tried on by one of our angels. I'm thrilled to report that it fits and those sleeves make the costume! Two more are cut and ready to go. That said, I should get back to work.

Happy Sewing!