Scrap busting: Reusable Grocery Bags / OOP McCall's 4851

After the apple harvest I found the need to replenish the stack of reusable grocery bags after losing a few this summer.    

The challenge was finding suitable fabric without breaking the budget and running to a fabric store.  The blue and white floral fabric were a pair of recycled curtains.  It's a strong cotton fabric that I momentarily thought of turning into tea towels before getting back to the project on hand.  The straps are recycled grosgrain ribbon.  

This one was patchworked using some home décor scraps and a touristy tea towel.  The strap is a recycled yoga band.  

And one more patchworked bag made with home décor and denim scraps.  The straps again were from a recycled yoga band.  

The pattern is my go-to bag pattern, out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 4851.  I did straighten the top edge, the only change I made.  

Project details

Seams:  3.0 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  Whatever I could find and piece together

Pattern:  OOP McCall's 4851

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

Happy Sewing!

Stash busting: Pullover Top / OOP Simplicity 2372

 

I've lost count how many times out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 2372 has made it to the cutting table but here it is again.  This time, in a cotton knit that has been in the stash for longer than I can to count.  Nothing really new to report other than making another version.  It has the same changes as the previous version.  

• Center back an front were place on the fold eliminating any seams
• Sleeves were lengthened but still kept short.  

The fabric was previously pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightning bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.2 metres

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 2372

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, straight ruler, measuring gauge, Janome sewing machine, Janome Cover Pro machine, Janome serger, threads, thread clippers and decaf coffee.  

Happy Sewing!

Oversized Wool Pull-over Top: Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater

This is a late arrival to the Toaster Sweater party.  The first review for this pattern appears on Pattern Review in 2016 and since then it received a "best pattern of 2017" rating and there are over 100 reviews posted.  I finally picked up a copy of this pattern last year and still didn't get around to sewing it until now.  I'm glad I finally got around to sewing up this pattern.  

I went big on this one, sewing up the largest size, leaving the sleeve length and extending the length by five inches.  There were two reasons for what seems like planned madness.  The fabric is a merino wool I've worked with previously and shrunk despite pre-treating the fabric.  Even if I shrink this, the hope is that it will still fit.  The other reason, once upon a time, I spotted an oversized, longer version of the toaster sweater and have been dreaming of one just like it ever since.  It was on a listing over on Etsy and even though the listing is no longer available, it is Sara's version, once shown on her shop listings that became my inspiration.  I wish I kept a copy of the photo from her version but I'm going by memory here.  

The sleeves are long.  If I roll it up twice, it still has a generous length.  No worries, I can happily push the sleeves up.  I don't want to touch them right now.  The hem was lengthened five inches.  And the pattern was cut as a size twenty.  It's oversized and I couldn't be more thrilled.  

Back in 2017, I made a toaster sweater by Sew House Seven using Simplicity 8529.  There are some differences between these two pattern.  The Simplicity pattern uses 5/8" seam allowance vs. 3/8" seam allowances on this pattern.  The methods for sewing the shoulder seam and neckline facing are different.  I wouldn't say that I prefer one method over the other unless you're working with a bulky fabric, then I would say that this pattern's method might be the way to go.  Another difference is the sleeve hems.  Simplicity 8529 has cuffs, I prefer the sleeve from this pattern.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.7 metres Merino Knit

Knit 'N Stable tape:  0.2 metres

Pattern:  Toaster Sweaters by Sew House Seven

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, tracing paper, pen, various heavy objects to use as pattern weights, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, paper scissors, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, ruler, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome serger, threads, Janome CoverPro, thread clippers, iron, ironing board and an audiobook.  

Happy Sewing!

Sewing Some Weight Loss Motivation: OOP Butterick 5790

This is my attempt at recreating a favourite make from back-in-the-day when I was fit and a healthy weight.  And even though I picked up vintage and out-of-print Butterick 5790 in a larger size combination, it didn't work out.  

It's snugger than a sausage casing around my abdomen, so I won't be putting it back on unless there is significant weight loss in my future.  Fingers crossed.  I really like this top so this is a little more motivation to lose weight.  

The fabric is a lovely French terry that I picked up many moons ago over at Marshall / Northwest Fabrics.  It was pre-treated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the cutting table.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.4 metres (cotton French terry)

Knit 'N Staple tape:  0.2 metres

Pattern:  OOP Butterick 5790, circa 1999

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, paper scissors, fabric scissors, pins, wrist pin cushion, measuring tape, iron, ironing board, tailor's chalk, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, screw driver, Janome serger, threads, thread clipper and coffee.  

Happy Sewing!

September in Review

Sewing, Alterations and Mending

It's hard to believe that the end of September is here and all that I managed to sew this month are five pairs of panties that I start sewing the previous month.  No alterations or mending projects were completed.  It was a pretty slow month in the sewing department although it was busy, my mind was working overtime on future sewing plans.  

I'm busy trying to figure out what and how to wear clothing with the scoliosis back brace.  It's been a blessing and also a pain (no pun intended).  Wearing a brace during the summer months has been less than fun.  It's been a long hot summer and wearing a bulky back brace plus body sock in the heat is not at all my idea of a fun time.  But the brace helps with the back pain and in so many ways it has been a blessing.  It also creates another problem that I need to solve.  

What to wear?  

This is basically what I wear now.  A sleeveless polyester body sock underneath the brace that causes abrasion wounds in the underarm region.  I asked if the upper part of the brace could be cut down but the answer was no.  And the family doctor suggests putting gauze bandages where the abrasion wound appear before I put the brace on.  There has to be a simpler solution.  

 

This is a RTW t-shirt with underarm flaps to be worn under a back brace that I could pick up online.  I dislike shopping online about as much as I dislike printing, taping and cutting out PDF patterns.  I've been disappointed too many times with scoliosis undergarments that I've pick up in the past.  Not going down that route again.  But it is an interesting design.  

I want control over the fabric.  The body sock I was given with the brace is made with 100% polyester and even though the label claims to "help keep skin dry" that is a big fat falsehood.  And it's pilling like crazy.  I want cotton, a rare commodity in the body sock market.  

If I want something in cotton and that is high enough in the armpits to provide protection, I'm going to have to make it myself.  The idea is still brewing in my brain, but I hope to have a sample sewn up shortly.  

National Sewing Month

Today marks the end of National Sewing Month, which this year's theme could be summed up in the words in Barbara Burman's introduction to The Point of the Needle:  Why Sewing Matters.

The most marked new theme to emerge in the intervening time is best called the new politics of stuff--when sewing for yourself is part of the desire to reduce ready-made consumption, to be a thoughtful and well-informed consumer mindful of the potential exploitation of people and the planet (15). 

Well as far as celebrating the theme of Sew Sustainable, I went as far as leaving a smaller footprint with the small output this month.  

Stash busting

Stash busted this month:  

• 2.5 metres fabric
• 7 metres elastic

Stash-busted totals for 2024:  

• 65.5 metres fabric + scrap pieces patchworked together to create new fabric yardage
• 14.4 elastic
• 5 metres of knit binding / trim
• 8.6 metres interfacing
• 6 invisible zippers
• 2 metres Knit 'N Stable tape
• 6 metres trim
• 8 sewing labels
• 25 buttons
• 5 leather spools
• 4.3 metres basting tape

Total additions this year:  

• 5 leather toggles
• 14 thread spools
• 11 sewing patterns
• 10--20 mm buttons
• 7.8 metres trim
• 15 metres fabric
• 1 second hand cover stitch machine

Happy Sewing!

  

Stash busting: OOP Simplicity 8229

I finally finished the batch of undies I started last month.  Life and a late summer cold turned this into a slow sewing project.   

Simplicity 8229 is a favourite and the go-to pattern for sewing panties around the work table.  Sadly, it is no longer available but it was mentioned over on Pattern Review that this pattern is similar.  Added bonus:  it's a free downloadable PDF pattern and since it's for panties, it won't eat up all the ink and paper at the printer.  

The fabric has been in the stash since the time when Mitchell Fabrics was open, pre-twenty seventeen.  You don't find cotton knit like this in the remaining fabric stores in the region.  It was a pleasure to sew and it's a comfortable knit to wear.  The picot elastic was found many moons ago at Marshall Fabrics but it's been years since I've been able to find picot elastic like this locally.  I'm grateful that I had the materials to make these panties and at the same time sad that it's getting harder to find these items.  

Project details

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

Seam finish:  Serged 

Fabric:  2.5 metres

Elastic:  7 metres

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 8229

Additional Tools and Supplies:   Cutting table, fabric scissors, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, Janome sewing machine, Janome serger, Janome CoverPro, threads, thread clippers and tea.  

Happy Sewing!  

September is National Sewing Month: Keep on Sewing Sustainably

 

This year's National Sewing Month theme is a continuation of last year's "Sew Sustainable" theme. 

Be Mindful of Sources

This one is a tough one in today's retail climate.  Often we make choices based on autopilot.  Or are you aware of the decisions made while searching for the perfect fabric and supplies for a project.  We all want to make "better" choices but there are so many challenges along the way.  Bolts of fabric are rarely labelled with information that might sway our decisions.  

Let's look at cotton production.  

When was the last time that you found the source listed on a bolt of cotton?  It's a rare sight.  But consider if a country's human rights or environmental record would affect your decision on whether or not to pick up a product.  What guides our decisions in the fabric aisles or are we being set up to operate on autopilot without considering questions we may have along the way.   

Use Fewer Materials

These past decades, there has been a steady decline in the RTW market of using fewer materials when constructing a garment.  It all started with less buttons appearing on a shirt and the growing trend towards pullover or pull-on pieces that eliminate the need for closures altogether.  

I'm not advocating for this, it's just an observation.  Although, I do like an easy access garment now-a-days while strapped into the back brace.  But I digress.  Instead, this point can be summed up as avoiding wastefulness.  Recently, I was able to use fewer materials with the appearance of a second hand Cover stitch machine.  When sewing knits pre-Cover stitch era, I used a lot of Knit 'n Stable to help me sew a neat and tidy hem on knit garments.  Now-a-days, there is no need to stock up on Knit 'N Stable tape and spend all that time pressing it in place.  

Recycle and Reuse

There are many opportunities in the sewing workspace to recycle.  From sourcing fabric from other places than the fabric store aisles to reusing fabric from a previously make garment that no longer fits.  I have a collection of fabric scraps and pieces that I patchwork together and use as a new-ish fabric source.  

And we all have button tins, right?  A collection of recycled buttons to be used in a new project down the road.  

Leave a Small Footprint 

The dictionary defines this phrase as "to have a significant or lasting impact on someone or something."  It can also refer to a lifestyle choice minimizing one's ecological impact on the environment and community by reducing resources and space requirements for daily living or sewing.  Simply put, embrace simplicity.   

How to do this?   

• Focus on quality over quantity.  I've recounted so many times on this blog that I fell for those trendy fabrics made from man-made fibers and they are not worth the hype.  I'm thinking of scuba knits as one example.  Natural fiber fabrics will hold up and last longer than any polyester.  
• Maximize the efficiency in your work space to reduce waste.  Could your worktable also work as your cutting table?  How about the space that your sewing machines occupy?  Smaller spaces use less energy.  Mind you, I do dream of a large sewing studio.  Ah, to dream.  But then again, with a smaller space there is no chance the fabric stash can get out of control, right?  

What other suggestions do you have to embrace simplicity at the sewing table?