Spots Before My Eyes – Sewing Reboot

Hello friends, it’s me, Jen, from Let the Sewing Begin. I’m still around … and dare I say it … sewing. The Sewing has Begun! Tra la!

What has changed, pray tell, to create this new status?  I don’t know what it is exactly, but since retirement it’s been a struggle to keep myself going in any direction for any length of time. Yoga – still going, but sporadically. Sewing – mostly pondering and considering and  worrying about making mistakes. The smart me has always known how to make such decisions, but a dimmer version of me has been getting in the way recently. So now – up in the morning and dressed! Catch up on coffee and news (although the news would make anyone crazy these days). Yoga on yoga days, and sewing as soon as possible, whenever possible. And, this might be the key — a little spritz of Mama’s perfume cheers me and makes a good beginning to every day! Recently I’ve been buying patterns and fabrics – and I’m itching to cut into them.

First up, a muslin for the Grainline Farrow Dress in my lovely dotty material. This time, I set right to work. My first ever attempt at pattern tracing delivered a sturdy, reusable pattern! I laid out my muslin and cut the top, sleeve, and facing pieces. Shortage of muslin meant a second fabric was necessary for cutting out the bottom half. Color blocking! And it looks deliberate, doesn’t it?What have I learned through all this eager project undertaking? First of all, I love this pattern. It’s architectural and dramatic, and for my toile, the combination of yellow linen(ish) and plain muslin are so cool! Alas, the fit is somehow off. The pattern is designed to be very loose, but this seems so bulky and wide. I believe the problem lies in the differing fabrics for top and bottom. The yellow is quite heavy (3 layers) where the front pockets lie, which may be throwing off the fluidity. And by-the-way, can we talk about those pockets? The layout was confusing at first glance, but once the light bulb went off, they were easy to create. They just look so darn good, and are perfectly placed for me. The neckline is still unfaced and hem unhemmed, but it was enough to decide that the neckline and shoulders fit well and I’ll probably add an inch or so to the hem. The mismatched sleeves of course, were just to compare which length looks better. I’m leaning toward the short sleeve, as it seemed rather heavy and too-covered-up with the long one. What do you think? The decision might ultimately rest with the season when it’s completed. (And why such a glum face in these photos, for goodness sake)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am planning to make a “real” Farrow using this color scheme or a similar one, most likely in linen. And creating the back side of pockets in a lighter weight cotton might be helpful. Another option would be a bold graphic print. (This pattern does remind me of the Eiffel Tower; I’m rather tempted to find an Eiffel Tower print….)

What all this is leading up to is that my soft, flowy fabric just did not feel right for this pattern. The Farrow deserves a nice bold substantial fabric, and the soft dots will be better with a more fluid pattern. So, my research has produced numerous results, and these are the two finalists: Simplicity 6340 or the Style Arc Lara Dress. Of those, I’ll probably choose the Lara. Any thoughts?

In the meantime, Jasmine watches snowy cat tv, and fabric waits patiently for the new pattern to come. It could all begin as early as tomorrow morning.

Keep watching this space for updates, and stitch on everyone!

 

Wrapping Up 2017 – The Unposted Bits and New Plans

Welcome All and Happy New Year!

Here you’ll find some bits from unfinished posts, tidied up, and combined into what I hope will be an interesting wrap-up to close out a difficult and heartbreaking, yet ultimately joyful year.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the US a month before Christmas, and I was overjoyed and thankful to have my grandson “C” here to share his week off from school with us. This was his first visit here in NY and there was much to do in a short time. We showed him around our neighborhood and surrounds. We drove him to two major colleges (certainly not an attempt to entice him to the East Coast for college, right?). We went out to eat. Again and again. We went to the Rochester Museum and Science Center, and enjoyed a fascinating exhibition at the Planetarium.  Hubby showed him a nice necktie from the science-themed offerings in the gift shop, which featured the periodic table. C thought it was cool, but said he “could never wear it.” Why?, we asked. “That table is outdated,” he said, as if we should have known better. Oh how I laughed. [Aside: hubby of course, new about this. Three of the elements had been renamed.]

We drove to Niagara Falls (the US side) and marveled at the scenery, all the while shivering in spite of brilliant sunshine, and bracing against the icy wind which nearly knocked us off our feet.

Back home again, we stopped in at Stever’s Candy. C bought a package of chocolates for his mom and promised he would try to save some for her. Later she said “he told me in his Forrest Gump voice ‘I brought you a box of chocolates….I ate some of them.'” That’s my grandson. He’s a keeper.

Christmas holidays we spent with my kids in California! What could be better? Handmade gifts were started but sadly not completed, and Gran’s recipes were gathered together, but not used. It seems we are still a little too raw from Mom (Gran) recent passing, and adult children have lives and jobs and such, and plans just didn’t quite come together in every instance. As I was in a wounded state, being together helped. Tears were shed, funny stories were shared, and bit by bit the holiday became what it was supposed to be. A lovely series of events and quiet moments, surrounded by loved ones. Those times combined with the warm, sunny beach just steps from our hotel room was positively curative. Oddly, I took no pictures of family activities, but here are some from the beach. In lieu of family, here’s a new friend….he walked along the shore for a bit at sunset with hubby and me.

Now for a bit of sewing news. My finished Linden. Who doesn’t love a Linden? That would be me. Well, this particular Linden, that is. It was actually a muslin, made from remnants in the sale bin, purchased nearly two ago years in England. As it happened, there was not enough of either fabric to complete the long-sleeve version, so I used a bit of each. The result was a nice-looking combination that seemed like it might actually be wearable. Now, I’m not overly fond of the 12-year-old boy baseball shirt that resulted, but beyond appearance, the fabrics really didn’t play well together. They didn’t really play well individually either, as one had about 200% stretch (give or take), and the other had edges that rolled beyond description. And the neckline is far too wide, perhaps due to the unruly fabrics’ unnecessary stretch. Additionally, during the making of this very easy garment, my sewing machine failed me a couple of times, my own lack of attention created a “catching up of fabric in the seam” moment with stitches that could not be  found, and the whole experience was just a bit taxing. Does it need to be said that this garment is a total wadder? It will never be worn. But, it fits without modifications, and the pattern is lovely, so as a muslin it worked and I’ll soon make another.

This pic shows that the unhemmed  sleeves are nearly long enough without cuffs, I’ll need to add a few inches to the body length because I don’t want the band, and just look at that neck opening. Admittedly, I haven’t attached the neckline yet, but boy is it sloppy. And see how much the pink edges are rolling? grrr.

The ultimate result? In the bin. Or if I can stomach it, I’ll rescue and finish it for a painting top.

My hubby does zazen meditation and was in need of more support cushions for an upcoming retreat (I’ve done a little zazen and it’s very hard on the knees and back). The cushions must be brown, so while on our holiday we sought out an appropriate brown material, and came upon a likely one at a little fabric shop in California. With no pattern or measurements to hand, he made a guess as to required length to buy, and I increased that by about 1/2 yard. Upon our return home, he trimmed and tidied the foam pieces and I set about making simple pillow cases as a trial. If they’re successful, I’ll try to box the corners (see the nicely finished professional pillow on top of stack), and finesse the opening a bit (they do need to be removable for cleaning). And the yardage? There was less than 1/4 yd left over, so it was close. Whew!

Dots are in my immediate future.

My next sewing project will be my dotted Grainline Farrow. Then I have an adorable top that needs finishing, a fleecy Linden to sew, a muslin for an open jacket whose pattern should be in my mailbox very soon and cozy fabric to purchase for it, and a few lovely pieces of fabric begging to finally be made into something wonderful.

My life has settled down a bit now, and thankfully I can devote more time to sewing. My wardrobe needs a complete overhaul, and I’m also including non-garments in my sewing plans. As of this writing, my desired makes include dresses, some crafty projects, pants (jeans perhaps??), cozy comfy tops for winter, some pj’s, Christmas items, and curtains for my kitchen. That should keep me busy, wouldn’t you think?

But at this moment, I need a bit of stress-free pleasure and this little lap blanket from FinchBox is just the ticket. Everything I need is right here, including the prettiest, softest flannel ever.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, Stitch On Everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Kids, We’re on a Roll Now!

We’re on a roll, I say. Really? you ask. How many garments have you completed?ONE! (Does one garment really constitute a roll?)

The Hudsons! Remember them? They are on my makenine list for this year. And they have been on my cutting table for an embarrassing number of days ….weeks ….months. But, they are finally finished!

This make was to be a toile, from sale bin fabric. No big loss then no matter what, so I would just bite my lower lip and cut right in, hoping to have a successful, wearable pair of comfort pants at a low cost, and know how to adjust the fit for a new, “better” pair. But look at this rare magic moment … when I uncovered my machine to get started, instead of a shambles, I found this:

Everything was set up and ready to go before being covered up!

So off we went, and the world’s slowest sewist (oh look, an alliterative rhyme) cut out the pants in short order. So easy! Fronts, backs, pockets, waistband, cuffs. I should have been well on my way at that point, but I needed elastic and cording. My closest fabric store is about 10 minutes away. So how many days did it take for me to complete this task? Seven! The bottom line is, after acquiring the last necessary items, I stepped up to the table and cut out the pants. I carefully marked all the pieces, and pinned the pocket lining to the pockets. Then my life began to cave in, and the Hudsons were cast even further to the background.

While I wasn’t sewing I began reading my favorite blogs again (not commenting, not posting, just reading). And from time to time, checking my emails. A newsletter from Karen Ball of Did You Make That? waited for me, asking folks what they would like to see her address. You know, problems or issues we may have with sewing. So I spilled my guts and asked for help when the sewing is just too scary to attack. And she used my question in her blog! I took Karen’s advice to allot a short amount of time to sew and when time was up, move away from the machine. Allowing myself to sew in only tiny bits freed up my worries about not accomplishing a damn thing and just see what happens. Well, my Hudson pants happened! And this is roughly how it went.

Day 1. Pockets. Pocket 1 – it was perfection! Boy am I good. Pocket 2 – the bloomin’ thing was inside out. Curses, perhaps I’m not Susie Sewist after all. However, after moving the pocket to the proper side, all was well.

Day 2. Side and crotch seams. Easy peasy.

Day 3. Waistband – hmmm do I really need that cord? What a pain it will be to do all that work, there are two buttonholes and a channel to create. But determined to do it properly, I followed the pattern and my buttonholes are perfect. Next step, attach the waistband to the pants. In so doing, I caught up the pocket in the stitching and with a sigh, began the unpicking process. Guess what? I had run out of bobbin thread! No unpicking required. This project had adverted its own crisis! Another magic moment.

Day 4. Attaching the elastic was the next challenge. With elastic in place, I basted using colorful rainbow thread because sheesh, this a lot of black thread on black fabric and my old eyeballs needed a rest. I sewed the bottom edge of waistband to pants, and tried them on once more. This was going to be one comfortable pair of pants.

Day 5. First cuff. Next I tackled the final piece of the pants puzzle, the cuffs. First cuff – meh, not bad. That’s all for today. Tomorrow will be the grand finale!

Day 6. Second cuff. Can you see the overly pinned cuff waiting for me, just behind the machine? I quickly sewed it up, and took it to the ironing board. Yikes! what happened here? Bunch upon bunch upon bunch. Once again, seam ripper to the rescue, and with only two short segments to sew (or resew, if that’s a word) with fewer pins, the cuff fit over the throat easily, and the job was at last complete.

After a good press, I am thoroughly enjoying my new, super comfy, wearable Hudson pants.

And the moral of the story? Sewing is a very humbling activity, but sometimes the magic happens. It turns out that my cheapo fabric is a wonderful ponte and my new pants are beyond wearable; they fit perfectly as printed, and are perfectly suitable for public viewing! I love my new Hudsons! Must make more. Many more. Gray, green, blue, red, wild prints. We shall see. And I must find a more dignified method of taking selfies.

Next up: the toile for my dotty Farrow Dress, which will be made of this luciousness.

Thanks for indulging me, and stitch on, everyone!

 

Riddle Me This

For my next project I have 3 yards of this fabulous Atelier Brunette Tabby, a lovely lighter weight cotton woven, purchased from Finch Knitting + Sewing Studio originally to make a shirt dress. Sadly, the reality is that I’d likely never wear such a dress. All the pretty, shapely dresses all over the internet are so lovely, but frankly, just not me. Now, I still want to make a dress, but with certain requirements: sleeves, waistless (because I have no waistline), and hitting just below the knee (because they must not be seen). And it must have some interesting character, and must not be frumpy – not easy to accomplish when one is only 5’4″ on the best of days. Realizing that is a tall order (no pun intended), I’m turning to you, dear readers for some advice. At the moment, I’m waffling (oh waffles, I do love a waffle now and again, that could be problematic) between these patterns.

If you follow me, you might recall that I’ve joined the 2017 MakeNine project. None of these dresses is on my list, but that fabric is so gorgeous I just can’t wait! And I promise to work on another one of the list items next…..perhaps the Linden? Or the Morris Jacket? A bright, flowery blouse? Besides, surely I can swap out my project list items – it is my list after all, right?

Atelier Brunette Tabby

The following are my top three pattern choices: cocoon, trapeze, and swingy (?). Given the above requirements, what would you choose? And oh yes, if you’d like to further complicate matters, you could even offer up a different pattern if it would suit the fabric and the requirements! Yikes. Pattern art from the respective websites.

Style Arc – Adeline

Merchant & Mills – Trapeze

Grainline Studio – Farrow

So what’s the verdict everyone? I’m anxious to get sewing again.

A brief update on our household – the tiny bundle of strength that is my sweet mother is still hanging on(!), although she slips a little more each day. In the meantime, I begin outpatient physical therapy on my left knee this afternoon. Very soon I’ll be able to sit at my machine long enough to sew, and to hop up and down to ironing board, etc.

Soon I’ll join in as you …. Stitch On, Everyone!

1, 2, 3, 4….

Four fabric squares, each with four seams and four corners. Now that is some advanced sewing, wouldn’t you say? And all these “fours” rolled together in my brain, and came out as 1, 2, 3, 4 … can I have a little more … a dandy little ditty by my four favorite guys.

So after this little digression, let’s get on with the post.

While on vacation last September I bought 4 cotton fat quarters (2 in Brecon and 2 in Chester) to make bandanas for my dear hubby. There couldn’t be a simpler project and as it is now April, he has waited long enough, wouldn’t you agree?

I zipped through the first one, but didn’t turn the corners properly.

Even though they are not terribly bulky, I needed to make better corners with the next one. Unfortunately, the next one was a very lightweight fabric that hubby had chosen himself. Now, who can worry about proper corners when one can’t even keep the feed dogs from chomping up the teeny tiny hems? And of course, this was the smallest of the pieces so making wider hems posed a problem. (Hmm, shouldn’t fat quarters be fairly uniform in size?)  So I did some troubleshooting. I cleaned and dusted my machine, grabbed a new needle, rethreaded both top and bobbin thread. I changed from the lightweight transparent foot (which I had just bought, and love!) to a heavier edge foot and checked the foot tension. The only thing left for me to do was buck up and start again. Starting with great trepidation on the flimsy little square, I happily discovered my machine just whirred right along, and no more hungry feed dogs! And look, my corners have improved!

Rather blurry photo, my apologies.

Here is the completed stack. A grand total of 16 corners and 16 hemmed sides to create four workout/running bandanas for himself. I don’t know which is his favorite, but I’ll just bet you can guess which one is mine!

Somehow, the color is a bit off on just one of these bandanas – the plain green one is a nice, bright green. Won’t he be a big hit at the gym?

And next to come, my new True Bias Hudson pants! And could it be? A dress!

Just the top, ma’am…

This was supposed to be a post about a pajama/lounging outfit, but I’m so happy with the top, I couldn’t wait to show you.

Working on my #2017makenine, I hit a snag right from the outset. It seems all the materials I had on hand were of the stretchy variety, which I’ve never sewn, even back in the old days when I made most of my wardrobe. (oh wait, there was a pink textured polyester shorts & tank set – ack! I’d forgotten about that gem – wore it proudly, but  in retrospect, it was an absolute horror)

Anyway….I decided to  toile my first planned make, pajamas, sewing the top from the Simple Sew Shannon Collection, a pattern gifted to me by Ali of THIMBERLINA fame. I would be using a beautiful piece of Art Gallery stretch jersey, purchased at Akhaban in Chester, when I met Ali and her mum.

Thanks to all your good advice, see previous post, the neckline was stretched into submission and sewed to near perfection (although still a bit puckery).

I tried on the top again; the fit was right, but something was not right with the sleeves. Were they too long? Maybe. Too tight? Not really. They just weren’t right. So how did I resolve this issue? Ditch the cuffs! So, with sleeves hemmed without cuffs, the length is perfect and the top is great! I love this cheery fabric.  For my next version, I’ll most likely make wrist length, snuggly sleeves.

Truth be told, the sleeve hems are not perfectly done; I turned them under twice so they’re a tad thick. I wanted to do a better job on the hem, so I searched the internet for tutorials and tips for sewing knits without a serger/overlocker. It seemed rather hopeless, as all the examples looked so nice and mine looked so …. well, not nice.  So I procrastinated, and tidied my sewing area instead. Lo and behold, I found some hem tape! I made a couple of sample runs to get the desired width, and with the hem finally sewn, this top is finished!

Not the best hairdo for this picture, as it reveals that something is askew with the shoulder/neckline. The neckline isn’t so pointy when my shoulders are in a normal position, not up in a funny how-does-one-pose-for-a-selfie shot.

I love this happy little top so much, it might be allowed out in public after all.

Next up, to complete the outfit, my Hudson pants in a luscious black double knit. They just might have a little contrast trim in a familiar print.

Watch this space.

 

Sewing along, singing a song……

Sewing is happening here, and the following is a little progress report. A little report on a little bit of progress. But, even small progress is progress, right? And I may or may not be singing along, and there just may be a curse now and again.

I’m excited to be working toward my #2017makenine goal, see post here. I’m combining four elements of my plan to create my first make; pajamas, tee shirt, pants and some fun printed knit fabric. The knit fabric was destined to be pjs – but I was unsettled on the pattern, and apprehensive about sewing with knits. On the advice of dear Ali, I’m using the printed fabric to make a muslin of my Shannon tee pattern. This will be the new pj’s top. I’ve purchased a solid black double knit for a muslin of the Hudson pant, which will be the pj’s bottom. Very soon I’ll have a great pair of comfy pj’s (or lounging about outfit), and know that two of my new pieces will fit! (Not certain where the jams will fit into the original plan……..perhaps they will be Number 10!)

How is it going? Well, the top fits! I’ve added 5 inches to the sleeves, and the sleeve bands are just right. The neckband? Not so perfect. I believe there is nearly an inch of extra fabric around the neckline than on the band. Good thing I elected to use the same fabric to make the bands instead of the black, as it has far less stretch.

After doing a little research, I tried steaming the neckline to shrink it, and that didn’t work. So as I see it, these are my options; stretch the band to fit the neckline, attach it as is and try to smooth out any gathers or bunches, or recut the neckband to fit (there is plenty of leftover fabric). Any advice?

Hoping to finish the top (a super simple pattern, that should have taken about an hour to sew) and cut out the pants this afternoon, if all goes as planned.

Stitch on, everyone!

No resolutions, just a plan – #2017MakeNine

Through Rochelle’s blog, LuckyLucille, I learned about the #2017MakeNine. Since I’m not “doing resolutions” for 2017, but want to ramp up my sewing and need some accountability, I’ve decided to join the MakeNine group.

So in no particular order, these are my chosen patterns.

• The True Bias Hudson Pant – because it seems like a fairly easy make, and looks so comfy! This will be my first pair of pants to make since 1970. Those were green/beige plaid wool lined with something slinky. Oh and they may have had cuffs. Yikes.

 

• Grainline Morris – because I’m possibly the only person alive who hasn’t made one and it will go with nearly anything! Perhaps in a lightweight wool? My last jacket was a close-fitting floral blazer in hideous shades of red and blue, if memory serves. And giant buttons.

 

• Simplicity 2208, Version C in fleece – because it has a hood, and great lines. It will be a great cozy jacket for those days when the big, puffy down coat isn’t necessary. I might even match the pattern photo, if I can find dotted fleece.

 

• Merchant & Mills Ellie and Hattie dress – because it looks terribly comfy, has nice, roomy pockets, and look at those interesting darts with contrast thread! Do you think this could this work in a knit?

 

• Sewaholic Patterns, Gabriola Skirt – because of the pretty yoke detail, and the long lines. Will likely made up in the white polyester I received from Carmen, my StitchingSanta.

 

• Grainline Linden – because it’s a sweatshirt, which is perfect for fall, winter, and spring around here. And that comfort factor again.

 

And these patterns have fabric purchased already, set to cut out and go!

• I bought loads of this cotton jersey at Abakhan in Chester, and it seems perfect for jammies. On the fence, though, about the pattern, which I bought for $1 at a Joanne’s super sale.

 

• The same Abakhan shopping trip resulted in this oh-so-soft gray jersey, which I’ll use to make up this tee shirt pattern, a gift from Ali. Can the sleeves be lengthened without spoiling the look?

 

• And last but not least, this pussy bow blouse (also from Ali) will be made up from this fabulous polyester print (gifted from Del, Curls n Skirls).

 

It’s a good plan, wouldn’t you agree?  Mostly simple and comfortable, and I’m ready to sew!!

Stitch on in the New Year everyone!

StitchingSanta Revealed…What Carmen Gave Me

Hoping you’ve all had a marvelous holiday, and that 2017 brings you peace and joy. And a great big thank you to Sheila, of Sewchet, for again hosting this delightful StitchingSanta Christmas gift swap.

My parcel arrived a few days before Christmas, and it was so difficult to not peek! But I was strong, and managed only to notice a gentle rattle when the box was moved. Ooooh, what could that be? Popcorn? Peppermints? Lumps of coal?

And so it is opened….

Ooooh, look at the wrapped bag of snowy goodness!

And emptying the parcel solved the rattling mystery: buttons! Lots of cute, mostly wooden buttons! And who doesn’t love a nice button. See the one with the world map?

Buttons and more….

 

Everything all spread out and looking pretty impressive.

The contents, in no particular order:

A lovely Christmas card
A yellow book, all about the color yellow
A rubber stamp featuring a vintage sewing machine
Two spools of thread
A roll of golden circle trim
A roll of stay tape (now I don’t need to buy it)
A pack of buttons and embellishments
Six (!) patterns; 3 garments, 2 home decor, and a duffel bag
Three yards of snowy white polyester jersey

Quite the haul, wouldn’t you agree?

Thanks so much, Carmen of See Carmen Sew!

 

Stitch on in the New Year everyone!

#StitchingSanta 2016

Cheers! It’s time again for Stitching Santa, the third year of this gift exchange, but just my second year to take part. I’ve received my swap partner’s info and started to “stalk” her blog. Ideas are spinning around in my head and I’m anxious to get started.

There is a limit on new purchases ($15 here in the US), but we have a free reign with our existing stash and any extras (freebies) we can come up with. This the process: After our partner assignment, we cruise through her blog to get to know her and gather ideas for our parcel. From time to time, we’ll post a little sneak peek at what we are creating, and then on Christmas Day, all the “reveals” begin posting, so follow along and we’ll see everyone’s handiwork together.

Just to give you an idea, here are my giving and receiving posts from last year’s partners, Abi of Freckled Fashionista and Michelle of Sewnhenge.

Many thanks to Sheila of Sewchet for organizing this activity, it’s a great little way to get to know other sewing/knitting bloggers, and spread a bit of holiday joy in the process!

Stitch on, lucky participants!