So Long 2023

The holidays are over and all the sewing I thought I would get to while I was off work didn't quite happen. But I did manage to get two projects done, or mostly done. And I had lots of time for Cyrus snuggles and some reading.

First up is a Love Notions Rhapsody, but this time in knit. It seems so many things I've made lately have been wovens that need to be ironed. Ugh. While I do press constantly while sewing, I'm not a big fan of clothes that need to be ironed before wearing. I mean I'll do it, but I won't like it. So, I'm back to sewing knits for a while to cut down on my ironing.

The fabric I used is a very nice black/white ITY recently from Gorgeous Fabrics. (There was still some available last time I looked.) I bought 3 yards and I have enough left for a skirt for one of my 2-piece "dresses" should I feel the urge. 

I made no changes to the pattern from my first woven version, except to use the elbow-length balloon sleeves with elasticated hems. We've been having a bit of a cool down weather-wise and my supply of warmer tops is low. I'll still be able to wear this in the office during the hot days since it's usually an AC iceberg zone

Here's the inside with the "burrito'd" yoke. I again gathered the lower back instead of using the box pleat per the pattern. 

The binding and ties were done on my coverstitch machine. The black looper thread shows on the backside of the ties, but I'm OK with it. I'll take applying knit coverstitch binding over woven bias binding any day of the week. But I also seem to remember owning a bias binder sewing machine foot for wovens (like this). I may need to dig that out and reacquaint myself with it.

To give the binding strip a bit more body and less curl as it feeds through the binder, I bought some SewKeyse 1 Inch Fusible Knit Stay Tape (that's an Amazon link, which may pay me a penny or two if you use it for a purchase). I usually cut up fusible interfacing scraps and use that on knit binding strips that need some help but this already cut and ready-to-go 1-inch tape seemed like it would be a great addition to the notions collection. And it is. I love that it's ready to go.

Here it is on my ironing board being applied to my binding strip. (I finally bought a new board cover and this is the cleanest you'll probably see it.)

My other project, which is not quite done yet, is a Seamwork Andi jacket. I really need a casual slightly warm jacket for around the house/yard and running errands, etc. Seeing this pattern made up by others on Instagram is one of the reasons I decided to go with a Seamwork subscription. 

I shamelessly copied my inspirations by using the same prequilted knit. I bought this navy colorway from Stylemaker Fabrics and I might have another color coming from Minerva. And OMG is this fabric so comfy/cozy! (And kind of a pain to sew with since it sheds its innards and is a bit thick and slippery.)

What I did not have ready to go were snaps for the closure. I have a TON of Snapsetter (RIP) snaps that I was thinking would work but I hadn't even looked at them in years and it turns out they are all too small for this jacket and I don't feel confident that the short-ish prongs would be a good match with the fabric thickness even if I had a bigger size. So my jacket got a bit more expensive since I ended up buying a snap press and dies (plus bigger snaps) from KAMSnaps. My order should be here next week and then I'll finish the jacket.

Here's the back, which is hanging very crooked on Zillie. I also have not yet added elastic to the hem. I'm still deciding on that and will make up my mind once I can actually snap the jacket closed.

Even though this is a very simple and oversized design, I had to go my own way a bit with the pockets because they are shaped with a straight side to be inserted into a straight side seam and I blended between sizes, which created a very curved side seam. It's not a big deal, but I kind of think the instructions should have mentioned/shown that you'll need to apply the pockets more like a patch pocket if you do blend between sizes. Seamwork patterns are mostly geared toward beginners and I can imagine a beginner doing some head scratching on this situation. On the plus side, Seamwork's private member forum is very active and filled with extremely helpful people, so one could ask there if stuck.

I cut the pattern pieces to match the "pattern" of quilting across the front and side seams, but somehow one of my pockets does not match up at all. I decided to just leave it. Besides the laziness factor, I didn't want to "waste" any of the remaining fabric since I should have enough left to colorblock for another pattern that's percolating in my brain. I figure there's so many lines going every which way and the pockets hang more to the side than how it looks on Zillie that no one but me (and now the entire internet) will ever notice. 

So that's the end of my 2023 sewing. I'll be back when I have my snaps on the jacket. I'm also planning to start a sweatshirt tomorrow so hopefully I'll have that to share soon too. 

Happy New Year!

Basic

You can't get more basic than this. Sorry for the snoozer but I will actually get a lot of wear out of this, if my current basic black knit skirt is any indication. This is the old formerly black skirt (right) next to the new one (left). Yeah, I was overdue, wouldn't you agree?

I copied pretty much everything from the old skirt, including the slit. The only thing I didn't have on hand was 2" wide elastic. So I adjusted the top edge and used some of my 50-yard roll of 1-1/2" elastic from Wawak. I also didn't make a separate elastic casing. I was boring myself with this project and just wanted to be done already so I just serged, turned, and coverstitched it down.

Note to self: If you leave your coverstitch machine sitting for 2 years, it would probably be a good idea to dust off the harp before dragging your new black skirt across it. That's the wrong side of the hem/slit edge. Yuck. The harp is clean now though. LOL!

Next up is this b/w dotty woven fabric. It was the other piece that had been sitting on my dryer for 2 years with the fabric I recently made into a Rhapsody. I'm forcing myself to use it before I venture into my stash. It's been so long that I don't even remember where I bought it. (Funny story - I was digging through a bin of miscellaneous sewing stuff that had been sitting in the other room. I found bits and pieces of masks and mask makings, some Wonder Clips I forgot I bought, and a brand new, tags still attached, pair of knit joggers that I also forgot about — the "TNT" Old Navy RTW that I've been living in around home. I'm sure I bought them as a backup since I love all my others so much. I don't even need them yet since the others are still in excellent condition. I'm usually NOT scatterbrained like this, but this is definitely an indication of how weird the last 3+ years have been.)

I'm going to be giving the Love Notions Melody Dolman a try. I don't think I'll be wearing it tied up, but never say never. I'm hoping to get the pattern taped together tomorrow. And maybe some pictures up on the walls in the sewing room. It's so … blank in there.

If this top works out, it will be something else I can wear to the office. Or around the house. Speaking of the office, we just moved to a new building a few weeks ago (I think I mentioned that already in another recent post) which means I've lost my trusty work bathroom selfies mirror. A moment of silence, please. The new building, not my firm, owns the bathroom spaces, so I don't think anything will be improving there. I also don't have a true full-length mirror in my house so it looks like I'll be shopping for one of those soon. 

Have a great weekend! I hope to be checking in again soon with progress on the Melody.

Rhapsody On Me and a Sewing Room Preview

Here I am, after work, and with a mirror shot. Proof I am actually still alive. (And chubbier and grayer.) I currently work from home MWF and in the office TT. Today was an office day. We're moving buildings in ~2 weeks so my in-office time for the last month has been mostly spent packing up files into boxes or the shredding bins. It's approximately 400 degrees outside this month (with humidity levels to match) and it doesn't matter how much AC is blowing, my body still knows. Which is to say I was a little drippy today while moving all those files and boxes. Ugh. The new shirt held up well, though it's much more wrinkled after a full day and 2 car rides than what shows in this pic. I also see that part of the back of the top is hung up on my hip. Oh well. This is real life here.   

Behind me you can sorta kinda see the table where my sewing machines used to live. Over the weekend, I bought a new table and moved the machines into what will now be my dedicated sewing (and miscellaneous dog stuff and other junk) room. 

Below is their new home. Along with the ironing board and cracked iron (see previous post). 

My cutting table is on the other side of the room. 

Coming around full circle, there's Zillie and a shelf full of mostly non-sewing stuff. Weird fact — my ex's ashes are in the red urn in the top left cube. I'm not completely sure exactly why he is "living" with me again. The irony cracks me up regularly. If he were in a grave, he might be rolling over in it. I have a very dark sense of humor. Please disregard. 

Back to the cutting table, where you can see there is absolutely nothing on the walls in here yet. And there's a stash of big bags of dog food under the table and dog crates to the right of it. Since Alex moved out almost 2 years ago and Tyler moved in "temporarily" about 9 months ago, I've been using this room as a catch-all. Now that I'm reclaiming it for sewing, I'll need to figure out new homes for a lot of this stuff. 

That's the tour at the moment. It's definitely a work in progress. But I think the sewjo is back and I'm excited to get things going in here.

Also, a note about comments. I can't reply to them on my computer, only on my phone, and I haven't figured out why yet. Blogger has changed some things in the last couple of years and it's making me a little nuts. Since I'm not a big fan of "typing" on my phone, until I figure out what's going on I probably won't be replying individually until I get it fixed. And since my HTML skills are rusty and my patience for troubleshooting is low, it's going to take some time. But I am reading and very much appreciating that you're still out there, helping me knock down the cobwebs off this thing, and saying hi! 

Just like riding a bike (or I sewed a Love Notions Rhapsody Blouse)

I actually cut out and finished a new top in a week. Yay me! I can't tell you the last time that happened. But before I get into the nitty gritty, let me tell you what NOT to do when you return to sewing after an extended absence.

1. Don't choose predominately black fabric, especially if using black thread. And really especially if you're over 40 and sewing sometimes at night.

2. Don't think you can outsmart shifty fabric when attempting to make/apply double-fold bias binding without reacquainting yourself with the process and the tools. Yes, I used spray sizing to stiffen it up. Yes, it was better. Yes, I still managed to bungle it in places. Thank heaven for Wonder Tape and glue sticks, and the Galloping Horse Rule. 

3. Don't try to move your ironing board with a hot iron standing up on it, or you'll end up with the iron wobbling and then crashing to floor with a horrible BANG! and multiple cracks and chips in the outer pieces. So far, it seems to still work OK but as soon as I saw the chips and cracks, I RAN to my computer/Amazon and ordered a new one, which arrived yesterday. I like this iron a lot so I'd rather have one waiting on stand-by instead of wishing I did. 
 

So, with that fun stuff out of the way, let's jump into it. 

I bought, downloaded, and printed this pattern at the office long before we even heard of a pandemic. (Remember those days?) And it sat. During that time, Love Notions updated their sizing and I downloaded and printed the update. And still it sat. Until my sewjo finally came back this month, after being AWOL for years. 

What also sat, and this is embarrassing to admit, was this fabric — on my dryer for years. Yes, at least 2 years. Right on top of my dryer. Somehow I thought that by seeing it on a regular basis, I would force myself to use it. Every time I saw it, I did think about sewing and my heart would flutter a little bit, but I just couldn't get myself to actually start anything. Until last week.

Here's the finished top, and like everyone else who's made it, I really like it. I still need to toss it into the laundry before I can wear it to remove all the Wonder Tape and glue left over from struggling with the bias binding. The fabric is a really nice crepe rayon from Blackbird Fabrics.

Rear view, where you can hopefully see I converted the back pleat to gathers. I just don't think an inverted back pleat is flattering to my backside. The gathers distribute the fabric better over my terrain in my opinion. Plus, it matches the gathers at the front extended yoke/shoulder seams.

Voila! Some of my wobbly binding stitching. Absolutely NO ONE is going to be inspecting my stitch distances, so I called it Good Enough.  

Another thing I changed/added, was edgestitching along the front "shoulder" seam and …

… along the back yoke seam. I think this just gives a more finished look and also holds down seam allowances underneath. 

I think the pattern is pretty good. I love, love that Love Notions' patterns are No Trim. You just print, lay out the pages, and tape or glue. So easy. So fast. 

The sizing seems to be accurate to my measurements. I used the full bust front piece and sized from 2X at the neck/chest/armholes gradually to 4x for my Pandemic hips. (How long can I blame the Pandemic for my butt?) The only other adjustment I did was to make a square shoulder adjustment at the front yoke and armholes. Oh, I also used the cap sleeve option but added an inch to its length but that was a preference thing, not a fit thing.

The instructions were good, but I changed the order/method of some things to my preference. Specifically, I did the binding before adding the sleeves and closing up the sideseams. And gritted my teeth the entire time. I did NOT use French seams and instead just serged the insides. (Let's not push this return to sewing thing too far.) And I already mentioned the added edgestitching.

I haven't knotted the tie ends yet. I need to decide if I like them this length or want them shorter. I didn't really pay attention to that when I tried on the final top and then just didn't want to strip down again. 

I bought a new table for my machines today and I have one more piece of fabric that has also been sitting on my dryer …

* * * * *

Thank you to everyone who's still been checking this space and for leaving a comment last week. I'm really hoping to become a more regular blogger again. Lots of (mostly boring) stuff has happened in the last couple of years. I'm sure I'll be throwing in tidbits of all of that at some point. 

Laundry Day Tee. Or Not.

Yes, I'm actually posting twice in the same month. I'll wait while you get off the floor.

So apparently one of the best ways to kickstart a missing sewjo is to write a blog post about how little desire you have to sew. And in a similar vein, when in that same blogpost you lament about not liking any fabric choices you've seen lately … well, you know where that's going. Yep. A few yards may have jumped into my shopping cart during Fabricmart's latest Pyramid sale. And then possibly a few more a week later during the Knits sale.

That's all good news. But I am not without hiccups and speed bumps in this story.

Let's begin.

First, last year I had bought a crap-ton of patterns during one of the BMV all-brands sales. My order arrived. I ooohed. I ahhed. I made plans. I bought fabric. I dreamed. I put the patterns … well, that's just it. I have NO IDEA where I put those patterns (or a few others) and I've been looking for them on/off for MONTHS. My house is not big. I'm fairly organized. I cannot solve this mystery. I give up. I've decided I'll repurchase some of them during the next BMV all-brand sale. (And then I'll find the missing stack.)

So I moved on for the time being. While I may not have been sewing myself these past months, I still have been reading sewing blogs and websites and checking into Facebook sewing/pattern groups regularly. I've seen more than a few Love Notions Laundry Day Tees made up and modeled, with lots of raving about the pattern. Being the lemming that I am, or maybe because it was free when you join the LN Facebook group, I downloaded the PDF and printed it last week, with plans to use some of the newly acquired Fabricmart yardage.

Yesterday, I got the pattern out to tape the sheets together, which I did. I know it's free and all, but I wasn't extremely impressed, starting with the fact the PDF is supposed to be "trimless." This means you don't need to slice off unprinted page margins to accurately join the pages into one cohesive layout. I found I still needed to trim. Not a big deal. I'm used to it. I'm not ready to blame Love Notions on this yet because I haven't double-checked my printer settings (and I'm not sure I will spend time to do so), but do be warned in case it's a legit problem.

What really bugged me was the pattern itself. See below.

First, the front and back aren't separate pieces. If you're away from your printer when you realize this and can't print a quick duplicate, it means you have to trace or tape the jigsaw puzzle back together. It also means you're going to be ticked off. I absolutely do not see the point in this (the print layout, not the being ticked off). Well, OK, there is a slight point if you're printing to a commercial print house's large format printer and paying by the sheet, but even then, give us the option of more sheets with the other half of the damn pattern so we can decide for ourselves which pages to print.

Next, it should be obvious that if the front and back pieces are identical,  except for necklines, there's a good chance it won't fit a curvy body. Pretty sure my front and back aren't anywhere close to identical. I won't even talk about the sleeve being cut on the fold. Guess it's a good thing after all that I didn't do all that "extra" printing. ;-) I'm not truly knocking this pattern because (1) I haven't actually sewn it and (2) it does get lots of love and I have seen some very nice finished tees. But I did conclude it wasn't for me and the symmetrical drafting makes me hesitant to try a paid-for LN pattern.

Side note on the LDT - Does anyone understand what the heck is meant by this? It totally does not make sense.

I decided what I was really after was the overall trapeze shape of the LDT and looked for my Cashmerette Concord pattern to just do that simple hack. Apparently my paper version of the Concord is with the other missing patterns mentioned above. Grrr, that MIA list just keeps getting longer. But I knew I also had a PDF version (from testing) that was already trimmed and ready to tape, and I was able to locate that one. Except … I was missing at least 6 of the pages. Six pages that would fall right across the bodice. I have no idea how that happened. Apparently, I'm getting old and senile. Missing patterns. Missing pattern pages. Missing brain.

Instead of giving up, I reached for my so very trusty TNT, the Ottobre Woman tee from the 02/2007 issue (cover below) and added the flare and length of the LDT.

And then I cut it out of this, with enough left for a matching skirt cuz I love me some 2-piece dresses. Yes, I know it's only a skirt and a top. I just like saying 2-piece dress. It sounds fancier. Humor me. :-)

And then I was done "sewing" for the day.

I've made a deal with myself to spend at least 15 minutes a weekday on this until it's done. I think I'll stick with it because I'm excited about the print placement for this one and want to see it finished. If I had started with the Ottobre, I'd be done by now. I hope I learned that lesson.