Sewing Room Assistant

Hey! What's happening up there?

Ooo. What's that stuff? Looks like fun! Does it taste good?

Pick me up. Please? Pretty please?

Sigh. OK. I get the hint.

Hah! Fooled you. Here I am on the other side.

I really, really, really want to be on your lap.

Please?

Hmprf.

(And by the way, mom, those are some lovely PJ pants you're wearing.)

Summer Hues

Yesterday we were busy all day getting ready for the party. I saw the package outside the front door, picked it up and tossed it into the laundry room unopened. And I promptly forgot about it until 10 minutes ago. I love those fabric surprises from Fashion Fabrics Club. I call them surprises because FFC isn't known for its speedy shipping and often by the time my order arrives at my house I've almost forgotten about it. This one was no exception. I remembered about the print (cotton sateen) and the lime (stretch twill), but I had completely forgotten about the aqua (tencel). Bonus!

Don't these all look perfect together? (Trust me, the green in the print matches the green solid and the two solids are a little brighter than my dull photo.) And aren't they 100% my colors? These will all get sewn up before summer officially arrives because I want to live in them until October. Perfect spring/summer Florida fabrics.

From the comments on yesterday's entry, it looks like the Burda WOF dress is the majority pick. I'm not sure if that will be the next thing I sew — I need to scope out the stash for a good fabric pick and I've got to start installing the family room floor soon — but it's definitely going to be a sooner rather than later make. I think I have some linens that would be great, even if it means I have to iron it before every wearing. I can see a casual linen dress with sandals or even flip-flops claiming a top spot in the summer wardrobe, can't you?

Decisions, Decisions

I was paging through some of my pattern magazines today to see what was catching my eye. Pardon the burriness and overall poor quality but I was taking these pics as the magazines, notepad, pen, and I were sprawled across my bed. With two nosy dogs sniffing to see what was going on.

First is #128 from the 03/2007 issue of Burda WOF. It's a pretty dress with some nice details. Look at the back seaming — very interesting.



And #130 from the same issue. Nothing striking here except they look like a fast sew for some more summer capris but with a little more detailing.


This one is from Diana Mode, Nr.22/#17F (or however they number them). I like the use of trim and the basic shaping, even though the pinheaded model is swimming in this plus sized top and thereby doing everything possible to hide what could be a nice tee. This would also be an easy way to try out one of the Diana patterns without too much of a time investment.


The line drawing looks entirely boxy but the pattern pieces do have some shape.


This is a Patrones "Grande" jeans pattern from the 11/2006 issue.


Look at those pattern pieces. This may be just the thing my full thighs and caboose need. I'm going to try this in muslin if nothing else, just to see what I learn.


This skirt will be getting made soon — View D as on the adult model and in the upper left, the paneled skirt with the flounce. I like that this pattern is for knits. I think I'll get a slimmer fit since it won't need so much gathering at the top in order to make it past the hips. I can see this being a *very* comfortable skirt, almost like yoga pants but in a skirt. ;-)


Next, there's the latest issue of Ottobre Woman. I'm definitely trying one or two of the tees, the 10-gore skirt, and the drawstring bottom capris (without side cargo pockets though). I'd also like to try the flared curvy skirt but I may be tired of skirts by the time I get to it.


And finally, this 06/2005 #111 Burda WOF pattern that I've already made twice. I want to make it at least once more with short sleeves (longer than the cap sleeves shown) because it is one of my favorite tops both for comfort and flattering-on-me style. I just need to pick the fabric wisely for this since it may not look as nice on me in a less drapey knit. (Or, who knows, maybe it would.)


So, what to make next? Probably nothing until next week. Tonight my now 18-year old son is having a co-birthday bonfire party here with his girlfriend (hers was this past Monday) and 30+ guests. And tomorrow I really need to be doing some paperwork.

But if you had a vote, for which would it be? I'm thinking the Diana Mode tee because it will be fast. Of course, it's all subject to change on a whim since I haven't included my on-deck non-magazine patterns in the mix.

Let's Not Get Complicated

I got a second wind around 10 PM last night and decided to just go ahead and make up a Favorite Things Cute Skirt. From sewing the muslin the other day, I knew it would be a fast project. That is until I started overthinking things. I'm good at that. ;-)

It started with the fabric … a very sheer cotton batiste (I think). OK, I could sew the pattern as is and wear a slip. But ugh. Another band of elastic around my middle in August in Florida? It wouldn't be a Favorite Thing anymore. So I started rooting through the stash to see what I had for an interlining and I came across some white cotton bastiste (I know this one is bastiste) purchased from a Martha Pullen expo a few years ago. Perfect. That is until I started overthinking things.

To underline meant that the white bastiste would have to be caught up in the sideseams of the outer layer, at the very least. I wanted a more flowy, breezy skirt. Which meant a true lining. Which meant tossing out the easy, sew-in-an-hour-or-less instructions and making up my own. Not to mention making up my own lining for an 8-gore skirt. Neither of these is hard. That is until I started overthinking things.

By this time, it was going on 11 PM and my brain really did not want to think about all of this. I came downstairs, poured myself a (soft) drink and sent out some email (Hi Belinda!). But I forced the thinking cap back on and came up with a plan.

I sewed up the 8 gores of the skirt fabric as per the pattern — one section of 3 gores and the other with 5. I then topstitched each gore seam because if you're going to break away from easy, you might as well go all the way. I laid those two sections on my white bastiste one at a time, traced around them with the rotary cutter and came away with a front and back for my lining.

With a true lining, I couldn't use the great neat-finish waistband application instructions so instead I just sewed the waistband in the round but because I like to overthink things, I aligned the skirt and waistband sideseams and sewed one raw edge to the skirt, inserted the back elastic and stitched that in place leaving an opening for adjusting the elastic, and then flipped the other half of the waistband down and stitched in the ditch from the right side of the skirt.

Of course, I'm now slapping my forehead because I should've just serged the folded-over waistband on all in one pass, leaving an opening in one sideseam for the elastic, and then finished it by edgestitching the seam allowance flat from the right side of the skirt. Oh well, by this time it was waaaaaay after midnight and I did what my tired brain came up with. On the bright side, the next one will now go at least 10 times as fast. ;-)




Then I tried it on to adjust the elastic and see about the hems for the lining and outer layer. My plan was to turn under a narrow hem on the skirt, and cut the lining about an inch shorter and narrow hem that too. Until I started overthinking things.

When I looked in the mirror, the lining was hanging out at the bottom since I had cut it a little longer than the skirt just in case. Hmm. What if I purposely left the lining longer than the skirt?? Flowy and romantic, no? (Just go with me here.) So that's what I did. Instead of cutting the lining shorter, I cut the outer layer shorter. And instead of narrow hems, I opted for rolled hems on the serger. Nothing rolls nicer than a lightweight cotton batiste. Then I stopped thinking and overthinking and went to bed.


And that's how to take a really easy pattern and make it take 3 times as long to sew up. ;-)

But hey, at least I *like* the skirt on me now. (Photo coming soon.) With this lightweight and drapier fabric, it's not the sack that my muslin fabric was. The two cottons feel very luxe. Looking at the back view on the pattern, mine looks pretty much the same. Well, except for that underlayer sticking out. ;-)




And now I'm not going to overthink things. I'm going to pretty much cut and paste what I wrote here into a review on PR. So if you've made it this far, you probably don't need to read the "official" review.

The First of Many

You may get really tired of seeing this top because I'm planning to make at least 150 of them. ;-) I'm very happy with how this fits, how it flatters, and how easy it was/is to make up. In case you're just now tuning in, this Butterick 4986 pattern required NO full bust alteration at all. On me, that's a minor miracle. The official review on PR is here.

I wanted a bit more edge treatment than a typical double-needle coverstitch so I stuck in the third needle, threaded up, and went crazy.


And I didn't stop with just the top. I also used the same thread and triple coverstitching on the skirt seams and hems. I really like how it turned out. The flattering vertical seams aren't hidden in the print and the prettiness of the skirt design comes through.


I'll get a photo of me in the new ensemble soon.