Monday, January 28, 2008

Photos of dress in progress

As mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I have taken some photos of the dress and the work that has been completed thus far.
Neckline with fabric and lining attached. Zipper not yet attached to lining.


Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sewing Sunday

I decided to spend some quality time with DH yesterday. We ran all over town as we both had places we wanted to go. We did not leave til late in the AM as it was cold and we were enjoying staying in. I had been out earlier to go to CURVES so was enjoying the warmth of the house. I HATE COLD WEATHER!

After shopping and stopping for a bite to eat, we came home and I sewed a little. I finished sewing the yokes to the bodice of the dress. I stitched the neckline and armholes of the fabric and lining pieces. I used this method that I posted about in December. I had some concerns about how it was going to work with this particular dress, though sleeveless the sleeve shapes are not traditional. They are more off the shoulder and come to almost V point. But the finish of the neckline and armholes look so RTW that I decided to use the method.

Today I tweaked the sewn lining and fabric at neck and arms. I like to understitch the lining in this area. I find that it holds the lining down nicely. I may topstitch this area as well. I am saving that for later. I then installed the invisible zipper. I think that I started the top of the zipper to low. I will definitely need a hook and eye to help to close the very top of the back neckline. I completed the back seam below the zipper and sewed the lining back pieces together as well. I basted the side seams of the lining and fabric, stitching as one piece. I turned it inside and out. I stopped there as I had committed to myself to clean the master bathroom. (yech!) I am not a great housekeeper and tend to let things go too long between cleanings.

I need to try on the dress for further tweaking. In trying on the lining unit first, I found that I needed to take deeper back darts. I decided not to do that though until I tried on the dress with lining attached. I think I will get a better idea of how things will fit with the fabric and lining together.

The gathers at the front center where the yoke and bodice meet are not as gathered looking as it appears on the pattern envelope. That may prove to be good as I was concerned how that was going to look over a fuller bust. As noted before I tried on the lining unit and was pleased with the look and the gathers laid nicely.

Friday, January 25, 2008

I love weekends!

This was a stressful work week. This AM when I got ready to go to work I felt exhausted. Plus I was sore from exercising last night, obviously worked some muscles that had not been worked out lately.

Friday evenings I normally go get groceries after work. Got that chore done and met DH at home. Once groceries were put up, out for pizza! When we got home I went straight to my sewing room and once again started working on the Vogue dress. Stitched the darts in the back piece, decided to serge finish edges even though dress is going to be fully lined. Fabric tends to ravel a bit and wanted to stop some of that while sewing pieces together. I decided to check my zipper stash and found that I had one grey zipper, not an invisible zipper. I am getting much better inserting zippers I just prefer the invisible ones.

I have not been to JoAnn's in awhile so looking for a grey invisible zipper is a good excuse to go. It's amazing that the brief time I spent in my sewing room this evening has helped lift the tired, burned out feeling. I feel in control and creative. Time for zoning out now.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Photos

Yesterday I wore my new top to work. I took some photos before I left for work and thought I would post them. I really like the fit of this top. I know I will make a few more over the next couple months. Below is the top with the sweater I wore over it.


Another look without sweater.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Sew Productive!

Today was a good holiday. I completed my Simplicity 3759 knit top. Go here to see some photos. I am truly pleased with the fit of the top. I raised the neckline about an inch. I may not raise it that high next time but it works well like this for a top to wear under a jacket for work. I ended up taking deeper seams in both the front and back at the raglan sleeve area that attaches to the front and back bodice pieces. This may have been the result of the slinky knit and the need for a little more fit in that area due to the weight of the knit pulling down. I will make the top again and will use the same size as the idea for another top is not the same type of knit.

I started on the Vogue dress after completing the top. I had almost finished the top yesterday then got involved in doing other things. So only had to hem it this AM. Thus I began the dress by sewing the lining first. I am happy with the fit. I sewed the front and back yokes to the bodice pieces. I then basted the side seams after sewing the shoulders together. I basted the center back seam also. In trying it on, I think that I will need deeper darts in the back which is somewhat normal for me. The bust area fit well. I added 1.5 inches by using the seam adjustment method. Seemed to be okay. I may shave off some of the shoulder/sleeve area.

I am now ready to start on the fabric. Go here, and here to see some shots of the lining, nothing spectacular, but it is a good start. I also posted a shot of the lining overlaid on the fabric. I try when possible to cut the lining and fabric pieces together. Saves on cutting time. This was a technique I saw Peggy Sayers do on "Sew Much More".

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Sewing this weekend

Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday. Some days I am feeling my age, but as my grandmother always said, you are as old as you feel. Right now I am feeling young. Had my coffee, reading emails about sewing and machine embroidery and now off to sewing room. What better place to be when it is 15 degrees outside. I truly love Florida in the winter.

DH took me to dinner last night. I had a gift card for the Olive Garden. Nothing fancy but we did have a good meal. After having a Starbucks latte for dessert, came home and went to sewing room.

Yesterday morning I cut out the Vogue dress pattern. Yes Meg, no sewing after work for me either last week! I cut the lining and fabric. I had to piece the back lining though, just did not have as much lining as I thought. I was able to make it work and it will be one of those things where the dry cleaner and I will know my secret!!!!

I decided to sew the knit fabric top that I cut out about a week or more ago. I just need a quick project to keep my MoJo going and I did have black thread in the serger. I will need to change to grey for the dress. I started on the top then got into wondering how best to do the neck gathers. That led me to pattern review and that led me to reading reviews, emails, blogs and no sewing.

I am off to the sewing room and will hopefully post photos of completed top later!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

They say it's your birthday, it's my birthday,too

Webfetti.com



Well another year older and it continues to all be good! I am sipping my coffee, reading some blogs and pattern reviews. Then I am spending the morning in my sewing room. Sew much to do. And it is a 3-day weekend!!!!!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

About to cut

The pattern pieces have been adjusted. The usual swayback, forward shoulder and FBA were made. For this FBA, I used the seam method of adjustment. This reduced the amount of slashing and cutting and then closing the dart and moving it to the gathers. With this method, I cut the seam allowance apart at the bust area and spread the seam allowance apart one inch.

I also lengthened the waist line area by one inch. The waistline was short on me. I plan to shortened the dress length and will use the shorten/lengthen line at the hip area.

I hope to find time one evening this week to lay out the pattern on the fabric and lining fabric. The pattern only calls for the upper bodice piece to be lined. I plan to line the entire dress.

I am still undecided about the jacket to make to go with this dress. Just not keen on the jacket included in the pattern. With all the jacket patterns I have in my stash, I am sure there will be one to emerge as the right one.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Sunday, January 13, 2008

V8414

This is the next project. This was a dress pattern I fell in love with the first time I viewed it in the Vogue Pattern Magazine. I am going to make it out of the grey wool crepe I had planned to use for the McCall's dress pattern.

To me this is a different take on a sheath style dress; a style that I am prone to make and wear well and often. I am not sure I am going to make the jacket. There were some concerns or dislikes about the jacket that I read either on a blog or Pattern Review. I want to research that to determine the fit or design issue. May have been the collar which really does not appeal to me.

I have pinned the pattern pieces together to determine fit and adjustments. Some adjustments are just standard for me and some are necessary because of style.

Speaking of wool crepe, Carolyn and Shannon have posted on their blogs about how they treat their wool including wool crepes. Many people dislike the Dreyel products, a home dry cleaning product. I have had good success with this product with wool crepe and other wools. So I plan to work on the crepe today to get it ready for cutting. How you choose to treat them, my experience like many others is that wool crepe does shrink more so than some other wools.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Pattern for Sale

This pattern is for sale. I cut around the bodice front and back and the skirt front and back but all sizes are intact. This is a good pattern but just not one for me. If you are interested, you can click on my profile and select the email me option. It's first come, first serve and I will let it go for $4 and that includes the postage and shipping.SmileyCentral.com

M5466

I had thoughts about this being my next project. I posted here about drafting a similar dress from PMB and overlaying it onto the McCall's pattern. I pin fitted both the PMB bodice and the McCall bodice. PMB bodice is too short waisted, this is a measurement that I know I need to tweak with this software program. I normally make sheath style dresses so the waist line is not too much of a factor when using PMB. Interestingly the McCall's pattern was a little short waisted also.

I would need to make a FBA with the McCall's pattern. After pinning the front and back McCall's bodice I have decided that this neckline is just not going to be one that I will be comfortable wearing. It is just so wide and low. I can see myself pulling on the neckline/shoulder area.

My draft using PMB and then doing the manual adjustments to attempt to replicate the McCall's neckline, only making it higher, just does not work for me. I decided I will move on to something else. I want to make a dress and I pulled out some other dress patterns that I have and have narrowed my choices to three Vogue patterns and the Go Patterns-Sleeveless Dress.

Meanwhile I have cleaned up the sewing room and will start anew tomorrow.

Taken in and moving on

Well I painfully removed stitches, lots of them-understitching, topstitches, seaming stitches-to again take up the seams in the Vogue skirt. I ended up taking 1/2 inch on the front seams and 3/8 on the back seams in the waist area tapering to nothing about two inches down. Put those pantie hose back on and tried on the skirt again. Yes by golly the darn thing fits now!

I ended up taking small tucks in the facing band as I just could not bring myself to remove the whole thing. I was concerned that it would make things look or feel bulky. But it doesn't so it will be mine and the dry cleaners secret.

I read somewhere, perhaps a review on PR, where another sewist when making skirts always seem to fit them too tight so got in the habit of adding width to her skirts for them to fit less snug. She expressed that with body changes she needed to rethink what she was doing. I knew she was describing me as well as I shared those same feelings. I am going to stick to my usual method of pin fitting patterns. I used the information on the pattern as well as flat measuring. Not sure I am doing that exactly right. I am all for learning new things, particularly fitting patterns. I think for me I have become most comfortable with FFRP pattern fitting that I will stay with as this has been the most TNT method for me.

As my DH always says, when Linda is happy, he's happy. I am now back to happy and pleased with my skirt. I am moving on to the next projects.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Aaaaaghhhhh!

I came home from work and since I had on a black pant suit, I decided to put on my just completed Vogue black skirt to shoot a photo of me wearing it! The dang thing is still too big. It fits the backside through hip area well. The waist is still too big. When I fitted it before I did not have on panty hose. I cannot imagine that they would reduce my size that much.

So, I will be taking deeper seams in the front waist area and perhaps just a little more in the back. It has a side zipper so not sure if I can adjust the other side seam without making things "wonky". I seem to always have issues with skirts with waist facings and no waist band. I can't believe that the waist would have stretched out, it is a wool gabardine not a stretch woven.

Do others of you have this issue with skirts with no waist bands? I am truly confused about pattern sizes for skirts for me. My measurements are just not that varied from my measurements from months ago. The toning I have experienced is more through the hips and tummy, the waist is only toned down by 1/2 an inch or so. So frustrating! Feedback and suggestions greatly appreciated!!!!

Monday, January 07, 2008

Swedish Tracing Paper

This is in response to comment left by Pamie G. I have been fortunate to buy Swedish Tracing Paper at Quilt N Sew in Lynchburg, VA. I have also purchased from Birch Street Clothing, here is their link.
http://www.birchstreetclothing.com/

Working my plan

I did cut out the knit top yesterday morning. I have enough left over to make up another top as long as it is short sleeved or a tank style.

I then taped together the printed out pattern pieces from PMB version of the McCall dress pattern. After I do this I like to trace over the pattern using Swedish Tracing paper.
I took the McCall's pattern pieces and overlaid it onto the PMB pieces for the front and back bodice. The neckline for McCall's is about two inches or more lower than the PMB draft. I expected that because of the limited neckline draft on PMB. Once I pinned the dart on PMB piece and tucks on McCall's, I found that the bodice through the shoulders and armscye were off some but not extremely so. The bust point on the McCall's was about 1/2 inch higher than mine. There was some variance in the waistline area and the bust width was off about 1 1/2 inches which is about the usual FBA I have to make with most pattern pieces.

The skirt pieces were overlaid onto PMB pattern pieces. Interestingly but not surprisingly the hip measurement for me and the finished hip measurement on the pattern were at odds. If I used what was printed on the McCall's pattern piece I may have run into a fitting issue as I would have gone with the smaller size but overlaying on my PMB piece with new hip measurement, the largest size in the McCall pattern would have been more appropriate. That measurement was noted to be 46 inches. I am 39.????????? There is not much difference between my waist and hip measurement-only 5 inches so waist line on McCall's would have been snug as well.

PMB has some limitations with style. For example, the McCall's dress has several neckline tucks. My choice with PM is one neckline dart. You can go into the editor function and move darts around and adjust their size. I could not get the tutorial part of the program to work yesterday so I kept messing up on this function.

Having traced the front bodice, I then overlaid this onto another piece of tracing paper. Using my Helen Armstrong Pattern Drafting book, I redrafted the neckline so I could have a cluster of darts, tucks or pleats. I wanted to do this because the neckline dart with PMB was just one and it was rather large; and I wanted to simulate the neckline from McCalls.

That is where I stopped yesterday. I want to move forward with morphing the patterns so I can out the dress pattern. I will also line the fabric I plan to use as it is wool and do not want wool against my skin. It definitely makes me itch.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Knit top and other sewing

This is the fabric, the animal skin knit, I am going to sew up next. This is similar to a slinky knit with a little more body. I am going to use Simplicity 3759 and will make the raglan sleeve with scooped and gathered neck. I wanted to make something that I think will be quick and easy.

I pin fitted the pattern this afternoon. I raised the neckline about an inch and did a FBA. In making the FBA, I closed up the resulting dart and moved the extra fullness to the neckline gathers.

I went through numerous patterns and sewing fabric that I had brought into my sewing room about two months ago. I decided that some fabrics were more transitional and will look to sew them in late February early March. Those were moved into another room where I store my fabric collection. I then matched up some of the remaining fabrics I kept in the sewing room with some patterns to become my next few projects.

I want to make this McCall's dress. I saw a grey dress at the local Macy's with black piping around the neckline. The skirt part had a black embroidered vines all over it. I have thought about making the dress up in a plaid that I also purchased from Mary Jo's when I acquired the knit fabric mentioned above. I am just not a plaid wearing person. I also acquired gray fabric so I have decide to use that for the dress. I also decided to use my Pattern Master Boutique program and drafted a pattern similar to this McCall's pattern. I did this with the intent of morphing the McCall's pattern to the PMB one so as to reduce a lot of tissue pattern adjustments.

As part of my sewing resolutions, I have taken new measurements with the hope of selecting a more appropriate pattern size for garments. Interestingly most measurements did not change significantly except for the hip measurement, which due to CURVES, I have toned up that area.

My plans tomorrow are to cut out the knit top and then work on morphing the McCall's dress pattern with the PMB one. I hope that I can get that one cut out as well.

Skirt is done!

I finished the Vogue skirt. It is always takes me forever to complete somethings because of the hand stitching things needed to be done. I just always hate that part. I had to sew the buttons on the tabs and then the hook and eye at the top of the zipper.

Here is a link to a few photos of the skirt. I put the skirt on AlmaMarie (dress form) and it looked bad on the form. AlmaMarie is a little fuller in the booty than I am (and used to be) so it was a little too snug for her. Made the skirt look like it was too little which is not the case.

I hope to wear it soon and will take a photo or two of me wearing it. I was just not dressed for that today!

Update on Sewing Resolutions/Goals

Remember this post just a few days ago!
http://danvillegirl.blogspot.com/2007/12/sewing-resolutions.html

Well five days into the new year and I have bought four new patterns. Shopping Spree
BUT! My staff gave me a VISA Debit Card as a Christmas present so I could buy whatever I want. Thus this pattern purchase and as well as a subscription to the new
BMV Club offered by Vogue/Butterick/McCalls was a gift! They are a thoughtful group of people, don't you think.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

January 1, 2008-Sewing stats

Awoke around 7:15, late for me. Drank some coffee, read a few emails. Went to my sewing room. Turned up hem on skirt and blind hemmed by machine. Lining hem was machine stitched. The only thing left to do is stitch facings to zipper, tack facing to various lining seams, and sew on hook and eye.

I also rewound yarns to continue my trim for jacket. When one yarn runs out, you have to rewind the bobbin and then tie on to where you ended. Or you can cut all yarns, tie knot on the wound trim and then start afresh. That is what I am going to do. Using five yards of yarns, yielded about 2 yard trim. I need another two yards at minimum.

I also pulled out some patterns that I am considering to sew next. I then vegged out all day!!!!! Now I am cooking dinner. Been a restful day.

August Sewing Simplicity 7295

 I am not doing well as a blogger. I have been working on this project since July 30. Today, I finally finished it. It has been a stop-and-g...