Almost but not quite

I have trouble sleeping some nights! Usually I wake up and make lists or try to solve problems for work related issues or opportunities. Of course, I can't normally do anything about it at 2:00 in the morning.

Last night I woke up and decided I need to reduce the collar on my jacket I am about to complete. I then thought on this for at least 30 minutes before going back to sleep. The collar and the neckline area on this jacket has been bugging me for a couple of days. The pattern envelope does not show the jacket style I am making made up; only a drawing. The drawing looks different than my reality.

Here is the pattern. I am making the jacket that looks like the one with roses on it.

Here is a photo of the collar before I cut off 1/2 inch this morning.

Reducing the height has helped but the collar is still going to stand away from my neck. It is an okay look, similar to another jacket reviewed several times on Pattern Review, which is a Vogue or McCall's pattern. It is just not what I thought it was going to be when I started the project. I think it will make it look a little nicer on a smaller neck. The next photos show the front and the back of the jacket, again before I reduced the collar height.


I used Peggy Sager's technique of using tie interfacing to create a sleeve head. This also aids in easing the sleeve cap for easier insertion into the armscye. I did add a small shoulder pad as well. I like shoulder pads in jackets. From the model photo on pattern envelope I believe that the jacket worn has them; yet the pattern envelope does not call for them either under notions nor references them in the sewing instructions.

I have attached the lining unit to the jacket. I decided to break it down into steps. First I sewed the lining neckline to the jacket neckline. I have sewn one front edge and facing with lining. I had to stop at that point.

What's left:

1. Sew the other front edge to facing/lining.
2. Sew the hem to the lining, using the bag it method.
3. Sew the sleeve hem to sleeve lining hem.
4. Turn inside out, press.
5. Acquire buttons, make buttonholes, sew buttons.
6. Done, ready to wear.
   

Another update

Sleeves are in the lining unit. I removed about 1/4 inch in the front armscye area of the bodice.

I still have concerns about the back riding forward. I normally don't have this problem and I am just not sure why it is doing this. I pinned in shoulder pads after inserting sleeves and this helped some. I have concerns that the jacket is going to stand away from my neck after I attach the collar. I am not at that point at this time but just looking how the neckline lays makes me think that the neckline is somewhat wide.

More later.

Progress-Slow but Sure

I have inserted one sleeve into the lining unit. The other sleeve is pinned in. Again work is consuming more of my time than I like but as I have said before it is that work that supports my sewing habit. I hope to get a little time in the AM prior to work to insert the other sleeve. I will then be ready to work on the jacket unit.

I tweaked the lining a little before inserting sleeve. The back was a little full and stood away from my lower back more than I liked. I took a deeper seam through the side back seam allowance which helped tremendously. I am a little concerned as the back seems to ride forward more than I thought it should at the upper back. I am not sure if that is due to not having shoulder pads pinned in at the time or if it is because the front facings are a heavier material than the lining fabric. I wish I had a photo to post, so someone reading this could give me some feedback on this. If you have thoughts about what could be causing this, please leave a comment; I truly appreciate feedback.

NL6619 is becoming a reality

Thursday and Friday evening I completed the pattern adjustments so I could cut out the jacket pattern. Yesterday morning I was able to cut out most of the jacket and finished that process last night by cutting out the lining which I also had in my stash.

In looking at the fabric I realized that it had a specific pattern that imitated a stripe that would run horizontal if cut on the lengthwise grain. Horizontal stripes or patterns will make one look wider. I don't want that look for this jacket. Here is a photo of what I am describing.Sorry that the photo is not true to color and a little on the fuzzy side.

Hopefully you can see how the pattern seems to be running left to right.

I decided to cut the pattern on the crosswise grain thus the pattern would run lengthwise. Here is a photo of that look. The colors in this photo are truer to the actual fabric color. I took this without a flash. As I have said photography is not something I do well.

I began sewing this jacket this morning. Over at PR several reviewers have noted that they sew the lining unit first allowing them to tweak the fit before actually sewing the jacket. I thought that is a good technique, so I am sewing the lining unit first.

I will report later on my further progress of this jacket.

T-Shirt Embroidered

Last weekend I mentioned embroiderying a t-shirt. I thought I would post a photo of it. The shiny part is the water soluable clear stabilizer placed on top of the t-shirt to allow the embroidery threads to stand up on top of the knit, not sink down into it. I have not yet washed the t-shirt to remove the stabilizer.

I want to add some other embroidery at the hemline. I edited a design to use at the bottom. I can transfer the design to another embroidery format and then can use my embrodiery only machine while I continue to sew my New Look 6619 jacket.

Fabric for NL6619

Here is the fabric I am going to use to make the New Look jacket. It is 100% acrylic, soft olive tapestry. I purchased this from Fabric.Com around Septemberish. I got it at a very reduced price, during one of their "gambler deals".

This photo makes the fabric look a little dull but the greens and browns, with touch of teal is really very sharp and crisp looking. I think that I have lining fabric in my stash to go with this.

I have not purchased fabric since before Christmas. I have been so tempted but really trying not to buy anything at this time. My DH's work hours have been sporadic since Christmas so I am trying to keep us on a tight budget.

Having the fabric stash contest at PR has been helpful as well. I never ever win those contests and only participate in a few, usually the fabric and pattern stash ones. Since the contest started I have sew up about 8 yards of fabric. No telling really what amount I have in my stash now. I have been cataloging patterns and some fabrics in my Stitch and Stash software program. I have a lot more of both to go.

Here's one more

I'm a Lamborghini Murcielago!

You're not subtle, but you don't want to be. Fast, loud, and dramatic, you want people to notice you, and then get out of the way. In a world full of sheep, you're a raging bull.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Not sure that I really agree with all of this! But it is a great car!

Another Personality Test from AS

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 51%
Lifer: 33%
Mandarin: 46%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

What does your name mean?

What Linda Means

L is for Loving I is for Impassioned N is for Normal D is for Devious A is for Alert

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyournamemeanquiz/">What Does Your Name Mean?

Saw this on Newman's Needle blog. Thought it was interesting.

Next on list is New Look Jacket

Yesterday I spent time cleaning in the sewing room. I still need to do more. I then went through fabric I had in sewing room to decide what I wanted to do next. I had a soft tapestry fabric that I purchased from Fabric.com many months ago. It was during one of their sales. It is lovely shade of brown and green, with a little teal thrown in when you look at it from the other side. It was one of those fabrics that either side can be used.

I then pulled out New Look 6619 and decided I am going to make version C. While trimming around the pattern pieces, I decided to embroider a T-shirt that was in my sewing room from spring or summer that I had plans on embroidering before, but never got around to it. I used two of the embroidery designs that resides on my sewing machine. Thus while machine was embroidering I was cutting out the pattern pieces and pin fitting the pattern.

There are the usual adjustments to be made-- FSA, swayback and I will need about 1 3/8 FBA. I need to pin fit the sleeves next. I usually have to shorten sleeves on almost all patterns.

I will post photos of the fabric soon.

Blouse is complete!

I just completed a review of my blouse at Pattern Review. I am not going to write much more about it here. You have read my previous posts. Go to side bar and click on My Pattern Reviews if you want to go to PR to read it.

Here are a few photos of the completed blouse.

Some progress

I have not been able to sew much this week. I did redo the shoulders on my blouse, attempting to make a small adjustment for forward shoulder. I did sew the side seams also. The tie was completed last weekend, I just need to attach to the back neckline. This will be followed by the facing. Then hem the sleeves and blouse hemline.

I am not sure what I want to do next. I have several projects listed but can't decide what I really want to work on next. I will make something from stash.

I have not purchased any fabric since before Christmas! I have been truly tempted but have restrained myself thus far. Though I was just browsing EOS and Fashion Fabrics. I am still tempted to buy patterns. Just purchased the SW Inventor Shirt through PR. I also acquired for free a pattern at our ASG meeting last night. It was a Great Copy pattern of three simple dresses.

Response to blouse comments

Debbie Cook, Stitches and Seams, commented on my recent blouse posting. I have to admit I was surprised and pleased that she asked about how I did the FBA on the blouse.

My surprise was simply what I know about FBA's I learned from reading and digesting Fit For Real People and Debbie Cook's great FBA tutorial on PR and her site. So Debbie, my FBA actually came to me because of a FBA you did on an empire style top and posted for people to see. Also from looking at FFRP pages on FBA's, I found one that focused on a FBA on a kimono style top.

Because the sleeves on the side front are similar to the kimono style top, I did the FBA on the front side piece only. Two photos follow showing the adjustment I made. After adding about 1 1/2 inches, the resulting side dart was closed and I then kept the added fullness at the bottom of the piece because I knew I needed to also add width at the waist area also. I then adjusted the front piece which you can see I cut the bottom part of the front piece and added the red paper to somewhat match up with the adjustment on the side front. ( Hope that made sense, the photos should help.)

So hope this is helpful to all. Thanks Debbie for asking and thanks for sharing your knowledge with others like me. It certainly helped me in making this blouse more successful.

Blouse Progress

Here are photos of my blouse in progress. Not much left to do. I did not do a FSA and should have. I am going to try to restitch the shoulder seams hoping to reduce the pull to the back. I don't have any idea why I did not do this adjustment. I kept thinking about it and made note of it but did not do it. I will live without it but the fit would have been much better with it.

All I have left to do is attach the tie collar; stitch buttonhole for tie to go through or don't and use some sort of other attachment; applying front and back facing and determine how what kind of hem technique to use for sleeves and blouse hemline. Let me say it was a good thing I added the two inches to the length.

I am trying to show the topstitching in photo below. Also the way the center front attaches to the side front. I know there was an easier way of attaching this but I followed the instructions. Per those you had to turn under the seam allowance on center front piece, clip curve so that area would lie smooth, then overlay this piece to side front by aligning the seam allowance on side front with turned under edge of center front. Then I pinned and topstitched in place.

This is a view of the back. I added a center back seam, pattern had this on fold. I wanted this seam allowance to control upper round back and swayback adjustments. The center back and side back seams were completed like the fronts.

Blouse is coming along!

I am making good progress on my blouse today. I read through the instructions and found some of the sewing procedures to be unusual. This a replica of a 1928 blouse and was written in French originially. The attachment of the front side to center front and back side to center back require turning under seams in one area, basting, then laying that piece over the the seam allowance of the side front or side back and topstitching together.

I thought of another way of doing this that probably would have been faster; but I wanted to attempt this sewing process as directed in the instructions.

I have completed sewing side fronts to front and side backs to back. I added a center back seam allowance to this pattern. I decided to stop at the point of sewing the center back seam. Time for a break.

Here is a shot of the blouse and the fabric I am using. I will post more photos of the blouse progression later.