Saturday, October 28, 2017

2 Projects!

I finished cutting out the New Look dress pattern. I am making the view with the turtle neck.  The pattern calls for a 12 inch zipper. I don't normally do zippers with knits however this may be a little snug at the neckline and may be essential to getting the dress on and off.

I also decided to enter the plaid contest on Pattern Review.  Hopefully I will make the deadline.  To do so required me to finalize the pattern I wanted to use and I had several in mind.  I have been heavily influenced by this shirt on Soft Surroundings website.
Photo from Soft Surroundings posted on my Pinterest Top Board

My plaid fabric is a knit and I cannot find a shirt pattern for knit that looks similar.  I do have an OOP McCall's pattern that is a shirt pattern with a back yoke and I could modify the back piece to have a gathered back bodice.

However since time is an issue for me, I decided to go a different route but use the plaid and a floral fabric I bought with this inspiration in mind.  I am making a pattern I made previously that fits great and I get lots of compliments when wearing because of the style as well as the fabric color.


The plaid fabric is from Girl Charlie and it is a yellow and blue plaid.  I thought I had taken photos of it previously.  I am not finding it in my Fabric 2017 purchase as I bought it a couple of months ago.  I normally take photos of new fabric soon after purchasing.  I will post something later.  The floral print contains the same yellow and blue colors.

I have cut out the front piece for this pattern trying to carefully align the plaid for the front.  I don't normally sew plaid and have not been a fan of plaid.  Yet everywhere I shop and see online is a lot of plaid. So it has grown on me.  I will have to work on matching the sleeves; another reason I don't sew plaid as it takes some maneuvering to align.

Updates later.

Monday, October 23, 2017

New Project

The past couple of weeks at work along with DH's recent rotary cuff surgery has left me with little time for me time.  From Oct.18-20, I was involved in a three days accreditation review of our organization with the final day being Friday and we had our exit interview.  So some stress has ended and I found myself sleeping the best sleep in weeks Friday night.  I normally get up around 7 or 7:30 on Saturdays and this Saturday I slept until 8:30.  I felt very rested.

After my big fail with the recent project, my next project is New Look 6469.  Several staff have come to work in dresses similar to this one and I think it will look good with tights and booties or boots for fall.

The fabric I plan to use is the floral print, a brushed poly knit, from Cali Fabrics.


I pin fitted the pattern and made some adjustments.  I am ready to cut out the fabric and had planned to do so on Saturday after grocery shopping.  When I got home my lower back was hurting; I was aware on Friday that my lower back felt funny.  By the time I went to bed Saturday, my pain was worst and I took a pain pill that caused a terrible reaction; realizing later that it contained codeine which causes me nausea and vomiting which it did.  The pain was worst Sunday and plus being ill I slept the day away and woke up still feeling awful. Today I took a sick day and I have now obtained a muscle relaxer from the doctor which is beginning to give me some relief and I should be able to return to work tomorrow.  

Unfortunately my lovely fabric is still not cut and sewing is again delayed.  Sometimes life just throws you some curve balls.  DH is still on the mend with some days better than others when it comes to shoulder pain.  Next week he is to schedule PT.  That should be fun!

Hoping to squeeze in a little sewing soon.  More to share later.




Monday, October 16, 2017

Out with the Old, In with the New

I decided it was time to buy a new rotary cutter.  My old one was okay; I tried an Olfa cutter with a different grip at a sewing retreat a few months ago.  I liked the feel of it so I decided to let the old one go!
Old Faithful
I could not decide on the size I should get and Nancy's Notions had a special sale so I took advantage of the and bought two.

I also purchased this Fiskars Easy Change Fabric Cutter Knife.  It comes with three different blades used for different purposes.



Lastly, I needed a new cutting mat.  The one I had was bent/warped and not usable.  This is a folding mat which when opened it truly lays flat.


Hoping for some sewing time soon!!! 



Sunday, October 15, 2017

Oh no!

I finally got some time to sew this weekend. I was at the point with Simplicity 8425 to install the invisible zipper. Installing the zipper was easy peasy, I love working with invisible zippers.

The issue, and I thought it was going to be an issue, was the bulk at the intersection of the collar. My fabric being scuba knit was rather thick and I was treating it as if it was a ponte knit. After you attach the collar, you then attach a front and back facing. So at that intersection you now have a thickness of the back fabric, two layers of collar fabric, plus facing. Nowhere in the instructions does it say to trim out this area. I however did trim out the thickness of the collar and the facings, before understitching the collar and interfacing, per instructions and my usual practice.. However there was still quite a bit of bulk in the area where the zipper was going to be. The instructions advises you after installing the invisible zipper to trim out the area under the zipper at the facing and collar. I did all of that.

Sewing the zipper in that area was not a problem. However when I went to pull up the zipper I could not get it to go past that area. I trimmed some more; and pressed, pressed and pressed. I used my handy clapper hoping to compress that thickness some more. That helped some. I then pulled the zipper tab.

And that is when the zipper split!!

It is not repairable. I cannot remove the zipper and install a new zipper, because underneath that top part of the zipper at the collar and the facing there is hardly any fabric to sew a new zipper to.

I was extremely unhappy about this outcome. Part of the problem is the fabric. I have some other scuba knit fabric in my stash that is not as thick as this. In sewing the darts, the dart point does not stay pressed well so you have that dreaded poof at the end of the dart. The other interesting thing about working with this fabric is that the blue faded onto my fingernails creating dark tips. This was a nagging clue about the quality of this fabric and whether in wearing it would fade on my undergarments.

So I am now trying to treat this as something learned as part of this sewing project. Because of numerous life situations going on around me, the failure of this project is very frustrating.

As I type this blog post, I find it cathartic in letting this one thing go and to think about moving on to my next project. More updates to follow.

Saturday, October 07, 2017

Sewing Interruptus!!!

I have not been able to do much sewing this week.  My DH had to have rotator cuff surgery to fix a bad shoulder that I could not ever talk him into doing a couple of years ago.  It was pretty bad at this point. Fortunately it was repairable.  Everyone I have talked to who have had this surgery or someone in their family has said it is very painful afterwards.  They were not kidding.

My DH's pain level on a scale of 1-to 10, with 10 being the worst, is about 18!  No pain tolerance at all.  The doctor visit and pre-admission ate up one full day last Monday. The surgery was Thursday and the procedure is laparoscopic.  While the nerve block and anesthesia were still there after spending 9 hours at the hospital, sometime during the early morning yesterday the nerve block wore off!

He was finally able to sleep last night as did I-YEAH!!!

I hope to go to sewing room sometime today and tomorrow, in between being a nurse; I really stink at being a nurse.  Bless all of you who are.  The nurses at the hospital were very caring of my husband and me.  I hope I don't turn into Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 

It was his right shoulder and he is right handed, so he is and will be facing some challenges doing the opposite of what he normally does. 

At work we have a critical three year review coming up that I am responsible for.  I may have to have a home care person in for a few hours during the upcoming weeks until this review is over.  This too shall pass!

OH!  Got to run, patient is calling!  Later!


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