Sewing tool

I unfortunately do not live in an area where I have a lot of places to buy buttons.  Over the years I have purchased buttons that appeal to me in colors that I think/know I will eventually use.  My button collection is no where near the level of my pattern/fabric collections--thank goodness!  I would have to move if so.

I bought a tool in November/December 2011 from Sew It Up website.  They were running a special and it was one of those impulse purchases. Scan forward a year plus and I find myself needing a button to go on a jacket and I cannot find the right blue button.  Thus I think that I will make a covered button and I realize that I have the perfect tool or think that I do.

I locate my i-Top tool that is still in the package and in the mailing envelope that it came in though it has been opened 'cause I did that when it arrived.  Also included with this package deal is snaps, buttons and badges that you cover with fabric or paper and turn them into usable objects.  I discover the perfect size button that I will cover with the jacket fabric and I am good to go.

Here is the i-Top tool

and a close up view

The left side (top area) is where you place the top part of the button.  The right side is where you will place a piece of the fabric you are going to use; you then press the tool together.  Fabric is now attached to button and the button is now in the right side of the tool.  You then turn the right part of the tool by lifting and turning toward you, cut off some of the excess fabric, then push remaining fabric over the underside of the button.  You then place the underside of the button (shank part) onto the left side of the tool, then turn the right side back and press the tool together until you hear a click.  You now have a perfect covered button. 

You pop the button out, easy to do as the pink pieces are sturdy, yet flexible rubber.

Here is a close up of the front and back sides of the button:

There is a nice set of tutorials at Imaginisce.  I assure you I am not affiliated with this company.  My impulse purchase has paid off and I see more covered buttons in my future as this is the easiest tool I have ever worked with to get this kind of result.  Off to sew a buttonhole and add the button.

Jacket with buttons

Work, work and no play makes me a little cranky! 

First I took my sewing machine in for general tune up and got it back on Wednesday.  Put the machine on sewing table and have not had an opportunity to go to the room and actually do anything sewing related since. 

So after dinner tonight, I spent time getting my machine back in place in the sewing table; and then cut open the buttonhole and sewed the button on the jacket.  I then decided to go with my design idea of sewing smaller buttons on the collar.  Here is a photo of the jacket with buttons.  In the photo I had not sewn the buttons on the collar, but you get the idea of what it is looking like.

Tomorrow, I will pin fit the NL dress pattern and move forward with getting the fabric cut out and begin the sewing process.  So looking forward to some sewing time. 

It's a jacket

The jacket is complete except for sewing on the button.  I am letting the Fray Block dry so I can cut out the buttonhole and then line up the placement for the button.

I was so happy that I had the perfect button(s) in my collection.  It is a beautiful green button with a gold ball sitting in the center of the button.  I also had two more of the same button in a smaller size, so I plan to attach those to the collar points as a decorative touch to the jacket.  The addition of these buttons will just be perfect with the dress as well.  I am really excited that I had those buttons, normally I get to this point and then have to go searching high and low to acquire the right button.

My sewing plans for today were a little ambitious giving the current need to rest my wrist/hand.  I did wear the brace today while sewing as much as possible. I covered it with a piece of dry cleaning bag to keep the Velcro from touching what it shouldn't while sewing.  But I began to feel the twinges and knew it was time to rest.

So I have not started on the fitting of the New Look pattern and probably will not get around to it today.

Tomorrow I take my sewing machine in for a general maintenance and should have it back on Tuesday.  I really hate being parted from any of my sewing equipment.  But I am sure it can use the tune-up. 

More later.

P.S.-thank you to those who recently enquired and purchased a few of the patterns I posted.  Thanks Mary for tip on covering the wrist brace.

Found buttons

I found two sets of buttons that I liked, not loved, but liked.  I completed the buttonholes and then wrist started aching so will do the buttons later.  I plan to sew them on with machine so should not create wrist pain. 

The skirt and fabric I had plan to make next will not work as I do not have enough of the fabric to make this particular skirt.  I do have enough to make another style.  So I need to decide whether to use the fabric and make another skirt; or use another fabric and make the Burda skirt.  I am thinking using the planned fabric and making another view of the recent Simplicity pattern.  Tomorrow I will decide.  Going to catch up on some other blogs now. 

Buttons

The Sencha blouse is complete except for buttonholes and buttons.  I have some beautiful blue buttons but not enough of the ones I wanted to use.  I think I got them at Hancock's when they were going out of business here in Roanoke several years ago now. 

My only close by source is JoAnn's Fabrics.  Hopefully when I go there today they will have just what I need. Another source is in Floyd but time to travel there is just not going to work at this moment.  If no luck at JoAnn's I may try online; that is hit and miss due to monitor colors not always being accurate. 

I am not sure what I want to work on next.  I think I want to make the Kay Unger dress; I am also thinking skirts and most particularly a BurdaStyle skirt in the September issue.  I have read several reviews about it on PR and the reviewer's blog. 

More later.

Success and what I did on my holiday

I got buttons for my jacket. I actually purchased several sets of various buttons from Schoolhouse Fabrics in Floyd, VA. Here is the buttons for my jacket.

I am not sure that the photo does it justice, but I was able to get enough for jacket front and cuffs. I really want to finish this project. With weather turning cooler here, this will be a nice jacket for the fall for work or casual.

I did not get away from Schoolhouse Fabrics without buying fabric as well. They had a beautiful pink,gray,black and a touch of pale yellow boucle fabric that called my name as soon as I walked into the room where this fabric was located. I also purchased trim for a Chanel type look. The photos I took of the trim did not turn out well so I will post something later.

I also purchased two shades of gray fabric to go with this boucle, one has a touch of lycra and is a light gray and the other is a polyester that is a steel gray color. Plus I purchased several yards of lining to have on hand; the colors were black, dark gray and light gray.

I also resumed working on the matte jersey Butterick top. I attached the neckband and then got stumped on how the pleated left front attaches to right front at neckline. I almost thought I was working on Burda pattern; but after staring at the drawings along with the instructions, I finally got it. By then I had to stop and pull out my laptop to take care of some work related issues due to my time crunch at the office tomorrow.

All in all my time off was a successful day.

What I am up to sewing wise

I topstitched the pockets to the BWOF jacket. I have decided I will not add the pocket flaps; I think there will be just too much activity in that area of the jacket and I don't want to draw too much attention at that waist line.



I looked through more of my buttons and either I have a nice match but only one to three of them. I thought about covered buttons and decided I am not wanting to do that. Unfortunately I do not have a great button source to go to locally. The closest place with a good variety of buttons is over an hour away. I am looking on line yet the colors on monitor are not necessarily a great match to fabric. I have a holiday coming up so I think I will be planning the hour drive to search for buttons.



Putting the jacket aside, I straightened up the sewing room and vacuumed the carpet. I then went through my fabric that I bought from the storage room to the sewing room and matched it up with patterns I want to sew. I am going with my current plan and will start to work on some knit tops first.



This is the first knit top pattern I am going to cut out and sew--I have adjusted the pattern for FBA and FSA. I am going to sew it up in blue floral knit fabric that has been in the stash for years. I am going to make the sleeveless top as I will only have enough fabric for that one. The next top from this pattern will be the one with 3/4 length sleeves.

Photo courtesy of Butterick Patterns website

New blue skirt

I am almost finished with the new blue skirt, a McCall's pattern. I am truly pleased with the fit. The front piece has tabs inserted at side seams and then are stitched to the front using buttons stitched through all layers.

I pinned down the tabs and then auditioned several navy blue buttons I had in collection. These are the buttons I decided to use.

And here is a close up:

I tried a new technique for stitching down the waist facing with the invisible back zipper. I recently read this blog post about facings. I thought I had bookmarked it; but when I got to that part of sewing my skirt I went to computer to pull it up to print it out. I could not find it. I did find this bookmark about facing and invisible zipper by Els at The Sewing Divas blog. I used Els technique on this one and it worked like a charm. I have now printed out Dawn's version and Els for future use. Both techniques yield a nice finished facing and no hand sewing!!!

Here is shot of my facing with invisible zipper. Not perfect. I stitched one side a little closer to zipper teeth than the other side. The zipper works and as noted above it is a nice finished facing.

I hand hemmed the skirt. Once buttons are stitched down, I will take shots of the finish garment.

I've got buttons!

I am so happy

I found more buttons. I went to JoAnn's near my office which is the other side of town if you lived here in Roanoke. I went straight to the buttons section and found more of the same buttons. I have to tell you that these buttons were off from my original ones; but they were not the red color of the other buttons that did not match the first two I that I had sewn onto the jacket previously. So I found two cards of the same color and yes that they matched up well with my fabric swatch so did a little happy dance and then bought them.

I sewed them onto the jacket last night. Here are two photos of the completed jacket. Forgive my goofy expression and the washed out look but Monday was another difficult day at the office.

AHHH! Da*)&*!!!!!!!!

Remember this post. You know I was soooo excited to find the right buttons, particularly since my local sources now are JoAnn's and Walmart. I completed the buttonholes yesterday, I finished hemming every thing this AM so the last hand sewing to do was the buttons.

The buttons come two to a card. I sewed on the first two, reached for the second pack, and pulled one button off. I then picked up needle and thread, put the first stitch in and then turned button over to pass the needle and thread through the shank. At this point I think, wow the underside of this button is really red, not like the other two. I turned it over and yes that button is simply a pretty red button but does not match the other two at all. I look at the other button left on the card and yes that is a pretty red button but does not match the first two.

I look at the card and it has the same batch number or button number as the first two. Everything is exactly alike on each button card. The buttons are not though.

I was so angry, upset, disappointed and wanted to yell. I couldn't believe that I did not notice this while at the store. AHHHHH!!!!
I want this jacket done, finished, complete. And yes I bought the only two cards of buttons left when I bought these a week ago. So, tomorrow I will go to the other JoAnn's in town and see if I can find something suitable or hopefully to match the first two! Geez.