Moving on to this next

After the wadder yesterday, this AM I spent time in my sewing room looking through fabrics I pulled for fall/winter sewing that I brought into the sewing room.  I decided it is time to sew a jacket.

I use to sew jackets a lot.  Then work styles changed and I began to sew more dresses.  Now because of an ongoing vein issue with my right leg, I wear pants a lot because of having to wear a compression stocking. Thus the reason of late for making so many tops to wear with pants.  So now it is time to make some jackets to wear for the cooler weather that will go with pants.

The fabric I will use is from Mood-an Italian wool blend. Purchased in 2013.

I will make this jacket from Butterick.

I began the pattern fitting process this afternoon. So far I have the two piece sleeves adjusted for length; width is good.  More fitting to do.  Updates later.

Mentoring event and V9024

As noted in my earlier post, I had an event to go to last night.  The perfect event for me to final wear Vogue 9024.  DH gave me high compliments on the dress and said "Alma would be impressed".  Alma was my grandmother who taught me to sew and from whom I got the sewing gene.

I was/am pleased with the fit of the dress with an exception of the back.  I posted a little about this during the sewing process with this dress.  It is apparent that there is still pooling in the back and I did not insert shoulder pads as I thought about doing.    Of late I have been doing almost an inch adjustment to back length on many patterns and when you viewing the back view in the picture I should have taken another 1/2 inch with this.  I can live with it as it is now.

So without further ado::::::

Front view-fabric Mood and Gorgeous Fabrics

Back view, with pooling

Left side view-princess seam

Right side view-waist and bust dart, peplum is attached at side seam

The temperatures last night were in the 20's so running from car to event center was not so bad with a lined mostly wool dress.

The event was a great success with over 100 individuals in attendance.  Staff did a great job of putting this together and was a honor to acknowledge mentors who give of their time and talents to support at-risk youth.

New fabric

Wednesday new fabric from Mood showed up in my mail box!  I got an email announcing 2 fabrics on sale for a particular day; for whatever reason I normally see this email a day late.  I guess it was meant to be.   One of the two fabrics for sale was an Italian Abstract Brown Wool fabric.  The price was right and I took advantage of the sale and also purchased lining fabric as well.  It has been awhile since I purchased any fabric from anyone.  This was a nice treat to myself.

Here is a close up view:

Several ideas floating around as to what this will become.  When I decide you will be one of the first to know.

What next?

I completed the Butterick skirt this AM.  Decided that I needed to do some culling out of sewing debris and went through a huge bag of patterns in my sewing room that I will either sell or give to Goodwill.

I want to make this Butterick jacket, the view at the bottom right.  I have enough of the tobacco/camel wool fabric as well as the black.  I am thinking of making the sleeves in black and the rest in the other color.  I want to wear the jacket with the new skirt; but I am thinking that just may be too much color blocking together.  I think that doing that I could still use the jacket with other black pants or skirts. 

I would really appreciate your feedback about this. Is it to much color blocking? Please take a moment to comment.  Thanks.

It’s almost a skirt

I had an opportunity to try on the skirt this evening after work.  I added the lining and prior to doing that, I had taken deeper side seams on both the skirt and lining. I may let out the seams a little as I am seeing some puckers.  Those could be where I need to press the seams again or perhaps not.

I thought I would take a few photos of how the skirt will look when finished.  I need to sew the front and back facings together and then attach to the skirt.  Then hem the lining and the fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made the decision to use a black exposed zipper.

I plan to make another skirt from this pattern but use one of the other views.  I think after that I will make some jackets.  Time for a new direction and a new sewing challenge.

Plans can go awry

My big plan for the weekend was to cut out and sew up Butterick 5556.  I woke up Saturday very ill.  I had some sinus issues which triggered an inner ear issue causing me some dizziness for most of the morning.  Taking some medication, going back to bed and sleeping several hours helped alleviate the problem.

Today I am much better and was able to cut out the skirt pattern.  I am using two wool pieces-wool gabardine.  One is labeled tobacco, a golden brown color.  The other is black. both are left over fabric pieces from other projects.  I am making the view that the model is wearing.  I also used the pattern pieces for the underskirt for another view to cut out lining fabric.  I always line wool.

Here is a shot of the front and side front pieces laying on the cutting table. The flash somewhat washed out the color of the tobacco wool fabric.  It is actually much darker than this.

I am not sure that I will get much more than this completed for today.  More updates later.

All but the snaps

The jacket is now complete except for sewing on the snaps.  I decided I wanted to try to cover them.  I need to practice this; so I need to pull up a couple of bookmarked blog postings that others have so nicely shared on how to do this. So for now taking breather.

Here are some photos of the completed jacket-front view

And front view with collar folded back-

And back view

Side view

with dart

 

 

 

 

This is inside front showing underlining.

My first jacket for 2011.  A nice and rather easy jacket to sew to start the Jacket a Month.

Updates from Roanoke

This past week was busy 4-day work week.  I did not do much in the way of sewing during the week, though always thinking about sewing related ideas.

I did celebrate my birthday on Wednesday-January 19.  I hit the big 60!   I can hardly believe it, but I along with many of my HS classmates are starting to celebrate this accomplishment.  My birthday present to myself was to buy some fabric, only I am currently waiting for feedback on an order as some of what I wanted to purchase may no longer be available.  Have no fear, I have a lot of other alternatives.

Yesterday AM I began the pattern fitting and adjustments for the McCall's jacket pattern that I am going to sew next.  This will use up all of the black/white wool fabric.  I actually finished the adjustments before having to get ready to go to Danville to have dinner with several of our HS classmates who also had or were celebrating turning 60 as well.  Great time of good food and fellowship.  We laughed a lot, which helps burn all those calories from the food and beverages we had.

This morning, I began the cutting out process of the jacket.  I am also going to add a lining to this, again because it is wool and want an extra fabric between me and wool.  It should be an easy jacket to make.  I am going with the shorter version, mainly because that is about all the fabric I have left. 

Off to fix some breakfast and then back to sewing.  More later.

Skirt is complete

The Simplicity skirt is complete and I wrote a review over at PR.  Next up is the McCall's jacket using the remaining black/white houndstooth fabric.  It really has been a nice piece of fabric to work with.

Here are some photos of the completed skirt

Close up of the ruffle edge on the skirt pocket.

Extended sewing time

I am enjoying my holiday off today.  I got to spend more uninterrupted time in my sewing room today-very productive time I admint.  I have completed my skirt except for the hemming and attaching a hook and eye at the waistband. 

I again used El's facing technique for an invisible zipper and actually stitched down the lining of the skirt to the zipper tape, making a more polished look than I cannot do with my hand stitching.  I will take some better photos of this later and post.

I am taking a much needed break now and going to take a shower.  I saw a pair of black pumps the other day and decided I am going to go shopping and hope they have them in my size.  My birthday present to myself, a couple of days early!!

This photo was taken with my Black Berry so not the greatest photo, but let's you see the completed skirt.  Strings hanging down are serger threads where I serge finished the skirt and lining hem edges.

Attaching contour waistband

I worked on the skirt pattern yesterday evening and completed the front portion.  I am trying something new, for me, using a technique I read in a past Threads’ article. 

I decided to attach the front contour waistband to the skirt front first.  Normally you stitch front and back skirt pieces together at side seams.  Then you stitch front and back waistband pieces together at side seams.  Once this is done you then attach the waistband to the skirt.

I used this new method for the front skirt lining as well.

Once I complete the back skirt darts and seams, I will attach the back waistband pieces also.  The result will be that the all side seams (skirt and waistband) can be sewn in one continuous seam.  This will allow me an opportunity to adjust the side seam in the waist and hip areas with out having to remove waist band stitches to then adjust if necessary. 

Normally I do fittings along the way and get the best fit.  With weight/body changes, some of my skirts made in the past two years, need adjusting for me to wear them again, needing to take up seams in most. This method would allow for more ease of altering.

Happy Thanksgiving-2010

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a good day.  I spent most of the day cooking and eating.  I was able to sneak in a few moments of sewing, working on the Vogue skirt pattern. 

Progress thus far:
1.Side back and back pieces sewn together.
2. Invisible zipper inserted
3. Cut out lining fabric as it is wool fabric for skirt and I like a lining with wool.
4. Back and side back lining pieces sewn.
5. Front and side front pieces attached at upper part of skirt per instructions.
6. Facing pieces interfaced and front and back facings sewn together.

Tomorrow we travel to Danville to see MIL and hopefully tomorrow evening I can complete the sewing of the front pieces.  Instructions are unique to the way the front pieces are to be attached, overlapped and gathered.

Drumroll please, it is complete

Here I am wearing the dress, using the mirror in the bathroom for taking the photo shots. I found red buttons!!! These have to be vintage as I have not bought red buttons in a couple of years.

I have mixed feelings about these sleeves. You can see how they hang when my arm is held down at side as in the first picture. Holding my arm out so you might be able to see the pleats at the hemline. I thought I should take a shot of my hand in the pocket. I like the pockets in this dress. I really like the fit of the dress and look forward to wearing it soon.

Wrinkles are present as it has not gotten it's final press. On to spring sewing next.

Almost complete

I attached the sleeves to the dress pattern upon returning home from visiting family. I only need to sew the hem for the lining and the dress fabric. I also need to sew three buttons on the front placket. I have various black buttons to choose from. I wish I had some red buttons but I don't and have not seen any at JoAnn's or another store in the area. I will use the black and if the right red comes along I can always change them.

I am very happy with the look of this dress. After inserting the sleeves, I tried on the dress one more time. The exposed zipper was 14 or 16 inches long and the dress called for 22 inch zipper. It is a little snug pulling the dress over my head due to shorter zipper length; yet I like the look of the exposed zipper in the back. I can live with this.

I decided not to attach black tabs on the front/side front above the pockets as I think this will add a separating point when you view the dress. I like the black piping at the pocket edge and I think that is enough of black. Hope to show you photos tomorrow.

Work in Progress

I wanted to show you progress on my dress. No, I did not finish it yesterday as I wanted to; life gets in the way of my sewing a lot lately.

Here is the lining for the front and back. Here is the back of the dress with exposed zipper.
The sleeve which I lined before attaching to dress. And here is the sleeve pinned at shoulder dress so you can visualize how it will look when completed.

I am really pleased with dress so far. I now have to decide whether to have the tabs at side front or not. They were cut out of the black material. Perhaps the black piping at pockets is enough.

Simplicity 2798 Red and black progression

This is the front of the dress pinned to AlmaMarie. Piping at pocket edge and yoke edge.
Closeup of yoke with piping and pinned placket to center front. I think this will be a nice addition.
View of the pocket with piping topstitched to edge.
Side view pinned on Alma Marie

Red and Black

I am so pleased with the progress I am making on the red and black dress. The wool gabardine is such a joy to sew with; the red I am using is what I call "my red". It is warm red color, reds with blue undertones do not suit me as well. It is a tomato red.

I have sewn the front pieces together which includes front pocket. I topstiched black piping onto the edge of the pocket. I think it will prove to be a nice design touch with the black wool gabardine yoke. Both pieces were purchased over two years ago from Fabric.mart.

More information later.

Finally, some photos

Here is the Butterick dress on AlmaMarie. I don't like the look of the back view in this photo, simply because AlmaMarie is a little bigger than I am now and the zipper is exposed. When I wear the dress, the back being less snug on me, the zipper is not so exposed. The last photo shows the lining at the shoulder and armscye area.

I cut out the dress fabric for the new Simplicity dress yesterday evening. I will cut out the lining fabric this AM and hope to get some sewing started on the dress today. I picked up some zippers, thread, hook and eyes and ,of course, a Simplicity skirt pattern since it was on sale for

$1 at JoAnn's yesterday. Updates later.

Heading to the finish line

The Butterick dress is almost complete. I had to take up all the seams-isn't that why we all like princess style garments, so many fitting opportunities. It fits very well now.

I have one dislike with the dress; the underarm is lower than I would like. In adjusting the pattern I raised it 1/2 inch which usually suffices for all sleeveless type dresses/blouses I make. Not so with this one. I will wear a jacket with it, so it will not be noticeable to anyone. I may slip a foam shoulder pad in and see how that works. I don't use shoulder pads as much as I use to.

I only need to hem the dress, the lining and insert a hook and eye above the zipper. I have two jackets that will go with this dress; one I made years ago and the other is a Kasper jacket purchased at a Kasper outlet store in Hagerstown, MD. I thought I was going to have enough of this fabric to make a jacket; if I could squeeze out a jacket from this it would need to be a bolero style.

I think my next project is going to be this Project Runway Simplicity dress. I made a dress this past summer from this pattern and it fit very well..

I have some red wool gabardine fabric and some black gabardine left over from a previous project. I keep seeing black and red suits as well as dresses in local stores. My plan is make the dress in red with yoke in black with a black band at the hemline. I am thinking of adding sleeves to this one, though sleeveless is still an option. I think I may use the red for the sleeves and again black for the sleeve band.

Stopped snowing, still sewing

I cannot believe how much snow we got again from this recent storm. They were predicting 6 inches, we got over 12. It was still snowing at midnight, though it had stopped for awhile. It always looks pretty but it is a bear to deal with the next day or two.

Great progress on the dress. Lining is complete as well as most of the dress fabric is complete. I like to make the lining first so I can tweak it to then transfer those changes to the fabric. Not a lot of changes necessary. I took deeper seam in upper chest and from under the bust down to hem on the front princess seams. I also took deeper seams in the back from upper back to waist.

The neckline is rather high, so I plan to scoop that out by about 1/2 inch before attaching the lining. I am not overly happy with the zipper I need to use. I just could not find a zipper that matched the fabric as well as I would like. Since it is an invisible zipper I am not over concerned.

I think this will be completed today. I know some time has to be spent helping DH shovel snow so I can go to work tomorrow. Hope to have some photos to show later. Off to sew.