Thank you Juliet! Skirt is 95% complete

I want to say "Thank You" to Juliet W. who responded to my request for help with the zipper issue I was having with my current skirt project. She suggested that I sew the point end of the dart where the zipper was to be inserted. This truly helped in getting rid of this strange pucker I had.

I had to redo the waistband attachment to my skirt as the skirt was a little tight through the tummy and high hip area in the back right below the waist band. To do this, I let out the right side dart and reduced the back darts sewing them in a curve to give a tad more room through the back hip area. I could have let out the center back seam as well but the fitting issues were in the areas noted.

I also had to cut out the side/back waistband piece adding an additional inch to that piece. This worked perfectly giving me the extra I need to have the turn at the side seam fastenings. I also cut off 2 additional inches from the skirt at the hem line. I really wanted a shorter skirt and even though I adjusted the pattern piece by 1.5 inches initially adding the waist band extended the length of the skirt.

I saw Summerset's beautiful striped dress on Sew Retro and then went to her blog site and read her great tutorial on using bias tape for hemming a full skirt. I plan to use this technique with this skirt. I am letting the skirt hang overnight to allow the front godet which is on bias to "grow" if it does. Attaching the bias and turning up small hem to stitch and added hook and eyes to side closure will be the final 5%.

1945 Skirt progress

I began working on my skirt last weekend. Did not do much with it during the week. It is "BUDGET" season at work and it gets hectic and time consuming. I feel for our accounting staff having to put up with us on developing a budget and not getting it all together on the first go around.

I digress. My point was that I just did not have the sewing feeling when I got home this week or had other places to be. So leaving work today, I came straight home. My DH had to work late, thus I got PST. I continue to work on my skirt.

The skirt side seams are not seams but a long dart. One dart is sewn the other is not and becomes the side opening. You insert a zipper or snap placket. I finally got the gist of what I needed to do with inserting the zipper which went in well. BUT!-you knew that was coming.
When you lap the zipper over the other side of the dart, it just does not lay right and of course there is no seam into which you have sewn the zipper.

I know, I know, it would help to see this but I have decided to stop sewing for now and did not take a picture. Anyway, it just does not lay quite flat, you have this little pucker at the zipper bottom. Keep in mind if you had not put a zipper there, it would be a dart.

I know I will think of something but did ask for some assistance from sewists at Sew Retro, thinking someone there may have made this. But if you are reading this here and you have sewn this skirt, leave a comment to where I can email you to discuss this sewing "opportunity".

More patterns from Hancock's

Yes, I know I have a lot of patterns. But not these! I got them for 60% off at Hancock's ongoing store closing.

No Sweat Easy Sew Butterfly Top and Skirt
No Sweat Easy Sew Geisha Girl Jacket, Pants and Shorts
Simplicity Knit Dress 3775
McCalls Sew News Jacket
Vogue Easy Options Dresses

Navy Shell Complete

Yeah! it is complete and here are the photos:
Front view of the shell

Close up of embroidery I did on my embroidery machine and then attached to neckline.

This was a quick and gratifying project. If I had not done the lace it would have been quicker. But I like what I did with this and will consider some other embroidery for future shells.

Tarot Card Test -Results- The World

You are the World
Completion, Good Reward.
The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.
The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.
What Tarot Card are You?Take the Test to Find Out.

Saturday sewing

I am working on the Shirley Adams/PMB shell. I started on it yesterday morning as I was off for Good Friday holiday. I decided that I was going to add some lace trim to the front neckline of the shell. Furthermore, I also decided that I would embroider the lace trim myself, using a design from Sadias Designs. I purchased the lace CD at ASG national conference in August of last year.

Because I did all of my grocery shopping yesterday I had all Saturday morning to sew. While I continued sewing on my shell, I had my Janome 300E embroidering the lace trim. The shell is ready for me to stitch the lace trim onto the front neckline. I have sewn up the side seams, but need to check the fit one more time. Then I will hem the top on the sewing machine.

I had thought about adding lace trim to the bottom. But I want to try doing that on another top and using a different method.

I will post photos later when garment is finished.

DH and I are going out to dinner and I need to finish getting dressed.

Jacket pattern

Click the link above (the posting title) to look at the Vogue pattern. Then look at this photo of the jacket from Chico's website. I see potential here!! Similar but yet different.

Then look at this jacket also from Chico's

Bargain shopping at Hancocks

Well the discounts continue as our local Hancocks prepares to go out of business!

Yesterday I went to Hancocks and found they had some buttons for sale for 5 cards of buttons for $1.00. I bought ten cards of course! Buttons are something I never seem to have enough of or the right shade of. Thus I purchased those that were unique in style and of colors that I knew I did not have. Their J&B buttons were 30% off but did not find any that truly said "buy me".

I of course also purchased a few more patterns at 60% off. I kept searching through fabrics and could not find any that I had to have. I have to say their fleece fabric is really disappearing, I always thought they had way to much of that and not enough of the fashion fabrics. Of course, fashion sewing appeals to me more than sewing fleece.

I will post some photos or link to site to show the patterns I just purchased.

Pattern Purchases

These are just a few of the patterns I purchased at Hancock's last week.

Me wearing New Look jacket

I normally don't like to post photos of myself. However, many of you here or at other sites encourage me to show my garments with me wearing them. So here goes, here are some photos of me wearing my New Look 6619 jacket. I really enjoyed wearing it the day I did. I got numerous compliments.

I thought I would have issues with the collar. But I really didn't.

Simplicity 4074 Complete!!!!

Yeah, it is complete! For a fairly simple pattern, it took me longer to complete.

Some of this was dyedue to fitting concerns and adjustments. Some had to do with sewing decisions made--hand sewing hem instead of stitching it as instructions indicated and not being able to get a satisfying blind hem stitch on this fabric with my machine. I really want a blind hemmer machine!!!!!! I have no place to put it in my already cramped sewing room.

The fabric is a buttermilk knit from EOS. Hand sewing the hem on the skirt and the top was time consuming. The knit is not forgiving and made hand stitching difficult.

I think the pattern was drafted more on the small size. I used 14 for shoulders and armscye, changing to 18 at bust and then tapering back to 16 from waist to hip on the top. I should have stayed with the 18 from bust down. I did make a FBA using Sandra Betzina technique for princess seams from her Fast Fit book. This worked well. I also adjusted the shoulders for forward shoulder. This required me to adjust the length of the tucks at the shoulders on the front piece. I ended up having to let out the 5/8 seam allowances at the side seams, front/front side seams and center back seam from the waist down. It was a little more snug than I like to wear. I ended up using a 3/8 seam allowance from waist down in the areas noted above. For the skirt I used 18 from waist then gradually changing to 16 near hips and down to hem. This worked great. I did shorten the skirt by 1 1/2 inches.

I love the feel of the fabric. I like the look of the outfit and it does fit me better than it appears to look on Alma Marie. The skirt is swishy when you walk and I like that. Here are some additional photos of the top.

Top-Front and Back

Shoulder tucks