Sewing Blurb for Saturday 7-21-07

Last night I continued working on both the embroidery project and the McCall's Jacket. I completed the embroidery work on the denim capris and will affix the crystals tomorrow.

I also pressed the collar pieces and topstitched the edges per instructions and basted the edges of collar together. I pinned the collar to the jacket. I am not liking the look of the collar. I was working on this part late last night and was a little tired. I did some grocery shopping after work and then had dinner with DH. By the time I got into sewing room it was around 9:30 and was starting to drag at that time.

I wanted to make some headway on both projects as I would not be able to sew much today. We went to Danville to deal with DH's family issues. Could I write a book on dysfunctional??? I want as this is a sewing blog!!!!!

Anyway we just returned home and I wanted to post something about sewing (or not). I may venture into the sewing room but I also want to watch a movie with DH.

Tweedly dee, Tweedly dum, tomorrow is another day!

20 Minutes to sew

Following dinner with DH, I spent some time in sewing room working on the jacket. I interfaced the collar pieces, trimmed the under collar pieces by 1/4 inch so collar will turn under better. I then stitched back collar to front collar pieces then attached upper to lower.

I then pressed the collar and pinned to neckline edge. I wanted to take a few moments to write a little on this blog and then I have to finish a document for work!!!

Hopefully I will sew a little each day so can get this project complete by the end of the week. I have several other projects percolating.

Multi projects

I did spend time on my jacket today and I also started an embroidery project that has been percolating for a number of weeks.

Here is the embroidery I did using my Janome 300E. The design was acquired from BFC-Creations. The designs were light stitches and then you add crystals using the Kandy Kane or similar wand to heat the crystals to be affixed to the cloth. This is still a work in progress.

Here are some shots of my jacket.

View of the front, all darts sewn in front and back. Band attached through front darts but not fully stitched down to jacket.

Close up view of front. I worked hard to get front pieces to line up when all is sewn and done.

Back view. Band was pinned to jacket.

I still may have some fitting adjustments to make so did not attached the band that runs from front dart all the way around to the other front dart on the opposing front piece. I had to reduce side seam allowance from 5/8 to 3/8 from waist to hip. This may be due to the fact that I lengthened the jacket and now it falls on a point on my back hip "fluff" that required a skotch more room. The front lining pieces' darts have been sewn.

This is great piece of fabric to work with. It is a cotton pique. Since I am lining the jacket, I decided not to serge finish the seams. The fabric is not raveling a lot so I find that I don't need this step in the process.

USPS Package

Nothing like a package from the postal service did help get your sewing mojo going again.

Though I have not been sewing as much I did some buying. More patterns of course, like I don't have a chest of drawers and plastic bins full of them now. But I didn't have these. I ordered several patterns from Nancy's Notions along with some embroidery cards and booklets. They arrived on Thursday but I attended our ASG meeting that night so did not have time to look at my treasures.

Friday AM before work I opened my package and was excited to see the patterns and other goodies. Just enough boost to get my to look at my fabric sitting on the cutting table ready to sew.

After grocery shopping last evening, I spent time on my jacket. As Shannon commented once you sew one seam you may decided to sew some more. Once I sewed one dart well I had to do them all! It felt good.

Today DH and I are going to Greensboro, NC to shop. There are a couple of sewing shops there and if I see one we will stop!!! I will be sewing tonight and tomorrow. It really feels good to be planning my next moves.

I am not sewing!

I just can't seem to get it in gear. I cut out a jacket pattern and it is on the sewing table staring back at me. I just can't get in there to sew.

The can't is I don't have the mojo to go; my time to devote to it is limited; doing other things that I have to do and a want to do. Sewing is just not making its way to the top.

I am thinking about it though. I am looking at fabrics, blogs, pattern reviews, etc. That time could be spent sewing, but........

Squeak!

I was able to cut out the jacket pattern(McCalls 5329) today. I used just about every inch of the fabric, squeaking by enough to be able to cut it out. If I had not lengthened the jacket by 1 1/4 inches at the waist and changing the front piece due to FBA, squeaking out the pattern may not have been necessary. The back collar piece required two cuts and the curved front part of the collar required four pieces be cut. I only had enough fabric for one full set. The second set I was able to use a coordinating yellow cotton broadcloth fabric that I had on hand and was a recent purchase from Fabric.com to use with a yellow eyelet piece of fabric. This solid yellow fabric will be the under collar.


I am making View B. I wanted the flounce or ruffle sleeve, not the cuffed one. One of the ruffles will be pieced. I simply lacked about 1/2 to 5/8 inches of having enough for the second ruffle cut. Because the fabric print is a one way print, if I had cut the ruffle on the cross grain it would have looked odd. I will be able to add this small amount at the seam allowance and this piece will be underneath so should not be all that noticeable. Just the dry cleaner and I will know!

I also cut out the lining using the pretty yellow China silk fabric I purchased on Friday from Schoolhouse Fabrics in Floyd, VA.

This is the jacket fabric and was purchased from Fabric Mart in 2005. Here is a close up of the fabric, it is a cotton pique. EOS or Sawyer Brooks had this fabric also at the time. Fabric Mart had the better price. I was able to buy this fabric and another piece at that time. I made a dress from the other fabric; the dress proved to not be a good style for me. Lovely fabric though. Dress is still in the closet!

McCall's Jacket

This jacket has required numerous pattern adjustments. I will persevere!!!!!

I had to adjust the front facing piece to match the raised neckline and then the tuck taken to assure it fits close in the upper chest area. I also had to adjust the collar pieces.

I have decided I am going to use the front pattern piece for the lining instead of the front lining piece. With the FBA I made to the front piece, I would need to make a FBA to the front lining as well as the facing piece also for it to work with jacket front. I don't think I have enough FBA patience to give at this time. Boy, I really like those B,C,D cup patterns by Simplicity and Silhouettes!

My idea is to use the front pattern piece, trace another one, then overlay the facing piece over this and then trim off the front edge, add 5/8 seam allowance to attach the now new front lining piece to the facing. I hope that makes sense; it does in my mind whether I described it well here is another thing.

I am a little concerned about the amount of fabric I have. It is going to be tight but I am going to "make it work" as Tim Gunn would say. I hope to have it all cut out by tomorrow and get sewing on it tomorrow as well. No grocery shopping tomorrow so gives me some more sewing room time.

Shopping

There is a small town outside of Roanoke, called Floyd. Interesting place, rather ecletic.

They have a fabric store called Schoolhouse Fabrics. They boast of having 3 floors of fabric. I have to say they cater to the quilt maker, the home dec sewist as well as the apparel sewist. Something for everyone. The top floor consists of three rooms one is home dec, one is fleece and cotton, the third is more fleece, wool and corduroy.

The second floor, which is the entrance area, consists of several rooms, as well as check out area and small alcove with sewing related books as well as knitting. There is one room that I would call craft room. One room is trims, buttons, threads, zippers, and various notions. They also sell McCall patterns. The room next to this one is mainly cotton fabrics for quilting and then there is another room with more quilting fabrics.

You then go down a few stairs to another level which makes this the first floor. One room has lots of fabric for the fashionista including knits, cottons, polyesters and various blends of fabric. There are some pretty good treasures here if you want to rummage through the aisle ways and the shelves of fabric. They have gotten better at putting similar fabrics together in one area.

When you go further back on this floor, you will find Ultrasuede and faux suede (polyester type). You also will find various bridal and prom/evening satins and taffeta. Also in this area is some great silk varieties as well as lace fabric and lace trims. You then come across the fabrics for lining and more solid silk fabrics for that evening/bridesmaids gowns.

They have a great variety of lining fabric. Hang loose, china silk and another polyester lining. By variety I also mean colors. There is no place local besides JoAnn's where one can get lining fabric. I needed some lining fabric for the jacket and the dress I am working on and since I was off today, I drove to Floyd, which is about 45 minutes away traveling on a windy and curving road where you pass such "hollows" as Cheek, Bent Mountain to name a few. You also pass some good ole fashion produce places with great fresh vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, onions, blackberries, and more.

I bought several yards of various color linings today-yellow for my jacket, pink for future projects, black for dress and future projects, as well as white and taupe.

I also purchased some buttons. I have a white jacket that use to go with a black skirt that I cannot tolerate wearing it anymore. I have worn the jacket with a black and white dress I have and it looks great with it. I need a white jacket to wear with my new sleeveless green/white dress. But black buttons don't work. Thus I bought some white buttons to replace the black and now the jacket is even more versatile. Makes the dress wearable quicker also.

Other purchases included some other colors of buttons to add to my meager button collection. Meager compared to my pattern and fabric collection; and thank goodness. I also purchased another hem gauge; mine get misplaced all the time.

When I returned to Roanoke I needed to do some grocery shopping so I can have a chore free Saturday again! Friday is becoming my new grocery shopping day, love the free time I have had on Saturdays the past few weeks. Once home, I unloaded my sewing goodies and finished the pattern alterations for my jacket. More on that later.

Palmer/Pletsch Method

Erica and Sigrid, I wanted to respond to your comments. Erica, the jacket book you referenced should show this FBA, since it is Patty Palmer book. I am using their FBA method from their book "Fit For Real People". It is really, IMHO, the best FBA method to use. The other method I like is what Sigrid mentioned which is Sandra Betzina's method found in her book Fast Fit. Both have worked for me.

I tried the Pivot/Slide method yesterday. My problem with that method is you are suppose to add to front and back piece. I have such a narrow back that it makes no sense to add to the back as I will have to reduce later. So I attempted to add to the front only. It just did not work well, nor did it fit after doing this.

I agree with you Erica, the reviews at PR indicated nothing about FBA's. May be if I used the 18 or 20 it would have been better. However sometimes when I go from a 14 upper chest (shoulder/neck,etc.) then to an 18 it just doesn't go well. So went with 16. I too have a D cup, so normally always requires a FBA.

Hope this helps.

My after 4th PSD

I am working on McCalls 5329. Believe you me, when I say working on it, I am fitting and refitting the pattern. I have made numerous pattern adjustments. I am going to have to make more than one of this jacket to justify all the time spent adjusting the pattern.

I read reviews at Pattern Review for this pattern. Everyone loves the jacket and several noted it was very low cut and will wear it with a cami or some top underneath. It is definitely low on me and I decided to redraft the neckline and raised it about 3/4 of an inch. I still may find it low but before it was so low that standing straight left nothing to one's imagination and if I bent over, well you get the picture!

I cut a 14 through shoulder tapering to 16 at bust. The 14 shoulder is very wide on me so will trim that down some. The 16 was to small in bust area, perhaps could have cut an 18, so did a FBA three times! First-used Pivot and Slide. Not a good adjustment for me. Second- used Palmer/Pletsch FBA method. I just did not adjust enough, so redid that and added another 5/8 inch. It fits now! The low cut neckline is going to have some gaps, so I took a tuck from neckline tapering to nothing at arm. Now I need to adjust the lapel and facing pieces to make this work also. I also did my forward shoulder adjustment and ended up making two sway back adjustments as well.

I had hoped to cut out another pattern and make those adjustments as well. Probably will not happen today. I have a ASG board meeting this evening and being the treasurer, I need to finish my treasurer's report. So will have to put pattern cutting, fitting, etc. aside until later.

At long last!

The dress is complete except for the hemming which I will do this evening. I had time now to take photos of the dress on Alma Marie so the hem is pinned up. If you have been reading my postings, you know that this has taken much more time than I anticipated. It is not necessarily the pattern as it was fitting the pattern. I will say that I am disappointed with the pocket insert. I ended up removing the pocket. I am going to research this as there has got to be a better way to insert an inseam pocket than this. I truly don't have experience with inseam pockets for dresses but can't be too different from skirts. Can it????

The pocket pattern for this dress is a square piece of fabric and it is one size fits all. If you are using a size 16 vs. size 14, then you know that the center front piece is going to be sized up from 14 to 16 or to 18 or to 20.....

The pocket does not get sized up. Thus when you attach the pocket and then the pocket lining to the front seams, there will be some pull. I really wanted the pocket as I have seen photos of similar dress on Celebs and models and think it is a nice touch, provided they lay correctly.

I am glad this is complete. This has wiped me out. I now have sewing block, meaning I don't know what I want to sew next. I do have three days off next week so I know I will come up with something. I have some other dresses I want to make. I also want to make a white jacket to wear with not only this dress but some other outfits, just need to decide on the pattern.

Here is the completed dress. Alma Marie is a little broader than me so some of the pulls you may see do not exist when I wear the dress.