Designs and new techniques, good grief

So, this is what Fun with Sewing & Maths is about for me. The push for me to think beyond following a pattern and adding my own touches to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is repeat of the pattern used for project 5 (slippy fabric mutter mutter), I made the dress length and increased the amount of gathers on the sleeve. The fabric was from stash and was originally purchased at the rather lovely www.eternalmaker.com. When made it was a bit of a vast expanse of green as it was being made up. My sister-in-law made a comment about some nice ribbon, which I seized on and have added this at the empire line and sleeves.

 

 

 

 

 

This required a large amount of small top stitching and I am very pleased with my the final effect and my increased ability with the sewing machine.

The dress still lacked a certain something,so after much debate with brooches and bows, I decided to to add some appliqué in the form of a leaf. I decided against a loose addition as it needs to survive the laundry and being washed etc.

I had never undertaken appliqué before, so I had a practice to find the correct stitch and having tacked the ribbon into place to within an inch of it’s life, stitched the ribbon into place,. I am really happy with the overall effect and am already thinking about a larger appliqué project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So overall a success and I really enjoyed wearing this.

PPG was £10 per metre for fabric (2.8 metres), lining was approx £3.50, ribbon and threads £6.23 total = £37.73. This took approx 7 hours to complete.

Other news;

My knitting last week didn’t really take off. This is somewhat surprising giving my history as a knitter. I shall persevere.

Suze is still here and sewing, some technical difficulties have caused a hiatus in blogging, but she has finished some lovely things……

Sarah

xxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project 5 – I really don’t like slippy fabric

So, the title pretty much says it all. This has been a tale of tacking in very small stitches and lots of muttering. Another thing I found with this rayon was that I had to hold it very firmly when sewing or it tended to skip stitches, and several seams had to be re-done (very annoying).

Thanks for your comments on the overlocker. Suze has very kindly offered to let me go round and use hers as a trial.  I do think that when not sewing with cotton or wool, there is definitely a place for an overlocker in the finishing of seams. This top is unlined and I have used my trusty pinking shears, but time will tell about seam finishing and fraying.

 

The pattern adjustment from the pattern / toile is that the pattern calls for a strip of elastic on the shoulder, these are raglan sleeves. This just looked odd, so I shortened the sleeve facing by an inch and gathered the sleeves (the front and back are gathered at the neck line). I do like the cut and fit, I am really warming up to the zip as side as opposed to the back.

Next time I make this, I will take another inch from the sleeve facing to make the neck less wide. Another adjustment I would make is that the facing round the neck was quite shallow, so I would make this deeper as I had the secure the facing to the seam to stop it flapping up.

On a positive note, the fabric was only £1.25 a meter (thank heaven for sales), fabric was £1.88 plus 54p for zip. the fabric for the toile was £3.50, so PPG was a fantastic £5.92 and it took 7 hours (including making the toile).

 

Next week is half term so the room with the sewing things is hosting visiting mums as childcare, so I will be doing one of the non-sewing projects and will be knitting.

Sarah

Project 1 is back (da dah!!)

Hi,

So, this week has been spent putting new tape on curtains for my neighbour, and returning to dress 1 with the correct fabric. It is now finished and I really really like it.

It was a bit of a labour of love, with lots of unpicking, and I did return to the darts which gives a better fit.

The PPG is now quite high for this dress and it probably took another 5 hours in terms of unpicking and re-doing.

Mr Sarah has helpfully pointed out that I now have 10% complete, so I must work out to to put some graphs in on The Maths tab.

So, what next? I had an impulse buy of a lovely book at Christmas called “Sew Serendipity” which had lots of lovely tops, dresses, jackets and skirts in styles I like. aside from cooing over the photos inside, one of the attractions was the clothes were modelled on women who actually have boobs, so I was more confident that the patterns would fit, or only need minimal alteration.

So, to kick start I have taken measurements and been busy making toiles for a tunic,

and a jacket, although I confess to just making the hip length version in a toile

 

I’m also considering branching out my fabric choices. Dear reader, I love printed cotton, the fabric and lovely prints just call to me, however, part of this challenge for me was to push myself to try new things, so have bought some printed rayon and I am feeling brave.

Suze wore her dress 1 to work the other day, it is really lovely and the seams were beautiful, so I am now wondering (read that as – checking bank balances to see what can be shifted) if an over-locker is the way to go.

Do any one of you have one? is it worth it?

Sarah xxxxx

The sewing red mist has descended…

Today can largely be summarised by sharing with our readers a conversation which occurred via text message between Sarah and I this evening:

Suze: If I EVER say to you: “I think my next FWSAM garment is going to be a stripey, bias cut dress”, please – I implore you – kill me.

Sarah: Seems a bit harsh, as you are clearly suffering already, but OK.  Have unpicked and redone skirt 4 to fit and blogged it.  Have unpicked dress 1 to re-make bodice and sleeves.  Also, neighbour knocked on door and asked me to re-do her curtain tape.  We did say sewing insanity, didn’t we?

Suze: Am going to have to spend the whole evening basting.  BY HAND.  HAND BASTING and matching stripes on slippery, stretchy, spawn of satan fabric.  Weep.

Suze (again): Oh, and I’ve had to UNDERLINE it thanks to spawn of satan fabric. F*** it, am going in the bath with wine.

As you may have gathered, readers, I am somewhat challenged in the calm department today. I spent 4 1/2 hours (yes, really) cutting out my next dress – which has to be finished by next Saturday, by the way – and I now have grave reservations about whether my fabric choice can cope with the design.  Watch this space…

Apologies also for my blogging radio silence this week – due mostly to tax return deadlines and thank you cards which need to be written after my recent wedding.  But I do have things to show you – photos to follow of my sorbetto blouse (which I adore) and a toile of my jacket (which took much adjustment but will be worth all the work I think).  These will follow as soon as my bout of behaving like an Orc has passed and I am less likely to scowl at the camera…

Until tomorrow, readers!

Suze x

My new best friend, project 4 and other news

Hi,

So project 4 is finished, a skirt in a fabric I love, a black woven wool with white embroidered flowers. I made a dress from the fabric last year and had enough stash left for this skirt.

So, (moving on from the dreadful photo, I must improve these, but this a blog about sewing, not photography) the pattern is a free PRIMA pattern from 2004.  which has a deep waistband and a pleated skirt. So off we go!

Dear reader, as a sewer you need to measure against a new pattern, I did this and my waist and hips were larger than the size stated on the back the pattern (more on this in a later post), so I worked out how much to increase the waist and hips by to fit.

Skirt cut out, pattern followed and all made up. The shirt pattern came in 2 length, the short length was at thigh level and this is not for me, so I cut the longer length, but it was really an unflattering mid calf length, so I got out my trusty hem measurer (A gift from my lovely friend Laura).

(For the uninitiated, you set the height from the floor and puff chalk onto the fabric at the right length, genius)

and Voila!, skirt made. I tried it on and it was loose around the waits and hips, BY THE SAME AMOUNT I HAS I INCREASED THE SKIRT BY (arrgghhh). I wore the skirt, it wasn’t hanging off, but really reader, I could go to the shops and buy clothes that don’t fit properly, the point of this is to make things that fit.

I showed Suze, she looked at me, (no dear readers, this isn’t a bizarre sewing diet “Make your own clothes and the weight falls off”), the pattern isn’t always the correct size to the measurement and I should measure the pattern pieces too. Whilst being annoyed at about this, I really can’t help think that many things would be better if all sizes were standardised for everything.

So, I worked out how much I needed to reduce by at the waist and hips and meet my new best friend

The stitch unpicker………we have spent a happy hour together unpicking the top stitching and the waistband to re-sew the seam to the correct size, being carefully not to rip the fabric, this is a bitter lesson I have learned before.

So, the skirt fits and I still like it, lesson learned on pattern measuring. Another improvement for me on this was that I sewed the lining to the zip as part of the zip attachments, I had previously hand sewed linings to the zip. This took a large amount of; tacking the zip in place using the fabric and once the fabric and lining together had been sewed together tacking the lining to the zip before sewing. A bit fiddly, but a pleasing effect, and one I will try to keep up.

Cost for this was £11.70 for fabric and lining and 50p for a zip. I did completely trash 2 needles whilst top stitching and these are about 50p each. PPG was £13.20 and the time was just under 8 hours (including the unpicking)

In other news;

1. A lady who lives 2 doors down knocked on the door last night and asked if I’d sort out her curtain tape. (the sewing machine is in the front room downstairs and she had seen me working at it). I said yes.

2. Fabric to sort out project 1 (remember the mis-matched burgundy?) has arrived. I just need to unpick the lining, zip collar, cuffs and bodice from skirt, thank goodness for my new best friend.

Sarah

The shirt for his back!

So project 3 is a shirt for my husband, he is modelling this under some duress, but seems happy enough (he couldn’t be coaxed into any “Man at BHS” poses).

This is the first shirt I have sewn for years and the pattern is McCall’s M6044. The fabric was picked by hubby and was a thick cotton, which looks good from a distance, but doesn’t stay ironed, thankfully the shirt style is quite casual.

So, the technical bits are that this was the first time I’d used my buttonhole foot for my machine. OMG! I am new to the era of buttonhole feet which  you set up and it does it all for you, I realise you are all reading this saying, “Yes, Sarah, we know!”, but a revelation to me and I shall embrace projects with buttonholes with more gusto in future.

The improvement I’d make is when I was cutting out the fabric, I used a “Frixion” pen to mark out all the tacking marks (there were lots of tacking marks) as these usually disappear with the iron. In this case dear reader, they did not disappear. From a distance it is not noticebale,but can be seen close up and, of course, I know its there.

So, total cost to this was £12 in fabric and £1.78 for button. It took me about 12 hours and there was lots of finishing in terms of hand sewing the collar band and buttons and lots of careful top stitching to make it look finished.

And, Husband likes it, so a result!

Sarah xxx

I have hairy seams!

No, this isn’t a euphemism for something sordid, and neither is it some sort of new sweary phrase which the kids are using these days…

I have, for the first time, tackled french seams!  However, my beautiful fabric is a pain in the a… somewhat challenging to work with, and frays like Billio!  So, despite having trimmed the frayed edges of the first stitching line before I sewed the second line of stitching, I have some fibres sticking out, and it looks for all the world as though they are growing hair!  Look:

Still, they are very neat otherwise (and I suspect the hairy seams are fixable), and french seams were absolutely the only option because this fabric is so very fine and frays so very badly.  They look pretty damn snazzy from the inside:

I’ve been painstakingly hand stitching some vintage lace trim on the front of my blouse, and I’ve decided that this needs to be bound on the edges with a contrast fabric – it looked too sedate with self-made bias binding.  So, I shall be out at the weekend hunting for some nice red binding to make the edges of the blouse pop.

Night all!

Suze x

This week, I have mostly…

…been making toiles!

Citing.

I now have three projects on the go.  I’m not entirely sure that this is an intelligent state of affairs, but there we are.

Project 1 is a lovely Sorbetto – the free downloadable pattern from Colette.  The toile came together very well, but I did need to alter the length and make a small sway back adjustment (for which I followed the excellent tutorial at pattern~scissors~cloth).  It has now been cut out in a very soft and lightweight cotton/silk mix:

Eagle-eyed readers will spot the Colette Sewing Manual open at the “make your own bias binding” page.  Ahem, I must confess to a bit of a fail in the making of my bias binding, mostly caused by my inability to see white tailor’s chalk (which is all I have – remember I said I never wear white?) on light coloured fabric.  Hmmm.  Project 1 will be completed after a trip to the sewing shop.  Soon, I promise!

Project 2 is a skirt – Vogue 1247.  Now.  I think this is going to be a salutory lesson in NOT CUTTING OUT PATTERNS WHILE UNWELL.  I was most ranty intrigued to discover this \/  when I tried on my toile (forgive the crappy photo – Mr Suze was elsewhere):

This is LESS THAN IDEAL

Yes.  That is an 8cm gap in the Centre Back. A little detective work reveals that I had a) cut the four back skirt panels two sizes too small and b) cut the waistband 1.5 sizes too small (don’t ask me how…).  I think the phrase here is “plonker”.  Or maybe “germ ridden”.  So, there is a lot of pattern reconstruction and grading to be done this weekend. Sigh.  The problems don’t end there.  In a slightly odd state of affairs, the skirt is far too large at the front on the hips, so I also need to pinch out quite a lot of the fullness on the hips.  A second toile beckons.  Watch this Space.

And Project 3?  Well, I am lucky enough to go to weekly sewing classes at the lovely Just Sew in Brighton.  For two hours every Monday evening I meet up with a lovely bunch, and have a nice stitch and a natter.  Classes are led by the lovely Melinda, who is a bit of a whizz, and we all take in our current project for help.  I decided that I need to be quite intelligent about my use of the resource that is my sewing class, so I’m going to tackle the more difficult projects I have in mind while at my classes.  Never one to be put off by a challenge, I am tackling a velvet jacket.  I’ve always wanted a velvet jacket, but I have never found one which didn’t seem a little frumpy or boxy.  Just as well I learned to sew, eh?

Here is the pattern on which my jacket will be based, another Vogue – 8543 this time:

I don’t like the bell sleeves, so I’ve altered the pattern to just have straight sleeves.  But I love the shape of the jacket, the collar and the fact that it looks classic and vintagey, without being too over the top.  It has a lovely peplum too, which unusually is only on the back of the jacket:

Yum!  I can’t wait to wear this one!  I’ve heard all the horror stories about velvet, and I am steadfastly ignoring them.  I’ll be fine.  I found some beautiful vintage velvet from (my new best friend) a guy who runs a vintage fabric, button and trim stall at a Brighton street market every Saturday.  It is a gorgeous midnight blue, and soft as you can imagine.  Very reasonable too, at only £4 per metre.  Yay!  Toile has been cut out and I’m going to try and get it stitched before next Monday so I can have some help from Melinda to make sure it fits really well.

So, no finished objects to share until tomorrow night, I’m afraid, but please don’t think I am lazing around!  I am drowning in a SEA of calico, I promise…

Suze x

Dress 2, Come on down

Well, this is much much better. A dress in grey printed jersey.

This started life as Burda 7828 which is a very versatile pattern,with long or cap sleeves and dress, top or tunic length. I had to increase the bodice length by 1 inch on the on the sleeve, front and back bodice and increased the length by 2 and a half inches so the dress hangs nicely.

The pattern calls for a faux wrap top with 1 front piece not sewn onto the skirt with a long tie meeting at the side. However, this just looked unsightly and very much like a faux wrap.So I cut 2 left sides and matched them both onto the skirt.

Again, there was a lot of cleavage on show, so I made (buy cutting and tacking in place) a triangle to act as a modesty protector. I just couldn’t face having to wear a vest top every time I wanted to leave the house.

The fabric is from Ditto http://dittofabrics.co.uk/ and was £7.99 a meter. I bought 2.7 metres (there is a little left for the scrap pile), the pattern I already and had and the thread was some great SYLKO cotton I inherited from my mum, who possibly inherited it from my grandmother. It was a really lovely feeling sewing with this, thinking about them both and wondering what they may have used the thread to sew. Overall PPG for this is £21.57 and it has taken me about 6 hours to complete (no lining, no zip only 7 pieces).

The downside is that Jersey can be difficult to sew and I don’t have an overlocker, so I just tackled everything (I usually do) with smaller stitches than my usual tacking which seemed to help. I have to concentrate to get enough tension in the fabric as it goes through the machine, but not so much the jersey is “over-stretched” and then sewn at that tension.

One thing I did try and I’ll write a longer piece when I’ve solved this is that for Christmas I got a rolled hem foot, which I tried on a spare piece of fabric as I thought this would make a bitter finish. I really struggled and found that the rolled hem foot and Jersey are not good friends, it may be different on an overlocker. It seemed to stretch the jersey to it’s full stretch and sew it there with no “bounce” to the fabric’s original size / shape and distorts the hem. I’m going to try several fabric types with the foot and let you know how I get on.

Sarah

xxxxx

(P.S. really relieved this dress isn’t a dogs dinner)

Stricken by the Lurg…

Eurgh.  Just eurgh.

After my first germ-free Christmas and New Year for (I kid you not) 7 years, I have succumbed to one of the worst colds I’ve ever had.  As I type, I am in bed, puffy and sore of face, red and be-vaselined of nose, hoarse of throat and generally grumpy of mood.  Still, the sewing must continue, because I have graphs to populate and targets to meet!

I think I mentioned before that I have made A LOT of dresses over the past 18 months, and no separates whatsoever.  So, I fully intend to drag myself out of bed this afternoon, via the medium of a dirty lemsip (max lemsip and shot of whisky, if you are wondering – could raise the blimmin’ DEAD) and go and make a start on a top.

I’m going to use the Sorbetto pattern – a free pattern available from Colette.  There are some beautiful versions kicking around on the internet – not least Mena’s 7 days of Sorbetto challenge, or Karen’s collection of 3 little beauties.  Whilst this isn’t a pattern which screams “January”, I do love a good cardigan, so I’m hoping that it will be useful for wearing to work all year round with a bit of clever layering.  I’ve bought a beautiful patterned silk mix from ditto fabrics in Brighton (where I live) to make this one.  Unusually for me it is an ivory colour, but has the most gorgeous delicate red pattern – I’m a bit in love.  I’ve also got some lovely vintage lace trim which I plan on using on this one.

I’ve also bought Vogue 1247 during one of the $3.99 pattern sales on the Vogue Patterns website.  Even with shipping from the US, if you get three patterns at a time during these sales, they work out SO much cheaper than buying them in the UK.  About £6 per pattern, compared to £12 – £18.  All good for the PPG.  Here is the pattern envelope picture:

I plan to make both the skirt and the top at some point, but the skirt is first on my list.  I have some beautiful bright blue wool leftover from a pervious project which is screaming to be made into this skirt.  I can imagine it over leggings or opaque tights with my new bright red Christmas boots.  Yummy.

So, germs permitting, these are my next two projects.  Now, where did I leave the Olbas Oil?

Suze x