I interrupt trouser sewing for a UFO

On By Sharon9 Comments

Last weekend my real life sewing buddies came around and assisted with the trouser fitting and tomorrow being a public holiday for us in Australia (Australia Day) I plan on transferring all the adjustments I have made to the muslin to the paper pattern and making up a new muslin which I will share with you soon.

In the meantime, I have completed a UFO that has been sitting in a drawer for the last 2 summers, a cute summer skirt.

This fabric was given to me by DS and it was a border piece across the width of the fabric.

To make the skirt:

  • I pinned the fabric on Isabel (my fitting double) to get the hip size
  • Cut the fabric with a 1.5cm seam allowance to create a centre back seam where I put in an invisible zip (one of the back seams is the selvedge edge).
  • I then put it back on Isabel and pinned out side darts to make the side seams which are 27cm or 11 inches long

  • Once I had sewn these in place I then added front and back waist darts so the waist would be snug.

This where it became a UFO, this was the first time that I had sewn with a stretch woven, so when I tried to do the waist treatment it simply frustrated me to the point that it got put aside.

At Christmas time when DS was visiting I decided it was time to get it back out and finish, as DS kindly reminded me that I have just about every colour in this skirt in a top to wear with it.

I had some poplin in my stash so I cut a facing and attached it the waistband with some twill tape to help it cup the waist, turned the facing over and stitched it all down.

I now have a new skirt to wear on the weekends.

Getting closer

On By Sharon8 Comments

I spent most of yesterday working on my trouser muslin after reading all of the Sew-Along information that the Cupcake Goddess’s has been posting this last week.

My earlier post was my starting point. Whilst I don’t want to bore you with what you might know, I found it very interesting to see the results as I did minor changes so I am warning you now that this is very photo heavy.

The Amazing Fit Patterns are chosen by your Body Measurements e.g Total Crotch Length and Back Crotch Length and it is these 2 figures that you use to determine whether you are Slim, Average, Curvy and this determines your pattern size which had me use 10 Slim. The trousers also sit 1.3cm or 1/2″ below your waistline.

The first alteration I did was take a 6mm (total 1.2cm) or 2/8″ tuck in the crotch depth which gave me a much better crotch depth:


The next alteration was to take 6mm or 2/8″ off the inseams both front and back which took out the excess fabric in the legs, again much better:


Now I still had a baggy back so this is where Pants for Real People (page 38) advise you to pull the centre back up until they disappear, and they DO, can you tell I’m rather surprised.


Thankfully DH had arrived home so I asked him to draw on the muslin where the elastic was now sitting in relation to the thread marking that I had done initially and it was 2.3cm or 7/8″ that needed to come off the centre back.

As these trousers have a contoured waistband, I thought a sway back adjustment of 1.2cm (total 2.4cm) or 1/2″ would work, but I’m not sure about that as the pictures below show I’ve still got some wrinkles in the back. The front smile lines are because I was sitting in them for hours very comfortably.

I think I need to:

  • make a new muslin (have been adjusting the original) with the alterations I have done so far, but first,
  • read further into Pants for Real People and see if they deal with this adjustment for a contoured waistband as so far they are discussing a normal 2.5cm or 1″ waistband and they just take it from the top of the trouser.

Sewing & Stitchery Expo – Puyallup

On By Sharon13 Comments

I’m going on a sewing holiday.

Back in January 2010 my sewing buddy Alison tempted us with the idea of going to the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington in 2011. Needless to say Alison, Velowsewer and I have been planning ever since.

The Expo is on from 3-6 March, 2011 and is held at the Puyallup Fair and Events Centre.

On Christmas Eve I downloaded the Registration Brochure and then have spent a lot of time checking out what I wanted to do.

Online registration started on 10 January 2011 at 10.00am PST, which for us is 5.00am this morning, so the alarm was set and to the computer I went.

I am now booked into the following seminars:

  • Interfacing & Underlining – Ron Collins (Power Sewing)
  • Totes, Bags, Jewellery & More – Nancy Zieman
  • 40 Tips to Improve Your Sewing – Pati Palmer
  • Needle Bootcamp – Debra Justice
  • Power Sewing Toolbox – Sandra Betzina
  • Wonderful Weekend Wardrobes – Sandy Miller
  • The Arty Cardi – Marcy Tilton
  • Know Your Notions – Geri Grasvik
  • Sew With Your Feet – Debra Justice
  • Two Patterns for all Seasons – Kathleen Cheetham
  • Sew Like a Pro – Connie Crawford
  • The Classic Shirtdress Re-Invented – Cecelia Podolak
  • The 2-Hour Shirt or Blouse – Marta Alto
  • Going Beyond the Basic with Your Coverstitch – Candice Jewett

We are attending every day and I have worked out my seminars so that I have no more than 4 in any one day (the majority of those above are for 45 minutes only) so I have plenty of time to check out the amazing vendors that attend.

My flights are booked and Alison has been fantastic in organising our accommodation for us.

We are away for a total of 16 days, so we will also be visiting Seattle, Portland, Utah and Oakland. Now to work out a very compact and versatile wardrobe as the temperatures vary (the coldest will be a chilly 6 degrees Celsius) and it can also be very wet in Puyallup. One of the major issues is having room to bring home all the goodies I’m sure we will purchase, thankfully we are allowed 2 checked bags of 23kgs each.

Trouser Sew Along

On By Sharon6 Comments

I was wandering around the Internet the other day and found the Cupcake Goddess’s trouser sewalong which began on 3 January.

This is the planned schedule, as noted on her website:
•January 3 – 8 ~ cutting and constructing your muslin
•January 9 -15 ~ muslin fitting and pattern adjustments
•January 16 – 22 ~ preparing and cutting your fabric, lining and interling
•January 23 – 31 ~ trouser construction

This is very timely for me as you are aware I’m not happy with my supposedly TNT Pants pattern.

The Cupcake Goddess is using a Burda pattern number 127 from the 07/2010 magazine. Unfortunately it is for Talls which means this 5’2″ person needed to find a substitute pattern.

So I decided to use Simplicity 2860, which one of the other ladies is using as well. I am using Size 10 (based on the total crotch length) Slim figure type.

I am on track with the planned schedule and here is the First Muslin with no pattern alterations:

I have also realised there is another item to put on my shopping list for the USA and that is the “Pants for Real People” fitting book, thankfully Alison has a copy and is happy to lend this to me. Edited: I should check my reference library before I make those sorts of statements, because guess what I found this afternoon 🙂

Now if you want to work on some trousers, there’s still time to join if you’re interested!

2010 – What a Year

On By Sharon9 Comments

Wishing you a healthy, happy and sewful 2011!!

It’s time again for my Yearly Review and I was surprised at how much I had accomplished this year – 22 pieces, namely:

4 x Dresses
4 x Pants
9 x Tops
3 x Skirts
1 x Craft (Dog Bed)
1 x Hand knitted garment

Patterns used:

BWOF – 4
McCall’s – 3
Simplicity – 3
Vogue – 2
Jalie – 2
Marfy – 1
Kwik.Sew – 1
Self Drafted – 1

Favourite Garment

This is a hard one, as most of the things that I have made this year have been worn a lot, which I’m really pleased about as this means I am finding the fit and style that I love to wear. I have also focused on increasing my casual wardrobe as I had always focused on the work wardrobe and this has been very successful.

Highlights

  • Sewing with sewing buddies (always)
  • Going fabric shopping with my sewing buddies.
  • Attending the Pattern Review get together in Melbourne and meeting a group of wonderful ladies.
  • Attending the ASG Convention in Ballarat.

2010 Sewing Goals – How did I go?

  • Complete 1 garment a month – Technically this didn’t happen, however with a total of 22 pieces I must have had some very productive months 🙂
  • Complete at least one competition either at Stitchers Guild or Pattern Review – I entered two competitions on Pattern Review – Mini Wardrobe in April and Sewing for your Pet in September.

2011 Sewing Goals

  • Complete 1 garment a month, I would really like to start/finish a garment a month.
  • Complete at least one competition either at Stitchers Guild or Pattern Review.
  • Learning to use my TNT patterns to get different looks.

And finally, a collage of the pieces I made in 2010.

New Sewing Table

On By Sharon18 Comments

Look what my gorgeous Husband made for me for Xmas.


I had the design in my mind, however DH did the measuring, drawing, cutting, estapolling and construction and I am one very happy sewer.

We purchased the two Condo Pedestals from Officeworks and as you can see they fit snugly underneath the table when I need to pack up the sewing room for guests.

These drawers hold a large amount of sewing goodies.

There is also a leaf that can be raised on the side that fits under the window for more space to spread out or even have a machine on it so I can, if I want to, have all 3 machines set up ready to sew (which can be the case when sewing knits).

For me this is a much better use of space and a lot more storage than my original set up.

Now to test it out and get some sewing done.

Ski boots in Summer

On By Sharon6 Comments

I’ve had this fabric for a few years (purchased from Quilt Fabric Closeouts) and have always planned on making boxer shorts for DH as this is his sleeping attire when we are in the lodge in Thredbo, so they are wrapped and ready for Xmas.

I have used Jalie 2326 with the centre back seam, however I didn’t do the split side seams and made a casing for the elastic (the elastic is held together with a safety pin, until I get him to try them on).

This is my first sewing project for DH so I will be interested to see how his measurements equate to those from the pattern companies.

Black Jeans from TNT Pants Pattern

On By Sharon11 Comments

The final piece from the ASG Conference is completed.

As I said earlier, these started with my TNT Pants pattern using Vogue 9537 (OOP). This pattern was adjusted for me quite a few years ago now and the toile is now the pattern. Here is a collage showing how these look and maybe I should have had a look at them like this before I started the Jeans conversion, I think I need to go back to the drawing board for a TNT pants pattern with those back wrinkles.

I traced off a new front and back piece (including seam allowances) to take to the Convention.

Back Pattern

Here is what the back piece look like compared to the original pattern underneath (the pink original is without seam allowances).

You can see the yoke is missing and the dart has been folded out from the original. The large curve on the inner back leg is the result of the change that Sue made when I tried the Jeans on on Tuesday to check the fit. As you can see it was quite a bit and then I sewed 2cm seams as well.

Front Pattern

Again you can see the original pattern underneath and the only change to this was to fold out the darts, add the fly front and this is after we had taken the 1.5cm off the waist so I need to redraw the pocket placement before I start the next pair.

Other Pattern Pieces

Sue’s wonderful instructions gave us directions on how to draft these pieces, although I did borrow the back pocket pattern from the Jalie Jeans pattern I have.

One of the great things Sue showed us was the Pocket Front Extension, it effectively is a control panel and looks like this once the jeans are completed, and can be used for any pair of pants that has a front fly.

So here are some other views:

Back view close up:

Side view:

The waistband now sits nicely into my back, I took out a small wedge from the wasitband, lining the stitching up with the stitching on the centre back of the yoke and then topstitched.

Clearer picture of the back pocket details:

I have worn these a couple of times now and they are quite comfortable to wear.

Sue also suggested that I copy the 550 Levis I was wearing at convention and after reading Lindsay T’s post about Glad Press ‘N’ Seal this might be the way to go, I just have to find it in Australia (in some Reject Shops I believe) or order from the US.

Rust Shirtmaker Dress

On By Sharon12 Comments
I can’t believe I have had nothing to show you since October, I’ve been sewing but nothing has been finished until now.

The Rust Shirtmaker Dress is completed.

At the Armoury Cafe at Newington after our ASG Christmas Lunch

As promised in my earlier post here are the details:

Back Adjustments

  • Added 1.5cm at the neck edge of the shoulder and increased this to 2.6cm at the shoulder edge
  • Added extra to the side seams starting 5cm down from the armhole to end up with 2cm extra width at the hem line (you can see this on the front pattern piece below).

  • Added 3cm to the length (you can see this on the front pattern piece below).


Front Adjustments

  • Added extra to the side seams starting 5cm down from the armhole to end up with 2cm extra width at the hem line.
  • Added 3cm to the length.

Collar and Collar Stand Adjustments

  • Added 1.5cm into the collar and collar stand.

Note: The patterned sticky tape on my patterns is to remind me to turn my pattern over when I go to iron the pattern after it has been folded, so I keep the iron off the sticky tape, a tip from Pam.

Construction

During construction, Pam decided to reduce the collar length by 1.5cm as the collar was a bit large for me.

I also decided to use the shorter sleeve and found that the shoulder width needed to be reduced by 1.5cm at the shoulder edge reducing back to zero by the time I got to the notches.

Embellishment

Rhona Feeney, who I sew with at the Alexandria Achievers, suggested that I put half circles on the back of my Shirtmaker dress to cover the side ventilation.

  • I traced off a circle using my bobbin keeper and then folded it half and cut out two in the rust linen.

  • Sewed a line of stitching the width of the machine foot from the edge around the half circle and then a gathering stitch between this stitch and the edge.

  • Drew up the gathering stitch and then pressed the seam allowance down along the line of the first row of stitching.

  • Unpicked the side seams of the Shirtmaker dress and put the long edge of the half circle into the seam and then I pinned and basted the half circle in place.

  • Very slowly topstitched the half circle in place.

Also at this time Rhona took out a 1.5cm fold from the middle of the back darts to the hem, effectively taking out 6cm of fabric out of the back of the Shirtmaker.

I tried to do the buttonholes myself, but wasn’t feeling too confident with 9 of them, so on my way to work the other morning, I dropped this into Mick of Quick Buttonholes at Alexandria for him to do my buttonholes. I had pinned the button placement on the button band, and left him a reel of my cotton and a button attached in a small zip lock bag to the Shirtmaker. The next day, again on my way to work, I collected this from Mick who charged me $25 for the 9 buttonholes on the Shirtmaker dress and the 1 he did for me on my Jeans. Money very well spent.

This is a very comfortable dress to wear and I can see a few more versions in my wardrobe over the various seasons.

Sewing Convention wrap up

On By Sharon12 Comments

I am supposed to be tidying up the sewing room so it can be a guest room for the in-laws when they arrive on Wednesday, instead I am blogging 🙂

At the end of September Alison, Velosewer and I drove to Ballarat in Victoria to attend the 9th National Convention held by the Australian Sewing Guild at Ballart Grammar, arriving just in time for the first dinner on Sunday night and we would be there until after breakfast on Saturday.

We were looked after very well, our rooms were tidy and ours was very warm compared to others, but I’m definately not complaining, and the classrooms were heated as well. There was plenty of food, just wondering why the dining hall is not heated?

I had elected to do 2 x 2 day workshops and Wednesday was left free.

Monday and Tuesday was spent with Sue Marriot who was teaching us how to use our TNT Pants Pattern to design and construct a pair of jeans learning the following techniques – topstitching, traditional fly front, jean pockets (including pocket stay), belt loops and hems.

Monday morning I started with my TNT Pants Pattern Vogue 9537 (OOP) as my base and with Sue’s guidance and great notes created the Jeans Pattern. I managed to cut them out in a black woven denim from Spotlight and the pocket pieces from a fat quarter. By the end of Monday I had:

• Stitched and topstitched the front pockets
• Inserted the Metal Zip and more topstitching
• Used the design from Margie T’s Jeans for my back pocket and had these stitched and ready to be placed on my jeans.

Tuesday’s first job was to stitch the back pockets in place and attach the yoke. At this stage I basted the legs together for a fit. This is when Sue took out quite a bit off the back leg (sorry the excess that Sue cut off, I cut off the pattern and didn’t take measurements) and I had to cut off 1.5cm from the waist so this is why my front pockets look like coin pockets. Once we were happy with the fit I finished off the leg seams. I then attached the waistband and ran out of time before I could get Sue to check or topstitch which turns out very fortunate. This is where they were left until I got home.

Last week I tried them on and oh dear, that waistband gaposis, it is not much but enough to bug me, so I have unpicked the waistband and again work has got in the way and they are still at this stage but thought I would show you how they look (well as good as you can see them in black).

Front (minus button)

Back

Pockets

Note the back waistband is not attached here.

Wednesday saw the three of us getting back in the car and heading to Melbourne to check out some more fabrics shops and Jimmy’s Buttons. It turned out to be the wrong season for me to purchase fabrics, nothing wanted to come home with me.

Thursday and Friday was spent with Pamela Kerr, who promised that those Perfect points on shirt collars wouldn’t be so daunting anymore. Tips for edge stitching around the collar as this can also be hard work and often ruins an entire shirt because it can look poor quality.

Thursday was essentially the fitting day. We all started with McCall’s 5433 Palmer/Pletsch Classic Fit pattern. I had already cut the paper pattern out (size 8, View D), drawn in my stitching lines and taped the curves so I was a bit ahead of the others when class started on Thursday morning. I soon had it all pinned together and was ready for my first fitting and discussed with Pam about making this a shirtmaker style (View D just needed the hem allowance added).

I was ready to cut out my fabric after we had lunch. By the end of Thursday I had the front and back darts sewn, side seams and shoulder seams sewn and everything was pressed.

Friday morning started with cutting out the interfacing x 2 for the collar, collar stand, cuff and button band and fusing these.

Then disaster struck, I was busy overlocking my side seams and

I put it on to see where it was and it is sitting on my waist, which is fortunate.

I made the decision to ignore it (well sort of) and continued to sew the collar stand, collar and button bands on the dress and this is where it is up to.

Front

Back

Side view

Now Pamela did suggest that I add belt loops so I can wear a belt. I’m not a huge belt wearer and then I got to thinking about adding a self fabric band (probably stitched the same way as the button band is) around the waist and this is what I have played with very roughly this afternoon when I decided to take the photos.

I will share further details about my adjustments when I finally finish these items (note In-Laws in sewing room for 1 week at least).

I had a wonderful time at the Convention, catching up with others that I don’t see from Convention to Convention, meeting new people and learning lots of new things through my classes but also through the generous nature of all those who attended. I will admit that by the end of the Convention I was exhausted, however, I am now trying to work out how to get my sewing machine to Launceston!

Now I had better get back to packing up the sewing room.