Random Threads # 27: retail snooping, denim and pattern thoughts

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon so what better time than to sit outside under the patio cover eating strawberries, watching the hummingbirds zip by and catch up with a random threads post. As usual my notebook has plenty of ideas scribbled down. Scribble being the operative word. I have famously bad handwriting - such that often I can't decipher what I have written. You would think that would motivate me to go a little slower and try to make my notes clearer but no.

Which means I had one jotting that said "shopping online or in the store, mbnolpdd.sgubprdd. I have italicized the incomprehensible part of my note. What wisdom or pithy observation was included in that attempt at words we will never know but it probably had to do with the recent economic news about the not so slow decline of many retailers. It's a mixed bag, supporting retail shops. I like to support local business, and it's quite convenient for all of us when they have a web shop as well, so that no matter where you are you can buy from them. Plus I'm not the biggest fan of shopping as a pastime (actually it is so not my thing). I'm more of a strategic shopper - have a goal, find or don't find and get out.

However I did wander into the Anthropologie store the other day - there is a new multi-level store nearby, which actually took over a spot where there previously was a Barnes and Noble bookstore - so take whatever commentary on society that provides. In any case, I wanted to tell the sales people that "hey - I wore so many of these styles when I was in high school" thus proving that everything comes back in style. They have a lot of cute stuff and actually are good for getting ideas, plus I saw so many things that to my sewing eyes leapt right out of the pattern books or indie pattern shops. (time for me to trot out my oft-repeated phrase - there are no new patterns!). I did see something that sparked my interest enough to snap an iPhone pic. It is a simple enough denim shift dress which has appliqués of other colors of denim. Super cute. It was right next to another one that also caught my eye, at a mere $545 check this one out. A mix of suede and denim pieces. And so easy to make. (File that in the one of these days I might get around to it category:)  This summer I have so many denim projects in the works - and I saw this video on the Refinery29 website the other day about how jeans are made, here's the link to it. Including how they get all those holes and artfully placed slashes all over the jeans. I've always thought buying jeans with rips, holes and sanding seems ridiculous - perhaps my N. California bias is showing but I prefer original Levi's jeans or something similar that you have to actually wear into what you want them to be. That's what we did when I was 16 and some habits stay with you!




Here's my question for other stitchers this week: why don't people try on things as they sew them? By that I mean in order to make adjustments before finishing. It seems like I saw a number of people sewing things up and then noting the fit problems - many of which seem like they could have been adjusted while the garment was being made. Particularly sleeves that are too long, or a skirt that is too wide. Straps that are in the wrong place. Waist seams that are too low. How about a wrap dress tie that is too long?  We can't magically add fabric when something is too small or too short but a lot of thing sto do with "too much" can be adjusted as you go. I think once you move past introductory sewing patterns and start to tackle more complex things then the desire to complete the project (which is totally understandable!) can supersede the opposing desire to slow down, check the fit and adjust. I know, tweaking and adjusting the fit is not really the most fun, the achievement of a perfect placket or a crisp collar is so much more rewarding. But the investment of time and money in the garment merits a bit of double checking as you go to get a finished time that you will be happy with.

On that same point - basting is your friend. I think machine basting is a really good way to construct most any garment. Yesterday at Hello Stitch Studio in the skirt class I taught I was extolling the benefits of basting and hopefully convinced a few to try that for their next garment, at least for the crucial fit points.

Pattern talk: it's no secret that I love a pattern with multiple views. Or multiple garments within one pattern. I'm kind of surprised that indie pattern designers don't put out more (or any) of these patterns.  I wonder why?  Sometimes there is an expansion pack released later which is additional expense. Perhaps the logistics of creating a pattern and packaging/instructions is a lot to tackle but I perceive more value with a pattern with perhaps top, skirt, dress etc. is there. . Vogue patterns have a lot of this type, with multiple pieces or views, and so does Simplicity for that matter. Here are a couple examples.




For my skirt making class one of the patterns I suggested was this one, Butterick 6182. You can guess I'm not a fan of the color palette in the top and skirt but we all were really pleased with how cute the skirt is. I said I thought the top had possibilities and maybe even the dress. And after some sewing last week I can say it does - will post the finished version soon.


So what do you think of this new Amazon Echo Look which they call a "hands free camera and Style Assistant"?  I think it sounds like a nightmare! I suppose there are people who want advice from a variety of sources including - dare I say - a robot. But aside from all the issues with a wi-fi enabled camera taking photos in your bedroom, it just sounds like more ways to dress like everyone else. Don't do it, people! Get creative, unique and bold with your choices. That's why we sew, right? So you don't have to limit yourself to the ready-to-wear choices available.

Back to my actual sewing. A few weeks ago when I posted this McCalls pattern t-shirt  I showed how I lowered the front seaming so it was in the right place for me. Thus the upper part of the diagonal seaming didn't match up but since it was a knit I could ease/stretch to make the side seams match. Someone noted that I should have also adjusted the back to make the front and back exactly the same - however the idea is to adjust only the front, and have no change in the back. I wanted to revisit that and show that the seaming matches up perfectly along the side, and is only off at the top near the sleeve where it will not show. This is intentional as that is the place where the space is needed. So if anyone was wondering about that pattern and not sure about that adjustment give it a try.



Do you feel the online sewing world is slightly fractured these days? A lot of people have noted that they find they are blogging less, or commenting less, and/or tilting towards Instagram to connect with other sewers. I do post on IG and get some great sewing inspiration by seeing what people are posting but I don't like reading/commenting there so much. I bet like a lot of people, IG is something you look at on the run - so a quick glance and it doesn't really penetrate into your thoughts, and it has something of the firehose effect, just a blast of photos passing by making it difficult to remember or go back to anything interesting. I wonder what the next development will be? I love reading so blogs are my preferred category. Once in a while I might click on someone's video within their blog and I always think "get a move on"  If I see the length of the video is more than 2-3 minutes then nope - I could read multiple posts in that time. Just too slow for me. What about you - videos, do you watch?

Ok that's plenty of my opinions and observations for one day. Sometimes I read over these Random Threads and hope that I don't come off as a too cranky. There's so much great online content for those of us who sew but it is kind of fun to see if the stuff that I notice is noticed by anyone else.

What have I been sewing? A few things for sewing clients which are notable enough to have a post soon. I am on a denim kick as I mentioned earlier so here's a sneak peek of something I referred to above. If this fabric looks familiar its because I used it for a skirt for my friend Alice last summer and liked the fabric so much that I bought some for myself. This one has turned out to be a perfect match of unusual fabric with the pattern so I am HAPPY with this one.



Whew it is a hot one here in my corner of the Bay Area today. Like summer dress and sandals hot. Which is great for the tomato plants but a bit much in my sunny sewing room. Oh well, be careful what you wish for, right? I always want summer to be here but spring was so lovely...

Happy Sewing, Beth

How about this for today's garden photo. Alice took this one with her professional camera and it really shows. What a gorgeous photo. Also - I didn't plant this allium, it just appeared in the flower bed. Sometimes in a bag of bulbs there are some randoms but this was a lovely surprise. Might have to look for these next year.