A giveaway and Random Threads #8

Based on the comments from my last post I think a lot of you are going to give Lekala patterns a try. They have a few other tops that are interesting and based on how the last one fit I wil be ordering more. Plus a top is such a speedy thing to make, and usually provides something I can wear immediately unlike a dress which might need an occasion. And not least, I can order more fabrics from my favorite website, Girl Charlee.

A Giveaway

Hey, guess what? I had a blog anniversary way back in February and I didn't even notice. But it has been 4 + years since I joined the sewing blog world and it has brought me all kinds of new friends, ideas and even opportunities. Thank you all so much for reading. To celebrate the belated milestone I have a couple of giveaways, one for US readers and one for international.

First for the US readers, I found this book at a sale a while back and came across it yesterday. Hopefully someone will need to make a party dress and this will be just the thing, (Lost of weddings coming up right? and as a guest you want to look smashing!) It even has the pattern included.

The Party Dress book cover

an interesting treatment using bias strips

And a slightly smaller (in size and postage) for my international readers is this book, Sewing with Sergers. Another rummage sale find and I always recommend any book by Patti Palmer (of Palmer and Pletsch fitting books) This little book is a great reference for using your serger or learning all about it.  You may recall from my previous comments I am not a serger sewer. Is that a phrase? Really I almost never use it to sew. Only to finish seams and edges, and then rather sparingly. But obviously plenty of you have the hang of construction with your serger or perhaps want to - so this book will help.

If you want me to draw your name for one of these books, please leave a comment and tell me your thoughs on Fast or Slow sewing. Do you race to finish projects or savor every stitch? Which garment gets the speedy treatment and what gets the slow and steady? Does it even matter? My ideas on this might suprise you and I will give you my take on the topic soon.  Be sure to mention in your comment if you are in the US or another country. 

Shopping

This must be my week for web shopping, I have ordered so many pairs of shoes in various styles and sizes, most are going back (as I always intended) but I did find a couple of gems in the bunch. Web shoe shopping is one of the greatest inventions ever. OK I exaggerate but you can test them around the house, try on with different dresses, show your friends, get the sisterly opinions (always brutally honest, right?) Plus the magic words "free shipping and returns" (my favorite site is shoebuy.com as they have slightly better prices than Zappos and then constantly email extra discounts once you start ordering). 

In other shopping news I ordered a gravity feed iron from Wawak, which arrived and is still in the box. Slight impulse purchase and now if I use it I will have to find a place to hang the water tank. Also Swedish tracing paper which I have never used before. I can see that it could be useful for making very permanent pattern pieces but otherwise ? plain old tracing paper works fine for me.

Girl Charlee, to paraphrase the poet Elizabeth Barret Browning, How I love thee, let me count the fabrics. (and don't we know that she probably sewed her own clothes) I could order so many things from them but there is only so much sewing time so I restrained myself and got these two fabrics plus one other which will be sewn up as a gift.  And yes, that red/white one is a repeat but this time I might make a dress. 

Craftsy Posts

I have had two posts on Craftsy recently so if you are interested in my take and some tips on sewing princess seams or sewing sleeves in jackets here are the links below these images.

Sewing Princess Seams

Sewing Sleeves in Jackets

Yep, I said I would start a summer blazer and that project is almost to the top of my list. Lots of other stuff that I had to do these last couple of weeks but I will get to that in June...which is here already!

I look forward to hearing your comments on whether you sew fast or slow. Is it the journey or the destination? ack that sounds very corny but you get the idea.

This time of year the garden is at its best, every thing is lush and blooming, the super summer heat waves have not set in yet and the colors are gorgeous.

Happy sewing, Beth

This penstemon is putting out all kinds of blooms this year, the color is luscious and moves with every breeze.

Lekala T-shirt pattern 4284

There is a lot of coincidence and overlap in the sewing world, particularly when we are all shopping for fabrics on the same websites or stalking the newly released patterns. This week I saw my friend Shams write about her experiences with Lekala patterns, a Russian-based pattern company that creates an email pattern based on your specific measurements. Shams didn't have success with the jacket pattern she chose however she did use a pants pattern previously and it worked for her.

I have made one other Lekala pattern (a dress, blogged here) which I thought was very good and last month I saw a review of this top so decided to give them a try again.  They have a lot of very cute tops plus printing a pdf pattern for a top is fairly minimal so it's not too bothersome. So I happened to finish sewing this just a few days before I saw Shams' post.

Not very exciting, but a very nice fit in the shoulders and neckline, which is the number one place I have to alter. Most patterns are too big for me there.   Scroll down, because as they say on TV, "But wait, there's more!"

Kind of cute, huh?  Do you recognize this fabric? It is what I used for my shingle dress, Vogue 8904.  A cotton/spandex knit jersey from Girl Charlee. Great for t-shirt testing.  By the way, the skirt is Simplicity 2152, blogged here, although it was an a-line style and one day I thought it was sticking out a bit too wing-y on the side seams so I made it much more of a straight style. Now I think it is much better plus it has great pockets. Also I removed the lining because it was too hot in the summer, and then I resewed it back in this winter so I could wear tights. And now it is out again :) Next winter I just have to remember where I stash it!
Eek, who likes to look at their backside? not me. Not the back of my head, as I have a crazy cowlick which normally makes the back of my hair resemble a 5 year old boy who just awoke from a nap. Serious stick-out parts. And yet I have short hair...Not the most distressing dilemma in the world but it is the goofy little things that can really bug, right?

This pattern is Lekala 4284 which they call "Blouson with Decorative Back" and it does call for a knit. Notice those darts? That was the only change I made, eliminated the darts by easing that section into the back. Which worked out fine. This stripe is optical illusion-y enough without another seam in that area.

So all in all, I am quite happy with the fit. In her post Shams discusses the size options she chose and how they worked out. I input only the basic measurements (bust, underbust, waist and hip) and did not add any specs on the 3rd section (adjustments where you can specify things like shoulder width, bust length etc) I didn't use any of those other specs which I made the dress either. I am just happy that I can start with a pattern where the circumference is right from the beginning. For Vogue or other patterns I usually start with a size 12, and possible narrow the neckline and then widen a the hip. 

The price for Lekala can't be beat, around $ 2.50 and you can use PayPal which I like for small purchases. I ordered the pattern on a Saturday afternoon and it was in my email in less than 2 hours. Amazing for a customized pattern. 

This top is a bit big at the hip but that is an easy adjustment and I don't like things to be too form fitting so it is fine with me. 

This one really is a test version, I think in a more interesting fabric, or a two-color version it would be really cute. The opening in the back hits at just the right place, no straps showing. 

This is going in the repeat file, there will be another one. The Girl Charlee website is calling to me (always!)

One more for the road.  This is my TGIF pose.  Although the camera did strange things here so kind of washed out. How do you like my new coral clogs, which I ordered in the midst of winter after a who knows why late-night search session on Ebay looking for clog sandals. And these were $ 30 instead of the usual $ 130 for Troentorps, they are a bit wonky, the wood color and strap width are not matching exactly but who will notice?
The hydrangea in the corner is the first to bloom, next to the pathetic grape that has never produced anything but leaves. However I have decided it is very pretty so it is staying for now.

Happy end of May sewing,  Beth

An event, a plan and a few Random Threads

An event

Do you need an excuse to pop into San Francisco in June?

Britex Fabrics, the 4-story destination store for all things sewing and fabric is opening a workshop space on their 4th floor. To celebrate they are holding an Launch Party on June 28, 1-5pm.

I will be speaking at this event along with a few of my fellow Bay Area sewing bloggers. Mark your calendar and come on by! I would love to meet you so please be sure to introduce yourself :)

Britex Launch Party 
June 28, 1-5 pm

A Plan

How does that saying go? Compliments will get you everywhere. Many readers have left such nice comments on my projects and a few requests regarding sewing a tailored jacket - so I have decided to do another one, step by step, and write about it. Warning, this will not be a tutorial, or a sew-along. Just me sewing up a blazer jacket and trying to document the steps as I go, in a more complete fashion than I have done in the past. 

Choosing the pattern to make has led me all over the place, rummaging through my file drawer, looking online at way too many options and I narrowed it down to a few things. This Burda pattern is something I have been looking at for months now, and I was this close to buying the PDF download but decided against it. If you click over to see it they actually show it in 3 different versions/fabrics.

The fact that it has a high button/short lapel style is what decided me against. I like a single button or 2 button jacket with a longer lapel. And I thought don't be ridiculous, you have perfectly good patterns in the drawer that fit already! So then the choice was between two patterns which I have both made twice. This Simplicity or this Vogue.  The winner is this one, mostly because it has nice lapels. Also I want to do a welt pocket (which I could have done on the Burda).  Funny that both of these pattern photos I have included here are shown in yellow - I don't think I have ever made anything in yellow. Not at all my color for clothes although I love it in home dec.

For the fabric - a light color that will photograph easily (I hope). It is a grey/white seersucker which is intended to be a very good neutral, lightweight jacket for spring and summer. The red selvedge gave me an idea for some trim or accent so I found the remaining yardage from my Jacket Express and that may possibly make an appearance on the collar. To be determined...

A few Random Threads

Made By Me May:  I admire (sort of) anyone who has the discipline to do something like that but I couldn't do it. Just like I could never do a ready-to-wear fast. There is something about going into a store or a few clicks and then magically having some jeans. No cutting out, sewing, fitting. Just a hem - which goes without saying for my 5'3" self...

New Craftsy Post:  My latest post on the Craftsy Sewing Blog is all about Sewing Princess Seams. Anytime someone asks me about fitting and what they should make - my suggestion is try princess seams, the stitcher's best friend.

Memorial day weekend is approaching, we expect lots of sunshine and the beginning of summer - the very best time of the year. OK, not summer yet but as good as around here.

Beth

Today's SunnyGal garden photo, keeping with the yellow theme is this rose that starts out vibrant with a tinge of pink and fades to a pale shade. 

One More Time - a new series, starting with Vogue 1351 dress

Recently I noticed that my personal sewing queue for the next few months is going to be items using pattern repeats, mostly Vogue with one or two others for good measure. So here is the start of a series on pattern repeats I'm calling "One More Time" with some info on fabric choice and incorporating what I learned from the first versions.

Last week I made two dresses using Vogue 1351, a Donna Karan Designer pattern I first made last summer. This is one of the simplest and prettiest patterns to come out in the last few years. I am  surprised that it didn't get the praise in the blogosphere that was heaped upon its cousin Vogue 1250, a pattern with some similarities from the very same designer. I have made both and declare V1351 superior (are those fighting words? - I don't mean it that way).

The reason I made two of these dresses is because after I finished my first one I set about sewing up another with fabric from my stash and chose a color that just wasn't me. Probably why it was sitting in my stash unsewed. Anyway recently I brought it to my friend Michelle who is the same size as I am and sometimes the recipient of my sewing. (Click these links to see: Dress in brown polka dot, scroll down to see a Renfrew top and the best winter knit top ever, the marine blue one.) She loved it. Loved it. Next day she called and asked if I could make two more! Lucky girl, she and her family are setting out soon on a summer sabbatical in Europe, so knit dresses that can be smooshed in the suitcase are perfect for jaunting around various countries. (although she reads this blog and thus I will clarify that she is quite tidy and never smooshes anything in her suitcase, that person would be me!)

Now a little analysis. The floral dress on the left is an ITY jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics (fabric). It was a lot more stable than I expected, with only stretch on the crosswise grain. The black and white scroll print on the right is a rayon jersey with 2-way stretch, bought last year at Joann Fabrics just because I thought it looked like a good basic.

The previous versions I had sewn using this pattern all had been with jersey that stretched both ways. To my suprise I think the floral ITY with the crosswise-only stretch worked out the best. The rayon jerseys are very stretchy, and since this dress is cut on the bias they want to pull down even more. The slightly more stable fabric holds its shape better and due to the inner lining holds the wearer in a bit too. My impression is that these Donna Karan patterns are genius with their knit linings that create smooth lines underneath it all. The queen of those patterns has to be V1159 which I made a few years ago for another friend. That dress has a magic spanx-like knit lining that totally holds you in but is very comfortable and supports all the draping and pleating. 

Here is the first version I sewed from this pattern, blogged here. 

Above I mentioned that I like this pattern more than the V1250 which is also deceptively simple and works beautifully in knits. I prefer this one more because it has full length side seams (the V1250 has a wrap around skirt portion that makes it less easy to alter for fit.) Also this 1351 skirt is cut on the bias and slightly a-line so falls very nicely in most any fabric. It also can be made in a woven and would be gorgeous in a printed silk charmeuse. 

Here is the pattern envelope and a look at the inside lining which keeps the cowl neckline in perfect position.

The purple version was too big  - really too long in the bodice and I had to take it up at the shoulders a good amount, almost 3/4" front and back. For these versions I folded out 3/4" from the back bodice across the upper back, and figured the shoulder seam would settle wherever it needed to. I also raised the armholes about 1/2" on both front and back pattern pieces. When I sewed the dress I ended up using a 3/4" seam at the shoulder so all in all the changes worked very well. 

So that is my first pattern repeat of the spring/summer. Some others on my to-sew list are things you can  probably predict, but there are one or two that may come as complete suprises. I should never say never!

Last week it was almost 100 degrees F here, very unusual for May and a perhaps scary predictor of the summer to come. Although that does motivate me in the summer separates sewing category. Maybe even a swimsuit. 

Happy Sewing,  Beth

Today's SunnyGal garden photo, an orange old-fashioned rose that probably been here for 30+years? Precedes me by a long while. It puts out these simple roses mostly in early spring and loses a bit of steam when the summer heat comes round. I keep it because the color is yummy and ekes out just enough blooms to retain her spot. 

Happy ! Vogue 8944 Color-Blocked dress with pattern fitting details

Happy! just like that song that is stuck in my head.  A great song and a dress that I am so happy with. Sometimes the fabric, color, and style combine to make something that I really feel great about. I have already worn this once and I know it will get a lot of outings. Even though it is quite memorable.



Both fabrics are wool crepe. I love wool crepe! While it doesn't stretch it has a lot of body, tailors beautifully and the colors available are fantastic. Don't be afraid to use it for any season. Here is a older post showing a dress I made ages ago in wool crepe that I often wear in the summer.
The pink fabric is something I purchased at a sewing guild sale, maybe paid $ 3 for two yards. It had a smattering of small holes but they were near the edge so I could cut around them.  The black is a leftover piece from this dress and the pink lining I bought ages ago at a garage sale. (also used the pink lining for this jacket) and I still have more. Score! Perhaps my delight in this dress is influenced by the fact that I spent so little. But between us sewers - you know that is half the fun sometimes.

If you think this simple dress was just a cut and sew...Nope.  A very expert sewer recently remarked that the simplest things often take the most adjustment because they need to fit perfectly and I agree. Not to discourage you, the adjustments were not monumental, just a lot for a simple design.

Here is the photo from the Vogue website when the pattern came out, and the pattern envelope.

I am not crazy about the fit on the model. or it could be the way she is standing, but perhaps this dress is exhibiting my nemesis - excess back bodice length. 

Here is a look at it on my dress form. I chose not to add a third color because a) I didn't have any other small pieces of wool crepe that complemented and b) a sewing group I belong to was having the end of the year lunch with the theme of "two" or "twice". So I figured fabric twice used, in two colors. 

Ok, let's talk about fitting. Based on my experience with another Vogue pattern last year (V1353), I thought that the front might not fit exactly as I wanted it to right out of the envelope. That seaming could be problemmatic so I did make a muslin of the bodice portion. Maybe I am shrinking in height but lately everything seems too long in the neck and shoulders, or too wide and gaping. For dresses with a fitted neckline I should probably start with a size 8 or 10 pattern and then alter the body for circumference but I am too lazy and either way I would be doing a lot of fitting so I will stick with a 12 to start and go from there. 

Here is the back bodice piece from my finished muslin so you can see the majority of alterations I did to this pattern. The front has the equivalent changes (reshape armhole, pull up at shoulders, raise underarm, take in at sides)

So kind of a lot for a dress with just 4 pattern pieces. Here is the bodice upper front piece, most of the changes mirror the back bodice piece, but I did give more room across that center horizontal seam, sewing at 3/8" tapering to the normal 5/8" at the side. That gave a bit more length across the front bodice although I did raise the skirt waist there just a little bit. I could probably take it in another 1 inch at the waist, but it felt fine when I wore it the other day so I will skip that. A very fitted waist can look good standing up but after sitting a bit there are too many creases for my liking.

My main pet peeve with patterns that have a sleeveless and sleeved version is that the armhole is so clunky in the sleeveless version. I always reshape it, usually moving it in as I did here. Even though I pulled it up at the shoulders note that I raised the underarm by 1/2".  Kind of a good item to do as a general rule, if it makes the armhole too high them you can lop it off but it is often needed.  By the way, no changes in the skirt. 

Lest you think I never have a boo boo I have one thing I need to fix. I was so careful with the zipper so that the color portions meet perfectly at the center but the alignment is off by just a few millimeters. And it will make me crazy. So I wore it on Monday but now I will take that portion apart and fix it.  Here is the lining, which I always make a smidge bigger than the dress (about one inch) just or comfort and movement. So it looks a bit droopy. I had to do the color block on the lining as well since it might show just a tiny bit on the edge if I had done all black or all pink. 

More sewing happiness.  This is one of my favorite colors.

Happy Mother's day weekend and sewing happiness to all,  

Beth

Today's SunnyGal garden photo - it has to be this one. I get mixed up on my rose names, and this one is possibly called Lipstick which seems like a great name. Luscious.

Random Threads # 7

Today's topics:  sewing willpower, some tips on plaid, and do you wear statement jewelry?

There is a complete lack of willpower in my sewing room, despite my claim that I was going to make separates, some useful items to mix and match with my existing wardrobe and lifestyle. I will give you a sneak peek at my latest project. Let's just say that I wanted explore colorblocking, plus use up something in my stash and then leave it at that.
I wonder if you can guess the pattern? It is something I have shown in the past and finally got to sewing. On the plus side, I am really happy with my latest make and have a skirt in the works, so that is a separate.

My latest post is up on the Craftsy Sewing Blog. A few tips on working with plaid. When I sat down to write this one I scrolled through some of my past blog posts and realized I really like plaid!  I have made a lot of plaid items. Now that it is summer I even have a plaid item planned for this season. So not just for cozy winter clothes. 

link to post on Craftsy

Thank you for all your great comments on my last few posts that included some fitting information. It is quite amazing how much fitting impacts how we feel about sewing.  For my new item mentioned above which will appear in my next post, I will show you the muslin I made and all the changes necessary to achieve a good fit. Kind of a lot for a simple item. Or perhaps because it is a simple item it needs to fit really well?  

On an entirely different note, are you a jewelry wearer?  I am not.  I was thinking about this as I looked at my latest item on the dressform and thought, does this need something else? Like all of you I get plenty of emails from my favorite stores, catalogs, plus magazines and style websites. Often I see an outfit and it is accessorized with a bold necklace or some other piece of interesting jewelry.  For my personal style I am just not a jewelry wearer. Necklaces really annoy me, and I am not much for rings either. Bracelets and smallish earrings are tolerable. Due to past issues I have to take very good care of my spine (doing well, knock wood!) but a lot of cute shoes that I might have worn in the past are off limits these days. Basically I just let my sewn garments be my style statement and leave it at that.  So my question, do you think an outfit is unfinished without jewelry?  Or like me do you look past the accessories to closely observe the garment? 

Beth

Today's SunnyGal garden photo - red roses with a natural accessory.

A Fitting post: Watch your Back!

For some months I have been searching for examples of a particular fitting problem and recently two examples have appeared. So I can finally write this post which has been rolling around in my brain with some nice pictures to show as well as tell.

Back Waist Length !

Do you look at that measurement on the pattern envelope and just say hmmm? It is important but I don't think the measurement given is all that helpful. Mostly because we all may be short, tall or in between but what really matters for fitting is where you are tall or short. Depending where your length is really determines what you need to do with the pattern. And many need to make different changes to both the front and the back. I want to say...it's OK! Acknowledging the issue is the first step to a solution.  Eek that sound really self-help-y which I am not. But after all, we have to laugh at the pattern measurements. Who is that mythical person of the size charts and even then, what do they change faced with the crazy amount of ease on some patterns?  

Getting a little philosophical here and straying from my point, which is that many finished garments are too long in the back bodice which causes all kinds of issues.  I am going to leave off discussing the front which could be a book or at least a very long magazine article just for the bodice front in all its 3-dimensionality.
Now you are wondering where to adjust, how much, etc. If you make a muslin I bet it will be evident if you are looking for this. Take a look at this post, scroll down to see how to mark up your muslin to see where to attach the skirt.

Example time: Here is a dress belonging to my hairstylist Lia. Cute vintage style dress she bought in Las Vegas, has hardly worn because she said it is too big across the shoulders and didn't feel comfortable. Could I fix it? OK - I had her put it on and let me see what is going on. Looked very lovely in the front. 

But look at the back. Way too long in the back bodice. I put the measuring tape so you could see the horizontal line where the waistband should be. So not too big in the shoulders, the problem is elsewhere.

                       


Below is what happens when she wears the dress. When she puts it on the waist band inset fits her and settles at her waist exactly where it should. it is the smallest part of the dress fitting her smallest part. I had to pin the dress on the sides a bit to make it fit my tiny form, but it really serves to show what happens when the waist fits but the back bodice is too long. 



I think sewers are inclined to make the waist fit and can feel there is extra fabric in the back, so they tighten the waist area, which is fine but that serves to make the excess fabric bunch up a bit. This is an extreme example but if the back bodice is just an inch too long, then that tightening makes a lot of horizontal lines which nobody wants.  If the waist is in the right place in the back then you can make the garment actually a bit bigger  - leaving about an inch (+ or -) and you will feel more comfortable and actually look smoother/smaller.

The solution is to take out length at the bottom of the back bodice where it attaches to the skirt. In this example I actually tapered the change past the side seams forward about 2 inches into each side of the front bodice. But of course most women need length in the front bodice (see this post for some info on that score). In the photo below I just have the excess tucked and pinned so I could see how much to take away. Better, huh? The whole thing hangs nicely from the shoulders, probably way more comfortable. To accomplish this I had to take out the zipper, detach the bodice from the waist, move it and then reinsert the zipper.

All done, and I was taking this shot of the side and saw that the back was showing in the mirror. Hey I might have to try this one again!  By the way, my tiny dress form is wearing a padded strapless bra to fill her and this dress out. I stick all kinds of different bras on my forms, or wrap a towel around the waist to change the circumference. Whatever is at hand ;)

The other example that appeared recently is a real life example. When I visited my friend Elizabeth of SEWN blog earlier this month she dove deep into her closet to show me some of her makes. This lovely dress appeared. She said she didn't really wear as she didn't like the fit. I said it was gorgeous - very luscious silk - and it only had one problem which she could easily fix and then it would be perfect. So on the left, too long in the back bodice and on the right, the excess tucked into the skirt and it is fantastic. I need to nag her and see if she did the fix! 

By the way her dress is New Look 6067 which is super cute. I have had this pattern for ages but so far not gotten to it. What do you think about stripes? Risky or just right?

Up next, I don't really know. I have been searching for some seersucker to make a summer jacket but not found anything. I think I will embark on some shorts making. 90 degrees here tomorrow and time for summer clothes, yeah!

Edit 5/1/14:  after reading the comments this morning I realize that I was a bit vague about the relationship between that back waist measurement on the pattern envelope and and adjusting the pattern. I don't find it all that useful and instead look at the torso in comparison to the "average". I guarantee that if you have a full bust you will rarely need to shorten the front but the back is likely to be too long. Also if you have very good posture and hold your body very upright (good for you if you do, see Elizabeth above, very nice posture) Most pattern companies' size charts are designed for a person who is 5' 5" to 5' 6" so if you are not in that range there may be adjustments needed. I am 5' 3 and am proportionally shorter in the top half of my body as compared to the patterns. So I need to shorten the back bodice and sometimes the front. But - I am longer in the bottom half of my torso - thus usually need an adjustment for location of hip and this explains why pants that are supposed to be "below waist" are more likely at bikini level! If I am shopping for jeans and see a pair with a short 3" zipper I know absolutely those will not work on me.  Everybody has these variations and quirks and you need to think about your proportions in length as well as circumference to make the proper adjustments. 

By the way, my latest post on the Craftsy Sewing blog appeared last week. If you would like to take a look here is the link:  Copycat Clothes: How to make a pattern from a piece of clothing. Not a definite guide but a few tips if you are trying this out. 

Today's SunnyGal garden photo, the pink jasmine along the back fence is almost done blooming but when it was in full bloom the smell wafting across the yard was fantastic.