Video Blog 1: Just Nattering Along About My Stuff

The Demise of a Sweater

Just over two years ago, I wrote about a knitting project on this blog, The Bluebell Sweater. This month I frogged, or dismembered, dismantled, unpicked and unraveled this sweater. And here are the photos to prove it.

The sweater stretched to size XXL.

The yarn which gave me the sweater and its problems.

The unpicked skeins plus two unused balls.

The yarn soaking in cold water overnight.

Draining like spaghetti for teenage boys.

Laying the yarn in a towel

Tied for the dryer.

Everything I have, all balled up.

And that my friends, is two days of work. One to unpick and put the skeined yarn to soak. The second to dry the yarn and reball it. I also went shopping after soaking the yarn and found a new pattern for the old yarn plus two more balls of brown which you see in the above photo. More later....

A Spring and Summer Suit

 I have only one suit in my wardrobe. It's a dark green-grey-rust tweedy wool and it's most definitely a late-fall and winter item. I've nothing to wear should I need something more formal for summer. A suit is something I don't want to buy in a blind panic. I won't find something that will fit well and even at that, I'll overspend.

I went to my stash of patterns and put together a plan. I chose a straight skirt from a pattern I had already tested. This skirt is from Simplicity 2154. This is a retro reissue pattern a la Mad Men style. This skirt was "in" then and it's still accessible today.

The jacket is a new pattern for me, McCall's M6441. This a Palmer-Plestch fitting pattern. It is a princess lined jacket with a zip front. The pattern comes printed with a bunch of fitting lines which can be cut and adjusted for better fit. The instructions include an entire extra page of printed guidelines about how to use these additional lines to gain your best fit. The pattern goes along with a a Palmer-Pletsch fitting book, which I don't have, however I had no trouble using just the pattern for the information. I had not done a FBA for a princess line garment and this pattern made it very easy. I will be using the results I achieved with this pattern to make adjustments on future princess line patterns. The fitting information alone is well worth the price of the pattern, even at full price. I'm very pleased with this and I will be looking for more of these fitting patterns from McCall's.

I also went to my fabric stash for the suiting fabric and chose a nubby weave beige suiting fabric. I'm sure it was meant to look like a high-end raw silk suiting, but it, most assuredly, is not. The fabric is at least 15 years old, yes, my stash is that deep and that old, and I think it was a remnant end. In the end, I purchased some additional lining fabric, a front zipper and thread. This was a stash bashing, use what you already have project.

 The following are photos of the finished production. I'm pleased with the result. Will this be an item that will last twenty years in my wardrobe? I don't think so. The zip front jacket will look dated after a while and the inexpensive fabric probably will not wear well. I do plan to get five to ten years of occasional wear from the garment. If one piece or the other is "retired" from my closet, the remaining piece is neutral enough to continue life as a separate.

Front View

Back View

Sleeve Cuff Detail

Lining Detail with Print Blouse

The Skirt Alone

Jacket Detail

A Word About Scissors

In a long ago previous post, I outlined a list for a basic sewing kit which I believe every household needs for simple clothing repair. This kit will also be your foundation for your future sewing equipment. I also kept in mind that some people who try sewing will not care for it and not continue in this hobby. Therefore, I kept the list to an absolute minimum number of items and discussed quality and cost of several items. For example, buying one high quality vinyl double sided measuring tape will last a lifetime if you sew or if you only do occasional mending or fabric projects. This difference in cost is minimal but the life cycle is much higher for the "best quality" item.

For most items, I recommended buying high quality tools to begin your collection, except for scissors. Counter intuitive? Maybe? But good quality sewing shears need to be purchased after you have a small amount of experience. Today, I'll repeat this advice and add to the information to try to help you with your first cutting tool investments. Previously, on the post titled,  "A Very, Very Basic Sewing Kit", I stated the following advice about your first pair of scissors.

 For an absolute beginner, however, I recommend buying a new pair of $10-$15 dollar dressmaking shears from the large sewing store or online. If you are particularly budget minded, a new pair of "orange" handled scissors from the office supply store will be just fine. The point, here, is that they are new! Don't go to the kitchen drawer and re-purpose old scissors. Even the new "orange" scissors will suffice for cutting fabric for your first six or seven projects before becoming too dull. By that time, you will know if sewing is going to be a long term love or a see ya' later frustration. At that time, you can make the investment for new high quality shears and "retire" your old scissors to be your paper scissors in the sewing room. If you are saying goodbye to sewing then your basic sewing kit can remain in its' box as a simple home mending kit. It will be ready and stocked for all your small clothing emergencies.

When you have decided to invest in a pair of dressmaking shears, you should invest in the best possible pair you can afford. Two, you should protect them with your life, and use them only to cut fabric. And finally, three, have them sharpened, when needed, at an independent sewing store that specializes in sewing scissor sharpening. You may have to travel to do this and even leave your shears for sharpening at the store, but with careful use this won't happen too often. I sharpen my shears every 5-10 years, depending on the type of sewing projects I have done. Recently, some special occasion sewing with man-made fabrics have hastened the decline of the my shear's cutting edge. They are okay for now but before the next silk blouse, I need to schedule their maintenance visit to the sharpener.

At first you only need two pairs of scissors, your dressmaking shears and your paper scissors. You should buy bent handle, razor sharp shears in a size that could range from 8" to 10". What exact size you choose will depend on your sewing style and hand size and strength. In general, lighter weight and shorter shears are better for lighter weight fabrics and heavier weight longer shears are better for heavier fabrics. Also your own hand size will help you determine your shear size.  This is why if you see a Saville row cutter's shears they will be absolutely enormous.  The heavier suit fabric and the traditional male hand suited large shears that would be entirely out of proportion for most sewer's needs. View your shear purchase as an investment, buy your shears at a sewing store where the sales person will allow you to handle at least a sample of the shears before you buy them. Test the shears before you buy! But don't cut anything! Hold them in your cutting hand and open and close them several times. How do they feel in your hand? Are they comfortable to hold? Balanced in your hand? Do they open and close smoothly? As you open and close them slowly in the air, they should feel as if you are pushing a fork through the most fluffiest, smoothest, lightest cheesecake you can imagine, any more resistance than that and they will be tiring to use. Any less than that and you need to choose a different pair.

Your second pair of scissors for your sewing room are your paper scissors. They can be the ones your have "retired" from you original first sewing kit or they can be a new pair of scissors from an any office supplier. They also should be dedicated to your sewing room. You do not want to be chasing down scissors from the kitchen or garage every time you sew.

Now you have what you need to get started with sewing, your fabric shears, and your paper scissors. Never mistake one for the other and guard both carefully from other less informed household members.

As you become more experienced with sewing, you may find adding to your cutting tools very useful. I've listed several other sorts of other items that are useful. None are absolutely necessary to start and all make great suggestions for the dreaded question, "What can I get you for your birthday?"

Other useful items
Some 6" sharp point scissors for clipping, slashing and trimming
Small embroidery scissors are for cutting thread, hand sewing, small clips and fine detail cutting.
Thread snips are great for clipping threads at the machine or ironing board.
Pinking shears will help you finish the edges of raveling fabric if you don't have an overlock machine.
Rotary cutters are useful for slippery, silky fabrics and quilting. You must use a cutting mat with this option.
Duck bill applique scissors are for very close trimming of delicate fabrics and appliques. I find them useful for reducing seam bulk in collars and neckline facings as long as the fabric is lightweight.

An Indie Pattern for the first time!

This is the Plantain Tee Shirt by Dear and Doe Pattern Co. It is my first venture into an independent pattern company, a PDF pattern and a free pattern. Was it successful? Yes and no.

I have always been hesitant to venture to the indie pattern market. So much of it seems to be geared toward a younger, sweeter, thinner fashion sense. This is great for the indies and a perfect market  in order to get more and newer sewing enthusiasts involved in the hobby. But not so much for me, I, the older, the more serious (all right, let's just say....I invented the witchy resting face.) the heavier dressmaker has little interest in sweet summer dresses, leggings and other such fashions of the fabulous young. I need structure, tailoring, and forgiveness. I knew about Dear and Doe for several years, but this season when their promotional email landed in my box, I just happened to miss-click and what opened before me was a trench coat pattern featuring a lovely lady that was more my size. So I took a look again and discovered they offer a free pattern via PDF download, the Plantain Tee Shirt. I like free and I took the bait and I'm hooked, but not on the printable PDF's. Good heavens, shoot me now!

Many folk may like the immediate satisfaction of instant downloads, but not me.  We are very behind the curve on our computers and getting one piece of hardware to talk to another is a mammoth task. Then there is the scaling of the pattern itself, which was accomplished by hook and by crook from a printer whose language is set to something I know nothing about. After two years, I still cannot find the menu to permanently change the language default, temporarily, yes, but from a cold boot that printer remains locked in its mother tongue.

I digress. It is very easy for me to fall off the crazy cliff when dealing with technology and as one of the earliest adopters of home computers I have, in the last five years, become increasing hostile to the direction in which my human/computer relationship is shifting.

Back to sewing, after walking away from the printer, I still didn't have a pattern. There was cutting and taping and then I couldn't tissue fit the pattern. Tracing paper followed and then a tissue fit, luckily not much needed changing except some extra length in the torso. I think and it looks as if it is so, that the other patterns at Dear and Doe are available already printed. I'll pay for that and be patient with the post office.

I made it up in a light weight cotton jersey with a bit if viscose in it and this is where the project falls apart. I did not pay for or travel to get high quality jersey. I shopped locally and got something that did not wear well at all. It was nice at first off the bolt, and with the first couple of washings, but then all the cotton fibers in the fabric decided they had had enough and wanted to date the lint screen of my dryer. This fabric is washing away and becoming thinner and thinner. Fast fashion crap fabric has made it to my sewing studio and I DON"T like it. For all my time spent, I will have nothing to show for it in about three more wearings.

Back to the pattern...Even thought the fabric is a terrible flop. The pattern is most definitely a keeper. The neckline is flattering and the top drape very nicely. I will be putting this in my tried and true file and I will be shopping for German quality knits on my next trip east.


A final note for today, theNYTimes  ran an article about the newest fashion trends and noted the move to lower hemline, higher necks and sleeves! Maybe covering my charwoman's knees, turkey neck and bat wings will suddenly become more fashionable. Maybe there will just be more choice. I think the time has come to give ladies of all sorts more choices and the freedom to make those choices about their own clothing.

A One Meter Shirt

I had big plans for chemise silhouette dresses. Not only did I have one meter of olive twill in my stash, I had one meter of a matching woven stripe. When the plans crashed and burned, I had more stash than any woman has a right to own. I believe in reusing my mistakes and these two projects are a result of a poor choice. This is one reason why you will not often see me choosing bright colors and large prints. I change my mind about fabrics and patterns often and by the time I actually sew something the game plan has changed a dozen times.

The plan for these fabrics was the striped dress on the right, from a Japanese pattern book call "Feminine Wardrobe" by Jinko Matsumoto. It became the photo on the left, as skirt from Butterick 4461 and the shirt from McCall's 2094.

 McCall's 2094 is a tried and true pattern for me. I don't even think that it is published any longer. These little shirts have been part of my wardrobe for nearly a decade. I've done a FBA on the pattern years ago and I prefer the short and sleeveless versions of this shirt.







Here's a closer photo of the collar and the fabric. This is more utilitarian sewing. There is nothing fancy about this. It is more about using the resources I already have to make something that I will use for many years to come.

Back to the One Meter Skirt.

 I had originally purchased two one meter pieces of fabric to be used to make a chemise dress. After I decided that silhouette was not for me, these fabrics went to the stash. My stash is much too large and so I made a 1 meter skirt. This is from Butterick 4461.  I made View A in size 14 and I added  about 3 inches to the length. Let's say this another way, when I laid out the pattern on the fabric, I took as much extra length as I had fabric. The heavier twill and more somber color lends itself to a longer skirt. The summer breezy cottons shown on the pattern envelope are better suited to the knee length design.







 I lined the skirt with a grey lining fabric, also from my stash. Here it is on my dressmaker's dummy with the blouse from the last post. It a very simple slightly A-line skirt with no waistband and two front and back darts for shaping. The zip is at the center back.

 Front View - It is so plain that there isn't much to talk about.
I would call this piece a wardrobe basic. One of those items that gets worn a lot with everything.

Here it is fresh out of the closet and tossed on the floor next to my other one meter project, a camp shirt.

Photos!

Remember these blouses? I quickly tossed them on the floor, took a photo and moved on to more sewing. My sewing room has seen a lot of thread this spring. I finally had some time today and a clean room, so I took some more photos. Here are some closer views of the blouse on the right.

The back of the collar is secured with two buttons with self fabric loops. This version of the blouse has an open neckline and you don't really need to use these buttons to put the blouse on, but they are a very nice visual detail. The other version of the blouse with the higher jewel neckline has these also and there you most definitely would need to open the collar to get the blouse on or off.

Here is a full view of the back. There is a side seam zipper on the left.

This is the front detail. There are a bunch of fiddly little pleats going left and right. Choosing a stable fabric, cutting accurately and marking carefully are critical for this pattern detail.

This is the finished blouse. It's all over tiny print makes it nearly a neutral olive green grey texture. I happen to like this print best of all the three I've made from this pattern this spring.

One Meter of Olive Twill

....makes one casual straight skirt using Buterrick 4461. There is nothing special about this project. It is a quick stash buster. However, this olive color goes well with the last two tee shirts that I've made and the three blouses from Simplicity 1278.



...AND I don't have photos of this or the next project that I made, a little striped shirt. I guess that is tomorrow's project.