Wednesday, October 8, 2014

30 Minutes a Day for October - Part 1

Main focus this week:
  • Muslin for Pocahontas costume (purple nightie)
  • Style Arc Susan Skirt 
  • Pocahontas costume
  • Honey Cowl

Tracking Tasks:

1st - 30 minutes sewing, 20 minutes knitting
  • Made alterations to Pocahontas pattern
  • Cut muslin 
  • Fused stabilizer to back shoulder seams 
  • Changed machine to OL and rethreaded 
  • Pressed bias strip to stop curling (didn't work!) 
  • Worked on Honey cowl - 2 rows

2nd - 45 minutes sewing, 40 minutes knitting
  • Stitched and topstitched left shoulder seam
  • Applied bias strip to neckline and pressed
  • Overlocked to control curling (worked!)
  • Pinned and topstitched neck binding
  • Stitched and topstitched right shoulder seam
  • Stitched in sleeves
  • Stitched side seams
  • Worked on Honey cowl - 6 rows

3rd - 60 minutes sewing, 15 minutes knitting
  • Finished stitching Honey Cowl - blocked
  • Nightie: Pinned hem and sleeve hem
  • Susan Skirt: Stitched front side panels to front centre panel
  • Susan Skirt: Stitched back to back yoke
  • Susan Skirt: Stitched side seams
  • Nightie: Coverstitched hem and sleeve hems, pressed and trimmed excess hem allowance
  • Susan Skirt: Cut and inserted elastic
  • Susan Skirt: Turned down and topstitched elastic
  • Susan Skirt: Measured and cut hem
  • Susan Skirt: Pinned and coverstitched hem, pressed
  • Wove in ends on Baby Lucy hat

4th - 30 minutes sewing (went away for the weekend)
  • Cut Pocahontas costume out
  • Changed machine to OL, rethreaded all machines in brown
  • Fused stabiliser to shoulder seams
  • Tidied up in sewing room

5th - 30 minutes sewing (went away for the weekend)
  • Sewed shoulder seam
  • Cut binding and applied to neckline
  • Sewed second shoulder seam
  • Sewed in sleeves

6th - 60 minutes sewing, 30 minutes 'knitting'
  • Overlocked sleeve seams
  • Stitched one side seam
  • Stabilised hem
  • Use Vliesofix to attach trim along hem
  • Stitched trim along hem
  • Stitched second side seam
  • Tried on Erin and marked where remaining trim is to go
  • Used Vliesofix to attach trim along marked lines
  • Stitched trim to dress, pressed
  • Made headband from plaited trim (rejected trim from dress)
  • Made and attached pompom for Baby Lucy hat

7th - 30 minutes of sewing (Work Day)
  • Tried on UFO tank and assessed for alterations
  • Tried on Navy tennis skort (rarely worn) and assessed for alterations
  • Unpicked the elastic from the legs of my Navy tennis skort

Review: 
Did pretty well to fit in at least 30 minutes of sewing each day, given that we went away for the weekend and I had to go to work one day. Typically, I don't do ANYTHING crafty on a work day, but because I was tracking, I didn't want to ruin my streak, so I forced myself to do something very low key. Still, it counts!

I think this method has been a success this week as I have three completed garments and have made progress on another. It's been a long time since I've felt this productive!

Next week: 
Need to tackle that Honey Cowl, and get those ends woven in. I've also set my sights on getting that tennis outfit finished and tidying up the loose ends of the Halloween costumes so I don't need to think about them again. Unfortunately, that requires a shopping trip, and I really don't like shopping.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

30 Minutes a Day for September

This month, I have been trying to ensure that I spend 30 minutes a day in the sewing room actually doing something to move projects forward. I found that I would head into the sewing room but get distracted by the computer and leave an hour later having accomplished nothing. It's only been the last few days that I have kept track of the actual tasks that I accomplished, but I have found that it's keeping me on track so I'll probably keep doing that through October.

If anyone's interested, here's what I managed to get done over the last 5 days:

26th: Cut out Lady Macbeth costume, fused interfacing to back shoulder seam, started to lay out skirt pattern

27th: Cut out Style Arc skirt pattern from LM costume leftovers, worked on LM costume: stitched centre back seam and one shoulder seam, pinned down trim around neckline

28th: Worked on LM costume: stitched down trim around neckline, closed other shoulder seam, sewed in sleeves, sewed side seams and tried on!

29th: Worked on LM costume: eased top edge of trim, turned and stitched neckline, pinned trim to sleeves; Chose pattern for Pocahontas costume

30th: Finished Lady Macbeth costume: stitched down trim on sleeves, trimmed hem to right length. Worked on Pocahontas costume: prepped fabric, traced and altered pattern.


Goals for October: 

Continue to spend 30 minutes a day working on actual projects

  1. Pocahontas costume
  2. Buy some gold cord to use as a 'waist' tie for my Lady Macbeth costume 
  3. Take photos of the costumes! 
  4. Style Arc Susan Skirt
  5. Tennis Outfit
  6. White Long shorts for me
  7. (Yarn-related) Honey Cowl - Nearly done
  8. (Yarn-related) Marigold Cardigan - Half done
  9. White Burda Plus Top 
  10. Navy HP Blouse Back Tee
I know it looks ridiculous, but most of the stuff is half done already - or dead simple. Anyway, we'll see how far I get through my list.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Wrap Dress Muslin

I've been working on this wrap dress muslin for a while now. I find that when I run into significant fit issues it can make my mojo dry up faster than the speed of light. I've been consciously 'forcing' myself to sew for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, so that I can push past this point. Once I have these issues worked out, then I know I'll be fine. I have a number of knit pieces that would work beautifully in a dress like this, so it's worth it to me to get the pattern adjusted properly.

Initially I was inspired by dresses like this Diane Von Furstenberg dress (which I know is sewn from a woven):


DIANE VON FURSTENBERG Starred Clouds Coral Silk Valencia Dress






Pattern: Ottobre 05/2013 #17
Size: 52 (although I may need to be sewing a smaller size in future)
Muslin made from Peacock poly-knit



Alterations made BEFORE cutting muslin: 
  • Added 1" to sleeve width at bicep
  • Extended front to be a full width piece (faux wrap) and cropped the under layer
  • Added 1.25" to back side seam at butt level
Observations: 

  • Dress is far too wide at neckline, bra straps are showing. 
  • Dress is FAR too low at neckline - entire front of bra is showing
  • It just feels too big overall - especially around the neck and shoulder area
  • When I pulled the front crossover tighter, it pulled the side seams to the front, so I can't just do that...there is a chance that I pulled too much across. Perhaps I could do this if I only shaved off a little. 
  • It almost feels as though I want to make a honking great dart on the underlayer to pull it in tighter. 

Alterations which still need to be made: 
  • Raise neckline (ie. insertion point at side seam) by about 3 - 4"
  • Bring in shoulders (reduce neck width)
  • Remove length from skirt - not too much, but it is currently at granny level for me
  • Bring in side seams, particularly at bust level
  • Perhaps sew a smaller size, especially around the neck/shoulder area?
  • For summer, sew a short sleeve, perhaps flare the skirt and the sleeve?


Monday, September 15, 2014

Achievable Plans for September

Apparently, goals are meant to be achievable...so I've pruned my original list and have settled on these items I'd like to get done by the end of this month.

I'm kind of cheating a little, because I'm fairly certain I'm going to buy the shorts, at least I HOPE I can buy the shorts. My DD is firmly in that stage where she's being very picky about her clothing, and the rules seem to be arbitrary.

The rest is all simple sewing (as you'd expect from me). I do want to tackle some more complex projects next month, but these garments are more urgently required.

Garment Sewing: 
1.  Knit Wrap Dress - Muslin UNDERWAY - AND THROWN IN BIN. Will start this one again next month with some further modifications.

This is the pattern I'm using - Ottobre 5/2013 - with some modifications to ensure modesty for work.

2.  Long shorts for DD (3 pairs - CHEATER ALERT - DID END UP BUYING THESE)
3.  Halloween costume for me - NEARLY DONE
4.  Halloween costume for DD - HAVE BOUGHT THE SUPPLIES
5.  Tennis skirt for me

Goals: 
Incorporate a minimum of 30 minutes of sewing each day

Shopping list: 
Seam tape

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Another Basic T-Shirt - Inspired by fabric...and what to sew next?

So, I picked up this gorgeous printed knit at Spotlight not that long ago. It was perfect for another 'Tilton Tee'...or so I thought. In my excitement over the colours and design, I neglected to think about the stretch.

For the most part it was OK; I've fitted my pattern to need minimal stretch in the knit. But when combining different fabrics, some with obviously more stretch than others, sewing in the sleeve becomes problematic. It took me several attempts to get it halfway decent, and so I left it and moved on.

It's not perfect, but I was over it by this stage, and couldn't see how I could get it any better. It feels nice to wear and I'm pretty happy with the fabric combination, too.



 I've got nothing further to say...same pattern as the previous 2 versions, used techniques learnt in the Tilton sisters' class on Craftsy, yada yada...

Up next is a wrap dress made from (appropriately stretchy) knit. I'm currently deciding between this pattern (Ottobre 05/2013/07)


and this pattern (Petite Plus Easy Wrap Dress) - with a 3/4 sleeve

Thursday, June 19, 2014

A Basic T-Shirt: Version 2 - Inspired by RTW

I've had a piece of white floral (almost) burnout knit in my stash since my daughter was quite young. Initially, I thought I'd make a knit top for her, but those plans obviously never got off the ground. By the time she started to voice an opinion on fabric choice, she gave it the thumbs down. I still really liked it but it always seemed too small for a project for me. Enter the wonderous world of Marcy and Katherine Tilton...and THIS t-shirt.

The link on Pinterest is broken now, but it did take me to the Tees and Tanks section of the Anthropologie website...where I promptly pinned a few others for t-shirt inspiration. :-)


And this is what I came up with.

Obviously, I'm not using a raglan sleeve pattern (it's on my list), but I think I got pretty close with the vibe of the top. And, while I've still got some fiddling to do with the pattern for the next version, I'm happy with the fit of this top. It's certainly not a TIGHT t-shirt fit, but it IS one I'm comfortable wearing.



Changes I made for this version:

  • Performed a 1" FBA (following the 'Fit for Real People' method) - this added about 1" to the length at centre front, too. That has brought the hemline level. 
  • Added 1" to the length of the hem - now I'm wondering if it's too much. I need to see it in a full length photo. Unfortunately, the battery in my camera remote died as I took the photo below. I'm just grateful that I got the photos I did. 
  • Sewed the side seams a little deeper (mayne 1/2" max) through the bust area and top of the sleeve.
  • Again, I didn't need the 1" fit insurance so trimmed it away after trying on. I do like the confidence it gives me, but I may trim it away from the pattern if I don't need it on the next few versions.

For next time:

The main issue I have with the fit is the sleeves. The drag lines that I'm experiencing are causing me a little consternation, so I've looked into that. Apparently, they can be caused by the sleeve head not being high enough. When I pull up the sleeve a little at the underarm seam (perpendicular to the seam line), the drag lines decrease noticeably, so I think I'm on to something there. For Version 3, I've dropped down the armhole seam at the sides by 1/2" on each side, blending to nothing by the (non-existent) notches. Effectively, this is raising the height of the sleeve head.


Looking at the photos of the back of this garment, I'm also wondering if I made it a little too tight through the back at the bust level. I did take in the garment there about 1/2" at the side seams. I'll have to be a little more observant at the basting stage next time.

I've already got the fabrics selected for Version 3, with a couple more in the wash. So, I'll be able to test out this pattern alteration very soon.

A Basic T-Shirt: Version 1 - My Attempt at Colour Blocking

For the first version of the new t-shirt pattern, I chose a knit I've had in the stash for a while. It's not my favourite print, but it actually turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. So I decided, at the last moment, that I would try to lift it a little by throwing in some grey/white stripe to make it a bit more interesting. It was a difficult print to try to match with - it's not a black in there, it's a dark brown.


Anyway, as far as the fit goes, I'm pretty happy with it in the lower section. It's pulling a bit around my bust although there's certainly enough room to go around. It appears as though the fabric is in the wrong place - more off to the sides, rather than in the front. So, an FBA will be done for the next one. And it's a bit too short. I'll be adding 1" to the hem.

I'm getting diagonal drag lines on the sleeves so will look into what's potentially causing that and see if I can address that on the next t-shirt, too.

I'm super happy with how the neckband has worked out - it's SO flat. And the construction method (using a straight stitch on the sewing machine - basting - a million try ons) seems to have worked really well, too. I'll definitely be sticking with that for a while.