If you follow sewing blogs at all, I don't need to explain who Gertie is or what book I'm talking about. For those of you not in the know, I've provided handy dandy links.
I was given a copy of this book a while ago as a gift. Mother's Day? Birthday? Anniversary? Christmas? I forget. But I love the book. LOVE. And not just because I've been following Gertie's blog for what seems like ever. Or the fact that the tips and tricks held within are amazing. Elastic thread. Bobbin. AMAZING RESULTS. Or even the way the book is laid out and made. Although that's pretty darn amazing, too.
No, the main reason I love the book is the patterns. I have a love/hate relationship with patterns. I love to look at them. I collect them. I love the envelope artwork - especially vintage patterns. But I hate when they don't come together right. Or the sizing is fictional. As in, you go based on your [bust/waist] measurement [depending on what you're making] and when the garment is cut out, it's miles too big. Wearing ease/design ease my eye. No one needs EIGHT INCHES of ease. Ahem.
So when I made my first item from the book - the scalloped waist skirt - I was pleasantly surprised.
Why? Because it actually fit. The first time. With NO monkeying around with the pattern. I didn't need to grade up or down from my own measurement because it was one of the listed sizes. And when I traced and cut the pattern as is, it was exactly the right size. Not too big, not too small, JUST RIGHT. You heard me, Goldilocks, JUST RIGHT. That NEVER happens. And when I say never I mean NEVER.
Crappy Phone Camera Picture
I've yet to wear the skirt for a couple of reasons...
1) I'm terminally short, so the skirt as made is about 8" longer than Gertie's is on her.
2) I really want a crinoline to put under it. See #1.
3) I don't yet have a blouse to go with. That's coming soon.
The muslin is completely finished. AND WEARABLE. Woohoo! The sheer blouse/jacket is a repurposed vintage tablecloth from my Nana's. It had a couple of holes that I was able to patch easily and plenty of diameter to get enough trim for the entire affair - including sleeves.
While it is a little biggish, that's OK because the fashion fabric is NOT stretchy at all like the lace and I'll be able to take it in here and there with darts if necessary. I will make it a scootch longer though to get more volume. I might omit the godet on the back. Not sure how that will look in the more structured fabric...
Front
Back
The unfortunate thing about these pictures is that you can't see the actual color. It's not gray/green. It's a lovely light celadon which really complements the sarong part. Tomorrow I start on the fashion fabric version. WOOHOOOOOOOO! Once this is finished, then I'm back to formal wear finishes.
This bit of comedy gold just cracks me up every time I hear it. So of course when I'm about to post about plans for the upcoming year it comes to mind. Click play before reading. Then try to read this post with a straight face. I dare ya. I double-dog dare ya.
These I have but a few days to work on. They need to be finished completely by January 29th (exactly 1 month from today). I have the fabric all ready to go, but the pattern pieces aren't even drafted yet. Fun times.
The "Next Big Thing" up is to completely de-holiday the house which shouldn't be a problem. Except for the fact that the sewing projects will consume all my time and then we're into pageant season which will last from February to March. So much for taking the decorations down right after the Octave of Christmas.
Sometime before Chinese New Year (2/10/13) I need to clear out the old and de-clutter. I'm really bad at multi-tasking. REALLY bad. So this can only end badly.
The kids go back to school January 10th, so I can start sewing in earnest then. Before then, I'm playing a waiting game trying to get all my supplies together, get measurements settled and put away all the stuff that has been inhabiting my dining room sewing table for the last few months. My poor children have been relegated to eating dinner sitting tailor-style in front of the TV watching Mythbusters since the late fall while I attempted to finish Halloween costumes, pageant costumes, holiday costumes and various and sundry baking/decorating projects.
In the midst of all this, I have to plan birthdays for an 11 year old, 9 year old and 7 year old. I can't believe my "babies" are getting so old... We won't talk about how old that makes ME. Let's just say that 2013 is a "decade" year for me.
I'm thinking about spending some of my Christmas money on a quilting class in the new year. It's one thing I've never done before. What say ye?
To appropriate a line from "30 Rock", there are two things I love in this world: Starbucks and Sewing Patterns.
Starbucks is and always will be my "Happy Place". My days are measured in how many shots of espresso I need to make it through. Sewing Patterns are my hobby. Yes, I sew. I love it. But I love Sewing Patterns more. And by "Sewing Patterns", I mean the collecting of and mooning over the actual pattern envelope and pieces therein.
When I need a pick-me-up or some "me" time or just to decompress, I head over to the local Fabric Mega Mart and plop down with my Starbucks Beverage Du Jour and contemplate. Sometimes I contemplate the styling of the photos. Like I did here. Sometimes I snap pictures of patterns I want to buy when they go on sale. Because there is NO WAY I'm paying full retail price for a Vogue pattern. No WAY. Other times I look for inspiration. Hello, Road to the Runway! And sometimes I just sit there and flip pages mindlessly.
Today, I wanted to see what was cooking for Winter. I'd already seen Simplicity, McCall's & Butterick's offerings. Burda I ignored because, well, they don't change much from year to year and it sort of frustrates me. Vogue's newest books weren't out yet. I'll let Iago say what I'm thinking about THAT.
Since I couldn't peruse Vogue's winter offerings, I had to placate myself with KwikSew's. I wasn't sure I'd really reviewed KwikSew's pattern books/styling before, so I thought to myself as I was flipping through the pages "You know... These are actually pretty good". So here's the low-down on KwikSew's pattern book.
Pattern Books are the first way we get to know a pattern company. So when we look inside the cover, we need to see well styled looks, well executed samples and believable models. Why? Because we are the ones who will be making this stuff. If we can't envision what it's going to look like on US, the "real" people, then what's the point??? I'll pause for a moment to insert a Tim Gunn Takeaway...
Tim is spot on, by the way. Sewing for one's self is like having a mini-makeover every time you finish a garment.
I was heartily impressed with KwikSew.
The styling of each photo was impeccable. Not fussy, no contorted model poses, no stupid accessories that didn't make sense, no pretense or hauteur. Which is sort of an oxymoron in the fashion industry. In fact, the backgrounds *and* models were well chosen to show off the garments.
The samples presented in the photos were well executed. When patterned fabrics were used, they were manipulated in such a way that it didn't frustrate the perfectionist in me. I will go postal on a pattern company that can't manage to match plaids in the sample. That's totally unacceptable.
The designs themselves were not pretentious or making failed attempts at haute couture. Which is nice because most women* who sew for their families aren't into avant garde runway chic for their day-to-day wear, ya know?
Many of the patterns looked to be very easy to sew. Which is great for those who want to spend time actually WEARING the clothes rather than figuring out how to make them.
KwikSew doesn't have a 2" thick book like everyone else on the pattern desk. Their book is a scanty 1/2" thick or so, but what it DOES have is worth looking at and worth sewing. Their patterns are pricier than everyone else's on sale, but I suspect that the adage "You get what you pay for" is going to be true for KwikSew patterns.
In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't sewn one yet. In fact, the only KwikSew patterns I have are ANCIENT ones that have to be traced and as such have never yet been made up. But I'd LOVE the opportunity to try one some day.
*I know, I know, it's not just women (in binders) who sew. Dudes sew too, but let's be real, the majority of home sew-ers are women. So please don't shoot the messenger.
When I was about 12 years old, there was this like totally awesome, radical cartoon on TV. I never did get to see all the episodes because it aired on Sunday mornings and it revolved around a "new wave" girl band and if you remember anything about the 80s and fundamentalist Christianity, you'll remember that the two were diametrically opposed. I remember being allowed to purchase certain Jem & The Holograms items from my own money by my parents but only under duress.
Looking back, there's nothing "outrageous" about Jem other than the hair colors (I've had blue and pink hair!) & makeup (!) and by today's standards it's quite benign if a little "retro". I miss my Jem/Jerrica and Rio dolls with the Rock Backstager speaker case. If only I'd kept them... I can't believe how they kept their value. I'd love to have a complete set for my girls but I don't have the lettuce to make that happen with original dolls, so I'm turning to Hasbro's nemesis in the fashion doll world... Barbie.
Barbie is ubiquitous and you can pick them up at yard sales and thrift stores on the cheap. I'll also take donations of any that people want to get rid of! I plan on repainting and re-rooting their hair to make them into the entire cohort of Jem & the Holograms dolls. It's something I've never done before but it's along the same lines as Gundam modeling, so hey, it's worth a shot.
My girls are "over" regular Barbies, but my middle child LOVES collectible ones. So this should be a fun project to take on in between other more important things. Stay tuned for more fun posts on this topic.
Actually, middle child needed a new pair of shoes to go with a "denim-wear" outfit. And as these things normally go, we don't have a "spare" pair of shoes for me to cover in denim and I'm not going to the store to buy a NEW pair to cover(!) and the realization came at midnight and nothing was open.... What's a mom to do?
Theoretically, it is NOT hard. I had all the supplies on hand because I wanted to make me a pair of shoes and never got around to it. So how does it work this shoe-making thing? When I first got it into my head about 18 months ago to make shoes for myself, I googled and found this book:
and Craig Corvin's blog. For the record, I have received no compensation from anyone related to either the blog or the book.
To start making shoes you need a last (foot-shaped thingy). This is the foundation that you will build the upper (fabric part of shoe) on. Since it was in the middle of the night and I didn't want to cast my kid's foot in plaster while she slept, I used the next best thing... A pair of shoes she pronounced "a smidge too small". This turned out to be excellent because by building the last around the shoes, I was able to make them a smidge larger. Win/Win as far as I'm concerned.
To make the lasts, I used a product called "Rigid Wrap" plaster cloth. Basically it's like what they use to put a cast on these days, only plaster instead of fiberglass. Cut it, get it wet, apply to form, VOILA! Since I didn't want to ruin the shoes forever, I wrapped them in cling film (aka saran wrap) and plastered only the uppers, leaving the sole free. Once the plaster stuff had dried pretty well, I cut the cling film off the shoes and popped them out. I had to stuff them with plastic grocery sacks and then plaster over that to make them solid enough to build on. I let them dry overnight and then wrapped the plaster casts in cling film because I'll be working with water and fabric stiffener later and water + plaster = mess.
There's a time and place for Polyester and Spandex. But not MOST of the time. During my latest foray into the fabric forest at the local Fabric Mega Mart, I was astounded to see that roughly 90% of the apparel fabrics contained Polyester. And not even "nice" Polyester. At prices that were shocking considering the quality of fabric on the racks. Even with a 40% off (or more!) coupon I still wouldn't WEAR it. It's itchy & scratchy and not in a Simpsons-esque manner.
Frankly, I'm not surprised since my latest trip to a Mall produced much the same results in the department stores. The fabrics were better than 70s Polyester Double-Knit, but not by much. I swear I saw a PDK jacket in the window of a store that is known for being "fashion forward".
Now I might be missing something, but since when is going back 35 years to a time we all wished we could forget fashion-wise "fashion *forward*"?
Burda, I'm talking to you.
Burda Collection 2012/2013
Let's all party like it's 1969. At least they matched the plaid so I didn't have to gouge my eyes out.
Now back to my rant on Polyester. If you subtract the fleece & flannel from what's on the shelves, you're left with knit. Knits galore. Ponte knit = scratchy, Swimsuit knit = can't go outside in that even in our Year Round Summer in Florida, Jersey knit = great for tshirts and an occasional dress, but a royal PITN (pain in the neck) to sew. And various and sundry other knits that I wouldn't be caught dead in. Ribknits are for undershirts or cuffs/collars on tshirts/sweatshirts.
I found exactly ONE bolt of fabric that had a lovely feel to it. I wanted to wrap myself in it and rub it all over me. It was a Poly/Rayon/Spandex blend. For $20/yard. It was a coat-weight fabric which would look amazing as a suit jacket or overcoat.
What I want to know is WHAT HAPPENED TO VISCOSE???? The woven kind? It's SOFT and it drapes beautifully. Rayon was such a popular fabric in the 30s/40s. Why has it dropped out of fashion? It's not near as much of a pain to care for as cotton or linen. Sure it wrinkles a bit if you leave it in the dryer for a while after it's done drying, but is that a reason to avoid it?
Have we gone so far into the Valley of the Shadow of Spandex that we can't wear wovens any more? Or is it just that where I am there's not that great of a selection of fashion fabric?
I'm insanely jealous of those lucky folks who have access to places like Mood. To be able to lose myself in their bolts of fabrics of so much variety. How much does a round trip ticket to NYC cost these days? I know you CAN order online from lots of places, but I have to SEE it and TOUCH it to be able to decide whether or not it works for me.
Of one day owning a quaint little shoppe in our quaint little downtown area. I've even got a location all picked out. The pictures are courtesy of the Sanford Historic Trust.
1923
2011
I want the corner space on the right, bottom floor. It's got GREAT street visibility and is right next door to the Sanford Visitor's Center/Historic Trust. When I first moved to Sanford over a decade ago, this building caught my eye and it spoke to me. That's how these things normally start, right?
So more about my dream.
One thing this town needs desperately and doesn't have is a children's boutique. I remember going to "Nana's Kiddie Shoppe" or something similar when I was a little girl. It had fluffy dresses, pretty underthings, fancy shoes and hair dos and some toys, but not many. They sold suits for boys, too. The thing about Nana's was the QUALITY. Quality that you just don't find very often these days. And I can promise you that there isn't a store like that in our area unless you're willing to DRIVE. FAR.
So I want to fill that need. I think I became most aware of the "lack of" in this area when my oldest was a baby. I had to drive 40 minutes just to get a decent christening gown. And we won't even SPEAK of what passes for children's "fashion" over the last almost a decade. I have contented myself with shopping for my kids in three places: Target, The Children's Place and Justice with an occasional side trip to the Disney Store. And even then, I like the stuff I make best. So do my kids.
Which brings me full circle.
Imagine a working studio...
The front windows would have displays of things I've made in the past for us while an lcd monitor on the wall shows images of things I've made for others in a slideshow while gentle music wafts from the speakers mounted near the ceiling. In the front fourth of the space there will be a rack of some children's clothing I've made to sell. There will also be super comfy seating and a play area. To separate the work space from the "retail" space, there will be a wall that is only 4' high allowing a clear view through the work space to the front windows.
The remaining three fourths of the space would have all my machines, adequate work areas and a private consultation area. The walls would have shelves with racks of fabric and patterns and all manner of sewing stuff. It would be inspirational and functional. And MINE. ALL MINE.
A girl can dream can't she?
PS: I've already got a label name for my designs, but if I told you what it was I'd have to kill you...
The youngest of my progeny has a baby doll. This doll came from the Dollar Tree, so it's not like we have a whole lot invested in it. Except for the fact that my son LOVES this baby doll. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Poor Baby!
Except for the fact that Baby was bursting at the seams! In fact, Baby has been bursting at the seams for quite some time. I've tried new zip ties to keep it's head on to no avail since the neck casing basically was disintegrating. So what do you do? You go back to the Dollar Tree to find a replacement Baby. But when you get there, you realize that the Babies there aren't as nice as the one you bought 3 years ago. No indeedy. THIS Baby has sleepy eyes that open and close and a pretty face. The newer Babies have painted on eyes and smushed faces. So you go home, pray that Baby stays together another year or two and then you can put it away in the keepsake box.
Baby has gone to pieces!
HAH. Good luck with that. So eventually Baby starts to really go to pieces. And you, as the Good Mama™ that you are pull out a couple pieces of cardstock, disembowel Baby and make a pattern from the remains of the cloth body. This part is the easiest part. Really. I used fuschia cardstock and a pencil and some spray adhesive which I'm STILL picking off my fingers. Baby was constructed of five vinyl pieces and four fabric sections: body front, body upper back, body lower back and neckband. The pattern pieces were rough outlines drawn on the fold because I'm lazy like that and like to use the fold whenever possible.
Baby got a [new] back!
The How To:
1. Sew the upper back and lower back together with 1/4" seam. This makes Baby's butt-tocks.
2. Sew back to front with 1/4" seam. Match the crotch and armpits and ease everything else to that. It doesn't have to be perfect. <--- Advice to myself. Leave one shoulder unsewn.
3. Fold the neckband in half lengthwise and sew a 1/4" seam. Then attach to neckhole starting from one open shoulder and easing around the opening.
4. Sew across the bottom of the legs. This is important because it's how you're going to attach the feet.
5. PANIC because you're out of the right size zip ties AND hand sewing needles.
6. Breathe in and out a few times slowly and raid your oldest child's sewing box to find hand sewing needles.
7. Put the feet INSIDE the body that is still wrong side out. Attach the feet the old skool way by sewing them in rather than using zip ties. This means that you're going to take a few stitches every so often and then pull that sucker tight and then wrap the thread around the groove about 4 or 5 times then secure with about 10 knots in various places.
Did I mention that I haven't made a doll like this since I was uh... TWELVE????
8. Turn the body right side out except for the arms. Shove the hands inside and then fold the raw edges over so that you can see the vinyl arm opening. Take that hand needle with a nice long piece of thread and sew *through* the vinyl and fabric to attach the arms like they were originally. Bonus points for you if you A) use a thimble to keep from impaling your thumb and B) use the existing holes! Why reinvent the wheel, right?
9. Pull the arms out so the body looks almost normal and stuff that sucker with the original stuffing.
10. Freak out because you don't have the right size zip tie to put the head back on.
11. Put the head on the same way you did the feet. Gather the opening up with thread, making darn sure that it's tight because the LAST thing you want to happen is Baby's head popping off after a session of "loving" play.
Baby's got a new booooody!
12. Take a picture of the final product and post to your blog before handing Baby back to child.
13. Listen to the cherubic "Thank you Mama for fixing Baby!!!" and smile knowing that you're Good Mama™ for at least another 5 minutes until you don't let them eat unlimited fruitcake and cookies.
I'll readily admit that I'm terribly scatterbrained (my oldest comes by that trait honestly!) and I can get sidetracked super easily. Especially when there's fabric involved. ;-)
So I took a bit of a break from the kids' stuff and the cleaning stuff and cut out a new skirt and top for *me*. I've got this amazing green eyelet and burgundy/brown/green batik fabric that jumped off the shelf and into my cart at the local Fabric Mega Mart.
The green eyelet will become this skirt:
McCall's 5431
I added 2" to the waist at the center tapering to the hips. This pattern calls for a back zipper, but I don't like them, so I omitted the back seam and moved the opening to the side. This skirt is very close in style to my favorite skirt ever (DKNY, purchased in Jakarta 2.5 years ago). The length will be the same as the picture, but it will be solid eyelet without a contrast band. I'd rather have something that I can wear with more than one thing, ya know?
And the batik will become the first top (but with the lower neckline):
I don't plan on putting on a collar because I like a more streamlined look. Besides, the pattern of the fabric doesn't lend itself to any frippery. The only modification to this pattern was adding 1/2" to the waist to have enough ease. Cross your fingers that this works out because the fabric is $13/yard and I don't want to have to buy more.
More pictures will come as I complete more projects.
The Dress for Thing 2. It all started as Simplicity 2989, a Project Runway pattern. This was one of my 99¢ pattern finds that just SCREAMED "Anabella" to me. Or at least the blue and white one did. One thing I love, love, love about the Project Runway series of patterns is that you've got OPTIONS. Lots of 'em. Mix it, match it, you name it. The only real problem I have with it is that it's a Simplicity pattern. Which everyone knows is an oxymoron. USUALLY, the sewing instructions in a Simplicity pattern just plain suck. I don't know about the ones for this pattern because I didn't even bother with them.
I had some AMAZING fabric in my stash from a couple of years ago - and when I say "some", I really mean close to 5 yards worth - that had been acquired to make all three of my kids matching outfits. The funny thing is, I bought both the girls sandals for the summer this year to match that fabric, so it was imperative that I make it up. See how adorable the sandals are? I mean really. How could I not?
So off I went with my rotary cutter - my new best friend - and miles of fabric determined to make something awesomely awesome. Until I opened up the pattern. You see that lovely contrast band on the bodice up there? Guess what. It doesn't wrap around the back of the dress. It stops under the armpits. Now SRSLY folks. It's the DETAILS that matter and take an outfit to a "who' nuvah level". So what's a girl to do when faced by such a travesty? You got it. Redraft the pattern piece! Now don't get me wrong, I make no claims at being an "expert".
Now my biggest pet peeve is mismatched patterns. Or off-center motifs that draw the eye away in a weird way. So when I was redrafting the piece, I realized that with the contrast fabric I'd chosen (a wavy stripe), it was going to need to be cut all in one piece, rather than three pieces. I think the result is pretty good, if I do say so. While I was in the modifying mood, I added the piping to the edges of the bodice and straps and waist to really define the pattern and draw attention to the hula dancers. This also acts as a distraction. If the bodice and skirt patterns aren't perfectly matched, you can't tell because the pink line bisects it and makes it look like a distinctly different section. Check out the pattern envelope up top and just look at the right side of the bodice/waist junction. Think about it for a second. THAT was what I was trying to avoid. In the words of the judges of Project Runway, "I can't believe you'd send that down the runway".
While I was at it, I really wanted to give the new Bernina's zipper foot a run for it's money, so I opted for an "invisible" zipper. Now I've had mixed success with them in the past, largely owing to the fact that I didn't have a zipper foot. But hey, this machine came with one! So I had to try it out. And boy howdy does that thing work GREAT. See what I mean? A truly invisible zipper! And check out the matchy-matchy of the piping! SUCCESS!!!
Check out my happy girl during the first fitting. She's so happy with it and it wasn't even halfway done when she tried it on. I added some piping to the bottom contrast piece as well. And for the lining, I added two rows of rick rack trim and let Briar Rose (the Bernina) kick out an awesome decorative stitch of bows. The slip part will probably never show, but I just had to embellish it. See? Anyhow, the dress is finished except for finalizing the straps in the back. That will happen tomorrow. Then on to the outfits for Thing 1 and Thing 3. I'm using my "go to" pattern for Lorenzo's shorts/shirt. It's Simplicity 5982. I could make that one in my sleep, I've done so many of it. For Gabriella, I'm making McCall's M5798. It's a replica of a dress that I bought for her at Justice (if I remember right). It's one of her favorite styles.
You've been warned. I just have to get this off my chest. You know how people who are well-versed in [a field] can't help but notice flaws in examples of [their field]?
Like the grammarian who can't help but notice the abuse of apostrophes, commas and so on...
Or the video/movie afficionado who screams "continuity!" or "focus!" at the screen...
Well, it also afflicts the seasoned sew-er. I can't bring myself to use the term "sewist" because it makes it sound like a religion. Anyhow, I suffer from this condition. I can't go out in public without scrutinizing hems for "blind" hem visibility or side seams for pattern mis-matching. How I wish that these things didn't pop out at me, but they do. It's almost a curse, really. I don't MEAN to judge your clothes. Honest. But it makes me want to poke my eyes out and run screaming away "ALLOW EXTRA FABRIC FOR PATTERN MATCHING!!!!!!!"
It has been pointed out to me on several occasions that this is what separates the couture (the men) from ready-to-wear (the boys). However, I don't believe that there is where the line is drawn. Because any given episode of Project Runway will show you that "designer" ≠ well-constructed or thought out. No matter how many times Tim Gunn says "make it work", you just KNOW that some seam somewhere is going to be awry or a pattern mismatched or SOMETHING. It's just the way the Universe works.
I know I shouldn't let this affect me this way, but it does. So much so, that I A) overbuy fabric "just to be sure" I have enough to match pattern repeats and B) spend HOURS making sure patterns are "just so" before constructing the garment(s) in question. And really, it's not something I'm proud of. Just like I'm not proud of wanting to scream at apostrophe abusers or whoever was in charge of continuity in whatever film it was I last saw that drove me nuts. Lord knows that my children don't appreciate my obsession over those details. At least I use my "powers" for good and not for evil. Besides, "they" took away my red marking pen. So abused apostrophes and misplaced commas are safe. For now.
I'm not generally one for making resolutions because they're so easily broken. So this year, no resolutions! I've got a few goals though.
Rejoin Wardrobe Refashion. I'm working towards a "life" membership. It's a scary prospect to actually head towards sewing everything new or thrifting. Especially when sewing new is more expensive than shopping clearance and thrifting is NOT easy when there aren't any Op Shops about.
DONE!!! Catalog my pattern stash in a spreadsheet complete with picture and category. I might even get crazy and add a catalog number. But we'll see. I don't want to act all "SuperWoman" or anything. It might ruin my rep.
Write one pattern review per week. This should be easier to do now that I'm going to catalog my stash. I think I'll break these down by category (Men's, Women's, Children's, Crafts) and do them on a rotating basis. So you'll see 12 of each category per year. In a month with 5 weeks, you'll get a "bonus review" of my choosing.
Try one new thing per month. It might be knitting or needlework or something I'm not very familiar with or haven't done in a while. We'll see.
List one thing per month in my Etsy shop. It could be something I made or maybe something vintage, I dunno.
Now here's the deal. The Annual Halloween Brouhaha at my better half's employer has been on hiatus for two years. You know what that means? A Bigger, Better, Badder Brouhaha. Oh, yes. And the theme this year? If you haven't figured it out yet...
Does that help? Okay!
My better half was cast as Sulu. People who know me in meat life will know precisely WHY this is so hysterical. According to my dad, I'm such a Trekkie that I married one of the characters. Har har har. Thanks dad! I resemble that...
Now, I'm a Trekkie. I freely admit it. And so the thought that my better half would go on stage and perform in something less than a (fairly) authentic costume is abhorrent to me. Thus, I began my trek to the stars... And a tutorial will follow eventually. I'm documenting each step, so be patient. It will be worth it.
The best part of DIY is that you can save money. So far I'm up to about $20 or so worth of materials. This will get me:
2 custom dyed shirts
the dye
the trim
the insignia (handmade by me)
the knowledge that both my better half and the captain will be dressed appropriately and not in some kind of weird cobbled together thing while the guy playing Spock will be wearing an authentic (pricey) costume.
a bonus shirt for The Boy.
See? It's win/win. Where else can you get THREE Star Trek costume shirts for less than a fortune?
Once upon a time a girl had so much vintage fabric she didn't know what to do. So she cut it all out and stitched it together and said to herself, "Now that is MUCH better". But still she was blue for she had no more room to keep her creations. So she packed it up and mailed it forthwith from Florida to Texas as a surprise gift. Little did she know that that little thing would be one tiny spark and from it a business would spring.
Stephanie was the recipient of the apron in the "poem". I took pictures of it and here they are:
I've been so thrilled to watch her progress as an entrepreneur and sewist. The Alice Apron is - in my opinion - one of her best works. From concept to creation, she's really captured the feeling of Alice in Wonderland but with a mature twist.
OK, so I made my first Lutterloh outfit last night. Well, mostly made. Not sure what I think of it. It went together easily enough and my invisible zipper rocks, but for some reason, using the correct measurements, I have to make my seam allowance 3/5" instead of the 5/8" that I measured out from the pattern. Once I'm finished with it I'll post pics. Hopefully. ;-)
Hah. Proof that nearly anything can be found on the interwebz! The skirt part of the picture below is what I'm making.
You'd think I have enough on my plate with regard to sewing, right? Obviously my childrens' new school thought I had plenty of spare time on my hands...
Yesterday, I registered the girls for school and got the news that uniforms were being required this year for the first time ever (thanks! I just spent all my clothes budget buying my oldest clothes for school because nothing fit her already yet) and I could conveniently array them in polo shirts (for GIRLS??? WTH??? Say it ain't so!!!) and either khaki, navy or black bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts or skorts). Oh yes and by the way, mom, you can get those polos at The Evil Empire.
Now let me go on record as saying I despise Wal-Mart. I understand that for many, many folks, that place is the ONLY place they have to shop and I'm sorry that is the case. Aside from that, I'm unimpressed with their so-called "everyday low prices" because at my last comparison shop, they weren't any cheaper for the same items I buy at my local Super Target. So here I am, trapped in a no-win situation. I have to give Big Box Mart my hard earned cash because it's the ONLY place to get the shirts required for school at anything resembling a *reasonable* price in the correct colors. ORANGE??? NO ONE sells them except BBM. No one. Unless I want to spend $35 for an already embroidered "eurostyle" shirt. For a child. Oh hell no. So BBM got $50 (that's ten shirts) + 7% sales tax.
And on top of that, I'm going to have to alter each and every shirt to get them to fit my children. because obviously size XS (4/5) means Muy Gordo in BMM-ese. I'm not kidding when I say that my 5yo would be able to wear these shirts well into high school. Heck, *I* could have worn them in high school. She's such a TINY little thing. She still wears size 1-3 dance tights and can wear some 18-24 months pants. When I sew for her, it's around a size 2-3 and those still have room to grow. So yeah, mommy is going to have to de-sleeve, take in and re-sleeve and then hem all ten of these mother-lovin' shirts. Because the 7yo swims in them, too.
Add to that the necessity of britches. I *could* send my kids to school in the unaltered shirts and call them dresses, but I'm pretty sure that isn't what the school admins had in mind. So britches it is. And I'll be doggoned if I am going to spend $10 to $Infinity on school bottoms. No Way No How. $5 and they might have had me. So off I go to Joann's because the rules say "khaki, black or navy" and there's NO restriction on what kind of fabric I can use. OR the style. Heh. I'm obeying the letter of the law, I promise! It's not my fault I conviently have
Simplicity 4384
and
Simplicity 5540
in both of my girls' sizes... ($1 each a couple of weeks ago on sale!!! WOOT!!!) AND that Joann's had all their bottom weights and suitings (except Sew Classic) on 60% off sale. How could I resist that? For $51 & change, I was able to get enough fabric to sew each girl at LEAST half a dozen bottoms (if not more) which will last them at least 2 years each. That breaks down to ($51/12)/2. Or $2.13 per item per year. Now tell me, is there ANYWHERE you can manage that (inlcuding sales tax?) For custom tailored pants/skirts/shorts? In really AWESOME fabric that has spandex for better ease? I.Don't.Think.So. Heh.
And I don't mind ironing on a few school patches. Not at all. Really. Because it's not as if I've nothing better to do with my time.
So here I am, done - all but for the hem - with Vintage Vogue 2636. I like it and I'll probably make it again... After my tummy tuck. It really needs a nice slim waist to make it look right. Otherwise it looks more like a feed sack than anything else. But I'm happy with it. Mostly because I did my first *successful* invisible zipper.
[picture]
Some details about this project:
1. I serged all the raw edges. I'm very happy with this as it makes everything lay smoothly and the bonus is that it looks like a "store bought" dress. SCORE! Since the fabric has a tendency to shed small bits of fluff, this is also a good thing.
[picture]
2. The invisible zipper. I had to frankenstine two sewing machines to make it work, but work it did. Basically, I had to take the whole shank thingy from my White machine and attach it to my Athena. This was done with many prayers and crossed fingers, but it held on long enough to use the zipper foot from the White machine.
[picture]
3. The hem. I used flexi-lace hem tape and sewed it to the serged edge so that when I sew the hem, it will be an invisible hem and not bulky. Bulky isn't good with this fabric since it's so smooth and hangs so nice.
[picture]
For a Vogue pattern (supposedly the complicated brand) it went together with no hiccups at all. I've had worse trouble with Simplicity for directions/pattern piece mismatches/etc. Of course there was one weird thing with the instruction sheet. There were basically no instructions for putting in the sleeves other than "easestich between circles" and "match notches on armhole". No instructions at all for how to construct the sleeves, hem the sleeves, etc. I'm betting it's because it's a vintage reprint and some things were just taken for granted.
Today I finished the two piece vintage skirt/midriff top (except for buttons). I'm saving the buttons for TV time. See? I can multi-task. One thing though... Simplicity 9978 only calls for FOUR buttons for that outfit. For the top. It's plain to see that the skirt buttons, but I guess we're just supposed to *guess* how many we need for the skirt. Meh. I bought some lovely sand infused ones that are semi-transluscent and they totally go with this better than the mere FOUR buttons I purchased earlier that there were no more of today. I guess it was meant to be since I wasn't really keen on the first set anyhow.
I also started on the Vintage Vogue 2636 I posted about earlier. Because I've got a weird shape, of necessity I must pin-baste the thing together FIRST and then go back and sew it. Which is PITA but oh well. I'm 98% done with that step and tweaking the fit. I will say that it looks very nice on the dress form. Better than I anticipated. The backing of the fabric is super silky polyester knit. No slip necessary, yay! The skirt on it isn't nearly as full as some of the others, but it's got plenty of ease.
And in other news, I bought a new pair of scissors. But this time, instead of buying the "chipper chicken" (name the movie this references & win a prize), I sprung for the spring action knife edge Gingher scissors. Sure they were a mere $44 & change. But I was SICK TO DEATH of having to find the doggone "sweet spot" on my POS spring loaded scissors so as not to mangle whatever I was working on. And did I mention I got 40% off? WOOHOO. So they only ended up being $26 + tax. Not too bad, really.
Also, I've begun conceptualising my oldest's First Holy Communion Dress. That's for Easter 2010. I've already got the fabric and the pattern and the thread. I've had those for years now. Today I scored (on my button run) a pearl headband for the veil. Tissues out... I'm going to use the pearl enhanced netting from my wedding veil for hers. Sniff sniff. My baby is getting so big. And I got 40% off the headband, too. I had a dream about it last night actually. And there it was.
Last week I got the most adorable cuddle fleece for oldest daughter's winter coat. Again 40% off. Which since it was already $13/yard was VEEERY helpful. It will be lined with cotton interlock fabric that is super soft so it has a little extra warmth and body. I found the perfect pattern for ONLY $1 folks. A BUCK!!!! Crazy, no?
I'll post pictures of all this madness later on. Right now, I'm too pooped to pop, so I'll sign off and check you on the flip side.
