Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Just Slow-Poking Along...

Progress, but no progress worth photographing. Just comparing my coat armscye to other well-fitting garments. I had no idea that pattern alteration would get me so anxious. I just want this to work so much that I'm scared to cut into the pattern. I should just trust my instructions.

Next project: A stuffed toy for my step-grandniece. There are so many choices to choose from, but I only have until next Wednesday.


By the way, I now have my own practically never-used copies of both the1961 Better Homes & Gardens Sewing Book for just $7 and the 1971 copy of Designing Dress Patterns, Third Edition by Helen Nicol Tanous for $2.44!

I ordered them from Alibris.com,* my favorite place for used books and better yet, these books are in excellent condition; no marks, discoloration, warping, bent or ragged pages, and the covers are in excellent condition too. The only negative is that being in storage for so long, they have a horrendous musty odor. So no pictures until they come out of their "cage" (a tightly closed plastic bag with a box of baking soda). But, really they look just like the photos above!

*I have yet to get a book from Alibris that wasn't in near brand new condition. You just have to look for sellers with the best ratings and very thorough product descriptions. These made both books sound worse than they really are.

4 comments:

Claire (aka Seemane) said...

Glad your much wanted books have arrived to you. I've gotten my Helen Nicol Tanous one - just waiting on my BH to turn up LOL :)

lsaspacey said...

Isn't it a great book?!

Audrey said...

I too have the Tanous book .Good instructions, but limited styles. I really recommend taking the Pattern Drafting class at the Visual Art Center. You will finish the class with a bodice and pants sloper drafted from your measurements and fitted by a professional (the teacher) that you can compare to any commercial pattern or use to draft your own patterns. The fitting is important. A sloper drafted from your measurement will still need tweaks to fit well. I took a similar class at G Street fabrics, but the ladies in the Richmond sewing guild that took the VAC class raved about it. One modeled pants she made using the sloper at the meeting this past Sat. and they looked fantastic.

lsaspacey said...

Oooh, Audrey I keep meaning to take that class, I even have some credits from volunteering with them last year (must check to see if still valid?) Maybe this spring will be my chance. I mean, a pants sloper, how amazing would that be? I haven't made pants in over 15 years! Thanks for the reminder.