3.20.2014 - General Update

What is going on now:

• My Crepe Suzette Clutch is done and I am loving it so much! Photos and review upcoming.

Simplicity 6145

• Simplicity 6145 muslin stitched up as a top - must cut larger size from waist down to accommodate bottom half and I have some small sleeve issues to deal with. Note: I cannot stand sewing slippery polyester fabric!!!
  
• Simplicity 5289 double knit dress cut out and all darts have been thread traced.
  
• Two different types of waistbands cut out for Grainline Moss muslin 3.
  
• Zippers and buttons acquired for all Spring 2014 wardrobe patterns. The buttons were all found in my stash and zippers only cost $4.
  
• Stepped into the Gap and feel in love with quality and fit of their Ponte blazer in Heather Blue ($88). A ponte blazer is a great idea, you should definitely go check it out. The sweatshirt-gray version was on sale for $47 in the store.
  
• On hold off-and-on with a service provider today for three hours, was getting close to conclusion when my phone died!!! Got back in line a few hours later and after being on hold another hour found out they could not do what I needed done. Arrrrgggghhhh.
  
• Checked out from the library copies of Sewing Lingerie and Sewing with Knits, two other volumes of the Singer Reference Library series. Highly recommend them and will probably search for a used copy of both. Already own two others from this series that I found for 99 cents each at Alibris.com.

My G Street Cheat Sheet UPDATED!

First off, today was a total blast! I just got home three hours ago and thought I would write something. However, I can't possibly write about everything now. So, I am starting with the jaunt to G Street first and the VA/DC/MD meetup/swap will be second. Mostly because I could just update this same post and the time at G Street is just easier to process at this time. In a few days, I think I will be up to writing about the first half of the day and perhaps even have some pictures to show you. Oh, yes, pictures were taken. Now, on with the recap...

Okay, this is what I am looking for at G Street Fabrics this weekend:

Foldover lingerie elastic in brown, white, pale blue, lavender, or orange:

• Not a lot of variety available, I ended up with 5 yards of a white and black stripe ($.89 per), 3 yards of a pink, purple and white stripe ($.89 per), and one yard of lavender seersucker ($4.95) foldover elastic. None of the vibrant solid color ones that I wanted.

Lycra knit prints, especially stripes in all widths and color combinations:

• I did receive one red/black/white print Lycra knit at the swap though!

Lingerie guards:

• I will make my own before I buy them for $4.99 for just one set!

Get my fabric scissors and pinking shears sharpened for $15:

• After getting scared because of a random comment about the quality, I only had the pinking shears done. I am very happy with the job, as they were exceedingly dull before.

Specific fabric and lengths to look at (and dream of):

Textured, multi-colored wool for a Simplicity 6529 short sleeve jacket:

• Received a 100% wool tweed that may fit the bill at the swap!

Some yardage of black double knit or Ponte (one yard for a New Look 6977 skirt (view D) or two yards for the Vogue 8712 Marcy Tilton pants, view C):

• Not quite, but did receive yards of a scrumptious dark green double knit at the swap. There's too much for just one skirt. However, I'm not sure if I really want green pants so instead, I might make Butterick 5672, or vintage Vogue 7164 (sleeved version of both) out of it.

I also want to check out (but not buy):

Swedish sewing tracing paper:

• I can wait, I received a roll of tracing paper at the swap. It cannot be stitched on like the Swedish type, but it was free.

Stretch lace for lingerie:

• They did not have a lot of variety. There were only four different wide ones and in none of the colors I like.

Lingerie elastic:

• They had the same kind that Joann and Hancock carry.

Check out patterns from independent pattern companies in person:

• No can do! They now only carry the Big Four. Can you believe that? That was what made them unique back in the day, along with carrying all the great sewing books, including imports.

G Street zippers:

• They looked great but I had no specific zipper needs and already have a healthy stash of vintage ones from the Ruth Harvey collection.

One 5/8 to one inch blue button for my Grainline Moss skirt:

• Still no luck. This skirt has been hard to coordinate with because of the color. Maybe, if I had looked at the buttons stored behind the counter; however, I didn't want to go to the trouble or the expense, only wanting to spend $5 or less.

If any of the fabric can be found on their $2.97 discount table, all the better!

• The discount table was three levels high and at least 20 feet long; however, most of the fabric was in piles on the floor. You couldn't even get close to the actual tables without moving or walking on that fabric. By the way, plenty of people took that last option! Sigh.

Too bad I didn't see something I couldn't live without this trip because the G Street downloadable coupon combined with the current sale totaled 35% percent off! I made out so much better at the swap...you just wait and see! I will get around to photographing my haul for you to see at some point.

Thank you Audrey for driving and being a great travel buddy!

Thank you Robin for hosting a truly fabulous meetup/swap! Oh, the food! Check out her post on the event here.

More details forthcoming after I get some sleep and process all that went down.

Mapping the Crazy C-curve

Okay, I made my first attempt at mapping my c-curve with my new flexible ruler. At the end of my first attempt I was looking at a amoeba-like oval shape. In fact, once I placed it on paper I couldn't remember which side was front or back. Now, if you've seen pictures of me, you would have noticed that there is a definite difference between the front and back of my body, one is fairly flat while the other is...not. This this ruler seems to me to be a bit TOO flexible for my needs. Perhaps I shouldn't have bought the cheapest I could find? However, the company is known for their drafting tools.

Of course, I will try again.

The first pair of pants I will be making are ones I've made years ago, Vogue 9745 from their 1980-90 Vogue Elements collection (I love these patterns!). They look very similar to the pants in this photo, Vogue 8751, but with a shorter waistband. This is how I want them to fit.

What I hope to do is transfer my soon-to-be-found personal c-curve to the pants and make them up with a one-inch seam allowance. I will construct them from the inside out so I can pin and adjust the fit of the sides after I adjust that c-curve section. Well, that's the plan. So, let's see what I get done this weekend.

Image: The McCall Pattern Company

Stitching The Pastille!

In honor of The Colette Sewing Handbook showing up in stores and mailboxes a bit earlier than expected (NOW!) I am going to let you in on my time constructing one of the new dress patterns in the book. In fact, it just happens to be the dress on the front cover. Enjoy the journey.

Part 1

In the spring, I responded to a request from Sarai of Colette Patterns for pattern testers. I had tested the Oolong dress for her before. This time I was offered two patterns from her upcoming book, The Colette Sewing Handbook. Licorice, a loose shift-like dress with sash and draped collar and Pastille, a fitted sheath dress with a modified sweetheart neckline and petal-like cap sleeves.

While I liked both designs, Pastille called out to me because I could see it fulfilling an important purpose in my wardrobe. I saw it as a potential job interview dress. Professional, non-fussy, classic, but with a non-corporate vintage edge. Styled with a cool vintage enamel brooch this dress would be great in my wardrobe, pretty and feminine enough for a dinner date but also appropriate for more serious occasions.

I will be posting a traditional review of this dress (see the teaser at left) later but I wanted to write in more detail about what I learned while making it. As it turns out I found myself trying out some new techniques when constructing my version of the Pastille dress.


My new pattern weights

My first move was to go to Home Depot and buy some metal washers. These would be my new pattern weights instead of straight pins. At first, I only saw the small ones that weighed nothing but eventually I found the heavy steel/zinc 5/8" size which were perfect. I now have 14 of them at only $.46 each! They work wonderfully in holding down your fabric and I've already used them on stretchy Lycra knits. In addition, re-positioning of the pattern is now quick and easy.

The second new thing I did was use clear tape to help out my dart making abilities. I have never been able to sew a straight dart, they always veer off course and end up where they're not meant to end. This time I replicated the dart lines from the pattern using a straight piece of tape instead of straight pins. Then I could just sew along the edge of the tape. So fabulous and my darts for this project were perfect.

Then I used my new friend (adhesive tape) to mark the three horizontal pleats along the bottom half of the skirt. The instructions say to thread trace the lines but I first wanted to make sure my lines were straight. I didn't have any fabric markers that would show up on this fabric so I used my design ruler and laid tape exactly where the lines were needed. With two contrasting colors of thread I then hand basted across the three skirt pieces right next to the edge of the tape, resulting in perfectly straight lines of stitching. For maximum visibility, I used yellow and orange thread to mark the different rows and I loved the resulting contrast on the dark gray fabric. Perhaps I'll use the same technique as a permanent feature on a future project.

However, this project used up a lot of tape, so next time I will be using painter's tape. It has a very low adhesive factor so that it can be used again at least two more times. Not as wasteful.

Coming up: Fitting issues with the Pastille.

Robin, Robin, Come Back!

Years ago I used to buy all my clothing zippers from one fabric store. At the time, I think it was either Hancocks or Minnesota Fabrics that carried a smaller brand called Robin. I preferred this brand (still do) to Coats and Clarks, whose zippers are heavier and very stiff in comparison. The Robin's can be wrapped around your little finger, they're so flexible. However, from what I could find on the internet I don't think they're still in business. :(

Luckily, in my stash I have a few left. At some point I must have been into buying in bulk because I was able to find two zippers perfect for my two upcoming dresses and what I have left are some assorted colors in 7-inch lengths for pants and skirts. Which means in the not too far future Coats & Clarks will loom over my future projects.


There may be salvation, in close-ups on the web, the Ziplon coil zippers by YKK look pretty similar to the Robin brand. If I can find them in a store, I'll try them out. It seems you can order them on both the Hancock and Jo-Ann websites but my local stores do not seem to carry them. Do any of you use YKK zippers and how do you like them?

Also, does anyone know why Coats & Clark seem to have a monopoly in Hancock and Jo-Ann?! Why don't they sell a variety of zippers from multiple companies?