I Was Working, I Swear

Since my last post, I've been working and, more importantly, sewing!

I finished Butterick 5603 with modifications from Julia Bobbin. Can I say I LOVE THIS DRESS!!! It fits like a dream and I wore it with the petticoat I made earlier this year.

I also made a maxi skirt inspired by Mimi G, Butterick 5033 (which was a big, fat, FAIL) and McCalls 8766, View C but with the shorter skirt.  Now the two latter dresses both need the bodice redone because I tried to avoid doing an FBA (full bust adjustment for you newbies) even though I'm a D (sometimes a DD) cup and the patterns are drafted for B cups.  Yep, just plain crazy to try to squeeze the girls into such a small space.  I had pancake boob and that's no mean feat for me.  Anyway, I'm going to redraft both bodices and redo them. It's a shame especially since I spent so much time on the boning (insert perv snickering here) in 8766. On the plus side, I'm no longer afraid of strapless dresses. I used Gertie's boning guidelines from her Retro Bombshell Craftsy class. If it wasn't for the smushing, it would've been perfect because it held up quite well on my test drive (I took out the garbage in it - I never said it would be a glamourous test drive.)

Of course I'll be posting pics, but at this point, they'll probably be on hangers as I still have no dressform.  Le sigh.

Completed Items - Finally!

I've been on a roll this past week.  I completed not one but TWO projects that I've been thinking about for months.

First, my polka dot skirt. No, not the brown one I posted about previously - a new and improved black and white polka dot skirt. But more importantly: I mastered the invisible zipper!  You have no idea how intimidated I've been by those zippers. I love the look of invisible as opposed to lapped zippers so it seemed like a good time to learn how to do them properly as I needed to wear the skirt to an event - and there's nothing more motivating than having nothing to wear. The other issue is that I don't own one of those magical invisible zipper feet for my machine. I had to go old school and use a regular foot. Anyhow here's the completed zipper:

And here's the finished skirt. Please excuse the picture; I don't have a dress form yet.

My second project was a petticoat.  I used the instructions from The Sewing Lab to put it together. I can't lie, it was a bit of a nightmare. I decided to use the gathering foot on my serger, but it was too imprecise so then I found this tutorial about changing the tension of the threads to gather fabric and it was perfect! I'm really getting so much more use out of my serger now. So here she is:

I don't have anything to wear her under yet, but my next project is the Butterick 5882 dress now that I have the instructions that Gertie just posted about how to do the FBA.  I cut out the pattern last night, but I'm definitely going to make some changes. I want the band to go underneath my bust as opposed to across it. I understand why she designed it that way, but I think it would look odd on my generous bosom.  I'll definitely have to do a muslin for this one.

I've Conquered The Invisible Zipper!

Remember the brown polka dot skirt I've been working on since the turn of the century? Well I finally picked it back up a couple of days ago and I remembered why I never finished. There, on the table, was...

AN INVISIBLE ZIPPER

That might not be a big deal to most people, but while I love the look of invisible zippers, I never mastered putting them in. To be honest, I never mastered zippers, period, but I digress.

I really need to finish some of these projects so I went on the interwebs and found these helpful tutorials:

Smarmyclothes on YouTube
Gertie
Coletterie
Angela Kane Part 1 and Part 2

What I learned is that all these years, I've been doing it wrong by sewing next to the curled teeth instead of uncurling the teeth and sewing in that little ditch.

Oh My, Is It May Already?

So, yeah, I've been gone for quite some time and I can't possibly tell you everything that's happened (some good, some bad - you know how it is.) Anyhow I'm back now and just to tie up some loose ends, I finished these socks and I wore them pretty regularly.  At first I was hand-washing them, but they're actually better after coming out of the dryer.  They're amazing.

I started a second pair that I call my Highlander socks.  They're knee-length, grey with two big cables.  I meant to wear them with my big winter boots, but alas they're not finished - I have 1-1/2 socks.

I have about 5 dresses to make. Over the years, I got into the habit of buying everything I need when I buy the fabric so I just need to cut, fit and sew. I also have a bra to make, but we'll get to that in another post.  I'm going to document the ENTIRE process so hopefully it'll help someone. 

(Whoa, I just realized I'm in a polka dot phase.  I have a fuschia/white polka dot fabric on my sewing table, I'm sitting next to some black/white polka dot fabric for a skirt, I'm (sadly) still working on that brown/white polka dot skirt AND I bought some black/pink polka dot fabric for my first bra/panty set.  How did that HAPPEN?)

Speaking of which, last week I wore a very cute outfit to work and sadly, it brought a lot of questions. That's when you know you've fallen off - you look halfway decent and people ask where you're going.  I felt really good though and got compliments, even from a bicyclist that rode past me.  So now I'm working out some new outfits (and new hairstyles) so that I always have something cute to wear. Mostly I want to bridge the gap between too casual and too dressy, although if I have to pick a side, I'll go with too dressy.

Anyhow right now, I'm going to set up my sewing for the day, take some pics and I'll see you back here soon. No really.

Elna #1 (aka the Elna Grasshopper)

Many years ago I accompanied a friend to a sewing machine auction. I didn't want to go, but I think she bribed me with a free lunch. The machines were sold in lots and, long story short, we ended up with about 10 sewing machines.  I took home 2 - an old White machine with a cabinet and an Elna #1 aka the Elna Grasshopper.

The White machine I gave to a friend, but I kept the Grasshopper for myself.  It was just too cute to ever give up and it sewed like a dream.

Fast forward about 10 years and I never used it - not even for a simple seam. I use my Juki DDL-5550 for everything and I also have a serger.  The poor Grasshopper stayed in its case and even though I had every intention of taking it out and using it, that day never came - until recently.

I took it out of the case, oiled it in the 18(!) places suggested by the manual and then turned it on. The light worked, but the balance wheel wouldn't turn because the belt wasn't getting any traction.   Off I went to the interwebs to look for a belt and once I found it, I called to make sure I'd be able to get my greedy little hands on it asap. Little did I know that I'd inadvertently stumbled onto one of the legends of machine repair, Ray White, and we had a lovely conversation. Not only did he have a new belt, he gave me a ton of information about the history of my machine and how to get it to work (the fix involved a hairdryer, I kid you not). He also suggested Tri Flow lubricant for my machine to keep it in working order.  I think I love him.

Here are some of the nifty presser feet, an oil can, and a kerosene (!) can that came in the Grasshopper's adorable little accessories box.

In a later post, I'll give more details on those strange looking feet and the reason why I have a kerosene can (I swear it makes sense). Anyhow, she's now purring like a kitten. I even bought her a little present. At the suggestion of yarndiva at Silk Moth Sewing, I bought the Chadwick Zigzagger.

I tried it out and it works well enough, but I'm not wowed. The zigzag is a bit uneven (but that could also have something to do with my control of the machine; I'm still getting used to the knee lever).

Despite these minor hiccups, I'm a happy, happy girl.

Is There a Lingerie Craze on the Sewosphere?

In my last post I talked about my obsession with lingerie and this week is Lingerie Week on Fehr Trade.  Coincidence? Or are we just great minds thinking alike?

No matter.

Melissa put up a great lacey thong pattern that's downloadable - and free!  So of course I'm going shopping for some fabric this week so I can make a few. I also received my Pin up Girls Pattern from ELingeriA. I ordered it last week and got it this week.  Faster than a book I ordered from Florida two weeks ago.

The pattern has 20 different sizes so I plan on enlisting some of my friends as test models. (I hope the conversations are not too awkward.) I can't wait to get started, but I have no supplies - yet.  My plan is to find everything I need locally from Steinlauf and Stoller, SIL, Daytona Trimming and MJ Trimming.  I'm going to Spandex House for the fabric and powernet.  If I can't find everything, I'm probably going to get one from Merckwaerdigh on Etsy. (Which begs the question: why is it cheaper to have items mailed sent from Europe than from Canada?)

My New Obsession: Lingerie

This is the first in what will probably be quite a few posts that begin with "My New Obsession."  Today I want beautiful lingerie. Lots of it. And I want well-fitting bras that don't cost $100+.

Like many women, I've spent a fortune on (often uncomfortable) bras over the years. I'm not even going to talk about how long I was wearing the wrong size. With all the attention paid to bra fitting in the past few years, we're paying more attention to cup sizes and band sizes, but most of us are still probably settling for a "good enough" bra because of a lack of options.  Right now I'm wearing a bra that probably has a few weeks left in it. I'd love to replace it, but guess what - it's DISCONTINUED which means another trip to the department stores and trying on 20 bras and - if I'm lucky - I'll find one or two that fit.

To remedy this terrible disservice to my girls, I've been researching how to make my own bras.  I've found a few different patterns which I'll talk about in a later post, and some amazing blogs including Bloom's Endless Summer, Sigrid Sewing Projects and Very Purple Person.

So far, I bought Elan's 645 and I'm expecting my Pin Up Girl Classic bra pattern soon, but it's being shipped from Europe so I'm going to give it a week or two.

I can't wait to start working on these. The thought of having bras that fit me and being able to use the materials I like is almost too much.  Between this and my newfound serger skills, I'm feeling really motivated.

Serger Victories

I've had my Brother 1034D serger for about two years and I can count on one hand how many times I've used it - usually on projects that I wasn't fussy about just in case it went haywire. You've heard the stories about how complicated sergers are and I'm here to tell you that they're all true. Compared to my trusty Juki straight stitch, my serger always unbelievably difficult. At least until now.

Last night as I was up enjoying my third night of insomnia, I started looking at You Tube videos about my serger. Then I started looking for bloggers that have the same machine and I found a couple of bloggers that made excellent tutorials. It was though the skies parted and suddenly everything made sense. Maybe there is some benefit to sleep deprivation after all.

I was also looking through what Brother generously refers to as a manual and I found out that I had all these fabulous accessory presser feet (presser foots just sounds wrong) and I was eager to find out what they do. First I found a rolled hem tutorial on LBG Studio's blog. It's not something I might use often, but I just wanted to see if I could do it. At first I was scared to take out the second needle and a piece of metal called the "stitch finger" because it took so long for me to prepare my serger to just do the basic stitch, but the tutorial was so clear that I decided to take the chance. I'm so glad I did. Anyway, this is what happened.

Isn't it gorgeous?  Yes, that's an old pillowcase. Yes, there are three different color threads; I like to think it looks festive. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I screamed "Yes!" when I finally got it to work, but you have no idea how frustrated I was.

There's also a fantastic gathering tutorial on LBG Studio's blog that I'm anxious to try.

***PSA for your mental health*** Do not use old thread that you found in a box somewhere. I spent well over two hours fighting with crap thread that kept breaking. Then I thought I'd just grab some of my regular sewing thread and give it a whirl. Instant success.

Then I skipped over to Coles Corner and Creations and found a PDF that shows how to use my newly discovered ruffling foot. Can I tell you how excited I was at the prospect that I may never again have to do the old "baste and gather" method? My ruffling needs work, but again, I'm so happy to be able to do it that I'll gladly spend more time playing with the settings. I also have a blind stitch foot that I haven't tried and I think I'm going to buy the elastic tape foot because I plan to be using a LOT of elastic over the next few weeks (more on that later.)

So, is there anyone else that now loves their serger after a very rocky start?

Chanel-Style Jacket

Mimi G is giving me agita right now.  She's working on a Chanel style jacket that's making me long for spring.

I've wanted a Chanel jacket for a very long time, but alas they're out of my price range right now. However, I do enjoy reading about how they're constructed and why they're worth every penny of their four- and five-figure price-tags. Claire Shaeffer wrote a wonderful article for Threads magazines entitled, "Inside a Chanel Jacket" in issue 23 from June/July 1989.  Susan Khalje also wrote an article with the same title for issue 121 from October/November 2005. Both articles (and their amazing pictures and illustrations) really show you how to put together the jacket, including all the labor intensive hand sewing (which I'm strangely looking forward to doing). Shaeffer's article also shows how to create trims and buttons if you can't find ready made ones at your local store or if you just want to make something that's unique. You can probably find copies of both on Ebay, but Threads was also smart enough to put their entire back catalog on a DVD-ROM you can buy here for $99 which is much cheaper than trying to collect all the back issues.  Plus it's searchable.

Mimi is working from Vogue 7975 but according to Shaeffer, Chanel jackets have three piece sleeves so I'll be working from Shaeffer's Vogue pattern 8804.  I've worked with Shaeffer's couture patterns in the past and her instructions are incredibly detailed. You'll get a bit of tailoring experience and practice hand sewing while you create a beautiful garment. I also found a ton of information on blogs of seamstresses who've also tackled the project like Go Chanel or Go Home.

I'm so tempted to go fabric shopping this week for something bright yellow, orange or maybe even pink. Mimi bought her Neon Mult/Cream fabric at Michael Levine in LA, but I'm going to visit Mood and other shops in the garment district to find fabric for mine. I need to feel my fabrics so I rarely buy fabric online.  Do any of you buy fabric online regularly? Has it ever been better (or worse) than you thought it would be?

My Socks Are Showing

This is the first sock I've ever knitted. Woohoo! Unfortunately she's alone in the world right now until I get to her twin.

I like the self striping even if it ends abruptly. My next pair will have a more lively colorway though.  Superbright socks might be impractical, but they're so cute. Maybe I'll even tackle something lacey.

I'll put in an "afterthought heel" once I get to the desired height (or run out of yarn, whichever comes first). I wanted to make sure they'd fit so they might be bigger than they need to be. Next time I'll stop increasing at a smaller number of stitches to create more negative ease. Live and learn.

The red thread that's in the center? That's where the heel will go.

I'd love to get this one done by the end of the week so I'm going to spend at least one hour every night this week knitting. Since the rounds are so small, I may finish even earlier than that.

Socks!

I decided that I need to make a pair of socks before I leave this mortal coil.  Socks have always been intimidating to me because of the heel.  I've heard horror stories about "The Heel."

I tried to learn from books, but no dice.  You Tube?  Nada.  Then I took the "Knitting Original Toe Up Socks" course on Craftsy and suddenly it all made sense.

(Sidenote: How much do I love Craftsy courses?  I truly appreciate being able to continuously rewind until I understand something. And that sidebar where you can ask questions? Genius.)

I've had some sock yarn in my stash probably since the '90s so I dug it out. I didn't even know what it was at first since the skein I found had no label. I was so excited that I started knitting anyway; I figured that if it went left, it would just be my "experiment" sock.

Donna Druchunas is an awesome teacher and I did the moccasin toe on my first try!  Now it's about 60% done. I'm doing the "afterthought heel" so I have to go back and put it in after I get my sock to the height I want.

P.S.  I found the other skein and the yarn is Knitpicks Felici self-striping fingering weight yarn.

Done and Done!

I finished my cowl with some modifications.  It's about 12" wide (I believe the original was narrower) and because I knitted it with larger needles (size 13), it has more of a drapey feel.

I'd definitely use this pattern again, but with smaller needles and I'd probably make it narrower.  On the plus side, it's super soft and keeps me warm (though I feel a bit like Queen Elizabeth I with it around my neck.) 

On the Cowl Train

I'm going through an incredibly creative and productive period right now. I've been digging out old supplies and tools (tambour hook, anyone?) and reacquainting myself with all my craftiness.  I now have a very long to-do list of projects. Most of them are pretty involved so to keep myself motivated, I occasionally do a quick project like, say, for instance this cowl:

It's from Margaux's blog.

I instantly fell in love, but the only problem was I had no suitable yarn. But then I saw it: the sweater I started knitting a million years ago. I recently pulled it from the bottom of my closet (where I also found an amazing stash of gloves and buttons, some of which I'll probably sell on Etsy). But I digress. I knew I'd never wear that sweater (it was a stockinette stitch, oversized, crew neck design - so not me) so I decided to frog it for the yarn. I was afraid the yarn wouldn't be usable until I found this little gem. As instructed, I tied the ripply yarn into hanks, swished it around in fabric softener (that's all I had in the house) and hung it up to dry. It worked like a charm.

Now my former sweater looks like this:

The yarn, Brown Sheep Lamb's pride, has an beautiful lustre. My scarf is about 8 inches wide now, but I'm going to knit another four inches to be sure it will look like a proper cowl when I'm wearing it.

Oh, and remember the beret I was knitting?  Here's the finished product: