It takes a village
I know I’ve written about this in passing before, but it bears repeating. It deserves its own post actually.
I didn’t start sewing until after my son was born. And I was old when he was born. So I don’t have the experience or years of knowledge that some sewing bloggers have in spades because they learned when they were little. I took some classes at Purl Soho and at Sew Fast Sew Easy in NYC. I even hired a private teacher, Thea, when the babysitting for the classes became too much. But every new project I make has its own unique problems. Stuff never covered in classes.
One of my first projects, a wrap skirt
Sure I have tons of reference books. Books recommended by other sewists. Books that I bought without recommendations. Books that random people have bought for me. I look at them. I look for particular answers to my particular problems. But there are inherent problems with books. If you are a visual learner, reading about a method might not be particularly helpful. You can’t have a conversation with a book or ask it questions. And worst of all, it might not address your problem at all.
And here’s where your sewing friends come into play. I like to crowd source my sewing questions/dilemmas. I am so lucky to have so many sewing friends who are way more experienced than I. I don’t know how lucky they feel to be my friend though. ;) I couldn’t have completed my Gatsby dress as successfully as I did without Beth, Sherril, Jeanette or Kellie. I don’t think I have completed one project without the advice and/or a shoulder to cry on since I started sewing. Some people are lucky enough to have fitting buddies, some have a mother or aunt or grandmother nearby to bounce questions off of, and some have friends the next town over. Some, like me, know that fitting/sewing advice is an email or phone call away.
When I first started sewing, reading sewing blogs and became a member of PatternReview, I started meeting other sewing people and bloggers because no one I knew sewed. I am a social person. I like to talk about my passions, so I sought out like-minded people. At first it was just to share the pleasures of sewing and fabric shopping, but it soon became clear to me that I had found people who could help me on my journey to sew better. And sewing people are very generous. Generous with their time and expertise. I am one lucky bitch to have such great friends, the sewing kind or otherwise.
It takes a village to learn how to sew. At least it did and does for me. How about for you? Do you have sewing friends that help you out when you need it? Do you have a fitting buddy?
My latest sewing project, the Gatsby Dress
Saturday night was the night of the Gatsby Gala and I did indeed finish and wear my Gatsby dress. It was a very interesting evening. Very interesting indeed. The dresses were all very beautiful. Most were beaded affairs. Others chose the fringe dress route. There was definitely a sexy 20′s vibe going on. I think I was one of a few of women who chose the 20′s dropped waist look. Here’s my review.
Pattern Description: 1929 Evening Frock and Vest. I made only the frock.
Pattern Sizing: Size 18. I made it up with an FBA of 1.5 inch increase. As I mentioned earlier, Sherril, Jeannette and Kellie helped me with fitting the bodice at PR Weekend in San Francisco. We added some fisheye darts in the front and back to make the bodice more fitted and flattering. The unfitted style of the bodice and dropped waist combined with my bust line and hips were doing me no favors. However, in the end, I decided to forgo the extra shaping despite my vanity as it took the dress out of the 20′s era.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Kinda sorta. I think the pattern drawing is of someone who is 8 ft tall and 9 inches wide. So on me it looks somewhat wider and shorter than the svelte drawing you see above. I guess ladies in the 20′s had to deal with idealistic pattern drawings as well. ;)
Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. They were a little old fashioned, but pretty concise and very clear. I followed them for the most part, except for topstitching the skirt onto the bodice. I emailed Beth from SunnyGal Studio last week hoping she would share some of her expertise with me. She had some great tips for order of construction and how to attach the skirt to the bodice, particularly the vee insert at the front. Her advice and lots of practice on scraps were how I was able to make it through the torture of working with silk charmeuse the construction of this dress. One note though about the pattern instructions, they mention piecing the skirt pattern pieces depending on how wide your fabric is. Beth advised to place the front and back pieces on top of each other to match the side seams and then mark a point for the piecing join so it is the same on both sides.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved how perfect it was for my event. I loved the vee insert design detail (until I had to actually sew it of course). No real dislikes actually aside from the lack of shaping (ahh vanity, you are so cruel a mistress).
Fabric used: Silk charmeuse in the most gorgeous shade of emerald green. I was hoping for my own Atonement moment. Haha. The lining is a silver china silk. Both fabrics I bought from Mood Fabrics. I bought the silk charmeuse in person at the NYC store, but the lining from their on-line store. Originally I was going to use some raspberry colored china silk for the lining, but thought it was too garish in the end and ordered the silver at the last minute. I was anxiously tapping my foot waiting for the UPS man to deliver it last Wednesday. My silver sequin trim is from Pacific Trimming. Both fabrics were wonderful to work with if a bit recalcitrant.
Pattern changes or design changes made: The main change I made was including an FBA on the bodice. After constructing the dress and trying it on, I took a photo of it to send to Beth, Sherril, Jeanette and Kellie. Beth suggested pleating the straps since they were a bit too wide and matronly. I also took in the side seams a bit and put in some shaping at the CB. These changes necessitated a zipper; I put it in at the side seam. Of course, as luck would have it, I had to insert that stupid zipper in three times. Three times. Into silk charmeuse. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst frenemy. Oh, ok, maybe I would. The last change I made was to construct the lining as one piece (meaning bodice and skirt in one but with a front and back). This meant free hand drafting the skirt portion off of the bodice pattern piece. I flared it out at the waist and made sure not to exceed the width of the skirt.
pleated shoulder strap
an invisible invisible side zipper
Any problems encountered during construction? I think the toughest problem I encountered during the construction of this dress was overcoming my vanity issues. Sigh. Then there was the silk charmeuse. Oy vey, this fabric is a bitch. A gorgeous bitch though. It was like working with liquid gems it was so lustrous. But oh it was so shifty and wouldn’t hold its shape. I had to stay the neckline with silk organza. I constructed the bodice separately from the skirt to save having the skirt pattern pieces lying around and losing their shape from handling, whims of the gods, etc. The vee waist seem was highly tricky. I kept making samples, but each one was successively becoming crappier, so I had to just go for it on the real deal. Was there swearing? Yes. Was there screaming? Yes. Did I finally manage it? Yes. Was it enjoyable? NO! Is it behind me? Yes thank the gods. Did I mention the THREE zipper insertions???
Any new techniques learned? Well let’s see, the vee waist seam with the inset corners. Sherril sent me this on-line tutorial on inset corners from Threads. It’s fantastic. Bookmark it!
Any interesting design details in this pattern? Did I mention the vee waist seam? It’s the make it or break it detail of the dress. And the wrong trim could just sink it. I love my trim.
Which sewing machine(s) did you use for construction? Since I was working with silk charmeuse again, I chose the Emerald 183 again. However, I opted not to use the walking foot and weirdly didn’t have any slippage issues. Weird.
Time to complete construction: Not including the muslin and the pointless dithering over the shapelessness of the dress’ silhouette, about 4 and half intense days.
Will you sew it again or recommend it to others? I most likely will not make it again as I don’t foresee going to any more Gatsby galas in the near or far future. But I definitely do recommend it to anyone who has their own Gatsby gala coming up. I would advise making a muslin first for sure though, preferably in a like fabric. Making my muslin up in actual muslin was quite demoralizing. Definitely consider reshaping the straps/armhole to be more appealing. And don’t forget that the trim makes this dress, so choose carefully.
Conclusion: One of the most impactful things Beth told me in our conversations about this project was that this was a costume. At first my immediate reaction was it’s not a costume, but she was right. It took a lot of pressure off of me. Where and when the heck am I going to wear this dress again? Probably nowhere and never. It’s a costume. And after all the angst and trials in making the dress, it ending up being a great dress. Nuff said.
And now without further ado, here’s how the dress looked on me.
at the gala
And my beautiful parents.
And because my project list is long with a lots of deadlines, I spent my entire day working on Jack’s costume for his acting debut as Scottie Pup #2 in the school play, 101 Dalmations. Here he is in a partially constructed Scottish tam. I had not yet added the pompom or his scotty ears when I snapped this picture. But isn’t he just the cutest??? I know I’m the mom here, but come on!
Happy sewing!
Happy campers
Thor received his scabbard in the mail last week. My sister sent me a picture of him using it. Too cute. The scabbard was a hit with him. I’m so happy.
My sister said her skirt fit and that she liked it (no photographic evidence though). And my mother has been wearing her new robe daily since it was gifted. So I’m putting all three of these projects in the win column.
I have made significant progress on my Gatsby dress. I still have to hem the dress and the lining and add the trim. I am not in love with the silhouette on me. And this “easy” pattern was actually really difficult to execute well with that vee insert in the front waist. But I will wear it tomorrow evening and hope the sum is more than the individual parts.
Happy sewing!
Hobbies
I don’t know about you, but picking up sewing (as if you just pick it up, hah!) has really changed my life. No, really. It has changed my life in so many ways.
- My perfectionism, which was just a minor irritant before, is now in full bloom. I regularly have conversations with myself that go like this, “You’re going to go out of the house wearing that? It has a pulled thread in the hem! The side seam is ripply! I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing an off grain garment!”
- Housecleaning is completely and happily ignored. Oh wait, that happened pre-sewing too.
- I stare at other people’s clothes with a maniacal gleam in my eye. Or sometimes, I even ask to touch their clothes, saying, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I sew.”
- I procrastinate my sewing projects with other sewing projects. Well, I procrastinated before too, but not by doing the same activity. I should get an award or something for this high falutin’ procrastination.
Seriously though sewing has changed one major aspect of my life, my love for reading. I have been an avid reader since I learned to read. My mom always read a ton. I did too. I would rather read a good book than go play outside. (We were a rather indoorsy, sedentary folk.) In junior high and high school, I would read until the wee hours and then have to get up at 6:30am to go to school, bleary eyed or not. I read the Lord of the Rings eleven times. ELEVEN. TIMES. All three books. Who has time for that???? As an adult, my love for books still knew no bounds. I once stayed up all night to finish a book before work. But when I got to work, I felt so nauseated from the lack of sleep, I had to go home and go to bed. My boss just laughed at me and said, “That must have been some book!”
But since I have started sewing, reading has completely gone by the wayside. Why would I spend time reading when I can read about sewing or actually sew something? That’s a waste of my time. I could be sewing! I have tried to read. I remember the feeling of losing yourself in another world, another character. Living and breathing with them as you follow their stories. I remember it fondly. I would like to read. But sewing has such a hold on me. I have been in its grip, under its control, for nigh on 6 years now. When I’m not sewing, I feel guilty that I’m not sewing. I plan my days, my weeks, my workouts around what I have to sew that day or week. Nope, can’t work out today, I only have 4 hours until I pick up Jack. Can’t waste my time working out when I have the Gatsby dress to make. If I can’t work out, how could I possibly read. That would be the height of insolence. It would be punch in the nose to sewing!
Do I miss reading? Yes. Will I get back to it ever? Probably. Maybe when I’m 80 and can’t see to thread my needles anymore. But right now, I am so happy with sewing as my hobby, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.*
So tell me, how has sewing changed your life?
I can’t resist showing you my Mother’s Day present from the little boy who lives with me. So sweet!
* Yes, I am an obsessive/compulsive person, bordering on clinical. And yes, these obsessions can last decades.
Remember way back in January or February when I was working on the Super Secret Project for my Mom’s birthday present? Remember how disaster struck? It sat crumpled in a corner of my sewing room for months until I took it with me to Pattern Review Weekend in SF for my sewing sisters to help me figure out how to rescue it from the ashes. And boy, did they come through for me. Read the pattern review below to find out how all was lost and then won back through sheer determination and will. It’s a saga worthy of Homer. Ok, it’s not really, but it sure felt like an epic. I promise not to hold you down too long with the wordy words.
Vogue 8888
Pattern Description: Misses’ Robe, Slip, Camisole and Panties. I made the Robe with some modifications of course, because I love to make things difficult for myself.
Pattern Sizing: 6-14. I made a straight 10 for the muslin and found I didn’t need to make any changes. There was enough ease to comfortably raise arms up and forward with no restrictions.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes and no. The overall silhouette was the same, but I added contrasting hem bands to the bottom of the robe and to the sleeves for a little extra oomph and to complicate things for myself.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes and no. For the most part the instructions were adequate. However, for the following sections, the diagrams and instructions were woefully incomplete or incomprehensible:
- The diagrams and markings where the collar is attached to the robe were either incorrectly marked or I couldn’t understand the instructions. My finished collar does not look right where it meets the robe opening. There is extra fabric sticking out where the facing joins the front sections. Still not sure what I did wrong but I wasn’t going to unpick all that basting, stitching and topstitching to figure it out.
- The directions for inserting the pockets in the side french seams were absolutely incomprehensible and I ended up with half a pocket on the outside and the other half on the inside. This is where the project crashed and burned. I didn’t know how to recover from this debacle and lost my will to live at this point.
shawl collar
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved the look of the shawl collar and lines/shape of the robe. It seemed like it was roomy enough, but still elegant. Hated the complex pocket/french seams instructions and wonder if it was user error or poor pattern markings that bungled up my collar. I am betting it was user error. *sigh*
Fabric used: Floral silk charmeuse for the body of the robe from Yardage Town in Encinitas and solid silk charmeuse for the hem bands from Paron Fabrics in NYC. I pre-treated swatches of both silks with a hand wash, rolling them up in a towel to get the excess water out and then drying them in the dryer on low. There was very little loss in sheen or color, so I did the same for the entire yardage so that my mom wouldn’t have to dry-clean her robe. She will have to hand wash it though. Sorry Mom.
Pattern changes or design changes made: As noted above, I added hem bands to the bottom of the robe and to the sleeves. I thought they would weight the body of the robe nicely and add a little pizzazz. For the sleeve hem bands I just measured the length of the sleeve edge and cut an appropriate length of the solid silk. Then I sewed the side seam, pressed the seam allowances down, and sandwiched the sleeve in-between to topstitch them all together. For the hem of the robe, I just treated the hem band, after attaching it, as the regular hem of the robe before topstitching onto the robe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. (I love that phrase, can’t stop saying it.)
sleeve bands
hem band
Any problems encountered during construction? Oh my, where do I begin?
- The interfacing I chose to use on the collar was a little too stiff. Yes, I did samples. And yes, I still chose the wrong kind. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I persevered on anyway.
- The collar insertion. I already talked about that though.
- The pockets. Oh the pockets. The bane of my existence. As I mentioned above, I somehow f-d up the pockets and didn’t know how to salvage the robe at this point. When I showed it to Sherril at PR Weekend, she asked me, “Does it need to have pockets? Why don’t you cut them off and redo the French seams? There should be enough ease in the robe to take a little out of the side seam.” Pure genius. And that’s precisely what I did. It’s a little bit of a hatchet job, but it’s done and secure and it’s French. And that’s all I’m going to say about that situation now.
Any new techniques learned? Why yes, now that you ask. I learned how to make a thread loop. Of course the Vogue instructions weren’t helpful, but I did find this helpful tutorial from Liesl Gibson at Oliver and S on the interwebs.
thread loop
Any interesting design details in this pattern? Well, the thread loop was interesting. And the internal ties were a surprise, but both of these elements together go a long way to making this robe really function and drape well. They are construction details not to be skimped over or left out. You definitely need them all to have this robe close and hang/drape attractively. I had asked Claudine about the interior ties early into the construction and she said in no uncertain terms to add them. And now that I have tried on the robe several times, I tip my hat to Claudine and her infinite wisdom. Also the external ties were inserted into the back pleats. Genius!
internal tube ties
external ties inserted into back pleats
Which sewing machine(s) did you use for construction? I know you will all be surprised to learn that I used my Viking Emerald 183 exclusively for this project. Why you ask? Well, for this fabric, silk charmeuse, I definitely needed my walking foot and it works on that machine only. Yes, my beloved Featherweight looked on longingly as I forsook her for the walking foot and the Husqvarna Emerald 183. *double sigh*
Time to complete construction? Eons. And more eons. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
Will you sew it again or recommend it to others? Not sure, but leaning towards no, I will not make it again. I don’t know if I could do better at the collar or figure out the pocket situation. I do know though that I do want a silk charmeuse robe for myself, so I might find another pattern to make one for myself. I just don’t have the strength in me to figure this one out again. I definitely don’t recommend this pattern to beginners. It’s a long project with tons of steps. Definitely intermediate to advanced sewers could probably figure out this pattern better than I did. But consider yourselves warned.
Conclusion: It’s hard to enjoy the beauty of this robe for me as it caused me such grief, but seeing it on my mom was a thrill. I know she will enjoy wearing it. And here she is modeling her new robe (she asked that I blur out her face as she wasn’t made up yet).
Happy Mother’s Day!!!
