My machines are still at the spa, probably living it up.  I can’t get my interfacing to adhere to my waistbands.  I’m just plumb down.

Hopefully my machines will be home soon.  I’m hoping they’re homesick too, but maybe they enjoy meeting new machines and talking about their owners’ different projects and idiosyncrasies.  Actually, just typing that made me feel a little bit better.

I hope you are getting to sew.  I feel so lost without a project cruising along.

I took my machines to a sewing machine store that my mom had taken her lemon, I mean piece of crap, I mean machine to get serviced.  The reason for the derogatory attitude about her machine is that she paid a pretty penny for a machine that is always broken.  A very pretty penny mind you.  And here’s an aside question for you.  Why do quilters spend thousands of dollars on their machines????  I don’t get it.  Isn’t the art of quilting about the piecing, not the embroidery or fancy stitches?  I really don’t get paying that much for a machine.

Anyhoo, while I was there, I thought I would see if they had any vintage machines for me to look at.  The sales lady who was about 80 years old, looked at me funny when I asked her if they had a vintage machine section.  She repeated vintage to me as if she’d never heard the word before.  I said, “You know, any machines built before the 1970′s.”  Then she looked at me like I had three heads.  She took me to the back room and showed me some Singer 201′s and 221′s.  Nothing that I was actually interested in as I already had a Singer Featherweight.  I was more into seeing if they had any old Janomes.  Then she said to me, “You don’t want any of these machines dear.  They don’t have any bells and whistles.  They can only do straight stitches.”  To which I replied, “Well, I’m not a quilter; I’m a garment sewer.   So I only really need the straight stitch as long as I have my serger.”  It was at this point that I had obviously grown three heads.  Then she tried to steer me to a $10,000 Bernina.  I kid you not.  I politely said no thank you and walked out the door.

I thought I would be able to get my machines back in a few days, but the repair guy said at least week.  I felt a bit panicky at that news.  What am I going to do with them gone for a week????  I guess I will be cutting out some new projects.  I could make my summer purse on my Viking machine.  I don’t need a serger for that.  I definitely need the serger for garment sewing though.  I don’t want to use the overcast stitch on my Viking.  It looks to becky home-ecky to me.  Personal preference. Or I could read.  I did just finish World War Z in less than 24 hours.  Or I could actually do what I’m supposed to be doing instead of finding new projects to procrastinate with.  *sigh*

What do you do when your machines go to the spa?  How often do you take your machines in?  Only when something goes wrong or on a maintenance schedule like once a year?

I can’t wait to get my machines back.  I feel naked and anxious without them.

KS 3614

Pattern Description:  Misses’ fitted shorts in three lengths have front fly sipper, low cut waist and shaped waistband.  Side pockets and belt loops are optional on all views.  I made view B, the medium length shorts.

Pattern Sizing:  XS -XL.  I made a medium with a titch added to the side seams for my thighs.  Interesting fact: When I opened up the pattern envelope, I realized that I had already traced and muslined this pattern in July 0f 2011.  I had completely forgotten this fact.  I had made the following notes:

Well, the reason for that is while muslining (there’s my new verb again) Kwik Sew 3614, I made a hot mess of the waistband and completely skipped the fly front zipper.  I just don’t have the heart to subject you to such a sight.  But here’s what I can tell so far about this muslin:

• I love the crotch curve.  I feel like it was tailor made to my body shape.  Yeah!!!
• I may have to let out the side seams a titch.  I have smiles at the crotch and butt that I think those smiles are actually groans because the thighs need a little room.  I made a sz medium, fyi.

All in all, I love both patterns.  I love V8584 for the simplicity and ease of the pattern.  It’s perfect for an easy breezy summer linen pant.  And I love the structure and fit of the KS3614 shorts.  Now if I can just figure out how to do the fly zipper front and actually do a good job of the waistband.

So I wasn’t far off my original mark two years ago.  And now I can say I managed the fly zipper and very well at that, thank you very much.  I can’t believe it took me almost 2 years to make it up in real fabric after such a promising muslin.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Why, yes it did, except that I’m not as skinny as the model.  

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Yes, they were fabulous.  Absolutely top notch.  A beginner could totally make these shorts, fly zip included!  I would pay top dollar just for that part of the instruction sheet.  Honest!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  Loved the simplicity of the design, the fitted look and the awesome instructions.  Did not dislike a single thing.  This pattern is an amazing draft and can be a workhorse in your wardrobe.

Fabric used:  Stretch cotton twill from Metro Textiles.  I remember I bought it a few years back with Trena.  Originally, I planned to make a simple pencil skirt with it, but I thought it would be perfect for some summer shorts instead.  This is a really stretchy cotton twill, so it probably has a high percentage of lycra in it.  I shouldn’t have added in the extra room in the side seams to account for the stretch, so the shorts are a little baggy on me.  As well, they bag out and grow with my body heat, so the fit isn’t as attractive after wear of an hour or more, but still definitely serviceable.  These are definitely wear and wash every single time once worn so that they will go back to their original shape.  Note to self: when using stretch fabrics in future with this pattern, use a straight medium size.

I also want to note that this was an impromptu project, very on a whim, but I had everything in my stash to make it.  EVERYTHING.  I had red thread, a red zipper, the right interfacing, snaps, a snap press kit (more on the snaps later), and of course the fabric.  If I didn’t have a deep stash I wouldn’t have been able to complete this project in as short a time as I did (two days including two muslin sessions).  I love that I had everything on hand.  LOVE. IT.

Pattern changes or design changes made:  

• As noted above, I added about 1 inch total of ease to the side seams (1/4 inch at each pattern piece side seam) tapering to nothing at the waist seam.  This is a well drafted pattern.
• Instead of pants hooks and eyes, I used a snap and my Prym Vario snap press kit for my waistband closure.  I love the simplicity and the look of it.  I still might need to add one hook and eye inside though.  I will see if I’m axed about after wearing it a few times.

 

Snap!

 

Any problems encountered during construction?  Not beyond the normal stupid mistakes brought on by tiredness or that last glass of wine.  Nothing that a seam ripper couldn’t handle and definitely not anything worth mentioning specifically.  Oh wait, I take that all back.  I did have one problem with which my FB sewing peeps helped me.  After sewing up the waistband above the fly zipper, I noticed that instead of nice 90 degree corners, I ended up with trapezoidal corners.  Not professional looking at all.  And this, after interfacing both the facing and the exterior waistband.  Harumpf!

Say no to trapezoid waistbands!

 

So I tapered the ends ( a little too aggressively) so that they would resemble rectangles more rather than trapezoids.  They’re not perfect, but then, neither am I.

Any new techniques learned?   Did I mention the fly zipper that I finally conquered?!?!  As I mentioned earlier, the instructions for inserting the fly zip are phenomenal.  My first try on the muslin was usable and ok.  The second muslin (I thought I might need the size large and was thankfully proven wrong)  was where I really did a good zip insertion.  On my final garment, I really took my time and put in a stellar fly  zip (if I do say so myself).  I can’t believe I was so scared of this technique before.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll try my hand at welt pockets next.    :)

fly zip

 

your fly is open!

 

Any interesting design details in this pattern?   Not really.  It’s a very basic pattern, but a goodie and a staple.  The pockets are nice and don’t stick out too much as this style of pocket are mostly wont to do.  Very well drafted, I say again.

pockets during construction

 

pocketses!

 

Which sewing machine(s) did you use for construction?  As my Singer Featherweight needs service (she’s making some weird sounds so I’m afraid to use her right now), I mostly used my Emerald 183 for this project.  I used my serger for finishing the seam allowances and the coverstitch for the hems on the leg openings.

coverstitched hem

 

Time to complete construction:  Not including the two muslins of this pattern (three if you count the one in July 2011), I’d say it took me about 6.5 hours from cutting and interfacing to hemming and snapping.  Not bad when you consider the fly zipper.

Will you sew it again or recommend it to others?  Well, since I’ve been doing nothing but extolling the virtues of this pattern, I would say, yes!  I definitely highly recommend this pattern.  And yes, I will definitely sew this again.  Am already considering a linen pair and a khaki pair.   I think I will invest the time to finally having a go at welt pockets for the back of the shorts in future iterations, and maybe forgo the front pockets.  Although those front pockets are really handy.  They’re just the right size.  Love them.  

Conclusion:  This is an amazing pattern.  Get it.  Seriously go out and get it right now.  It’s drafted impeccably.  You can add personality to it with whatever design details you want.  The fly zip instructions are phenomenal; this pattern is worth it for those alone.  Seriously.  Have you bought it yet????  What are you waiting for?

 

 

 

In other non-sewing news, I am running my first 5K tomorrow.  I’m super excited.  You’re never too old to run a race.  Never.

Race packet!

 

Happy running and sewing everyone!

Speaking of which, I can’t wrap my head around that he’s done with Kindergarten in less than two weeks.  How is a school year practically done???  And another speaking of which, we’ve been in San Diego now for almost a year.  Wow.  Time flies when you’re busy adjusting to the West Coast burbs from NYC.  I better get on to the next stage pronto.  This whole year gone thing has really snuck up on me.

But back to the PJ’s.  Here is the little boy trying them on this morning.  Please note the clenched fists and barely there smile which detail his lack of willingness to pose for said picture and the extreme duress he suffered in doing so.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go muslin some pants or shorts or something.  Happy sewing!

If you are, sorry, I just couldn’t waste the polka dot fabric and wanted a PJ set for myself.  This was an interesting project for me.  I did something that I’ve never done before: tried to copy an existing garment in my wardrobe.  I used an old t-shirt from Ann Taylor with a scoop neck and short sleeves.  I didn’t take any in-process pictures as I was just winging it the entire time and didn’t bother trying to be exact.  Seriously, these were just PJ’s, not papal vestments, folks.  Roughly, this is how I did it:

1. I put my polka dot fabric on the fold, laid my t-shirt on the fold for the front and back separately as my pattern, and cut around it leaving a small seam allowance.
2. Then I traced the sleeve shape on the fold and cut two out.
3. Then I measured the neckline for the length of the binding and added 7 inches for good measure.
4. Trued up the shoulders, side seams and hems.
5. Sewed the right shoulder after interfacing the front seams.
6. Bound the neckline.
7. Sewed the left shoulder.
8. Inserted the sleeves in the flat.
9. Sewed the side seams and sleeves in one go on each side.
10. Hemmed the shirt and the sleeves on my coverstitch.

Et voilá, a PJ t-shirt.  The fit is pretty much the same as the original t-shirt.  The sleeves look a little different, but I don’t much mind.  Did I mention these are just PJ’s?

Here’s some pictures…

Original ratty t-shirt on top of the new PJ t-shirt

Binding up close and personal

“self-drafted” PJ t-shirt

And here is the full monty (obviously not a real full monty) on me.  If you will recall, the PJ pants are the first version I made for Tim that were too small for him, but just right for me.  I hope the there’s enough room in the knees.  Hard to tell having not worn them for a long period yet.  This fabric might bag out at the knees.  But who cares, they’re just PJ’s.

These PJ’s are super comfy.  I can’t wait to wear them tonight.  I can see making up more of these for myself in the future.  But don’t worry, not right away.  I will hold off on any new PJ posts for a while.

Happy sewing!

Isn’t she a cutie?!?!

How’d they do that???

I felt a huge sense of relief that the pj’s fit Baby Skyler with a little room to grow.  Babies grow out of clothes so quickly that it’s very gratifying to know she will be wearing them for a good long while.  :)

In other non-sewing news, Jack finished his tee-ball season and received “the first trophy of his life” as he put it.  Just love that boy.

But back to sewing….  I am haphazardly putting together a PJ set for myself using the first pair of PJ pants that were the wrong size for Tim and the scraps remaining.  I’m just winging a pattern for the top by tracing an existing t-shirt I have.  And by tracing, I mean very loosely tracing.  I would not call this a precise process at all.  If this works at all, I will be surprised and pleased.  If it doesn’t, oh well, I can still sleep in it.  Who’s gonna see or care?  Jack?  Right, no worries at all.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

At first I was going to use an Ottobre pattern, but then I thought, why reinvent the wheel.  I had a TNT pj pattern in my stash that was ready to go, Kwik Sew 3510.

I used the solid blue fabric for the cuffs, neck binding, and for the appliqué.  The polka dot fabric was for the body of the pattern.  I think it came out well if I do say so myself.  :)

Once those were done, I turned my attention to the matching adult PJ pants.  Yes, matching.  I used the polka dot fabric for the base again and the solid blue for the cuffs.  My only problem was that I didn’t have a knit PJ pattern for adults.  And this is where Sherril came to my rescue yet again.  When I asked how I could alter a woven pattern (Simplicity 5271, original review here) to a knit pattern and taper the legs, Sherril sent me this link to a fitting book (pg 351) which instructed me to taper on both sides of the pattern pieces equally.  My friend Tim had sent me a pair of pj pants that fit him well and I used them as a starting point for sizing.

Here’s Tim’s pants overlayed on the woven pant pattern.

As you can see, Tim’s pants are shorter and much more slender as well as tapered.  And you can see how I would be stymied as to how to alter the pattern without having done something like that before.  The first thing I did was fold over the front pattern piece down the middle a 1/2 inch.  Then I removed ease from the side seam and inseam equally from the crotch curve on down.  For the back pattern piece I found that I had to fold over the middle by a whole inch.  I cut out my fabric, serged it together and compared it to Tim’s pants.  The first thing I noticed was that my pair was too short by 2 inches.  I don’t know how that happened, but it did.  And I noticed that I had tapered too much.  There wasn’t enough ease from the knees down.  Luckily I had more fabric since I bought 5 yards total.  So I lengthened the legs and added back some of the ease I had removed.  Here’s how that looked on the cutting table.

I tried them on and it was a perfect match in fit to Tim’s original pants.  Phew!  I finished the waistband and added the cuffs and I was done!  Here’s me wearing the pants to check for fit.  Please note that they are too long for me, but just right for Tim.  The inseam length matches the original pants exactly as well as the crotch to waist measurement.

I’m so glad I could make this project for Tim.  He’s a dear friend who’s always there for me whenever I need him no matter how busy he is.  A true friend.  I can’t wait to see him wearing the pants next to baby Skyler in her matching pj’s!

In non-sewing news, I read a book!  Remember when I said I didn’t read anymore because I’m so obsessed with sewing?  Well I started and finished a book in two days, Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl Who Played with Fire”.  It’s the second book of the trilogy.  I read the first one years ago.  I loved the book and it was a really fast read.  I already downloaded the final book onto the Kindle my sister gave me a couple of years ago.  I’m about a 1/3 of the way through it already.  I think I can fit in reading again with my sewing obsession.  I just have to keep my project deadlines in mind.  Yeah!  How do you fit in your other loves like reading with your sewing time?  I would love to hear your strategies.

Happy reading and sewing people!

That’s how I felt yesterday when I found the perfect contrast fabric for my PJ project.  I needed something for the neck, sleeve and leg bindings for the baby pj’s.  Something soft and hopefully something that matched the Prussian blue of the polkadot fabric I purchased in NYC for this project.  I headed over to the fabric closet to see if I had something that would work.  And lo and behold there was the remnant from my very first batwing top.

It was a perfect match.  How lucky is that?  And the feather in the cap is that it’s so soft, perfect for baby clothes.

When I was sewing up the pj top, I realized it needed a little something-something.  It was all polka dots but no baby pizzazz.  Hmmm…  Maybe a little heart appliquéd on the top?  What do I need for that?  Some steam a seam, some embroidery floss and I’m good to go.  Did I have those in the stash?  Yep and yep!  And now the top has that je ne sais quoi it was missing.

My Nirvana feeling only lasted so long though.  When it came to constructing the pants, I realized that I was out of 3/8 inch elastic for the waist casing.  I did have 1/8 inch, 1/4 inch, 3/4 inch, 1/2 inch and 1 inch elastics though.  But no 3/8 inch elastic, so time to go to the fabric store.  Luckily for me, it’s only a 10 minute car ride away (which, if you live in CA, you realize that’s practically right next door to your house).   So in less than half an hour, I had my elastic for the project and more for the stash for next time.

So tell me…  Do you have a deep stash?  Can you finish a project without having to go to the fabric store to collect all the fabric and notions you need?  Do you find comfort in knowing you have everything you need on the spur of the moment?  I know I have loved having all the supplies to make Jack’s impromptu projects like his sleeping bags, the superhero cape, and the sword scabbard.  It makes creativity so much more spontaneous.  And it brings joy to both Jack and me.

Do you stash like your life creativity depended on it?

But enough of my proud mama moment, let’s fast forward to the play performance.  All the costumes were provided by each child’s parents.  Of course, me being me, I made most of Jack’s costume.  The Scottie Puppies were supposed to wear plaid pants or skirts, a black or grey t-shirt and a tam.  I found some plaid I liked at Yardage town and thought I would make the pants and tam from the same fabric so they would match.

The pants pattern was easy.  I just used a pattern I’ve used before, Simplicity 5284.  I’ve made shorts and pants for Thor with this pattern.

Simplicity 5284

Again I used Dana’s flat front tutorial to make it look more like trousers than the pull up pants they really are.  I should have used a larger size, but I was lazy.  They are a little more, shall we say, “fitted” than they normally would be.

The tam pattern was more difficult.  I couldn’t find a pattern for it.  Phyllis said I could easily draft one.  So with that challenge, I went for it.  I totally just pulled it out of my ass.  I do not endorse this method at all.  So this is not going to be called a tutorial at all.  It’s just how my 3D-challenged brain somehow conjured up a tam-like hat in the end.

1. I measured Jacks head for the elastic.
2. Cut and sewed black elastic for the “brim” of the tam.
3. Pulled a number out of the ether for the diameter of the fabric for the tam and cut out a circle of the plaid fabric for the body of the tam.
4. Basted the edges of the tam with silk thread to gather it so it would be slightly larger than the circumference of the elastic brim.
5. Sewed the gathering permanently.
6. Pinned the fabric to the elastic brim easing the fullness evenly around the brim.
7. Made a matching pompom out of some stash yarn.  I interfaced the area where I attached the pompom so it wouldn’t flop around as much.
8. I interfaced some black doubleknit fabric, folded it and sewed Scottie ear-like shapes on it.  Cut them out and hand sewed them to the hat.

Et voilá, a Scottie Pup tam was born.

Right before his stage makeup was applied

Scene from the play

Post performance picture with his adoring fan

The play, “101 Dalmatians” by the way, was a smashing success.  Jack was too cute on stage.  I loved it.  And now I’m on to the next thing on my sewing list, the PJ project for a friend.  I have to finish it by Monday night so I can pop it into the mail on Tuesday.  Here’s a sneak peek…

Happy sewing everyone!

Sorry, no before pics allowed. Trust me, it was awful.

Of course as soon as it was all pristine, I had to start cutting my next project.

I needed a palate cleanser before I embark on the adult/child matching PJ project for a close friend.  I thought I’d whip up another New Look 6035 since I loved my green skirt so much.

I cut it out last night and sewed it up today.  All in, I think it took me about 4.5 hours.  It would have taken me less if I hadn’t needed to take in the side seams.  Note to self: Always listen to your inner voice when it tells you to baste the side seams first to check the fit.  Always.  Of course, I didn’t and then needed to un-stitch the facing, the edge stitching, etc to take in the side seams.  Every fabric handles differently, so even though I had already fit this pattern, this particular fabric’s properties altered the fit on this skirt.  Live and learn (over and over and over).

I didn’t do anything differently to this version of the skirt.  It’s a simple pattern; I didn’t even look at the instructions.  Anyway, here it is in all its graphic floral greatness.

innards

top-stitched hem

I just love this pattern.  It is so simple, but so awesome.  It’s an easy skirt to wear.  It feels great on.  Especially in this fabric, which I bought from Yardage Town in Encinitas.  It has a little more drape than the cotton sateen I used last time, but not too limp.  Just perfect.  And I love the print.  Graphic florals are really in right now too.  Can’t wait to wear it to my “ladies who lunch” lunch tomorrow.  :)

Happy sewing!