In my quest to help Dear Daughter #1 locate great looking, packable work clothes – she does a good bit of travelling for her job – it was inevitable that the idea of  sewing with knits should present itself.  After all, they look fairly harmless on those big bolts, all lined up on the shelf at the local chain fabric store…why not give them a shot?!  Nice feel, not expensive to “test”…let’s do it!  Two colors, navy and charcoal gray (hey, these are for WORK) were selected, dragged home, popped in the wash and were all set to go.
So far, so good…!

For this version of 2401, we decided to make the v-neck, but shorten the sleeves to 3/4 length.  Since the sheath version of this pattern turned out well, I figured ‘easy, peasy’…right?  I cut the pieces out just as I had before, got the machine set up for that cool stretch stitch just for knits and got to work.   It went like this:

“Oooo…that stretch stitch is really neat!  This is so easy!  Knits are fun…!”
“No edges to finish, ei…wait…why isn’t the fabric moving???”
“I’m sewing, but the fabric isn’t moving…wait, now it won’t come off the machine”
“Give that dress back, you wretched, sadistic machine!”

(Much yanking, pulling, mumbling, wringing of hands, and glaring ensues…I did warn you
this was NOT pretty!)

Finally, the obvious: the feed dogs have eaten – yes, readers, EATEN – my dress!
Sucked it right into their nefarious clutches and down into some hidden stash place in the bowels of the machine.  (Well, ok…it was just a little part of the SEAM, but still…it was NOT moving off that machine and this was extremely traumatic to a novice sewist like myself!  I had to cut off a chunk of the seam to free it from the plate, for heavens sake!)

After consulting the manual, removing the screws that hold that plate thingy, (do you know how hard it is to find a screwdriver that short?!), I finally got to the source of the problem, freed the chomped seam, regrouped and went at it again.

Rinse and repeat.  AGAIN, the feed dogs ate the fabric as if they were mocking my attempts.  Knits are NOT fun anymore, and neither is this machine!

Sewing Thump on the Head #5
(I’m going to lose count of these ‘duh’ moments, I just know it!  There are SO many!)

• Read the darn manual, watch the video, consult the forums, whatever you have to do to get valuable and time saving tips on how to deal with different fabrics.  It’s SO worth investing a little bit of research time, and will save you from much angst and woe!  Had I done this, I’d have discovered that the presser foot has to go down before the needle goes in or everything goes to hell in a hand basket, if you’ll pardon the expression!
• Also, some knits and lightweight fabrics need some kind of paper backing when being sewn.  Sounds like a good bit of trouble, so I’ll save that for a future project – like the one that will make use of that ITY knit I was warned against, but purchased anyway!

Finally got the thing together, ended up finishing the seams anyway so they’d look more RTW, and with great anticipation, Dear Daughter #1 tried it on… and it SWAM on her!
Seriously, what the heck?  I thought I cut the same size as the sheath dress that fits her so well, but this thing is at least 2 sizes too big!  The front appears to be way too wide, and it’s one piece, of course!  Plus, the 3/4 sleeves look incredibly awkward for some reason.

Here is my long-suffering model in this disaster.  We literally have it clothes-pinned in back so it doesn’t fall off her shoulders and hit the floor!  You can see from her pose that she’s doing her best to keep the thing in place, but clearly it’s meant for the giveaway box!

Sewing Thump on the Head #6:

• Even if you’ve sewn the pattern before, double check the measurements before going to all the trouble to cut and sew.  Compare them against a dress that fits you well, if nothing else!  For this dress, it was just too broad across the front, with really no good way to cut it down to size and get it back on her shoulders!  *Sigh*
• Also, check the fabric recommendations.  When using a knit fabric that has more give than a woven, you might need to do more adjusting to get the fit right – maybe.  Ok, that’s just pure conjecture on my part, but it’s the best I could come up with for the way off sizing!

Oh, well…I guess this is my first “wadder”.  Hmm…out of three projects = depressing!!  On the plus side, my “invisible hem” looked much better on this dress, the zipper went in easily, and the back neck edges came VERY close to actually lining up!  Progress.
And bonus:  I learned how to beat knits into submission, as well as how to access
the underbelly of my sewing machine should the need ever arise again.
One must take little triumphs where one finds them!

Thus endeth my first attempt at the wretched knit dress, which you may have noticed is my cover picture.  I hope to proudly post perfectly fitting pictures of this dress very soon!  I will conquer this!

For now, hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful January!  There’s nothing like a cold, winter day to inspire the starting of new sewing and craft projects!

PS…It is perfectly acceptable for you to pretend that you’ve had similar experiences with knits…come on, surely some of you have had big fails!  Feel free to share them in the ‘comments’ section – misery loves company, don’t you know!

My 2012 went out with both blessings and a bit of sorrow (which I’m hoping explains my dearth of posts).  The year was absolutely packed, but for me the last three months had such an impact that I’m sticking to those.

Blessings first:

My 82 year old father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, had surgery in late October and received an “all clear” in mid-December – an early (and best) Christmas gift!  THANK YOU to all the folks at Mayo Clinic in FL whose expertise made this possible!

I’m so thankful that it was possible for me to be there when they came home to take care of one recovering patient and one very tired spouse!  My brother and his family handled things on the FL end; I was the caretaker on the recovery end.  Thanks to my terrific husband and son for letting me abandon them – at least they had clean clothes (sort of)!

It was indeed an occasion for celebrating!  Cheers, with grateful hearts!

Starting down this blog journey that was inspired by reading so many wonderful posts from talented sewists was another blessing!  Although events took me away from being as active as I’d planned, I’m so grateful to those of you who took the time to read and comment and encourage me on my fledgling efforts as I inch my way back to actual sewing!  I promise there are more posts to come in short order

The Sad, and the Hidden Blessings:

In November, shortly before Thanksgiving, we lost a wonderful, kind, talented man:  My Uncle Walt Zeboski.  You know how some people are just perennially positive and just plain good people?  Uncle Walt was such a man.  A photographer for the Associated Press for years in Sacramento, CA, Uncle Walt covered so many amazing events, and did it all with the utmost professionalism, humor and skill.  He was a wonderful husband, father, friend – and an uncle we saw all too infrequently.  Here are just a few of my favorite pictures he’s taken.  I hope you’ll find them interesting:

This one of then CA Gov Brown was nominated for a Pulitzer:

Martin Luther King speaking at an event in CA:

On the presidential campaign plane during President Reagan’s run for office (Uncle Walt was Reagan’s photographer.  So many wonderful pics – google Walt Zeboski for more!)

President Reagan passing out his trademark jellybeans aboard the plane

And my favorite picture:  Uncle Walt patiently showing my almost 3 year old
how to snap a picture.

Uncle Walt, you’re very much missed!

Yet there were some hidden blessings within the ‘sad’.  As funerals often do, celebrating Uncle Walt’s life brought together family members not seen in years.  Mom and I flew to CA, leaving my nicely recovering father at home, and abandoning my husband and son – again. It was a real treat to see my CA cousin Jan again and meet his wonderful family.  Being on opposite coasts we hadn’t seen each other in years, making due with social media to stay connected.   So nice to have some “face time” at last!

Seeing my wonderful Aunt Virginia, and watching she and my mother sharing memories was a true blessing, too.  As an added surprise, my brother joined us from FL – what a treasure to be able to spend time with him, too!  An extra special treat was hearing all the stories that Uncle Walt’s friends and AP associates told as we all gathered together at the home he and my aunt shared for over thirty years.

Mom and I returned to their home three days before Thanksgiving, which saw the arrival of my own family and such a happy celebration of our blessings of good health and happiness!  Dad’s doing so well that he and Mom were able to come to our home for Christmas, which was a wonderful close to the year.  My Aunt Virginia, an amazing person in her own right, has sad days, of course, but is doing fabulously, surrounded by family and friends.  Truly, we have all been richly blessed this year, even amid the sadness!

So, goodbye 2012, and welcome to a New Year – and to new projects and adventures!

Here’s wishing every one of you a wonderful and blessed 2013!  Can’t wait to see read everyone’s posts, learn from your experience, and marvel at your fabulously completed apparel!

From the top of the ‘W’ in DC, 3/5s of my family wishes yours a Happy New Year!

After much perusing – and trying to locate patterns offering small enough sizes – we settled on McCalls 2401, a versatile little pattern that includes everything from a sleeveless dress with a boat style neckline to a v-neck with long sleeves.  Just 5 pattern pieces, a zipper, easy back slit…lookin’ good!

This was originally intended to be my first sewing attempt, and it was…however, actual completion proved a bit more complicated than anticipated due to a few fit issues.  In fact, the navy mystery woven stretch fabric used on the New Look 6103 pencil skirt was leftover from fabric purchased for this dress.  We first did a muslin, which ended up marked all over the place for “take-ins”.   Waist and back length were perfect, but overall it was just too big for my size 0/2 daughter!  The darts and seams all needed adjustment.  Several times.  Sizing ready to wear versus pattern sizing is really a project!

Sewing Thump on the Head #4

• ALWAYS go by the Body Measurements in the general sizing section of the pattern.  Check.  Except when that doesn’t work, and the pattern is STILL too big.
  AHA. There’s a little section at the bottom of most pattern backs called “Finished Garment Measurements”.  This seems to be the best indicator of actual fit, so compare these measurements against those of a similar style dress that fits you well.  Simple, right?  Except when it’s not…

There’s also something called “pattern ease” that has something to do with the amount of wearing ‘ease’ or ‘movement’ pattern makers build into a garment.  I haven’t successfully located that information yet on an actual pattern from the “Big 4″, but have seen it talked on sewing forums and mentioned in pattern descriptions from companies like Style Arc.  Of course the amount of “ease” varies depending on the company, the pattern, and the performance of the recommended fabric – knits vs a non-stretch woven, for instance.  I’ve also heard the term “negative ease” bandied about.  Have mercy!  I feel an online class might be called for here!  I decide to push on…

 McCalls 2401 bills itself as an unlined, “semi-fitted sheath dress”.  Since I’m aiming for a nice, professional look that mimics RTW, I decide to throw in a lining.  (Think big!)  My daughter will be here for the weekend, so with great anticipation, the sheath dress – with lining – gets partially stitched up…and the lining’s too tight.  WHAT?  How can the lining be too tight?  It’s the same size as the dress AND I used what JoAnns calls its “luxury lining” fabric – a sort of silky looking anti static stuff that I used (successfully) to line the pencil skirt.  Did. Not. Work. for the sheath dress.  Sigh.  This calls for the seam ripper!  A quick trip to the store, yields a thin, polyester knit lining – to go with the stretchy woven, right?  Onward and upward.  Sheath dress, take two!

Then the miracle happens.  Since I want a RTW look for this dress, I google “lining a sleeveless dress” and miracle of miracles…an incredible video  from the talented Colleen G Lea appears in the search results showing how to do exactly that!  If you haven’t seen her amazing hat trick with lining, run, don’t walk to the link above and watch it before you sew your next lined sleeveless dress!  Thanks to Colleen, McCalls 2401 was conquered:

Front: I’ve lightened this just a bit so you can see details:

Back view:  Back closing is a little closer to lining up this time!

 Inside the dress. The lining & outer fabric join at the shoulder seams:

…and here it is on my lovely model:

Close up of bodice…

So there you have it…one sheath dress ala Audrey Hepburn.  All it’s lacking is a nice string of pearls, some gloves, and a stylish clutch!  We still have a bit of nipping and tucking to do fit-wise, but once that’s figured out, I think we might have our first TNT!  In fact, we liked this pattern so much I decided to try it in a …KNIT!  That fiasco project is coming up next post!

Stay tuned…

PS…If you’d like to see another view of this pattern, take a look at Alice in the UK’s version on her blog Moonbeam

Before I take my dart-marker thing and punch tiny holes in yet another very unstable pattern piece…how do you handle working with patterns?  As careful as I am with pinning and marking, I always end up with a pattern piece that looks as if it might shred at any second.  Definitely not going to last through another two or three makings of the same pattern!  And forget about folding it up neatly – you’d have better luck with a large map!  Of course, I suppose you could always just treat the tissue patterns as one or two use, one size projects…but that seems kind of wasteful to me!

Sewing Thump on the Head #3 (I can tell these are going to add up REALLY quickly…!)

• You can take control over those tissue thin patterns, not the other way around!

Here are two ideas I’ve found courtesy of some very savvy sewists who came up with brilliant ways to tame the tissues:

Trace the pattern!  Purchase some of that clear, thick plastic sheeting that the big home improvement stores carry – usually in rolls – for things like putting under your house as a moisture barrier.  Brilliant, right?  I thought so…and picked up a roll.  Two problems I encountered very quickly:  that stuff is WIDE, but the roll is not…so it’s all folded up neatly, then rolled up.  It makes a great material for tracing patterns on, but you have to get rid of those folds!  I tried folding them backwards (do you know how LONG that takes?!), opening a large cut sheet out fully and sitting it outside in the hot sun (marginal success), and putting a big sheet in the dryer for a …ok, we’ll not talk about that misguided idea!  Did you know that stuff gets rather brittle when subjected to dryer heat?  Hmmm…

I’ve managed to trace several patterns using a Sharpie marker and the plastic after wrestling the folds into submission, and gosh – I love using the clear pattern pieces!  They are so much easier to work with than the thin tissue, and bonus: you can see through them, which is so helpful when positioning the pieces on the fabric!  You also leave the original pattern pieces intact, so you can make a tracing of whatever sizes you need without ruining the pattern cutting one size.  My dart marker with the sharp little wheel still leaves tiny pock marks, though…and I fear in time they’ll force their way through the plastic!  So, here’s another idea:

Fuse the tissue onto some old interfacing that you don’t want anymore, or some you’ve picked up for a song.  This actually sounds like kind of a neat idea…although I do admit to some reservations regarding putting an iron onto tissue.  Perhaps ironing the fusible interfacing onto the tissue makes more sense!  Also, it seems you’d have to go ahead and pin and cut out the pattern pieces on the fusible interfacing or you’d end up with fusing bits all over your ironing board!  Sounds like you’d have a nice, stable pattern piece to work with once you accomplished this, though!  Has anyone tried this method?  This idea comes from Sewaholic, who just posted a very clever way to store patterns fused to interfacing on her blog - check it out!

Of course, many of the independent, smaller pattern companies like Style Arc and Maria Denmark patterns print their patterns on nice, heavy stock paper, which makes them easy to work with and much more stable and long lasting than the tissue patterns.

How do you tame your tissue patterns?  Trace? Fuse?  Some other wondrous way?  I’d sure love to hear your solutions!  My little brain is not currently presenting me with any revelations in this area at all!

Oh – and if anyone knows the name of that little marking wheel thingy…!

Stay tuned…I’ve made a sleeveless dress and LINED it!  That post coming up next.

]]> http://www.windows2wearables.com/to-trace-or-not-to-trace-that-is-the-question/feed/ 5 http://www.windows2wearables.com/first-project-pencil-skirt-new-look-6103-how-hard-can-this-be/ http://www.windows2wearables.com/first-project-pencil-skirt-new-look-6103-how-hard-can-this-be/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:06:09 +0000 admin http://www.windows2wearables.com/?p=40 Continue reading →]]> As you know, I’m inching my way back to apparel sewing after years of not sewing anything but valences and pillow covers.   I’ve collected some fabric, including some “test” fabrics from my local JoAnns, and have settled on this cute pencil skirt pattern from New Look by Suede Says in view ‘A’, the longer version.  Simple, right?  Note to self: the back of the pattern envelope is important.  Read it! (More on that later…)

This looked like a great first project – only four pattern pieces!  So of course I decided to make it more complicated by doing several things I’d never attempted…hey, may as well just jump in with both feet and a seam ripper, right?!

I decided I’d use an invisible zipper and do a blind hem.  No sense having a new sewing machine if you’re not going to try out all the neat stitches!   Oh, and after debating without resolution just exactly what kind of weird woven stretchy fabric – next time I’m writing it down - I was dealing with, I decided to add a lining to the body part of the skirt!

If those of you who are experienced sewists are thinking anything that begins with the words “bless her heart”…you’d be correct – I was biting off a bit much for my first attempt!

The skirt shouldn’t have been that difficult to make at all – it’s just that my skills (combined with a new machine!) didn’t allow it to turn out exactly the way I’d pictured…!

• Darts:  check
• Interfacing on waist pieces: check
• Waist pieces neatly attached to skirt: check 
• Back seam & zipper:  che…wait.  Why is there so much fabric in the back?  Double pleats?  What’s a double pleat?  Where does it say there’s a double pleat?  Oh…that’s what’s pictured on the back of the envelope for View A…

Sewing thump on the head #1:  ALWAYS carefully read the back of the envelope when you’re choosing a pattern!  Not only does it show sizing, measurements, fabrics and notions…it also has accurate sketches of the actual garment…and things like double pleats!

I will say that putting in the invisible zipper was SUCH fun!  The concealed zipper foot made the job a breeze – I don’t know why I was in such fear of it.  It went in so nicely I’m not sure I’ll ever use a “regular” zipper again unless absolutely necessary!  And after much fiddling around, reading and re-reading of the instructions, and copious use of the iron, the dreaded double pleat in back was conquered and didn’t turn out too badly!

The lining went in nicely, and the extra pleat bits I finally just cut off, turned under, hemmed and tacked to the skirt back.  If someone has a better suggestion as to how that should have been done, please leave a comment!

The lining I hemmed on the machine…so that left the hem on the actual skirt.  Bring on the blind hem foot!

Sewing thump on the head #2:  Practice, practice, practice when using a new foot, a new stitch, a new technique…BEFORE you attempt same on the actual garment!

To be fair, I’d watched the video several times, practiced on scrap pieces of fabric, and thought I was ready to tackle the hemming.  However, when I actually sewed the hem…well, let’s just say that there are spots where my hem isn’t exactly “blind”.  Several spots, actually…ok, more than several…but the thread matches the fabric exactly!  If you don’t come closer than 2 feet 10 feet, you hardly notice it!

Here are pictures of the finished skirt.  With a little more experience under my belt, I’d definitely make it again!  And considering that it only cost about $9 to make, well, I guess it wasn’t a bad first try!  We’ll see how it does after it’s washed…!

Isn’t my daughter the perfect model?  

  We did have some fit issues and still have to take it in a bit, and the top of the back pieces don’t line up exactly, but she makes it look good…mistakes and all.  She’s also a very good sport, gamely hiding the offending skirt closing by blousing her top out over it!  Since we’re doing some things that are suitable for work (and also travel well), I’ll be working with navy and charcoal gray easy to care for fabrics for the next few garments.

Next up:  Audrey Hepburn style sheath dress!

Stay tuned!

PS:  For the lining of the skirt, I used a polyester lining billed as “non-static, luxury” lining fabric.  Hmm…we’ll see!  Still not sure what the outer fabric was…!

Not wanting to invest too heavily in a machine until I saw how this apparel thing panned out, I took advantage of the “September Sewing Machine Month” sale at JoAnns, ordered my Brother 9500PRW from their website – hey, it’s Project Runway!  This thing is going to produce fabulous clothes! – cut out my pattern, and waited.

…and waited…

…and waited…

And finally, there it was, sitting shiny and sassy on my sewing table (AKA, the dining room table, but let’s not split hairs here)!

Fast forward to “Getting to Know Your Brother 9500″ otherwise known as “What the heck IS all this stuff?  And why are there a THOUSAND stitches?  What are all these FEET for?”   Fortunately, a helpful video was included that quite literally walked my timid self through everything from winding the bobbin to doing blind hems and buttonholes.  And, no, there weren’t really 1,000 stitches, but it sure looked that way!  What there WASN’T was a foot for invisible zipper installation.  Uh, oh.  Shot off a quick email to tech support…then spotted the Brother Customer Support Hot Line number.

Here’s how that went:

• Brother rep:  How can I help you today?
• Me:  I need a concealed zipper foot for my new Brother 9500PRW
• Brother rep: (after much checking) That foot is not listed for use with that machine.
• Me: GAH!!! (manners kick in) Oh, dear. I REALLY needed that foot.  I guess I’ll have to return it.  Thanks.  Hangs up. (gnashing teeth sounds, wailing, hand wringing ensue)

Frantic perusing (again) through sewing machine reviews, (THANK YOU, Pattern Review & Amazon!), quick ordering of the Brother 6000i  PLUS the concealed zipper foot, arrival on my doorstep the very next day! (I ♥ you, Amazon Prime!)

Whew. Love it!  It’s as easy to use as the PRW model, had loads of “extras”, and bonus: $20 cheaper – including the additional foot – & far fewer stitches to deal with!
(The raft of different feet included is a whole other story!)

So, I now have a machine that does more than just forward and reverse, a ridiculous number of feet, and the beginnings of a fabric and pattern horde!
(Sergers we’ll deal with much, much later – horribly intimidated by them!)

 Fledgling fabric collection…

….a sampling of patterns…

Basic Machine: check   Fabrics:  check  Patterns:  check
All right…I’m committed   Here we go!

PS:  Email response from Brother tech support 1 day after receiving new machine: Oh, yes…that concealed zipper foot will work with ANY Brother machine.   Sigh.

Unfortunately, the clothes I slaved over tended to scream “WHY IS SHE WEARING THAT THING” rather than “I AM A FASHION ICON”.  (You probably saw that coming if you’ve seen those buttons!)  Not exactly the effect I was going for!  So, my enthusiasm for sewing anything quickly waned and all but fizzled…until I married and discovered that it was a lot easier to make pillows than pants, and window treatments than wearables!

I confess to relapses of frantic, but rewarding, stitching when the kids were small and wanted original costumes for Halloween, special school days, etc., even though they inevitably ended up costing ten times what they would have if purchased!  Building memories, I used to tell my husband!

Before long, life just got too busy, and even pillows and window treatments were made by someone else with far greater skills than I possessed.

And then it happened: some twenty years later, kids out of the nest or in college, me pondering my next phase of life…The sewing bug I thought had fizzled and died came roaring back to life!  My theory is that is has lain dormant all these years, waiting for its big chance – or Project Runway, whichever came first!  In any case, my office windows needed valences, and something in me shouted “sewing project” and I was off!  So I made these…

The bug bites…valences for my office windows first!

Then pillows for daughter’s new apartment bedroom…

…and this for the window…it’s actually apple green
with hot pink grosgrain ribbon trim!

Valence for daughter’s room

…and then these for my daughter’s new apartment…

…and it was kind of fun!

Hmmm…sewing in this century isn’t too bad!  Then a Carolina friend embarked on a year of sewing her clothing instead of purchasing any ready to wear -what an inspiration!  She has wonderful style, and has produced beautiful, flattering, well made clothes that absolutely look like she picked them up at the trendiest boutique!  AND it sounded like she was having fun, too!  I was hooked – ok, not ready to do anything that drastic, but maybe, just maybe I could inch my way back to apparel sewing and actually produce something wearable!

If you haven’t sewn in a while – or ever – it’s a new world out there!  Thanks to the internet, there are fabulous fabrics available with a click online, great new machines with all the bells and whistles, new pattern companies with trendy looks, and an entire cadre of sewists who have sage advice, neat videos, pattern reviews – everything a rookie like me needs to jump back into the world of fashion sewing!

So here we go!  Let the pattern collecting and the fabric hording begin!  First project: basic pencil skirt.  Lined.  Invisible zipper.  I’m already quaking…

Stay tuned!

By the way…if you’d like some great inspiration, run over to Goodbye Valentino!  I promise her enjoyable posts will make you want to whip out the sewing machine – or at least marvel at this talented sewist’s creations!