I finally got the sleeves to fit and moved on to the french lace I purchased when I first started.  I had to widen the straps about 1/2, lower the sleeve cap and widen the sleeve the same amount.  Normally I would also lengthen the sleeve but since I am using the finish edge of the lace I did not worry about the length.   It was quite scary to cut $160 a yard fabric but I did it.  The sleeves went in so much easier with the quality fabric than the fabric the  mock up.  I also added the cording at the neck.  Once I get the lining attached in the top I will be ready for the skirt.

Interuptions

I have been working on the bodice of my daughters wedding gown.  I have the everything fitting nicely and it looks great as long as she does move her arms.  Still trying to figure out how to fix the problem.  


In the mean time I took a break and made several blouses and a skirt.  The blouse is a Connie Crawford pattern. 

Also along with working, I was bit by a spider that I had an allergic reaction to because he let his fang behind in my leg.  Three stitches later it is healing up. 

Then we found this 8 foot snaked near the front porch.  Just a black rat snake and they are harmless but since he eats small animals including squirrels and  rabbits, I did not want to chance that my 4 pound dog would become dinner. Been an interesting month.   


I hope to have some wedding dress pictures to post soon.

 It has been my dream since my daughter was born to make her wedding dress.  When she first told me she was getting married we discussed what she would like.   We tossed around the idea of remaking my mother's wedding gown but she did not like the neck line and she wanted a train.  When I got married I cut off the train to remake the sleeves that did not fit me.  

I started looking for fabric last year.  In the fall I found the white fabric (Diamond white) and got a very good deal.  Today we went to Philadelphia fabric row on South 4th street.  We toured the various stores.  At the second store we went to, we found the green fabric to match her brides maids gowns to use on the dress.  After visiting most of the stores, she found a lace for the sleeves and veil.  We were planning on doing the green cording around the neck and having matching buttons.  The plan has changed..  Any trim around the neck will detract from the lace.  The lace has a very soft hand, along with sequins and beads.  It is a french lace and is just gorgeous.  

On the left is the pattern that I am going to use.  One of the things that she required was cap sleeves.  Not a popular feature right now.  She also wants a scooped neck.  That is an easy fix on most patterns.  

I got the pattern a while back.  Of course fit is the most important part of the garment.  I made a mock up and so far have only pinned out the excess fabric. Now that I have the fabric and know what I am working with I will finish the mock up and get ready to cut on the fashion fabric.  I will be modifying the sleeves slightly to accommodate the lace fabric.   

I am hoping that after I have extra fabric left over after I cut out the dress that I can make a second fitting garment out of the bridal fabric.

More to follow as the dress progresses.

Spring visited today.

It's been a while since I have had any thing to post.  I have been working to get the new PMB 5 to fit properly.  It seems like a slow process trying to get a decent fit in this upgrade.  I am pretty close to posting my first project.

In the mean time, last week I finished my squares for the quilt that the Friends of Hopewell National Furnace will be making for raffle this year.  We just finished the top and are getting reading to start quilting.

We still need to add the outer strips and then we will be ready to make the sandwich and fasten it to the quilting rack.

After completing my blocks I made some baby items for a shower gift.  I did two blankets and 4 cloths for a friend of my daughter and myself for the soon to be born son.

Cleaning my Iron

I made a blouse yesterday and the interfacing I uses stayed on the bottom of my iron turning it brown.  I tried cleaning it off with my old stand by, a dryer sheet, but it had no effect on this glue.  After the iron cooled I tried Goo Begone with no success.  Today I went to Joanne's and bought the Roewnta iron cleaning kit.  My iron is clean again.  The Dritz iron cleaner is probably very similar without all the bells and whistles.  I usually don't indorse a product but I was really impressed with the results.

THE STASH is your 'home base, your security, your legacy.' (Some poor souls think it's a nagging reminder of what you haven't done yet...)

WE, on the other hand, prefer to regard your PRECIOUS STASH as your Potential for Creativity!

~Lindy, The Silver Needle Newlsetter, 5.12.09

My Chanel Jacket

This jacket is part of a Chanel Sew Along. Our references for this project were Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer and several articles found in Threads Magazine.

 

My pattern is from PMB 5. I design the pattern and cut the fabric before I realized I had an issue with my neck and shoulders not importing over correctly from PMB 4. So I adopted the phrase that Tim Gunn likes to say “make it work”. And I did.

The garment is the Classic Jacket with a curved vee front neckline, jewel back neckline, fitted sides and back, single breasted, and a straight hemline. I used the shoulder princess seam on the front and back. The sleeve is a two piece sleeve which I modified. My shoulder pad setting was 1/2 inch. I took the pattern into Pattern Editor and made two modifications. I reversed the curve of the neck opening and I curved the cuffs. The inspiration for the curved cuffs came for Vogue pattern V8259 and Coco’s Cuff’s by Claire Shaeffer Threads issue # 151

The fabric is woven plaid cashmere. I found the fabric at an estate sale and had a limited amount. Matching plaids starts with the cutting of the fabric. To make this easier I printed a left and right pattern. I had no fabric to spare.

One of the articles we referenced for construction techniques is Inside a Chanel Jacket by Susan Kahjle Threads issue # 121. One of the trademarks of a Chanel Jacket is it subtle quilting. The quilting is usually done by machine. This fabric did not lend itself to subtleness when machine quilted. As a result, all the quilting in this jacket was hand done. With this dilemma I decided to construct the jacket first and the lining second, and the quilting somewhere in the middle.

Another trademark of a Chanel Jacket is the trim. I searched for trim in around the area but was unable to find anything that went with the fashion fabric. I then decided that cording might be the solution. I went to Fabric Mart and found some wool crepe to make the cording. I cut bias strips and sewed a soft rope from my stash into the cording with a zipper foot. I attached the cording. As I went to put in the lining, I discovered that the jacket had grown. By adjusting the cording I was able to fit the outer part of the jacket to the lining. I did have an issue with the length. I used the fabric from the cording to make a facing and I was able to complete the lining.

The last construction technique is the chain at the bottom of the jacket which helps the jacket hang nicely. This was sewn on by hand where the lining meets the fashion fabric. The key to sewing on the chain is that it can be neither to loose or two tight.

Shoulder pads. The thick and the thin of it

Shoulder pads come in many shape and colors. They can be covered or uncovered. You can buy them premade or make them yourself. Covered shoulder pads are most often used in unlined jackets or shirts. Plain shoulder pads are mostly used in lined coats and jackets.

The type of shoulder pads used would depend on the type of sleeve that the garment has. The most common types of shoulder pads are dolman, raglan, and set in sleeves. They come in they come in thickness of ¼ inch to 1 inch on the average.

Doing a tailored jacket with shoulder pads is made easy with Pattern Master Boutique (PMB). Have you ever bought a commercial pattern and the instructions say that you need ½ inch shoulder pads only to find out while constructing your garment that you really need 1 inch shoulder pads? That is because your shoulder slope is different from the standard use by the commercial pattern.

PMB gives you control of this situation and it is very simple to do. If you go to setting while planning your garment, you can choose what size shoulder pads you would like to use.

My favorite size shoulder pad size is 5/8 inches. I have sloping shoulders and I like my jackets to look more like I have squarer shoulders. People who have less slope would want to use a thinner shoulder pad.

Sometimes one shoulder might be slightly lower than the other shoulder which is my situation. One solution for this is to use two different size shoulder pads. In the jacket on the right I used a 5/8 inch shoulder pad and a 5/8 and a ¼ shoulder pad that I whip stitched together before attaching. The style was for a set in sleeve.

For a blouse I would choose a ¼ inch shoulder pad, depending on the weight of the fabric I would consider a thin set in shoulder pad or a molded shoulder pad. Again, the choice is a combination of personal preference, your shoulder slope, the type of garment you are making, and the drape of the fabric.

So why use shoulder pads? Many reasons: To remove wrinkles from your garment, balance shoulder height, to smooth out boney shoulders, or to give your jacket or blouse a professional or expensive look.

The challenges of sewing

I have been working on two jackets.  One is has a build up collar and the other is part of a Chanel sew along.  I have learned that PMB 4 and PMB 5 are not the same for me.  The neck on PMB 5 was way to large for my neck.  The opening of the build up collar required some modification but it is now wearable. 

My Chanel sew along has presented with some interesting challenges.  I am using a boucle of unknown fabric content.  I originally thought it was wool and Cashmere but as I have watch it grow I believe it might be alpaca or Llama.  I have spent the evening do as Tim Gunn would says:  "Make it work."]

A cold day in PA

It has been cold and windy here in PA today.  I have been busy sewing over this last week.  I thought today would be a good day to bring my sewing adventures up to date. 
 

I have been working with pattern master boutique for about two years now and have gotten blouses and jackets down.  My first jacket this year was a jacket.  I top stitched the seams and added a lining.  I had an issue with the length of the sleeves and I ended up adding a cuff which has become a design element.

My most recent project was two silk shirts.  Again designed from PMB 5.  This shirt features a build up collar and shoulder princess sleeves.

My last project was to design a pattern for an 18" doll.  My friend was looking for a pattern to fit and Alexandria doll.  I printed that pattern and made up a sample.  This was what I came up with.





It has been forever since I posted on my blog. I have been sewing and learning how to use Pattern soft ware. I have been working my real estate job, my working on one of my apartments and living life. Some many things happen and time seems to pass by so quickly. Right now I am working on multiple projects.

I am making table clothes for my church that just moved into a new building. I have made several silk and knit blouses and last I am doing a Chanel jacket sew along which has been a lot of fun.

In October I rescued about 2,000 yards of beautiful fabric from an estate sale head for the rag mad. My house looked like a messy fabric store for a while. The upside of this activity was the opportunity to provide quality fabrics to the local 4-h groups, several schools and sewing guild friends. Some of the fabric was sold and the money went to the 4-h groups to purchase sewing items. The down side was my messy house and exhaustion from looking at all that beautiful fabric and the sewing that went on in my mind.

Claire Shaeffer's Custom Couture

This jacket is made from pattern V8428, Clair Shaeffer's Custom Couture. I made this jacket out of a brocade fabric content unknown. It was from my stash and the hand of the fabric seemed perfect for this jacket. Unfortunately I did not have enough fabric to make the bias tubing so I used a button. I loved making this jacket and the way it fits.

Claire's instructions were detailed and fun to read. Some special features use in construction included: collar and lapel padding. The collar is hand stitched. She uses many of the special techniques that I learned years ago that have seemed to become lost techniques.

Tomorrow I will be starting on my first pattern from my PMB4 program.

Simplicity Thread collection.

After a long summer I am back to sewing. My mom had been in a nursing home and other family concerns occupied time. Now these issues have been resolved and I have been able to get back to sewing. This fall I purchased PMB4. The first thing I did was make a sloper. I used the sloper to make a coat. I wished I had used it on the jacket.

This jacket if Simplicity 3962 Threads Magazine Collection. I love the Jacket. My only problem with this jacket was the sleeves. It is a lined jacket but there was no ease in the lining pattern and the jacket lack some movement that would be nice to have. The grading of the arm whole was not the best either. I find the arm hole just a little tight. Had I made the sloper soon I would have been able to adjust for the lack of ease.

This coat is Simplicity 4403 Threads Collection. I used the sloper to get and good fit and am very pleased with the results. The only thing that I need to remember to adjust is the length of the sleeve. I have long arms. The picture on the right is after I completed sewing the coat but I had not pressed the coat or put the buttons on.

Return from China

This May I had the privilege of visiting China. We spent three days in Beijing and three in Shanghai. Before I left, a friend challenged me to make something out of pleather. Since the weather reports were showing a lot of rainy days in China I decided to make a rain coat. I found pleather to be a challenge. I used weights to hold the fabric down when I cut it out. I also used a whole role of seam basting tape to hold the fabric together so I can sew it. I am very pleased with the results.

I tested it out for its water proof abilities prior to leaving and found it to be quite effective. I never needed it in China. We had fantastic weather. I Beijing, I visited Silk Alley and negotiated for quite a bit of beautiful silk fabric. I can't wait to have time to start working on it. In Shanghai, I visited the silk factory. I found the spinning of silk fascinating. I will post some more pictures later when I post pictures of the clothes I make out of my fabric.

Spring Musical

It has been a busy spring. In March I made 7 miss fitting band uniforms for the local high schools performance of the Music Man. It was fun and the kids did a fantastic job with the show. Here is a picture of the jackets and pants.

While doing the band uniforms, I also participated in a challenge with our local sewing guild. We were given a piece of fabric and told to make something out of it. We had to use most of the fabric. The fabric was a polyester sheer with little yellow, green, white, and orange flowers. The winner did a purse. She used Stitch&Bond to attach it to white fabric. It changed the complete appearance of the fabric and she did a fantastic job on the purse. All the entries were great.

diagonal designs

I have always been afraid of diagonal prints. Have you ever seen a pattern that does not say "unsuitable for diagonal prints" The pattern that I used to make this shirt says that on the back. Butterick 5208.

Our local sewing group does a quartely news letter and one of our members did an article on diagonals. Helen commented that almost all patterns have this disclaimer today. She went on to say that when working with a diagonal fabric choose a pattern that has few seams. I took on the challenge to test her article.

When working with plaids the success of the garment is in the cutting. I used this same approach with the diagonal. I have used this shirt pattern many times and love the fit. I must say that I am pleased with the results. Thanks for looking.

More Skirts............................

I have now finished the skirt project for my daughter. The skirt on the left is a polyester fabric that looks like ultra suede upon first glance. However it is polyester. It frays and clings. It was easy to sew on and I am very please with the out come. To make it more comfortable to wear I lined it to the hem. I found that this resolved the clinging problem.

The skirt on the right is made from silk. It has godets to give it flair. The fabric has a great swing to it. I found this fabric very easy to sew. Working on this silk reminded me how much fun natural fabrics are compared to polyester. They are much more forgiveable and can be molded into shape. This fabric also washes very nicely. I wish I were still skinny and could steal back this skirt from my daughter.

Next is a skirt for me. This is made from a brown and black polyester tweed. The fabric has a very nice hand to it and was easy to work on. I like this style on me so it should be fun to wear. The biggest problem I am going to have is what to wear with it. I do not wear browns well but since it is a dark brown almost black I should find something in my closet.

The jacket on the right I made right before Christmas. It is an unlined jacket from a Louise Cutting pattern. I made this from a two sided wool. After I cut it out I decided that it needed and underling. I didn't like the idea of the seams showing so I hid the seams between the two layers of fabric. The jacket is very comfortable and I am pleased with the over all results.

I am now working on a silk blouse I hope to have time to finish that in the next few days.

Skirts...................

My latest projects have been skirts for my daughter. She is in college but has a job where she prefers to wear skirts. I found some patterns and visited the local fabric store to find some fabric that she might like. Some I bought was a hit and others will be made into something for me.

This fabric was from my stash. It is a cotton lycra. I love the pockets on this skirt.





My daughter picked this fabric out of my stash. It is a black pin stripe with large flowers embroidered on the fabric. I had to modify the patter slightly to make the fabric work but it came out really cute. I have four more skirts to complete. That should get here through the rest of winter and the spring.

Marfy pattern adventure f1122 January

Time has passed quickly and I have been busy. After the wedding came Thanksgiving. My daughter came home from college. Then there was the Christmas season and all the activities that go with that. My daughter went back to school yesterday and it seems quiet today. I want to take the time to post the dress I made for my step daughter wedding. Here is the final product.

I also made here the ring bearer pillow. It wasn't what she wanted but what she wanted was not possible. She wanted me to embroider Mickey and Minnie on the pillows. Everyone liked it but the bride.

Another project that I have been working on was a period dress for volunteering at the local National park. I made the dress earlier in the year but as the weather got colder I needed a cover up to go with it. I also enjoy spinning and had spun some natural gray wool so I knit it up into a shaw.

Marfy pattern adventure f1122 Nnovember

My dress is finally done. I have not posted anything because I have been two busy getting it done and doing other things. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post some pictures soon.