September sewing

Why hello there! Yes, I am still sewing, and no, you haven't missed a post. Since January, I have:

1) Sewed a shirt for my dad, which I forgot to take pictures of. The same Hawaiian-style shirt, in a nice olive green striped fabric he picked out. My first time sewing with stripes! I forgot to pay attention to the stripes for the most part, but I did perfectly match the pocket.

2) Tried once again to fit the dress that I've being trying to fit for a couple of years now. That's what took up most of the year (that, and abandoning sewing for a bit after that). I have finally given up. I'm not going to try again. I'm not even convinced the dress would have looked any good on me, I just wanted to sew everything in the Colette Sewing Handbook. But not that, apparently.

3) Sewed seasonally-inappropriate flannel pjs for my friend K.

She didn't say they were terrible, so I'm going to assume they fit. I have a sneaking suspicion they might be too short, but that's what fuzzy socks are for, right?

Elephants!

This is the Sewaholic Tofino pattern. I used flat piping, because I couldn't really find nice piping anywhere. Maybe I didn't know where to look. I think my pattern tracing is really going to pay off here, because I can re-use this pattern for myself or others, since I didn't cut the pattern at all.

4) Made my first repeat (for myself)!

This is another Colette Sorbetto, the freebie pattern on their website. Based on the last time I made it, I lowered the dart 1" and did a sway back adjustment that didn't seem to make a difference. But the dart placement is so much better.

The fabric has cat faces on it. Adorable, right? It's an oddly shaped remnant I bought in London. I took the decorative pleat out of the front, because I didn't think the fabric would hold that shape, and then had to add a seam in the back in order to fit the pattern on the fabric I had. I used pre-made bias tape at the neckline and armholes.

I love the shirt, and it's filling a navy-shaped hole I didn't realize I had.

5) Made another a-line cotton twill skirt. I now understand the allure of the tried-and-true pattern. 

Although I did have to make some edits - this was one of the first patterns I used, and I'd cut the tissue along with the pattern. Sadly, I have gained some weight since then (very few of my me-made clothes fit right now, which is devastating) and need the next size up, which...wasn't there. So I had to add some on to all the seams. It worked just fine, except with the waistband, where I messed up somehow. There's a little fudging. If you look at the right side, I ran out of fabric for the seam allowance so I had to just finish it with an overcast stitch. Luckily I don't really ever tuck shirts in, so no-one will see it.

Funny story: I had been planning on making another Sewaholic Cambie (and I still will! I have ridiculous fabric that is calling out to be used), but I would have had to re-fit it, and I thought by the time I finished it, it would be winter. So instead I started this fairly heavy-weight skirt...and finished it while it's still summer temperatures out there. I haven't worn it yet, but I'm sure I'll wear it as much as the previous version.

Pretty topstitching.

Next on deck: another Colette Moneta in a heavy mustard yellow. Except today I felt the urge to make a shirt, so I started making the required edits to the Sewaholic Alma (FBA and swayback, for sure, and possibly a narrow shoulder? Sloped shoulder? If I can get the bust right, I'll look at the rest.) I haven't decided what fabric, but I'm going to pull something out of the stash.

Pants in the wild

I finished my pants! And I wore them to work, and they (mostly) held up.

It's surprisingly hard to hem pants on yourself - skirts are somehow easier. But pants, pants have two legs that both have to be the same length. Not to mention that I had to decide what length to make them in the first place. But it's done, and I'm quite pleased with myself.

The one small problem is with the zipper - I had to shorten it, since I shortened the crotch length. But I think that stitching came out. It still works, it just comes completely apart if I zip it fully open. I'm pretty sure I can fix that without having to take anything apart.

Yes, I will probably make these again. I really do need more trousers. Sadly, although I made all the adjustments to the leg pieces, I forgot to adjust any of the other pattern pieces (fly, pocket, waistband) so I made all those adjustments as I was going. So they won't be quite as quick as I would have hoped a second time.

In the mean time, as I was procrastinating hand hemming the legs, I started fitting another pattern - the next thing in the Colette Sewing Handbook, a shift dress of sorts. I'm having a very hard time with this one! I did the same adjustments I did for the Cambie dress (shortened the bodice, swayback, FBA). Colette patterns are built for a C cup instead of the standard B, so I did a smaller FBA. But wow, the muslin did not fit.

I think it's just too big in the bust. I cut a 12 top to a 16 at the waist, and all that seemed okay, but perhaps I overdid the FBA. Just a touch. :) It's also too short in the middle. And I couldn't get a good picture of the back, but it was TERRIBLE - still too long, I think, and weirdly blousy.

Looking at the back pieces again, I think the problem is that the darts were shortened when I shortened the pattern, and I should have redrawn then back to the original length. And for the front, I've gone down to a 1 1/2" FBA. Once I can get the bodice part fitted properly, I can look at the length again. And this time I'm going to remember to make adjustments to the facing pattern pieces as well.

A Long Day's Journey into Pants

Remember me?

You'd think that a long (very long), cold (very cold) winter would be perfect for lots of sewing. But sewing requires taking your hands out from under the blankets. So, you know. But I finally struggled out from under the cats and pulled out the trousers.

Look, they actually look like pants! I had a moment of panic when I put them on and they felt tight (you can actually see it in the photo. You can also see that my fly is kind of janky, but it does what it needs to do). I muslined these! They should be perfect! And then I realized that I'd sewn the outside seams of the muslin at 5/8", but the real pants at 1" (what the pattern actually called for). So I re-basted the top part at 5/8" and they're pretty good now. I just need to pull the waistband in at the top of the sides a bit so the front doesn't stick out so much.

So there you have it. I have to properly sew the seams, finish the waistband, and hem them. See you soon with real live PANTS.

Muslin take 2

I have a new sewing machine! After many struggles attempting to sew anything more than a couple of layers of fabric, I realized that I needed something better if I were to improve.

It's nothing super fancy, just better. So much smoother! The fabric doesn't bunch up when I cross a seam, which was a continual problem before.

I tested it out on a second muslin of my pants. I forgot to take any photos, sorry! But I think I worked out most of the problems. The only thing is that I'm not convinced of the width of the legs. I did narrow them, but I might narrow them more. These are meant to be wide legged pants, but they are dramatically wider than the pattern pictures.

In other news, a sewing school is opening at the end of my block. I'm hoping they'll offer some advanced classes so I can take one and then have access to studio time with giant tables for cutting patterns. I'm so tired of cutting on the floor.

Pants, round 1

Oh poor blog, how I've neglected you. Don't worry, it's not you, it's me. Let's catch up.

I started a pair of pants! And then I promptly ignored them for ages, because I was scared of them. Hence the silence. However, I finally worked through the pattern and made a muslin.

First problem: I totally cut the wrong size. I was between sizes and cut the larger one. Should have listened to the books that say cut the smaller size when you're in between. These photos are after I took in an inch on each outer seam, hence the giant seam allowance.

After that I was kind of stumped. I could see they didn't fit properly, but I had a hard time telling where the problem was. In the end I shortened the crotch length (so they weren't so saggy in the crotch, and the waist wasn't so high), increased the crotch depth (to accommodate the derriere - this should hopefully also make the side seam straight), took a little off the centre back height (for my sway back) and added a tiny bit to the centre front height (for better stomach coverage). I'm not convinced about the width either - I was looking for something wide-leg dress trouser-like, but these might be too wide for me. I'll play with that in the real fabric, though.

I've cut a second muslin (or really just re-cut the original muslin pieces) since I'm cutting  a new size. Hopefully it'll feel better!

In other news, I've bought a new sewing machine! I'm very excited. When I actually have it in hand (it was on sale and they ran out of stock, but I got the sale price) I'll share all the details. Sadly, I thought I was going to get to pick it up on Wednesday, so I sold my old machine, and now I have no machine at all. Boo.

Oh, and in other other news, I knit a scarf.

Shirt: complete!

Hello! I have, amazingly enough, actually finished the shirt I started back in March. I KNOW.

(Nice pyjama pants, right?) To catch you up on all the delays, there was the FBA I had to make that was far too roomy in the centre, requiring me to unpick the sash and figure out a workaround. There was the fact that this material is a complete pain to work with - the needle kept getting stuck in the embroidery. And then, right at the end, when I finally figured out how to the binding in the arm and neckhole (terrible instructions), my machine was too wimpy to sew through all the layers. I think it might be time to upgrade my machine.

I'm very happy with how the shirt turned out, but I'm unconvinced that it's really for me. I think if I'd tried it on in a store I might have put it back. It could use a little more width around the hips. But we'll see! I'm sure I'll wear it a bunch before the end of Me Made May, just so I have another shirt.

And now, I'm hurrying through my dress, which I desperately want to finish before I head to New York (next Friday).  I think it's possible, but there's always the zipper to throw me off.

Baby's First Wadder

First, the good: I finished the February skirt! I actually finished about a week ago, so not quite so far into March. :)

It's okay. It's a very cute pattern - I really like the scallops on the botttom. The darts don't fit entirely, but I'm sure that's easily fixed. I'm just not convinced it's the best style for me and my sizeable waist-hip ratio. I think things with actual waists look better on me. It's funny - this is the kind of thing I always buy: not fitted in the waist, sitting on the hips. Comfortable, but not actually flattering.

Look at that gap! Since I've started sewing, I'm so much more aware of fit. In fact, I think I'm too aware of fit, to the point where I often can't figure out what proper fit is. I need the pattern designer there with me, to tell me how tight or loose it's supposed to be. I looked at this skirt, and I think it's fitting the way it's intended to fit, but that fit is just not the best style for me. But maybe it just needs to be adjusted? Maybe if I make the waist smaller? There's no actual waistband, though.

In any case, the skirt is fine, if not awesome. I wore it to work, and with a shirt over instead of tucked in, it's not noticeable, although the waist ends up rolling oddly through the day. Super comfortable, though, since it doesn't come anywhere near my waist. :)

And now the bad. The March shirt, which was going swimmingly and was totally going to get finished before April (the power of long weekends and the end of the month being on a weekend!), is a wee bit disasterous. I hit a point where it was basically sewn together, so I was able to try it on properly. My bust adjustment worked perfectly to put the band where it's supposed to be - except that it's now giant and gapey in the middle of the bust. I guess this is what 3 extra inches of fabric does! So I'm thinking maybe if I take it back to the original length in the centre, give it more of a W shape. I'm frankly just making things up here. Because otherwise this is a dead shirt, and I'd be sad to lose the fabric.

In any case, to make that change I have to basically unpick the entire thing. So I think it's going to go onto the back burner for a little while, and I'll unpick it slowly and see what I can do.

Instead, I'm going to move on, start something new. April's project is calling!

The Power of the Toile

Hello! I'm still finishing off February's project (just a little more handsewing of the hem to go), but I started working on March's project during all the zipper foot ridiculousness.

Here's what's happening for March:

I'm still not certain about how to pick the right size for tops. Straight up bust measurement puts me at an 18, but that's an 18 with a B cup, which I'm definitely not. So I need a full bust adjustment (FBA). But! I've read some things that say if you're going to do a FBA, you should start with your upper bust measurement, which puts me at a 16. Confusing, I tell you.

The bust part of this is gathered, not fitted, and the bottom is loose, so I thought I might be able to get away with a straight 18 and no FBA . But something like this definitely calls for a toile.

Look - it's a muslin in actual muslin! Which, by the way, was not as cheap as I would have thought. I think when this runs out I'm going to pick up some secondhand sheets or something.

Perfect fit, right? Heh.

Here's what happens when the band is where it's supposed to be. Classy. I always have this problem in RTW clothes in this style - either the underbust seam is in the wrong place, or it's cleavage central. Also, you can't really see it, but the shoulder seam is pulled about 2 inches forward.

But at least now the hem is even, not raised in the front like it was.

So, the obvious - not nearly enough room in the bust. Which I knew was going to happen. I'd originally planned to raise the upper bust line by a couple of inches when I cut out the muslin, but I forgot. And it's gaping around the armpit (although there's a bit of a seam allowance which won't be there. and I think I'm planning on doing one of the sleeves). Plus the bottom is too tight, and stops at exactly the widest part of my hips.

So new plan: cut the top in a 16 (which I think will also take care of how it's pulling so far to the back when I tie it, creating those lines around the waist), grading to a 20 in the bottom. Add 2 1/2" to the bottom of the front piece, curving down from the regular height on the sides (which fits fine - I just need the extra in the front). And cut the longer length; then I can hem it wherever it looks okay. I'm also rethinking the sleeve - I was originally going to do the little puffed sleeves in the main picture, but they'd probably not be super flattering on me. So maybe one of the fluttery sleeves? I'll have to check how much drape my fabric has.

In any case, all of this means I have to start again - retrace the pattern pieces (but now I've learned the benefit of tracing! If I'd cut the tissue pieces to the 18, I would have had to recreate the size 20 for the bottom this time around), cut them out, cut my fabric, sew it up. But it's all good. If I'd sewn this without a muslin, it would have been a waste of fabric - a complete wadder. And maybe it'll be faster this time around because I've sewn it once?

I'll be back soon with my completed February project! And probably with a vote - the skirt is super cute, but I can't decide if it's cute on me. STAY TUNED.

Skirt 1; Rachel 0

Okay, the title is an exaggeration. But this skirt didn't turn out quite as nicely as the other stuff I've sewn.

On the plus side, it's finished! Yes, despite dealing with buying a condo, prepping to move, planning a vacation, and organizing the spring concert for my choir, I decided it was Very Important that I finish the skirt before I move at the end of June. Which really translated into "finish the skirt before my parents come to visit next week" since I need to put the sewing machine and ironing board away so that the room is available for eating, games, and my air mattress so I have somewhere to sleep.

(Yes, I know, it's a blue skirt. It's actually quite a dark navy. Still. More on that later.)

On the minus side, I don't really love it.

• I think the pattern is okay - the pockets are awesome - but the zipper installation instructions were weird and it doesn't look the best (my fault more than the pattern, I'm sure, but still). 
• Also, after buying all these patterns with yoke waists (those wide non-waistbands), I've since realized that they're not the best fit for me, what with my high waist-hip ratio. These hips need a real waistband! So technically it fits perfectly, but it doesn't really contour to my hips. I'm sure a better sewer could fix that, but I think it's really a style thing.
• And finally, the colour. Here's the thing: I never wear blue of any sort. But I kept seeing people wearing navy and orange together (and I do wear orange) and looking fantastic. So I decided to make a navy skirt with orange topstitching. The thing is, from a distance it mostly just looks like a fake denim skirt. Not what I was going for.

 (Wow, it looks even lighter blue here. My photo skills are awesome, clearly.)

So there you have it. I'm going to wear it - like I said, it *fits* - I just don't know how long I'll keep it. We'll see! Maybe it'll grow on me.

Oh, and after all my complaining about having to go buy another zipper because I used the first and then bought one that's too long as the replacement, I ended up using the longer zipper because the shorter one didn't seem to fit. Like I said, weird zipper instructions.

Next up: I have the muslin for the shirt cut out, so after I move I'm going to zip that up and see if it fits. If it doesn't I'm going to attempt a full bust adjustment for the first time! And then, I am ambitiously going to attempt to make a dress for a friend's wedding this summer (for me to wear, not for her!). The pattern is even named after a street not that far from where the party is happening. Clearly it's fate.