My first Lady Skater

But not my last! I really like this pattern and it's an easy sew. This one was intended to be just a muslin, but it actually looked pretty good (I thought so anyway) so I went back to cut out the sleeves, skirt, neckband and sleeve bands. Finished it up and am pretty pleased with it.

I did make a few modifications -

1. I compared to a Kwik Sew t-shirt pattern that fits fairly well in the shoulders and decided to slope the shoulder by about 1/2".
2. I basted the bodice together, without the sleeves, and decided that approximately 3/4" needed to come off at the waist seam. On this one, I just trimmed off at the waist and will correct on my pattern before I cut my next one.
3. I was also having a little gaping at the armhole above my bust, so a la Marcy Tilton there is a little dart extending from the armhole. No one can see it on this fabric and if they are that close I will swat them on the nose.  I will also correct that on my pattern.
4. I did use the elastic to stabilize the waist seam, but may not if I use a heavier knit next time.
5. I added a total of 4" in length to the skirt.  I'm tall and I like knee coverage.

After looking at the pictures of the back, I wish I had remembered another Marcy Tilton and Sandra Betzina tip - make your side seam allowances 1" to allow for the different hand of fabrics. Will make that change on the pattern too. It feels perfectly comfortable, I just don't like those pulls around my back. I will still wear it, because this material screams fall to me, so a cardigan or a jacket and no one will ever see.

I wore it like this today to "summer" it up and so my daughter could help me get some pictures. She says just a tiny bit of room to eliminate the pulls and otherwise this fits as well as anything I've made lately. Woot! I claim the score.

Up next is another Hot Patterns Blouse Back Tee and some more bras.  The lingerie drawer is depressingly empty.

Trying to do the twist
 

Sorry for the blurry pictures, evidently we were having a little too much fun.


Happy Sewing, Suzanne

Nothing but blue skies....

'Cause that's what the colors on this set reminds me of.  Carolina blue skies with big fluffy clouds.  These are made with some of my favorite material - the Victoria's Secret Stretch Satin - purchased here.

The patterns are my favorites - the Sewy Rebecca bra and the panties are from the Ottobre Women 5/2009.  There were not any changes made from the previous makes except that I went up a size in the underwire.  Since I've had a weight gain, the cups seemed to still fit fine on my previous makes, but the underwires were poking slightly.  So I ordered one trial pair in a size larger and gave the bra a trial run the other day, everything felt great.  Maybe I've been using the wrong size underwire all along, since the larger size fit in the same cup/band size??

The color is a little off in the first picture, but it is closer than the pictures I was getting inside.  On the second picture the color is pretty accurate and I liked the juxtaposition of the rough decking against my silky lingerie.  One of the nice things about living out in the middle of nowhere is you can carry out your lingerie to make pictures on the deck and there is no one to give you funny looks except the local wildlife.

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

More WIP's

These have been in process for quite a while.  I used the free patterns found here for the bras - models 8 & 9.  If like me, you do not speak or read Russian, I suggest you try Google Translate, to at least get the descriptions of the pattern pieces.  Model 9's lower cup pieces are very similar once you get them traced and cut out. 

I had made a trial run of both of patterns before, and found they run slightly smaller than the other European patterns I had tried.  So to get them to my size, I did a "cheater" grading and added .25" to the outside (where the underwire sits) seamline and that worked pretty well.  Now they fit except the straps ended up too wide on my shoulders, evidently I did not pay enough attention to that in the trial run.  Luckily for me my daughter wears approximately the same size I do, except her shoulders are slightly more square. So she can wear them without the straps constantly sliding down her arms like they do on me.

After the grading, it was pretty straightforward sewing. Since the patterns are in Russian and the translation is both confusing and amusing, I do suggest that you have sewed other bras or have a good "how-to" book in front of you, I recommend Beverly Johnson's, The Bra-Makers Manual - so much great information in there.
 
The panties are the free Rosy Boy Shorts (right side) from the Cloth Habit and the Cheeky Panty (left side) pattern from BurdaStyle, also free. Both are an easy sew, especially if you have sewn any panties before. I will tell you now that the boy shorts will not be worn by me - I don't really like boy shorts to start with and I need more coverage that they have.

Both sets started out all white -

Dear daughter does not do white, so just a little bit of time and some acid dye later, we got -

Cotton candy colors!!!

Also there has been an auxiliary, non-sewing project going on for my daughter. 

She sent me this picture -

Brought me these shoes -

I procrastinated for the longest time over this, because what if I messed them up? What was Plan B? I had no idea! But we ended up with this -

 

 

Not exactly the same thing, but I think she likes them!

 



Next on my list, is some lingerie sets for me.  As soon as I restock some of my supplies that is - SIGH - I let myself run out.

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

City Slicker

Christine called the City Slicker, but I would have called it the Goldilock's Bag, because it's perfect!!! It's the perfect size, the perfect shape, perfect number of pockets, perfect kind of pockets, etc.... you know perfect.

 

Here is her description - The CITY SLICKER Advanced is the perfect sized handbag for a day out shopping, with loads of pockets to keep organized while you shop! It features a front twist lock pocket (perfect for your keys) and a back slip pocket which is handy for quick access to your phone. A top zippered closure keeps your main compartment nice and secure. Inside you will find a zippered pocket, a pleated pocket perfect for your sunglasses, 6 slip pockets, and 2 pen pockets.

And it's on sale now - both versions - the intermediate and advanced. I got them both through the Bag of the Month Club.

Mine is the advanced version and I would have had it done before, but once I got into it, I kept procrastinating when I would get to the advanced parts, like the welt pocket.  Just a reminder to myself for the future "GOOD GRIEF Suzanne, just take a breath! and do it!" I have avoided welt pockets on jackets, skirts, etc... like the plague, because, ermmm, well I don't know now because why. Just follow the directions, they are excellent.

Don't what was going on or how I managed to capture that face!
 

Also excellent was the drafting.  Everything fit together perfectly.

More handbag bling!

The only un-perfect thing about this bag is it's the last one in the club. BOO. If anyone is listening, please, please, please do this again.  It was SO. MUCH. FUN.

All six Bags of the Month

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

Evelyn

This is a great pattern for a small bag.  Although the small part may just be my perception.  Until recently I had been carrying larger, slouchier bags. Who knew that I would like the smaller more structured ones so much?

Her description - "The Evelyn handbag is not only practical BUT stylish too! Complete with two zippered pockets (One exterior and one inside) to keep your valuables secure. Two elasticized exterior pockets for your phone or keys, 3 additional inside pockets as well as a pen pocket. With a little patience it is easy to make! Dress it up with some nice shiny rivets & bag feet or keep it simple! The choice is yours! Finished bag size = Approx. 33cm (13")  X 20cm (8") X 10cm ( 4")"

Front

This is a great pattern!  Much like the free pattern I tried by Christine it is well drafted, well-photographed and the instructions are impeccable.

I changed a few things -

• I did not have rectangle or oval rings, so I used the square ones I did have. I think it still worked out and looks nice.
• I used Annie's Soft & Stable instead of the fleece recommended.  It just gives a bag a little more structure.  I may never go back to just fleece.
• The directions tell you when attaching your lining to leave an opening along the top front edge to turn your bag through.  It will be closed by pressing the seam allowance to the inside and edge-stitching and top-stitching. I have never been able to get a neat closing like that, so I left an opening at the bottom of the lining and slip stitched it closed after turning.

Inside - please ignore messy stuff!

Things for me to note for the next make -

• Work on the edge-stitching and top-stitching.  To me it still looks kinda wonky.
• Use a thumb catch or other latch on the flap.  It's strictly a personal preference, not a design flaw, but I'm finding out I don't really care for magnet closures on the outside of my bags.

Back

All in all a great bag! I love all the pockets and the inside zipper pocket is such a neat trick! (wish I'd have gotten a picture of it)  Received several unsolicited compliments on it while out and about, can't beat that!



More handbag bling!

Because of some of the curved pieces and the thickness of layers that builds up in places, it can be kinda tricky to sew. But I definitely recommend this pattern if you have some experience under your belt.

Side pockets

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

Pool Side Tote

So I actually got this finished a couple weeks ago, but remembering to get good batteries for the camera foiled my attempts to get it posted. Sigh...

Anyway, this months pattern is from noodlehead and is a easy quick sew.  That is if you choose to follow the designers advice for fabric choices.  I, of course, did not. I chose to use some quilting cottons (heavy weight linen or home-dec fabric is recommended) that were in my stash, so on the exterior pieces it is layered with a thin, lightweight batting and an old sheet.  I cut all pieces slightly larger that the pattern piece, free-motion quilted (which needs a lot of practice! lots and lots of practice!) and then recut to size.

The lining pieces are also a quilting cotton, which I interfaced with a medium weight non-woven interfacing. As an aside, I remember buying this fabric because I really liked the colors and thought the abstract design was pretty cool.  When the shop owner laid it out on the table to cut it for me, she said "It looks like brains, doesn't it?" Me, laughing-"well, now that you mention it"

 

The handles and trim are made from some heavyweight denim that was leftover from another project.  I think the pattern recommends quilting weight fabric for these pieces, so folding the handles to get that nice rolled look was tough.

The pattern itself is well designed and went together very easily.  The directions and illustrations are also very good.  This thing is huge! I plan on using mine for shopping, since I don't see many pool sides.

Not much more sewing going on here.  Son and DDIL are coming to visit.  I'm so excited! we don't get to see them but twice a year.  After their visit though, I will need plenty of projects to keep me busy and out of trouble. Got them stacked up on the cutting table, ready to go.


Happy Sewing, Suzanne

Midtown Messenger Bag

This pattern is by Betz White and is called the Midtown Messenger Bag. Great well written instructions and illustrations.

I met my completely self-imposed deadline of sewing each Bag-of-the-Month in the same month that I received it.  By the skin of my teeth, but still it was done in April. I probably could've gotten this done sooner if I had quit waffling over all my decisions.


First the pattern recommended waxed canvas - there is no waxed canvas to be found locally.  Didn't even look.  Then there is the issue(s) that when you find it on line it is - a) limited colors, b) hideously expensive (at least to my budget) c) in some cases there was a 5 yard minimum per color to order or d) any combination of the above.  So off I go to Google it - there must be a better way.  I found this easy tutorial that I pretty much followed to the letter, Hah! Except my proportions were closer to 1 part beeswax to 2 parts paraffin, and I waxed a yard of canvas before cutting it out a sewing it.  It was actually pretty fun to do, but time consuming.  I see now why it's so expensive. 

Waxed, waiting to be melted into canvas

OK then, now that's done, it's on to the cutting and sewing.  And another horse change midstream - I had my hardware all lined up, nickel finish.  First I'm debating over the thumb catches that I have, they're heavy, more suitable for leather I think.  Then I decide I don't really like the nickel finish with the material I'm using, so off to Etsy to purchase rectangular loops, sliders, and thumb catches in antique bronze.  There are some great vendors on Etsy and I highly recommend both Sewing Supplies and Michelle Patterns.  Order my parts from both on Thursday morning and received the following Monday afternoon! That's pretty stinking quick.

Since this bag was made with my daughter in mind, I got her to help with the picture taking and modeling.

Front

I think she likes it!

Inside

Back

A couple of points about this bag -

1. I would call it and intermediate to advanced pattern.  Mostly because of the layers involved in several places, waxed canvas is heavy and stiff.  There was seam matching across the gusset, front and back.  Fitting a waxed canvas gusset around a curved piece is no picnic. Did I mention it's heavy and stiff?
2. I highly recommend using a jeans or topstitching needle - refer to 1st point.
3. I used Annie's Soft and Stable in the flap instead of the batting called for.  It just made it look nicer to me.  The rest of bag was made with batting as the pattern called for.
4. Take your time with your topstitching, there is a lot of very visible stitching on this bag.
5. I left ends on both sides of the zipper, giving my daughter a place to pull open and closed.

Overall a really great, challenging pattern and pretty much the perfect size.

Silly out-take

The face I got, when I told her she would have to wait
to actually get the bag

Happy Sewing, Suzanne