Sewing – Page 9 – No Idle hands here

Olaf Dress

Like all little girls, Shira likes Frozen, her favorite character is the little snowman Olaf. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for Olaf fabric. Anna and Elsa are easy to find but so far no Olaf.

Until Hawaii that is.The Calico Cat in Honolulu had this fabric – yay!! Not only is it Olaf, this fabric is really adorable.

So I went into my stash of patterns and pulled out the Roller Skating Dress and got to work. Oliver and S patterns are easy to work with, in no time I had this:Of course I had to use a different fabric for the collar, it sort of looks like snow flakes, well it does for those of us who rarely see snow.Cute from the back as wellGot to use another one of that treasure trove of buttons and I only needed the one.Nice top-stitching if I can say so myself.Putting in a lining is what gives the neckline, sleeve caps and elastic casing such a nice clean finish.
Shira just turned four and it wasn’t hard to get her to model the dress.Or to pose with Saba.

Leah

Sharing a bag, now that I’ve gifted it.

I told you I’ve been making things, now that this bag has been gifted, I can share.

I love this printed canvas and I had the perfect green in my stash, then to make matters even better I found the perfect green leather handles, they are the exact color of the apple.Sorry the picture is blurry but I just have to prove that yes, I sewed the handles on by hand, with the help of a plier. Waxed linen thread and book binding needles – I did manage to break one of them.I used a zipper pull from my treasure trove of buttons.Made a small pouch for extra goodies.Voila purse and pouch finished, gifted and very well received.

Leah

Millinery – well sort of.

When you sew, anything is possible right? I’ve made clothes, quilts, bags, toys, why not try a hat? I have made hats for the grandkids – so what about me?I’ve had this pattern in my stash for a while, time to break it out and use it. One reason I don’t call this kind of hat making millinery is because – it isn’t really. I noticed right away that even on the pattern envelope the hats have a handmade quality, so yes I knew what I was getting into.

I like version A, the large floppy one.I grabbed my fabric and some horsehair. Horse hair is a sew in lining used in making suits, since it adds structure but is still very malleable. For hats there is something called buckram – which I don’t have so I used what I did.Sewing in the crown, taking my time and using a lot of pins. Hand basting would have been better, but I didn’t have any problems.Although this pattern didn’t call for this, I know that some hats will have wire in the brim so that one can shape it and not have it too floppy. Raiding my beading supplies.

I didn’t take a picture of the finished hat, it was just too floppy and big. So I put it aside and returned to it the next day – with a solution, remove 1.5″ from the brim, it will still be large but not so unmanageable.Another adjustment was finding a thicker stronger wire. I have some very thick copper – it would be too much. I also had this steel wire, left over from some beading project, so I used it. Sewing very very carefully but not carefully enough. Of course the machine needle hit the wire and broke. Finished hat posing with the excess fabric. I’m now wondering, what if I had interfaced the fabric with a thin interfacing as well? I may try that sometime. Also, notice how I’m putting my new trims to good use?!Without the wire the hat would never hold this shape.Here we are, not on display but on my head.I’m probably being way too critical, the hat is adorable!I even wore it out for a long walk, it stayed on my head nicely…And did it’s job, keeping the sun off. I was a little concerned about the weight of the buckle, no problem at all.

The one thing I haven’t made yet is a bathing suit and I actually have a very good pattern, so maybe this summer will be another first in sewing for me.

Leah

Buttons! Buttons! Buttons!

As much as I enjoyed seeing how zippers are made, there was no way I was going to get my hands on any of them. Imagine my surprise when I came home with all kinds of buttons instead! Ross the salesman also represents other trim companies, he had many button cards he no longer needs. It was a win-win for both of us, less clutter for him, more for me!Quite a few of lovely rhinestone ones. You notice, there is only one button of each size and style, for me this isn’t a problem, I am very capable of incorporating these in my projects.Although I didn’t get zippers, I did get zipper pulls! I’ve already put one to good use.A project I’ll be sharing later.Buckles and trims.This calls for a project where I can use the gradated sizes.Buttons all the same size, different color! That is much easier to work with.Turns out I had a few cards with these buttons, so I can repeat the red ones.Perfect match for this shirt. Gertie Hirsch has been designing professional patterns, Butterick B6217 is one of her newest ones. I actually really like the big four pattern companies. I’ve been burnt a few times with the newest indie pattern designers. There are some good ones out there, but just being Indie does not make one a good designer. The big four (Butterick, McCalls, Vogue and Simplicity) know what they are doing and often their patterns have more complexity in the design. I opted for the simplest version. With me nothing stays simple long. Trimming with another very busy fabric may seem counter intuitive, but I feel it actually makes the floral fabric pop more. Such an overall small floral can just look like a blur. Picking up the blue and red in another print gives it an oomph that using a solid trim wouldn’t.And now, onto more sewing, with or without my wonderful new buttons and trims.

Leah

Quick Fix

Over the years I’ve made some very nice silk party dresses. We have a wedding to go to, so I pulled them out and they just don’t fit right anymore. Happens to all of us. In digging through my clothes I found a cute, beaded white shirt.

So I took this dressAnd turned it into This skirt.Not bad, I’ll dress it up with nice jewelry and some high heel shoes.

Well, I wasn’t happy with that look, for a wedding I want a DRESS! So I went back and tried on the one dress that fit but just didn’t feel right. (lesson to self, don’t try things on late at night)Aside from the dappled light, this dress is cute and jazzed up with jewelry – even better.We clean up nicely.

At the wedding a number of people commented on how lovely my outfit looks. So much so, that the grooms cousin had this to say:Artisanal Dress. I guess that’s hipster speak for a well sewn handmade dress. So now she wants me to make her one.

Meanwhile, another wedding in September, I think it’s time to make a new party dress.

Leah

Very different sewing

Last month Sew LA became a sewing and craft studio, no more retail. So they had a sale and I bought some fabric as well as this magazine. I’ve never used this brand before, it is very similar to the Burda magazines I used when I first learned how to sew as a child.

Here is the fabric and the dress I’ve made, both a departure for me.From the back, cute, not much different from other dresses I’ve made with a gathered skirt.Interesting construction, the front and back are cut from one piece of fabric, hence the gathers in the center front and back. Which to be honest sort of gives the dress a feel of a maternity dress of old. Using this grey woven fabric is what makes the dress wearable for me. It tones everything down to a simple silhouette. Yes, the wet pavement means rain! Rain in June in LA! Every so often it happens.Love the details, I found the buttons at Hobby Lobby. It’s nice to have quick choices other than JoAnns’, I haven’t seen these at JoAnns. I like how they give a little pop to the dress. Also, notice, I cut the shoulder cap on the bias – the pattern calls for that, but I made sure to reverse the caps. It’s those little things that make the dress look professional and balanced.I’ve done this multiple rows of stitching on the hemline before. Adds a little gravitas to the dress.The inside is a beautiful as the outside. I used all three sewing machines. The Serger of course, the TL2010 for all the straight stitching and the new machine for the button holes. Although the only hand sewing was putting on the buttons, I can call this couture, it is so clean and neat on both sides.

I’m pleased with this dress, it is different from the rest of my wardrobe, in a good way. Being so loose it will be perfect once summer actually arrives here.

There are some other patterns in the magazine I’d like to make.

Leah

Super heroes.

It is fun to make items for very appreciative customers. especially grandkids.Quite the model, Shira loves the Star Wars cartoon. She comes by this love naturally – it’s a must in her mom’s side of the family. So when I found this fabric at JoAnns’ I knew it had to become a dress. I only bought a yard, so only had enough for the skirt and collar. I’m always happy to add another fabric, like the stripes at the armholes. She is growing, must buy more fabric next time. This isn’t a party dress, she can run and play! She was at the house when I made this, every five minutes she’d ask if the pretty dress was done. She sat next to me while I sewed and played with pins, got to get them started young.Aytan still loves Spiderman but is open to other heroes like Iron Man. Marvel licensed this fabric – perfect! Same Oliver & S. pattern, we are now up to size 6. His first shirts were size 4.This is the Spiderman hand gesture, he knows his heroes.Not sure if this is Ironman or just a gesture, either way, these are the cutest customers ever for my sewing projects. For Shira I can make all kinds of dresses, for Aytan it seems to be only shirts. He loves them, so that is good and everyone at school marvels at these wonderful clothes. Win all around.

Leah

Caravan Tote

The Caravan Tote pattern is very popular right now. People are making in it all kinds of pretty fabrics.I LOVE owls and these are not the cutesy ones, but nice fierce ones. So this was my starting point, but what fabric to combine it with?I want classy, not crazy quilt. It wasn’t easy finding the fabric. Be open minded, don’t just look at other quilt cottons. So I went to the sale rack at JoAnns and found this faux suede for $5 a yard. Good thing I bought a yard since my attempt at ironing showed me why it’s on the sale table. It is backed with webbing, when ironing, the suede crinkles. So I was very careful to use a warm iron or a seam roller. As a bag, it’s not getting ironed.Details make the bag! The brass zipper and brass snaps. The perfect matching seams of the printed fabric. The red leather handles, with the matching red fabric on the zipper tabs. Ok, I ran out of brass snaps, so used black snap heads on the handles. The handles are too thick to attach, so I sewed them on and punched a hole in which I glued the snap heads, sometimes it’s not functional – just beautiful.

Love how each small detail adds it’s own oomph. Oh and I can’t forget using the beads as a zipper pull.

I played around with lining and pocket fabrics, this is where the quilty fun happens, inside the bag. I very carefully sewed the handles on with topstitching thread and a leather needle. The problem is there is always a mess on the back side. Solution, serge some tabs and glue them over the stitching.The front has both a snap pocket and an internal pocket – so much useful space! And room for more pops of color.An internal pouch, here I reversed the fabrics but used the same zipper pull.And added another fabric for the lining.Loving the nice neat topstitching I get with the new Juki. Probably could get the same with the old Juki, but I am really enjoying getting used to the new machine.LOVE! Sinple shapes, simple fabrics, a very balanced placement of colors.Side by side, while normally the small pouch would be inside the larger one. The tote was designed as a project bag, so I will be putting some basic tools in the pouch. I am using this as my summer bag, but it’s nice and roomy to just include my knitting and not need to bring another bag.Its’ June already but this belongs in memadeMay, the skirt, the shirt and the wonderful bag.

Leah

Having the right tools

I have mentioned in the past how unhappy I am with my Babylock Quest, well final straw was my inability to get decent buttonholes. My trial one would be great, maybe the first one on the shirt would also work out – then bam! It would all go wonky and I’d get very frustrated.

So I did the sensible thing, I traded in my machine.Now all my machines are Jukis. This is a simple work horse, it lacks some features that I was very used to with the other machines – like the knee lift for the presser foot. Or the fact that unless I am making a decorative stitch, the needle stays right in the middle. It has the needle threader and thread cutter. Also a nice feature is that it locks in the stitches both at the beginning and end of the seam if I want to use that feature. Since I bought this machine for garment sewing, yes I use this feature a lot.First thing I did was try out all the button holes. Just in the way it sews them I can tell this machine can handle button holes. Not sure I’ll ever use the one on the bottom left, but the others all looks amazing.Finally, I could pull out this wonderful fabric I bought at Road to California and make a very professional looking shirt. I adapted this pattern a little for a better fit, this is the second time I’m using this one, I think it will be my go-to for button down shirts.On the blog Male Pattern Boldness, Peter describes binding the bottom of a shirt with bias binding. Peter really knows his stuff when it comes to shirts, he took a class at FIT.

I have been using glue when binding my quilts. I realized that it would work just as well in garment sewing, here is the glue well within the seam allowance. Here it is ironed down, so lovely and smooth, much better than pins.And here it is, sewn down. I love how accurate the stitches are, for some reason the Babylock just didn’t give me these kind of beautiful stitches. I know, no one sees them when I’m wearing the garment, but I know!Now that is a beautiful buttonhole.A feature I do miss from the Babylock is the special foot and stitch for sewing on buttons. No worries, turns out that my standard zigzag stitch is the perfect width and by dropping the length to zero – I have the stitch I need. Right now I am using my embroidery foot to sew on the button. It is a little fiddly, but I will look and see if Brother has a low shank button foot – since their feet fit the Juki perfectly. At any rate, it was still a lot quicker than sewing the buttons on by hand.I even sewed the buttonhole and button on the collar stand. Something I haven’t done in years, not that I ever button that one, but it does look more professional.I am very proud of how perfectly the fronts meet, practice does make perfect or at least as close as is necessary.Being the quilter that I am, I had to incorporate a different fabric, just for a little spice. On the sleeve placket as well as inside the cuff, if I roll up the cuff, it will be noticeable.Enough for a little peek-a-boo on the collar stand.This one is a winner, love everything about it, and with the new machine, my garment sewing mojo is back with a vengeance!

Leah

Project bag

A friend is having a birthday, she loves my work. She is a quilter and crocheter, so a quilted bag that can hold a work project will make the perfect gift.

There are many patterns out there, but I decided to just wing it, make something from an idea in my head.Using some patriotic fabric, which I know she’ll like, I quilted the body of the bag, using soft and stable. I love that product.I wanted a band of pockets around the edge. I liked the idea of making them roomier by gathering the fabric. It needs to be flexible along the top edge, otherwise it defeats the purpose. I hit on the idea of using fold over elastic, a product I’m seeing a lot of lately.It works! Add some handles and we’re good to go.Don’t forget the label!Put buttons to good use.Voila! Looks like it can hold a project and tools with room to spare.

Leah