New Look 6803 : Woman's Tunic (View D)

 (Sigh) I don't know how to rotate photos like this.
Anyway, this is my next project. I've made this once; the first time was a few weeks after I started sewing  and I made the same view (D). Overall, it was wearable, but back then I didn't know how to plan and finish my seams.

I made changes to the pattern; dropped the bust point by about an inch and a half, and then angled the side dart to start just above the waist line.

My plan is to have a vent on both sides of the tunic, and maybe put in a zip on the side since I remove about four inches of ease overall.

I am making this out of muslin; if it works then I'll copy the pattern over to a more permanent material and then make the first one with fashion fabric.

There were some online made of a very silky material that would be really lovely in solid colors.

Simplicity 8543: Short Sleeved Shirt (Part 3)

I finally finished the blue shirt. Overall it came together alright; not technically perfect, but good.  Since Juki nor Janome do not make a foot for flat-felling, I had to do it by hand. Mostly it worked out, but there were some points where a foot would have made it much easier.

Showing the flat felled seam on sleeve and body

The technique in David Coffin Page's Shirt Making book was very helpful in creating flat felled seams when joining the body of the shirt to the sleeves.

I have to figure out how to not get birds nests when starting to join the sleeve and body; I may have to try sewing on  tissue to start to see if it will help.

The hem of the shirt was difficult; I ended up serging the hem and then turning the edge in. You can see the serged hem. Doesn't look bad.

Washed the shirt; it came out fine.  Need to trim off the last few loose thread ends and then fold it up to send to my friend.

Simplicity 8543: Short Sleeved Shirt (Part 2)

Interfaced the extended front facing and the collar.

Interfaced collar; next time I interface the
UPPER collar

Comparing the interfaced and stay stitched
piece to the pattern

I forgot how muddled some of the instructions can be and I should really have been making construction notes while making it.











My front shoulder is about 1/8" wider than the back shoulder; I tried to steam shrink it but didn't work so stretched the back to fit. Have to check the pattern to see if I cut the piece wrong or is the piece is too big. . .

Also, instructions on assembling the collar incorrectly shows the collar sewn together even on the notched side. Then it asks you to turn it which is wrong. I have notated the step.  Also have to consider sewing the long outer edge first and then understitching to ensure it rolls to the under-collar.

I tried using the Fashion Incubator's tutorial for assembling collars; she instructs to add 1/8" (or whatever the turn of cloth needs) to the pattern for the outer edge of the upper collar. I did, and after a few tries, I thought I cut too much for lightweight cotton.  But after ironing down the first fold on the edge and then the short ends of the collar, the inner notched edge actually matched up pretty well. And the collar edge pulls under really nicely. The collar points turned out pretty good, too.

HOWEVER, I realized that the instructions on the pattern don't call out whether to interface the upper or lower collar. I interfaced the lower collar since I assumed the upper collar would then have to stretch over the lower one so the collar line would not sure but it turns out that I should have interfaced the UPPER collar.

I'm going to try and use it the way it is now, but if it doesn't work I'm going to have to cut up a new collar and chalk it up to practice.

I had tried the flat felled seam using Sarai's tutorial here.  She indicates trimming the edge being folder to half the other edge but I stitched a line about a quarter inch away from the seam line and then trimmed to that. I think it's neater even though it's an extra step. 

Tomorrow I'll try the collar and decide how to move forward from then.

Shirt for friend's son

A good friend who's very supportive asked about me making a few shirts for her younger son. I am thrilled to be able to give back to her and I'm using this Simplicity pattern 8543. 

She stays in another part of the country and I made a muslin to send to her son to try. She said it fit fine so it's now time to make up the shirts. Children grow so fast I can't wait too much longer!

Muslin of shirt

Simplicity 8543

The muslin helped me to try out the techniques. The collar was fine, trimming it down before I installed it made it smooth. Also the David Coffin Page technique on installing sleeves with 1 pin was much easier than trying to pin it all down. 

So I've got blue cotton fabric to make the shirt and also a forest green one. I got some better interfacing as well and soaked it in hot water to preshrink.  

Cut out the fabric in blue. Collar made using the method in Fashion Incubator here. Also using the interfacing tips she suggested but not sure how to apply her comment: Skip the stay-stitching on necklines and use interfacing instead. Stay stitching only stabilizes a very thin line -that which contains the stitching itself and fusible will stabilize the neckline area, greatly reducing creep when attaching collars and the like.

Need to research more.

This comment I understand and also will use: When you’re fusing a line that will be folded -say a hem, or a vent- your fusible should cross the fold line. Do not -I repeat- do not have the interfacing end right at the fold line (which is what’s done in home sewing patterns). Extending the fusible one half inch beyond the fold line will extend the life of a garment. If you don’t extend the fusible and you fail to line up the fusible with the fold line exactly, it can throw off your fold line as I’m sure you’ve noticed. A fold in fabric is a stressed region, cushion it for longer life.

And also this comment: When making your fusible pattern pieces (required for production patterns), they should not be the exact dimensions of the pattern piece upon which they’re placed. Trace the shape exactly, then trim off 1/8 of an inch all the way around. This will help to stagger the seams allowing them to lie flatter. Plus, any off-set fusible pieces having become askew will not obscure the actual seam depth.

Will post pictures on the WIP.

Boy's shirt: Muslin and fabric ideas

Finished this muslin.

Followed DCP's instructions on how to join sleeve to shoulder using 1 pin. Worked great.

My friend's son does not like prints, so I'm planning to make the shirt in a solid green cotton. However, I do have this car print in my stash and it would be so cute!

Inspirations: Magenta peachskin fabric

Magenta Peachskin: good drape, 7/8 yd

Color combo works

drape will work with this skirt

Idea considerations:

• A more fitted structured top and a draped bottom.
• Gold top (dupioni?) with some texture will balance the smooth drape.
• 3 quarter sleeves or sleeves only to the elbow.

Project in flight: Pencil skirt

Type: Skirt
Pattern: Diana Rupp's Naughty Secretary Skirt
Fabric:

• Rayon Crepe-remnant (slightly less than 1 yd)
• Poly Charmeuse-remnant (slightly more than 1 yd)
• 1 regular zipper

Having just finished the muslin for a little boy's shirt (Simplicity 8543) for a friend, I wanted to make something for me.  I had found a lovely light rayon crepe with marvelous drape and paired it with a burgundy colored charmeuse for a lining.  It's sewn together, but I have the hem to do and I want to jazz it up.

I plan to add lace on top of the skirt in a pattern (attached directly to the rayon) to jazz it up a bit. As it's going to be added at the last, I want to finish all the rest of the construction and also mark the final hem length before I attach the lace. 

Construction steps:

1. I put in the darts for both fashion fabric and lining. 
2. Joined front to back pieces on the fashion fabric and lining. 
3. Sewed the fashion fabric and lining together at the waist (right side together) and understitched. 
4. Attached the back left and back right panel to the zipper for fashion fabric. And for lining. Sew
5. Finished sewing the last 2" (right next to zipper) and turned lining in. 
6. Sew rest of back seam.
7. Still need to hem. Need to add lace.

Construction notes: 

• I had a tough time cutting out the pattern due to the slinky nature of the rayon.  In the future I will 
• copy out the full pattern so I don't have to fold the fabric (which was very tough)
• sandwich the fabric using tissue on the bottom and the paper pattern on the top
• I also did not add a bias tape waist band as called for in the pattern. I don't think it needs it since both fabrics together gives the skirt quite a bit of heft. 
• Because the fabric was so slippery, I cut the lining extra big. I made the lining first in order to do a fitting.  

Good links to have:

• See Tasia's tutorial about how she joined the lining to the fashion fabric for her Cambie dress cleanly here.
• Jessica has a tutorial for how to join a lining to a sleeveless dress without handsewing here.
• The Slapdash Sewist has another one here. 
• A few other sources.
• Sewing a zip to the dress and the lining at the same time
• Fashion incubator

Which comes first?

The fabric or the pattern?

For me, it's neither. Not that I don't have a stash, nor is it that I don't buy patterns. I am wildly successful at accumulating both. But the missing link in most cases is the inspiration.  That may sound weird, since many people buy a pattern because it inspires them, or a particular fabric because it has value.

I get a pattern because I want to learn something from it. A particular method or technique or design element I have not seen before. In fact, many of the items I've made never really stay true to the pattern. Even before I buy it I'm already thinking about how I can 'make it better'. I may make a muslin to test out a pattern, but otherwise it's all too common for me to make alterations.

It's somewhat the same with fabric. I buy something because it feels good against my skin, or the color evokes something, but usually when I walk out the store I can see the general category, a skirt, or a blouse, or a jacket. But the actual design is usually not yet formed.

What about you? Does an idea drive what you actually create? Or is it a pattern or a piece of your stash?

Stymied by creativity

It is possible to be creative and not create anything tangible. That's what happens to me. I get all these great ideas about what to make next and at some point they start to cancel each other out, until I'm paralyzed by the viciously tugging thoughts.

Hence the reason for this blog. Because if I don't write it down somewhere, I probably will never get around to it. Focus. That's what I need.

So. In this blog I will put down all my ideas and inspirations and number them. I will also try to update each idea on how far I have gotten and whether the idea actually worked out. Einstein apparently noted that he found 10,000 ways not to create a light bulb. I can only hope I don't have quite that record.

On to the ideas.