Summer halter top

Lest you think I was idle last weekend while stewing over my pants issues, I wasn't. I actually had a very productive weekend, preparing future projects and getting down to work on my summer top. It needed considerable altering for size. Essentially, next time I will just start out making it 2 sizes smaller than I did this time. I tend to err on the side of cutting things too large rather than risk them being too small.


I made a few changes to the pattern that are working out well. First, I changed the length when I traced the pattern. I added about 2 inches total to the midriff, so that the top hits around my hip. Next, rather than sewing a bottom hem, I used the scalloped edge of the fabric as the hem. I am really psyched about how this looks! Finally, I decided (for a little extra room at the hips) to make the sides vented rather than sewn up. This weekend I will add the back zipper. I really hope it will be warm enough to wear it soon.

Also this weekend, I plan to cut the checked fabric that I am going to use for a shirt for Phineas. I'm using the same KwikSew pattern that I used for his baby blue shirt, but one size smaller. The blue shirt is very roomy, and for this shirt, I thought a little closer/cleaner fit would be good.

Since today is Friday, I will leave you with this parting shot: a self-portrait of Phineas modeling my top.


I think the chin stubble really makes the photo, don't you? Happy Friday!

Sulking over Pants

I am not happy about this statement: I can not make any more pants that I know are not perfect. Sigh. There. I made up my mind.

My sewing hobby is motivated by the urge to make pants that fit. And I want to do it in the best possible way. I know that "best" is subjective. But it was really interesting to hear Connie Crawford's critique of the big pattern companies - about their fit, their patterns, etc. I take it with a grain of salt - she was, afterall, hawking her own line of pattern and her books. But many things she said about patterns and working with fabric made very good sense to me. So, this means working with my sloper so that I can make my own patterns.


To help me on my way, I bit the bullet and purchased two of her books. Luckily, I was able to get a copy of her Guide to Fashion Sewing on Half.com for half the cover price. She really did have many good tips in her 'Sew Like a Pro' presentation, which I am already putting to good use. I feel like my sewing education thus far has been very scatter shot. Maybe going thru this book carefully and systematically will fill in the gaps and ensure that I develop good habits and techniques.

I walked over to the FIT Bookstore yesterday afternoon and picked up her pattern making book as well. There were no copies on Half.com, but - lucky for me - it was 25% off the whopping $100 cover price at FIT - and autographed, to boot! I think I will be making return visits to their bookstore.

The other pattern drafting books that I browsed thru were so incredibly complicated and dry. Looking at them hurt my brain. Her book was definitely more user friendly and well illustrated. And, I have to admit that the young outfit on the cover of this book gives me hope that I will be able to create styles that I will want to wear. As a further incentive, when I flipped thru, I noticed that it had instructions for creating a deep cowl neckline - a style I love and haven't been able to find elsewhere.

Sloper on right and tracings on the left.

Anyway, over the weekend, when I started to lean in this direction - putting Simplicity on hold and working on pattern drafting instead - I traced my sloper to pattern paper, lowering the waist by 2 inches. Or, rather, lopping off the top 2 inches, whichever way you want to think of it. I also traced a basic pattern for a skirt, using my pants sloper as a base. Now, I have to learn how to eliminate the front darts so that I can make a flat front pant and skirt.

Gift for a Domestic Goddess in Training

I delivered this Emmeline reversible apron to Terpischore on Sunday. It came out super-cute, no?


One of the things I like about this pattern is that, since it is double sided, the finished apron feels substantial - like a good hefty apron that you actually would wear for heavy-duty cooking, baking or cleaning. Plus it is machine washable (essential, since one side is white!). Cute, yet functional.


I did make a few changes to the pattern. First, instead of using a contrasting fabric for the waist and neck bands, I made a two-tone bias trim from the two fabrics I used for the project (basically I took bias strips of each fabric and sewed them together). I also added a ruffle to the bottom. Since I was making bias already, it was easy to just make some extra and use it for the ruffle.

I may actually make one of these for myself at some point. However, I would definitely change how the neck straps are attached (awkward construction) and change them from a tie neck to some kind of closure (like a D-ring) so that you don't have to tie them every time you use the apron.

Anyway, this apron is very "Susy Homemaker"-esque. Have fun pulling pies from the oven in your sassy new apron, Terp!

Tuesday Atonement

Like every other red blooded American, Phin and I did our patriotic duty and pulled out the Weber this weekend. Therefore, after everything I ate over my 5 days off (lamb chops, burgers (2x), a hot dog, bratwurst and rib eye, not to mention pizza and nary a vegetable), I am putting the Tuesday Blue Plate Special on hold for the week while I try to repair the damage done to my arteries.

Sewing School 2: Couture pants

Thursday's Pant with Couture Fit session was not what I expected at all. In fact, I am not really sure what I expected. Essentially, the session was a seminar on making a sloper, which I did last summer.

First off, I should say that Connie Crawford is a proponent of taking industry best practices and applying them to home sewing. I like this approach. Some of the things she pointed out about commercial patterns and home sewing techniques are things I have noticed myself. Why make something that looks homespun? I want the things I make to look polished and high-end. So, philosophically, I like her brand of sewing.

However, I probably would have had a very different experience with the class if I wasn't such a hand-raiser. When Connie asked for a volunteer to use as a model for a sloper, my hand shot into the air. I was chosen. So, now I have a brand new sloper, made by a professional!!!

Sloper for yours truly by an industry expert.

I couldn't understand why more people didn't volunteer. Then I understood all too well. It was not just the making of the sloper that I volunteered for; it was Connie's running commentary on my figure and its uniqueness (read flaws). It really was enlightening. And horrifying. Definitely a bit nightmarish. Imagine your figure being discussed as an "example" for a whole class and having parts of your body being pointed out as flaws. (sigh. one word: jodhpurs) But I walked away with a clear sense of what my body is and is not. I though that I had a short crotch. Nope. Turns out I didn't really know where my waist is, and I have a high waist and long crotch. And my waist slopes. My problem, it would seem, is not about crotch length, it is about where I like my pants to sit.

That said, I now have a big dilemma: I don't know what to do with this information. Do I scrap my plans to make more Simplicity Amazing fit pants now that I have been clued in to many of the problems in pattern company designs? Should I make a muslin from the sloper instead and work on pants from that design? I've invested time in both potential projects at this point and this was supposed to be my weekend to work on pants.

But while I stew about this, I decided to make myself a summer top from this Butterick pattern in the white eyelet that I bought from Kashi at Metro Textiles.

Now that I know that I have a longer torso and I like my waist to be lower than it is, I went ahead and traced and cut out the pattern, lengthening it by 2 inches. I pinned the pattern pieces together to check the fit and then cut the fabric yesterday. I'll sew this afternoon.

Sewing School 1: Fashion Forecast

Yesterday morning's fashion forecast session was truly interesting. It focused on Fall/Winter 2009-10. The message is clear: in these lean economic times, buy less, but buy better. Apparently, fabric quality for the mid- to value-conscious market is taking a serious nose dive. However, high end lines will continue to use fine fabrics.

As far as styles go, I was thrilled to learn that the (hideous) high waist pant is out after a brief resurgence and we should not expect to see palazzo pants any time soon (both styles require too much fabric). Also gone are washed out or destructed jeans.

Do expect to see lots of texture - thick and thin yarns and "hairy" knits, tweeds, boucles. Lace and sheers, updated with geometric patterns rather than flowers, will also be in, with nude underneath and nudes with tatoo-like designs on them. Fabrics will also be laquered and metalized. Bright, more summery colors - reds and purples, cobalt and sky blue, pink and fuscia - will be mixed in with black, grey, silver and brown for day; black, white and grey will be the colors for evening. Prints will continue to be big. Plaids and stripes will be in, but expect the stripes to be irregular, particularly for mens shirts. Oh, and ladies, for us, silk shirts with victorianesque frills will be in. In pink. Yeah. Wear it under a tailored suit or an "H" silhouette dress (ie: seam across the waist, either high, natural or drop waist).

That is a lot to absorb, so I will leave you with the 2 notes I wrote to myself: "wear black lace with nude underneath for xmas" and "make silk pjs".

The rest of the class was devoted to a few sewing tips and tricks. I really benefitted from this part of the class. It had really helpful procedures for cutting (something I have always felt that I was not particularly good at), bindings, and also on creating a few different kinds of shirt plackets. Very helpful.

Back to school: More on Pants

Today I am taking a class at my local sewing shop on what else but.... PANTS!

Sewing & Pattern Fit Workshops with Connie Crawford

Fashion Forecast and Sew Like a Pro
10am – 12 noon
Connie Crawford, one of the industries top designer and sewing alteration experts, will present her Fall 2009/Spring 2010 forecast for fabrics, colors and styles and then provide valuable industry sewing techniques and shortcuts to make your sewing more professional, efficient and satisfying. Topics include efficient cutting, notching, pin basting, bias treatments, linings and more.

Drafting Pants with Couture Fit
2 - 4pm
Learn the simple draft technique that results in correctly fitting pants. The keys to couture fit are found in understanding how various waist slopes, crotch depth and overall crotch formulas control the overall pant fit. This terrific seminar will be helpful to full-figured women with difficult-to-fit bodies.I'm not really sure what to expect, but will report back on what I learn. I plan to bring a note pad and scribble down anything that can help me make better pants.