No sewing for a while...

I've been cleaning my apartment for the past week and a half so no sewing right now. And maybe not for a little while more. Just until Jon gets into the dorms and I get my sewing desk back. But I've been reading quilt magazines and designing quilts on my own. I feel strongly that I need to work on my quilting skills. And I don't mean piecing. That, and the geometry, I can do. It's the actual quilting part that I'm concerned about. I think this is in the same realm as my zipper-phobia -- completely irrational except that I have bad experiences from 6-8 years ago. Of course, once I do it with my newly acquired sewing patience, it all works out and simply needs practice.

That's me. My fears are usually irrational.

When things get going a little more, I'll post some of my quilt designs. Some quilters will cut out fabric pieces and lay them out on the floor or a static-cling grid to decide the best layout. I use the Adobe Creative Suite. That way, I can design it before I cut a thing and see if what's in my head actually looks good together. It's a beautiful thing.

Been so long...

I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts. I suppose I knew it would be because of Summer Nationals but I still feel bad.

I finished the pants and skirt in time for the trip. Both ended up being a little fuller than necessary. I'm coming to find that I don't really need a full 6-gore skirt. While I was working at the tournament, I made calculations about fabric for a 4-gore and an A-line. If I did the math correctly, there's a 10" difference in hem circumference from 6 to 4 and from 4 to A. I also saw a skirt in the crowd that was basically strips, cut 2" wide at the waist but flaring proportionate to the silhouette of the skirt towards the bottom. And then a border around the hem. Such a good way to reuse long, thin scraps from other projects. I hate throwing away scraps and I'm going to look for more ways to use them.

The pants... I altered the pattern, if you'll remember, and made the legs go straight down at the sides. Ok, so here's a tip for anyone who wants a "straight-leg" pant. They aren't actually cut as straight pieces. I mean, mine sure hung straight but good night they were full. I also made a boo-boo in redrawing the crotch and it was shaped odd when I got it all together. It sort of came to a peak at the center. So, thinking I made the mistake at the center point (and not really having another choice) I trimmed it down to an even slope. This made for an extremely low crotch and screwed with the hang of the pants. I also did not take the time to alter the waist and, because it wasn't tight (I'm good with those measurements at least) they wouldn't stay pulled up to the "pretend waist" as I like to call it. Of course, when I did that, the crotch hung straight. So I've got to play with a muslin before I make the pattern again. I'd love to, as I want to perfect these comfortable pants. We'll see about time.

The project that was going when I got back from Sacramento was the Hogwarts cloaks for the Harry Potter book 6 release this past Friday. Anjea and I cut out the pieces the night after I last posted. She got so excited about getting it done, she couldn't wait and just forged on ahead, but not understanding the instructions. We've all been there as novice sewers, new to the game. But it's still almost painful to watch her mess up and then mess up again and then again because she won't slow down. I came to the conclusion (after pulling out her tiny stitches for 4 hours) that we all start the same way -- wanting to get the project done and hurrying to finish it up. But the point at which we're able to handle the details and really learn is the point at which we begin to take pleasure in the process and not just the outcome.

Anyways, the cloaks turned out marvelously. They were far from perfect but who the hell cares about that, right? I'll be excited to make another set of Witch's robes, only this time adult so I can do something other than black polyester...

I'll upload pictures tomorrow.

I hate pattern tissue

I think the title says it all. I spent last night cutting out two patterns and it looks like I'm going to spend tonight doing the same.

Project #1: Khaki pants to wear to Summer Nationals (fencing tournament)

I'm training with the committee that runs the national tournaments for the United States Fencing Association. It's exciting and an honor to be asked. I'm traveling alone and won't know many people there at first so it's a little intimidating at the same time. The bout committee is required to wear either blue or yellow button-downs or polos with khaki pants or skirts. I don't really own a lot of those. So, I have to make another pair of pants and a skirt before I leave. That leaves me tonight and tomorrow to get these made.

I took Butterick B4552 and altered it from a Misses' size to my size. I also made the legs straight instead of tapered so they'll hang straight down from the hips. I hope I altered it properly. I followed the directions in "Sewing For Plus Sizes" and used my knowledge of math the figure it out. Thank god for previous experience with pattern drafting for the Florentine gown. I had to alter the waist, hips, and crotch seam. This also meant enlarging the facing. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

Last night, I cut out the pieces for both the pants and project #2, another 6-gore skirt. Tonight, I sew the pants and then Anjea is coming over to work on the Hogwarts cloaks we're making for the book release party for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" on July 15th (technically the 16th at 0:00) I'm a little anxious because the pattern has set-in sleeves and I've never made sleeves. Oh, well, I guess we'll see...

Intro-duck-tion

Hi there! Ok, please tell me you got the "clothesduck" reference. Yeah, like a horse, only not. =D

Well, Deana has stepped firmly into the world of fashion sewing. After some failed attempts in high school (the scariest muslin in the whole wide world), I stuck with formals only through college until I began working for Kim Love. She made (well, I made) these ingenious little bracelets that were beads, suspended between two pockets of fabric that clasped around the wrist by means of hidden magnets inside the fabric. I'll come back later and post a pic. If I remember. Which I might not for a few months.

As hard as it was working for Kim on a personal level (narcissistic personality disorder = not fun) I learned an amazing amount about detail sewing. AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PINKING! I gained confidence in my abilities as a sewer. Unfortunately, I didn't want to even look at my sewing machine for almost a year. By then, I'd moved onto my current job as a graphic designer and craved a win in the company Halloween costume contest. I decided to undertake a historically accurate 1520's Florentine gown. Why that time period? Because they had yet to begin setting in sleeves or using darts or (obviously) zippers among many many other things. All the things that struck fear in my heart at their mere mention....

But pattern drafting -- that I'll do without hesitation. I love you Miss Lucy! Your calculus and trig lessons come in real handy some times. It's odd that I barely passed geometry considering how great I am at drafting flat patterns. Well, I still have a ways to go before I would call myself an expert but I was at the point where I'd rather draft my own than alter a commercial pattern. And with all the resources I found online, it was a breeze!


Isn't it marvy? But no, I didn't win. It's a long story but basically I think not being someONE was an issue. That and people simply don't recognize that I spent almost 80 hours on this outfit and I not only made everything from scratch, including the corset, but I DRAFTED everything from scratch. I had a true realization of what it must have been like for women to get a Godey's Ladies Book and then replicate it from a few line drawings. And I crave more projects like that.

But in the next few months after Halloween, I was limited to baby floor quilts. I'll upload a pattern at some point but they're very simple. I will say that the down (or is that up)side of drafting a pattern is the need to perfect it. From now on, I'm not giving anything as a gift unless I've got it right a couple times. I feel so bad about giving a not perfect production.

I don't remember what got the machine out for fashion sewing last month. Probably a trip with Anjea to the fabric store. We're so bad. She's a novice and is doing just what I did at that point -- buying fabric and patterns with the idea that they'll be easy. The issue is momentum, I think. It's hard to sew and work and have a life. I've got to work a little more on that balance. And, I think I'm going to end up cutting out other crafts as a result of my discovery of fashion sewing. I hate making things that have no purpose. And with fashion sewing, I can at least wear it! And if I don't like it.... GOODWILL, baby!

So, keep reading. I'm going to keep a diary of every project I complete. I've gotten two skirts done so far and a pair of pants waiting to be cut out. The next post will be my list of upcoming projects. A large majority of these are just waiting. I have fabric and/or pattern ready to go. Fun times, y'all...