Fast food of sewing

You know how sometimes you're hungry and you just need to eat something fast and you don't care if its good for you or not?  Well, sometime you want to sew something fast and you don't care if your daughter is chagrinned by your 'thing' for velvet. You just do it.

I have been a bit under the weather, so I decided a nice sweater would be in order. This is one of the fabrics I got in the cheap room at Vogue when I was there last month. Its a printed stretch velvet. It's very fluid. I've made this a pattern a few times before, the first time in a woven (which is what the pattern calls for) and really didn't like it. Then I started seeing these sweaters all over the place with these long drapes in the front and thought back to this pattern. When I made it up in a knit I liked it much better.

Its pretty quick to make. The four corners are mitred and the edges stiched down. The thing that takes the most time is applying the steam-a-seam and pressing the seams under.

It has a interesting skirt to it. I should make it someday. I could wear it with the purple printed velvet jacket I have in my closet that my daughter finds so mortifying.

Its insane how fast you can make this dress!

I made another Vogue 1250. In about an hour and a half!

Annie's modeling the new one. I did make a couple of changes to the pattern. Actually, a few. After reading the many reviews on pattern review, I built up the underarm opening and the inside of the cowl, pretty much according to the Sewing Lawyer's instructions. I shortened the back bodice piece by an inch on the first one, then by another .75" on the second one. I shortened the skirt only an inch ( I'm not quite five feet tall, so I imagine it'd be too short for some people). I cut a size 14. And I did an FBA:  but with the hinge burried in the shoulder tuck and the "dart" in the sleeve.

But since I wasn't actually going to sew the dart and because I didn't want to increase the front armhole, I just overlapped it and closed it up:

What a great pattern!! But for now, I'll put it away until spring.

Now I know why everyone's crazy about V1250

I'm already busy making another one.

I fought the Tribeca shirt and I won!

This is the second time I've been in the ring with this pattern. The first time I tried it was with a lightweight linen and that collar just went limp. So I threw in the towel. I guess I'm impatient or something, but one thing I can tell you, I have no UFO's. If something's not working out, I will not let it hang around in my sewing room trash talking me. Out it goes!

Then sometimes I have a change of heart. I bought the pattern again years later because I just loved the darts on it.

I figured I could make a facing for it that would solve that limp collar problem. (The pattern doesn't have facings--the edges are just turned under). Well, that didn't look right either. The facing did make the collar stand up, but it also made my bust look like the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Now, I do have another jacket with a funnel neck I like. The difference is that the collar on that one is open at the top. So I cut a triangular wedge off the front edge of the collar. Voila! It's not perfect, but for a wearable muslin it's not bad.

 

after



before



close up of fabric

In addition to changing the collar, I also did an FBA and shortened it about 2 inches. I cut a size medium which was too big. Since I put a facing on it I didn't do the buutonhole patches. The fabric was from the clearance home-dec table at JoAnns. I cut the buttons off of something back in the eighties.

There will be another rematch!

Why I had no room for sewing this weekend.

Whew!

Roasts and stews and sleeves

Yesterday, I just didn't know what to do with myself. I know its September and I should be thinking about sleeves, but it was still in the eighties, so I decided to crank out these three skirts instead.



 Well, a cold breeze blew in last night and I not only turned off the fan, but had to close the window. So now, instead of the grill and salads I'm thinking about roasts and stews and sleeves.  I've had this particular pattern for a while and I guess I like the idea of it, but we have a troubled past.

I saw a sample of it at an expo, bought the pattern and made it up, but it seemed such a lost cause I chucked the whole thing. And then later bought the pattern again. Crazy, right? I never did make it again, but I did make a muslin and found these notes inside the envelope.

I also researched it on Pattern Review and others concurred with my thoughts. Armed with more knowledge and patience, I'm going to take another whack at it.

Holiday Sewing Marathon

I made this second kimono this past Sunday. One for me and one for my daughter. She likes the more subtle color combination even though the other one goes with her orange and purple hair better!   

Then on Monday, I made three more of these blouses. I am going to put the pattern away for now.

Isn't that a Gertie print?

I have four skirts that coordinate with these two prints!!

A Shopping Spree and a Sewing Marathon

What trip to Chicago would be complete without visiting Vogue Fabrics? None!! Then, imagine my delight when my husband decided to spend a day in Grand Rapids on the way home and the hotel was five miles from Fields! Needless to say, I have plenty to keep me busy for a while. But first, I had to finish up a few  planned projects in a two day sewing marathon before I could allow myself to play with anything new!! I'll post on those later.

Vogue Fabrics

Really, who doesn't love Vogue? Bolt after bolt of the good, the bad and the ugly! Their good fabric (in the Silk Room) is beautiful but spendy. And their bargain fabric (in the other room) is iffy but cheap. I got a little from both rooms.

 Field's Fabrics

This is only the second time I've been here and I have to say I really like this place. Not as big as Vogue, but I think I had a easier time finding fabric I liked and could afford here. They also have a lot of fleece and quilting fabric if you're into that.

I took a big pile of pattern envelopes of mostly TNT patterns and tried to make educated decisions about what to but and how much. We'll so how that works out!!!