Jacket Progress

Slowly inching along on the kids’ jackets. I’ve got both completely cut out, although I think I’m going to add ears to Laura’s hood. I mean, you can’t very well have a faux fur teddy bear jacket without ears, can you? I’ve got the teddy pockets cut out and the pinks of the pocket ear tape-basted in place. Now I just need to get some time to get the sewing machine and serger cleaned up and threaded so I can get some sample sewing done to figure my zig-zag size for appliquéing the pinks on. No problem, right? Aside from the ear quandary, I think instead of sewing buttons on for eyes, I’m going to satin stitch the them, as well as the mouth. No need to give my little girl who is just getting to the ‘every thing that is in my hands obviously belongs in my mouth’ stage something on which to choke. She’ll provide that kind of fodder for herself.

Harrison keeps telling me he doesn’t want a hood on his jacket, but I know that if I don’t put one, he’ll just turn around and ask why I didn’t put one. So on it shall go. I think, since the jacket is reversible, that I’m going to flip the solid and the print on the hood so that when he’s got the print on the outside of the jacket, it will be on the inside of his hood and vice versa. I think that’s the kind of detail he’ll enjoy. I also think that instead of putting binding on the hood (one of my least favorite things to do, despite my awesome binding attachment), I’m going to make a casing and then just put some elastic in at the edge. I don’t know—I’ll look at it and see what I think.

I’m really excited about these jackets. It’s getting really cool around here lately, so I think the kids will enjoy wearing them. I know I’ll enjoy seeing them in them. :)

Pattern Work

Sat down to my sewing machine tonight for the first time in months. I hate the beginning of the school year because I always end up getting bogged down with tons of crap and I don’t get to sew or do much of anything not work related at all. Very depressing.

So anyway, I’m getting some patterns cut out using Pam Erny’s technique. I’ve got a reversible hoodie for the boy (Ottobre 04/09 #14) in the works made from a Wall*E fleece print we picked up at Hancock's. The girl is also getting a jacket—I’m making her the Teddy Bear jacket from Ottobre 06/08 (#10). I’ve got a short nap fake fur and a pink knit—I think she’ll look adorable (but then, when don’t I think that?). I’m also getting the girl’s Halloween costume rounded out. It’s a surprise, but let’s just suffice it to say it’s got gold lame and is going to be awesome. :)

Maybe I can get some time to actually sew this weekend instead of pretending to do so.

Steppin’ Out With My Baby

Got to wear my new top tonight. Hubby had a business dinner thing we were supposed to go to, so I figured that would be a good time to try it out. I was really happy with it—it fits very comfortably and was neither too hot nor too drafty. I wore the sweater I made from Ottobre 02/06 (#18) with it and it looked, I think, rather nice. I’ve got several skirts with which I can pair them, as well as some slacks, so for now this is one of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe. :)

I didn’t get around to taking in the under arm of the band, but because the jacket covered it, I didn’t worry about it. I’ll probably try to get it taken care of this weekend, but I think that even if I don’t, it will still be very wearable. I can’t wear sleeveless shirts at work, so I’m always going to be wearing something over it. I think I want to fix it for my own peace of mind, though, so Onward! and Upward! :)

Wooot!

I always feel good when I finish a project, but I feel even better when I finish something that has been languishing on the back burner for some time. That describes #14 from Ottobre 05/07 pretty much perfectly. I bought a bunch of fabrics back in early 2008, among them this lush bamboo rib knit that just longs to be fondled. It’s stretchy as all get out at times, but sooooo soft that it’s worth the extra trouble. At the time I bought it, I knew I was going to make something out of 05/07, but hadn’t decided between shirt or skirt. I finally decided on the Sleeveless Jersey Top because I had bought the last of the bolt of this stuff and there was not going to be enough for a skirt. As it was, there was barely enough for the top. I had enough for all the ‘outside’ parts, but there was nowhere near enough for the facing on the inside of the straps.

So it sat on my cutting table.

And it sat.

And it sat.

And I finally put it away in the cubby I have for all my unfinished projects and there it sat for at least a year. I finally pulled it out the other day and got to looking at it.

For the facing, I ended up using a lavender t-shirt knit. This worked for several reasons. First of all, it was in  my stash and so I didn’t have to go spend money on it. Seems like that wouldn’t be that big a deal, but we’ve had lean pick’ns lately, so every little bit helps. Secondly, it was a bit sturdier knit than the bamboo had been, so I think it’s going to help hold up the integrity of the shape, while the ultra drapy, ultra soft bamboo can do its magic elsewhere in the garment.

I’m really happy with the shirt, overall. I added some beading to the yoke band to make it more interesting. It adds just enough sparkle to make me happy while not being so obnoxious that I would never wear it. I can see this under the blazer and the sweaters I sewed a while back. It doesn’t look bad without a topper, but I will have to wear something over it at school—the no-tank-top rule in our dress code and all.

I might end up taking the stitching out of the bottom three inches or so of each arm band so that I can sew a little triangle out of them and then restitching the bands. It gapes a little bit and I’m forever pulling at it, which is not an attractive look. I’m not sure if it happened that way because of the fabric being so droopy, or if it’s my sloppy pattern and fabric cutting from that era—I’ve gotten much neater about both—but I’m pretty sure it’s not the pattern itself.

That aside, the fit and the drape of it all is really nice. Robert, upon seeing me in it, said “That makes you look really skinny!” which is the aim of every garment I sew or buy. Some hit the mark closer than others, but I think this one is going to be a keeper. I’m wearing it to a business function with Robert tomorrow night and I’ll get a picture of it modeled to post soon.

Makin’ Time For Momma

I started working on some pieces for myself last year and, like much that I do for myself, sewing-wise, they never got done. This week, I took matters into my own hands and have been trying to get two of the things done before my high school reunion (15 years!?! When did that happen?!?) and school starting (which is the Monday following the reunion). If I work it right, the outfit I wear to the reunion can be my first day of school outfit, too. :)

I’m currently working on #14 from Ottobre 05/07, the Sleeveless Jersey Top. Now, I know that I recently did my croquis and body analysis that said because of my arms, I shouldn’t be wearing sleeveless. However, as soon as I get done with the sleeveless top, I plan to get out and finish the Tunic Jacket, #15, from the same Ottobre issue. Like the Sleeveless top, I’ve had this outfit cut out and marked, ready to sew for some time. I’m making it from a transparent organza, all blue, brown and black swirls, that will go nicely with the brown bamboo knit that the Sleeveless top is being made from. If I find time (ha!), I’m planning on making the Flared Skirt, #13, from 02/07. I’ve got a nice brown crêpey knit that has some viney stuff embossed on it that I think will go well with it.

The sleeveless top should go all speed ahead from here on out (famous last words?) since I got the beading detailing I wanted to do to it finished. I decided that the band in the front was kind of boring, so I took a few hours and randomly scattered some brown beads on it to make it more interesting. Besides, who doesn’t love a little sparkly? ;) Now to just get the rest of it put together, but really, it looks pretty easy so I just need to sit down and do it.

Cross-Pollination

I spent the better part of my afternoon working on the blog today. Or blogs, I should say. I started up a wing in my blog house several years ago that I had intended on devoting to my sewing obsession. Seemed logical. Fun, even.

Except that life happens.

At the time, Harrison was three and Laura wasn’t even the proverbial gleam in my eye. I was teaching, momming, and wife-ing. Still am, two years later, and then some. I decided, though, that I wanted to go ahead and get this stuff segregated. When I post sewing stuff, I’m never sure if my sewing peeps give a crap about what else is going in my life. Alternatively, I’m sure people who follow my ‘life’ blog (hello? do you exist, outside of my husband?) don’t give a crap about my sewing obsession.

My solution, then, is to post sewing stuff here and non-sewing stuff here.  Things that have relevance to both will be posted on both. I’ve taken the already-posted sewing stuff and posted at Wanna Share A Needle?, with the life stuff clipped out.

(Why do I feel like I’m going through a divorce, all of a sudden? You get the sewing posts every other weekend and I’ll get them for all major holidays…)

I also intend to go back and do pattern reviews at www.PatternReview.com (duh, right?) for all the clothes I’ve sewn in the past two years but never got around to reviewing. In my spare time. (Ha.) The pictures and links to those reviews should eventually show up in the sidebar of Wanna… eventually.

I have a tendency to over-complicate things sometimes, but I really think this is going to work better for me. At least in my head, it will. If you follow me (hello? do you exist?), feel free to follow either or both postings. :)

(Anyone else ever worry about sounding self important…?)

Seeing Myself

I always wonder if the things I make for myself are really as flattering on me as I think hope they are. I have such a distorted view of myself—as I’m sure lots of people have of themselves—and  so it’s hard to know what really looks good. Even in photography, I’m always wary because, well, I don’t know. It just seems that I will like something, it will seem perfect and then I’ll see a picture of it and be embarrassed that I ever thought to put that particular outfit together, much less on myself. Or, conversely (and much less often), I’ll wear something that I’m not thrilled about but that’s clean and/or available and seeing it in pictures, I’ll realize it actually looks pretty good.

I read an article some time ago in Threads magazine about creating your own croquis, or design template. I had sat it aside, thinking I’d get around to it one day, but never really having the time to and finally just forgetting it existed. Recently, I went through a bunch of my old Threads, looking for a different article that I had read and wanted to look at again when I came across this one. (It’s in the June/July 2006 issue, if you’re interested, pp. 51-55.)

In the mean time (meaning sometime in the past three years), I read Donald H. McCunn’s fabulous book How to Make Sewing Patterns, which had lots of great design options peppered throughout. I also, of course, have been subscribing to Ottobre for several years now, as well. So the time seemed ripe for pulling the info from all of these sources, tying it all together with my passably decent proficiency in Photoshop (which I first learned in college, but have tinkered with in the past 10 years or so with the help of my computer genius husband).

I took a digital photo of myself (actually, hubby did that part...) in exercise clothes with tape at bust point, hips and knees and string tied around my waist. I then used Photoshop to draw on an upper layer, giving myself a line drawing from which to work for later use. Using the Singer Sewing Reference Library's The Perfect Fit, I looked at my proportions and made note of what pattern adjustments and styles I should be using and which ones I should avoid.

Colored lines mean the following:
red = body divided into quarters--where the average figure usually fits
black = where my stuff actually fits
blue = midpoint between underarms and hips--where the waist should lie
green = torso shape

I started playing with hemlines and styles to see what works for me. For reference on the styles, I used McCunn's How To Make Sewing Patterns. Once I had played with that, I went to my Ottobre line drawings and started sketching in their styles. 

Incidentally, you are looking at the backside of the pages. As per Nancy Shriber's suggestion, after sketching in the details in pencil, I went over the lines again with a fine tipped marker and then flipped the page over to see it. This way, I wasn't looking at the body lines along with the clothes--much less confusing. Several of the drawings—bottom right hand corner of the second page and the bottom two in the left hand corner of the third page—are Harrison’s offerings. The first one is a “Marrying Dress,” which he seems to think I need despite the fact that Robert and I just had our 15 year anniversary and we have no intentions of needing “marrying clothes'” ever again. The bottom two were Ottobre designs that Harrison decided to pair. He drew all three outfits in pencil and I went over them in marker. I had to fudge the lines a little when I did my part to make the design more legible. :)

I learned several things about myself through this exercise. First, it’s time to get off my bum and get going losing the baby weight! But until that happens, I know that lower hemlines on shirts work for me (I always suspected I was long waisted—my shirts always ride up in the back!), knee level is good for skirts, but in the grand scheme of things, I think I’m more a pants kind of girl. And, much as I always suspected but never really tried (pregnancy aside), empire waists are not a flattering style on me. Period. Surprisingly, the princess seamed thing I tried looked like poo on a stick. I had always been told that princess seams were good for the busty gal, but seeing it in black and white like this, I’m going to have to pass on those patterns from now on. Sigh.

Of course, when he saw the fun I was having with my drawings, he had to have some of his own. I took a picture of him (in shorts!) and used Photoshop to make his line drawing. I didn't bother with the proportions as I did for myself, obviously--he's a kid!--but I did leave the body pretty bare. I knew he'd be drawing pants and I didn't want him to have to worry about seeing his underwear through the pants.
These are his Ben 10 characters. I know next to nothing about the show and, honestly, he doesn't really know much either, but he got a Ben 10 watch the other day and so now he's obsessed with as much about it as he knows and/or understands. :)

The blue one is my favorite—I think his name is Spider Monkey and Harrison says he has four arms. I also like the green guy with the red/orange hair—apparently, he’s some kind of fire sprite? I don’t know—I just thought it was kind of cool. :)

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(Originally posted on Monday, August 3, 2009 at 11:58 PM.)