Sewing what I feel like

In the last few days, in breathers between marking (you learn to take a break when you find yourself wanting to write "You have got to be kidding" at the end of a paper), I have done some quick and easy projects.


Wide linen pants.


Knit shorts.


A sort of caftan 80s thing.


I am severely photographically challenged at the moment. 


My photographers are AWOL, and since the only interesting thing about the pants and shorts is fit, there doesn't seem to be much use in posting a hanger shot. I will have to keep cornering family members and emailing my DH that I really need him at home.


In the meantime I am going to go ahead and show you my caftan thingy anyway, on a hanger.  My daughter told me when she saw it that it looked awfully Bedouin and North African, and of course I did make it while watching CNN, so I think I am going to call it my In solidarity-with-the-Libyan-people outfit, documenting once again how shallow and impressionable I am, and which sounds better anyway  than housedress, which is how I will wear it and what I had in mind when I made it.


To me this garment will fill a specific wardrobe gap in the upcoming trans-seasonal early spring/summer period. I will wear it:

• blogging on Saturday morning, or more likely reading other people's blogs when I am avoiding the dishes
• running out very early on Wednesday mornings in a race to the curb with my blue bags just ahead of the recycling truck
• over a bathing suit to the pool on not so hot days
• as something to put on after a bath when it is too early to go to bed and too much trouble to put on real clothes but when there might be other people around
• when I am feeling lazy, which can occur at any time

Here is the original pattern found in the massive collection of vintage patterns given to me by a neighbour:

Of course I had to add in a major way to make it fit my no longer 1982 body, but this was a nice, fun, well-thought out pattern to make.

The more I look at these old guide sheets I have to tell you I am absolutely convinced that the quality of pattern instructions was about 1000% better when I suspect they had sewers who were actually considering the pattern in front of them writing the instructions, rather than the generic cut-and-paste stuff we get today. I don't know about you but increasingly I don't see any mind at work in pattern instructions, just some word processed default instruction for a detail slapped in without any effort to make sure the method chosen is the best one for that specific garment.

At any rate here is my version of this old Butterick, in striped linen, which eventually I will get someone to photograph on me someday when I am in action lounging around not doing anything useful - which is exactly the occasion I had in mind when I made this.

Playing hooky

OK I did it.


I took this last weekend off from working/marking. A reckless thing to do, and I got up at 6:00 this morning to start and catch up, but I sewed instead.


I just needed it and figure the week is about working and I needed some time off. I have been marking/working every weekend since I came back from Tennessee on spring break.


I am rethinking my sewing and just wanted to implement that rethinking.


I am realizing that when I go part-time soon I will be working at home a lot more and only teaching two days a week. I'm feeling the need for comfort clothes, but not messy clothes. My sister called me over the weekend to tell me she went to a funeral and the middle-aged daughter of the elderly neighbour who died showed up at church in pants and turtleneck and an old sweater. We decided that the trick to keeping yourself up is to make sure what you are wearing at home is nice, otherwise it can get too easy to just run out (even to your own mother's funeral) in what you have on.


So on that theme, and because I am only sewing what I feel like, I made a pair of very, very wide leg linen pants from my Wild Ginger basic, adapted, since they seem to be one of the looks this spring and generally comfortable, and I pulled out a vintage pattern for a sort of caftan/dress knee length thing I made up also in some striped linen. I am getting pictures taken by my daughter the end of the day.


I really enjoyed myself and intend to do more of putting things aside when I need to sew. I am so much happier this Monday morning than I would have been otherwise.


Now back to the marking.

A change of seasons

Spring officially begins tomorrow, but I have already declared it here. 


It has to be.


This week I purged perfectly good winter clothes that I was sick to death of and put them into a big garbage bag. I took it down to the diabetes society bin and threw them in and let the metal drawer close before I could get sensible and drag them back out.


This week I also decided black is no longer, after my whole working career, my basic. Black and grey make sense of course when you are traveling for work, or downtown in buildings, but my life is changing. At the end of April I become a part-time teacher and that's it. My private life or the classroom, no more meetings, no more pitches about projects people are "so excited" about.


Black is so sensible when you need to stretch a wardrobe but there are a lot of cool colours that you can't wear with it. OK white, sure, and primaries and red and grey but it is not so comfortable with anything quirky or individual IMO. So I am going to go in other directions now. Indigo navy, who knows what else.


This week I took my partially completed SWAP that was based on black and white and red and winter fabrics and bagged it. Put it away for next fall when I am likely to change my mind again and need those clothes.


I refuse to do any duty sewing. Ever. OK except in emergency, family situations. But never, not for myself.


I am done sewing a wardrobe. It's time I sewed a life.


And where does this leave the White Shirts? Right where they should be. In the department of I will make them when I get up in the morning and decide that's what I want to sew. And I will. I have collected some wonderful fabric and patterns but the long sleeved versions will be waiting along with the old SWAP for cold weather. The seasonal white shirts will appear not when required, but when desired.


On the subject of seasons I was killing some time in my office this week between appointments and read CNN for news. I got distracted from even that by an article on midlife etc. etc. A question posed was that people tend at mid life to think of all the things they would like to have done, but haven't.


So I wrote that down and thought about it. I was surprised at how short the list was, but it was important to me, and some of it I note had to do with things. Here goes:

• I would like every single thing in my wardrobe to be a "piece" I love
• I would like my house to be really clean, every day. (this will require getting rid of some family members and the dogs, and will bite into my sewing "pieces" time, oh well maybe next life)
• I would like to have a big laundry sink. You know for dirty paint brushes and muddy boots and big things that you want to soak. Somebody ripped out the old one that came with this house and replaced it with a bar sink. All you can put in that is a teaspoon and a shoe lace.
• I would like to be able to say I am in the best shape of my life. This probably isn't as hard as it sounds considering I have never even tried to go there so far.
• I would like to write a book, OK, even a booklet. On sewing.
• I would like to have the same number of towels in my cupboard at the end of the year as at the beginning. Why does no one ever know where the towels have gone? The same people, incidentally, that want to know what I have done with the other sock.

That's it. I realize this is a weird list. Not on it are family or travel I notice. I have done a lot of traveling in my life and worked in other countries and any more places I go to are a bonus. I have a husband I really like, and will like even better when he comes home in  few weeks. I had three kids and I am glad about that. Two boys and a girl. I used to wonder if I should have had another girl, but then now I have Scarlett so that's fine. As to working I have had some tough jobs but at the end of my career as a teacher I am doing the best job of my life. I am glad I will be finishing work this way - imagine if the best work of your life had happened at the beginning and the tough jobs came after? 

I don't wish I had a big house. I can hardly keep up with this one. I don't wish I had more money. If I have a fabric budget and can afford to go visit my son in the States and my family in the rest of the country I have all that really care about.

And I want spring to be here, really here. It's change time.

Jalie 2686 Pajamas

Yes I know I am behind. This weekend I definitely have to get someone to take some pants shots and get those up.

In the meantime I have been making my daughter some spring PJs to wear while she is pregnant. I used Jalie 2686 which is a terrific pattern. The only changes I made were to add length because she is tall and to eliminate the back neck facing (just serged the collar on) which I feel is a bit uncomfortable in pajamas.

I love this pattern. It is so smart. I like the collar being a little rounded, a bit retro, and I love the clever waist treatment on the pants. The back is elasticized and the front has a ribbon through it. Of course being corny I made these Easter colours.

This is one of Jalie's 20 sizes in one pattern envelope patterns that I will use in many variations for different people.

Now about the white shirts.

I haven't forgotten, just detouring on things that need to get done over the next month. I am going to be making some summer dresses for a month holiday with various family members in Florida. My DH has been working straight for nearly a year (and yes that includes many, many weekends) so we have rented a place in St. Augustine and are setting him up in the yard with the BBQ.

I am going to see if I can make some of my summer dresses with PMB to expand my software repertoire.

In the meantime too I am marking, about 130 assignments and papers over the next four weeks ... any takers? I am sure I can overnight them to you wherever you are.

Saturday night grab bag

I have had a lot on the old plate recently but feel like doing a random update:

• I have been sewing pajamas for daughter. She loves the last flannelette pair I made her, but that was last Christmas and those old red and green dots are looking tired. I am doing two pairs in spring prints, in flannelette still, in the hopes that these will be good outfits for her to wear around the house being morning sick. Least I can do.
• Why do we sew so many fancy patterns and outfits and neglect the nice simple projects like pajamas? Cotton flannelette is a dream to sew. I should be making some things like this for myself next.
• My DH is coming home in about 5 weeks after 17 months away on and off - carefully organized to include two Canadian winters I have noted. I can hardly wait. What do I miss most? Having someone to tell all my opinions too - even those times when he lies there in bed saying things like "I'm listening, it's just that I am resting my eyes."
• This last week I wanted to have him around to yell "if anyone shots me in the head and the bullet goes in one side and out the other, you better not go off into outer space."
• Outer space drives me crazy. I mean to me it is just another example of a bunch of men going off and starting something new when they haven't finished the first project. And what did going to the moon get us? Tang.
• Why when sewing makes me instantly happy and calm do I not find more time to do it? That is the big question of my life. 
• In four weeks I am officially going part-time at my job, cutting my work load in half and hopefully teaching online courses only for one term a year. This will require a total wardrobe reconfiguration. That is the big issue for me.
• One of the things I will be doing is taking care of Miss Scarlett part-time, until my daughter goes on mat. leave and then again afterwards. A day or two a week, with time off for some vacations for me. The older I get the more I like time with younger people (which is why I like teaching) so this works for me. I have some Cat in the Hat print that I am going to turn into pillowcases.
• I did a big wardrobe purge this week and realized that a lot of the things I got rid of were trendy items I got sick of real quick. Style and fashion are different - I am going to try to focus on style.
• I am considering turning a large portion of my front lawn into a vegetable garden this summer. Why not? That's where the sun is. Why spend a summer fighting dandelions when I could be growing things? Have you ever had fresh celery? It is wonderful and not at all, not at all like the stuff you buy.
• I am going to start the summer versions of my white shirts, in between other projects. Going away in May and want some summer dresses done up first.

I'll be back

I feel bad about not posting recently. Since I got back from Tennessee last week things have been mega busy. Work has hit the mid-term marking tsunami and Mr. Rascal went in to have bladder stones removed (very successful) that long-standing issue is now done. More importantly my DD is pregnant with her second child. Unfortunately despite a good later pregnancy and great delivery last time, her first trimester is again really difficult. As result I am doubling up on grandmother support and bring Miss Scarlett over here as much as I can so she can rest. I have also shelved other projects to get going on some requested pj's for my DD.


Which I do enjoy, and I have discovered Scarlett loves my sewing room. She talks a lot and her big line is "Downstairs, sewing" which means she walks around my sewing room throwing around old patterns and moving the scraps in my scrap box. She also sits on my lap and watches the machine work and says "Wow, wow" every time the needle goes up and down. Of course we are not working on seams that are longer than 2 1/2" but I feel she has real potential.


So I will be back, probably over the weekend. Time in my sewing room is like plugging this energizer bunny into the power supply.


And you know what I mean.

Sewing intensive in Tennessee- lightbulb moment on pants fitting

I am back in Knoxville visiting my husband who is still working on a project here. I am having an excellent time but I realize for a normal person this is one nutty way to spend spring break.

I go for long walks and can't get over that the place is not covered in ice and snow.We eat out and just enjoy the people. Tomorrow we are going to Alabama and I am pretty happy about that because I have never been there.

But most of the time I am in my hotel room sewing.

My husband, displaying one of the reasons I married him, borrowed a nice machine from the girlfriend of one of the guys on site and it was set up for me when I arrived. And we know I have 13 boxes of fabric here so I am pretty much in my idea of an ideal situation:

No phones.
No cooking.
No errands.
No job.
No housework.
Nobody who needs me to do anything at all.

Just sewing.

I call this a vacation.

I brought my CD with Wild Ginger's Pattern Master Boutique software with me. I have used it a bit in the past but never really had complete success, particularly with the pants. You get out what you put in I suppose. So I decided, since there was no way I was going to get time to do this at home in my busy life, to just see what I could do for a pants pattern.

I have been wanting a nice simple slim legged pants with a waistband like I see in the collections and do not see in the pattern books. I figured they would go with my white shirts and whatever else I decide to make.

So I started my research and looked a pretty much every pants shot I could find in the blogs and Patternreview.

I was absolutely amazed to see that most people, whatever their shape, had the same problems:

1. Too tight across the butt but with baggy folds under the butt
2. A sort of pouchy thing going on under the stomach, like a handful of extra fabric, and some wrinkles at the top of the legs at the front.

I even saw in some Threads articles with their own patterns this extra fabric at the front crotch. I know those model girls wouldn't wear pants like that if they weren't getting paid for it.

I mean raise your hand if you haven't made 497 pairs of pants with this exact same problem.

So before I did anything else and started 498 I sat down in this hotel room and thought about it.

That's when it occurred to me that we forget about legs, as in we walk around in pants, we don't just stand in front of the digital camera for a picture. And then I thought about arms, which also move (mine have been heaving boxes of fabric around the hotel room) and it occurred to me that pants and a crotch are just a sort of another version of 3D drafting just like sleeves and armholes are.

So what do I know about armholes?

1. A higher tailored set-in sleeve armhole is more comfortable and gives more movement than a looser dropped armhole.
2. A closer armhole, in addition to giving more mobility, has less excess fabric and fewer wrinkles, than a dropped armhole.

When I thought about this some more I realized what pants do most people wear most often? Jeans. Now I know whatever your throw-on default garment is, it is that because it is comfortable. So jeans are comfortable and generally don't have a lot of that extra fabric at the front thing happening. They also have a crotch that is cut closer to the body than other pants.

In PMB there are four crotch styles from loose to close to the body - culottes, trousers, slacks and jeans. Because I was fooling around making slim pants and a looser pattern for linen wide legged pants I was using the slacks and trouser crotches.

I changed both patterns to the jeans crotch, even though neither pair were jeans, and presto the extra fabric at the front disappeared and the pants ( I made 6 muslins during this process) became a lot more comfortable.

I also rethought my crotch length measurement. In all my versions I was measuring my crotch length as specified but ending up with something too long. I then realized that when you add a waistband you want the top of that to be at your waist, and if you add a waistband onto pants that stop at your waist, well you are going to settle them in and give yourself a droopy crotch. So I subtracted my 1" waistband, total of 2" from my crotch measurements and that did the trick.

In addition I learned a few things about PMB that might be useful to other users of this program, understanding this works for my body which is essentially tall, with a butt that sticks out a lot, no real hip shape, as in straight up and down, and the kind of belly that comes with three babies, a section, and leaving the category of spring chicken.

1. I wanted less fabric in the thigh like the RTW slim pants I saw. You get this in PMB by reducing the knee width setting, this pulls in the thigh. I brought mine down to 0.

2. My front darts looked poofy at the bottom. I tried every configuration of dart placement and length with no improvement. Then I re-read the Help notes in the program and it said to release the darts at the fullest part. Since my abdomen is sort of a unit from waist to crotch there is no curve and no high point. I don't need dart shaping where there is no shape. So I set the program for three darts (this made them tiny and also moved the front crotch vertical giving me the fabric where I needed it) erased the dart lines in Pattern Editor and just sewed up my muslin without any front darts. Nice and smooth.

3. Being hip shapless I have always been annoyed by that jodphur thing which I could not get rid of in the PMB pattern. I then went back to the fine print in Help and realized that how the program works is to give you the widest fabric at the front where you have identified your hip depth (I located this not by anything happening at my hip but by my widest-measurement which really is created by the big rear end not anything happening hipwise). So to get rid of this curve I moved my hip depth measurement in Settings up, from 8" to 4.25". If you look at the slim pants pattern I have put here you can see that little curve is close to the top, giving me a little extra so the pants don't pull across my belly. I also lowered the side seams .75" and the front 1". All my RTW pants dip down at CF. You will notice that there is almost no shape to my front crotch, I took out -.02 of the crotch shape (first arrow).

4. The back crotch after all of this was easy since I knew what I would do on paper. I opted for round back crotch, wild cut (meaning extra at CB waist) increased the back crotch extension .25,  changed the back crotch break to -2.5 and moved in the crotch shape 1.8 (second arrow) ( this is the old lower and scoop out combo).

5. Finally I added 2" to length and choose a contoured waistband because they are more comfortable.

What I have ended up with are pants that I think fit pretty near as perfect as you get on an imperfect body, all this info saved into defaults and a program I can now use to draft different pant styles.

It took isolation in a hotel room to get here, and I hope some of this information might be useful to you too.

Pictures of some finished pants are forthcoming when DH comes back.