Progress report Vogue 1128

You might want to book off tomorrow night.


If all goes well I will be posting pictures of my rendition of Vogue 1128.


I will be for ever grateful to Erica Bunker for testing the waters on this one.


Much to discuss. First of all if there was an Olympics for "Pattern photos that provide none of the information a sewer really needs" there would definitely be a gold medal for the folks at Vogue for this one as pretty as it is.

This coat has three really notable features:

1.  It is really wide. I am making a 14 and I'm not really. I wanted a coat I can layer to wear while traveling and if I am cold I can layer my spring coat, old winter coat, and bathrobe under this, and could probably also fit in my suitcase - although of course I will never get that through airport security. Oh the old days.


Hell I could even fit Mr. Rascal under there but he would never have the sense to be quiet.


I am perfectly fine with the wideness I should add. I am getting pretty fed up with slick looking coats that fit more or less like the notorious sloper.


I mean who needs a coat that you have to suck your stomach in when you wear it ?


A person wears coats when it is cold, grey, and you more or less wish you were somewhere where you didn't have to wear a coat. To my mind a winter coat has to be comforting, morale supporting, and reliable.

A winter coat has to be On Your Side.


I feel this coat is going to do that for me.


What's working up is what I would call a Dad's Coat. I think you know exactly what I mean.


2. It has really short sleeves, much disguised by the pose. I have to say 3/4 coat sleeves are a dumb idea. They might work with a outfit you would wear to a Royal Wedding, if your forearms are you best feature, but for the kind of weather you need a coat for they suck. I mean you can wear those long gloves, which I own because they were on sale, but those only really work if your garment underneath is sleeveless, well and I am not Kim Novak (please see previous post and pictures.)

And the sleeves of a work blouse and a cardi don't look the best as an alternative - hanging out at the end of a 3/4 sleeve, and only confirm for anyone left wondering that you are not Kim Novak.


All of this is to say I added 6" to the bottom of the sleeve pattern.


3. There is a tuck at the yoke and again at the hem on each side of the back which makes the back of the coat a little like a cocoon coat. 


Or it can make you look like you have the world's most giant bubble butt.


I have sort of pressed these into flatter tucks and we will see what I think of this in the light of day.


That would be tomorrow.

I have to say that despite all of this I love what I am seeing so far.

Pattern Master Boutique from Wild Ginger revisited

On Wednesday I took a day and spent it with two friends who have PMB version 5. Like me they bought it and like me thought that they now had a shortcut to fitting. Hasn't worked out quite that way. 


Of course owning expensive and powerful pattern design software does not remove a sewer's need for nearly every new pattern released - but the need for some TNT basics remains.


None of us have been perfectly happy with what we have been able to produce with this program. It all felt close enough however that we decided to explore the possibility of operator error and devote a day to measuring, sewing slopers, and critiquing each other. 


Only a sewer would appreciate how a day spent with three middle-aged women jumping in and out of trail garments and running around someone's basement in their underwear was a most excellent day.


What we all learned was this: another sewer is a much more accurate measurer than a husband who largely does what he has to do as fast as possible. So he can get back to whatever much more interesting activity he was engaged in before you interrupted him. You know like napping, looking at vintage motorcycles on eBay,  or standing in front of an open fridge door. Not hugely, world important, activities like trying to perfect a sloper pattern for a LBD despite the fact that your actual life doesn't require one except for funerals where, in this country at least, you are likely to attend with your coat left on anyway. 


OK. Where was I?


My sloper with pictures. 


I am going to alert Wild Ginger and see what I need to do to fix my problems, which are minor. Really with decent measuring help we all three found our products needed only minor tweeking, mainly I think because we all shortened our shoulder lengths.


Before you look these shots I can't help but give you a disclaimer.


We left the defaults on for our data inputer by mistake for all of us. She is 5'1" and I am 5'9". 


Therefore this is a mini skirt version. I don't want you to think I am actually delusional enough to wear my skirts this short, and I would have to raise my bust point too. Also the program can't see, so there are things like lowering the back darts for caboose accommodation that even I can see myself I need to do and we pinned out.


And finally this is a fitting garment - a sloper - and not a real dress pattern. I would be nuts to wear anything this form fitting and as revealing of my dumpy self.


I mean can you imagine wearing a dress made out of this? A person might as well forget getting taken out for anniversary dinners if she dressed like this. Forever.


This is why there is such a thing as Design Ease, the stuff that gets added to patterns along with that thing called style so you don't look like that aunt you told yourself when you were fifteen you would never end up dressing like when you were that old - you know really old like 45. 


OK my sloper:

A garment suitable for wiping down the tables after a church supper

A dress that Tells the Truth

The Truth with back darts lowered

Don't scare the children Babs.
 Note mysterious need to move shoulder seams back as marked. Also little looseness in centre front. We tried to tell ourselves this could be eased in. I hope so because having a single centre front dart will be uncool even in the kitchen in the church basement.

What do you think?

I will let you know what the experts at Wild Ginger advise, but to tell you the truth this is pretty good progress, and the conversation during our fitting day, largely off topic, was fabulous.

Sewing intensive

I have lots of disconnected sewing news to report, please bear with me.


First of all I am taking the French Jacket course at Patternreview with Angela Wolfe and really enjoying it. Angela's version is slightly less labour intensive than Susan Khalje's - the fabric pieces are serged and not left with 2" seam allowances that are trimmed, the muslin is turned into a paper pattern and not used as a pattern with the seam lines basted onto the fabric, and the sleeves are inserted by machine and not by hand - but otherwise have the same quilting and hand-stitching.


As far as I can make out most of the class is deep into muslin fitting so far - reinforcing that the biggest challenge for most sewers is fit. I have to say it has been a long time since I have put this kind of effort into fitting a muslin, when I have done it it's been more for other people than myself. 


The whole process has made me more aware than ever of the value of TNT basics. I can't imagine putting this level of work into every garment I made and you can be sure that this jacket pattern once perfected is going to be made a lot.


Here is what I started with, my usual flat pattern measurements to a pattern that already came with D cup sizing, square shoulder adjustment, 2" in length and extra at all seams because there is more weight on me than my shoulders:

Even still I have been fussing around doing this, to get the bodice fit right, taking in the upper back seam above the waist, letting it out over the butt, and taking in a total of 1" above my bust across my upper chest:

Basically I have sewn, resewn by increments, taken out previous stitching lines, pressed and fitted. My plan when this is all done is to cut along the final stitching lines, transfer this to paper and add seam allowances.


And I have even got to the sleeves yet which, judging by the class chat is where the real fitting challenges lie. 


A few fitting facts I have picked up at the class:

• A princess seam that comes out of the armhole, as opposed to the shoulder, is easier to fit. Of course. That little peaking thing at the front armhole is a usual issue.
• A lot of women have a too long shoulder seam, which droops of course, but also means the jacket pulls when you lift your arm. Apparently the thing you aim for is a jacket that doesn't lift when you raise your arm.
• A too low armhole is the other thing that makes for a shifting-while-you-raise-your-arm jacket. A higher armhole is also a very good thing.
• Patterns have too much sleeve cap height, trim some off if you want.

I have also been introduced to the very interesting idea of the 3 piece sleeve. This is made by cutting the sleeve straight down from the shoulder circle to the hem, parallel to the grainline, and of course adding seam allowances. You then add the vent to the bottom of this seam, removing it from the front to back sleeve seam. The idea is that this shows off the fancy vent detail on these Channel jackets, you know the ones with the trim and buttons.

The three piece sleeve of course also adds a great fitting place for those who need less or more sleeve/arm space but don't necessarily need a larger actual arm hole.

Here is what my three piece sleeve pattern looks like. Note that the seam is parallel to the grain line and not to the existing sleeve seams:

I will keep you posted on this jacket's progress.

I will be diverting myself a bit though on another necessary project.

In a week and a half I am going to Tennessee for a conjugal visit and also going to stop off to see my son in NYC on the way home. I have decided that my Costco dog walking coat and my black lint collector coat are not up to this trip.

I need a neat cool coat.

I have had Vogue 1128 for ages but haven't made it up because the pattern picture made it hard for me to really evaluate it. 

Then what do you know? The incomparable Erica Bunker has just made this coat up and it looks terrific of course.

So now I have my coat project. I have this wool in my collection and these weird but I like them crocheted buttons that I am going to use with giant snaps sewn underneath. I am not doing real large buttonholes in this fabric, not machine made, which would be a disaster and not bound because the weave is pretty loose, and I don't feel like it either.

 

I am now on the clock with this project but thanks to the New Hampshire primary the fabric is at least block fused now.

Of course being on the clock is a total contradiction to the speaker we had last night at the sewing guild, a fellow from the art college speaking about "Slow Sewing."

I of course am already pretty good at slow sewing but what he talked about was more mindful, sustainable sewing, built to last stuff with a lot of recycling. It was pretty interesting and here are some of my take-aways:

• Garment production and maintenance consumes a larger environmental cost than any other industry in the world, after military production.
• 25% of the world's pesticides and herbicides are used in the production of cotton.
• Much of these toxic chemicals remains in the fabric. (This explains the organic cotton baby stuff - BTW I have also noticed that most of the organic cotton, eco cotton out there is made in the USA which for those who care, and I do, is a reason to buy local).
• There is a theory, the name of which I forget of course, that says things want themselves to be made and that this energy finds people who get that done for them. This means us but it also means the garment is in charge. This theory is not that out there. I definitely know a whole pile of garments who had minds of their own and a totally different purpose than I had in mind. I have also great personal experience with garments who didn't want to be made at all.

Over all this talk was a lot different than say the one I am going to be giving next month on how to sew knits. I was going to talk more about stitch length and things like that.

Enough.

Off I go now for a day of trying to work out PMB software with a couple of friends.

A clarification

I didn't mean my last post to sound like I was considering not blogging, far from it, just don't want to feel bad if I don't post as often as I would like, or at least publish all I have written in my head. I feel I am getting to know my commenters and I don't want to lose touch with you if that makes sense.

Now back to stream pressing my boucle.

Thanks.

It is what it is

The subject line from this post is one of my husband's favourite lines. The car explodes the week before Christmas and has to be replaced (it didn't this is just an example), the business partner absconds with all the funds (it didn't this is just an example), or the world is about to come to an end (it didn't this is just an example) and my husband asks what he can do and then says "It is what it is" and moves on.


This approach of course denies him the hours and hours, OK days and days, he could be spending on the phone with extended family describing What Went Wrong, and the sub-category Whose Fault Is It? 


Think of all he is missing.


There are times however when this is the most appropriate subject line.


Like now in reviewing the new Jalie soft sports bra.


It is what it is.


No, there is not a lot of support. How can it with no underwires, power net, and in cotton/lycra? This is a comfort bra, meaning it is comfortable. 


There is no lift and separate, there is no boost, there is no front and centre shape. This is not a going out bra, not a good shape under a sweater bra, not a my-god-it-looks-just-like-you-bought-it bra.


It is however the bra I am wearing now.


Excellent for wearing when you have to wash the dog's feet because the dummy finds the tiniest bit of muddy water under the ice in a puddle on the walk and then goes and stands on it and falls through and just looks at you until you lift him up and carry him 22 miles back to the car where he just snarls at you because you are taking him home when he still wants to go for a walk.


It's a good bra to wear then.


It is also excellent bra to wear knitting while watching Republican primary news (ask, me just ask me, anything I am totally up to date, too bad I don't vote there - once a politico always a politico), or reading a book called 1,500 family favourite slow cooker meals, because you are so busy knitting purses, sewing underwear, saying "holy shit, that's a lot of work" while you watch the videos for the Classic French Jacket PatternReview class you signed up for on that afternoon when you decided you needed to get your game back, to cook properly.


Good to wear when you do that.


Now here is the review with the disclaimer and a few introductory comments.


First in the interest of decency this is on the person who is not my clone and not on me. 


You are welcome.


She is sort of flatter than me but you get the idea. I have also cleverly pinned my Smoothie panties to her front. Use your imagine to figure out that on a person these pull flat and are in fact smooth.


One comment about the Lingerie Secrets Smoothie pants before we move on to the bra.


The instructions have you sew all the elastic in flat and then sew the seams. This of course makes for easier elastic stitching, not anyone's favourite part, but you do get this lumpy raw elastic thing going on at the top of the seams. The instructions say at that point to zig-zag a bartack to hold that down, but as you can imagine, in these hands, through four layers of elastic, that stitching is sort of messy, OK really messy.


So for most of the ten or more pairs I have made this week I have reverted to stitching the elastic into a ring and then inserting it. Much neater and I need all the neat I can get. Here is the beginning of what is now a large pile of underwear. This does not look much like French Classic Jacket :

Now the bra. Speaking of messy you might observe the topstitching around the cups is a little that way. That is because I creatively sewed the cups inside out and the basting shows. I could take it out but I am not. For sure I would rush and poke a hole with the seam ripper. Not what you want to do to your dog-feet-washing bra.

In actual fact there is more space between my bra bottom and the top of my panties. Thank goodness.

Note the excellent Koolaid dye job

The bra require fold over elastic which is helpful if you once went nuts and bought a ton of it and can't figure out where to use it. Particularly if you got a good deal on 500 yards.

Nice high sides - this is one of your secure units, aimed to hold back the jiggle more than represent 

Make up your own mind about this bra. 


My only advice would be if you are making it out of random cotton/lycra like I did consider going down a size. This fabric is really stretchy and I found the band in particular needed to be reduced at the centre back. Also in my next version I may even put Power net in as a layer between the two band layers to add some structure.


I think I am going to do the next version is Grape.


I will of course be making more Real Grownup bras but I admit to you to liking this one. It is sort of the garment equivalent to the lunch you make yourself when no one is at home - whatever your comfort food is. Tell me.


Before I take the dogs out again to a different park a few things:


1. Yes I am going to get into this French Jacket thing. Pattern going to get adjusted tonight. I realize I am a contradiction in terms on this. I am attracted to Channel jackets because they are supposed to be as comfortable as sweaters and this life needs comfortable. Also I like hand sewing and think I even remember how to do it. However as the videos revealed this garment requires some definitely non sweater like discipline. Might be character building.


2. I love comments but wonder if responding in the comment section is where to do it. Would you read that, go back to it? I had an interesting one last post from a reader who said this blog doesn't sound at all like other writing I do. This is true. My blog is my personal voice, obviously unedited and irresponsible. I am even taken aback when I run into someone who I don't know very well who responds to something personal I have written - I sort of think "gee those were private thoughts" but then again I did put them out on the internet didn't I? It's an interesting experience.


3. Some of my favourite bloggers have suspended their blogs or written recently about a bit of road weariness. Truth is I never post as often as I want or share all I compose to you in my head. Always a lot going on around here. So I am just going to do what I can do and make sure my blogging is not an obligation to me.


It is what it is.

January 1st, 2012

Happy New Year.


My husband went off this morning to three months in Tennessee, with two visits planned for me during that time.


For the first time in my life I will be alone in the house, that is if you don't count dogs. No kid in the basement, nothing.


It occurred to me that for the last few decades with work and family I have had this line running through my mind "If I only had 5 minutes to myself."


Well, you know now I have. Three months to work only on online courses, to be done at the dining room table, babysit as required, sew and blog.


You have been warned.


The first thing I did as soon as I got home from the airport was to cut out 12 pairs of panties. 


I have just made a pair from Jan Bones' Smoothie pattern and I love them. This pattern has been well-reviewed on Patternreview, all raves, so I won't add to it but to say this is a great pattern. Here are the features:


1. Your basic stop just about an inch below your navel pantie, but with the side seams moved to the front so there is no clear discernible seamline.
2. Good solid bum coverage. Right around and tucked in. This is useful if like me this is your biggest and best feature. Nothing hanging out, nothing bisected by an elastic line that shows when you wear pants.


These panties do the job and are nearly identical to a fancy expensive "invisible" pair I bought at Soma last year.


Now store bought panties are cheap. Who would make them and why?


1. See above on style.
2. Possibility of much nicer fabric. I used all my good 2-way cotton, rayon and bamboo knit scraps. So these are sort of cost neutral projects. This particular pattern encases ordinary 1/4" braided elastic so no fancy notions are required, although you could add those if you had a previous reckless purchase of some fancy elastic to write off.
3. They are super quick projects that you can make when you need to see that needle go up and down in some fabric but are not able to fully engage brain.


There are no illustrations as test pair one is in the wash. I intend on making a bunch up tomorrow, with a Jalie bra.


That will give you something to look forward to.


I also have to sound off.


One of those annoying Huffingtonpost over 50 articles recently did one of those truly annoying "things to never wear or do over 50" articles and listed "granny pants" meaning panties that go up near your waist, as one of the no-nos.


Women over 50, it said, should wear thongs, like elderly French women apparently. You know the ones they tell us never gain weight despite a diet of wine and goose liver and would rather shoot themselves in the head then ever run down to the drugstore at 11:00 at night in tennis shoes to get milk/bread/toilet paper without full make-up on over their exfoliated pores.


Listen. I don't buy this thong business so you might as well give it up. That includes my sister Nancy who claims they are comfortable. Look, a string up your privates is a string up your privates. Don't tell me you don't notice.


And if you have a nicely padded seat to sit on let me tell you nothing beats "The Smoothie" for just that.


Great pattern, even if the envelope drawing is a little dull.


Samples to follow.

Training bras

Today I watched my Newfoundland bound son drive off in his moose whistled truck and, second son to exit in the last 24 hours, I felt like my world was coming to an end. Then I remembered this guy is 25 and I had done a pretty good job of stringing this mother thing along this long and so I decided the best thing to do with the rest of my life started with going down to the basement to start dyeing bra elastic with Koolaid.

It is amazing what you can achieve with a broken heart, a mason jar of hot water and a package of cherry and a package of strawberry kiwi. Pretty cheery.

I am going to try a new bra pattern and panties tomorrow continuing my rehabilitation.

BTW my kid is still on land. They held the ferry in port due to rough water and a storm and he is sleeping on board and they will try again in the morning. He sounds pleased with this further adventure.