My free sewing newsletter

It has just been pointed out to me that I need to do a post, with labels on my weekly free sewing newsletter. Many of you have signed up (if you haven't received yours please contact me again - we have had a few bounce back with an unknown email message and of course don't have a way to contact you about that) and if you would like to you can do so through the contact form above or by emailing me direct at babsann.emodi@gmail.com

A note about the newsletter. It is aimed at new and returning sewists and focuses on the basic need to know stuff that I think pattern instructions leave out.

Happy sewing.

Flypaper thoughts after supper edition

• Thanks to all who offered to be my interfacing purchasers
• Many thanks
• I have decided to order Sewers Dream from B.C. and try that
• And get other stuff ordered when I am next in the US
• That's plan A and B will let you know
• Spring here seems to have come and gone before lunch yesterday
• Judging by today
• Summer came and went in the afternoon
• Pretty grey here and wet for more or less forever
• Hardly notice these things
• Weather in the sewing room is usually pretty constant
• But the vegetable gardener is pacing
• Something about the ants
• And germination
• The biggest ants have moved into the house
• We are conflicted
• As my husband says they are so big they feel like pets
• They are always carrying their dead away
• Like the Marines I guess, none left behind
• We find this quite moving
• How can we flush such pathos down the drain?
• So now we are carrying them out on a wooden spoon to the outdoors
• The rigid and the loyal
• Where presumably they go eat the seedlings
• Until my fusible arrives I am basting in sewn in
• Kind of like basting
• Easy on the mind
• Do you ever get fevers to sew something totally unrelated to the 14 things you have piled up
• In the next to sew stack?
• Suddenly I want to make bags
• Damn that Facebook
• I was going to swear off it totally ever since my FB acquaintance 
• Posted that picture of the lost sock she found attached to her sheet from the dryer
• This is news?
• This is what social media is adding to my life?
• I mean isn't that where we all keep our one socks?
• You know the mates for the ones you just threw out because they had been kicking around the drawer solo for months?
• Then before I quit 
• All these groups I joined post pictures of things they make
• All these handbags now with blush hardware and floral prints
• That wouldn't go with anything I wear or use
• My handbags have to be able to live on the floor of the car so kids can walk on them
• Just under the ice scrapper for the car window
• Or be thrown in the grocery cart
• But still these bags are so pretty and I want to make one
• But I am so behind in my production
• These days what I give for birthdays are promises
• Got to deliver or I will get a reputation
• Speaking of which
• The nicest thing happened this week
• One of the kids asked my to take off my jacket so her friend could feel my muscle
• So I stood there in the schoolyard with seven year olds feeling my bicep
• Those vintage machines are not light you know
• And then when we went home the youngest asked me to juggle a jar or peanut butter and a jar of jelly
• Which I did
• Let's say if you try this at home
• May I suggest plastic containers
• Got a good laugh though
• And got it cleaned up before the real boss came home
• I guess I was still excited about the bicep thing and got carried away
• Which can happen at any age
• Count on that

Interfacing and a call for ideas

Hi folks.

I am back from my travels and settling into some serious sewing.

I would like your thoughts though on interfacing.

For a long time I have been living off my stash of excellent interfacing from Fashion Supply. 

Just recently however I ran out of the lovely mid-weight fusible I use for shirts and general sewing but see from the website that they no longer ship outside of the US (why do I always find this out after I get back to Canada from a visit?)

In fact the last shirt I made for my son in California I made with some recommended woven fusible I bought at a big chain fabric store. I fused following the instructions exactly and it seemed fine.

However when I was in Nashville visiting with the kids last week (they were there for a wedding/ weekend and I went down to babysit) I did the washing and pulling everything from the dryer, which is how most families wash these days, I found that the collar had rippled and bubbled like fusible used to long ago in the olden days. I had pre-shrunk both the fabric and interfacing too.

I was incredibly disappointed, this was a gift, and I left my son with elaborate instructions on how to steam press that collar down again every time it came out of the dryer, but this of course is not reasonable - who has time to do that with a baby and a busy job?

So my current dilemma is this, since it has been so long since I have purchased garment interfacing from the store.

What is your favourite interfacing and why?

Of course I can default to a sew-in but that seems to be admitting defeat in this day and age. Incidentally I use a lot of fusible tricot with no issues.

I could try to track down another specialty supplier but that kind of defeats my mission to provide tips and help to new and returning sewists, as in my newsletter - I would like to be able to use and recommend something that is readily available.

Ideally I would love to have some samples to test and report back on - I would like to fuse, wash and dry and photograph the results. I may fire off a link to this blog post to a few suppliers and see what happens.

In the meantime I would like your help.

What interfacings do you use and why?

Review of Jalie 3911 Michelle summer dress

Of all the new Jalies I made this spring I think I had most fun making the Michelle summer dress.



My absolute favourite thing in the world, next to my family, dog, and rhubarb is discovering a nifty new way to sew something familiar - particularly if that new way is:

• easier
• faster
• slicker
• smoother

... than the way I would have done the same task myself.

The Michelle dress and tank was that kind of nice construction surprise. Here are the pattern pieces and line drawing:

I made the dress. The skirt part was as expected- a big gathered rectangle set into the bodice in a waist seam somewhat above my natural waist, by say 2-3 inches. So raised but not empire.

The top part of this dress is fully lined. If you don't want that much fabric, this lining can be cut off shorter to make as sort of all in one facing for the neckline and armholes. You might want to do this if you were just making the dress top as a tank top only, and didn't want to figure out two layers at the hem.

Now you might think that making this top fully lined would be tricky with those kind of complicated bagging instructions those of use who have bagged vests might be familiar with, but in fact it is so easy. 

I really can't do the instructions justice here. Basically it amounts to sewing the front lining and front together at the neck and armholes, and doing the same at the back, turning one set to the right side, sliding one unit into the other, machine stitching across the shoulders, turning it all to the right side and then sewing the side seams.

You really need the pattern for the complete process if the above run-on sentence makes little sense.

The resulting bodice with this technique is clean and fast and definitely something a beginner could do successfully. As method it eliminates the need to finish the neck and armholes with facings or bindings too, which is a bonus.

Note that the front and back pattern pieces are identical, which makes matching the pieces fool proof, and because the neckline is very open there is no need for zippers or other closures.

I made my version with a navy lawn from Fabricville with little white birds printed on it. Because the fabric was so light the lined bodice was perfect as was the gathered skirt.

It seemed odd when we took these shots on a cold, grey May day here to be putting on something so bare. I am sometimes aware too that as I get older and am no longer a spring chicken that my arms remind me more and more of chicken's wings but there are times and locations when something to wear in the heat are really important.

I am thinking here of the heat of Austin Texas where my middle son now lives. Those of you who know that climate can appreciate why I appreciate a dress like this for when I am there in the hotter months.

I also could see this as a dress, since this Jalie pattern comes in size 2 as in toddlers right up, I can make for the little and bigger girls. Definitely for summer sewing for children the fact this could be whipped up so easily means the Michelle is going to have multiple iterations around here. 

I am thinking too I may even do a shell too for myself - how useful would one in white, self-lined be?

Review of Jalie 3905 the Gisele round neck top and Jalie 3908 Simone wide-legged pants

I made the new Jalie Simone wide-legged pants and the Gisele round neck top as a set for comfortable travelling.

Here are the line drawings and pattern pieces:

They were both very easy sews and gave me an outfit for sleeping around airports and life that is a comfortable as pyjamas but considerably more stylish. I used a rayon challis from Fabricville for the top and a washed cotton/linen, also from Fabricville for the pants.

The top first.

This is such a simple top but has some really nice details. The 3/4 length gathered sleeves obviously, my favourite sleeve length because I can't drag my sleeves into things like dishwater, and the neat hem treatment, with a slight higher at the front thing that is actually quite flattering.

This is a no darts top but fairly wide so I didn't have any issues with pulling over the bust. I went and made my husband do an out side shot with my arms out so you could see the width of the top, and the pants, better:

 I would note though that the neckline is quite wide, fine for people who don't have my scrawny shoulders, so I might bring in the neckline in about an inch each side next version so I have bra covering security, and in this one I will probably go back and add lingerie guards #borninthe1950s

If I make the neckline smaller next time at the neck edge I will probably implement the back neck vent - something I eliminated here.

I made two changes to my version of the pants.


First I just couldn't bring myself to put a bow on over my stomach. Just couldn't do it. I have devoted years of my life to trying to de-emphasize my belly and it seemed pretty late in the game to deviate from that mission.

Also in the linen cotton I thought for sure a bow would be too stiff. That said the next version will be in a tercel twill so I may try the tie in something more drapey.

I also cut these off short and made them sort of long culottes. The pants version are really wide and I decided recently in a lay over in San Francisco when I observed every woman but myself was wearing cropped pants to try that look myself.

These elastic waist, slim at the hips, pocket included culottes/crops were perfect I thought for real world wear

I am probably going to try the full length in the tercel, but in the meantime I am very happy with these. I like full shorts so stay tuned for a shorts version soon - maybe even a longer short to wear at the golf course, that might be interesting.

Review of Jalie 3902 Nicole knit dress

The new Jalie Nicole knit dress reminds me so much of two of my all time favourite knit dresses, bought 30 years ago from Landsend, and worn until they more or less fell off my body.

I liked them so much because they were comfortable, I didn't need to iron them, and I could wear one unit under a jacket to work and still look as professional as I get.

This was the exact same pattern. Here are the line drawings and pattern pieces:

This pattern is a classic case where it might make sense to be a bit strategic about the size you choose. I note that someone with a strong bust line, since the dress goes pretty straight down front the bust, will have more waist/ hip room, as you can see in this pattern cover shot. The drapes fabric also facilitates this too:

For someone like myself, who has a hip/ lower waist measurement very close to my bust measurement, and made up in a fairly firm cotton/lycra, the fit across the lower body is fairly close, right where belly/bum wise I am very curvy:

I love this picture of me - this is the face of a person whose daughter has just suggested Spanx.

Nope, nope and nope. This body has had three kids and one hysterectomy and deserves to just be itself. I am standing firm on that one, even if it's the only firm going on here.

Point taken though. See how the back of this dress rides up? That's because I have a lot of shape back there.

So I know exactly what I am going to do. Just like I moved up a few sizes in the Lisette skirt (love those 20 plus sizes) to get exactly the ease I want, I will be sewing this again in one or two sizes up. 

That should make it just right.

I am so happy to have my favourite dress back and love the look of the mock turtle neck and the short sleeves.

Flypaper thoughts in transit edition

• Everybody in the world but me has eyelash extensions
• Some look pretty, but a bit long
• Some look like bath mats attached to eyelids
• If you ever wonder if simple is not best
• Sit and people watch in an airport
• There’s your answer
• When I am boss of the world
• No in-transit food stop
• Will be allowed to charge 2000% more for a bottle of water than it costs at the Superstore
• I am not talking about the Romaine spine wraps
• Oh shoot
• I don’t like air travel
• And I bet you are picking up on that
• The good part
• However 
• Is arrivals
• Families with flowers
• Signs that say welcome
• Mothers getting young sons home for the weekend
• Just long enough for them to remember that these really are the best people in the world
• Not replaced by book clubs
• Grandchildren shy to meet grandparents
• Who have borrowed strollers from the neighbours for this visit
• Goofy guys being hugged and held for a real long time
• By girls probably too good for them
• And the guys know it too
• But maybe the girls know something we don’t
• Yes sometimes the getting there
• Is worth all the trouble