sewing

Tuesday Project Roundup: Nightgown Edition

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On Instagram, it seems like everyone and their dog on is making the Wilder Gown by Friday Pattern Company–yes, that’s “Wilder” like Laura Ingalls and “gown” like nightgown, or “big shapeless dress.” Obviously I had to jump on that bandwagon, too.

Pros:

  • Easy pattern
  • Great instructions–anyone could make this
  • Looks good on lots of people
  • The neck gathers make for a nice fit in the bust, even without darts
  • Extremely on-trend
  • Comfortable, like a nightgown

Cons:

  • As drafted, I think the casing for the neck tie is a hair too narrow, leading to lots of folding and bunching of the tie
  • The combo of raglan sleeves and unfixed gathers around the neck means that the neckline is prone to a lot of shifting when wearing. I tacked my tie at the center back and at both ends, but essentially the entire weight of the dress is hanging from the neck gathers. Combine that with a lightweight fabric (just some poly crepe from JoAnn) and you get a neckline that moves around a lot.
  • No pockets as drafted (I added some)
  • If you make it in a dainty floral print, it may be indistinguishable from a nightgown

 

Am I happy with this? Yes. It’s very FASHUN and good for twirling. Will I make it again? Maaaaybe in a big floral for spring. But we’ll see what the next hot pattern is for 2020 first.

 

 

 

Make Nine #6, Just In Time To Wear Once

By in 2019 Make Nine, sewing, Tuesday Project Roundup

When I re-organized the fabric stash in August, I got to fondle my one precious cut of out-of-print Pegasus rayon (from Anna Maria Horner’s “Fibs and Fables” line) and decided to hurry and sew it up.

“Hurry” in this case meant doing a full bust adjustment (FBA) to the pattern (the Ogden Cami) and then making a muslin to double check the fit, which means this baby got one wear before the weather turned. It’s worth it, though, because: PEGASUS.

I did a one inch FBA (my first, using a combo of tutorials I found online, because it was really confusing) and sewed the straps a quarter-inch wider than called for. That allowed me to put in some strap keepers so things stay in place;

(I used serger thread chains because I still can’t make a nice thread chain to save my life. I guess I could work on my hand-sewing skills for 2020…)

I love this as much as I thought I would–I never thought I’d need to make an FBA but it fits so much better with the darts. Also: PEGASUS! Six-year-old me and almost-forty-year-old me are equally delighted.

Tuesday Project Roundup: Still Going To The Gym

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Here’s another pair of Super G tights in a festive elf stripe for cooler weather, from a limited print run by Blended Thread Fabrics:

Please notice that stripe matching over the side pocket panels–I’m very proud of that. And please also note how I placed the darkest parts of the stripe repeat over the gusset and crotch, the better to hide that crotch sweat. (Hey, it happens.)

And can we talk about the new experience that is going to the gym in the mornings? After the layoffs at work happened, it was too hard to make my preferred 5:00 pm class time–and the 6:30 pm class just cut the evening in two. So last week I tried the 7:00 am class and I had so much focus for the rest of the day, I felt like a WIZARD.

It’s taken me 39 years but I’ve finally figured out SO MUCH: exercise is fun! doing things first thing in the morning is great! eight hours of sleep matters! go to bed early! I know my dad is proud.

Tuesday Project Roundup: The Fine Line

By in 2019 Make Nine, sewing, Tuesday Project Roundup

There’s a fine line between “cool art teacher” and “clown from the 70s” but I think this jumpsuit just barely falls on the right side of that line:

This is from my 2019 Make Nine list (ha, remember that?) and it’s a vintage jumpsuit pattern that I’ve made before. This time, I added some elastic to the back casing to give it some shape so it would veer more art teacher than clown pants.

The fabric is sold-out-everywhere Kokka “Keshiki” twill that I bought from Stonemountain in 2018. I love it (it has all the Bob Ross colors!) but I just barely had enough for this–and the scale of the print repeat means it looks like I used a different fabric on the two fronts.

I was afraid that that would steer it into full clown territory, but I love the finished product. I got the sweetest compliment from coworker when I wore it to work–she said she wanted to “stand up and applaud” when she saw it. I think that means it’s a success.

Little Cats On The Prairie (Skirt)

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Since I’m all about volume and skirts and dresses and ruffles now, I guess going full petticoat was only a matter of time:

I completely impulse bought this fabric after a trip to the dentist, which is right next to the new and fabulous JoAnn store in town. I mean, resistance was futile, right?

Then I got it in my head that the little cats needed to be a button-front skirt with a ruffle and lots of volume. None of the modern patterns I looked at had enough fullness so I found something vintage on Etsy (I’m guessing mid-80s, about the time Out of Africa hit theaters?).

The pattern delivered on the volume–to the point where I wondered if I’d gone past “stylish retro Madewell” and right into “Laura Ingalls Wilder.” But I wore it yesterday and all the younger women at work loved it, as did the Whole Foods cashier, so I think it falls into the “stylish” camp.

I’m pretty sure I had a kid-sized version of this pattern circa 1986, made by my mom in a pink and blue plaid. I know some people hate it when the fashions they remember come back in style, but I, for one, love it.

Thinking About Ruffles

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Fashun has gone full Victorian/Edwardian this season–which makes sense, since the early 90s also did (thanks, Merchant-Ivory films) and the 90s have been back for a bit now. That means there are ruffles all over. Do I want to sew something covered in ruffles? I think I might–but maybe not in a floral, to avoid going all the way into Howard’s End/Anne Shirley territory.


McCall’s 7977 + striped cotton/rayon voile

 


Roscoe Blouse + printed rayon twill


Wilder Gown & Blouse + tencel lawn

 

(All the RTW examples are from Madewell. I may or may not own 60% of the fabric pictured.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: I Like Big Dresses And I Cannot Lie

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After making that crane dress with the bottom ruffle, suddenly I’m all about 1. volume (like the culottes); 2. dresses; and especially 3. dresses with volume. After a twelve-year hiatus from Big Dresses, I’m back and I’m twirling!

whee!

 

 

This is McCalls 7948 in a yarn dyed stripe that I first saw at Stonemountain. (It was sold out when I wanted to order so I tracked it down on Fabric.com, but looks like it’s back in stock!) I wouldn’t have ever thought to look at McCalls but saw Martha Moore’s version in white eyelet and thought, “Wow, that looks big and chic.”

I hadn’t worked with a Big 4 pattern in years so I forgot how big they are–if I make this again, I’d size down for the bodice/redraw the shoulders like Martha did, but the boxiness doesn’t bother me too much. I think it’s giving off Ace & Jig vibes in the stripes, and Big Dresses can’t be beat for comfort.

Tuesday Project Roundup: Skirt-Pants!

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Culottes (they’re back!) are really the mullet of the fashion world: Business when you stand…

…and party when you move!

These are the Winslow Culottes in polyester chiffon from Blackbird Fabrics. They’re the first project I made on the new machine and this fabric (plus a poly lining) did not faze it at all. I mean, look at the PERFECT tension on this machine-stitched blind hem!

The pattern itself is nicely drafted, with really detailed instructions that give a nice finish–great for ambitious beginners. However, I went up a size because I was concerned about waist measurements and they’re a hair too big, so my recommendation is to stick with your body measurements, not the finished garment measurements.

I loved wearing these; the wide legs are so glamorous and they’re truly the best of both the pant and skirt worlds. I think there will be more fashion mullets in my future.

Fabric + Organizing, My Two Favorite Things

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With the addition of the new sewing table for the new machine, I had some shelf space open up. I had seen this True Bias post about folding fabric around backing boards for storage, so I decided to finish the sewing room mini re-org with that project.

Before (you can see the shelf that opened near at the bottom because of the ANARCHY happening on it):

After!

I’d already been storing folded fabric like books (thanks, Marie Kondo!) but because fabric is floppy, it made it hard to pull things out and then put them away neatly. Now that the fabric is wrapped around cardstock it’s so much easier to look at what I have and then “re-file” it neatly. I was even able to pull all my knits out of the bin and get them on the shelves!

The True Bias post talks about using 8.5×11 magazine backing boards but I went up to 9×12 sheet music backing boards, since 95% of my stash is 55 inches wide and that size filled up the cubbies better.

This took me a couple of hours (with Toby’s help, of course) but I’m so happy with it. It was also good to refresh my memories of what I have in the stash: After doing it, I closed a couple browser tabs that had carts of fabric waiting in them, just tempting me–because I already had better things on my shelves.

 

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

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If you sew a dress in a week, you’ll notice that your sewing machine really needs a tuneup. So you’ll take it in to the Bernina dealer for some attention, but while you’re there you’ll look at the new machines. While you’re waiting for your tuneup to be done, you’ll start researching new Berninas. Then you’ll realize how many more years of use you’ll get from a new Bernina than a new laptop, which was the other big purchase you were considering. Then feature creep may set in and you’ll think you should get a really nice Bernina to get as many years as possible out of it. Then you’ll be sad because you’ll wish you had your mom’s advice in all of this.

Then, once you’ve worked through the sadness and maybe decided, you’ll think you need a different sewing table for the new machine, so you’ll go to IKEA. While you’re there, you’ll get some drawer units too so everything can be more organized. Then you’ll put together the drawers, send your partner back to IKEA for a different table top, organize all the drawers, and then–

and THEN–

 

You’ll bring home your new machine.

HELLO, NURSE.

 

This is the 740 and she’s the nicest thing I own. I told Doc last night, “If there’s a fire, we grab Toby first. But if there’s time to grab a second thing, this is it.” I’ve got classes to take at the local dealer to really learn her but spending time on the store model was magic: Auto thread cut! Auto buttonholes! Auto presser foot raise and lower! And the most beautiful, even stitch quality on any fabric.

My mom was a Bernina loyalist and my first machine 11 years ago was a Bernina –so it was a no-brainer to stay with the brand. The threading is the same, the feet still fit, and everything is so well designed. Even how the machine was packaged in the box was precise and well-engineered.

And she has a new sewing table and newly-organized room! We’ll all live happily ever after.

The End.

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