Sew Weekly: Obi Project Management

Obi Project Management & Bias Cording Que

Day 1.5
I am tired.  I keep loosing my Dicky Body, Obi Bow is now where to be found.  However, here is where it's at:
I'm still not completely cut, but close to it.  This swanky robe has turned into quite the stash-buster.  There are little piles of kimono all over the apartment.

Do-Pile Breakdown:

1. Obi Project Management + Bias Stripping Que
2. Items Cut, but awaiting interfacing
3. Kimono Body #1 (hung)
4. Kimono Body #2 (Haori) awaiting cutting
5. Sleeves, Kimono Body #1 awaiting thread marking
6. Kimono Body #1 Lining awaiting cutting
7. Sash possibilities
8. Linings of all sleeves in process of being cut, Kimono #1 and Haori
9. Dicky Body pile

Awaiting center back seam.  I wish the center back matched better than this, but I use what I have.   Traditional kimono all seem to match all the way around.
Now, how on Earth to get it done in time??  At this point it comes down to one thing: if I can get the sleeves made to the first kimono, it all falls into place.  Which brings me to mentioning this corset by The Dreamstress: I was originally going to line the sleeves with the green flannel.  (I had to get the flannel to match the lime green silk that was gifted to me about 10 years ago.) But then I remembered the Cymbidium Orchid corset, and the pink inside/green outside.  I found enough old pink bengaline in my stash to line my sleeves and it just became that much better.  Thanks, Dreamstress!

Sew Weekly: Academy Awards

So, this week on the Sew Weekly, the theme is any movie that been up for or won an Academy Award.  I ran through my favorite movies that are in periods that I lean toward: Cold Mountain (no time to make a full corset and a blouse); Roman Holiday - (cute period, but again, waist needs a cinch) 7th Heaven - great silent film, but I don't have the fabric on hand to make that simple frock.  And so it went.  I had to select my movie based on fabric on hand, and I had the poly chiffon and a few yards of lime green silk.  Then, Red Tag fabric went back on sale and I located the same poly chiffon - enough to make a robe.  That sealed the deal: Memoirs of a Geisha.

 I have two different patterns for kimono - Simplicity 4080 and Folkwear 129 already pre-cut.  This should be a snap!

Day One: I cut out all of the pieces I need to Simplicity 4080.  Not bad, and not too many.  Which means I'll have a swanky vintage-looking bombshell houserobe in no time.  Or, at least, under deadline.
These are all of the pieces I didn't need:

After I cut out the silk for the obi, I found some red braid to use as the tie that I thought would be perfect.  We'd used it at our wedding for our hand-fasting, and I figured I'd make good use of it.  Except the instructions say to glue it onto the silk.  I'm not going to do that.  They also say to make a slip knot, but I don't remember what that is.  I looked it up in my trusty Girl Scout Handbook from 1972.  It didn't really explain it there, either.  Here is how to tie the slip knot for Simplicity 4080.

Pat's Stripes Dress

I confess to having this ultra-80‘s-cool, red & black stripe in my hoard of fabric since sometime in 1990.  I first purchased it to make my boyfriend at the time, Pat, a tunic or something.  Then, we broke up and I still had 7 yards of it.  I stuffed it in a bag at the back of my closet.  We got back together. Then, we broke up.  Then, we moved in together.  Great! One red & black tunic and a matching dress coming right up!  Then, we broke up, yet again.  Back into my closet it went, un-cut. 

Suddenly, in the mid-2000‘s, Pat passed away. And so, this 6-7 yard hunk of fabric that essentially reminded me so much of him got shoved to the very bottom of my stash.  I thought I might Etsy it someday, but I never did.

This is my second attempt at “Red” this week.  The first attempt requires a zipper which I just don’t feel like buying because I know I have one someplace and time is getting short.  I didn’t think I had any more red fabric to work with, but I looked under my table and there was a this bag filled with stripes.  Next to it was a fresh pattern that called for stretch knit fabric.  Serendipitous!

The actual fit and measurements on the pattern envelope get a straight-up ‘F’.  I keep my current measurements taped to my door for easy reference.  I select multi-sized patterns and cut the lower half on the larger sizes, and cut the bust line according to whatever Simplicity/McCalls/Burda/Vogue says I am today.  The girls fell right out in a test fitting, so I recut the bust pieces larger, messed them up in the serger, and re-cut again.

Did I mention I hate re-do’s??  And re-re-do’s???  I mean, of the same project, of course!

Pattern: Khaliah Ali Collection Simplicity 2947

Fabric: Long-held stash, elastic & thread: stash; etc.

Mods: Added micro-netting to the bust-line to vamp it up a bit.

Final Cost: $3.53:  $1 for the pattern; $2.53 for a netting remnant (purchased about 10 years ago, tag still on) 

Time to Complete: Forever

Wore: For photos

Wear Again: Yes! after the sleeves have been re-set so they don’t fall off

Make again: Yes!  (but not from stripes)

Little Purse Prorotype

This little purse came from work, we'll be making these soon as a class.

Happy Valentine's Day!

First thing,  I made a sweet, romantic treasury over on Etsy:
Purples,  of course!

DownUnder: Boho Paisley Muumuu

First, I'd like to say I did not start out to make a muumuu of any sort.  It turned into one, I'm guessing because it drapes from the bust line which is never a good thing on me.  It didn't take too long.  I nabbed the fabric from WalMart the previous evening and ran a pre-wash.

 I actually sort of like the fabric even though it's not my normal style.  I wish it matched better in the center front, but I was in a hurry and didn't line my fold up correctly.

Pattern: Simplicity It's So Easy!  E2034
Time to Complete: About 5 hours
Worn: Not yet.  Only for the pictures.
Fit: 8.5 on a 10 point scale.  Not much to worry about here except the bust facing.
Mods: I added vintage lace to the bottom because it seemed to need something.
Make Again: Yes
Cost: Pattern $1.89; Fabric: $9; Notions: Vintage lace from stash
Final Cost: $10.89

What I've Made This Month

A hat my husband hates:

A machine embroidered fleece scarf to match:
(He liked this better!)

A corset muslin:

Sew Weekly

I've just joined the Sew Weekly.  Frankly, I'm obsessed with the Sew Weekly and Mena Trott's dresses and have been following it off and on since she started it.  The idea that I can make nearly everything suddenly doesn't seem so far away.  Using my fabric stash and breathing some fresh air into it is exciting.  Getting dressed seems exciting again!  I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!

January Tool of the Month: Re-used Plastic Calendar

I cut up the covers and dividers from my old calendar to used as a temporary holder for lace purchased recently.

Cut off the holes, add a slit in the top to anchor the lace.  While I wouldn't use it for long term storage of vintage or fragile textiles, it's good for short-term organization.
The effect was prettier than I imagined, and I kind of like the sentiment.  Plan ahead.

Happy New Year!!

December Tool of the Month

 This months tool of the month is this Donna Dewberry Self Healing Cutting matt from Fiskars.  It's a perfect shade of bluish-mauve.  My sewing room has been a haphazard slew of tools and colors, all which lead to my own visual distraction.  To cut my distractions down, I needed to pick one or two colors.  Most cutting mats are dark green with yellow lines.  They show most fabric ok, but they add a huge, dark green hole to a room.  I find this lavender-ish cutting mat uplifting and motivating.  I leave it up and work on it for everything.  It's fairly large, (18" x 24") with 30, 45, and 60 degree lines for cutting bias strips and other strips as needed.

 Brighten your room!

After Photos

There were some "Before" photos of my work space that were so disheveled, I can't bring myself to discuss them, let alone post.  But once everything was cleared out,

I scrubbed the floor to my closet, and organized the space more to my liking.  Come in and take a peek!

November Tool of the Month

This Grabbit Bobbin Saver by Blue Feather Products looks like one of those things that you'd never think would be all that.  But it holds 20-30 bobbins, of all makes and models, it's non-skid, but when it happens to fall in a busy work room, it hold bobbins securely so they don't fall out.  You can easily see what colors you have wound, and bobbins snap in and out easily.

 Bobbin Savers come in several colors (red, purple, blue) so you can further organize you bobbins by type, especially useful if you have an embroidery machine that uses multiple types of thread.
Plus, the Bobbin Saver fits nicely into Christmas stocking for the sewist in your life.

Tool of the Month: Binding Buddy

I recently read Nancy Zieman’s Favorite 101 Notions from cover to cover.  I found out about a few things that I didn’t know even existed and this is one of them.  I rushed right out to grab one!  

My Binding Buddy is made by June Taylor.   It has a 45 degree angle chopped off on one end, which initially sounds dumb, but what a help!  It’s made my binding cutting go much faster and smoother.  

The plastic it’s made from also resists my rotary cutter, so it won’t get sliced n’ diced very easily in the process.  The other end has a pre-formed hole to hand alongside your other measuring tools. (Not all tools have this and I look for the ones that do.) 

I recommend both the Binding Buddy and a read-thru of Nancy’s Favorite 101 Notions book.

Cheapest Skirt Ever (without flat-out stealing!)

The other day, I created this tweet in my head: 

“JoAnn’s is having a sale!  Pattern $1, Fabric $2, your new skirt = $3!” 

But could that really be done?  I purchased a pattern and the fabric to find out.

The pattern is Simplicity 2215, a Cynthia Rowley mini-wardrobe consisting of a blouse, a jumper and a skirt.  All pieces look really hip and wearable.  A solid design ‘A’.  I chose view C, the skirt.

Fabric choices at the lowest possible price point were so dismal I hesitated a moment to wonder if I could go forward with this project at all.  I could only find 2 boards marked at $4.  The bargain fabrics were discounted 50% for the Columbus Day weekend sale, so my primary goal was to get 1 yard @ $2.  

Choice #1 Magenta Poly Crepe - a nice lining for a jacket, but not skirt fodder in my book.  Choice #2: 100% cotton in medium-hued lavender printed with gold Easter eggs and baskets - a solid ‘F’ for ‘fug-ley’. Because of it’s cotton fiber, I seriously considered the Easter eggs.  I could dye it, after all, but that would add to the over-all cost of the skirt foiling my $3 plan.  My other option was to chop it into unrecognizable bits, quilt-style, and make a skirt that way.  I really don’t need a square-dancey type skirt as I’m not on my way to a hoe-down any time soon.

Polyester it is.  Yuck.  To make matters worse, at the cutting table I require 1.5 yards to cover my hips.  My total skirt cost has just jumped to $4!

Enter Glamour magazine.  The September 2011 issue featured Mad Men star Christina Hendricks wearing a Zac Posen dress to die for.  The cut is impossible, and I couldn’t find a similar pattern, but the color is identical to my skirt fabric.  Inspired, I forge on.

My next cost snag was notions.  That invisible $ipper will run you!  I decide to skip the $ipper and use these intriguing, vintage, heart-shaped hook n’ eyes, which miraculously declare that they are proud members of the National Rifle Association. (!) 

Whatever. I don’t count them in final cost because to be honest, I’ve had them for years and picked them up at a garage sale ages ago.

So, off to make my cheap-ass skirt.

I realized 2 things when cutting this pattern:

1. I didn’t really need a pattern for this skirt, as it is nearly identical to the one I made for Civil War reenactment this summer, sans pattern.

2. That this skirt has a couple of sweet pockets!  Excellent!

The next dilemma involved whether or not to underline the skirt.  The fabric itself is actually a decent-quality, skirt-weight poly crepe.  But it will still need to be worn with a slip.  Underlining will technically up the cost of the skirt, and I have black poly lining on hand.  But polyester + polyester doesn’t make a thing right.  For the sake of improving the drape, look and over-all wearability, I opted to line it with some pre-washed black 100% cotton muslin.  It brings up the final cost but keeps the skirt from just hanging in my closet or being instantly re-purposed.

In a fit of Fall 2011 color-blocking inspiration, I added a narrow black band to the hem-line from a piece of something left over from something.

Voila!  Done!

Final cost: $6.00

Pattern: $1

Fabric: $3

Notions: Muslin Underling - $2

Items on-hand: Vintage Hook n’ Eyes, Thread

Mods: Hook n’ Eyes, black hem band

Wore it to: Not so fast!  That smiling hemline needs to be un-done, trimmed properly and re-stitched!

                - J.

Featured Etsy Seller: LoveLaurie

There are some things that just send me into spasms of delight, and this is one of them.

  


When I was a very small person, I used to love things that were out of scale: tiny menageries of faux mice cavorting in their dollhouse milieu or super- gigantic tissue paper flowers on wooden dowels.  LoveLaurie ‘s pin cushion is an equally dreamy item, not so much for it’s scale as it’s texture.   I purchased this pin cushion after doing an Etsy search for “black velvet pin cushion” expecting no results.  To my surprise, there it was!  The black velvet pin cushion I’d been wishing for!  Filled with (get this!) black emery sand!  I ordered one right away and it came lickity-split.  I adore this pin cushion.  I do have 3 others, but none compares to this.

First, it’s black, which is just cool, and it’s elegantly made of velvet, my favorite material.

Then, the emery sand makes it heavy, so it doesn’t roll around.  I often use it as an extra pattern weight.  I love the sage green flossing and tomato topper and I love its strawberry companion, also made of matching black velvet.  

I love the bold, little “Sewing is the New Black!” sign post.  This small signage has a nod to a practical purpose: by fitting some flat-head pins of your own with small, hand-made signs, you can create sectors in your pin cushion for hand needles as well as machine needles to keep track of needle type (ball point, leather, top stitch, heavy) and weights (80, 90) and # of hours used.  

I included this pin cushion in my first Treasury, “Midnight Traveler” and encourage everyone to stop by  LoveLaurie's shop for a pin cushion.  There are plenty of others to choose from.  Who couldn't love Laurie?! 
    
                    -  J

The Foundry

It was pouring as I made my way down the hill to Remsen St., but the band struck up some old Zeppelin, just for my entrance!  The Foundry shindig had shut down Remsen on one end, which was pretty impressive.  The band was good, The Foundry, itself was gorgeous, as both an art and a living space.  Arched windows overlook the City of Cohoes, it was immaculate and modern and incredibly inspiring in a way that made me want to go back up the hill and give everything I own away.
When Jesse and Alana are ready, The Foundry for Art, Design + Culture will be a force to be reckoned with!  I can't wait and wish them both the best of luck!

I Go Out at Night...Too Often

I finally realized that every walk I've taken so far has been at night, for some reason.  So, when I got around to going out in daylight, I was suddenly seeing things I'd never seen before.  There is Clinton's Ditch, and historical sign-posts to tell about the Erie Canal (I had no idea, New York State History was a long time ago.)  There are houses to cry for, they are so gorgeous.  I slunk down to Remsen St on a Saturday afternoon to see if it might have more inhabitants than on my previous visits, and I was wrong.  There were no more people on a fine Saturday afternoon that there are on a dark Thursday evening.

 I stood in front of each business, trying to ascertain if life was imminent.  Satchel, open in '09 on my first visit, (and where I picked up my own Global Girlfriend handbag) seems to be by appointment.  Joe Yoga is on summer holiday.  Bread & Jam is closed.  There are any number of businesses that I so desperately want to be open, but simply aren't.  It's frustrating because the city itself is incredibly beautiful.  I did find Remsen Street Studios, which made me really happy, as I've admired the work of local artist Jon Gernon for years.  (I interviewed Jon for a start-up indie zine in the early '90's.  Puppets come to mind.)

There are gorgeous things that I dare not mention here, for fear of spoiling them.
Cohoes hides her secrets well.

I Go Out at Night

...just to see what I can see.  Tonight was an amazingly huge moon coming up over a near-by church, rising behind the ancient-looking steeple.  The clouds cooperated and I clicked into the night air in hopes of catching anything at all.  Ta-da!  Something is better than nothing.  Welcome to the creepiness!

Sketchbook Digitized!

The whole book can be seen at the Art House Co-op online.  That's pretty cool!