I so wanted to finish the jacket today. Tomorrow? Yes, tomorrow. Yesterday I put in the zipper, collar, lining and hems. There is something funny going on with the lining at the facing hem. I don’t think I will wear this jacket much. After all that fitting work, it is too big and the back is sticking out again. I think it is the stretch in the twill that is making this jacket grow. I have lost some weight on the divorce diet, but not that much to affect the fit.

Today I folded up the sleeve hems and want to “bag” the sleeves. Linda at Danville Girl put together a tutorial. My instructions kind of tell me how to do this, but I just need to feel a little better before jumping off into this step. From what I can see, it would be really easy to get lost in there. I’m going to check a couple of sites, Judy Barlup’s web site comes to mind and look in my Power Sewing book. Threads has an on-line article here.

I did have Sewing School yesterday with M. His brother, E., came to watch. E. is in middle school and he wants to do this, but it’s just not cool. I will not tell anyone, at least anyone that he knows. We got the PJ’s cut out and the serger threaded (which I had to re-thread for the jacket). Later this week we will begin construction.

I also sent off some job applications. There is a job out there that I really, really want, or at least want to interview for. It has my name written all over it. However, the organization re-posted the position on the state employment website which kind of told me that I didn’t make the cut. So I drafted a much stronger cover letter and resubmitted the whole thing. There is nothing to lose and perhaps the opportunity for an interview to gain. The other jobs that I have applied for are OK. My folks used to tell me that I could do anything, and to this day I believe them, so all of the jobs are doable. The question is whether I want the position. So far the phone is not ringing off the hook. Sigh. Tomorrow I am going to call my training company to check in. Maybe I can get a couple of classes in before I have to retire the luggage or maybe they found a new trainer. I would rather know than be hopeful for nothing.

And I will finish that jacket.

The jacket is still not done. Part of the reason is due to “sewing school” which is what my 10 year old neighbor, M., is calling our time together. My kids have no interest in learning to sew. I have had the Girl Scouts over to the house to make quilts. I made 4 quilts with those kids. Two went to Project Linus and two were good-bye gifts for the leaders when the troop disband.

My mom really started to teach me how to sew when I was 10, the same age as M. So far we have made a pillow case, and pot holders which will be Christmas gifts for his grandparents. BTW, this is an awesome pattern designed by a local gal. We used this pattern to make the good-bye quilts. The girls wrote messages to their leaders in the center window. There was no batting used, more like crazy quilt style.

 

Our next project will be PJ’s. We went on a field trip to JoAnn’s last week and he bought some camo flannel. His parents were not pleased, they don’t like what the camouflage fabric stands for. But this is M’s project and you can’t take fabric back… I have some one seam pants from my Kwik Sew Kid’s book already traced out. We will also be using a Kwik Sew raglan t-shirt pattern for the top. I know it is for knits, but it should work fine for a PJ top. The sleeves will be black interlock and the body will be the camo fabric. I have some PJ’s cut out for K that I will make at the same time. That’s how my mom taught me. We made jumpers together. Mine was navy blue (modeled long ago in my 4th grade school photo) and her jumper was plaid (and yes, she matched the plaid).

After PJ’s, we are going to do some hand sewing. Buttons, hems. Basic stuff. I just want to give M. a taste of what is out there. We have also talked about paper piecing. We’ll see how long this goes on. The prep time and time with M. does cut down on my time, but this is more important, right?

An update on the jacket. The lining is done. The collar is made. I needed to shorten the zipper and snipped out a couple of teeth so I could fold the tape out of the way and baste it down. When I came to the zipper pull, I pulled it right off. I have tried to put it back on, but it is not cooperating. So, K. and I will pick up another one. I may never wear this thing, but I will finish it.

making clothing can be really hard! I have been plugging away at the jacket. My first fitting in the fashion fabric found the back sticking out. (Sigh. The pattern was altered, it should have fit she said with a whine.) I did pin out the extra and take in the seam (could it have been the stretch in the stretch twill doing this?) and now all is well on the girth.

But then there was the sleeves. I have made another MacPhee Workshop pattern before and found that the sleeve was not drafted correctly. I had to cut out the next size down to fit arm hole given. With the jacket pattern, the sleeve went in fine with the muslin fabric, but I had too much easing to do with the twill (stretch again?). Gathers in a semi-fitted jacket are unacceptable. The shoulders seemed too big, so I sewed another seam allowance (3/ out from the first unacceptable seam line and all is now well. No gathers, shoulder has a better fit. I just hope they aren’t too short.

So the outside is done. Now I have to do the same thing in the lining fabric. Then the collar and zipper application and finally the hems. Lots of work and I don’t think I like how it is turning out. But I am going to plug on, because I need the practice. How else does one move from being a sewing lightweight to being a sewing middleweight?

Tonight was the first Cub Scout meeting of the year. At the end of last year, our pack was very small and the adults that are carried the pack are very tired. Some of us have been doing some serious recruiting to get some new families to join us. Yes, families, because all of these kid activities take parental care and feeding. We need willing adults to share in some of the work that it takes to make this thing run.

But what gets me is when people play the “I’m Busier than You Game” to explain why they cannot contribute to the organization. They go on and on in great depth about why they can’t do this, that and the other thing. Then they expect you to list your commitments and then what? Decide if their “to do list” is more important than your “to do list”? Come on, we all need to work, take care of kids and home. I refuse to play this game. It makes me look like I have nothing but time, but I won’t play this game. I just think that if you want to help your child have a good experience in whatever activity, you contribute some time and energy to that organization or event.

And it seems that it is true - if you want to get something done, ask the busiest person. We don’t have time to play the “I’m Busier than You Game”.

Yesterday I got two boxes of fabric. One was the brushed twill from Fabric.com (khaki color, not so exciting) and the other was a knit from Ressy’s Co-Op. I am very new to the world of co-op’s. This is my first fabric purchase and I am very happy with it.

I purchased 4 yards ($5/yard) in order to make S. and I shirts, but since she is not wearing the shirts that I make her, she is out of luck. I can think of plenty to do with this fabric.

Here is a photo of the Urban Jacket pattern and fabric. The main fabric is stretch twill. I paid $13 for 2.5 yards including the shipping. The lining was on sale for 99 cents a yard.

The fabric is teal, a poison green and yellow on a cream background. There’s some gray and black in there as well. My photo did not come out well, but you can get the drift.

When I went to JoAnn’s on Monday I also purchased the latest Sew Stylish magazine. There was an article in there by Judy Barlup about walking the seams before cutting out a pattern. When I made the muslin for the jacket, I did not make the sleeves. I don’t have issues with sleeves. I cut them out, but didn’t add them to the jacket. After reading this article and knowing that on another shirt I made from MacPhee Workshop the sleeves were drafted incorrectly, well, I am making the sleeves. First thing I found is that they are too short. I still have to set them into the jacket and I can’t figure out why that hasn’t been done since the kid’s are back in school…

Just so you don’t think I am a slacker mom, here are the other things I have been up to in addition to playing with fabric:

Completed and turned in two job applications. This included updating my references and finding my “unofficial transcripts”.

Steam cleaned dining room/living room/hall way.

Made 8 peanut butter sandwiches for K.’s lunches. They are safely stashed in the freezer.

Filled out two batches of school paper work for emergency contacts and swearing to have read, discussed in depth and memorized the bus rules with the kids (they don’t ride the bus, but still need to know the rules).

Went to Costco (okay, that was fun, my reward for completing the job applications).

I will set in those sleeves and cut out the jacket. Just as soon as I finish mowing the lawn…

The jacket muslin is complete. Was the voice right? Yes and no. The neck and shoulders fit well. I could use a little room, about 2″ in the bust and hips. I think the L1 would have been too big since each seam is about 0.5″ bigger than the L size and with the princess seaming that means a 6 inch difference between sizes.

I decided to add 3″ using Nancy Zieman’s pivot and slide technique. I have an old copy of the Busy Woman’s Fitting Book. This was my bible when I sewed for work years ago. I have narrow shoulders and the rest is much larger so this method works for me. I found some old measurements in the book. Oh, my! What kids and time have done to me. Anyhow, I ended up redrafting the side panels and adding to the front and back side seams. I also added length to the side panels. They came out short in the muslin.

I will say that this is an oddly drafted princess shape. The side panels are very curved and I had to run an ease stitch to get them to join to the almost straight front and back pieces. I almost threw in the towel when trying to do that and found a similar Kwik Sew pattern. I just know that Kwik Sew patterns are well drafted and fit me. I have a number of MacPhee Workshop patterns (they are inexpensive and have a booth at Expo) and have made two. I had trouble with both of them. In fact, maybe I should sell the lot and stick to what works.

I will make this up in the twill. I decided not to use the blue rayon (I am pretty sure it is sueded rayon not Tencel by the way it washed up) because it might show through the twill. Off to JoAnn’s they were having a sale (when are they not having a sale?) and bought some lining for 99 cents a yard. I may regret that too…

I have been sewing since I was 6 years old. My first project was a calico cat cut from a panel and made with lots of help from Mom. My mother was a fabulous seamstress. She made most of our clothes, cocktail dresses and curtains that she changed out depending on the seasons. We used to get books of fabrics from Europe with swatches and she used to purchase them and make the most incredible dresses. One dress had a draped neckline that she used drapery chain to make it hang right.

I am not my mom. I love to sew, but I am not nearly as accomplished as she was (she passed away in 1995). My garments are simple and unstructured. Back in the ’70’s, Stretch and Sew opened stores and taught women to sew on knits. It was revolutionary. My mom loved those classes and that store. She taught me all that she learned. To this day, I love to sew on knits. Most of the time, I have no problem with them, some are hard to manage (like the poly jerseys), but I can turn out a tee shirt and sweat pants on a good day.

For all my years at the machine, I have never made a lined jacket. I have never made a wool, silk or linen garment. A couple of years ago at Expo I picked up a jacket pattern (I have lots of jacket patterns, just don’t make them…) at MacPhee Workshop called the Urban Jacket. (It is pattern number 55, I can’t get the link to work). The is a princess seamed jacket with inseam pockets, a zippered front and it is fully lined. I have a suit jacket with these lines and really like the style. I have some stretch twill from Fabric.com and some tencel purchased at a yard sale for the lining. If I can get this all to work the jacket will cost less than $20 to make.

Last night I traced the pattern. Since I had so much fun making the pants muslin, I am going to do the same with this jacket and check the fit. According to measurements I should be an L1, but drafted a straight L. Why? The voice in my head suggested it, that’s why. You all have that voice. Has it ever been wrong? If I need more bust and/or hip room, I will use the pivot and slide method to add that. So that is the plan for the day. I’ll report back later.

Nine pairs of pants hemmed and counting…

I finished making Kwik Sew 2544 for K. I ended up using some gray sweatshirt fleece. He goes through the knees of sweats so fast and the fabric was a yard sale find, so what the heck.

This was the first time I have made a mock fly and it couldn’t have been easier. If you look closely at the photo you can see where I wobbled on the fly top stitching. I did it by eye and all was going well then I realized that I was doing it by eye and it was a major design element and well, I wobbled. K. never wears his shirt tucked in, so it is not a big deal and I need to have a little bit more confidence. The pockets were so slick. Instead of having a pocket facing and lining piece, the pattern was drafted as one piece and folded back on itself to form the facing. Very nice. I added double knee inserts on the inside instead of the outside. More like his climber pants. K. says he likes the pants, but we’ll see if he wears them. I have decided to salvage the hardware (elastic and buckle) from his old pairs of climber pants to use on future pairs.

Then I went on to draft the pattern from my Terrific Trousers. This was the first time I have ever made a real fitting muslin out of muslin. The first time I sew up a pattern I use cheap fabric and silently hope for a usable garment. If the item is wearable, then looks bad because of the cheap fabric. I have to say, it was a blast to use muslin knowing that it would not be seen in public. I didn’t have to wash or iron the fabric. I used up a whole bunch of almost empty bobbins and two almost empty spools of thread. Only the major pattern pieces are sewn together, so it was fast. Plus I got to see if my alterations to the pattern worked. I had the chance to try on some fitting muslins a couple of weeks ago, so I knew where to start.

I lengthen the crotch 3/4 of an inch. It was a guess on my part but it was perfect. I started out as a L in the waist and move to between L and XL lines for the rest of the garment and the hip area/back side fit great. I did have trouble getting the boot cut template to work. I have an email into Dana to see what I did wrong. That is one nice thing about working with independent pattern designers - you can talk to them.

I was supposed to get some brushed stretch twill from Fabric.com yesterday, but it didn’t arrive. I wanted to use it for the first real pair of pants. Darn! Plus I can’t work on the pants until I hear from Dana. That means I will be working on the quilt over the weekend. I like all kinds of sewing and it’s nice to move between the different types. Sewing garments can be very challenging - fitting a flat fabric to a round object. And all of the round objects are different! Sewing quilts are also challenging - color/design and then they are usually supposed to hang flat (and often don’t). Home dec - how to handle lots of fabric and all that measuring. Crafty stuff has the least amount of challenge. If a potholder isn’t quite square, who cares.

 

 

 

This week began with me looking at purchasing medical/dental insurance for myself. I have until May to find something. I was shocked at the level of coverage and the price. There is no way that I can work as a free lancer and pay mortgage, car, and health insurance. Never mind food, utilities and clothing. Then add in kid stuff (including braces for S.) and there is no way this can be done under my current employment plan. I have been working on my own for the last 8 years, but the catch is someone in the family needed to carry benefits. So with much sadness I realized that I need to let my training work go. I need to find a real job (with a boss), consistent income and benefits. It was a very sad weekend.

I did call my contact at the software company and filled her in on developments. She knows that it had been hard waiting for work. And with the change in marital status and the loss of benefits, she understands. We are still open for classes until I find work. I am looking at working with either the school district or the local community college. Both have periods of downtime when I can possibly teach a class or two. My business insurance is pretty affordable so I can continue to carry that for awhile. Whew! I feel better just getting to here.

I have two applications I am working on. One is for a reading/math tutor at an elementary school. Pros -great hours (only 5.5 per day), home when the kids are, plus elementary schools are such happy places to work. Cons - Low hours, low pay. But I can fill in with stuff. The other position is with the college working as an instruction technician maintaining chemistry/biology/physics laboratories. Pros - Uses my degree, close to home, good pay, some time off between quarters. Cons - It has been a really long time since I have been at the bench. Is it like riding a bike? Does it come back to you? I will put in my application and see what they think.

For the last ten years I have been hemming pants for the kids in the neighborhood. (I do this for grown ups as well.) Back to school time is a big season for hemming. Then again in the spring when the first batch is outgrown. I have finished hemming 4 pair and have 4 pair left. For some reason these pants are given priority over other projects, but I have finished the following:

97 Yellow Brick Road blocks (there were supposed to be 100, but the quilt calls for 90, so I’m ok. Guess I got too zen with the slicing and dicing…),

Aqua slinky knit shell for me,

Aqua slinky knit camisole for S.

After the pants are hemmed I want to make some pants for me and K. My son has some motor delays and at 9 years old he still prefers elastic waist pants. But they can’t look like elastic waist pants. The best ones I have found that meet his requirements (elastic waist, not baggy and available in camo fabric) are the Climber pants from Lands End. I managed to get some nice ones on sale last year. They did last all year with the double knees and he is still wearing them this summer (with considerable patching). However, this year I can’t afford the $25 price tag. So, can I make some that will make my picky kid happy? I found Kwik Sew 2544. I think it has all of the elements he would like. Mock fly, not baggy, double knees, no pockets in the back. The reviewers on Pattern Review didn’t like the cargo pockets, but I would like to try them with Velcro instead of buttons. The climber pants have nice 1″ wide elastic that goes through button holes in the back and ends at button holes in the front with an adjustable buckle. It is a nice touch as it hides the lack of a snap or button at the top. I just need to see if I can find the elastic and buckle. The first pair will be out of denim that I picked up years ago at a yard sale.

The second set of pants that I want to make are call Terrific Trousers from Purrfection. These are drafted for Apple or Pear figure types. Dana had an open house a couple of weeks ago and I was able to try on a couple of her fitting muslins. Wow, what a big help! I now have an idea of where to start on my muslin (which I will make out of muslin). After that I have nice brushed stretch khaki twill coming from Fabric.com. Then on to the dark brown and black Tiki from Nancy’s Notions. It would be great to have a pattern to make pants that are a notch up from jeans.