New patterns

I picked up a few new top patterns when they were on sale at Joann's. This is Vogue 8857

 

I love this blouse & thought I could use this pattern to copy it.

I also got this Sandra Betzina pattern (Vogue 1345)

and this Vogue 8880

Here's the line drawing; it has a lot of options.

Also got Butterick 5861

And now, to find time to sew them!

Apron for my Daughter-In-Law

My daughter-in-law's birthday was March 1st.  Since I wanted to make her a gift and I know she likes to cook, I decided to make her an apron.  I saw this one on-line and thought it was cute. The only thing I changed was to leave off the pocket.  And luckily, I had fabric similar to those.

 

I didn't use a pattern.  I just started measuring and cutting.

I haven't given it to her yet.  I really hope she likes it.
 

New Handbag

   

As is usual when I make a bag, I didn't go by a pattern.  I had an idea of what I wanted and just started with a basic shape of a front and back with a 4 inch gusset.  I made 2 inside zipper pockets and 2 outside zipper pockets. The finished size is 10 inches high and 12 inches wide.  The strap is 2 inches wide and 24" long.

I used 2 upholstery fabrics that I got at Joann Fabrics on the “red tag” table when it was 50% off, so I paid probably $5.00 for the fabric.   When I saw this fabric, I knew it would be great for a handbag.  For the lining I used a black twill and the printed fabric for the pockets.  I made one side of the bag  the black print fabric with a gold pocket and the other side is the gold  fabric with a black print pocket.  I did this just to add a little extra something. 

For the strap I used a 2 inch wide black webbing and then sewed a piece of the purse fabric on top of it.  The reason I made the strap this way is the webbing gives it strength without the layers and bulk of interfacing.   But by itself, it’s kind of plain, so I added the fabric layer.  The 2 inch webbing is kind of hard to find, but I wanted it that wide since there’s only 1 strap.

I really enjoy making handbags.  I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out, although I do wish I'd made it just a little bit bigger.

Emma's Apron

 My 9 r. old granddaughter, Emma, made an apron.





























Emma & I love to sew, and when we get to spend the day together, that's what we do.  She also likes to cook and didn't have her own apron, so she decided to make one. She looked through my stash and picked a "tie-dye" fabric and a solid yellow for accent.  These are both quilting type cottons.    Since I already have Butterick pattern 5426, that's what we used.  We made a combination of views B & C.  And because it's sized for adults, I removed a little here and there to make it fit Emma.

I had to help her with some of the sewing, but she did most of it.  I think it turned out pretty cute!  Most importantly, she likes it.

TNT Patterns

I've decided to add another item to my list of sewing goals for this year.  I want to develop a TNT (tried and true) pattern for the basics in my wardrobe. After thinking about what I wear most of the time, I came up with this list of 10.
 
1. Basic knit top (with neckline & sleeve variations)
2. Cardigan
3. Woven pull over top
4. Princess seam button down blouse
5. Loose fit button down shirt
6. Vest
7. Boot-leg trousers
8. Knit pants (slim fit & flare leg)
9. Woven pants (pull on style for linen, etc.)
10. Knit dress

This will be a big job, but once it's done, it will make sewing more enjoyable.   And quicker too since fitting a new pattern can take a lot of time. Wish me luck!
 

Tablecloth Skirt

My last post was for a tablecloth and this one is for a "tablecloth" skirt. Ha! That's totally coincidental.

I've wanted to make this skirt since I saw on Shams' blog. 
Thank you for sharing your pattern!


I followed her instructions as to size and sewing directions except I hemmed mine last thing.  I was almost finished with it and realized it was too long.  So I took 2" off just the long points. 

And now that I've made it, I love it! 

It fits great, hangs so nicely and it swishes when I walk :)

Since it takes over 3 yards of fabric, I made sure to pick something that's not too heavy.  This fabric is perfect for this skirt.  It's a very drapey, soft fabric, but ravels horribly, and I believe is a rayon.  I found in my stash, and I have no idea when or where I got it. There were a couple of rips in the fabric, but I was able to cut around them.

Here's a picture of the back.

Tablecloth

I made a new tablecloth for my round kitchen/dining table. 

I recently noticed that my tablecloth had a couple stains that wouldn't come off and decided I needed to replace it - whenever.  Yesterday as I was looking thru a box of fabric, for something else, I came across this 2 yd piece of red/black plaid.  It's a nice crisp fabric, right color & just big enough for a tablecloth! A fabric stash is a good thing.  So in a couple hours - ta-da, new tablecloth!

It wasn't quite big enough across, so I trimmed a little off the end and added it to the side.  And thanks to the plaid, you can't even tell where the seam is.  I trimmed a little off the corner points so they wouldn't be so long.  And instead of hemming it, I used black bias tape for the edges.  Don't you just love black bias tape! 
 

 It's cold and wintery here, so that plaid looks appropriate :)

Fabric Purchase

I went to Joann's last week & they had their "red tag" fabrics on clearance for 50% off. I always look when it's on clearance and usually find some good deals.  Here's what I got:

First, a piece of tweed suiting.  It's medium weight, very soft & pretty.  Would make real nice pants, but there was only 1 yard of it.   I could use it for a bag or maybe a vest. It was $3.00 yd.

This is 2 pieces of printed corduroy,  I got 3 yds of 1 and 3.25 of the other.  One was $3.00 and the other $3.50 yd.

I really like the printed pants I've been seeing, so the idea is to use these for pants.

This is 2 yds of lt weight denim (to use for a skirt) and 3.25 yds of med. wt. denim.  They were $3.00 yd.  The check piece is red & pink flannel.  I got 6 yds of it for $1.50 yd.  Will use it for pj pants or a quilt.



I also got a 1 yd piece of black crepe for $1.50 that is very nice.


These are all basics and at really good prices.



I also got several spools of thread at 50% off and Vogue pattern 1323.  This is the line drawing.  I plan to make the shirt for warm weather (with shorter sleeves).

Pants

It seems fitting (pun intended) that my first post of the year is about pants.  Last year on PR, we had a year long sew-along for fitting and making pants.   I wanted to be able to easily make my own pants that fit better than RTW.   I had challenged myself to make an average of 1 pair of pants per month.  I didn't meet that challenge, but I have learned a lot and made progress.   After making a lot of muslins, looking at my backside more than I ever wanted to, and with the help of the other ladies on the sew-along, I have figured out why most RTW pants and patterns don't work for me.  Apparently I have a high round backside with a tilted waist, and this is not the typical, average shape. And I have a very long back crotch and very short front crotch.  So now I'm working on making adjustments to come up with a TNT pants pattern.

I started out with this Vogue pattern by Sandra Betzina (it's OOP now). 

This pattern came with a Craftsy class on pants fitting taught by Sandra Betzina.   The shape and fit of the waist, hips and crotch of this pattern are pretty good for me.  Much better than any other pattern I've tried, and I've tried a lot.  What I don't like: the legs are very loose, there's a seam in the center of the legs and no front zipper.   I also had wrinkles in the backside.  And when I tried to fix one wrinkle, I would get 2 more somewhere else.  After many test pairs and much slicing & dicing, I have finally come up with a pair of pants I will actually wear.  I decided to go with a wide-leg style and loose fit.  It's hard to tell in the pictures, but I used a dark purple (eggplant?) corduroy.

Here's a picture showing the pocket and the lining for the fly & waistband.  Just for fun, I used a pink zipper :)

Sewing Goals for 2013

Here's my list of sewing goals for next year:

1. Learn to make panties.
2. Use my coverstitch machine more.
3. Blog more often.
4. Make a quilt for my bedroom.
5. Re-pad my dressform.


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Rhonda's Free Pattern: I want to make this!

Look at this cool jacket!

It was created by Rhonda Buss and she was nice enough to share it with us.

Rhonda's Creative Life: Fabulous Free Pattern Friday

S2633 Blue Paisley Vest

I've been so obsessed with pants since September that I've hardly sewn anything else, or actually thought about anything else.  But I did make a vest in October using this Simplicity pattern.


This vest has princess seams on the front & back-which gives it a nice fit.

The pattern also includes a shirt pattern that has a couple different neckline & sleeve options.






































I used a purplish/blue paisley print flannel that I've had in my stash for a few years.  I always loved it, but it was such a small piece that I didn't know what to use it for.   I usually use a size 14 pattern for Simplicity tops, but I made this in a 16 since it looked pretty close fitting on the envelop.  I'm glad I went up a size because the 16 is a perfect fit.   The only thing I had trouble with was the ruffle collar.  I tried to line it, but it was just too bulky & I could not get it to lay right.  So I cut a new ruffle and hemmed it using my narrow hem foot - turned out pretty good.

I used a small scrap of white satin (also from stash) for the lining.
 
 

I added buttons to the "pocket" flaps.













Here's a couple close ups of the neck ruffle.

I like how it turned out; now just waiting for it to get cold enough to wear it.

Knit Top - Simplicity 3790

I made a knit top using Simplicity 3790, but I made so many changes that mine doesn't really look like the pattern. I started with view F, added the sleeves from View E, plus added a bottom band from View C.

The way I used my fabric changed the look too. I had a small piece of a print fabric leftover from another project that I like a lot.  But it was really too small to make anything.  So I decided to use the print for the front and black for the rest of the top.  And I really like how it turned out.

Since the weather was still nice, I decided to get some outside shots.  No pictures of the back as it's just a plain black top.

I made a size 14 and the fit is very good.  I made my usual alteration & trimmed a little off the shoulders.  I also lowered the neckline a little and made the sleeves longer.  I like how the neckline fits - not too wide across. I also like the gathers at the center front - just enough without being too full and loose.  Until I added the bottom band, the top was pretty short.  This pattern has four different neckline options and several sleeves choices, so a lot of variety in one pattern.

Nook Cover

I finally finished my Nook cover and I love it.  It protects my Nook, it makes it easier to hold, plus it's so pretty!  Before starting, I looked at a lot of different styles and decided I wanted a cover that looks and opens like a book.   The problem I had was what to use on the corners that would hold the Nook in place. I tried making fabric corners and different size elastic.  Then a friend suggested using narrow elastic headbands. I got mine at the Dollar Tree - a package of 8 for $1.00.  They're about 3/8" wide and come a lot of different colors. I cut 1 band into 4 equal size pieces, and it worked perfectly for the corners.  I used fusible fleece batting to make the cover padded, and used plastic craft canvas for support and body.  To hold it closed, I added a flap with a strip of velcro.  When I'm holding it like a book, I can fold the cover back, and the velcro holds it in place.  It's also rigid enough that it can be stood on its edge.  Which is handy when I'm reading a recipe from it while cooking.  Overall, I'm very pleased with how it turned out.