Archive | May, 2010

What I Did Wrong

31 May

So, my second project for the long weekend was to work on the #113 Burda dress from January 2008. The biggest problem I had with the dress is it takes an OBSCENE amount of time due to all of the top stitching. Luckily, I’m on two machines, but between the top stitching, sewing and serging / finishing — this dress sucked up a lot of time.

Imagine delight that it fit (considering I didn’t do a muslin and there’s very little room to alter due to the pockets). But, Ugh. Look at the back.

What went wrong? This. My bad marking.

The back of the raglan sleeve is supposed to go to seam #4. Not to the neckline.

I sewed it up to the neckline. Soooo, this concludes my sewing weekend. By the time I unprick the topstitching, serging and regular stitching, I’ll be too tired to do any more. Sewtis interruptus.

(Suggested) Drafting Supplies

29 May

So, I’ll be starting another blog for the Draft-A-Long. But, I haven’t come up with a great name yet. Suggestions welcome!!

My basic plan is this. Above is what the Mrs. Stylebook drafting instructions look like. Yeah. Japanese. But, the Bunka textbooks have translated *all* of this.

In addition, they have the directions in English. I think, just the sloper draft in English with my summary / retelling of the directions constitutes as ‘Fair Use’. After all, when we’re done, we’ll be able to use their patterns. So, really, it’s a win-win for everyone. If you’re feeling guilty about this, buy a MSB on Etsy or order the 1st of the Bunka textbooks. Well, I might actually order the 2nd. The first is really more about ‘how to sew’ than anything else.

Below is a list of supplies you’ll need (or will make your life easier) for drafting the sloper or drafting our basic garment from the sloper– at least the Bunka sloper.

1. A C-thru ruler. Kathleen Fasanella recommends the B-95 and I agree with that as it’s metric and imperial measurements. I’d have a photo of mine if I could find it….

2. A ‘D’ curve. I have totally forgotten the ‘American’ name of this drafting ruler. I want to say a #6? I have both. One from Japan and one that my drafting teacher  sold us. This is great for drafting your armscyce. I’m hoping someone will jump in here and tell me the name of this curve. My Japanese one was $11 from Bunka. Below is a photo of them on top of each other so you can see that the curve is about the same.

3. A Protractor. Here is the Bunka version for reference. I think a regular protractor will do just fine. But, to draft the sloper I do have directions that don’t use the protractor. So, not necessary. But, they are like $2.50

4. A L square. I suspect a T- Square will also work. Mine with the numbers was purchased in Panama. But, I found several metal ones at an art supply store in town.

5. A set of curves. I got these in plastic. They work fine :)  And, I think this will be just fine.  This is the one Bunka mentions in the textbook.

Oh, and you don’t *really* need to order online. I’ve seen all of these things at art supply stores locally. But, to be fair there’s an art / design school in Baltimore.

And, I just want to reiterate one more time, I’m not a fit expert. The goal here will be to draft this sloper since so many people seem to be interested in the Japanese magazines that come out. It’ll be a good motivator for us to work together to make one!

I’m registered for a Computer Aided Pattern Drafting and Draping I class this fall. So, I’m super motivated right now!

Again, drafting blog name suggestions welcome!

People Are Awesome

29 May

This morning I finally pulled myself together to go to the UPS store and ship your awesome care packages to Haiti. I was overcome when I saw how all the fabulous things you sent  filled my trunk (the seats are down). That’s my roomie waving.

The guy at the UPS store and I totally had a moment too. He’s British and I pulled up in my MINI Cooper, Nigel. Sixty-eight pounds worth of fabric, patterns and notions. Seriously, you guys are terrific!

So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very very much for your extreme and limitless generosity to Arielle. People have been pretty foul lately in our community. It’s good to know that the silent majority are the good people.

Another reason I say ‘People Are Awesome’ is because Karen in Ft. Worth sent me the May Burda. This one was very sad for me to lose because I made the cover dress. She attached a note that made me cry a little. So, Karen, THANK YOU. And again I say, ‘People are Awesome’.

One more post on the draft a long and then I’m going into the sewing room!

Puttering Along

25 May DSCF0866

I’m making nice headway on the Poet blouse. It’s been super easy up until now. Button and sleeve bands are up next. It’ll likely wait until the four-day weekend kicks in on Friday.

In the meantime, I’ve had a few comments regarding cooking for the Vegan. I’m not a vegan. Nor am I a vegetarian. But, I was raised a Seventh-day Adventist who are often vegetarians. That, and my mom was a community health nurse so she was all about eating less meat. So, I’m quite used to non-meat meals and actually sometimes prefer it.  And, I am secretly hoping some dietary changes will lead to some weight loss. I say all that to say that his being a vegan doesn’t bother me at all. So, what do I cook? Lots of things. Some things so good that my committed meat loving roommate always eats what I may make. Oh, not that I’m like cooking for him all the time. Usually on Sunday I try and make one decent sit down meal for the Vegan and the roommate. I thought I would show something I made this week.

Red Beans and Rice with Red Wine Simmered Seitan

Delish. The brown rice was cooked in coconut milk. The seitan was simmered in red wine with fresh thyme, peppercorns and soy sauce. It had green peppers, shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, sea weed and more. I am far too lazy to type up the recipe. And, I’m not finding a link for it anywhere. But, it’s in ‘Vegan Soul Kitchen‘. I bought my copy used for less than $10. And, if you are thinking of buying seitan or tofu, go to your local Asian market. I paid half of what Giant charges for tofu and a fraction of what Whole Foods wants for seitan.

Hell Hath No Fury

24 May

As I type this email, please know that I am breathing fire.

On Thursday, I took my last three Burda Magazines and newly gifted double issue of March 2010 Knip Mode to work to make photocopies of the line drawings. On my way in, a younger male colleague asked me for help on a project. After spending two hours fixing his problem I went on to my office.

This morning (Monday), I realized I didn’t have the magazines and sent him an email asking if I left them at his desk. His reply?

‘Yes… I threw them out. I wasn’t sure who’s they were…’

‘I hope you are kidding’

‘Nope. Sorry’

I have never wanted to cause physical violence to someone as badly as I do now. I’m not kidding you when I say I wanted to cry.

GLP News has March. $15. Fashionista Fabric had May. $15. Sewbaby is sold out. I’m still looking for April. April $24 purchased on ebay (thanks Kristine!) And I never even looked through the Knip Mode. By the time I’m done, I will have spent almost as much money replacing these three as my entire subscription costs.

Hell hath no fury like a Burda lost.

Clarification on Two Thoughts

24 May

Hi All,

Thanks for the enthusiastic response on a Fabric Swap! In case you read earlier in the day and missed it, I went ahead and created a Fabric Swap group on Google. You can  sign up from the below box.  It will be moderated for a bit until we (er, me) get the hang of it. And, um, if you would like to help moderate it, feel free to volunteer!

Google Groups
Subscribe to Fabric Swap
Email:
Visit this group

Personally, I have some patterns and magazines I can purge and will post them this weekend. There are some ‘guidelines’ to posting on the board. Anyone can read the listings. But, you have to be a member to post. And, for now I’m limiting ‘discussions’ to just posting and swapping. You also need to take pictures of fabric and post in files or on Flickr / Photobucket / blog, etc. And, there’s a template to follow for uniformity. I shamelessly stole all this from my local Freecycle group.

As for the sloper… My thoughts were more along the motivation standpoint. You can draft  from the MSB or Bunka books if you have or download the Bunka style (all the way at the bottom.  I’ll be posting instructions from the magazine and books on drafting. There are two styles of slopers. One with multiple darts and one with a single dart. Or you can use one of the fitting shells from Simplicity, Burda or anyone if you choose. This weekend I’ll come up with a time line and suggested supplies. The end goal (for me at least) will be to have a sloper that fits and do a draft-a-long of a simple design from a Mrs. Stylebook or similar publication. My textbooks define all the symbols and I now understand the basic concept. So, I thought it would be fun to take it on as a group to walk through the process. If you’re not familiar, here’s what a MSB design looks like. Plus, I have two semi-local Japanese associates. One, who blessedly knows how to sew!

My next post will likely deal with the suggested supplies from Bunka.

I want to stress one more time that I know NOTHING about fit. The Bunka book has some basic fitting issues with the sloper. But, I don’t have a thing to offer in that regard. In addition, I won’t be able to tell you how to use a fitting shell / sloper to check fit on patterns. I’m doing this for the purpose of drafting my Japanese magazine collection. Hopefully, when I get the drafting blog set up, we’ll keep it open and those more knowledgeable will volunteer their advice. The official start date will be after PR Weekend in Montreal…. late June / early July.

Whew. That’s a lot of information without a single photo!

Two Thoughts

22 May

** Edited to add link to Fabric Swap

The first, would anyone be interested in a Sloper Draft / Sew Along? I’m wondering if we couldn’t do this as a long term summer project. Yes, I realize there are downloadable slopers on the internets. But, at 5’6 and a D cup, I think I’m better off drafting. Plus, I want to keep up my (minimal) drafting skills. If you would be interested, let me know and maybe I’ll figure something out. I could sort of post my directions as we go along. I would be NO HELP ON FIT. But, I think I have enough basic knowledge to get the drafting. I’m hoping this will be good motivation to get it done!

Second, a virtual fabric swap meet. Here’s the thing. On the nail polish board I frequent (yes, these things exist), people post things they want to swap all the time. I was thinking we could set up a separate blog to post fabric / notions that we’d be interested in swapping. Would anyone be interested in that?

I’ve gone ahead and created a group and based ‘the rules’ on my local Freecycle. I have a slew of patterns I’ll post this week!

Google Groups
Subscribe to Fabric Swap
Email:
Visit this group

Oh, and I didn’t sew today. But, I did cut and trace out two more Memorial Day Weekend sewing projects. And, even better!!! That will be a four day weekend for me. Mandatory Furlough! I’m telling myself I can sew one garment each day if I’m prepped ahead of time. Way to set myself up for failure, huh?

Pattern Review: Burda Magazine 02-2009-118 Knit Top

21 May DSCF0845

Burdastyle Magazine. Your directions SUCK. You may have changed your name to BS, but BWTF!!

Burda Magazine 02-2009-118

I totally forgot what a PITA the sleeves on this were. I first made this up as a dress last year. It’s now with my mom due to my total discomfort in wearing a form fitting knit dress. This top has been cut out since at least December. But, I didn’t have stretch / ball point needles. You would think Joann Fabric wasn’t 15 minutes away from me the way I put off buying supplies!

The polka dot fabric is from Spandex House during my last trip to New York (of which I’ve now sewn with two out of the six fabrics). I actually planned to make bra and panties from these. But, it’s too pretty to be hidden! It’s chocolate brown with irregular pink polka dots. Love. Hmmm, must rethink wearing these with black pants.

The pain I speak of, is the sleeve construction. I used Kay Y’s tutorial and Dawn’s photos to get me through. I also did my typical swayback adjustment. I took out over an inch. But, I could take a deeper one.

As before, I lined the upper bodice with brown tricot for a neat finish at the neckline. I hemmed the bottom with a twin needle stitch. I love this as a top. Just not for me as a dress.

The Poet Blouse really is next. But, I finished this on Monday and it’s warm enough to wear to work today!!

Parting shot: My doorbell hasn’t worked in six of the seven years I’ve owned my house. I decided to finally replace it and get the transformer fixed (which was blown). The electrician was 1.5 hours late on *both* nights he was here. And didn’t leave until 11:00 p.m. the first night and 12:45 a.m. last night. It took two nights and holes in plaster and paneling coming down in the basement because the wiring was so disintegrated in my 70+ year old house that it was shorting out. After rewiring it, I now have a working doorbell! I love the buzzer. It sounds like I’m in school and classes are changing! But, I do not love that it was a quarter of my mortgage payment to fix. I should have become a plumber or an electrician.

Up Next: Burda’s Poet Blouse

19 May

Happiness is finding you traced off Burda 01-2008-122 two years ago! Jaeng wore a printed cotton version of this blouse at PR Weekend Philly and I decided that it was getting moved up in the queue.

I cut it out last night.  I’ve been trying to move away from ‘in process’ blog posts. Because,  when I don’t actually get to it or finish it, I’ll be the only one who knows. But, I feel that it’s cut, and there are loads of excellent renditions on PR, that it *should* all work out for me, eh?

I’m also prepping for Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May. I can’t decide if I should have lots of things traced, cut and ready to sew. Or just know what I’m going to make and sew as it comes. I’m leaning to the traced, cut and ready to sew.

Now, some marketing *genius*…. the newest iPad commercial.  In the first ten seconds they show Fabric in a studio / fabric swatches and a girl on a pastel colored Vespa. It’s like they wrote the commercial *just* for me.

‘I didn’t know fabric could weigh that much’

16 May

Let’s just call the 2010 Fabric Fast a big ol bust, shall we? I sort of kept my rules though. I told myself only solids. Like half of what I got met that criteria. Baby steps. Here are my favorite pieces from PR Weekend Philly:

Pink and white Carolina Herrera silk ($5), grey silk with abstract white plaid ($5), and a yellow rayon-linen blend ($5)

I also got this awesome black with applique border print for $3 a yard. I’m thinking of making this dress again. But, with a FBA. I finally got re-fitted for bras and I’m up a cup size. Annoyed that I have to learn to really do a FBA. But loving that my girls are in their proper place for the first time in a couple months.

What I’m not showing is a black knit, black plain cotton for underlining and like 20 yards of $2 a yard lining from Jomar. I tried to carry my suitcase from the bus to the Vegan’s car since it was noticeably heavier than when I left Baltimore. It worked until I had to lift it in the trunk. All he said was, “I didn’t know fabric could weigh that much.”

I skipped shopping on Fabric Row on Saturday morning and went to a flea market with Trena, LindsayT and Spottedroo <– awesome to meet you! There, I bought two vintage jewelry sets.

The exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was just a sewer’s dream. But, the behind the scenes look at some of the collection??


Chanel coat

As the curator pulled out each piece,there was such hushed reverential silence. You would have thought Moses was coming down from the mountains with the 10 commandments.




I can’t believe it’s just one more month until I head to Montreal for more of the same, but en Francais!  I can’t thank Elaray and Karen and all the organizers who put together a phenomenal weekend.

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