Fun with Boxers!

Ed loves it when I make him boxers. It means he doesn't have to shop for them, lucky man! Since the pattern I use only uses 1 yard of fabric sometimes he gets rather interesting (or ugly!) boxers. 2 of these 3 pairs are pretty fun. Apples and airplanes; what more could a man want?
Kwik Sew 1672 which I ordered off eBay and is probably OOP now. It looks like it is from the 80's truth be told. They also have a "high cut" version that has a rounded hem rather than a straight. Not that Ed would ever be caught dead in a pair like that, so that version doesn't ever get made.

The pattern is extremely fast to make and you can do it assembly line if preferred, although I do them one at a time. The elastic waist is pretty fun to do, although the first line of stitching can be tricky, which it wouldn't be if I pinned the elastic more than I do. The seams are 1/4 except for the waist and I use my Singer Tiny Serger (just an overedger really it doesn't do any cutting) for all the seams to that they will stand up to the abuse that undies can get. The fly stitching can be a pain, but really I'm not that accurate with it. I could do better on the fly stitching, but seriously they are just boxers so why bother? I hate unpicking, so if the stitching line goes a little further than it should who is going to notice? The only person looking at Ed's boxers is Ed and myself, lol!

For now my cutting tables (card tables) are on loan from a charity yard sale we did last weekend for a group of Firefly/Serenity fans that we belong to. So, I can't cut out anything else for a few days and my rivets still haven't arrived. I'm project-less, egad!

Some Actual Sewing For a Change

I've actually been sewing! I've worked on a great pair of jeans that have yet to be hemmed and am working on another pair for Ed. We bought some rivets for them online and are just waiting for them to arrive. Until then the project sits undisturbed.

But, I sewed my butt off last week and made 4 little girls shirts for my neice. Her mother commented to me that she could never find school shirts that fit her (she is in between a size 1/2 and 1 in kids - sewing pattern size that is). She is 3 years old and in some pre-k program at her big brothers school and they require all children to wear uniforms. Either tan or navy shorts with a plain colored shirt. Not terribly restricting but everything that comes in an XS for the girl is always in a print of some sort. So she doesn't have a great variety of school shirts to wear.

Well, I've fixed that. The shirts will go out in the mail probably this week after I put the buttons on the red shirt. I made 4 shirts, all in different colors and using either large scraps or one yard-1 1/2 yard pieces. I guess this could be considered a one yarder project (in fact, so are the boxers I did that are coming up next):

View B

View A sleeves, view B collar

View A

View B

The pattern for the shirt is New Look 6880. It has two views, one for a girl with the peter pan collar and puffy, gathered sleeves and one for a boy with the traditional collar and regular set in sleeves. On one version of mine (the red) I switched things up a bit and gave her the regular collar with the puffy, gathered sleeves.

The collar in view A is a pain to make, which is why I made more of the collars in view B for most of her shirts. They were extremely quick to make and simple. There was no interfacing to be cut anywhere and all the facings were of plain fabric, which gives for a softer look and feel than collars for adults in a similar pattern. View A also has you insert elastic into the sleeve hem, forming a casing. Which isn't a big deal, it actually makes that sleeves bigger so they fit around the arm on my sewing machine, which view B sleeves do not.

All in all I give New Look 6880 a thumbs up. I can't comment on the sizing since I don't have the neice here to try it on for me, but if it does run big I can always go down a size on the next batch of shirts since I think that this pattern is going to be a staple in her wardrobe for school.

Up next...boxers. Stay tuned.

Fabric Splurge

I don't often buy retail fabric. I sew on a budget and most of my fabric comes from thrift stores. But, I've gone into a certain "large chain store" fabric department and touched this stuff every time I've seen it. I finally broke down and bought 4 yards of it:



I figured that 4 yards would be enough to make a long skirt or short dress (or a couple short things), although I'm thinking more along the skirt line since I'm not a very "dress" person. I like my 2 piece outfits better than a 1 piece dress. I think I'm a little neurotic that way. Actually I'm a jeans and shirt gal and I think having 2 pieces rather than 1 keeps me in my comfort zone. Which, I don't like to leave often, lol!

I wear a lot of muted colors. Or as I like to call them, "non-colors". Black, gray, dark reds and blues. I will also wear pastels if they aren't too bright, like in this fabric. This fabric gives me a little cheer to my normally toned down look. I'm terrified of bright colors in the yellow, orange and bright red range.

I got this orange/peach sweater once from my mother because she said that I never wore color. It was hideous. The sweater itself was cute and in a trendy style but the color...oh the horror! I'm also very pale and freckly and this color was NOT a good color for me. I know my mother was only trying to get me out of my box so to speak, but she could have asked me what color range I would wear if I was going to wear bright colors. I think ever since then I've been very stubborn about letting color into my daily wardrobe (that story took place probably over 10 years ago). And yes, I did give the sweater a try. I wore it twice, once on the day I got it and again at a family function. It was "that" sweater to me.

So perhaps in the next few months (I sew slowly and like to procrastinate) I'll have a pretty little piece to show using this fabric.

Intermission - The Good, The Bad and The Hideous

I'm a slacker, I admit it. I promised another post about the shorts that gave me fits, but I just haven't gotten around to taking pics of it (what I really mean is I haven't bothered Ed to take them for me; he's got a lot of school work this week). But yesterday I got an email from Vogue Patterns showing the recent stuff they have out and all I have to say is:

What were they thinking?


This is Vogue 1116. The top isn't so bad, but those pants. Those pants! Is it supposed to be a cross between those parachute pants worn by MC Hammer in the 80's, and some sort of weird chef outfit? I'm seriously puzzled over this one.

They have an asymmetrical top pattern, Vogue 8582 that is pretty cute. The line drawing looks bizarre, but shown in fabric it has a nice flow to it.



And I do really like this dress, although I'm not much of a dress person. I may even see if my local JoAnns has it on their next Vogue pattern sale day (which is coming up I think):


Vogue 1107. I think the pleats in the skirt are really cute and I like how it has sleeves. I've got some arms on me, so I like patterns that help me hide them. There are a lot of sleeveless patterns out there that are cute, but I just like my sleeves I suppose. I know I could adapt a sleeve for a sleeveless pattern, but frankly it is too much work unless I really love the dress. and then I'd probably just bite the bullet and wear it sleeveless.

But man those pants just get me. I can't imagine wearing them, or making them. I'm sorry if some of you out there like those pants from 1116, but I just can't stop laughing!