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!

Lots of Sewing! Part 2

Gray Knit Shirt and Pinstripe Pants

That is my little helper, Lily, in the bottom left. She really wanted to be a part of all the excitement!

The shirt's first incarnation was in the form of an ugly blue polyester. Like the polyester from the 70's, although I think it was a relatively recent style. In other words, cheap. I got it at the thrift store for about $6 and took it home to demolish it and pick apart all the seams. I created a pattern from the pieces and first (stupidly) used a knit without the same amount of stretch. Obviously it didn't fit right, which I could tell from the start of the fitting process. I found the gray stretchier knit and gave it a second try. Perfecto!

It crosses across the breasts, like it's a wrap style. The midriff on the original had the grain running crosswise, and I liked the detail, so I did the same. All in all it shows a bit of cleavage, and you do need to watch your position depending on what you're doing. But, for normal movement it doesn't gap or show any bra, so I'm happy with it.

The pants are Simplicity 2860 "Amazing Fit" pants.

They give 3 options to choose from, depending on your body type; "slim", "average" or "curvy". Obviously I had to use the "curvy" option. Overall I liked the pattern. It enabled you to really make a perfect fit in the waist, crotch and butt. The instructions were great and they make it so your have a 4 piece waistband which helps you fit your waist better. What I didn't like was that the pant legs were SO WIDE! Like, flopping when you walk wide. As you can see from my body type, I'm big in the middle and thin at the legs. I had to chop off a significant amount from the side seams to get it to look right. They assume, like most patterns do, that if you're large in the bust or waist, you need large in the shoulders or legs. Not true!

But despite that, you didn't need any special books to help fit; the instructions covered what you needed to know for the most part. The rest is pretty intuitive if you've sewn a bit.

One last shot of the pants, a close up of the zipper and closure. The pants use a regular zipper insertion, which IMO goes faster than something like a side zip on a dress. It also uses a button and hook and eye closure. I didn't have the larger kind at the time and used a smaller hook and eye, but I actually like it better I think. It gives a more secure closure for me, as opposed to the kind you just slip into the "eye". Plus it gives a little satisfying click when you secure it!

So, my final decision? I will be making both the pants (with thinner legs!) and the shirt again! I really love the fit of the pants and may fiddle with it a bit and add pockets or something next time.

I wish I could find better knit fabrics here. I may have to break down and order something online, but I have reservations about that since I LOVE to fondle fabrics and it really does help with the decision process.

Stay tuned, there will be more! I have that pesky pair of short to post about that I mentioned in a previous post and another shirt from a Simplicity pattern.

Lots of Sewing! Part 1

I have a huge update to do and here is the first parter:

The Little Girl Dress



I made this dress for my niece, before I left on a rather short-lived vacation. I ended up coming home early, but I was still able to give her the dress. This is a size 3, although she is a little bit smaller than that, but the pattern didn't go to a size 2. It's McCalls 3949 View C. It is lined in the bodice, and has a petticoat in a contrast color. Ed actually picked out the dress fabric which is a polka dot chiffon. The lining fabric and what was used for the petticoat was simple broadcloth.
Ed also picked out the buttons:



The ruffle took the longest to do, but it was just from the quantity of fabric used rather than it going wrong or anything. It actually went rather quickly since I used a technique I learned on Sewing With Nancy tv. You take a thick button or upholstery thread and do a small zig zag over top of it, without catching it in any stitching. Then once you're done you use that to pull along to gather the ruffle. It was the first time since I watched it that I was able to use it. It came out perfect the first time!

Has It Been That Long?

I've been absent a while. I have been having some medical problems, some from my recent surgery and some totally unrelated. It's been hard for me to get around, but I did manage to sew a few things and will show them in my next post. Ed is a much better photographer than I am, so I try and get him to take the pics.

I will say that I worked on Simplicity 2860 and 2705.

On the pants pattern it went along very well but I came to a few problems with 2705, the shorts view in the middle. That one made me want to scream, not from difficulty but because there was an error with my pattern pieces. I don't know if it's in them all, or just mine but the waistband was too short for the waist. I made some alterations, but only by adding a little to it, so it shouldn't have been short at all if I did that, even if I messed up by NOT adding to the increase to the shorts pieces. I ended up adding the width of the pocket to the waistband (it's an overlapping waistband that secures on the side). Obviously, Simplicity neglected to do that to the original piece.

Pictures will come soon! I'm also in the process of remaking a very, very nasty polyester shirt that I found at the thrift store. I took out the seams and made pattern pieces of them. I've actually made most of the shirt but realized too late that I needed a stretchier knit than I had used. I've pulled out one with the same stretch as the original, so my next one should turn out better. The shirt itself, originally, cost about $6, but $6 for a pattern isn't too bad!

I'm Not Gone, Just Forgotten

I'm still around. My "almost" MIL is still staying with us and making use of the new sewing machine, while I learn to crochet and buy more fabric (well, thrift store fabric and Jo-Ann sales). It's about the only getting out I do while I recover from back surgery.

Speaking of which, I'm healing. Having to deal with gross wound care that makes me queasy and taking it easy mostly. No sewing done. Leaning over and keeping the foot to a pedal sounds easy but when you've had your back opened up, it doesn't sound like something fun to do. Nope, not just yet anyways. Plus there are the heavy duty meds and I think it even says on the bottle not to use heavy machinery...which isn't really a sewing machine, but with that sharp needle just sitting there waiting for my innocent finger to come close, I think it's better that I refrain from using it for a bit.

I have a no bending rule, so I got one of those hand-held gripper things. It's a lifesaver! It can't pick up anything heavy but for picking up something dropped (or stored) on the floor, it's great. Helps for reaching something on the top level of the cabinet too.

As for the crochet, I have completed a small purse using half double crochet and am finishing up the strap for it. I'll take pics (which means Ed will take pics) of it and post about it soon. While it's not sewing exactly, it's closely related since it does at least use fibers of some sort. It's my first ever crochet piece and I think it's pretty cool. My first knitted piece was a scarf, and this is just a teeny bit more advanced than that, so I feel all kinds of proud of myself.

Sewing Hiatus

I am going into an involuntary sewing hiatus. Involuntary because I don't want to be in it! But, alas, I have had not fun and painful back surgery and am recovering. That means long long days of being in bed and you certainly can't sew in bed with a sewing machine! The sewing machine is getting plenty of use with my almost MIL though. She's been sewing aprons, a doll and a dinosaur, and is working on a scrap quilt for each of the dogs. She also has a wardrobe to create. At the moment I am sewing vicariously through her.

I had all the good intentions in the world to get pictures taken of me in my new skirts from last month, but then I broke our bed and we had to hunt for a new one the day before surgery. You can't have a broken bed when you are about to have back surgery!

I am teaching myself how to crochet though. I've known how to knit for some time but it takes forever to knit something. I have heard that crochet is faster and figured that being bed-ridden was a good time to learn. My first project will be a small purse with a flap that uses half double crochet. I practiced single, double and half double all last night, so I may tackle my project today if I am feeling up to it.

Books!

A Christmas present from a good friend were 2 sewing books. One was 201 Quilt Blocks: Motifs, Projects, and Ideas by Louise Bell and another was Making Your House a Home by Lynette Jensen.

These came right in time for my almost MIL to teach me a simple block quilt, which will be my first. When I started sewing I said to myself that I wouldn't do quilts, that it was too cliche and that I didn't have the room.

This, of course, was before I fell in love with sewing and when Ed and I were living with 2 other roommates in a tiny 2 bedroom condo. 5 sewing machines later to add to the collection and a nice fabric stash and I'm ready to tackle quilting. Plus I just love those little darning/embroidery feet and need a reason to buy one.