I've been in and out of my local sewing repair shop about 4 times in the last 3 weeks...took in all three machines for check ups/ tune ups/ repairs.
And ended up with a total bill of just under $300. Which sounds like a lot, but only because it was all at once.
The routine service is $69...and, for both sewing machines (including the one that had been dropped in the parking lot back in August of '08) that was all I needed, although I did buy a larger rolled edge foot (the one that came with my machine was a skinny minny 2 mm! Good for chiffon but not much else...) and replaced 2 broken feet for my New Home...cost for those pieces was about $35. The serger, owing to the pin that hit the knives, cost a bit more...upper and lower knives and a new throat plate.
Based on what I've read elsewhere, 70 bucks for a routine service is not at all bad. And my machines looked so nice and clean when I got them!
So, now I want to sew and see if I can really tell they've been fixed up. ;-)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Choir Wardrobe May 12 2013
Not too fancy, but fancy enough. ;-)
Friday, May 10, 2013
A Contest Entry?
It has been a really, really, really long time since I entered a contest over on Pattern Review...but whilst perusing around I discovered that the May contest is 'Natural Fibers'.
And it just so happened that I have a Cotton Plisse project on deck. So I decided it would be a good thing to move up the queue a bit....and maybe, just maybe, put an entry up.
Back in 2007, when I was determined to make fabric parity (fabric in = fabric out) after a major stash maxing trip to Sir's Fabrics, I made myself a no-pattern tiered skirt. I'd been wanting a loose, flowy skirt to wear on summer car trips and came up with a certifiable earth mother skirt that totally fit the bill.
But, in the ensuing seasons, I found that I wore the skirt for more than just car trips. It was swooshy and feminine and fun to wear.
And really, really comfy.
So earlier this year I bought a large chunk of red gingham check cotton plisse, with the intention of making another skirt.
Today, I did a bunch of math and rotary cutting...the only actual pattern piece was a pocket borrowed from another skirt.
It is not going to be fancy or detailed or any of the things that usually win voter-decided contests, but it's going to be very useful and I needed a little push to get myself out of choir sewing and into something else.
It also is helpful that it's going to put 6 yards in the Fabric Out tally once it's done. ;-)
And it just so happened that I have a Cotton Plisse project on deck. So I decided it would be a good thing to move up the queue a bit....and maybe, just maybe, put an entry up.
Back in 2007, when I was determined to make fabric parity (fabric in = fabric out) after a major stash maxing trip to Sir's Fabrics, I made myself a no-pattern tiered skirt. I'd been wanting a loose, flowy skirt to wear on summer car trips and came up with a certifiable earth mother skirt that totally fit the bill.
But, in the ensuing seasons, I found that I wore the skirt for more than just car trips. It was swooshy and feminine and fun to wear.
And really, really comfy.
So earlier this year I bought a large chunk of red gingham check cotton plisse, with the intention of making another skirt.
Today, I did a bunch of math and rotary cutting...the only actual pattern piece was a pocket borrowed from another skirt.
It is not going to be fancy or detailed or any of the things that usually win voter-decided contests, but it's going to be very useful and I needed a little push to get myself out of choir sewing and into something else.
It also is helpful that it's going to put 6 yards in the Fabric Out tally once it's done. ;-)
Monday, May 06, 2013
Sigh. Not Me.
For about the third year in a row, I hesitated and then decided not to sign on to Me Made May...the little internet party in which all participants make a little pledge to wear something made by them selves every day in May and post photos (at least, I *think* the photo posting is part of the agreement...).
And, you know, maybe it doesn't matter at all, but I feel compelled to share my reasoning here.
It's the At Home Days.
On At Home Days, I am a slob. Well, maybe not exactly a SLOB, but I make use of all the graphic t shirts that have accumulated over the years. You know, those freebies that can handle a bleach splash, or oven grime or...well, whatever.
On most days when I actually leave the house, wearing something that I made is pretty much a given. I'm really not trying to brag; that's just the way it is.
In fact, I started the Choir Wardrobe series initially to see if I could wear me-made stuff every Sunday for a whole year. It really wasn't that hard.
So you 'd think I'd be all over the Me Made May and Self Sewn September internet parties.
But I can't promise to wear something I made every day, because on the At Home Days, I will be wearing my grungy, not special clothes. It might be the faded out jeans that are a hair too short; it might be a bagged-out pair of knit pants that I made. It will likely be an event-related T shirt that won't grieve me if it gets stained somehow.
I just don't want to worry about it.
And...you see how wonderful my photo documentation has been of my Work Wear garments. I've taken what...5 pictures? Maybe? Since I started doing that last fall. Taking time for photography has not been my strong point, either.
But that doesn't mean I don't look at the pictures and sigh just a little bit because I'm missing the party. I would *like* to participate...I'm just recognizing my limits.
But I'm cheering on the folks who are dressing intentionally and taking photos. Maybe someday... ;-)
And, you know, maybe it doesn't matter at all, but I feel compelled to share my reasoning here.
It's the At Home Days.
On At Home Days, I am a slob. Well, maybe not exactly a SLOB, but I make use of all the graphic t shirts that have accumulated over the years. You know, those freebies that can handle a bleach splash, or oven grime or...well, whatever.
On most days when I actually leave the house, wearing something that I made is pretty much a given. I'm really not trying to brag; that's just the way it is.
In fact, I started the Choir Wardrobe series initially to see if I could wear me-made stuff every Sunday for a whole year. It really wasn't that hard.
So you 'd think I'd be all over the Me Made May and Self Sewn September internet parties.
But I can't promise to wear something I made every day, because on the At Home Days, I will be wearing my grungy, not special clothes. It might be the faded out jeans that are a hair too short; it might be a bagged-out pair of knit pants that I made. It will likely be an event-related T shirt that won't grieve me if it gets stained somehow.
I just don't want to worry about it.
And...you see how wonderful my photo documentation has been of my Work Wear garments. I've taken what...5 pictures? Maybe? Since I started doing that last fall. Taking time for photography has not been my strong point, either.
But that doesn't mean I don't look at the pictures and sigh just a little bit because I'm missing the party. I would *like* to participate...I'm just recognizing my limits.
But I'm cheering on the folks who are dressing intentionally and taking photos. Maybe someday... ;-)
Friday, May 03, 2013
Do You P & S?
Saw a question on one of the discussion boards today about the pivot-and-slide method of alterations; started to make a comment but then I decided it was good blog material and I'll throw my opinions around on my own page. ;-)
Pivot and slide was the first real pattern alteration method I learned, so I may be partial to it. I'll admit that I use a mishmash of alterations now, but P & S is still the core method. I've looked over several other methods and come to the conclusion that they will all give you the same result in the end, so it's not a matter of which one is BEST but which one is EASIEST for YOU to understand and use.
Having said that, though, I will mention that I don't always agree with the P&S method of determining what needs to be added where; it does even adjustments to all seams, when the truth is some of us are not so evenly distributed. So I do a little more measuring and usually find that I need to add more to, say, the front than I do the back. So I will not add evenly...but I will add what I add w/P & S.
I do cut-and-chop for a Full Bust Adjustment, though, as P&S doesn't seem to put the fabric where I need it. Or it may be that when I learned P&S I did not NEED a FBA, so I just didn't get that aspect down and when I figured out I needed it, Debbie Cook's excellent tutes showed so clearly how to do it that I never really worked out how to do it in P & S.
The big pill to swallow here is, for most of us, acknowledging that expecting a pattern to fit right out of the envelope is just not realistic. I've known so many ladies who gave up sewing because they decided the patterns were no good, when in fact they just did not want to take the time to learn how to make them fit...or didn't think themselves capable of learning how to do those adjustments.
It's just a bit of arithmetic and a bit of line drawing. Sure it takes trial and error. Sure you're gonna have wadders. But the real reason to sew is to be able to get clothes that fit. My fitting skills have not quite caught up to my post-menopausal body yet...but I can make some stuff that fits at least as good as I could buy off the rack; most of it is a pinch better than I could buy as the shoulders aren't huge and the sleeves/pants aren't too long. And I will eventually get myself retrained in what I need to do to deal with the extra fluff in my middle.
I could go shopping; shop for a whole day and come home with nothing that fits (and I have done that. Discouraging!). Or I could spend the day at home working on a muslin (or toile, depending on your location). Either way, at the end of the day I still would not have a wearable garment. But I'd be closer to creating one, whereas I would be no closer to buying a garment that fit properly at the end of my shopping trip than I was at the beginning.
The secret is to just not give up. Productivity may drop; mine certainly has, largely because I'm not confident in my fitting right now. But I will keep trying and I will get there and then, when I have some honest TNTs, I'll be buzzing those machines along again.
I don't know if anyone else needed that little pep talk, but I did. :-) Think I'll go trace some more pieces of the jacket I'm determined to turn into a TNT...
Pivot and slide was the first real pattern alteration method I learned, so I may be partial to it. I'll admit that I use a mishmash of alterations now, but P & S is still the core method. I've looked over several other methods and come to the conclusion that they will all give you the same result in the end, so it's not a matter of which one is BEST but which one is EASIEST for YOU to understand and use.
Having said that, though, I will mention that I don't always agree with the P&S method of determining what needs to be added where; it does even adjustments to all seams, when the truth is some of us are not so evenly distributed. So I do a little more measuring and usually find that I need to add more to, say, the front than I do the back. So I will not add evenly...but I will add what I add w/P & S.
I do cut-and-chop for a Full Bust Adjustment, though, as P&S doesn't seem to put the fabric where I need it. Or it may be that when I learned P&S I did not NEED a FBA, so I just didn't get that aspect down and when I figured out I needed it, Debbie Cook's excellent tutes showed so clearly how to do it that I never really worked out how to do it in P & S.
The big pill to swallow here is, for most of us, acknowledging that expecting a pattern to fit right out of the envelope is just not realistic. I've known so many ladies who gave up sewing because they decided the patterns were no good, when in fact they just did not want to take the time to learn how to make them fit...or didn't think themselves capable of learning how to do those adjustments.
It's just a bit of arithmetic and a bit of line drawing. Sure it takes trial and error. Sure you're gonna have wadders. But the real reason to sew is to be able to get clothes that fit. My fitting skills have not quite caught up to my post-menopausal body yet...but I can make some stuff that fits at least as good as I could buy off the rack; most of it is a pinch better than I could buy as the shoulders aren't huge and the sleeves/pants aren't too long. And I will eventually get myself retrained in what I need to do to deal with the extra fluff in my middle.
I could go shopping; shop for a whole day and come home with nothing that fits (and I have done that. Discouraging!). Or I could spend the day at home working on a muslin (or toile, depending on your location). Either way, at the end of the day I still would not have a wearable garment. But I'd be closer to creating one, whereas I would be no closer to buying a garment that fit properly at the end of my shopping trip than I was at the beginning.
The secret is to just not give up. Productivity may drop; mine certainly has, largely because I'm not confident in my fitting right now. But I will keep trying and I will get there and then, when I have some honest TNTs, I'll be buzzing those machines along again.
I don't know if anyone else needed that little pep talk, but I did. :-) Think I'll go trace some more pieces of the jacket I'm determined to turn into a TNT...
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Choir Wardrobe 042813
...and a little fabric in, a little fabric out. ;-)
First, the Fabric Out:
2 yards of lavender silk charmeuse, rendered into my second go at Burda 08-2009-117. I actually intended to get a shell top and an oblong scarf from 2 yards, but, well, I did the prewash with some rayon challis and, um, I ended up with some spots on the silk, although there is no sign anywhere of running dye on the challis. But, if such a thing had to happen, much better that it happened while the fabric was still in a chunk; I was able to cut around the spots well enough for the blouse. Like the first blouse, I made bias tube ties ('rouleaux' if you're in TGBSB?) for the front closure, although I did try a different technique for hemming the flounce; not sure I got much better results...the two sides still stretched out asymmetrically. But, really, it's hardly noticeable in the flounciness so I'm not going to worry about it.
Finished that up last night so I could wear it today; this is the last day for lavender so I wanted to get it done ;-). I teamed it up with the old RTW jacket with the funky sleeve hem alteration...someday this WILL be replaced...and some straight leg dark washed Lees. And my birki sandals, which I'm wearing to TRY and deal with neuromas but found to be quite cold on this rainy Sunday. The kitty is quite fuzzy looking because I really liked the photo w/o the flash better. I used the dull side of the charmeuse...that shiny side always has a lingerie look to me...but even the dull side was pretty reflective with the flash.
And the fabric in? Well....I wanted to show some support for the city of Boston, and decided an order from a Boston business would definitely be some support. So I got a wee bit of fabric from my girlfriend Ann...a rayon/poly/lurex knit, some RPL suiting and some breathtakingly gorgeous silk chiffon....oh, what shall I do to showcase that??? ;-)
First, the Fabric Out:
2 yards of lavender silk charmeuse, rendered into my second go at Burda 08-2009-117. I actually intended to get a shell top and an oblong scarf from 2 yards, but, well, I did the prewash with some rayon challis and, um, I ended up with some spots on the silk, although there is no sign anywhere of running dye on the challis. But, if such a thing had to happen, much better that it happened while the fabric was still in a chunk; I was able to cut around the spots well enough for the blouse. Like the first blouse, I made bias tube ties ('rouleaux' if you're in TGBSB?) for the front closure, although I did try a different technique for hemming the flounce; not sure I got much better results...the two sides still stretched out asymmetrically. But, really, it's hardly noticeable in the flounciness so I'm not going to worry about it.
Finished that up last night so I could wear it today; this is the last day for lavender so I wanted to get it done ;-). I teamed it up with the old RTW jacket with the funky sleeve hem alteration...someday this WILL be replaced...and some straight leg dark washed Lees. And my birki sandals, which I'm wearing to TRY and deal with neuromas but found to be quite cold on this rainy Sunday. The kitty is quite fuzzy looking because I really liked the photo w/o the flash better. I used the dull side of the charmeuse...that shiny side always has a lingerie look to me...but even the dull side was pretty reflective with the flash.
And the fabric in? Well....I wanted to show some support for the city of Boston, and decided an order from a Boston business would definitely be some support. So I got a wee bit of fabric from my girlfriend Ann...a rayon/poly/lurex knit, some RPL suiting and some breathtakingly gorgeous silk chiffon....oh, what shall I do to showcase that??? ;-)
Saturday, April 27, 2013
If You Were a Contestant...The Fantasy American Sewing Bee
Ok, now that everyone's seen The Great British Sewing Bee all the way through, let's do a Fantasy Version.
It's really a fantasy version, because what American TV channel would host such a wholesome, feel-good show? But let's assume HGTV or some other crafty channel is willing to take the risk.
And who wouldn't love a chance to be on the show? Speaking for myself, I don't think my sewing would be up to that standard, but, because this is a fantasy, let's say I'm in.
The question is, who would I like to be in the sewing room with me? Not because I can outsew them, or even come close...just because I would like to hang out and furtively watch them go even while I'm ripping out that fly zip for the 3rd time.
I'm gonna also assume that we can have 12 contestants because, well, we do everything bigger in the States. ;-)
So, in roughly alphabetical order, here are the eleven amateur American sewing enthusiasts that I would love to find in the room with me (and I'm sure there are other fabulous home sewers, but these are the ones I know because they blog.) There are some other bloggers that I'd like to include, too, but since I know they've done a little sewing-related-work-for-income I'm not sure they'd qualify. I have included some Mood Sewing Network ladies; not sure about their amateur status, either, but, well, I'm not sure complementary fabric is counted as income so I'm gonna call it ok for my purposes. :-)
1. Margy (somewhere I read that she pronounces that with a hard 'g' sound) of A Fool For Fabric. She sews from a deliberately limited palette of black, white, gray and red and has the most incredible wardrobe. I don't know if I could ever manage such discipline myself, but she has beautiful garments that all coordinate and with her striking hair and signature sunglasses, she is very nearly a Style Icon for me. She's also currently traveling in a internet-blackout country, so I don't know if she's even seen TGBSB to have a clue of what we're talking about.
2. Shams of Communing with Fabric. She has such a playful approach to her sewing and is not hesitant to try something different. I AM going to make a version of her Tablecloth Skirt one of these days; I just need to figure out how to put pockets in it. ;-).
3. Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic If you've been around the sewing blogsphere any at all, you should be familiar with Carolyn and know why I've included her. If you're not...go look at her blog and you'll see.
4. Lori from Girls in the Garden. Lori is a Midwest girl like me, although she still lives on the farm and I've moved away to a city lot in the South...the backgrounds of her photos always make me just a little homesick. But she is a prolific and excellent seamstress, sewing for herself, her daughters and now her brand new grandson.
5. Sarah from Goodbye Valentino. She started blogging in 2011, when she decided to give up expensive RTW and make her entire wardrobe for a year. Her sewing skills advanced very quickly and she made some really wonderful garments. Her enthusiasm for home sewing is contagious.
6. Kathryn of I Made This! I 'knew' Kathyrn from sewing discussion boards before she started blogging; she is an amazing seamstress and generous with her knowledge; she is also currently one of the moderators (another is TGBSB champ Ann Rowley!) on Stitcher's Guild, where you will find her encouraging new folks regularly as 'fzxdoc'.
8. Cidell, who writes Miss Celie's Pants. She's another one who's sewing skills have matured as she blogged and now she's one of the Mood Sewing Network bloggers making lovely things. I especially love her subtitle... 'I sew, I cook, I travel. But, I do not clean.' We are Kindred Spirits...except I don't get much travel time...
9. Angie, from Quality Time. Teacher and Single Mom and lover of vintage styles, Angie not only sews beautifully but would be a hoot to hang out with.
10. Beth, from The Rusty Bobbin, was probably the first sewing blogger I followed. She has been through a lot since then, but still sews and still turns out fabulous garments. Her fitting skills, honed through much work w/ home-sewing pattern making software, are among the best of the bloggers.
11. Elaine, from The Selfish Seamstress , who could challenge us all to steel our nerve to turn down those requests for curtains, jeans hemming and garment mending from friends/acquaintances as we are stitching away. She would, of course, be wearing a lovely garment that she made for herself during the time that she was NOT sewing for someone else.
Ok, I got to 11 before I got all the way through my blog roll, so I'll pick some alternates, just in case, you know, one of the 11 couldn't make the filming. ;-)
Alternate: Linda of Danville Girl Sewing Diary. Linda always has a project in the works, and she's always working on a project. Lots of finished garments show up on her blog...as opposed to someone like me, who is just not able to get into the sewing room as much as I'd like.
Alternate: KID, from Kadiddlehopper. She's a doctor...who also sews. Be handy if someone in the sewing room accidentally ran a needle through a finger or had a rotary cutter mishap, eh? ;-) Seriously, she makes clothes for herself and for her kids AND for her hubby and does a great job. No puzzling over how to put in a fly zipper here.
Alternate: Lindsay, who used to blog at Lidsay T Sews but gave it up some time ago. Nevertheless, I'd love for her to be one of the folks in the room; her clothes were always fabulous and she KNOWS the NYC Garment District.
I just hope that by the time my fantasy show would become a reality, the producers would develop a cumulative points system rather than elimination, so that I could spend the entire run of the show with all the fabulous folks!
I know there are other excellent home sewing enthusiasts out there who would make marvelous contestants...who would you put on YOUR fantasy sewing bee? You can answer in the comments, or put it on your blog and link up in the comments.... have fun!
It's really a fantasy version, because what American TV channel would host such a wholesome, feel-good show? But let's assume HGTV or some other crafty channel is willing to take the risk.
And who wouldn't love a chance to be on the show? Speaking for myself, I don't think my sewing would be up to that standard, but, because this is a fantasy, let's say I'm in.
The question is, who would I like to be in the sewing room with me? Not because I can outsew them, or even come close...just because I would like to hang out and furtively watch them go even while I'm ripping out that fly zip for the 3rd time.
I'm gonna also assume that we can have 12 contestants because, well, we do everything bigger in the States. ;-)
So, in roughly alphabetical order, here are the eleven amateur American sewing enthusiasts that I would love to find in the room with me (and I'm sure there are other fabulous home sewers, but these are the ones I know because they blog.) There are some other bloggers that I'd like to include, too, but since I know they've done a little sewing-related-work-for-income I'm not sure they'd qualify. I have included some Mood Sewing Network ladies; not sure about their amateur status, either, but, well, I'm not sure complementary fabric is counted as income so I'm gonna call it ok for my purposes. :-)
1. Margy (somewhere I read that she pronounces that with a hard 'g' sound) of A Fool For Fabric. She sews from a deliberately limited palette of black, white, gray and red and has the most incredible wardrobe. I don't know if I could ever manage such discipline myself, but she has beautiful garments that all coordinate and with her striking hair and signature sunglasses, she is very nearly a Style Icon for me. She's also currently traveling in a internet-blackout country, so I don't know if she's even seen TGBSB to have a clue of what we're talking about.
2. Shams of Communing with Fabric. She has such a playful approach to her sewing and is not hesitant to try something different. I AM going to make a version of her Tablecloth Skirt one of these days; I just need to figure out how to put pockets in it. ;-).
3. Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic If you've been around the sewing blogsphere any at all, you should be familiar with Carolyn and know why I've included her. If you're not...go look at her blog and you'll see.
4. Lori from Girls in the Garden. Lori is a Midwest girl like me, although she still lives on the farm and I've moved away to a city lot in the South...the backgrounds of her photos always make me just a little homesick. But she is a prolific and excellent seamstress, sewing for herself, her daughters and now her brand new grandson.
5. Sarah from Goodbye Valentino. She started blogging in 2011, when she decided to give up expensive RTW and make her entire wardrobe for a year. Her sewing skills advanced very quickly and she made some really wonderful garments. Her enthusiasm for home sewing is contagious.
6. Kathryn of I Made This! I 'knew' Kathyrn from sewing discussion boards before she started blogging; she is an amazing seamstress and generous with her knowledge; she is also currently one of the moderators (another is TGBSB champ Ann Rowley!) on Stitcher's Guild, where you will find her encouraging new folks regularly as 'fzxdoc'.
8. Cidell, who writes Miss Celie's Pants. She's another one who's sewing skills have matured as she blogged and now she's one of the Mood Sewing Network bloggers making lovely things. I especially love her subtitle... 'I sew, I cook, I travel. But, I do not clean.' We are Kindred Spirits...except I don't get much travel time...
9. Angie, from Quality Time. Teacher and Single Mom and lover of vintage styles, Angie not only sews beautifully but would be a hoot to hang out with.
10. Beth, from The Rusty Bobbin, was probably the first sewing blogger I followed. She has been through a lot since then, but still sews and still turns out fabulous garments. Her fitting skills, honed through much work w/ home-sewing pattern making software, are among the best of the bloggers.
11. Elaine, from The Selfish Seamstress , who could challenge us all to steel our nerve to turn down those requests for curtains, jeans hemming and garment mending from friends/acquaintances as we are stitching away. She would, of course, be wearing a lovely garment that she made for herself during the time that she was NOT sewing for someone else.
Ok, I got to 11 before I got all the way through my blog roll, so I'll pick some alternates, just in case, you know, one of the 11 couldn't make the filming. ;-)
Alternate: Linda of Danville Girl Sewing Diary. Linda always has a project in the works, and she's always working on a project. Lots of finished garments show up on her blog...as opposed to someone like me, who is just not able to get into the sewing room as much as I'd like.
Alternate: KID, from Kadiddlehopper. She's a doctor...who also sews. Be handy if someone in the sewing room accidentally ran a needle through a finger or had a rotary cutter mishap, eh? ;-) Seriously, she makes clothes for herself and for her kids AND for her hubby and does a great job. No puzzling over how to put in a fly zipper here.
Alternate: Lindsay, who used to blog at Lidsay T Sews but gave it up some time ago. Nevertheless, I'd love for her to be one of the folks in the room; her clothes were always fabulous and she KNOWS the NYC Garment District.
I just hope that by the time my fantasy show would become a reality, the producers would develop a cumulative points system rather than elimination, so that I could spend the entire run of the show with all the fabulous folks!
I know there are other excellent home sewing enthusiasts out there who would make marvelous contestants...who would you put on YOUR fantasy sewing bee? You can answer in the comments, or put it on your blog and link up in the comments.... have fun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)