Saturday, March 07, 2015

In the Queue...

We had a 'winter weather event'...basically an ice storm although it was not as bad as it could've been, it was bad enough to close the roads for a couple of days.

So I spent some time at my cutting table...

I unpicked the denim jacket muslin and trimmed some pieces, recut others.  It's back in the queue to be sewn up; hoping I have solved the shoulder issues and can cut out the fabric.

But I moved on to the second version of the McCall's 6436 shirt; this one in the white.  I moved down the bust dart, cut the collar about 1/4" back away from the center front on the band, added a pinch to the back hip and reworked the 'painless placket' to be a little more useful.  Hoping that works on that one as well.  If it turns out, it's a SWAP item done.

One of the things I kinda went crazy on in the last sales was fabric for scarves.  I bought two pieces of silk chiffon/charmeuse burnout...two yards, split in half lengthwise, will make two oblong scarves.

So that's four scarves...two for me, two to give away.

I also bought two pieces of cotton voile, with the same thing in mind.

One of the pieces of cotton voile I've put back for later...I may make scarves, or I may do something else.

The silk has been cut into rectangles and is slowly getting fed through the narrow rolled hem foot on the sewing machine.  I'm very glad these are not going to be closely inspected.  There is a knack to that rolled hem foot...maybe I'll get it by the time I get all four of those made.

The other piece of voile I cut first...it was a bit longer than 2 yards, and it was 54" wide so I'm thinking I might actually squeeze a camp shirt out of the piece that didn't turn into the scarf.

But...it was kind of a border print.  Ziz zags running the length of the fabric; broad on one side and narrower on the other.  I cut the scarf from the narrower side, and the campshirt...or whatever...is going to have to be cut on the crossgrain, I think, to keep the pattern balanced.

Thank you, Patrick Grant.  I've learned the importance of pattern balance... ;-)

I did that scarf first and the rolled hem foot finished it off quite nicely.  The silk is another story...

Anyway, whilst I was cutting I pulled out a remnant of some poly shirting that I had to give a go at  the cut-on-cap-sleeve shell  from New Look 6273.  I'm auditioning it for the silk charmeuse  tops that I need for the SWAP plan...if it works, I'm a happy camper.

And, Lucite green (or mint green or seafoam green, as it has gone by in years past) being a color for choir, I managed to get one piece in that color in the new acquisitions as well. It's a bit thin, so I'll have to wear a cami under the Hot Patterns LaStrada top I squeezed out of my slightly more than one yard.  I'm not sure I have thread the right color for that, though...I've still got to check.

Finally, since I was auditioning new patterns, I finally cut Katherine Tilton's Vogue 8691 from some marbelized blue-on-white cotton jersey.  I left off the little floucy things, because the reverse of my fabric is just white and I didn't want the backside showing.  I'm not sure I had enough fabric for the flouces anyway.  We'll see how it looks with the little peaks on the regular hem.

And a tablecloth, just because the fabric was in the way and it'll be a quick rolled edge on the serger. (yes, it was upholstery cotton intended for a tablecloth...).

So I've got somewhere close to 10 yards in the queue.  And I'm making myself do those fiddly scarves first, whilst the rolled edge foot is on the machine...

2 comments:

  1. I just made the Tilton 8691 without the flounces and it looks good. Beware the sleeves are very, very narrow starting just above the elbow all the way to the wrist.. Luckily I caught it in flat pattern stage. Based on a TNT I needed to add 2" to the elbow alone. Honestly I don't remember how much I added at the wrist. I definitely don't have fat arms. In fact the exact opposite mostly skinny!

    What's annoying is that I don't remember seeing any comments on PR about narrow sleeves. Other than that it was a almost a beautiful fit straight out of the envelope.

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    Replies
    1. Oy! I didn't catch that...but, being a big 4 pattern, I bet it has 5/8" seam allowances so perhaps I can fudge a bit from there. My knit is pretty stretchy; crossing my fingers it will be ok.

      Didn't think to look for that at all; most of the time knit sleeves (particularly on the big 4) are floppy....

      Thanks for the heads up!

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