NOTABLE MENTIONS (2)...

...Sewing information and tutorials that recently caught my eye:

• An interesting conversation about choosing the correct pattern size, from the McCall's Pattern Company - under VIDEOS. (RTW sizing vs. Pattern Sizing).

• In addition, if you are ever looking for Size and Ease Chart for all McCall's Pattern Company products (McCall's, Butterick and Vogue) it's located on the Butterick Pattern website

• I've been planning on pad my dressform to make it more like me and pinnable for a very long time now.  I've seen lots of pictorials and watched oodles of videos that show multiple methods of padding.  This video by Nick Verreos is by far the easiest of all the ones I've seen thus far.  All that is needed is shoulder pads, pins and a tape measure.  This method is easy peazy and I think it would work quite nicely with a one piece cover added afterwards

•  While looking around the net I happened upon this Serger Stitch Cheat Sheet that is very helpful to me so I thought some of you might be interested too

And lastly, I was able to finish my last challenge project this weekend.

McCall's 7603 pleated back and button front

An easy breezy summer top made in cotton lawn.  I choose view C and did have to blend two sizes, but other than that this pattern is straight forward and presented no challenges.  I might make it again, next time maybe in a challis.

In the meantime I need to find a really easy online photo editor (preferably free).  What photo editors do you use???

WEEKEND SEWING NEWS...

... most of the time it seems I bounce around from project to project without concrete plan.  I could lament about that, but truth be told as long as there's some sort of stitching going on, planned or not, I'm a pretty happy camper.

You might remember me mentioning the Pin It Sew It Event that I joined  sponsored by the ladies at That Sewing Blab.  Well guess what, I was one of the two winners of a $25.00 gift certificate to Indie Sews - how good does it get!  Now I just need to narrow down my selections and make my purchase.  Remember - I love Indie Patterns!

This weekend another blogger (can't remember who she was) make a navy eyelet top from McCall's 6558.  I thought I'd seen some navy eyelet floating around in my stash so of course greedy me wanted one too.  I redrafted the pattern (or should I use the word hacked) so the base bodice would be one piece rather than two, and eliminated the waist elastic all together.  Turns out my eyelet was more royal than navy, but still cute nonetheless.

Secondly, the SewMuchTalentgr Facebook group has a challenge going on every month.  Since I am a member and one of the moderators of the group, I try to support it as much as I can.  June is Pattern Hack Month with McCall's 6886 being the pattern of choice.  I really didn't need another one of these dresses and had sort of silently opted out the challenge.  However, my Mother called to see what I was dreaming up for the challenge, we decided that the dress would be for her rather than for me.

I decided to do the simple "HACK"  that involved redesigning the standard sleeve of this dress into a flutter style that worked out quite nicely. The challenge ends on June 30th so I can check this one off my list.

There is just one more challenge for this month that I've joined that I now need to work on,

I have until the end of the month to try to get this one done but afterwards it's back to my "I Want It All" pants fitting job...

NOTABLE MENTIONS....

...I find all kinds of interesting and useful sewing related information when cruising the web.  It's hard to keep track of it all, so I decided to start adding it to my blog for easy to find reference.  I hope you find some it useful as well.

Sheryll of Patterns.Scissors.Cloth gives us 5 WONDERFUL sewing tips every month
5 Sewing Tips for May even though it's now June

Andrea of Sew To Fit's You Tube video gives a full demonstration on Raising the V-Neckline of the New Vogue pattern 9293

Itch to Stitch, shares a great tutorial that will help us with our summer thin strip shoulder design tops and dress How to make a bra strap holder.

I also happened upon a video on Rotating Bodice Darts from Melly Sews using miniature pattern blocks.

 

AND, as if I didn't already have enough on my mental "Sewing List for Summer", I've joined not one but two more challenges.

What's on your sewing plate for this week....

I WANT IT ALL - PART 3...

...pants fitting - yes I'm still at it.  I decided I needed to make a second muslin.  Yes it was  a real time consuming Memorial Day task

Christmas of 2015 one of my customers gave me a big old Joann's gift certificate and this is part of what I used it for (and patterns of course).  I usually use old white sheets for muslins, but my sheet stash is getting a little low.  This muslin is 90" wide.

I transferred changes from the first muslin to the second muslin.  After making so many changes things started to get a little confusing, so I've started writing all my changes down in a journal.  Should have started doing this long ago.

Muslin #2

I have just a little bit of wrinkling in the front (mmmmm), but I do have an attractive and comfortable fit.

Earlier this month I had joined up with the Pin It Sew It Event sponsored by the hosts of "That Sewing Blab"  a weekly internet talk show (I hope you consider watching this show if you haven't done so already).  For this event participants select a Pinterest garment to make.

Since I'm working on pants I chose this wide flare legged pair as the inspiration for my entry.

I'll still be concentrating on pants fitting for a while, because remember, I WANT IT ALL...

I WANT IT ALL - PART 2...

...hang in here with me folks! I hope you are willing to help see me through my "I want it all" pants fitting series.  I'm being a bit greedy with this because I want to be able to have pants of all types.

I will be working with my TNT pattern that I mentioned yesterday.  But today I made a decision to work with Vogue 9032- view c the flare leg design.

I've read all of the reviews that I could find on this pattern, and what attracted me to it other than the flare leg, were the slant pockets and the princess seamed back.   I've never worked with a two piece back pants pattern before but thought it would give me more options to tailor my fit.

Well, here's the first muslin for Vogue 9032. (Remember I said I am willing to make as many muslins as necessary in this pants fitting session).  Seriously, I am pretty happy with muslin #1, it's a real rough draft of a muslin.  This muslin was made over a week ago and I've lost count of the number of times I've tried it on thus far.

My critique: I need to make an adjustment in the slant pocket area that I don't think will be too hard to manage.   I'm not sure if I should try to address the bit of bagginess in the knee area, of if this would work it's self out when made in real fabric; I'll have to think about that a little more. I increased the center back rise one full inch which feels quite comfortable now.

I've included this video from one of Andrea Davis' Fit Friday classes to my pant's fitting resources. She gives regular pattern fitting classes via YouTube and other internet platforms.  I attended this class and thought it would be interesting and helpful to my readers as well.... 

I WANT IT ALL...

...It's all fun and games until - you get involved with pants fitting.  If you've been reading my blog for a while, you already know that at least once a year I jump back in the pants fitting saddle again.  Yes, I have made pants in the past that I think fit me pretty darned good.  Having said that, you may ask "what's the problem then?).  My answer: I think I still have to do absolutely too much tweaking to get a good fit!

I do not want to make more than one muslin for a pants project; and I don't want to have to try the pants on 10 or 12 times during construction to tweak fit.  Am I asking for too much???

So I'm back in the pants fitting saddle again.  I've decided to dedicate some concentrated time to this pants fitting venture.  And I've also decided that I want to use numerous patterns for pants (wide leg, tapered, boot cut, trousers, flares and cigarette pants, not just one TNT pattern.  I want it all!

Here's an oxymoron for you though, I will still work on refining my old TNT pattern. For starters, I've deconstructed an older pair of self made pants (just was not crazy about the color) to use as my block/sloper.  I will report on my progress along the way...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY...

...

To My Mom and all the other beautiful Mother's I know

I'M AN INDIE PATTERN LOVER TOO......

...love, love, love the Big 4 patterns, almost all of them as a matter of fact.  But I also LOVE a whole lot of Indie patterns.  Sadly, just like with the Big 4 patterns, I just can't afford to buy them all. But they are ALWAYS popping up - in my email, on blogs I follows, and on my Rss Feed.  There is always a NEW INDE RELEASE!

Sometimes I'll place them in the cart and then later go back and take them out (the same as I do fabric), I have to exercise some degree of temperance.  Then there are times that I just swoon over them for more than a year telling myself that I just do not need them, only to treat myself later with the purchase.  I must say that I have had quite a bit of sizing and fit success with Indie Patterns I have sewn!  So that is a real plus!

I found out today that the Itch to Stitch Indie Pattern Company is giving away it's new Largo Tank pdf as a Mother's Day Gift.

It's a classic knit tank pattern offered in sizes 00 to 20.  I love knits and I love tanks, so I think I'll be taping this one up real soon...

GIVING MCCALL'S 6886 THE COLD SHOULDER...

... you know that you really like a pattern when you can remember the number at the drop of a hat.  Take Vogue 8815 for instance; I made that peplum so many times that I think I actually killed it!  I don't think I'll ever forget that pattern number.  Well, it's a similar situation with McCall's 6886, although I think I'll give it a rest - UNLESS I find I need a great fitting, easy knit dress for some future event.

I think McCall's 6886 has already been hacked every which way but loose all across the internet.  However, I haven't seen the dress given the cold shoulder treatment yet.  It's probably been done already and I just missed it.  But for now I'll just pretend that I'm the first to do it (LOL).

It all started with:
. being gifted this nice scuba knit yardage (from Diane of Remembering Oz) nothing like fabric from Texas,

 

. and, the fact that I needed a dress.

I'd never sewn scuba before and was a little bit intimidated by the slight spongy feel of the fabric.  So I put out a quick message to Sheilaz_CTK (who I know has worked with it quite a bit), and after she answered my questions I couldn't wait to sink my sewing machine needle into this fabric. I just added a shortened cold shoulder sleeve from Butterick 6425.  Such a simple hack, but I do love the results!

This time I made the deeper scoop necked version

Butterick 6425 modified cold shoulder sleeve

It's always so nice when a plan turns out just as you visualized...

#FAYE'S SEWING LIFE: CAN YOU IMAGINE MY SURPRISE!!!

...last night while sitting under the hair dryer conditioning my hair (I would have much rather been sewing ya'll) I entertained myself by leisurely scrolling through Instagram.  I scrolled right past one post, but had to back up to take another look because I thought I saw someone I knew...

It was me!  My Friend Brenda (@ms._bstyle on Instagram) had posted this picture earlier in the evening.  What a totally awesome surprise!  I read Vogue Pattern Magazine all the time; as a matter of fact, I just recently renewed my subscription.  I love reading all the articles about what others are sewing and their skilled and innovative uses of patterns. I count this a great big honor, because though I've read about countless others, I never dreamed that I'd be standing in their magazine.

My new issue hasn't arrived yet sad to say, but I can't wait to see it in real life!  From what I can manage to read of the feature, they used the exact wordage from my blog (hope I didn't have too many typos).  I made this dress late last October from a gifted fabric that was a little bit out of my character (the skulls and all). You can read the blog post about the dress here.

Every now and then something happens that totally amazes me!  It's a great shout out from the McCall's Pattern Company - hope you enjoy the article...

TOPS THAT POP CONTINUATION...

......although the Tops That Pop Sew-a-long ended on April 30th and was extended to May 3rd, I promised to post submissions until Saturday evening in an effort not to leave anyone out that wanted to participate.

104 Tops To Date

 

Constance Lynn - SewingCurves (Instagram) - Butterick 6457 Cold Shoulder Top

 104 Tops:  an amazing accomplishment by such a supportive group of sewists!  Please don't forget to pop in to take a look at FAYE'S 2017 TOPS THAT POP SEW-A-LONG Pinterest Board 

that now has 496 Followers! That means that a whole lot of people are being inspired by YOUR TOPS!  If you have a top that has not been submitted at this point please feel free to go ahead and email it to me.  Any subsequent top submissions will be posted directly on this Pinterest Board.

Be on the lookout for the 2018 Tops That Pop Sew-Along next April.  Thank you all for your participation...