Pattern Difficulties

I hit a wall using Simplicity Pattern 4340, c. late 1950s I think.

I'm making the shorts from the pattern. I was breezing through the pattern when I got to the waistband. I got through the first sentence of step 11 in photo of instructions below, but then the trouble began.



Part 1 of pattern step 11: Sew right side of band to wrong side of shorts. You can see the visible part of the band, away from the shorts is marked W for wrong, meaning the right side of the band is toward the shorts, the right side of the shorts. And I've matched up the notches on the band and shorts. So far so good.


Part 2: Fold band in half lengthwise right sides together. I'm showing the inside of the fold where I marked with an R indicating right side.

Photo below shows fabric folded down - folded in half, right sides together, again so far so good. And I stitched ends of the waistband.


This next part shows how the waistband looks when the shorts are turned right side out (seeing right side or outside out, because you can no longer see dart seams), we are looking at the outside back, to try to correlate to illustration in instructions. It doesn't look like the illustration in step 11 of the pattern instructions, but not sure how I could have done anything differently. Hum.


At the end of the instructions to stitch the ends, it says to turn. I assume that means turn the waistband end out so the end shows the finished edge (can't see seam). Then instructions say to turn under seam allowance (5/8") on raw edge of band. Okay, so in photo below, you can see the edge of the turned under band comes just to the top of the raw top edge of the shorts. So now what do I do? Now the train has fully jumped the track and I'm stuck. If I pull the band edge down over the top edge seam allowance of shorts, the very end of the waistband is askew. Drat.

Pending Projects

Sitting at my desk this morning, over coffee, toast, and blueberries, thinking about projects. I need to take stock.

Recent inspiration is an outfit from the Mui Mui Autumn-Winter 2010 collection.

Not a fan of the lower section, but the bodice would look amazing with a full skirt. I'd love to try to make the collar/neckline. But my next project is going to be a 1930s day dress. The plan is to complete it by September 12th for the Gatsby Picnic.

Pattern is #3007 1930s Button Dress from Decades of Style

Based on past experience, this completion date is a bit ambitious, although I have a few days off work this month and the design seems pretty straight forward plus I've found the fabric - yay!

Fabric found at Peapod Fabrics, San Francisco

Locating fabric I like is so difficult, plus I'm not good (yet) at visualizing the fabric and the design together, but I'm feeling pretty good about this fabric. As soon as the pattern arrives, I'll get to work! I. will. finish. on. time. (Don't mind me as I repeat my aspiration a few times...I will finish on time. I will finish on time...I'm good enough, good enough, good enough...)

Does anyone remember Al Franken's Stuart Smalley? (who doesn't have a Wikipedia page?!)

Completion! Love New Dress!!

Happy dance!! New dress, new dress, la la la!!!

Clearly only dancing the happy dance in my head

So so excited! I finished my new dress in record time (2 months). I did little bits of the project here and there with a few long blocks of hours (wow, all the marking, the finishing of edges, the interfacing, the hems on sleeves and skirt, etc., etc....it's amazing to me how much time it all takes me).

The big challenge for me on this dress was setting and sewing the sleeves. I still don't completely understand how the easing is supposed to work with one edge so much longer than the other. The pattern explained how to gather the top half of the sleeves and then ease the edge of the sleeve in with the armhole. How you can have gathers, but are expected to not have folds in the final seam. Surprisingly, it didn't turned out too bad.

I had to open the seam up in two places and redo those sections. It was a bit rough, but once I pressed it thoroughly over my sloppy, make-shift tailor's ham (see figure 1 of a real ham...oh I've been working too much)...

Figure 1, image courtesy of BurdaStyle.com

...most of the folds and buckled fabric smoothed out like crazy freekin' magic! How, whaaa? I just found a great tutorial on how to make a tailor's ham on BurdaStyle.com... next project!

I just love the dress fabric. It is broadcloth barkcloth, but is only ever so slightly stiff and it is soft and comfy against the skin. It's vintage and I bought it from Urban Burp in the North Beach area of San Francisco. The owner Electra is really helpful and knowledgable -- great article on SFGate.

When I use this pattern the next time, I'll make the dart a little different, so the fit between the bust and waist is just a smidge tighter, but otherwise I am really happy with the fit, go pattern maker! Good old Simplicity 4298!

I did end up farming out the zipper work. I didn't want to get all cranky and sad, so I took it to the lovely lady down the street at Sherry Cleaners...she did an amazing job!! Despite her help, I have signed up for a zipper class at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley. Their calendar of classes look great! The co-owner, Suzan, who called to confirm my registration was super nice (I answered the phone all mean and stern as I picked up the phone on a crowded bus and then thought it was a spam call...she was so understanding when I gushed my apology).

Hip hip hooray...completion!

Inspiration and Zipper Anxiety!

I am almost complete with view 2 of a pattern I've used before, Simplicity 4298.

View 2 far left in orange, view 1 to its right

I've made view 1 previously with satisfying results...



...after some alteration...too big across the back.

For view 2, I have left to set the sleeves and make a hem. I am confident about these two steps. It is the zipper...oh the zipper... I am so nervous. I have put in short zippers successfully, but never the 22". I have sent it out once before, which cost $15. This cost seems definitely equal to the avoidance of the stress of putting in this zipper, but part of me wants to get past this hurdle. I haven't made up my mind.

That aside though, I saw some beautiful inspiration today in Louis Vuitton's fall/winter collection. As always, beautiful photos at TLo's blog.



Drool, drool! I am going home tonight and finishing my project! Okay, maybe not the zipper, but at least I'll make up my mind to do it myself or farm out the work/headache.

Future Sewing Projects

There are two patterns in my near future...

The top one, 7912, I'm using black faille silk and for the back and shoulders some really lovely lace.

I hope lace is a substantial enough fabric for this pattern and I hope I don't mangle the silk. For my first silk project, I bought the faille silk as it is a bit stiffer, it doesn't feel as delicate. My plan is to be really really slow and steady, no rushing!!

I don't know what fabric to use for the 9387 pattern. I was originally going to make it in this great black/grey/pink checkered fabric.

The squares are big enough I feel with some careful pinning of the pattern onto the fabric and pieces together, I could match up the fabric reasonably well. But once I took a good look at the pattern, the skirt is made up of eight separate pieces! There is no way in hell I'd be able to cut all that out and sew all those long seams and match up the fabric. So I have to find some other fabric. Hum...

Satisfaction with a Job...Done!

Oh rapturous day! I've finished my blouse sewing project!!



I simply can't believe it's done and on a hanger in my closet...I'm beside myself with happiness!

Cutting out, marking, prepping each piece with darts, constructing, struggling with my brain to comprehend the instructions, pressing, pinking seams, buttonholes, buttons, hem, fixing boo-boos...I'm done! I don't know how people crank out pieces so fast...I'm soooo slow, but it's done!

I really passed a big hurdle with this project -- I didn't have the overwhelming sense of frustration that I usually do. This weekend, at each snag, I sat patiently (ok, maybe a few "ack!" exclamations, but no reverting to angry gutter-mouth) and thought it through or carefully talked it through out-loud with my boyfriend. There was at least two big "what?"s that I eventually made work even though I didn't do it elegantly as the pattern intended, but I just couldn't understand.

The process this weekend (the last 1/2 of the project) was actually enjoyable and obsessive from start to finish and not so frustrating I wanted to chuck it out the window. Hoooooray!!!!!!

The pattern cover:


Cuff challenge: I simply didn't understand the directions.


I'm sure the instructions followed to the letter results in a cleaner-looking cuff opening, but my strip-thing seems to be okay, even though the stay stitching peaks out a bit (hard to see in this photo).


Collar challenge: Again, I just flat-out don't understand part of the directions.




The top piece of the front extension...what the heck am I supposed to do? I "made it work" as Mr. Gunn says, and although there is an extra, somewhat unsightly seam, the busy-looking fabric saves the day!

Almost done...


Done! Back shot...


Shot showing bottom edge untucked...


And fabric detail...


My boss just approved me taking a personal day this Friday so I can start my next project!!! Sewing Friday!!!!!!

Project Waiting...Waiting...

I am deeply entrenched in my research project, but this pattern cover keeps staring at me!

I've got the pieces cut out and partially marked. Soon, soon...

Vintage Pattern Project - Simplicity Pattern 4298

This post is a bit of catch up and covers new work. I created a dress using Simplicity Pattern 4298, from 1962. I created a muslin first as this was my first dress project. I practiced the tough parts: the interfacing, skirt gathers, and putting together the bodice and the skirt. The skirt and bodice on the muslin version didn't match up, so I was really careful with working with the better fabric. I got great fabric from Peapod Fabrics on 18th Ave. at Irving in San Francisco.

The dress took me forever. I was petrified of doing something wrong and messing up the fabric, but finally, finally, I got it done except for the zipper.

I just couldn't get the damn thing in correctly. So wanting to stop the torture, I took the dress and zipper to my friendly neighborhood tailor/dry cleaning place, and they put the zipper in for $15. What a life saver! I thought I was going to have a melt down (I tried 5 times, I really tried).

Despite the pretty fabric and a pretty good job on the construction, the dress just looked, well, frumpy. So just last weekend, I got confident enough to try a bit of tailoring. I asked advice of a few friends, then experimented with the muslin version and came up with the solution to enlarge and extend the existing darts in the waist/back. It worked pretty great and with a much improved fit around the waist, it looks much more flattering I think. With that success, I had the confidence to try my first belt. It came out alright, it wasn't hard at all, except the end point of the belt (that goes through the buckle).

The directions here are so fabulously vague. Step 1, turn fabric over pointed end as shown, baste. Then voila! Somehow, through some mysterious steps, you get the perfect end point of the last illustration. Amazing!

So, I folded over, as per the directions....
And then what? I fold it back over and do what with all the extra fabric and how do I shape it into that perfect arrow shape. Sigh.So then I just tried something different. I realize now that part of sewing is the confidence to play around and not follow the directions word-for-word. For some reason that's really hard for me...but getting easier. I then tried to find a good vintage plastic belt buckle. I went to the fabric store in my area and then to my favorite vintage store La Rosa Vintage, but alas they didn't have exactly what I wanted (but I bought a couple gorgeous buckles for future use). Then I went to the thrift store and bought an ugly belt for $2.49; it had a pretty good shaped metal buckle. I was hoping I could figure out how to cover it. For some reason the belt buckle kits that come in two pieces, add fabric and snap the pieces together, no longer exists anywhere. I searched a long time on the web. Anyway, I tried a bunch of different methods and finally hit on a plan.

After much trial and error, I got it!! Hooray!!!!!

The untailored version, sans belt...

Then a bit of tailoring and a belt...

And the final product!! Oh, why do I have to go to work?! I want to start a new project!!!! Ack!