White Pima Prairie Dress

Now this is fun sewing!

This white pima cotton from Discover Sewing is the same as the pink pima cotton used for the first prairie dress. Both pieces were delicious to sew. I learned today when visiting Discover Sewing for a new piece for DGD3 that this Pima is called a pique though it's so much softer, finer than any pique I've ever used. Evidently it is called pique because it has a subtle tone-on-tone striped texture to it. It definitely has a right and wrong side, as I learned :|

Although I'm beginning to be bored with the pattern, I made a second Prairie dress to be used as a nightie for DGD2. Here it is modeled after a gown she saw for her American Girl doll, Felicity. So, of course, Felicity needed her own version. I omitted the Peter Pan collar on this one, but kept the collar stand to which I attached cotton eyelet. Again to try to approximately simulate the AG version, I omitted the cuffs using instead elastic. I also attached the cotton eyelet to the sleeve hems.

The doll's version is just a little peasant blouse extended to become a gown. I used a bias binding to enclose the gathers on the neckline, as well as the gathered sleeve hems. I attached the cotton eyelet to the hem. It buttons in the back. I hope the buttons are easy enough to use that DGD2 will not have to ask for help every time she wants to use it!

I was so excited to finish Felicity's (AG version) last night that I wrapped it and put it under the tree without taking a picture. I hope DGD2 will allow me to take a picture of her and her doll in their nighties! I am attaching some pictures of the one for DGD2.

I love, love, love this soft behaved fabric. I need a white shirt. Hmmmm....

Finished is Better Than Perfect

With apologies to whoever first said that, I totally agree today. I just finished sewing up a little confection that nearly drove me crazy - a tutu skirt for DGD1. She isn't coming for Christmas so this has to be mailed soon, very soon. Thus, finished is better than perfect. With this stuff, that would be true anyway. I've just reached the limit of my patience for sewing pink puffy cottony candy type fabric. The stuff is allegedly pink tulle. What strange stuff - it's manufactured on the bias. I'm guessing that because it rolls off the bolt on the bias. So, like it or not, I sewed it on the bias. I ended up having to use my teflon foot with my straight stitch foot and plate. (Living dangerously for sure - usually I flip on the zig-zag stitch and break a needle right after I do that.) Otherwise this stuff is quickly eaten by my machine, or at best gathered when I don't want it gathered.

I got the idea for this tutu-skirt at the Discover Sewing in Sandie Springs. I went there for soft cotton to make her a nightie but then they had this cute little tutu skirt on display. How difficult could that be? I should be able to make both the nightie AND the tutu-skirt. Well, the tutu-skirt has taken over and I wonder if I'll ever get to the sweet little nightie.

Well, it's done. Hooray! I just discovered that I put the tulle overlap on upside-down. Well, too bad. There is no way I'm ripping that stuff out. I'd sooner rip my tongue out, chocolate and all.

It is kind of cute, though, isn't it?

Feet for Marcy Tilton's knit

Love, love, love this knit from Marcy Tilton. It's called *Midnight Black Rayon/Lycra Jersey* and it sews up beautifully. And it drapes elegantly. And it is slenderizing. Love, love, love it.

I was a happy sewer, humming along with the Weather Girls "Success" as I attached the waist band to the pants. Then I created a circle of elastic and began the Sandra Betzina technique for inserting elastic in a waist band. This requires stitching-in-the-ditch and this is where things went south.

Skipped stitches were everywhere. Luckily it's easy to remove such stitches because there's not much to hold them to the fabric. Otherwise, removing stitches from this jersey would've been impossible. But on the other hand I became very frustrated in my attempts to solve the skipped stitch issue.

Everything I tried seemed to make things worse.

I changed the needle first to a ball point, then to a jersey needle. No improvement. I changed to a single stitch plate. No improvement. I changed feet - first the ditch-stitching foot and then the zipper foot. All roads led to skipped, ugly stitches. Finally I just used the straight-stitch foot, and gave up on the ditch-stitching idea. The right toe of my straight-stitch foot is just about 1/8" wide so I arranged my stitching to have that narrow toe next to the bulk (elastic enclosed in waistband). Technically it's not stitched in the ditch - it's 1/8" away from the ditch. This created a perfect stitch.

I guess that sewing with this very, very stretchy knit requires a firm grip from the foot. So the winning combination is...

• Straight-stitch foot (#13)
• Universal needle for everything except the hem
• Stretch twin needle for hem
• Regular stitch plate - no need for the straight-stitch plate

My Only Knife Trick

Now that I've finished the Verona Coat/Jacket/Vest (my first one), I need to concentrate on some basics. So what could be more basic than black pants? A while back, I purchased this fabulous black, black knit from Marcy Tilton. It's probably her rayon, lycra jersey that she describes as *beefy.* It doesn't really feel like a jersey but then it's *beefy* so maybe that's why. It has lovely drape and the kind of weight that feels good in a top or bottom piece. Pinning pattern pieces to this stuff can be challenging. Several years ago I happened on to this technique. I place my everyday cutlery knives on the pattern tissue as weights. Then with a very sharp rotary blade I cut out the pieces. It is no-fail.

I used my TNT pants pattern that started life out as the Sewing Workshop Mimosa pants - a very basic fitted pants pattern with no waist band, darts in the front and back. Cynthia Guffey fitted it to me several years ago and it is now my go-to pants pattern. I've made shorts, pants with fly front and even skirts. I wondered how it would be in knit. I took 3/4 inch SA on the sides and inseam, took a standard 5/8 inch SA in the crotch to preserve that curve, and simply ignored the darts. I cut a 3 inch band that was slightly smaller than the top raw edge of the pants and attached it by stretching it to fit the pants waist. This seemed to take care of the excess fabric resulting from ignoring the darts. Because it is so stretchy, it fits without a zipper. Now I just need to insert the elastic and hem these pants so I can have something to wear. How is it that I sew almost everyday and have so little to wear?

Needing closure

The Verona jacket is drawing to a close but needs closures. I'm not sure about button holes so I'm playing with some bias tubes made from the sleeves I decided to omit. I think I really like it as a vest. DH says it looks like some other things I've made. How can that be? Am I in a sewing rut? It still needs a good press too, but I'm thinking I like it and it's warm and I'll wear it now that we've gone from summer directly into winter. Oh, autumn where art thou?

I got to use some great marking chalk I bought from Pam Howard. It disappears when it is ironed. I tried to capture this in the photo - hope the iron-shape shows up properly. It's very cool stuff.

Quiet House

The house is quiet. No one is here except me. The only sound is the purr of my machine and the occasional puff of steam from my iron. I'm starting a new pattern - the Verona coat from the Sewing Workshop. I'm quilting the pieces following Mary Ray's instructions in Threads. The outer fabric is red wool crepe (color doesn't photograph nicely); the batting is cotton flannel; the lining of the body is black China silk and the sleeves are red Ambience - trying to stay within my stash. I started out with wool batting but it is definitely not the proper kind to use - the loft is too high. I'll use it for a comfy quilt later.

Life is good.

I k i

いきCool chic, subversive fashion among Japanese townspeople during the first half of the 19th century. I love that term. I will aspire to iki, though I will never qualify. From Wikipedia (which I don't like), "Iki is an expression of simplicity, sophistication, spontaneity, and originality. It is ephemeral, romantic, straight forward, measured, audacious, smart, and unselfconscious." Let me see if I can work on one of those qualities. The picture at left is from http://www.japanesestreets.com/.