That Tilton Dress

There are about nine reviews already on Pattern Review for Vogue 8813. Everyone seems to love it. It is a vintage sort of dress without being at all stuffy, and certainly not fitted. Definitely has a little hippie-beatnik-lagenlook about it.

My muslin is a happy little piece. Almost makes me want to add some more ink and make the muslin into That Tilton Dress. But such a piece is way over the top for me. Maybe.

Still trying to decide what fabric to use. Drapey hand-dyed rayon? Soft washed linen? Cotton with just a little crisp to it. I like that the pockets stand away from the body on the muslin, so no to the drapey rayon.

Maybe I should go shopping.

But. I've been trying to rein in my sewing expenditures to save up for a yet-to-be-determined sewing-related adventure. So it's best to shop the stash.

There is that light-weight burnt orange cotton corduroy. Nice jumper for fall and winter maybe. A long-sleeved shirt or T under it. Brown leggings too.

Hmmm....still dreaming. No hurry here. Just letting it perk.

Maybe I'll make a shirt instead now.

Just a tote

Here is a tote I completed after taking a sashiko class with Hellenne Vermillion. She is always so inspiring. And she has that Japanese heritage that brings an appealing perspective to her work. I aspire to channel her artfulness here and elsewhere.

Meanwhile I am struggling to create a second piece for an upcoming show that Fiber Art Fusion is having.  My first piece turned out too *cute.* It's OK but it doesn't feel like it belongs to me. If all else fails, it will be my contribution to this show.

Right now I'm trying to finish a boro piece. I feel more connected to it.

I'll post both soon. Actually I hope to finish both soon. I miss making garments and this has become a bit of a creative block.

May you have a creative day.

Some repurposing

It is hard for me to let go of sewing projects, even those I deem wadders, even those that aspire to be no more than wearable muslins.

Take the West End Pants from The Sewing Workshop (TSW). Straight-legged pants that were hugely wide and cropped. Not a good look on me. But it does have cute pockets.

Now I needed a skirt for an upcoming sewing group challenge. So I took it apart, except for the side seams, to preserve the cute pockets. I removed the crotch and some of the width in order to create a simple column with four vertical seams.

Next I put the waistband back on, following the instructions for the TNT Urban Pants from TSW, also. Unlike the West Pants, the Urban pants have a nice flat front that is created by stitching down the elastic right over the tummy without any gathers. All the gathers in the elastic fall over the sides and back.

The Urban Pants also have a front vent on the pants legs that I've always liked. So I used those instructions to create a similar vent in the back of my skirt. I used a favorite dime button, added a little sashiko, and I call it done.

I think I'm going to like it as a skirt.

Muslin Musings and the West End

Front view

Recently one of my neighborhood groups had a hearty online discussion about the making of wearable muslins. Who would have known that there would be so many opinions on this subject?

Well, it made me wonder. There are opinions and then there are facts. As a former survey-wielding-academic, I decided to do an in-depth study. I ask all the sewers in my studio what they thought of wearable muslins.

And the results are in: it depends.

Back view

As one responder said, sometimes you just know you don't need a muslin, wearable or otherwise. For a Coco jacket, you need a muslin. For other pieces, maybe, maybe not.

Take two days ago, for example. TSW urban pants pattern is my favorite pants pattern for comfortable hot-weather wear. It would be fabulous as a skirt. And, heck, I've made it 4 or 5 times now. It's a TNT. So straight away, I cut into this fabulous striped linen - you know, the kind that starts out soft and wears beautifully.

I had to tweak it a little here. Whack. And there. Had to remove the crotch. Whack, whack. Now the stripes are off a little. Whack, whack, whack.

Humongous. Really.

Well, you get the picture. Soon, I had two rectangles plus two other more-narrow rectangles. Rectangles. Not on its way to becoming my go-to skirt. So I carefully rolled that fabric up and stuffed in the back of the closet.

I think the problem with making muslins is that we sewers are just a naturally optimistic lot. Why waste all that sewing mojo on ugly muslin when we have the perfect fabric in our stash? Or in the store. Or online.

Luckily my newest pattern from TSW was waiting out in the mailbox - the West End top and pants. No point in fretting over a little mistake with the striped linen. The West End pants are perfect for my upcoming vacation in Texas. The perfect combination of om and yeehaw.

This time, I was more cautious. I cut it out of light weight denim, Louise Cutting's suggested *muslin* fabric, especially since it's going to be wearable. Denim - perfect for Tejas.


And, in the case of TSW, I know my size, right? I've been successfully making patterns from this company for years - size M for tops; size L for bottoms with a few bust-to-hip transitions as needed.

removing 2-4 inches, easy.

The size L of the West End pants are large, as in too large. Sure, they are comfortable. Big clothes are always comfortable.

But I don't look like the model on the front and I don't look the way I visualized myself. Head cocked to the side in my cowboy hat, scuffed Lucchese's peeking out from under the carefully top-stitched hem. No, not at all.

You can see in a couple of these pictures how it would look if I pinched out about 1-2 inches over each hip. Much better.

Cute pocket though, right?

I just checked the pattern tissue. This puts me squarely into size Medium. Hmmm...is The Sewing Workshop engaged in vanity sizing?

I'm thinking back to the last Sewing Workshop pattern I made - the Icon Shirt. It was way too large, and I made my usual size Medium for a top from the TSW. Well, I thought, maybe this is just the style - a big shirt style.

I am also working on the Lotus Skirt, an old Sewing Workshop pattern. It has a fitted yoke, so I did know to make a muslin of the yoke, at the least. And I learned that I need a size 18. Gulp.

So size 18 in the old pattern; size Medium in the new. You decide.

Top tucked in only to show you.

I don't wear tops tucked in. Ever.

TNT Urban pants, for comparison

Yuck.

Welcome, West End

There is nothing like a new pattern from The Sewing Workshop to get my sewing muse going.I just received email telling me that it is being auto-shipped to me.

And this one looks to be a goodie. It is called the West End Top and Pants. How cool is this? Way cool. Some interesting design details and a different overall look for TSW. It will be fun to make.

Camp Sew N Sew, Verse 4

Our fourth year is now complete. Nine girls and one boy, ages spanning 12-16, participated and seemed to have a great time. I had (mostly) two other adults helping out each day. We ended with a recital :)

I'm hoping to remember what worked and what didn't so that we can improve (again) in 2013. As usual, many lessons were learned:

This year, for the first time, we created one item each of the 5 days we met. In previous years, we've made more complicated pieces requiring the whole week. They run low on enthusiasm about mid-week in that mode. They loved the one-project-a-day approach. And, really, who doesn't love instant gratification?

This year's projects:

• smart phone case with strap, button, and hair-elastic-button loop
• box bag with zipper and boxed corners
• jewelry bag - sewing in circles, threading in a channel, and stuffing the bottom
• portfolio - straight sewing with some careful turning and pressing; problematic finish
• choice of stuffed monster or a skirt or finish/repeat one of the above

The down side of this approach is that it steers into craft sewing almost exclusively. And that involves lots of interfacing and thick fabric that is hard to sew over. The phone case was pretty manageable, but the portfolio became a little thick across the bottom. I need to rethink the use of ribbon there.
I'd like to find a way to encourage them to see the beauty in the hand-made elements and not strive for perfect sewing.

Sewing a straight line is hard at first. It's hard to control the speed on some of the machines we borrow, and even if the machine were perfect, it takes a little practice to control speed and maintain accuracy. Plus it's more fun to press the pedal to the metal.

Zippers were not too challenging this year. We took the exposed zipper approach with our box bag. In fact on the last day, several of the girls started skirts and just sewed the entire zipper to the outside of the garment, which is of course still a big trend in RTW right now. Great for new sewers!

Have them bring in some supplies next year. They need to supply

• scissors
• pin cushion
• seam ripper
• 6 inch ruler
• chalk to mark
• zippers of all sizes
• pre-quilted fabric OR $10 supply fee
• OR all of the above for $20

Here are some ideas for 2013:

• Start with stuffed monsters out of quilting cotton - easy, precision unneeded. Then they can use the left-over fiber fill for whatever little stuffed objects they want as the week progresses. They love that stuff. I on the other hand wish that it could be eliminated from the planet. BUT it does encourage creativity and allows them to let go of unrealistic expectations for first-timers, especially.
• They really liked the jewelry case (the girls, at least) - we should repeat that.
• PJ shorts or pants for boys or girls. These are easy to draft if loose.
• Make another zipper-bag project, maybe the pyramid bag with a zipper.
• Mid-way, make the portfolios again but with an easier finish - maybe decorative knots to finish off the ends of the lower binding, maybe a little hand-sewing.
• Or maybe a tote with wonky pockets and interestingly applied zippers.
• End with the tablecloth skirt, for the girls, from Shams at Communing with Fabric. Maybe. I need to make one and think about any challenges. The waistband is the obvious one.

Natural Fiber Contest at PR

TBP - my entry in PR contest

What a week!

This is my fourth year of Camp Sew N Sew at my church where several of us sewing enthusiasts introduce middle and high school kids to sewing. Today was the last day of camp for 2012. I am totally jazzed and also exhausted. More on that in a future post though...

I actually tied for second place in the Pattern Review natural fiber project contest! Wahoo! I am so excited!!! Can you tell by all the exclamation marks?!!

I entered my version of the Cutting Line Design *The Blouse Perfected.* It was already my favorite shirt. Now it's my BFF. More pictures are here. Thanks to Louise Cutting for what is truly The Blouse Perfected. I learned so much making it.

1st Place: Burda Design with Color Block

First place was won by Marina of Frabjous Couture. Wow - what a beautiful dress she made for the contest. Hers is a Burda design with added color blocks (curved, no less!) made in linen. Lovely.

I tied for second place with hpsauce (PR moniker) of Island Couture. She used a McCalls pattern to make this very hip leather jacket. I would not have thought of using leather for this contest. But it sure is natural, isn't it? Fab, right?

Tied for 2nd place: McCalls pattern

And there were so many other wonderful garments made of natural fibers submitted for this contest. Follow the PR link to see more.

My prize is a new iron. Maybe I'll donate my old iron to Camp Sew N Sew. And the sewing circle continues.

Thanks to all who supported me. Aren't sewing friends the best?