V8590 - A Finished Purse

Well, t's done and I have an hour and a half to go before the contest end. The purse went together very well and I am very pleased. And here it is.

Making the fastner was fun. I found a packet of plastic buttons at JoAnn's that looked interesting but weren't the right color. So I painted them with some purple acrylic paint. It took two coats, but it dried with a matte finish -- yuk! I used quick drying top coat fingernail polish to create a nice shiny surface. And here they are drying.

I used the contrasting sham as the lining and the inside of the pocket.

V8590 - Marcy Tilton's Big Bag

Pattern Review posted a contest to make a handbag. And I fell for it. I have had Marcy Tilton's tote pattern for some time and have been meaning to make it. This contest provided the impetus to get it done. I started with an upholstery fabric from my stash along with some fantastic cording. But in the meantime, I bought a comforter for my bed. This comforter came with 4 pillow shams and I never use shams. It is enough that I straighten the sheets, pull up any cover, and organize the pillows each morning. The odds of me ever using shams is nil.

So now I have this quilted material and contrasting material of something washable -- who know what the real content is. It feels like a soft polyester -- so polyester it is. The pattern is a Marcy Tilton's that I picked up a year or so ago. And the large bag's pattern pieces just fit. So now it is cut out. I cut out a very heavy piece of interfacing that I will use to strengthen and stablize the bottom. I also have some little brass feet that will work well. This will also help hold the interfacing (even glued in) in place. The sewing instructions seem very straight forward. However, the instruction to sew the bottom to the sides of the tote won't work for the weight of the fabric that I have. So my recommendation is not Pivot at the corners, but to sew one side between the dots. Another modification is the lenght of the straps. I increased the length of the straps by 10 inches. I can always shorten them. The deadline is February 17. Let's see if I can make it!

Kwik Sew 3618 - Vest

Well, it’s done and I am pleased, but there are several things that I will change if I make this pattern again. •The way the collar and facing are designed is not good. Next time, I will create a facing with the yoke by placing the yoke on the fold of the fabric. The pattern has a small facing that is meant to cover the neck line. It is not long enough to meet the shoulder seam. I would use the line that separates the yoke from the facing as the line to use on the fold of the fabric. This allows you to fully incorporate the collar in the facing with no raw/serged edges exposed. •The pockets on View A are a little low. I would raise them about an inch. This is something that is easy to forget when you are fitting a pattern. I have made jackets where the pocket is too high and that is really uncomfortable. •The pattern for the armhole facing is a bit narrow. I would cut the facing another half inch wider. If it is too wide, you can always narrow it. All in all, it is a nice little pattern and worth repeating. So here is the whole outfit.

now the back -

Marcy Tilton's Pants Pattern - Vogue 8499

I fell in love with Marcy's pattern – loose fitting pants, an interesting cut and lots of room for my own interpretation. After all that is what I love about sewing. Take something, get creative with the fabric, change the pattern, and I end up with a distinctive garment. As an opportunist when it comes to matching fabrics and patterns, I often find myself in the drapery/upholstery section of a fabric shop before I find what I want. And so it was for this pattern. I found a linen in a spring green print on a natural background that I felt would be great for this pattern. It has a great weight and a very nice hand. Marcy’s pant is created out of four sections- two in front and two in the back. There is an interesting pocket configuration on each front side. As I looked at the pattern, I realized that if I put contrasting cording down the front seam that it would extend the line and make the pants look less like pantaloons. And the contrasting cording had to be the solid green. Marcy’s website had the perfect linen blend in the spring green. I then found some nice thin strip that would do well as accent – hello, top of the pocket and trim for the pant legs. As I am tall, I can get away with a cuff look on my pants.

Next problem – what do I use for cording. Everything I found at the store was too stiff and was going to make a hard line. As the linen is soft, I wanted to keep the line soft. As I prowled around the house, I found some green garden jute. As this was made for outdoor use, I figured it was already colorfast and preshrunk – but I tested it anyway to confirm. The garden jute worked perfectly creating a nice cord that looks soft, but still produces the definition I wanted down the front of the pants.

And here are the cuffs.

And now I off to make a vest to go with my new pants. It's a Kwik Sew pattern and I am using the same idea of cording, contrasting fabric.

New direction for this blog

One of my favorite pasttimes is creating new items of clothing, using a variety of fabrics, trims, etc. And I have decided that I would like to share some of my experiences.

Max playing in the leaves

And what is it with hanging your head over the edge of the stairs?

Winter may be creeping up...

October was cool and we all thought that winter was getting ready to slam into us. Instead November arrived with weather we expect of September. Glorious weekends full of sun and mid-50 temperatures. However, today we are noticeably colder and wet. Snow is predicted for tomorrow night and Thanksgiving day.

I will be spending 2 weeks of December in NYC. Work beckons. I am doing a project for the New York City Transit, working with a team from TechProse. We are developing a master specification for their capital asset programs. It should be fun. Except being away from home in December.

I am scrambling to get packages wrapped and in the mail. Christmas cards are next on the list, but I have to write the Christmas letter first. I have one sewing project that I am trying to finish so it can also go in the mail.

The positive aspect of a trip to NYC is that I am getting to meet up with my friend, Sally, who lives across the river in New Jersey. She and I are meeting to go to a concert and dinner.