Organza-edged lingerie elastic

So many of you have asked about the organza-edged elastic that I felt the need to talk about it some more! Here is a close-up photo of it used as a sleeve finish on another garment. I believe I bought this particular one at MJ Trims in NYC a couple of years ago but I’m not 100% positive. It’s a very pretty and super-simple way to finish a neckline. Just serge it on, turn in and topstitch.

I did a quick search on Ebay for “organza elastic” and came up with quite a few auctions for it: Ebay auctions so it’s readily available. You might also do a search for “ruffled elastic”.

Back to the Drawing Board

I have been absolutely DYING to get back into my sewing room for soooo many months! So, yesterday I found myself with a couple of free hours and ran to my sewing room to see what I could whip up. Ordinarily, this would be no problem as I’d pull out a TNT pattern and get going but, since I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, my old TNTs no longer fit. Then I remembered that I’d retraced Kwik-Sew 3378 a couple of months ago and set about finding it.

This pattern is so darn quick and easy to make that I had enough time to embellish the fabric (a fantabulous rayon/lycra from Gorgeous Fabrics) with the silver Blomster transfer from Shop Onion and some hot fix crystals.

I used a commercial heat press set at 300F to apply my transfers but they work just as well with a domestic iron set to just above wool (I believe a wool setting is equal to 290F). I used a Kandi Kane from Sue’s Sparklers to apply the crystals (also from Sue’s) - it’s great fun!

I added a little unexpected detail at the back:

Unfortunately, I was not at all happy with the fit of this size (S) and had to take in the sleeves and midriff areas quite a bit. The bust fits fine. So, the next step is to test out the XS with a full bust adjustment. Hopefully, that will do the trick! Then I need to set some larger blocks of time aside to fit some more patterns because, really, how many twist tops does a girl need?

If any of you received the last Hot Patterns newsletter you can imagine that I felt like Trudy had read my mind when she wrote it. It’s so exciting to get back into shape but such a bummer to have to trash all those perfectly fitted patterns!

Designer Bead Embroidery

o

Diva Phyllis and Diva Georgene have inspired me to add a little embellishment to some of my garments. Machine embroidery is my day job but I’m a bit lost when it comes to other embellishments like beading. I am a huge Kenneth King fan so it was only natural for me to order his brand-new beading book. Like everything Kenneth does, it is meticulous, thorough and loaded with wonderful beading patterns that seem a little less intimidating now. Best of all, this means I can build a bead stash once again! I used to do some bead weaving but purged my stash years ago - no time like the present to check out the local bead shops again.

This book is available for $16.47 from Amazon.com.

Mit Glitz

A few years ago, a friend of mine had a Swiss girlfriend who looooved sparkle - everything had to be mit Glitz! Last weekend I was whipping up some new casual tops (I just cleaned out my closet and am in need!) and came across two sparkley iron ons that I had purchased at Ben Raymond’s a long time ago. Sometimes, I am inexplicably drawn to glittery things and so I bought these stars with no clue as to what I’d ever use them for.

No one could argue the fact that most knit tops don’t have a very long lifespan. This is not investment dressing, to be sure. I decided to live a little and pulled out my favorite pattern (out-of-print Kwik-Sew 2643), two gorgeous rayon/lycra fabrics (the green from www.emmaonesock.com and the beige from www.casualelegancefabric.com ) and heat-sealed those stars on before I could change my mind. You know what? I like them! Sometimes it’s fun to try something different.

Hot Patterns Sunshine Top

Finally, here is the photo of my completed HP Sunshine Top. To be honest, I generally wear fitted tops because fuller ones can sometimes look too maternity on figures like mine but I LOOOOOVE this top! The cut actually makes me look slimmer and smaller busted - it’s a real winner. The secret is the cut and depth of the neckline. Beware that this is probably not something you’ll wear to the office as it is (it is in the Weekender collection, after all) although the neckline would be very easy to raise if you so desire.

This pattern uses the new HP sizing. I used a size 10 because that’s what I normally use in HP tops and dresses. I should have tried on my Hippie Chick Dress before beginning because, due to weight loss, it was a little too large through the upper chest. As in the Big 4, an 8 is the best size for me to start with. As always, I had to make a full bust adjustment as I didn’t have enough room in the front even with the gathers. I am very pleased with the fit except for one tiny issue that my fellow Sewing Divas helped me work out. I will show those alterations as soon as I redraw the pattern. I’ll tell you, it is such a luxury to be able to bounce these things off of my very talented sewing friends. The thing I love most about sewing is the constant learning of new skills. I’ve been sewing for years and still have so much to learn! How nice that we never lose those Aha! moments.

One thing you’ll want to be aware of in this top is the length. Hot Patterns are drafted for a tall woman - I am just under 5′4″ with most of my shortness being above the waist. I cut about 3″ off to finish the top at mid hip. Otherwise, this pattern was well drafted and went together without a hitch.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the metallic transfer is the Blomster Print from Shop Onion. I use a lot of transfers in my business and can assure you that these are of the highest quality.

Yes, still……

I’m still swamped with work but am trying to post *something* every few days so that you don’t forget about me.

Awhile ago, my friend Emma asked if I’d monogram 65 napkins for a friend’s dinner party. The easiest way to crank out such a large quantity was to put four napkins in a hoop as shown below. I used a 12×12″ but this would work equally well with smaller hoops. We hooped tearaway, drew a couple of lines down the center in each direction and stuck the napkins on with KK3000. I always use KK3000 with my either cutaway or tearaway as I absolutely detest sticky paper. Not only is it expensive, it doesn’t provide enough stability on it’s own. If you have to add a sheet of tearaway, what is the point?

If you look very, very closely, you can see a tiny placement dot on each napkin. We made a little corner template from paper to make marking a breeze. After sewing the first initial, I simply used my machine’s rotate feature to sew the rest. With this method, we were able to embroider 24 napkins with each hooping (my machine has 6 heads). This went very quickly - we started around 10:00 a.m. and were having lunch out a couple of hours later.

Hot Patterns Sunshine Tops - Part 2

I had all but forgotten about these really cute heat transfers I purchased a few months ago from Shop Onion. This silver Blomster print is perfect for adding a little embellishment to the neckband of my Sunshine Top.

I decided to use a partial motif on the side of the band. I placed a Teflon sheet underneath so that the excess wouldn’t fuse to my press’ silicone pad. If you don’t have a Teflon sheet you can put a piece of scrap paper or fabric underneath so that the transfer won’t stick to your pressing surface.

Applying the motif is easy! Just fuse at 300F for 10-12 seconds. I’m using a commercial heat press but it’s just as easy to apply these transfers with a dry iron set just above wool.

I’m very happy with the placement of this little detail. This pattern is great! It’s such a pretty top. I thought I could get away without a full bust adjustment because of all the gathers but I was W R O N G. In fact, if you are full-busted I would recommend starting the gathers further up the neckband to fill in the hollow above the bust a little. I am going to make my FBA and then transfer the dart to that area. Oh well, that’s why it’s necessary to make a test garment in knit. My final version will be in a rayon/lycra knit. I think I’ll cut out and fuse the neck band now and get started on my beading. Woohoo!

A forgotten shirt!

Last week I discovered a Kwik-Sew 2935 camp shirt that I had cut out for my husband last year. Oops! I remember now that I had cut several shirts out and made them all except for this one. The fabric is a very drapey rayon crepe from John Kaldor. I bought this years ago at a time when John Kaldor’s gorgeous prints were available locally - something beside the ones printed on cheap polyester for JoAnn’s.

To my delight, I discovered that I had already interfaced the collar pieces and the front facing so I decided to go ahead and finish it up before cutting out a new shirt. Embroidering on prints is always tricky. Here I opted for a darker blue that would show up on both the black ground and the light blue leaf. Yes, I know it looks like a tulip but I told my husband they were leaves. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Happy Birthday, Honey - Final

When I was ironing a couple of Tommy Bahama camp shirts the other day, I noticed that the edgestitching on the facing stopped at the top vs. turning the corner and meeting the collar stitching. I thought I’d give this a try - I’m not sure whether I like it or not. It certainly was easier.

I made an extra thin piece of bias tubing for the button loop. I stitched about 1/8″ from the fold of my bias strip and then turned it with a needle and thread after trimming the seam allowances close to the stitching. Just for kicks, I sewed this entire shirt with Mettler Silk-Finish cotton thread. I must say, I really liked it for the topstitching. The thread melds into the fabric so much better than polyester. I’ll have to see how it holds up in the construction.

Here’s the finished collar area. This is the first time I’ve added the loop. It’s really just decorative since I didn’t sew the necessary button under the collar. The pattern (Kwik-Sew 2935) directs you to cut the loop 1.75″ long which is just a wee bit too long, in my opinion. I think I’ll try 1.5″ on the next shirt.

Tone-on-tone embroidery is a big thing with executives these days. Advertising with a whisper. The embroidery looks a little wonky but that’s because I had it draped over a pile of fabric on my pressing surface when I took the photograph.

Of course, I made him open it tonight before we went to bed and he loved it! He is wearing it tomorrow to the closing.

Pretty Blouses and Beautiful Fabric

Last week I ordered some beautiful white and ivory Sea Island cottons from Michael’s Fabrics. The samples he sent me were so silky, so heavenly, that I could not resist. I figured I’d make myself some nice basic shirts. Until I saw this beautiful blouse at Basset Mode. Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s fresh and feminine and would pair equally well with a skirt or jeans. Then, I remembered my small stash of French laces and Swiss embroideries and knew that I could use them to make something similar. The sheer stripes will be replaced by laces and I will embellish the plain fabric with embroidery, pintucking and perhaps some puffing. Yet, because of the sophisticated chevron design I will not end up looking like a cupcake.