I’m a winner!

It’s no secret that I love 70’s fashions - well, not *all* 70’s fashions but a great number of them! Well, when I saw Summerset’s vintage skirt I HAD to find the pattern right away! I am dating myself but I had so many skirts just like this in high school. Personally, I think it still looks very current so I was thrilled to find a copy!

Some of you may remember that I made a dress from a 1970-something pattern to wear to my son’s graduation back in 2006. I used to troll Ebay and the vintage sites every single day but I have so little self-control that I had to stop! It may be time to start up again but I have to try and stay away from those pricey 1950s patterns!

Quick work top

I recently bought some really pretty printed jerseys from Gorgeous Fabrics for work tops. Since I’m up and out before dawn I like easy tops that look professional (obviously, in a casual way) and nice with the knee-length shorts I’m currently wearing. God, I love knee-length shorts! They are great for corporate casual and cool enough for hot Florida summers. I only have a handful of appropriate tops to wear so I really needed to crank out a few things.

Today (yeah, supposed to be Sunday but you know how that goes) I pulled out my TNT Jalie 2449 - which I love - and quickly cut out a top with a cap sleeve. I can make this top start to finish in under an hour and it’s so cute! I chose this Islands in the Stream jersey because I need a few tops to go with my off-white shorts.

I wanted to use the border for the neckbands but wasn’t really sure how long to cut them since they were printed on the lengthwise grain and have very little stretch. Then I had an idea: I put on one of my previously made tops and measured the length of the band while on the body and added my seam allowances - in this case 20.5″ total. That would have been very clever of me - had it worked. The band was too long and didn’t lay flat against my chest. So I went to Plan B: I serged the band on stretching it slightly (if you stretch too much the cut edges will curl). Success! I ended up with a finished length of 18.5″ - 2″ less than what I’d started with.

Since I had this pretty border to work with I wanted to incorporate it into some other part of the top. At first I thought of a tie belt but decided on a sleeve binding instead. ETA: After all was said and done I added a faux side tie as well and I’m glad I did - it finishes the top off nicely.

I wanted a 1/2″ finished binding so I cut my strips three times that (1.5″) plus 3/8″ allowance for securing the binding. I sewed the binding right sides together to the sleeve stretching the sleeve very slightly to ease the binding in a little because I did not want the edge to be tight.

Next, press the binding away from the body of the sleeve.

Then wrap the binding around the seam to the back (I serge-finished the raw edge first) and secure by stitching in the ditch or topstitching. Remember to “stretch and sew” to build some give into your topstitching and prevent popped stitches later.

Finishing up took mere minutes!

Kwik-Sew 2845 Perfection!

I made all of the changes to the pattern and it is now perfect and ready to be made into a permanent pattern. The fit is perfect (I fill it out a bit better on top than Ethel, lol) and it is such an adorable top to wear with jeans or shorts. This time I made a long sleeve which I really like for a little extra sun protection - a trick I learned when I was doing embroidery work for a fishing club. The fabric is a long sold-out rayon/lycra from Textile Studios, one of my handful of favorite internet sources.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be cutting out a new Hot Pattern and whipping up a quick work top from a TNT pattern before I get back to the leather bag I was working on before the studio overhaul. Sounds like I need to get up early!

Kwik-Sew 2845

Since I was unable to go away with DBF this weekend due to my less-than-speedy recovery from oral surgery (blech) I am working on getting things cleaned up and finishing up some UFOs.

I had this beautiful fabric leftover from my latest Cosmopolitan Dress and wanted to squeeze out a top before tossing the scraps. Kwik-Sew 2845 seemed perfect - a little bit bohemian - for the paisley print. This used to be one of my very favorite TNT patterns. However, when I lost weight a couple of years ago, the pattern no longer fit and it’s taken me this long to get around to retracing it. Lazy! My original pattern had been a small with a 1″ FBA so this time I decided to just start with a straight XS. Since my bust is much smaller I skipped the FBA but I did add 1″ in length because it seemed a wee bit short. Overall, I am pretty happy with the fit but I will do an FBA next time as the underbust seam is about 1/2″ too high and I’d like more gathers around the neckline. I’d also like a little more length so I’ll add another inch.

Other changes I made to the pattern was a 5/8″ forward shoulder adjustment and I eliminated the gathers under the bust. I think I like it better with the gathers so I’m adding them back in for the next one.

Instead of making buttonholes for the neckline cording I added a seam at the center front. I just think it’s easier and looks a lot neater. Yeah, I know my match is a wee bit off but I knew the cord would cover it so I just left it! No matter how carefully I measure and mark my buttonholes are always a tiny bit off and there is no room for error here. Instead of the ribbon the pattern calls for I made self-fabric cording.

The sleeves are from Kwik-Sew 2643, a long-discontinued pattern. I already knew from last time that they fit into the armscye perfectly so it was just a matter of tracing off a new size. Remember to remove 1/8″ from the armscye of 2845 because it has a 3/8″ hem allowance.

I think this jersey has really had a workout this weekend! First, there was Summerset’s Burda WOF top, Cidell’s maxi dress and now my humble little scrap top. Well, I’m off to make those alterations and trace the pattern onto oak tag!

Sewer + Empty Closet = Mixed Blessing

So, my son hasn’t even finished picking up his junk moving out and I’m already eyeing his closet! I’ve been so busy over the past few months that my fabric purchases have been piling up in my Sewing Studio #2. Shamefully so, really. So, when I was forced to empty the room for painting I just piled everything in the exercise room. Then, this afternoon, I started thinking about how convenient it would be to hang all of that fabric in my son’s closet - just to get it out of the way for now, you understand. Unfortunately, I ran out of hangers! Well, before you start thinking about how clever I am to get everything tidied up and put away please realize that I’ve had to use this closet (the two sets of doors are small but it spans one wall):

because this closet (in my sewing room):

and this walk-in closet in my exercise room are FULL!

See? Mixed blessing. Or perhaps a curse because I’ve only used about 1/6th of the new closet. Instead of the Crazy Cat Lady I’ll be the Crazy Fabric Lady. Please don’t ask me about the former linen closet ’cause I’m not telling.

PS: You know what the really scary part is? The Boyfriend has seen The Fabric and he’s still here. Ha, if that doesn’t send them running for the hills, nothing will.

Tada! The new sewing studio!

Well, I have a few paint touch ups and have to rehang the manilla paper on another wall since I changed my mind about the layout but here it is! I know there’s a lot going on in all the pictures but, what can I say?, I have a lot of stuff.

Here is the view from the door:

The two machines on the right side are my Singer 20U (zigzag) and my Consew 206RB (a walking foot machine). I had the two plain stands leftover from my embroidery shop - they were used as work tables and for hooping. Since I often work on really large projects on these two machines I put a plain stand behind each one to hold all the extra fabric. I really could have used this when I made the cover for my pool table!

On the left are my two coverstitch machines, back to back. I know I would have had more space in the center of the room had I put them against the wall but there is a method to my madness! Now that I live alone I wanted to be able to pull the attic ladder down without having to move any machines by myself - the coverstitch machines are especially heavy! I still have plenty of space to move around the cutting tables. Speaking of which, these are the cheapos you can purchase at JoAnn’s. I originally wanted the much more expensive Horn tables with the drawer but I’ve had these for a number of years and they are great! Of course, with the money you save you must buy the matching rotary mat.

I won’t be doing any construction pressing in this room (I have a Naomoto gravity feed in my other sewing room) but I’m thrilled to have the space to keep the ironing board up! I usually turn on the iron and press things as they come out of the dryer. Now I won’t have to set up in the kitchen!

Straight ahead is my 12-needle embroidery machine. I have pretty much decided to sell it as I don’t see myself using it all that much. After 10 years in business, the bloom is off the embroidered rose.

From the other side:

The Merrow machine sits in the corner to the left of the window since it’s not used very often. My manila paper roll will hang on the wall above it. That wall is concrete so I need to get the proper anchors before I can take care of that. To the right is the Jiffy steamer and on the table is the heat press (that’s the water heater enclosure next to it). Everyone is surprised that I didn’t sell the press when I closed my business. Are they nuts? With a 16×20 surface area I can fuse interfacing quickly and easily! Those paper dispensers on the hot water cabinet used to hold embroidery stabilizer, now they hold examining table paper.

Oh, and I just love my new floor! It’s epoxy garage floor paint and I sprinkled colored paint chips onto it while it was wet. The chips really help hide any imperfections and it was so easy! Since I couldn’t move everything out of the room I had to paint in two sections so the entire thing took nearly 10 days before I could move the machines back in. I had to let the concrete patch and then the bonding primer dry completely before I could even begin painting. The bonding primer drove me crazy because it stays tacky after it’s dry and my shoes kept sticking to it. I ended up wearing old socks instead which worked great.

The paint then requires 72 hours dry time before furniture can be moved back in. Of course, that is when The Boyfriend mentioned that the walls would look really nice painted a light tan (they were cold, stark white and looking a little dingy)… That set me back a few more days but it was so worth it! It drove me nuts to have my living room and bedroom piled with machines and stuff but now that it’s done it looks great! I can’t wait to get back to sewing. Unfortunately, I’m having oral surgery tomorrow and then going away for the weekend (provided I don’t swell up like a chipmunk!) so I’ll have to sit tight for a few more days.

Almost there!

I am finishing up the painting in my new studio today and then The Boyfriend is coming over later to help me move the machines back. My son hates, hates, hates moving machines with me because he says he always stubs his toes on the stand (true, it happens to me too). I am giddy with anticipation!

Here’s a pic from Animal Kingdom - me with the wonderful man in my life. It rained all day and we were soaked to the skin before we broke down and bought those stylish ponchos. I’m so glad I thought to bring my lucky Red Sox hat so I didn’t have to walk around with really bad hair all day. Take a good look, you’ll probably never see me this dressed down again.

Speaking of my son, he closed on his house this past Thursday and is moving out on Monday. When he first told me he was buying a house (and leaving me!) I was very upset. Now? Well, I’m very ashamed to say that I’m looking forward to not having to clean up after him, not having any comings and goings at all hours of the night and not having my son and his friends drink all of my beer and liquor. Because when a girl wants a martini she doesn’t want to have to go out to the liquor store to replace the bottle she bought three days ago! Yes, I do feel like a terrible mother and very guilty but I guess that comes with the territory. I’ll wait a few days before I do the Happy Dance.

Do you wear pantyhose?

Before I go I had to share this article about pantyhose in the workplace with you:

Sun-Sentinel

Yes, I do own some pantyhose although they are probably no longer good since I haven’t worn them in at least a decade. Here in south Florida I rarely see anyone wearing them, certainly no one my age or younger. My best friend is a senior partner in a major law firm and only wears them in court. Even the officers at the bank aren’t wearing them anymore. If women in conservative fields have tossed them out why not everyone? They are certainly very hot and uncomfortable plus they look matronly with open-toes, peep-toes or sandals. Sounds like it’s time to clean out my pantyhose drawer! The only ones I’ll keep are the fishnets and tights which I like to wear periodically when the weather is cooler.

I’d be interested to hear from readers in other parts of the country - hose or no hose?

ETA: Wow, I had no idea my post would elicit such passionate responses! I still feel they are a bit passé especially in this part of the country probably due to the climate. I believe it is perfectly possible to look polished and put-together with clean shaven, bare legs - I see it every day!

ETA: Here is another interesting article on the demise of sheer pantyhose:

Philadelphia Inquirer

I’ll be back shortly…

I had a wonderful time this weekend at Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Sea World! Now I’m back to working on the floor and had to disconnect my computer last night. I’m working on DS’ laptop right now but will have limited access for the next few days. I also have some emergency dental work that needs to be done this week (isn’t it always something?) but I should be back by the weekend. I hope you are all busy sewing something wonderful!

TTFN!

The boyfriend and I are headed out to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the weekend so things will be quiet here. I’m not a park person *at all* but we had so much fun at the zoo that I figured what the heck! It’ll just be nice to get away and, on the plus side, I won’t have any little kids to run around after.

I’ll be back on Sunday and we will start moving machines back into my shop (I guess I should call it Sewing Studio #2 now that I’m no longer in business). I still have to move and paint under the desk and file cabinets but I should be back to 100% by next Friday. The floor looks fantastic, I can’t wait to be back in action! Now that I’m on a roll with my sewing again, these past few days have been killing me.