Fun with Jumbo Hook & Eye Tape

No, I didn't make this cake for Valentines Day. I made it last week for DD2's 15th birthday. Generally, my kids request devils food cake with butter cream frosting for their birthday. But, Happy V Day, just the same. ;)

I've been suffering from a bit of sewing malaise lately. I see, from other blogs I read, that I am not alone. In this case, my solution was to make one simple project, and one fun project.

First, the fun project. I ordered some of that great jumbo hook & eye tape in black/silver from the Vogue Fabrics store. (They also carry white which you could dye.)

But what to do with this dramatic notion?

I saw a boutique top that used the same hook and eye tape, not only to close the top, but also on the pocket. I decided I liked that clever idea. I had a bit of an interesting fabric that I had used to line three of my skirts. I liked it so much, I decided to save the last bit for a top. The slightly textured fabric contains a synthetic fiber and is striped such that there are sheer stripes and solid stripes. It almost feels like an organza, but not quite. Because of the sheer stripes, I doubled the fabric for the front and back, but used a single layer for the sleeves.

For the pattern, I used my TNT t-shirt pattern that has been so altered, it no longer resembles the original New Look pattern. I extended the right front several inches and added a pocket to the right side. I cut the sleeves so that the fringed selvedge was at the wrist. I also added a strip of selvedge to the bottom of the top.

To apply the tape: I used zipper foot and used the width of the zipper foot to position the stitching line. There was no way to turn under the cut edge of the tape – there was not enough play, so I used Fray Block to prevent it from raveling. (One of my favorite notions is Fray Block.)

The pocket

The sleeve with the selvedge hem. You can see the sheerness of a single layer of the fabric.

---

For Christmas I made my friend a copy of a Flax top that she had loved. I made myself one of these tops. Mine used a different knit that was a bit more stable, but I did put darts in the arm holes to remove gaposis.

A geranium leaf peeks out of the pocket.

Hopefully I can get my sewing mojo back to attack some of the more ambitious projects I want to make. :)

New Au Bonheurs patterns

The Au Bonheurs site posted new patterns last week. They have some nice new patterns!

Here is their website, in its original French: Au Bonheur des Petites Mains (French).

Here is their website, translated with Google's online translator: Au Bonheur des Petites Mains (English).

For example, look at this top:

or this coat:

or this top:

Here's a note about ordering from outside of France:
If you can obtain an IBAN number (International Banking number) from your bank, send it to them and they will refund the VAT tax. My bank, which is actually a smallish credit union, does not have an IBAN, unfortunately.

Peggy R, who lives in Switzerland but is a native English speaker, has sent me some additional French/English sewing dictionaries and links, to help you when working with these patterns:

• Lexique anglais français de la couture
  
• Mon journal de couture
  
• Lexique de couture
  
• Glossaire du couture et lexique bilingue
  
• Glossaire français/anglais
  
• A knitting glossary!
  
• A list of websites, both French and English.
  

Thanks so much, Peggy!

I haven't ordered any of the new patterns yet, but it's on my todo list. ;)

Soldering Iron + Synthetic Fabric = Hot Melty Fun

The front and neck facings.

I think I mentioned that when I attended the Sewing Workshop open house earlier this month, a gentleman there teaches a class in using a "hot knife" to cut synthetic fabrics. I could not take the class (I have a conflict when the class takes place in late February) but I was inspired to dig out my soldering iron, some synthetic scraps, and play.

For this technique, if you want to use templates, they need to be metal, as plastic templates will melt from the hot iron. I went to the hardware store and bought washers in every size they carried. The total cost for the six washers was about $2.

The soldering iron is at the top of the pic.

In addition to a soldering iron (or woodburning tool, or hot knife, or whatever you want to call it), you need a piece of ceramic or glass to use as a base. And you need a fully synthetic fabric - something that will melt when burned. In my case, I liked the effect when I played with scraps left over from my recent Au Bonheurs raincoat.

I drafted up a little gathered pocket.

The cuffs

Fabric Dots, anyone?

Since this process throws up some fumes, I suggest you do this in a well ventilated area. I also took breaks, because it did make me sneeze, so it took three or four sessions for me to finish this project. The iron is VERY HOT, so be careful. If you have those flexible, heat proof gloves, this would be a good time to use them.

I don't have those. I managed to give myself a tiny burn on my index finger towards the very end, when I started rushing a bit. It created a small, but impressive blister, and hurt like heck. So don't do that. ;)

For the larger washers, I was able to hold them by the edges, but the smaller washers were too small, so I placed a larger washer on top, pushed down hard, and held to the outer washer. This worked pretty well. And, having said that, I burned myself when using the largest washer. Guess I got cocky. ;)

For the design, I used my self drafted dolman sleeved top. I just barely managed to squeeze the top out of the fabric I had left. I drafted up a little gathered pocket and modified the pattern with self fabric bands around the front/neck and sleeves. All of these details feature the circle cut outs. For the front/neck facings and the pocket, I cut three of each pattern piece. Each required the third layer for the contrast underlining. For the pockets, I cut two of each pattern piece – because they folded over, they were actually four layers thick.

Size 4 Sew-On Snaps. I intend to wear this closed.

Snapped closed

The pocket is gathered with elastic left over from the Bonheurs coat.

Back

If you are located in the Bay Area and are interested in this technique, I'm sure there is a lot more to learn by taking the class at the Sewing Workshop.

Au Bonheurs des Petites Mains - Measurement Chart

I contacted the Au Bonheurs pattern company and asked them if they had a measurement chart available, as I did not see one on their website. This is what they sent me.

I translated and converted the metric values to Imperial measurements. I have rounded the measurements off to the nearest quarter inch – the original metric values are in parenthesis.

Women's Size Chart

Size	Bust	Waist	Hips
32	30 3/4" (78cm)	24 1/2" (62cm)	33" (84cm)
34	31 1/2" (80cm)	25 1/2" (65cm)	34 3/4" (88cm)
36	33" (84cm)	26 3/4" (68cm)	36 1/4" (92cm)
38	34 3/4" (88cm)	28 1/4" (72cm)	37 3/4" (96cm)
40	36 1/4" (92cm)	30" (76cm)	39 1/4" (100cm)
42	37 3/4" (96cm)	31 1/2" (80cm)	41" (104cm)
44	39 1/4" (100cm)	33" (84cm)	42 1/2" (108cm)
46	41" (104cm)	34 3/4" (88cm)	44" (112cm)
48	43 1/4" (110cm)	37 1/4" (94.5cm)	46 1/2" (118cm)
50	45 3/4" (116cm)	39 3/4" (101cm)	48 3/4" (124cm)
52	48" (122 cm)	42 3/4" (107.5cm)	51 1/4" (130cm)
54	50 1/2" (128cm)	44 3/4" (114cm)	53 1/2" (136cm)
56	52 3/4" (134cm)	47 1/2" (120.5cm)	56" (142cm)

Report -- Marcy Tilton's Inspiration Paris CD

I just received Marcy Tilton's new virtual workshop CD, Inspiration Paris. I pre-ordered a copy that arrived Saturday and I wasted no time in checking it out. :)

In order to use the CD on the Mac (which is what I have), QuickTime and Adobe Reader are required. I did not have Adobe Reader installed, because the Mac generally uses Preview to read PDF documents, but Preview doesn't work properly with the video segments.

Once I downloaded and installed Adobe Reader, I clicked on the Inspiration Pris.pdf file to launch Reader and open the file. Page 1, is a title page. Page 2 is an index. From there you can select Videos, Galleries (photos), or Links. The Videos are listed on page 3, and there are five to choose from:

• Piecing featuring Marcy's technique of subdividing a pattern to create a multi-seamed design.
  
• Strips featuring Marcy's technique of embellishing with fabric strips, both plain and pleated.
  
• Zippers showing how to install a separating zipper. She features a beautiful Riri zipper.
  
• Holy Moley shows Marcy's technique for circular inserts.
  
• Travel Wardrobe – Marcy walks you through her own travel wardrobe and how she plans it out. Her wardrobe fits into a small suitcase and takes her from three to six weeks in Paris.
  

If you look at Marcy's home page, there is a video segment on Hong Kong finishes. They did not have enough room to include this in the CD, which is too bad, but you can see it online here: The index for the photo galleries (page 4) breaks the photos down into several categories:

• Fashion
  
• Shopping
  
• Museums and Tours
  
• Streets
  
• Marcy's (including garments she has purchased and created)
  

Most of the photo pages are collaged, and many are annotated. The photos go from page 5 to page 78. The links and text begin on page 79. It begins with an overview of her Paris trips. Beginning on page 82 she lists some of her favorite places to stay, shop, and places to go for inspiration. She also has a list of blogs that she recommends relating to Paris and Paris fashion. Finally, several pages are dedicated to two walking tours ("promenades") that she recommends, telling you exactly where to walk, where to stop, etc. If I were planning a trip to Paris, this resource alone would be invaluable.

I was happy to see Marcy offering this CD at the price point of $20. Her website says she plans more in this series of reasonably priced CDs. I welcome that, because $40 for a CD that you have not been able to preview requires a great leap of faith.

From the video segments, I most enjoyed the video on the circular inserts, called Holy Moley, particularly the technique she uses to create a "pick stitch" on the front of the garment, perpendicular to the seam. This seaming technique is not just decorative – it actually secures the seam. I am not sure that my older sewing machine is capable of creating that effect, though I plan to try. The extensive slide show is a rich visual feast and I will be going back to look through those images more carefully. :)

If any of you own her screen printing CD, can you leave info in the comments about it? I would love to see it, but $40 is a significant investment. :)

Vogue 2704 - NY/NY skirt

This favorite, but OOP, Vogue pattern is from their now-defunct NY/NY line. The pattern features a jacket and a 5-gore, spiral skirt. The pattern says there is no accommodation for shortening or lengthening the skirt but, at a finished length of 24", I decided I was going to lengthen it, and also to convert it from a faced waistband with a zipper to an elastic waist. When a pattern says there is no accommodation for lengthening or shortening a design, all that means is that they don't want to be bothered with it because it is not straightforward. It does not mean you can't figure out a way to do it. ;) The "more correct" way to do it would be to completely redraft the spirals, but I didn't want extra width at the hips anyway, so my approach achieved the look I was after.

You can see my altered pattern piece in the photo below. I started with a size 16, increased the waist to the same measurement as the hip, and added 6" to the top of the pattern. If you read the reviews of this skirt on Pattern Review, there was an error in the original printing of the pattern. If you followed the original instructions, you would cut the spiral on the folded fabric, which would cause the spiral from the top layer to go in the opposite direction of the spiral from the bottom layer. Later printings of the pattern corrected the layout, telling you to cut the skirt in a single layer, with all spirals going in the same direction. My pattern, from ebay, shows the earlier layout.

My altered pattern piece for the gore. The smaller pattern piece is attached to four of the gores to lengthen them. There is another pattern piece, which is longer and wider, that is attached to the 5th gore so that it creates an asymmetric hem.

Once you cut out the 5 upper gores, you then cut out 5 bottom pieces, each one is sewn to the bottom of the gore to lengthen it. Four of the bottom pieces have the same shape, but one is larger/longer, causing the skirt to have an asymmetric hem.

The fabric I used is from Emma One Sock. I purchased it several months ago when I was looking for a cotton/linen blend denim. This fabric, a linen silk blend in a twill weave, is a charcoal color. When it arrived, it was not what I wanted for the project in mind, so I tossed it into a pile. When I decided to make this skirt, I realized it would be perfect. The fabric has a gorgeous hand, beautiful drape, and went through the washer/dryer like a champ. The two yards I bought was not enough for the pattern, but I was able to very carefully squeeze it out.

Sewing the skirt is fairly straightforward, but the process is similar to sewing a tapered circular ruffle to another tapered circular ruffle, and so on, until you have 5 circular ruffles sewn together. Hemming it was a bit challenging, but I sewed close to the edge of the hem, trimmed, made a tiny 1/8" turn of the fabric, and topstitched.

Hemming the skirt with a 1/8" hem.

And here is the final result. I was getting ready to go to a BABES meeting. I'm not sure exactly what that stands for, but it's a Bay Area Sewing Group from PR. I had just washed my hair, and it had been raining, so that's why I look like a drowned rat. :)

Au Bonheur des Petites Mains - Raincoat (VL000001)

Note: This is a long post. If you want to jump to the photos of the finished coat, here you go.

This pattern comes in two sets of sizes – 36-44 and 46-52 (note that the links take you to different pages). I purchased the larger size and made the size 52, except for the shoulder width, which I decreased by 2". This pattern's difficulty rating is 2 (out of 4). I disagree with this rating. The skirt with twisted drape was also rated 2 out of 4 and that skirt was very easy and quick. I would rate that skirt a 1 and this coat a 3.

As with other Au Bonheur patterns, this one has no seam allowances included, it is in French only, and the instructions are minimal, with no illustrations. For example, this raincoat is supposed to be lined. The instructions say, "Make the lining." That is all it tells you and it gives you no special lining pieces. :) It's not difficult to make lining pieces, but be aware that this pattern is not going to hold your hand.

Before I made my muslin (which I strongly recommend), I translated the instructions, first using online translators, and a Big 4 pattern, and then I met with a French friend to figure out the last few details. I have been creating/maintaining a French sewing glossary as I use these patterns. When I made my actual garment, I did not even refer to the instructions since I had worked out most of the details in the muslin. (Though I had not bothered with the zippers, snaps, elastic, facings, or other finishing details on the muslin, so I still had details to figure out.)

Supplies

For the fabric, I had two possibilities in my stash. Both are double sided, both are textured, and both are water resistant. At first I was leaning towards the other fabric, which is pleated, but when I decided to join the 2010 Swap on Stitcher's Guild and chose a color scheme of black/grey/crimson, I decided to use the crinkled fabric which is black on one side and reverses to crimson. This fabric is completely synthetic and strongly resists pinning – many pins died in the creation of this coat. The pattern calls for 3.5 yards of 55"/56" fabric for all sizes. It calls for the same amount of lining fabric, which I omitted.

Aside from the fabric, you need the following:

• 5 snaps, size 24. I used snaps from snapsource.com.
  
• Elastic. The pattern calls for 1" wide elastic (1 yard) for the waist and 1/4" or 3/8" (2 yards) wide elastic for the pockets and hem. I used round elastic cord for everything.
  
• Toggles or cord stoppers. 6 total, if you are using the cord elastic. Two for the pockets, two for the hem, and two for the waist elastic.
  
• 6 Grommets or metal eyelets. I used the 5/32" Dritz grommets in black, from Joann's, and I installed them with my new Prym Vario eyelet setter. This kit was almost twice as much at Britex, so I mail ordered it. Again, if you are using regular elastic, and no toggles, you do not need these. Instead of grommets, you could make buttonholes, but I love the grommets. :)
  
• A standard 22" closed-bottom zipper for the back gusset. The pattern calls for a 55cm zipper, which translates to 21.7".
  
• A separating 26" zipper for the coat front. The pattern calls for a 65cm zipper, which translates to 25.6". You can actually use a longer zipper, but if you do use a longer zipper, check it against the front tab, which is cut to exactly cover the zipper. Even with a 26" zipper, I had to lengthen the front tab about an inch.
  

  

  I love this YKK separating zipper with metal teeth and a substantial, decorative metal pull.

  

  The front tab was lengthened a bit to accommodate the zipper.

Alterations and Other Considerations

• I lengthened the front tab slightly to ensure it covered the zipper. Prior to cutting the front tab, lay the zipper you choose along the tab pattern piece to make sure it is sufficiently long.
  
• Note the front hem of the jacket in the garment photo and in the line drawing. See how the hem is shorter in front in the line drawing, but it does not appear to be shorter in the garment photo? The photo is accurate and the line drawing is wrong. The hem is shorter at the sides, longer in the back, and also longer in the front (but not as long as the back). It looks strange in person - a bit dumpy. So I shortened the hem at CF to look more like the line drawing. I caught this discrepancy when I made the muslin.
  
• Make a muslin!!! I discovered that the shoulder seam was far too wide. After mulling it over for quite awhile and studying various techniques for narrowing the shoulder, I finally just lopped it off by about 2". I also removed an inch from the side seam at the armhole, tapering to nothing at the waist, to accommodate this alteration.
  
• The casing for the waist elastic is formed by stitching a channel in the coat through the outside fabric and the lining. Since I wasn't using a lining, I cut a bias piece and attached it to form the casing. I placed grommets just on the front, near the side seams, and cut the elastic 39" long, sticking a loop of elastic out of each grommet.
  

Since the instructions are so minimal, I will include some of my construction details here. Note that I used round elastic with toggles (cord stoppers) at the hem, the top of the pockets, and the waist. The instructions specify regular elastic, but the garment in the photo clearly uses the round elastic with toggles. I liked that effect, so that is what I wanted to replicate.

Hood:

Like the rest of the raincoat, the hood was intended to be lined. Since I did not line it, I used different finishing techniques.

• Flat fell the seam at CB.
  
• Turn under the raw edge around the hood and top-stitch. There is a slight angle I had to maneuver around and, if I had been thinking ahead, I would have smoothed the angle into a curve when cutting out the hood, but I was able to make it work without too much difficulty.
  

  

Pockets:

The 3D patch pocket is unlined and the flat edge is caught into the side seam. The rounded edge and bottom are attached to a bias-cut rectangular gusset. The top of the pocket is finished by turning the facing to the inside and top-stitching in place. Here are the steps I used:

• Fold the self facing to the inside on the fold line and locate the center point. Insert a grommet at that point, on the outside of the pocket, 1/2" from the top.
  
• Fold a piece of elastic cord, cut to 13", in half and insert through the grommet, from the back to the front.
  
• Lay the rest of the elastic along the casing, with one end of the elastic sticking out of each side of the pocket.
  

  

• Fold under the raw edge of the facing, pin it, and top-stitch in place.
  
• Stitch along both raw edges of the casing, catching the elastic in place.
  
• Place the folded piece of the elastic, which is sticking out of the grommet, into a toggle.
  
• Pin the gusset to the pocket, starting at the bottom (near the flat edge), going around the curve, and up the side. (I used the red side of the fabric for the gusset.) The gusset will extend beyond the top of the pocket by approx 2". Fold that excess twice, essentially making a hem, so that the top of the gusset exactly matches up with the top of the pocket. Top-stitched the top of the gusset in place and then finish pinning the gusset to the pocket.
  
• Sew the gusset to the pocket. Finish the seam, by zigzagging, serging, or with Fray Check.
  
• Edge stitch along the gusset seam on the right side.
  
• Fold under 5/8" of the remaining long edge of the gusset (assuming that's the seam allowance you used) and pin. This will be pinned to the front of the raincoat where indicated on the pattern.
  

  

Sleeves:

The sleeves are separated into an upper and lower half. A fish-eye-shaped gusset is sewn between these two halves. At two points, the top and bottom half of the sleeves are pulled together and secured. This is one place where the original instructions are very unclear. They tell you to use a snap to hold these layers together, but it did not make sense, either to me or my French friend. First of all, a snap would be difficult to insert through all those layers of fabric, especially because there is a tiny amount of room to maneuver at those points (it's near the end of the gusset, and you can barely stick a finger in there). Even if you could insert a snap, a tug on the sleeve could cause the snap to open, and I did not want that. The following construction tips showed how I handled this. I used the red side of the fabric for the gusset.

• Stitch the fish-eye gusset to the top of the sleeve, matching notches. Start and end the stitching at the end of the fish-eye – don't extend the stitching beyond into the side seam of the sleeve.
  
• Stitch the fish-eye gusset to the bottom of the sleeve. Again, don't extend the stitching beyond the end points.
  
• Edge stitch along both edges – both the top and the bottom seams.
  
• I had a black tube of fabric left over from when I made the ties for the pocket of the Au Bonheurs skirt. I pinned one end to one side of the gusset seam, laying the raw edge underneath, and top stitching in place and sewing in the same stitches where I had edge stitched. I cut the tie off to about 1" long and pinned to the other side of the sleeve so that the edges of the top and bottom halves are snugged right up against each other. There was not enough room to place this under the presser foot, so I stitched this in place by hand.
  

  

  The sleeves, showing the area where the top and bottom of the sleeve have been abutted and held in place with a small tube of fabric stitched underneath. The sleeves have been hemmed and are folded up at the hem.

  

  The inside of the sleeve gusset, where I attached a tube of fabric. I'm sorry that it's a bit hard to really see.

• Repeat for the other side of the gusset, where indicated on the pattern.
  
• Lay the sleeve flat and observe the edges of the gusset. Stay stitch these pieces together in the seam allowance, on each side of the gusset.
  
• The pattern instructs inserting the sleeves while flat, but since I was having issues with the fit of the shoulder, I did not want to do this. I sewed up the side seam of the sleeve and finished it by flat felling. (It is also much easier to flat fell at this point.)
  
• Hem the bottom of the sleeves.
  
• Run an easing line along each sleeve cap from the front notch to the same approximate location on the back of the cap.
  

Coat Front

• Stitch the darts.
  
• Reinforce the corner near CF with stay stitching. Clip to the corner.
  
• Pin each pocket (by the gusset) to the left and right front, respectively, so that the flat edge of the pocket lines up with the side seam. Note that you should check the pocket placement. I found the pockets are placed low, but I decided to leave it there, as the waist elastic will slightly raise the pocket, but check it out.
  
• Sew around the gusset.
  
• Fold the bottom of the pocket, covering the gusset.
  
• Sew the pocket to the side seam. Repeat for other pocket.
  

  

Coat Back with Gusset

Probably the most challenging part of this coat was the back gusset with zipper. The French instructions tell you to attach the gusset to the back, and insert the zipper in between. But figuring out how was a bit of a challenge, especially since I am not lining this coat, so I had to keep in mind how to neatly finish all seams. I warn you that my technique is rather convoluted, but it worked pretty well. I suspect there is a far more elegant way to do this, but I could not figure it out. :)

• Sew the CB seam from the neckline to the "le zip" mark. Actually, when I laid the zipper against the CB, I decided to sew past the mark by 3/4".
  
• Snip the seam allowances to the point where the seam ends.
  
• Flat fell the CB seam above the snipped seam allowance.
  
• Stay stitch the back neck.
  
• The remaining steps are used to insert the zipper/gusset: Fold the remaining seam allowances to the inside, pin, and then baste.
  
• Open the 22" closed bottom zipper and lay it on the wrong side of the garment, so that the zipper teeth extend into the opening. Pin, and then baste.
  
• Hem the bottom of the gusset. Top-stitch to hold the hem in place.
  
• Run a line of stitching 1/4" from the raw edge of the hem from CB for 8 inches or so. Do this on both sides of the back. Ease in the fullness of the hem, turn the raw edge under, and pin. You only need to pin the hem for two inches or so. The hemmed gusset is attached to the back with the hem pinned in place.
  
• Lay the coat right side down and place the triangular gusset on top of the opening, also right side down. Pin in place, and then baste. There are now three rows of basting around the zipper opening.
  

  

  

• Place the zipper foot on your machine and stitch the zipper in place.
  
• Remove all of the basting.
  
• Trim the seam allowance of the CB seam, but do not trim the seam allowance of the gusset.
  
• Fold under the gusset seam allowance and pin, creating a flat fell finish.
  
• Insert the end of the elastic cording into the hem casing, which has been pinned. The elastic will be caught when the flat fell seam is stitched. Insert the elastic on both sides of the gusset.
  
• Sew around the zipper again, securing the folded edge of the gusset, and catching the elastic on both sides.
  

Coat Front and Back

• Sew front to back at the shoulder seams.
  
• Flat fell the shoulder seams.
  
• Attach hood to the neckline, working around the corners.
  
• Flat fell the seam. Only the back neck seam needs to be clean finished, as the front of the jacket is covered by the facing, but it just seemed easier to flat fell the entire seam.
  
• Sew the side seams and flat fell them.
  
• This is about when I started to poop out on taking such detailed notes on the construction. Sorry, but this post is far too long already. :) Let me know if you have any specific questions.
  

I finished it! I finished it! This raincoat was fairly involved. It took me three full days of almost nonstop sewing and another couple days of several more hours. Lining the coat might have lessened some of the work because I wouldn't have had to flat fell all the seams.

Back gusset partially zipped.

I'm so glad I finished it now, and not a week from now. We have been having a series of big rainstorms and I am attending meetings most every night this week. I will get lots of wear out of it.

Later, when one of my photographers is around, I will post photos of the coat on me. :)