Reliable Digital Velocity v100, How Do I Love You!?!?!?

Last week I moaned about the demise of my Bernette ProGlide Plus iron, which had served me well for many years. It had been developing cracks in the plastic over time, but the final straw came when I dropped it.

SIGH

This happened when I was in the middle of making a Miyake coat, so I ran out and bought the only iron I could find without auto-shutoff, a cheapie Black and Decker.

Wow, what a piece of junk. I have heard sewists say that they were satisfied with their Black and Decker irons, but they must have been talking about an older, better-made model. I couldn't possibly fuse interfacing with this thing.

What else could I do? I ordered myself a Reliable Digital Velocity v100. It arrived on Wednesday, but I had a very busy work week and I didn't open the box until Saturday morning.

OMIGOSH.

This iron is AMAZING!!!

First, this iron is heavy, the way a good iron should be. It's not too heavy, but it's heavier even than my ProGlide. The iron does have an auto-shutoff feature, but you can disable it. This thing creates steam like there is NO tomorrow. Even on the coolest setting, it creates buckets of steam.

The negatives are very minor, but I should mention them. The manufacturer recommends using soft water. I had read that it required distilled water, so I'd purchased it even before the iron arrived, but if your tape water is soft, you can probably get away with using it. When the iron is creating steam, it hums. There is a button on the handle which toggles the "humming"/steam mode and my hand sometimes hits it accidentally. I'm still figuring this out.

I have been sewing on linen all weekend, using my new iron. I am loving it so much and having so much fun with this project, that I could barely tear myself away to even write this blog post. It may be another week or so before I can get this project finished, but had I known this iron would be such a joy to use, I might have dropped my ProGlide much sooner. ;)

Postscript: I did take that nasty B&D back to Target this morning. I got my $13.10 refunded and took it to JoAnn's where I spent it all on topstitching thread for my current project. A much better use of that money!

Vogue 1069 - Issey Miyake Embroidered Wool Coat

As Self Stitched September was waning, I was beginning to get a hankering to make a coat... or three. When I ordered this embroidered wool fabric from Fabric Mart months ago (it's no longer available), I was surprised when it arrived. It was quite thin, kinda rough, but very drapey. I can't remember what I originally had in mind for it (and maybe I had nothing in mind at all), but I was perplexed when it arrived - it reminded me of a thin army blanket that had been embroidered. I put it away.

Later, I cut a square and threw it in a load of laundry to see what would happen. It felted up, so was less thin, but much of the embroidery unraveled and I really didn't like the result, which was now thick(er) and still rough.

Some time later I was at a friend's house and she had this Vogue pattern laying out. I had never really paid attention to this Miyake pattern before – it looks so... conventional. ;) But I started really studying it and it had some features that I liked: the shawl collar, a shoulder princess seam that curves to the side seam, the slight fullness at the hem, and a sleeve gusset.

Actually, when you open up the pattern, it is more interesting than it first appears. The seams are all sewn as lapped seams. The sleeve and the curved piece at the side are both cut together - and that pattern piece is where the gusset is attached. The front band and shawl collar are a single pattern piece. You cut out two of these, sew in a tuck and a large dart to create shaping, seam them together as center back, and then attach to the coat backwards. The lining is then attached and the collar is brought around to the front and partially attached. The rest is left unsewn, so it flaps open when you move and the wrong side of the fabric can show.

Materials:

• Navy wool with embroidered rayon squiggles from FabricMart. (They no longer have it on their website.)
  
• Slate blue poly charmeuse from Fabrix for the lining.
  
• Leftover black, diagonal poly used to line my McCalls 5525 trench coat - used for the pockets.
  
• Two size 10 (3/4") black Dritz sew-in snaps.
  

I cut out View A (the shorter version) in the largest size (20) and made some modifications before the constructing the muslin:

• A princess seam FBA on the side front. (I didn't modify the side piece that is attached to the sleeve.)
  
• Shortened the sleeve by 4".
  

Modifications and alterations after the muslin:

• The sleeve is a bit narrow at the bicep. I widened it 1" at the top of the sleeve, tapering it to nothing at the elbow. (This widened the sleeve a total of 2" at the bicep.) I had to move the gusset slit – I traced off the original gusset slit and then moved it to the new location and copied it.
  

  

  

• After making the muslin, I tweaked the FBA further.
  
• I drafted a pocket in the princess seam.
  

  

  The pocket pattern that I drafted, next to a pocket sewn into the coat.

• The pattern calls for lapped seams that are zigzagged. I didn't want to use this construction because of the rayon embroidery, which tends to ravel where it's cut. I used conventional right-side-to-right-side seaming. This required thinking ahead, especially for the collar.
  
• I managed to lose the gusset pattern piece, so I drafted a new one.
  
• The pattern calls for hidden buttons/buttonholes and I was planning to do that. But when the time came, I decided to use snaps instead. The biggest snaps I had on hand were size 10s (3/4"), but I would have used bigger ones if I'd had them on hand.
  
• Where the embroidery looks like it might unravel, I applied Fray Block.
  
• After the outer coat was constructed, I took it in a bit at the side seams. I always do this final tweak at the end of construction.
  

Worn open

Trying to show how the front flap opens to reveal the wrong side of the fabric - but the camera went off a bit too soon. :)

Flashing the lining. Silky soft to wear, nasty to sew. I didn't mention it in the text, but I also did a bit of gathering at the bust to fit around the cure. This was accomplished in the wool shell as easing, but you can see the slight gathering in the lining, particularly on the left side.

Pocket closeup

Used 3/4" snaps instead of buttons

Reverse front flap is left partially unsewn.

Conclusion

This is a fun unstructured coat. I'm not sure how flattering the wide hem is, but I will see how I like it over time. It really needs pockets,so I would recommend adding those. And the bicep is narrow, so I recommend making a muslin first. Because the way the coat is constructed, the shawl collar is formed at the very end. I find that it's a bit "messy", as shawl collars go. It doesn't lay as well as one might like. I'm not sure if this is a result of the FBA or not. It's ok, and I like how full it is, but it's a bit fussy.

Dagnabit! Farewell, Bernette ProGlide Plus!!

I have been using my beloved Bernette ProGlide Plus for over 20 years. What a great iron. Much better than the Rowenta I had prior to that, which was more expensive but used to spit. (I had bought my Rowenta around 1984. Rowentas weren't made in China back then, so that can't be the excuse for its unsatisfactory performance.)

Today, I was working on my coat, pressing open the seam allowance between the lining and the wool outer shell. I had pressed almost half of the long seam when I set the iron down to readjust the seam on the tailoring board. I set it down on the narrow end of the ironing board. Or so I thought. In fact, I missed the board entirely. Oops. It landed on some plastic bags on the tile floor and I had to act quickly to avoid a real mess.

My reliable iron was broken. The sole plate was hanging away from the handle - the plastic anchoring it had split.

What did I do?

I did what any determined sewist would do. I jammed the sole plate back as best I could. It didn't work too well, but I had to finish pressing that seam! I did finish, but the coat got drenched for my trouble - the iron was leaking everywhere.

Harumph.

I got in the car and headed for the nearest brick and mortar that might have an iron that would suffice. Target. They had only one iron, out of many, that lacked auto-shutoff. I bought the $10 Black and Decker and brought it home, filled the reservoir, and fired it up.

It's awful. I had heard that these irons weren't too bad, but I guess I am spoiled. This one leaks. It doesn't get hot enough, and it's so lightweight that it's barely there. Every sewist knows that a heavy iron is an effective iron.

Eventually I want to get a Digital Velocity iron. It's in my wishlist at Amazon, but it's a pricey little number. Are there cheaper, but good, non-gravity-feed irons available that aren't ruined with an auto-shutoff feature?

Please let me know. :)

IBOL II - Stash Busting for Peace

I ran to the post office at lunch today. Well, actually, it was more of a stagger. First, I mailed the La Fred patterns to the winners of the pattern giveaway in honor of Fred Bloebaum. Once again, congrats to Kathryn (fzxdoc) and Deb!

I also had two flat rate boxes stuffed-to-the-gills-but-forced-to-hold-together-with-strapping-tape and headed to Iraq for the IBOL II project. I was blog surfing last weekend and I came across the Slapdash Sewist's blog with information about this project. The deadline to send something was today, October 1st, which didn't give me much time to dive into the stash.

IBOL, or Iraqi Bundles of Love, was started last year by an American soldier stationed in Iraq. The project was designed to dovetail with the Muslim month of Ramadan, which includes the tradition of generosity. This soldier, the "IBOL Guy", is related to quilters, and he decided to get sewing supplies to the women of Northern Iraq, who have very little. To do this, people sent him bundles of supplies, in large flat rate boxes, and mailed to an APO address (which is charged at a discount rate of $12.50, instead of $14.50). The person at that address distributes them. (The IBOL Guy himself is now back in the states, but he has arranged for the program to keep going.)

I have amassed fabric and supplies in the last year that I will probably never use, but are too good to cut up for muslins. It felt great to create two bundles. I threw in rolls of elastic, ribbons, buttons, and appliques from when I sewed for my kids. I would have loved to send more than 2 boxes, but I just ran out of time.

At any rate, the IBOL guy tells me they will probably have an IBOL 3 next year. It felt great to share with my sewing sisters across the world.

I Survived Self Stitched September 2010

WOOT!

It's over! Self Stitched September 2010 was an interesting experience. Every day throughout the month of September, I wore an outfit that was entirely self-stitched by me, with the exception of underwear, socks, shoes, and accessories. I took photos of every day, except Sept 3rd, when I was sick and spent most of the day sleeping in my self-made PJs. ;)

This project was conceived by Zoe, immediately on the heels of Me-Made-May earlier this year. She posted a participant list, started a Flickr group, and off we went.

My personal challenge was to move beyond my favorite garments, those that I wear over and over, and to delve deeper into the recesses of my closet.

Here are some of my observations about this experience:

• Everything I wore was made in the last 13 months, when I returned to sewing. Yowza, I've made a lot of clothes in that time. :)
  
• There were several self-made garments that I didn't get a chance to wear. o.O
  
• I do not have enough clothes for hot weather, which is not too surprising, since I live in a climate that has very few hot days per year and I don't really like sewing, or wearing, that sort of clothing.
  
• The photos are very helpful to see how an outfit is working. There weren't too many unfortunate outfits, but there were a couple. I have already started a Goodwill bag and have placed several items inside. I'm not going to say which ones, because I don't want anyone trying to talk me out of it.
  
• A few garments were worn over and over: my black Teagarden T, my black ponte Marcy Tilton pants (V8397A), and my new Jalie Jeans. Thank goodness I made those jeans just before Sept 1st! I generally wear jeans very rarely but these were so comfortable and flattering that I wore them over and over!
  
• I am not a person who likes to dress up, sit on the couch, and work. I guess I'll never be that sort of person. I prefer to work in my PJs and get dressed if and when I need to go out.
  
• Some outfits emphasize my bust much more than others!! Not in a good way. ;)
  
• Structured jackets are my friend.
  
• Accessories that divert attention from my bust are my friend.
  
• More fitted tops (rather than long, loose tops) are my friend. I'd pretty much figured that one out already, but sometimes I'm gonna wear those tops anyway. :)
  
• As so many other participants noted, taking a photo of oneself every day is a pain. And it's a bigger pain if you have to rely on someone else to take the photo. I'm glad I can do it myself with a tripod and my camera remote, but still, it gets old. Because the photos are so useful, it's worth the effort. I'm getting better at taking photos of myself. It's actually less embarrassing to pose for a camera when no human is behind it, but I wonder what my neighbors thought about it. :)
  

That's all I can think of for now. Feel free to post your own thoughts, if you want to go peek at my Flickr album.

All week I have been working on a wool coat in the evenings. It was very hot earlier in the week, so it was very slow going. But now, our wonderful, blissful, cold fog has returned and it's become more enjoyable to sew with wool. The shell is mostly constructed and tomorrow night I plan to cut out the lining. I'm hoping I can finish it this weekend and can hopefully blog it before Monday.

Yesterday I took advantage of the BMV sale and ten new Vogue patterns are winging their way to me, including the new Marcy Tilton jacket that is so cute.

Three cheers for Fall Sewing. Yay. Yay. Yay. ;)

Pattern Giveaway and Artistry in Fashion 2010

I am recuperating from another great (and hot!) Artistry in Fashion. I really enjoy this annual tradition. This year the guest speaker was Sandra Betzina. She gave a lecture and fashion show highlighting her patterns (in a nicely air conditioned theater). It's so great to see her renditions of her patterns, which are often different (and to my mind, more attractive) than the Vogue versions.

There was also a vendor area full of beautiful clothing and jewelry – it would have been sooooo easy to spend hundreds of dollars (and still save lots of money over retail) but I was restrained and bought a necklace (that can also function as a bracelet) and two gorgeous glass buttons from the glass maker herself who was very excited to tell me how she made them. I will have to come up with something special for these buttons.

Of course, it is still September, so I wore something I made. A just-completed Teagarden Tea (#6), made from a copper-colored bamboo jersey, and a Sandra Betzina skirt I made last year.

I returned home wanting to sew, but pooped from the heat. This evening, after it had cooled down a bit, I cut out Teagarden T #7, so at least I got some sewing accomplished today. :)

Pattern Giveaway

My other activity this evening was to draw names for the pattern giveaway in honor of Fred Bloebaum. Originally, I had planned to use a random number generator, but realized that wasn't possible since not everyone who commented wanted both patterns and, in some cases, didn't want a pattern at all. I wrote the names on slips of paper, put them in a colander (it was close at hand), hoisted it over my head, and drew names. I did this process separately for each pattern. I would have had one of my daughters draw the names but neither are here at the moment.

And the winners are:

• Kathryn (aka fzxdoc) for the Daphne pant
  
• Deb for the Maia jacket
  

Yay! Email me your addresses and I will get the patterns to each of you. It was really nice to read through the comments again and think about Fred. She would have enjoyed Artistry in Fashion today.

More Fall Vogues are Out!

A new batch of Fall Vogues were released today. Like many sewists, I love fall clothing and this batch does not disappoint. Here are some of my favorites (and a few "almost there"s) from the new lineup.

Vogue 8693

I just love love this jacket from Marcy Tilton. Of course, it will look best when worn with a narrow legged pant, but I don't mind whipping up a pair or two. Because of the location of the princess seam, an FBA might be a little tricky - I won't know until I can try on the tissue paper. I love the shawl collar and the funky hem!

Vogue 8691

A cute top from Katherine Tilton, Marcy's sister. This one has princess seams, which are perfect for absorbing an FBA. This will also look great with a narrower pant.

Vogue 1216

A new coat from Lynn Mizono. I really respect Mizono's designs. This coat, for example, has very interesting design lines. Unfortunately, I am not sure how flattering it would be on me, because I have recently been forced to admit that oversized tops/jackets don't do me any huge favors, but I really love the lines on this one. Maybe one of my friends will make it and let me try it on. <hint hint> :)

Vogue 1213

Omigosh, I love this Koos coat! So interesting! And it has princess seams, so I think I could even make this one work. I have other coat patterns higher in the pecking order, but I do like this one.

Vogue 8690

Another pattern by Katherine Tilton. This pattern is very much like the Sewing Workshop Liberty top, especially with the Heather modification I posted recently, but many people will find it more affordable to buy the Vogue version, if you don't mind dropped sleeves. It's a great design!!

Vogue 1212

This new Sandra Betzina coat is really beautiful but it's not for me. At least I don't think so, with the design emphasis on the under bust seam. But it has interesting lines and would look fabulous on the right figure.

Vogue 1210

I like the asymmetric hem on this Sandra Betzina dress but, again, on me, it would be cringeworthy with the bust detailing. On the right figure, it would be flattering, flowing, and easy to wear.

Vogue 8704

Another new pattern from Lynn Mizono. I need one of these hats this winter.

Vogue 8700

So often I find that the Vogue Women patterns seem a bit "off." Take this pattern, for example. The side drape is so extreme that it feels unbalanced, but not in a good way, especially with the buttoned up neckline. The cropped version is better but still doesn't excite me.

Vogue 8703

Another fun accessories pattern from Marcy Tilton. This one features fingerless gloves and scarves. Two of the scarves have pockets. :)

Vogue 1211

This Guy Laroche jacket intrigues me. I like that it's asymmetric. I like that there is shoulder interest. I like the armscye and the pleats on the sleeve head. I like the hem. But, I don't know... there is almost too much shoulder interest, at least on the left side. I have to mull this one over for awhile. I definitely wouldn't use a shiny fabric if I did make it for myself. :)