StyleArc - Debra Zebra tops

Like my new hat? Everything is more jaunty with a hat. :)
More Debra Zebra pics here.

More Style Arc goodness!

Many folks have made the funnel-necked tee from the Sept 2010 issue of Burda, most recently, Margy. This Style Arc funnel-neck tee is very similar and, bonus, and I didn't have to trace it! I've had this pattern for awhile and now that winter is coming, I'm ready for a funnel-necked top or three.

I made two tops in a few hours. With only 3 pattern pieces and 6 seams (total), you can whip these up very quickly.

Materials:

• Top #1: Black Annabelle knit (94% viscose, 6% spandex) from Vogue Fabrics.
• Top #2: Red/Pink Wool Jersey (97% wool, 3% lycra) from Fashion Fabrics Club.

Alterations and Modifications:

• I started with a size 18, which is usual. This has a fairly relaxed fit.
• Removed the hip curvature from the side seams.
• 2" FBA. I eased the fullness from the dart into the side seam. I didn't sew it as a dart or gather it. I steamed out the fullness that was created by the easing.
• Removed 1" from the shoulder.
• The upper arm seemed narrow so I widened it by 1". To be honest, I don't think this was necessary.
• This makes a long top. I shortened it by 2-1/2".
• I did hem the sleeves and the top, but I did not hem the neckline.

Conclusion:

This is a great basic!!! I will be making more of these. Super quick, well fitting, and a great wardrobe staple.

More Pictures

This pic has been lightened.

Fashion Fabrics Club called this color red/pink but I would call it coral.

You can see my FBA. I always fit the side seams on my body - it always benefits from further tweaking.

Alteration to widen the sleeve.

All Wales Welcome! National Corduroy Appreciation Day

I love corduroy and tomorrow, November 11, 2011, is Corduroy Appreciation Day. This date, 11/11/11, was chosen because, in numeric form, it resembles the wales in corduroy. And, it's on a Friday! There are many events planned all over the world a handful of events planned in a few cities. In 2111, it will be on a Wednesday, so don't expect quite so much hullabaloo next time, being a school night and all. :)

I wish I could properly celebrate the day, sewing some corduroy, for example, but at least 11 hours will be spent in a car, heading with DD1 on a college tour to Oregon. Though, doesn't Oregon seem like a proper corduroy-wearing state?

Let's hope so, because I will be wearing cords that day. In fact, in the photo above you see me wearing one of my favorite corduroy pieces, a jacket made from a corduroy that alternates wide wale and very wide wale. I found this garment on ebay many moons ago but, hey, one day I may knock it off.

I'm also wearing cream-colored corduroy Jalie Jeans, but these are going into the Goodwill bag, as they aren't nearly as comfy to wear as the Linda pants I made with the same fabric.

I know I have been quiet on the blogosphere, but my sewing has been proceeding very slow of late. I'm not sure if it's preferable to find other (sewing-related) things to blog about, or to wait until I have something to show.

The jacket I am working on is close to being done, but due to the impending road trip I can't work on it this weekend or I could finish it. It's been a bit challenging to fit, so I'm hoping it will turn out ok, but the jury is definitely out.

I also continue to walk at one to two hours a day, which also eats into my free time. And, in an effort to eat better, I am cooking and doing more food prep. (Kale smoothie, anyone?) For me, at least, a healthier lifestyle takes more time. :)

I hope you have a wonderful Corduroy Appreciation Day. May your wales be true and your nap smooth!

P.S. Inspired by the snow picture, I specifically looked for corduroy textures on this morning's walk. The best I could find was this bit of sidewalk, at a crosswalk near my home, in concrete. I would buy fabric like this!

The Autumn 6-Pack that Wasn't

You may recall that I decided to join the Autumn 6-pack on Stitcher's Guild. Most of us tweak the plan to suit our needs and my planned version of the 6-pack was actually 7 pieces: 3 bottoms, 3 tops, and a jacket that would go with everything.

I was making great progress, initially. My color palette was inspired by a beautiful piece of wool I purchased from Emma One Sock. This striped woven wool contains several shades of blue, plus grey, and cream and almost looks like a knitted fair isle.

I got stuck on the jacket. I "auditioned" a jacket pattern - McCalls 6294. I liked the jacket, but decided I didn't want to use my special wool for that pattern. I spent countless evenings making plans for the fabric, but I could not settle on a pattern.

What I did make, starting from the upper left and going clockwise:

• Periwinkle blue rayon jacquard Liberty top (Sewing Workshop pattern, fabric from FabricMart).
• Navy blue rayon lycra jersey Teagarden T (Sewing Workshop pattern, fabric from Emma One Sock).
• Aforementioned McCalls jacket - the version I auditioned. (Yes, it goes with the other pieces, colorwise, but this was my test version.)
• Midnight blue Marcy Tilton pants (Vogue pattern, fabric from Emma One Sock).
• Charcoal no-wale corduroy Linda pants (Style Arc pattern, fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club.
• Cream pinwale corduroys (Jalie pattern, fabric from FabricMart).

It's all good, though. I will get lots of wear out of the pieces I did finish. And I still have the gorgeous piece of wool. :)

Style Arc Shaza Pant

It's not every day that a pattern is named after you. What a huge honor!

I haven't been sewing as much lately, but this pant had to be first up. I made a size 10 - my normal pant size in Style Arc. I made zero changes when cutting. The only change I made during construction was to change the direction of the pleats - I find the pleat direction I used to be a bit more flattering when one has a belly.

These pants are very loose above the knee and snug below the knee. I did not shorten or hem them. They puddle a bit at the ankle, which I like, though you can't see that in the pictures because I am wearing an ankle boot.

Materials:

• Black rayon lycra jersey from Fabrix.
• 1.5" Fantastic Elastic from Pamela's Patterns. I trimmed off about 1/8" for it to fit the casing. (This elastic is designed so that it can be cut to a narrower width.

Conclusion:

I love these pants! I really like how the side drape transitions to a pocket. These are quick to sew up and easy to wear. If you like a harem style of pant, I highly recommend this pattern!

Proof that there are pockets!

Here you can see how the drape looks. The pockets are still tucked inside. (Worn with the red Teagarden T I made last Christmas.)

Vogue 8754 - Marc Jacobs Wool Coat

More pictures

New!

I am introducing a new feature! From time to time, I plan to talk about something that Seemed Like a Good Idea! And maybe it is a good idea. Or maybe it isn't. :)

The Coat

Time for another coat! Though I am no longer suffering from a coat deficit, I continue to make coats. My climate loves a good coat, most of the time. I now have 8 of my 12 jackets and coats completed for 2011. Will I finish all 12? Who knows!

It seems like it took me forever to finish this!!! Started weeks ago, before moving to the sewing room, this is the first item to be finished in the sewing room.

This pattern was new in the fall Vogue collection a couple months ago. I liked the neckline and the binding. And I had a piece of fabric that I thought would work. It does, mostly. But more about that later.

Materials:

• Marc Jacobs wool blend, black with harbor blue dashes, from FabricMart (300619). You need to treat this fabric like a stripe. It is super soft and thick - kind of spongy. The design is woven - not printed - so the back of the fabric has floats where the harbor dashes appear; it's a good candidate to be a lined garment. A friend received this fabric in her free mystery bundle from FM and gifted it to me. It's *really* nice. This had disappeared from the FabricMart website and then more yardage recently reappeared. They also have it in a blue colorway with cream dashes. I've also seen this colorway on Fashion Fabrics Club, though it is more expensive.
• Scraps of Vera Wang pebbled silk for pockets.
• Lining: blue polyester charmeuse from Fabrix (and left over from another project).
• Trim: black organic bamboo doubleknit (98% bamboo, 2% lycra) from FabricMart (891855). I cut 2" strips.
• Interfacing: black tricot fusible from Fabrix for collar and fronts.
• 3 giant square snaps from Britex.

The fabric front is on the left. The back of the fabric, with the floats, is on the right. The strips of bamboo doubleknit for the binding are at the top.

Alterations & Modifications:

• Started with a size 18 and made View C.
• Lowered and enlarged the dart - added 2.5".
• Lengthened the front interfacing to correspond to the additional length from the FBA.
• The pattern, just released recently in the fall Vogue collection, is described as a "semi-fitted lined jacket." It is semi-fitted through the bust. It has a dart in the back neckline (2 darts total) and I widened the back another 1" (2" total additional width). I took up the extra width at the neckline by adding another dart for a total of 4 neckline darts.
• From the waist down, the jacket is much wider through the hip area. I chopped off the hip shaping.
• I straightened the edge of the inseam pocket because I'd removed the curve at the hip.
• Narrowed the shoulder seam by 1".
• Allowed for turn-of-the-cloth at the collar. Because this is a thick fabric, it was a noticeable amount of excess. You can see it in the photo - it was a bit more than 1/4" that I removed.
  

  

  Turn of the collar. I cut off the excess. After basting the outer coat to the lining, 5/8" is trimmed off all around the edge and then the binding is applied.

• I sewed the binding to the coat with a 3/8" seam allowance. I stitched the other edge of the binding by hand.
• I shortened the sleeves by 2".
• I hand sewed the sleeve lining to the coat. Lots and lots of tiny stitches.
  

  

• I used three giant navy snaps from Britex as the closure. In the flash pictures, these snaps appear to be a bright blue, but they are actually such a dark navy that they almost look black.
  

  

  An accurate depiction of the snap color.

Comments and Conclusion

It seems like these pattern companies make very specific decisions about what constitutes a "Very Easy" pattern, and they don't always make sense. One measure of a "Very Easy" pattern seems to be the number of pattern pieces. In this case, they avoided making any facings. They also avoided any lining pattern pieces. This has some ramifications:

• There is no back neck facing piece. I went along with this idea, and I didn't love it. I did not sew the four neck darts in the lining, but turned them into pleats. I usually prefer to draft a back neck facing when one is not made available.
  

  

  The back lining. You can see, I hope, the four pleats into the collar.

• There is no front facing. You cut four fronts. This means that the coat is two layers of the main fabric at the front. The coat also has darts, which I made a lot bigger. Since I used a fairly heavy coating, that is a LOT of thickness in the dart area. I think it would be better if they had broken down and created a front facing and front lining pattern piece, to avoid bulk.
• In general, I had trouble with the darts. No matter how much steam and pressure I applied, I could not make this spongy fabric lie flat at the darts. This bothers me, but I finally gave up, after several attempts.

In the end, it's a serviceable coat. A little boring. The pattern could have been designed better. I probably won't make it again, or if I do, I will draft proper facings and a front lining.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea

You may have noticed the sweater I was wearing in the coat photo shoot, though only a bit of it can be seen. I bought this two years ago at one of those multi-designer sales that happen periodically. It is the softest black alpaca. What attracted me to this piece was the attached scarf. Yes, the scarf begins at the hem of the garment, and then narrows and extends for quite a ways. You can loop it around your neck any way you like, but I generally wear it knotted, as you see.

Doesn't this seem like a good idea?

I thought so, which is why I bought it. I've worn it maybe 2 or 3 times in the last two years.

Why has it received such minimal wear?

Well, I first wore it to Thanksgiving, two years ago, at a friend's house. It was a nice chilly fall day. But once you enter a heated house, you are stuck wearing a scarf that you can't remove. Unless you want it trailing on the floor. It's hard to find an event that has a suitable mix of fancy-ness and chilly-ness to wear this piece.

Oh well, I still like it. :)

More Pictures

Open

Partially closed

Fully closed

The lining fabric is used only in the back, sleeves, and in-seam pockets.

Sewing Room Update - Babysteps

Wow, my last post struck a nerve. Too many people thought I was wrong to throw out DD1's stinky, filty, worn-out toe shoes. I did think about keeping them - for all of several seconds. Then I thought, heck, I have the pictures. Let them go. :)

Besides, who needs the toe shoes when I have pictures like this?

Several folks have asked me to please show the sewing room as it is now.

OK. Though I warn you. I am not a decorator. I am not that well organized. I have already lost interest in spending a lot of time on the room. I'd rather sew. It may be a long time before I make any major modifications.

I hope I haven't disappointed you.

The ironing board had to go in front of the windows. For two reasons. One, the view. Two, when it rains, it can leak, and I don't want any power cords or machines in the area until I get it fixed. And that's why you see the towel - because we did have rain this week.

DD1 left her desk behind. I removed the hutch (it was not attached) and am using it to store my serger, felting machine, and my Janome Gem. When I want to work in here, I also use the desk. All I need is my laptop and my iPhone and I can work anywhere. :)

My sewing corner. My friend Heather gave me her Bernina table when she upgraded to a more modern machine. I finally set it up and love it. It is so great to be able to use the knee lift again! I gave up using it during the years that I was sewing on the kitchen table.

A word on having TV in the sewing room. There were some comments about the idea of having a TV in the sewing room. I do understand that it is not for everyone. For example, my ex-husband hates TV. Early in our marriage, I realized why. If he walked into a room that had a TV on, he was unable to resist it. It commanded his attention. His face, turned to the TV, would go slack, and it was hard to pull his attention away, even if all he was watching was an ad. I am not like this. I love to have TV on for company and I multi-task. In fact, I have a hard time actually watching a show to the end. Some folks prefer music. Or quiet. It's a personality thing. :)

DD1 left her armoire behind. It is now full of fabric, patterns, and notions. She also left the stack of yellow boxes behind. I have filled them. One holds lingerie elastic. One holds purse parts. One holds snaps and hooks/eyes. The last one holds fusible tape. The photo is one of the only pictures I have of my mother. She was an amazing sewist. This is her class picture, taken at the age of 13. It feels right to have her watching over the sewing room.

When my kids were 6 and 8, I let each of them choose a kitten at the pound. Later, I found these painted rocks on ebay. Each one strongly resembles their respective cats. Both girls left the cat rocks behind, but I am happy to have the whimsical kittuses. :)

DD1 left her tree of toe shoe keyrings behind. This is one thing I am keeping in the room. Oh, the clock is hers too, but I hope she doesn't remember to come collect it, because it amuses me. :)

Several of you told me that you were not happy with the track lighting in your sewing rooms. So, for now, I'm going to leave this fixture here. I have several area lights and Ott lights, so I don't have a current need for new overhead lighting.

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I really thought I would have my coat finished today. All that remains is to hem the sleeves and the snap closures. I still have some evening left, so maybe I can get it done. :)

October Status Update

One of my outfits this week. The jacket is purchased and the cream corduroy pants are Style Arc Linda pants.

Sewing Room Pictures - Before

I feel like I've been absent for awhile, though it's really been just over a week. What has been going on at Chez Shams:

• I spent the entire weekend before last working on the house. Over the last couple years I have taken over the living room, dining room and kitchen with my sewing. Now that I have a real sewing room, it's time to move the sewing out of the rest of the house. So I spent time sorting, organizing, moving. Some things went into the sewing room, and some things into the basement (formerly my bedroom). This is a herculean task and I have cleaned out the kitchen, and most of the living room, but I still have a fair amount of work to do in the dining room. It's getting there.
• Last week I went into work twice, for fun reasons. One day to play team-building bocce ball, and another day to have a team lunch with the uber boss (my boss's boss).
• On Wednesday, DirecTv came and I now have TV in my sewing room! For me, this is an essential part of a sewing room. ;)
• For some reason, I was reluctant to actually start sewing in the sewing room. To be honest, I think it's because I miss my kids. But I finally forced my way through that reluctance this weekend and made a bit more progress on the coat.
• This weekend I had several activities, which also limited sewing time. I had an appointment involving DD2 on Saturday morning. On Sunday I went to the Picasso Exhibit at the De Young with friends (so much fun!), and then on Sunday evening DD2 and I had a movie date. We saw The Third Man (1949) at the Castro Theater. It's a wonderful Art Deco theater in the Castro district that shows old films. I had never seen this film before but really enjoyed seeing Joseph Cotten and the young Orson Wells. DD2 tells me she wants to learn swing dancing and she's taught herself to play the theme from the movie (which was quite famous) on her ukulele. Kids. ;)
• I am now back to sewing in the evenings. I have decided to take time on the sewing room "fixup". There is no rush and, for now, I can keep cutting out in the dining room.

Sewing Room Pictures - Before

Here are some "before" pictures of the sewing room. I took these before DD1 started to move out. The room was not cleaned to take these pics. I'm glad I have these to remember what a neat room she had. :)

The door on the left exits the room - this kid has always had a passion for calendars and wanted 5 or 6 every Christmas - 4 for my house and a couple more for her dad's house. The mirrored door on the right is her closet, which is now full of my in-process pieces, overflow clothing, and some fabric that needs to be hung.

Her bed and stuffed chair. When she was young, there was a chiffon canopy over the bed, which hung from the ceiling. She took the mattress but left the bed frame and the chair behind.

The view from the door. I love love the windows, the light, and the trees. The best view in the house. It's so quiet and peaceful - you would never think you were in San Francisco.

Three females and one bathroom? I could see the writing on the wall and bought her this vanity and makeup stand at the age of 11. It saved a lot of bathroom arguments, believe me. She spent a lot of time at this table.

The crystal chandelier. I feared you might think it was some huge thing, but my ceilings aren't that high. For her, this was one of the most important features in the room, along with the colors. She really wanted yellow walls, a blue ceiling, and a green carpet. "Like nature." Well, she was 11. ;)

Her desk and armoire. I gave her the tall bookcase as a Christmas gift last year. She took it with her (rats). She left behind the desk and the armoire. The armoire is now full of fabric, patterns, notions. The picture on top of the armoire is my senior picture - I was 17. She took it with her. :)

She left behind her toe shoes. While she continues to dance recreationally, she is done with toe shoes. I took a few pictures and then threw them out.

This kid started dancing at the age of three. It is her passion. Before having her, I never knew much about ballet. I didn't like ballet. At all. But after all these years as a ballet mom, I do respect it. These dancers look fragile and dainty, but are tough as nails. Blood and sweat are their daily fare.

So, stay tuned. Over time, I will update with pictures as the sewing room develops.