Last Winter Item Completed

I finished the very last winter item for this season. There is still snow outside so it's still needed in the wardrobe. There were a couple of firsts with this garment. It was the first time that I had sewn with a sweater knit. It will not be the last time. It was the first time that I have sewn with a Silhouette pattern. Again, it will not be the last time. The pattern I chose was Terri’s Shawl Collar V-Neck #313 plus the line drawing:

I made a 6w with the  D cup. I was actually guessing on the size. I didn't exactly follow the directions on how to choose a size. I will measure an existing knit top tomorrow and see what the difference is in the sizing. I think I’m happy with the outcome. The top feels a little bit big but it fits as well as anything that I could have purchased except there isn't a wad of fabric above my bust and the top isn't a couple of inches shorter in the front.

Here’s what I liked about the pattern:

    1. The pattern is well drafted. Every piece matched perfectly where it should have.
    2. It was fairly quick. I’m a very slow sewer and the actually sewing time took me about 3 hours.
    3. I like the V-neck.
    4. It looked pretty good straight out of the package with one small alteration.
    5. I liked the fit of the arms. Maybe I found the armhole I need.

Here’s what I didn't like about the pattern:

1. The facing is too short. With a D cup, I don’t need anything going right across the bust line and that is exactly where the facing ended. I feel like it should fall below the bust curve. 
2. It felt a little bit short. I know this pattern is drafted for 5’8” and I’m 5’5”. I will add a inch to the length next time. 
3. The back collar didn't seem to stay close to my neck. This could be a posture issue but I will need to figure that out for the next top. 

Alteration:

Yes, I made one alteration. When I measured the hip area, I really didn't think that it would go around my hips. The hip measurement isn't mentioned on the package. I added 2” in the width using the pivot method. This could be part of the reason the top feels a bit big.

Sewing the sweater knit:

I am out of practice sewing with knits. This is the first knit top that I have completed in a very long time. I spent one evening just playing with machine settings on both my sewing machine and my serger. The serger was pretty much good to go with the default setting. Unfortunately this style of top isn't a good choice to do all the stitching on the serger, so the sewing machine had to be used but what stitch. I played with the straight stitch and slightly stretched the fabric as I stitched. This might have worked but I thought it looked funny. I played a little bit with a slight zigzag. I wasn't happy with the way it looked. I gave up at this point and decided to do an internet search to see if anyone actually talked about the machine setting they used. I didn't find anything. Then, I found the Nancy Zieman had done 2 shows on sewing with knits so I watched them. She did provide a little bit of information. Here is what I ended up doing for the seams that couldn't be serged and the hems. I discovered too late that I didn't have a stretch double-needle for the hems. I used a stitch that I had never considered using before. I was truly desperate because I wanted to finish this top. I used the lightning stitch on my machine. There was no way that I was going to use the default settings of 2.5mm stitch length with 1.0 mm width. I changed them to 4.0mm stitch length and a .5mm width. I was amazed. It stretched and looked good. Will I use this stitch again in the future? Absolutely! Yes, I used this for my hems. It looked fine.

Here’s the end result:

I would love to hear what stitches you use on sewing machine when sewing knits? Do you use a different stitch on the seams and the hems? Until today, I always used either a double-needle or ribbing to finish knits.

I'm ready for spring.  The next garment will be spring/summer related.

Happy Sewing!

Brown Wool Skirt finally finished....

It took a snowy day where I couldn't get out to finish my skirt. I know this took more than a month. I'm not sure why the hemming slowed me down but it did. Here's the pattern that I made:

This time I made View D with the double pleats in the front.  Here's the finished skirt:

I put an invisible zipper in this version of the skirt.  Here’s a link to the best tutorial that I have found on putting in an invisible zipper - http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/2006/11/08/sewing-invisible-zipper/ . There are no puckers when you follow her directions.

I changed the waist from having a facing to having a waistband.  I don’t know if I did it correctly but it seems to work.  I removed the 5/8” seam allowance on both the skirt and the lining.  Then followed the tutorials over Katrina Kay Creations for both the lining and the waistband.  Here's the link:   

http://katrinakaycreations.com/sewing-tutorials/    .   The name of the tutorials are:   How to Sew Your Skirt Lining to your zipper by machine  and How to Sew a Waistband that will not round or wrinkle.

 Here's a peek at how the invisible zipper turned out:

I will definitely be using both the zipper technique and the waistband technique again.  The skirt actually turned out a little bit big.  There were other mistakes with this skirt along the way.  `I haven't decided yet if I will actually wear it.  I would not consider this a failure as the techniques that I learned long the way were definitely worth learning.  I love knowing how to sew the zipper opening in the lining by machine.  

I can tell looking at the picture that the skirt needs to spend a little more time being pressed.  I will also need to find a different top.  The sweater I have on in the picture definitely isn't the right one.  

I did mention that the hemming slowed me down on this skirt.  I ended up stitching both the skirt and the lining hems on the machine.  The skirt hem is done using the blind hem stitch which took a little bit of fiddling with the adjustable blind hem foot that I have.  For Viking owns, that is the clear "D" foot.   the lining was just a down hem stitched down.  Nothing fancy there.  Do you like sewing your skirt hems by hand or machine?  Any particular reason.

Overall, I would say that this is a very nice pattern. It seemed to have been well drafted and went together well.  I will definitely consisted revisiting this pattern for one or two summer skirts.  

Ok, I have one more wintery item left.  It will be another experience.  If it works out, I will have another top to wear over the next few weeks. If it doesn't, it is just one less piece of fabric in the stash.

Happy Stitching

New Placemats

Today was the monthly sewing/crafting meeting with one of my friends.  She has been learning free motion quilting.  Although I have no desire to do free motion quilting, I certainly don't mind picking out projects that will allow practicing to occur.  It was my turn to pick out a project and I wanted/needed new placemats.  With that in mind,  I selected the Framed Seasons quilt as you go placemats.  Here's a picture of the pattern project:

With this project we were able to practice free motion quilting (I chose to outline quilt) the center section, quilt as you go, stitching evenly, and topstitching.  This was a fairly quick project.  We started getting everything together at 9 am and by 11:30 am we had both made two placemats.  At this point, I ran out of matching thread which required a trip to JoAnn's for another spool of thread.  I also realized that I needed a new blade for my rotary cutter but unfortunately the needed size wasn't available. Here's a picture of my finished project:

This project made me realized that I definitely need more practice with topstitching.  Why does topstitching seem so difficult?  I was using the foot on my machine to help with keeping the stitches straight.  My friend was using a specialty foot for topstitching.  I'm not sure that she had an easier time of doing the topstitching.   I would love to hear your favorite tips on the topstitching technique.

The next meeting we will be making lampshades.  I have decided not to make my own lampshades but I will be helping to create the lampshades for my friend.

Happy Sewing!

New Shoes for Spring & Summer

It's that time of year again.  This time last year, I had no desire for new shoes and I didn't order anything.  Having a broken foot, I didn't know what type of shoe I would want or need.  I will say that I have not been looking at heels anymore.  So, sad.  However, I still want some cute shoes even if the heels are much lower.  So far, I have found two pair:

These are from Aerosoles.  Love the color and hope that I will have many items to wear with them.  I have wore them around the house and they seem comfortable.  However, it really takes an all day wearing to know if they will be good.

I just ordered this pair from Zappos.  They are from Lucky brand.  The color is called Brindle and I'm really hoping that I like them when the show up.  Funny, I had 4 pairs of shoes in my cart and 3 pair were all very similar style.  This pair being one of the three.

Ok before I order anything else, I really need to look over the current shoe wardrobe.  I know I cleared out some items earlier in the year but I really need to look everything over.  I know I kept a few of the items with heels and I'm really not sure that I should have.  It doesn't mean that I don't want to wear them anymore because I loved to wear heels. It just means I need to be more realistic with my shoes.  I know there is a problem with my ankle and the lower heels are better for it.

Happy Sewing!

More Sewing Library books and sewing mistakes

I have continued to add to the sewing library in the past couple of weeks. I added the kindle app to my laptop with the help of my husband.

 I purchased How Patterns Work: The Fundamental Principles of Pattern Making and Sewing in Fashion Design. I like the instant gratification of getting the book minutes after purchasing but I’m still undecided about whether or not like reading the book on the laptop. I’ll review the book at a later date as I’ve only made it to Chapter 11 out of 52 chapters so far. At this point, I haven’t seen any new material.

Next, I purchased Couture Sewing: The Couture Cardigan Jacket, Sewing secrets from a Chanel Collector. I have glanced at this book. It is going to take more than a glance. I’m looking forward to viewing the DVD. 

The last item that I purchased was Seams Unlikely: The Inspiring True Life Story of Nancy Zieman by Nancy Zieman with Marjorie L Russell. I can hardly wait to read this. Nancy has been in the business and on TV for many years. I know I started watching her series in the mid 1980s. I even have some of those early shows still on tape.

I realized this week that I made a mistake when I cut out my brown wool skirt. I’m in the process of figuring out how to correct the mistake. What was the mistake? I forgot to add the needed width to the waist. Yes, this means that I will need to add fabric to the sides on the front. What I don’t know is how obvious this will be. I guess I will find out. It will be a disappoint if it doesn’t work out but it is OK. Sewing is always a learning process no matter how long you have been sewing. Fitting is another learned process.

Last year, I purchased a class on Making Cheese at Craftsy.  My husband and I made goat cheese several times.  We decided it was time to move to the next cheese - Mozzarella.  This was definitely a little more work than the goat cheese.  I wouldn't call our attempt a complete failure as we did end up with curls that tasted like mozzarella but we were never able to get the curds to stretch.  However, it melts just fine.  With the leftovers, we made some ricotta.  Oh my goodness but homemade ricotta is very good.  A gallon of milk does not make much mozzarella or ricotta.  We found a local farm with jersey cows and we are hoping to get some fresh milk to try the mozzarella again.  Has anyone made fresh yogurt?

Happy Stitching (Crafting or Whatever)