Sewing Pants for Women....The Measurement Chart....Part 1

This series will be from the Sewing Pants for Women by Else Tyroler.  This publication is from the early 60s.  Let's start with The Measurement Chart.

The Measurement Chart

This is the basis for a perfect pair of pants.  It is where fit is begins.  Follow the instructions and note all your findings.  As you proceed through the fitting steps, you will be referring back to the measurement chart.

Now call in a good friend,  get a good measurement tape, and fasten a length of elastic around you waist snugly.  Relaxy while your friend takes your measurements and watch for accuracy.

Now that you've taken all your measurements.  We will get ready for the seven steps to pant perfection in the next post.

Happy Sewing!

A Little Bit of Organization...

Things are getting along well enough that I feel like it is OK to show a couple of pictures.  Don't get me wrong, the new sewing room is still pretty much a disaster and not ready to use by any means but it is slowly getting there. This is the corner behind the door entering the room:

I used an over-the-door hook and a couple of skirt hangers to hang three of my cutting boards.  The larger mat is hanging on a hook that is attached to the door.  I either got this idea from pinterest or a quilting board.  I still need to figure out where to put my largest mat besides on the floor.  That mat is slightly larger than the lower mat that is hanging on the door.  Originally, it was suppose to hang from a skirt hanger but the hanger didn't have enough strength to hold it up.  I'm sure I will figure it out but I will welcome any ideas.

This is a smallish pegboard (2' x 4') that DH painted to matched the wall.  It is hung at the top of the door level to leave a bit of space for pattern paper rolls.  The top portion holds the vintage quilting hoop and my embroider hoops with the lower section holding machine hoops.  There is a little bit of space for other items that hang.  I have some small scissors shown as an example.  I did attempt to put the rotary cutter in there but it didn't work out so well.  I'm sure this idea also came from pinterest.

Well, I'm proud of the little bit of organization that I have accomplished.  I only get to spend about an hour a day in the sewing room because there are so many boxes that still need to be unpacked.  It gets better every day.

Happy Sewing!

Days are sliding by...

...and I want to sew but my sewing area isn't ready yet.  The new sewing room has been painted and has new flooring.  Here's another glimpse:

Looks a little better than the lavender room with the tan carpeting.  I will not miss any holes or crayon drawings on the walls.

I'm still in disbelieve on the amount of fabric that I have but have slowing been working through the boxes and re-folding the fabric. i have found some really beautiful fabrics hiding in my stash.

 I'm using the ruler method for folding the fabric and it seems to work well for both fashion fabric and quilting fabric.  Although it does seem to work a little bit better with items that are 45" or less in width.

I'm trying really hard to make my space work for me.  Currently, all of my machines have made it into the room.  Some are out on display and some are in the closet.  I'm trying to use the same desk that I have had in my sewing area for years.  In the past, I have two sewing machines and the serger on that desk but for now I'm setting it up with one sewing machine and the serger.  It will definitely feel less crowded with this set-up.  The previous set-up never slowed me down and I can certainly bring out one of the other machines should I decide to do some embroidery work.

Off to fold more fabric.

Happy Sewing!

I've Landed....

After a swirl wind summer, I have landed in my new house. So much has happened since I was last here - new house purchase, family death, ankle surgery, parent's 60th wedding anniversary, starting work on new house, getting old house ready to hit the market, death of family pet, packing the house for a move, and moving.

My ankle surgery was a success as in from constant pain to no pain.  I would do it again in an instant.  The sell of my home in PA happened much faster than expected.  It was on the market for 6 days and then had a 30 day closer.  I have been running non-stop since mid-June when the surgeon said I could take my boot off my foot.  I am ready to sit down and relax but it's not quite time yet.  There is still lots to do.

Here's a glimpse at my new sewing space:

It's not a great picture and it doesn't feel like a large room but I'm going to try to make it work.  When the previous owner's furniture was moved there were holes in the walls to deal with and lots of crayon drawings.

The one thing about moving is you get to see just how much stuff you own.  It has been a real eye opener for me.  I need to sew sew sew and quit collecting.  Currently, I'm working on furniture layout and trying to get organized.

How was your spring/summer?

Happy Sewing!

Seam Rippers and Life....

Seam Rippers?  How often do you use one?  How often do you think to replace one?

I have been working on a quilt for the past year that requires me to use my seam ripper a lot.  Granted, I always have two seam rippers just in case one does a vanishing act.  Because of the amount of ripping I have done in the past year, both of my seam rippers have been present - one at the ironing board and one at the machine.  What do you do when both of them do a disappearing act at the same time?  I searched desperately for them because you only notice that seam ripper is missing when you need it.  I have no idea how two disappeared at the same time.  Fortunately, it wasn't too late to run over to Michael's and pick up more.  Yes, I purchased two more seam rippers.  When I returned home, I found one of the missing seam rippers.  So, I didn't bother opening either of the new seam rippers that I had purchased.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and the disappearing act has returned and I open one of the seam ripper packages.  Folks, I'm telling you the difference is night and day between the old seam ripper and the new seam ripper.  They were the exact same type of seam ripper.  So, what was the difference? The old one is dull and the new one is sharp.  You don't have to work as hard to use the seam ripper.  Lesson learned, I hope.

Now on to Life...I was going to start a new series but I wasn't sure that I would be able to keep with it on a regular basis.  Life is happening in a good mostly way. We've purchased a new house 1000 miles away.  My current house needs to be ready to put on the market by August.  The new house needs work done to it before we can move into it.  This means that there will be a lot of traveling back and forth.  In the middle of this, I'm having surgery on my ankle which means no flying.  This means all the traveling both and forth will be via car for me until I get clearance to fly again.

So, with all that, I've decided to take time off until all the dust settles on this new adventure.  I haven't lived near family in over 25 years.  It will be a good adventure. Have a good summer and fall.

Happy Stitching!