Finished Item: Annabelle #3 and Sewing Plans

I won't review the jacket again...I'll just insert pretty pictures :-)

 

The belt was upstairs. Oops.

I like the contrast so much!

 

I mean really, zebra pockets...

 

My buttonhole making has become a work of art! LOL!!! I've finally figured out just the right settings on my machine. Plus the use of fray check. Lovely!

 

 

Hopefully all three jackets will fit their intended recipients!

 

*************************************

In other sewing news...I've totally changed my mind about what I'm sewing for the mini-wardrobe contest (hey, this is America! I can change my mind!!!).

Last years contest was to sew 4 items and choose a 5th item from your wardrobe (handmade or RTW) and create 6 looks. I assume it'd be the same. It is not. This years contest is 4 items...4 looks.

So I'm making pants (B5908), a button front shirt (5678), a top (?) and...either a jacket (M6711) or a skirt (M5523 view D).

Shirt #1 + Pants
Shirt #2 + Pants
Jacket + Shirt #1 + Pants
Jacket + Shirt #2 + Pants

-or-

Shirt #1 + Pants
Shirt #2 + Pants
Shirt #1 + Skirt
Shirt #2 + Skirt

A skirt isn't super practical for me...but I love this skirt. And, because of life, I don't have time to muslin a bunch of stuff. This weekend we're out of town, next weekend we have friends coming to town and it's my husband's birthday, then school starts, then the next weekend it's my daughter's birthday.

So, B5908 is ready to go and B5678 needs a few minor tweaks (but I think I can work those out in the garment). The top will be something I've made before or something simple like a shell that I can't mess up. I will muslin the bodice of the jacket or the skirt, whichever my 4th item turns out to be.

I've also change my color palette (AMERICA!). I'm making pants in a charcoal/black heathered suiting, the button up in a soft purple cotton shirting, the top in a floral print charmeuse and the jacket or skirt will be black.

*************************************
Lastly, I have 4 other pairs of pants I want to sew. I'm wondering if assembly line style is a good method? 2 B5908 and 2 S2700.

I thought long and hard last night about changes to S2700 to get it "right". I made a quick 'n dirty muslin of S2562 - horrific. Meh. Like, I'm going to give that pattern away. I'll never do what needs to be done to them to make them fit me well.

I'm not going to re-muslin S2700 with my changes. I'm just going to go for it. Those 1" SA give you 8 inches of wiggle room!!!! I'm cutting a 16 average and tweaking where I think tweaking is needed. Wish me luck ;-)

Fabric Stashing and Finished Item: Annabelle Jacket #2

I've been on a self-imposed fabric fast since a few months ago but I have sucked at not buying fabric. I love to buy fabric. I love to fondle it once I own it. I've had a few online buying fails - too hyper over Fabric Mart sales and in person - too into a pattern/print and not looking at the content. But I have some awesome pieces in my stash and I can't wait to see them sewn up - eventually! :-)

Yesterday my husband asked if I wanted to go to "that fabric place" I like -aka- The Wondrous S.R. Harris. My brain said YES! HELL YES!! But my mouth said, no... Then he said, you don't HAVE to buy everything, you know? (is he crazy or what?!)

So today he asked again so I figured, heck. I'll go pick two "must make" projects and buy fabric for them. Initially, I planned to buy fabric for the Marcy Tilton dress (3 yds) and for a nice, crisp white button front shirt (2 yds). But I went to the knits first (3 aisles, packed ceiling to floor with bolts!) and ended up finding this:

I liked the variation in the stripes and it's black and ivory, not white. I wondered about using it for the Tilton dress but decided I didn't want the bands of stripes doing weird things and that a simpler dress was better for this pattern. Then I did find a stripe for the tilton dress and I was ready to go. 

I got to the cutting table and as I rolled it out, and got to yard #3, there was a HUGE hunk of fabric cut out - about 10" x 10". Uhm, that is NOT a fabric swatch people. I think you can cut a swatch - but think that 4x4 is a bit more appropriate. I was going to buy it anyway, rationalizing that I wasn't going to make it nearly as long as shown on the pattern envelope. But then I found two holes in the fabric :-( So I had to walk away.

But then, I only had 1 piece -- Nooooo! I fondled the wool remnants ($6/yd!!!! I am definitely going there when I'm ready to make a wool suit). Then I found a nice black ponte in the knit remnants. It was just about 2 yards - perfect for a dress or casual jacket - whichever I choose.

So then I decided to browse a little bit more (teeheehee) and found this cool print on this silky type fabric. I'm not sure of the composition - I will do a burn test to check - but it feels great. I know it's not actual silk (it was $3/yd) but it's soft and matte and the print will make an interesting top (using a simple pattern - perhaps another M6519?)

And of course, I rummaged through the zipper bin:

1 invisible, 2 in neutrals (shorter length zippers are 50 cents each!)

So that's 5 yards of fabric and 3 zippers for...just around $20! Woot woot!!! Gotta love that whole no-tax thing too!

***************************************************************

Also, Annabelle #2 is finished. I did a few things differently. 

*I sewed the belt loops onto the jacket before bagging the lining so that the thread wouldn't show through

*I made the belt wider so it'd be easier to turn

*I remembered to add my tag to the side seam 

*I used bigger buttons

*I didn't do the contrasting tab 

*I used my newfound trick for buttonholes - fray check on the sewn but uncut hole. BRILLIANT! (I don't remember the blogger who mentioned this (sorry!) but if I find the source again I will link up.)

Size 4T

That ruffle is so cute.

POCKETS!! Everyone should have pockets!!

Also, there is no way in heck I can sew jeans on my machine. Sewing the jacket together at the neckline, I was going through the 2 layers of gathered fabric (the ruffle), the outer fabric and the lining, and it was NOT happy. That's okay...I will probably "gift" myself a Janome next year. The Bernina I'd be interested in is way outside my budget and I'm scared to look at some others!

My plan is to save what would be the equivalent of 3 braces payments and buy myself a new machine...after my braces come off next year. Fingers crossed! :-)

Finished Item: Annabelle Jacket

Jacket #1 is done!! I will be entering all three jackets as one contest entry on Pattern Review.

So, this is my first PDF pattern - yay! It wasn't bad at all (I've also traced off two sizes of the Maria Denmark Kimono tee pattern!).

(Score yours HERE!)

There are only a few pattern pieces to trace off - front, back, sleeve, tabs. The skirt of the jacket are three rectangles that are sewn together and then gathered,  and the belt, collar and belt loops are rectangles as well. You do of course have to cut all the pieces from the fabric AND the lining. Also, there's no layout for the pattern pieces...I just used my judgement and added a grainline. SA are 1/2" throughout.

The instructions are clear and there are pics of each step. However - having gone through the process - there are things I'll do differently for the subsequent jackets.

1) I will construct the outer garment and the lining, each as a whole garment...then bag the lining. I get the assumed simplicity of sewing the same seams on the jacket and lining, but to me it was a tad cumbersome. It makes more sense in my head to sew them separately -- completely. You know what I'm saying...

2) I will add the belt loops to the jacket before lining it. I don't like that my thread comes through the lining. I suppose I could have hand sewn them but really? I don't think so.

3) I will (did) make the belt wider on larger sizes).

What I didn't do on this jacket:

A) Add 4 buttons - it's a TINY jacket. I don't think it needs 4 buttons.

B) Allowed the contrast fabric to show on the tab.

Turning that belt was the worst experience ever - part of the reason the larger ones will get wider belts. Sewing on those tiny sleeves was an experience! :)

I am in love with the finished jacket.

Overexposed - it is a really DEEP purple corduroy.

I mean...really?!? :)

Ruffle collar detail and buttons

Back / Slight gather to the skirt

Fun lining! (I botched the first buttonhole (bottom one). That corduroy was just not fun to try to pick stitches out of so I gave up and moved my button left like...3/32"! LOL!

I'm hoping lining a jacket for me is as easy as this was! 

She'll be ready to hit the town in early fall!

Cost breakdown:

1 yard corduroy (JoAnn): $6.29

1 yard quilting cotton lining (stash): Free

4 buttons (stash-looong ago purchased): Free

Thread (stash - but about 1 spool Gutterman): Free

******************************

Sock #2 is underway and looking good!

In Progress and Some Knitting!

I have been planning to do more progress shots of projects, as there might be something helpful in that content for someone who happens upon my little 'ole blog.

Today I got some more work done on my Annabelle jacket (size 6 mos). It is both easy and hard to sew tiny things. The pattern pieces are small and tracing/cutting went really quickly! Also, sewing seams is a breeze. But setting tiny little sleeves? Yowza!!! Not an easy task at all. I did get a couple of pleats in the lining but I didn't bother to unpick. I got one major kink in the fabric so I had to unstitch about 1/4 of the sleeve and redo it. Eh.

This jacket is stinking adorable. It's so tiny!!! It's so cute!!!!!! The color is really, really deep purple so I overexposed photos a bit to try to get the color to show. I can't wait to get some good pics of the finished jacket.

If you look closely, you can see a couple little pleats that snuck in while setting the sleeve. Booooo!

All serged and ready to "bag"

Just CUTE! I was really good and am using fabric I had in stash as a lining. It's 100% cotton from the kid fabric section at JoAnn. I bought it ages ago and it was being used as tablecloths when I was selling at the Farmers Market.

POCKETS! Little, tiny, pockets!

Adorable little sleeve and sleeve tabs. I think I'll redo the top stitching. I was intending on having the fashion fabric show but then I pinned it this way. And sewed it. Sewed it REALLY well so...yeah. :)

 All I have left to do is sew the lining inside the jacket and do whatever hand stitching is required. Oh, and closures. the pattern has 4 buttons at the top and then a tie waist. I'm not sure how practical a tie waist is on a tiny, infant jacket. I might sew on snaps. We'll see.

*******************************

In the knitting world, I finally finished my sock (it's worsted weight yarn on size 5 needles - I'm slow!)

That is supposed to be ribbing. It is not. For some reason consistently doing k1, p1 is TOUGH. I got off track and never got back on. LOL! Because of that, my sock isn't as stretchy up top and I have to fight it over my fat feet. My kitchner stitch is pathetic but when they're on my feet you can't tell so...we're going to pretend I did it perfectly.

Sock #2 - ahhhhh now THAT my friends is nice ribbing!