Sew Crafty Chemist: McCall's 6964

Showing posts with label McCall's 6964. Show all posts

Sunday, August 30, 2015

A McCall's 6964 Kind of Day...

My coat is seeing some progress:

I made the lining first; the left side (viewers right), has a dart pinned at the armscye.

It DOES close. I was going back and forth looking at the camera and looking at the boy with the cat behind me :)

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A week or so ago, I traced off M6964 and was making an FBA and sliced one of the lines incorrectly. I got frustrated and balled the pattern piece up! Sometimes I am a 2 year old.

Well, I really wanted a bright colored tee and pulled it back out. Because I decided I did not want a dart in this ITY, I just graded from a 14 neckline to a 16 body. And sewed 1/2" side seams

I used a 3/8 seam allowance on the sleeve but that was not enough.

Because the color is PERFECT! and we're heading into fall, this will get worn. It is more likely to be a layering piece because the sleeve isn't "tight" but it's snug.

Next up...

DD is heading into senior year this year!! Eeeeek!

Senior ladies wear all black on the first day of school and I have 87 gajillion yards of black ponte.

She bugged me all week about this danged dress. She left at 12:30 this afternoon and I started it. At 2:25, it was done!!! This included changing the serger thread to black, dealing with a not-working-correctly tension on the right needle and winding black bobbins.

So fast. SO FAST!!!

DD's dress was made before here

She wanted less waist shaping in this one and less flare at the hem. I just cut it straight from beneath the bust to the hi-hip. She loves it :)

And then I found this black cotton lycra in the stash. And everything was all set to go so why not!?

After making the coral version I made a 1" full bicep adjustment and a cheater FBA:

I sliced it vertically and spread 1/2" at the bust. I then sliced it horizontally to remove the extra width at the hemline. There's still a little much "swing" in the front pattern piece so I might trim down the side seam a bit to compensate.

I'm conflicted as I think I like the closer fit of the coral version, but snug can easily transition to tight and I don't want tight :/

LIGHTBULB

I typed that (and yes, decided to leave it), and realized, this could primarily be an issue of fabric choice. With all the versions of V9032 that I've made, they all fit a bit differently (the black pair and light gray plaid pair are very similar).

For both versions I stitched the shoulder seams, attached the neck binding, sewed the sleeves and then the side seams. Saving the side seams for last will really help with tweaking the fit.

I swear I want like 10 of these. I probably shouldn't :) Hmmm....I do have a bright blue (cerulean??) modal jersey. :)

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Sewing For Teens...

ANOTHER POST?!?!

Yeah. And then it'll be SILENT again. LOL! Friday was my predecessor's last day. So now it gets real! I am so excited :-D

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My daughter's school has contracted with a local photography studio to have every senior take a headshot for the yearbook. I love and hate this; love that every kid will then have a professional photo done...hate that then there's little option for originality.

(My parents were all O_o over my decision to use one of my photos, wearing a NY Knicks sweatshirt, as my yearbook photo! haha!)

Anyway, she NEEDED a t-shirt dress. And it should be white. And "ooh, here's some white fabric!". And then she got some major side eye from me because uhmm, hello, that's MINE. But of course, she got it...

In case you haven't noticed, I don't do "self drafted", I don't do "tutorials"...I pretty much sew patterns and have that one RTW rub off top that I lurve.

I was perusing the stash and thought, OH! I bet that t-shirt can be made into a dress! So I did some Google'in and found this tutorial: Here

Perfect!!

I sewed a size 10 which is customary in Big4 for her. If she liked a more fitted garment she would be an 8 with broad shoulder adjustment...but she likes a looser fit. I sewed 1/2" side seams once I realized this knit isn't that stretchy, again, because she doesn't go for fitted.

The neck binding was absolutely perfect. It was the right length and I like the width and it just went in BAM, no problems! Swoon!

*I bought these labels from a now closed Etsy shop soon after I started sewing. I would often find them shredded in the wash. They are printed on satin ribbon and I'm pretty sure the act of sewing through them was just making them ripe for falling apart. Now, I interface them before using them. Seems to work! I keep making up an order for woven ones but I just can't bite the bullet when these are perfectly usable...Soon!

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I was totally going to start on my Burda 6/2015 dress seeing as how I forgot to pickup the PDF pattern I'm testing. Yeah...that's kind of necessary...I pass the UPS store every day and on Friday, RIGHT by it. Didn't even look in that store's direction!

I was a little intimidated by the Burda because it is fitted. And when Burda shows a fitted garment, they mean it.

I decided my son's shorts would be a good distraction.

Never tell yourself that something with pockets and welts and a fly front is a "distraction"...

I traced them Friday and spent far more time sewing on Saturday and Sunday than I have in a long time. It felt good too! I like this kind of "no stakes" sewing. I knew that there was a chance he might not like them; especially since before I even started sewing he called the fabric pink. It's red. Chambray. My daughter warned me "quit now".

I figured getting bogged down in the details of this sew would be "good" :)

1) He was being a total toddler today and I knew I shouldn't have even had him try them on

2) He whined that they would be "way too big. Just LOOK at them!". Yet when I went to take his measurements he said he would do it himself.

3) I think they look fantastic on him and will see if he comes around. Maybe he wants to pick out a nice khaki or navy or something.

4) I might just bop him upside the head...

That's a nice pair of shorts, man!

I was very careful with everything!

Although, that reversed fly front kept messing me up!

I used a crinkle cotton gauze for the pocket bags

I MADE WELTS!!!!

I cut into my fabric! I did it!!!

Okay, so welts are not "hard" but requires precision. Precise stitching = a nice welt. Wonky stitching = wonky welt.

This one is better than the other, but do you see right in the center of the bottom how the opening is slightly smaller than the rest of the welt? Yep. That'll mess you up! And my opening is 1/2" but my ends are just under. It is ALL about starting and stopping PRECISELY at the marks.

I know I'll get better at this. I live for technical stuff. I'm ready to welt pocket everything!

Double stitched hem (I did 1.5", the pattern called for 2")

Details :)

I love this pocket opening <3

Lastly, I do get some newer sewers asking for details on how I do certain things.

I am just not a teacher-type. I just DO. And it is often really difficult for me to slow down and really, try to think through what I'm doing in a way that someone else may understand.

And, my mom has always called me her little "bunny rabbit" and funnily, my former coworker (who is 10 years my mom's senior), called me a "bunny" one day when we were training! LOL!

I move fast and the idea of taking photos along the way of things?? Bleh.

HOWEVER(!) I did stop to take this photo of the fly zipper insertion. :)

Some people don't baste. I find basting to be a REQUIREMENT. Even with my wonder tape (helloooooo Wonder tape!).

I line up the edge of the fly *just* on the other side of the zipper teeth. I apply wonder tape to the zipper tape. I sew that side of the zipper. I line the other edge *just* to the left of the zipper tape and topstitch in place (many do not topstitch here but it works best for me).

I then line the edge of the fly RIGHT over that line of topstitching and baste in place. Then I do my topstitching on the fly side.