Revisions: No End in Sight

The Writing

I should get my editor's notes soon and that will probably send me in a different direction than I'm going right now. It's amazing what another pair of eyes can do for the process. Meanwhile, I'm writing away, raising the stakes, increasing tension, generally torturing my characters and having a good time.

The Sewing

I'm still working on the 80s summer dress, which is fine, since the weather has taken a turn for the worse and I don't think I'll wear it until next week at the earliest. I was hoping the apricot blossoms would be on the tree for the photos, but they've been deeply offended by cold. Maybe there'll still be few this weekend.

I’m a silk organza underlining newbie, so I wasn’t certain what to do about the organza feeling all prickly and itchy at the unfinished edges of the sleeve and where I trimmed the darts. I decided to try to encase the seams in bias tape. I was concerned that it might add bulk to the sleeve area, but it didn’t. If anything it seemed to support the area.  I also enclosed the trimmed darts and, violà, no more itchy edges. I've probably broken some sewing rule, but it works.

I hung my dress for 48 hours so that the bias part of the skirt would stretch before hemming (rather than after). As you can see the bias stretched almost three inches.

I did, however, run into one small problem while hemming *sigh*. Do you see where the pink lace hem tape ends? And guess who didn't have another package?

Talk about a rookie error. For the record, even though 3 yards of hem tape sounds like enough to hem one summer dress, check measurements before starting to sew. 

This hemming cloud turned out to have a silver lining, however.  My local variety store didn't have this color of hem tape, so I ordered the tape online. To justify the cost of postage (which was more than the cost of the tape) I had to add additional items to my cart. I so love adding additional items to my cart. I bought covered button kits and a zipper and four yards of daffodil yellow Bemberg to line the 60’s coat and shift I plan to make next. 

Since the coat fabric is nectarine, one of the Pantone Spring 2013 colors, I now have to enter the Sewing Pattern Review Pantetone Color Contest, right?  I hadn't planned to enter because I had no lining. Problem solved thanks to not checking the length of my hem tape before starting to sew.

The contest deadline is April 30^th, but I think I can get a coat and a shift done by that time.  Wish me luck. Another deadline. Yay!

Revisions: Sewing and Writing

The Writing/Sewing
It's revision time. Revisions are my favorite part of writing and my least favorite part of sewing. I think that's because in sewing, there's a chance of getting it right the first time. That rarely happens in writing.

As I think about it, though, people who design patterns go through the same process as writers--they come up with an idea, attempt to execute it, analyze, tweak--or in some cases throw the entire project out and start over--then analyze, tweak again, etc, until it's right. I guess the pattern drafters and designers take care of that first draft and it's up to us to revise to fit our personal situation.

One thing I've learned about writing is to not get too carried away with details in the first draft because there is an excellent chance that I'll have to toss all those details out when I change or cut scenes. I have yet to learn that lesson in sewing. When I made the 80s summer dress this week, I was so happy with the muslin that I decided to do some of the finishing work before trying on the final draft. I neglected to think about soft drapy rayon challis being a wee bit different than crisp ironed muslin. So I confidently under stitched facings and tacked them down as I went. I even sewed the back neck facing to the organza underlining. Thank goodness I didn't put in the twelve buttonholes.

When I tried on the dress and realized that I had to take in the sides a good half inch and that the neckline was awkwardly high (I still don't know how that happened) I really wished I'd saved those finishing details for later, like I do when I write. I also really wish I'd taken photos, but it was 10 pm and I was in the Ack! Must fix immediately! phase of my process. I got out the quick unpick--I just learned that term from Sewaholic and love it--and started unpicking.the stitching on the facings. One thing led to another and I finished fixing the sides and the neckline around 11 pm. Then I thought about photos. Maybe that's the writer coming out in me. I rarely let anyone see my struggles on paper. I fix them and then let people read my words.

So that's where I am--revising the book and redoing the finishing details that I shouldn't have done in the first place on my dress. I'll post photos soon.

Sewing For Victory 40’s Suit ~ Flashback #2 The Reckoning

The Sewing
As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I did a lot of sewing in not many days to make the Sewing for Victory Challenge deadline. If I hadn't had to go to work, it wouldn't have been such a push, but I did and it was. I found that there are two things that one cannot hurry along and do slap dash--color blocking and bound buttonholes.

Color Blocking--or how to beat a corner into semi-submission
I have a thing about precision--must have something to do with all the engineers in the family--and one thing sewing has taught me is that sometimes I'm going to have to live with results that aren't as precise as I'd like. But that does't mean I have to like it, or that I won't beat my project to shreds trying to get the results I'm aiming for.

The color blocking on my suit made cool square corners. To do this, I had to clip to the dot 1/2 inch from the end of the seam then sew from the garment edge to the clip. At the clip, I then had to start a new seam going in a perpendicular direction to make the 90 degree corner. And the first time I did it, it went slick.

It went slick two more times. I had three perfect corners. And then came the last one...the one I wanted to finish before my husband and I went running that day. Let's just say that I spent my running time wondering how I was going to pick all of those stitches--because I sewed over my previous stitching about fifteen times trying to true up that corner--out of linen. Yeah.

Eventually I got the corner to where it was acceptable by removing all stitching and starting over. The linen was beat to death and the organza wasn't looking much better. I couldn't stand to look at it, much less photograph it, so there is no record of the carnage. But I ended up with a corner I could live with.

The underarms went perfectly though. I started stitching right at the point of the underarm seam and sewed up one side, then went back to the point and sewed up the other side. I'm a huge fan of breaking up seams to accomplish what I want.

At the last minute I decided to color block the facings, even though the directions didn't call for it. I just cut a purple piece the same size as the purple front and cut off the gray top--allowing for seam allowance of course--and sewed them together. It didn't add bulk and it made me feel better.

Shall we move on to bound buttonholes?

First of all, due to time constraints, I considered just putting in buttonholes with my beloved 1955 Singer buttonholer--which makes perfect buttonholes every time. However, the pattern primer rather casually said, "Make bound buttonholes." That was the end of the instructions. I decided that I could at the very least make a practice bound buttonhole and see how it goes. After all, the coat only has two buttonholes. How hard can it be?

Of course the practice bound buttonhole worked like a charm. I literally made it in less than 10 minutes--probably closer to 5. So the next step, of course, was to attempt to destroy my jacket with my new found skill. (There are several excellent tutorial on making bound buttonholes online. Choose your poison.)

Jeannie's Guide to Bound Buttonholes

Step 1--make gaping rectangular hole. Do not do this in the waist button area, where it won't show. Start at the neckline, where everyone will immediately look.

Step 2--Sew the little lip deals in crooked.

Step 3--Cringe as husband says it's time to run. Yell back that you need a minute.

Step 4--Attempt to remove little lip things. Pick out the wrong stitches, so that organza is now loose.

Step 5--Tell son who calls to say Happy Easter that you can't talk now.

Step 6--Tidy up gaping hole and try again. Sew in crooked again.

Step 7--learn to live with less than perfect lip thingies.

Hey--it doesn't look that bad with the button in it.

Need I say that the buttonhole at the waist that no one will see went in easily and looked fine?

Of course it did.

Well, husband is saying it's time to go run and for once I'm not in a trauma spot, so I'm going to go run before I get myself into trouble again.

Sewing For Victory 40’s Suit ~ Flashback #1

The Sewing

The thing about taking two weeks off from sewing to finish my book was that it felt great to finally be able to sit down and tackle a project--especially one that had lots of techniques I'd heard about, but never tried. I've sewn for decades, but most of it was production sewing--clothes for the kids and shirts for my husband, who loved that I could make the sleeves the right length and put large front pockets on his outdoor shirts. I kept the family in cowboy shirts, with pearl snaps and flat-fell seams, and made innumerable pairs of PJ bottoms that the family wore around the house. However, it was the same old thing over and over and over as kids grew and the husband wore out his shirts. I wanted to try something new. I collected sewing books, read articles, intended to try new things, but there was always something that needed to be sewn. Well, my nest is empty, my husband buys his shirts and now it's my time to try new things.

I'm not wearing a fez. This hat
has three feathers that look
very cool from the side.

I decided to make my Sew For Victory suit out of a linen-silk blend. I'd originally chosen a lovely blue textured fabric from the rayon section of my local fabric store, and it was only after it was cut that I noticed the 100% Polyester at the end of the bolt (that had obviously been mis-shelved). I'm not a history genius, but I know they didn't have polyester in the 40s and I wanted to be kind of accurate. Therefore I went with the linen-silk blend. I doubt it was a readily available fabric in the 40s, but it probably existed.

I love linen, but hate the wrinkles, however, I'd read that underlining with silk organza helped with the wrinkling. I'm certain that, during the era of fabric rationing, silk organza wasn't readily available either, but it did exist, so I decided to pretend that 1940s me used my grandmother's drapes, a la Scarlett O'Hara, to make my suit less wrinkly.

I found a source of decently priced silk organza, sewed the organza to the linen by hand, because I'd read that sewing it by machine puckered it, and then treated it as one piece.I have since seen photos of machine-stitched underlining that looked fine, but sewing it in by hand was kind of relaxing. I sewed in the morning before work and then a wee bit after work. I prefer to hit the machine in the afternoon, whereas morning is more of a hand-sewing-coffee-sipping time.

The cool thing about the underlining was that I was able to tack down my seams as I overcast them, thus insuring that they stay flat after laundering. (I ran everything through the washer and dryer before I started and it all survived.) Also, I sewed the hems to the organza, so the hem stitches do not show.  The underlining gave the linen an excellent heft and drape. The jacket feels light, but substantial.

The pattern called for the muslin interfacing to be sewn to the jacket front, instead of being attached to the facing, as it is in most modern patterns. I had my doubts about using muslin. I mean, it wrinkles... However, I preshrunk heavy weight muslin and tacked it to the underlining (this stuff is great!) and was really happy with the result.

So in summary, I learned that interlining rocks and that muslin makes a fine interfacing. I'll discuss being tortured by color blocking and bound buttons holes in the next post. If you want to know more about underlining, this Threads article is terrific.

Sewing For Victory 40’s Suit ~ Jumping Ahead to the Last Chapter

The Writing

I handed in the first draft of my book on Tuesday after finally hitting the proper level of desperation. The first draft is always difficult. I'm concerned about pacing, concerned about being too predictable, concerned that the story won't come together. But it came together and now it's in my editor's hands. I'm revising as I wait for her notes, and since I have a framework in which to operate--as in a completed story--I'm now a happy writer. I also have time to sew. (And do laundry.)

The Sewing

This is what my Sew For Victory 40's suit looked like on Tuesday:

And, with a little help from the cat,

this is what it looks like today, Sunday, the final day of the Sew For Victory challenge:

I learned so much making this suit--I used silk organza as an underlining for the first time, make my first bound buttonholes, discovered that color blocking is unforgiving. But more about that later. I made deadline on my suit, as well as the book, and I'm going to celebrate with a cup of tea while I plan my next dress. I'm thinking 80s summer dress.

Sew For Victory 40’s Suit ~ Chapter One

The Sewing

I started the Sew For Victory project this week. The first step was to grade the pattern, which is one size too small. I've never graded before, but by following the directions in a Threads article,  and using a lot of tape, I made a size 34 bust jacket into a size 36 bust jacket.

This is the graded pattern on muslin before cutting.

Those stripes on the pattern are where I slashed the tissue I'd traced and widened it by the specified amount--1/4 inch under the arms, 1/8 inch at the other two locations. This is how I spend my lunch hours at school. Listening to jazz and slashing patterns.

To enlarge the simple A-line skirt, I did what I always do when sewing with a modern size 12 (which this pattern equates to) and added 1/2 to the sides. No need to slash.

I made a muslin, which went quickly. Amazingly, it fit. Because of the design of the jacket, it needs very large shoulder pads, as do many 40's styles--one of the reasons I love the 40s. Shoulder pads make me happy. I rocked the 80s.

The pattern primer gave instructions for making shoulder pads out of muslin and cotton batting. I have no cotton batting, so I used fiber fill and gave it a try. The first step was to cut two muslin squares. The next step was to place batting on the square so that it's "thin at the edges and 3/4 inches thick in the middle. I made a mountain.

After making Mt. Batting, I compressed it using the other muslin square and stitched the edges.

The next step was to make padding stitches to hold the batting in place. My padding stitches made the shoulder pad look badly dimpled, but it is thin on the edges and approximately 3/4 inches thick in the middle.

Then I cut the pad in half so that it resembled a warped apple turnover.

I'm supposed to cover this with fashion fabric, but you know what? I'll probably just buy shoulder pads. The suit jacket needs a lot of shoulder padding to keep the proper lines and I think these pads are just a wee bit wimpy.

The Writing

Well...

Catching Up

The Writing
The writing is the reason I haven't posted since last Sunday. The deadline is now approaching at warp speed. I wrote 13,000 words in one day earlier this week and got the skeleton of the book done. Now I'm going back and adding all the stuff I just knew I'd have an easier time doing later, filling the holes I left gaping wide open, and generally tidying up.

I have 21,000 edited words, 30,000 rough words. When I get done filling the holes, I figure I should be close to the 70,000 I want to turn in on March 21. I'm satisfied with my progress. Things always feel a bit out of control at this stage.

After I turn in the project, I'm celebrating with a day trip to Reno where I hope to buy shoulder pads--big shoulder pads to fill out the square shoulders of my Sew for Victory 40's suit jacket.

The Sewing
I should call this post patterns, patterns, patterns. I've been busy on eBay. There's nothing like a quick shopping spree to help battle writer's block. (Actually I don't believe in writer's block, but it's a good excuse to shop.)  Here are some of the patterns that called to me and are now on their way to my mailbox:

1920s

 1930s

1940s

I think I'm done pattern shopping for a while. If not, I should be because these should keep me busy for a while. I can't wait to find the perfect fabric for each one.

I'm sorry to say I did not win this pattern for a men's catsuit, which is a shame because it makes me smile.