sewing

Book Review: Sew…The Garment-Making Book of Knowledge

Just to be up-front, I am a bit of a Barb Emodi fan-girl. I actually think Barb and I are kind of like two halves of the same person. We both have been sewing since right after the dawn of time, have children + grand-children, love to sew, and maybe most importantly, love to experiment with fabrics and sewing tools, and products. I climb up on my soapbox about lots of stuff in today’s world, and one of them is I think there is a great shortage of tinkering with real, tangible things that make you mutter, “Huh. That is how it works.” Experimentation is a great teacher, and I think loads of people could benefit from a bit more of it.

But enough digression. The real thing I want to say is I LOVE Barb’s new book, Sew…The Garment-Making Book of Knowledge. I have actually said many of the same things she writes to my students. Sometimes.Using.The.Exact.Same.Words. See why I think we are two halves of the same person?

Her book is both very enjoyable to read and filled with plenty of tips and advice about the nuts and bolts of sewing. Not exactly a technique or how-to-sew instructional guide, you still will definitely learn a trick or two about the process of sewing clothing (no quilting here, thank you very much!). Or maybe you will get inspired to start sewing again, or possibly sew in a different way. And all of those are great things, IMHO.

“When you sew, I think what you make most often is a life, not just clothes. Sewing is deceptive that way. As an activity, it looks practical and seems sensible. That is just a cover. Sewing gives those who engage in it so much more than something to wear.”

YES! That is a great summary of why I sew. Why I am active in The American Sewing Guild. In Facebook sewing groups. Obsess over fabrics, tools, and products for sewing. Because sewing is one of the most important structures of my life, and it definitely gives me more than clothes to wear. Thank you, Barb!

Barb has a chapter on

what you should sew (duh – what you love!)
some ideas on how to pick a good pattern for your sewing level or what you want to sew
reminds you how important it is to MEASURE your body + use those measurements to help you alter a flat pattern to improve the fit for your shape
describes some common fabrics types and how to handle them before you even cut out your pattern pieces
the “gear” side of sewing (tools, machines and stuff)
how to create a sewing strategy that works for you
and…sewing for JOY

I laughed out loud while reading this book. Plus it brought back many memories of sewing with my mom when I was very young, as well as reminding me of recent sewing adventures with my students. Do yourself a favor. Pour a beverage of your choice, and curl up with Sew…The Garment-Making Book of Knowledge.

Happy sewing!

Maris

Pattern Review: Davina Dress

It’s no secret; I love Itch to Stitch patterns!

I was lucky enough to help test her latest design, the Davina dress. Â Pretty, feminine, classic, great fitâ€”she pretty much hit all my buttons.

I sewed up my version in an ITY knit from my stash. This pattern requires a knit with a high stretch factor (at least 75%), and great recovery. This pattern is extremely fitted thru the bodice, so if you decide to use a fabric with a lower stretch factor you really should go up a size.

Wow. Someone didn’t even hem her Davina dress. I do normally hem my knit dresses, even though it is not required since there is no raveling. But this dress was barely long enough for my taste, despite adding 3 inches to the skirt length, so I opted to be daring.Â My mother is seriously rolling over in her grave. 😉

Such a great, twirly, half-circle skirt. Love, love, love!

There are loads ofÂ sleeve length options, andÂ when I originally sewed this I tried out the medium short sleeve. Notice my version as pictured has no sleevesâ€”for 2 reasons.

One, sleeveless knit dresses are more Â practical for me, since I find themÂ more comfortable with a cardi over a bare arm rather than wrestling the sweaterÂ on top ofÂ sleeves.

Two, the one thing I wasn’t crazy about on this pattern was the armhole fit when theÂ sleeveÂ wasÂ inserted. Maybe you can see that the armhole does not sit directly over the shoulder line. Super pretty design line for a sleeveless dress, but not so great IMHO with aÂ sleeve. I do have fairly broad shoulders, so maybe it is my personal fitting issue, but if you make the Davina Dress (and I hope you do!), this is an area to pay attention to.

I love this dress so much I plan on making another one very soon, in a solid jersey knit. The pretty gathers on the front bodice don’t show up well in my print version, and that + the circle skirt are my two favorite features of this pattern.

Right now you can buy the Davina Dress for 20% off, + also enter the raffle on Kennis’ web site to win a free copy of this pattern. If you are in the market for a fresh, feminine new dress pattern (duh, who isn’t??), then I hope you give the Davina a try. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it, too!

Happy sewing!

Maris

Easy Fix

Technically, this Cosy Cardigan was not a UFO, but it had been living in the gi-normous UFO pile for someÂ months. I had worn it several times, and love it….with one tiny exception.

When I originally madeÂ this cardiÂ I didn’t want to put buttons/snaps/any kind of closure on it, but discovered that when worn the angled front edges refused to behave themselves. They are a bit floppy actually. And since there is no one alive who detests fussing with her clothing more than me, something had to be done. I get dressed in the morning, andÂ that.is.all. ClothingÂ placing/smoothing/straightening is a definite no bueno.

Can you see the slight difference on the right front (as worn)? I am hoping that softening the angle will help the front “stay put” a little better when worn.

It really was a minor adjustment. All I did was rip out some of the topstitching, adjustÂ the seaming to a gentle curve, trim the old seam allowance, and then re-topstitch. BAM! I didn’t even rip out all the topstitching, tho I did make sure to start and stop stitching in the navy part of the stripe. The navy thread blended so well the overstitching was not even visible, soÂ yay!

I have been on a bit of a mission to clear out some of my UFO/not quite perfect garments. So far, one purple failÂ andÂ this Cosy have been yankedÂ from myÂ pile.Â I hope toÂ test drive this sweater next week, and am super hopeful this tweak will move it from an OK garment to a workhorse. I love, love, loveÂ the fabric and the styling, so, fingers crossed!

How long does it take you to “fiddle” with your not-quite-perfect garments? Do you fix, or toss?

Happy sewing!

Maris

Vogue 8323 Purple FAIL

Tissue knits and I have a very passive-aggressiveÂ relationship. They always promise toÂ behave properlyÂ beforeÂ they get into my studio; but once homeÂ they immediatelyÂ start sneaking around causing trouble. Most confrontationsÂ end up Tissue Knit 1; Sew Maris 0.

See what I mean? Most T-shirts do not end up making me look as broad as the side of a barn, and ummmm, frankly, Â matronly. <shudder>

These sleeves hit at the wrong point, and ride up if I wear a cardiganÂ because they are all loose and sloppy. The artsy, little twisted neckline looks like CRAP. There are some weird flare-y things going on at the sides near the hem.

WTH? I generally like princess lines on my body. I like purple. I have successfully attachedÂ cute, artsy little necklines onto Ts before. But this shirtÂ is just one hot mess.

I am not giving up on this pattern; I think made up using aÂ fabric with a bit more heft things could turn out differently.

Maybe part of it is I grew up sewing on linen, wool, and nice weight cottons, andÂ I just haven’t developedÂ a “light touch”Â for for handling these uber-soft and lightweight knits. But this fabricÂ has beatenÂ me once too often; I am going to conquer itÂ or die trying. Game on!

Happy sewing!

Maris

Sewing Timeout

I am officially in sewing timeout, friends. And not happy about it.

Originally I thought we would be able to be back in our house by Friday, but it is looking like it could be early next week before my sewing room is ready for occupancy again. So.Not.Happy.

Hopefully gleaming, newly-refinished wood floors will make it all seem worthwhile. In the meantime, I amÂ playing with new room arrangements and potential new furniture requirements. I took my serger and Bernina 710 in for a little spa time, so I am sure they appreciate the rest. 😉

Stay tuned for the great “reveal”, and enjoy your sewing time!

Happy sewing,

Maris

Sewing Circle Tote Review

My version of the massive Sewing Circle ToteÂ bag is finally done.

Let’s be clear: there will not be a repeat performance. Way.Too.Much.Work. I already ~~bitched~~aired some feelings about this bag in a previous post, but I have more to add now.

Oh, this bagÂ will definitely hold loads of sewing goodies, and likely evenÂ be very handy to transport things back and forth to sewing retreats. Though this cute black and white print tote of similar dimensions might do the jobÂ just as well. 🙂

Sometimes we sew things for reasons that cannot be explained. Especially to husbands, friends, and frequently even to ourselves. It SEEMS like a good idea. It WILL be cute, or useful, or possibly even perfectly suited to the task.

But sometimes the process is not worth the outcome. That’s my take on the Sewing Circle Tote. Just.Not.Worth.It. The hassle of handling so many layers of cotton canvas, denim, quilting cotton, webbing, and moreÂ offset both the cute factor and the potential functionality of this bag, IMHO. Oh, I will use it. I might even like using it. But I could have spent $35 + zero effort and gotten approximately the same amount of schlepping capability. Albeit minus some exterior & interior pockets. 😉

As for construction and drafting, I had some issuesÂ that were irritating. The “large pocket” side of the liningÂ (on the left in the image above) was not the same length as the opposite “small pockets” side of the lining. It was enough off that I had to do some ripping and re-stitch. I broke 2 needles and bent a third getting the lining attached to the exterior bag. If step number 82 (where the lining bottom is sewn to the bag bottom) hadÂ read “Stitch the lining to the exterior onlyÂ between the handles” instead of “It doesn’t have to be pretty” I don’t think any needles would have been Â harmed. And extending the short handlesÂ 1 inch above the upper edge of the bag (step 85) is a complete waste of time, as I ended up cutting them even with the bag edgeÂ anyway. I am also not a fan of Elizabeth’s method of making her pockets. It works, but in general I prefer seaming +Â pressing over pressing + topstitching in place. My 2 cents on that.

Have you made anything recently that exceeded the enjoyment:effort ratio? Tell me your story!

Happy sewing!

Maris