Simplicity 2922 - In silk

Dress is done. I really like it. I think it's a great simple pattern for this silk. This is another fabric my husband brought back from Houston. Here I have my helpers who wanted to be in the photos. Yes, we wear pants with our princess dresses. It's summer but it's only about 54 degrees F out there.

The silk was one piece with a loooong painted section and a shorter section. I put the shorter section on the front and the longer section on the back. I did cut a short section of it off because it went on for another 8".

Here it is without the helpers. You can see the front motif ends at about the belt.

It's hand-painted silk and it's supposed to be bamboo leaves. It has a little bit of white and gold in it. This is the true color of the green.

It was really hard to get close-ups of this fabric. It is very matte but when it sees a flash it suddenly looks shiny. This is a close-up of the hem and print. It's really hard to photograph close-up.

Seeing as I went to the Claire Shaeffer class on Sunday, I wanted to practice one of her techniques. This technique uses interfacing in the hem to add a little weight and to smooth things out. For reference, I used a 2" hem. The interfacing is a scant 2". I actually used bias tape I had in my stash. It was the perfect width and it was already on the bias. First you use a blind hem stitch to stitch the interfacing to the hem. You attach them at the hemline. ETA: Claire said you can use anything from a fine silk organza to horsehair canvas to support the hem. The key thing is that is must be on the bias so you get a nice curve. She also said you could interface as high as you want. She specifically mentioned a full-length dress. She said she might interface to above the knee so the dress didn't "break" under the knee. I think she means that it will fall smoothly all the way down to the floor when you sit or walk. She was full of so many good tips and stories. I want to try to use her techniques in the coming weeks so I can always remember them. Well, and I keep a sample book with samples of stitches and notes. I refer back to it often when I'm doing things like welt pockets, welt buttonholes, hemming, etc.

Then you fold up the hem and do another blind hem stitch.

I added some red so you can see the pattern of stitches. On something thicker, you would use a blind catchstitch. It's stronger than this stitch.

JSterns -- The Tee -- 0041 -- Take Two

This one is soooooo much better than the first version. Remember the way too tight version? This is medium with measurements of b: 34" and h: 37". I'm more of a b:32"and h:36" kind of girl but I like the fit of this much better. This is buttery soft cotton jersey from the Fabrics and Notions coop. It has very little stretch.

No petite shoulder to bust tuck for me. It's weird but I swear I don't need that tuck anymore. I have a dress to show you too and I think I could have gone without the tuck. Look, I almost look busty.

I serged the hems on the sleeves and bottom.

The hems naturally roll which is the way I like it.

Comment away . . . I dare ya

ETA: These are the people I will be sending things to: Gail, Robyn, Cricket, Amy, KiltsnQuilts and Dale. I know that is six but I'm not sure if KiltsandQuilts wants to participate. I know the directions say I will contact you but not all of you do not have emails on your blog and I have no way of replying to comments. Send me an email instead info 'at' cabinbaby 'dot' com with your mailing address. Then we'll get this started. :) If I don't hear from these people in a few days, I pick alternates. Stay tuned . . .

So I got this from Christina's blog. It sounds like fun and I haven't done a give-away thing in quite a while. So comment away. I've been feeling in quite the devious mood lately so you never know what you might get. Mwaaaaa haaaaa haaaaa. The following is copied from her blog:

Here's how it works:

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me.
But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people.
The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a post:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you.

Okay get busy and leave me some comments so I can get busy making you something.

Oh, and it's thanks to Angie that my scary eyeballs are lookin' atcha. {grin}

Colette Patterns - Macaron - Muslin

I'm not looking great but here's the muslin. I have some tweaks to work out I think. Overall, it fits well. I like the style and it makes it look like I have a bust. This is the size 0 which has these measurements: b:33", w:25", h:35". My hips are about an inch bigger and my bust is an inch smaller. I didn't put in the zipper; I just pinned it shut. In some of the photos you can see some weird fabric poking out from there. (Excuse the big honking wrinkles in the back skirt; it's a muslin.)

Fit problems- (1) I've been working on a sloper pattern with the help of my jacket instructor. She said I have a narrow chest but wide shoulders. I put the pattern on top of my fitting shell and decided to leave it alone except for moving the shoulders out an inch. That might have been a bit too much. But, can you imagine how tight it would have been across the shoulders without that extra 2"? (2) The waistband of the dress hits me at the bottom of my ribcage, not at my natural waist. This does make my legs look unnaturally long but is that the way it is supposed to fit? (3) It is tight, tight, tight at the midriff band. I think that if I added an inch or so to the bodice and moved the midriff band down it would solve problems (2) and (3). Right now it's at the ribcage and not at my narrowest part. (4) This dress is unhemmed. I will add an inch or two to the bottom since this is as short as I want this dress. (5) This dress is designed for a C cup. I will do a tiny SBA tuck to get rid of any extra bust space. I was surprised that it wasn't super big on top.

Pattern problems (maybe): (1) See how the top of the back bodice is all wrinkly? I really had to ease it into the bodice bottom piece. It seems to be extra wide. The khaki fabric is a stretch twill and I had to stretch it to fit the white. I'll take a tuck out of the white piece in the back and leave the khaki piece alone.

How do you like it? eta: I made the pictures bigger so you can see the details. Also, like the new red shoes? My husband, I love that guy.

ETA: I was getting a lot of SPAM on this post so I locked the comments. Feel free to comment about this dress on later or previous posts. :)

Claire Shaeffer and Other News . . .

I rushed home on Friday because I was scheduled to have a class with Claire Shaeffer today. There was a presentation on Saturday and there was a class Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, I was only able to go to the Sunday morning class. My husband is gone right now and I had a hard, hard, hard time finding childcare. MIL is out of town, nanny could only do a morning gig, husband's gone, other sitters have summer jobs, neighbor boy is out of town, etc. I really wish I could have done a full day with her today. I learned so much in the four hours I was there. I made a turned tube that is about a 1/16" of an inch wide. Really, people, it can be done. That's the tube below. She had us do one with a charmeuse. When I came home, I did it with a spare piece of duppioni. I wouldn't have believed it either. I won't share the Shaeffer secrets but I do highly recommend this book. This technique is in this book as well as the Couture Sewing Techniques book. I got an older version of the shortcut book at a garage sale for $2.00.

Besides doing the amazing tube turning we also did several hemming techniques. I plan to use the interfaced version on my silk dress so you'll get to see that one in action. We also learned the basic catchstitch and blind hem stitch. Basic stitches but it is nice when someone is walking around saying, "Too loose, too tight, too far apart, etc." We were running late during the class so I didn't get to see the bound buttonholes technique. My nanny had to be to work by 12:30 and the class ended at 12:00. I was out of there by 12:02 so I could make it home in time for her to get to work. Claire said she was teaching that next. Sigh. I would have really liked to see that. As a person, she is very nice with a dry sense of humor. She's a great teacher too and lets you work at your own pace. As we finished something, we would go up to her and she would show us the next technique in small groups. I just wish I had more time with her. Oh well, hopefully there is a next time.

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I have this pattern cut out in muslin so I can test the fit. This is a new pattern company called Colette Patterns. They have four dresses and one skirt for their spring line-up. The sizing seems like it was vanity sized quite a bit. I know I'm a smaller person but I'm a size 0, the bottom of the size range. There are lots of people smaller than me. I should have that sewn up in a day or two.

Next, I have this dress cut out in a hand-painted silk crepe. Well, I think it's a crepe. It's one of those fabrics my husband brought back from Houston. He just knows fiber content, not weave. It's a heavier-weight drapey fabric. It's really pretty. Hopefully I'll have that done in a day or two too.

The longer motif will go on the back skirt and the shorter one will be on the front skirt.

Miss Me??

Holy smokes am I ready to settle back into a routine. Week-long trips with the kids are fun but maybe we shouldn't schedule three week-long trips in a row. The kids are a bit out of whack and I'm a bit cranky from sewing withdrawals. It was a fun trip and I'm minus one child (stayed with grandma an extra week) but wow am I ready to sleep in my own bed.

So I did manage to make a running top right before we left for Fairbanks. I mean just before we left. I coverstitched it the morning of the car ride. I knew it would be hot there (in the 80s and 90s!!) and I didn't have anything for hot weather like that. Remember way back when when I wrote the 600th Jalie review and won a free pattern from Jalie? Well, I bought Jalie 2215. It's this top, this top with long sleeves, running pants, and skirt with underwear panel. I plan to make all the versions. It's the perfect pattern for me. I made this top out of some of the bamboo/cotton/lycra knit I don't like. And actually, I don't hate it here. It's really light so it works well as a running top. The accent panels are from Paulette. She's a blog/internet friend who turned into a real friend. She's the one who convinced me to take the Couture Jacket class. She had cut out a top incorrectly and thought I might be able to do something with the pieces. She was right.

Yea, yea, I could do a swayback adjustment but it's fine. I ran 12 miles this morning so excuse the hair and un-bathed-ness. And I know the hat is nasty but it's my Running Hat. You can't run without your Running Hat. Someone has asked what I'm gearing up for in a previous post. There is a half marathon in August I like to run and I'm doin' it again this year.

A little close-up of the collar and shoulders.

I think I'll make a version with no polo opening. I like it but it'll be nice to have some without it too.

I'm not impressed with my topstitching but, like I said, I was in a hurry.

I had so little fabric that I had to slice and dice it to make it big enough for the undercollar. With this busy print, you'll never notice.

I am planning on sewing a lot the next week or so so my blog should be hoppin' the next little while. So. Glad. To. Be. Back.

Runners Unite!

So I did a tiny bit of sewing right before my Homer trip. I have had an iPod for a long time. I mostly play podcasts and audiobooks while I run. Weird, I know. My absolute favorite is PodRunner. If you are a runner/spinner/exerciser you should check it out. They publish a new mix every week at a specific BPM (beats per minute). It really helps keep your pace through the entire run. My pace is about 158bpm so I have downloaded about 10 mixes for that pace. I wouldn't really call it music. It's kind of like techno music but it lasts for an hour. I don't even really listen to it. I turn it down way low, just so I can barely hear the beat, and let my mind wander. Anyhoo, my girlfriend bought the Nike+ thing that attaches to your iPod. After looking at hers, I had to buy one too. They are super cool and not that expensive. There are two parts. One part goes in or on your shoe. Nike shoes have a special pocket in the shoe for the transmitter. If you aren't a fan of Nike shoes (too narrow of a toebox for me) you can buy this little pouch that straps to your rebel non-Nike shoe. The other part is a little white receiver that attaches to your iPod. You can see it on my iPod below. I usually keep my iPod in one of my butt pockets along with my Gu (I have goo in my butt, ha!). But, this little gadget shows you your pace, distance, time travelled, etc. so you want easy access to it without fumbling in your butt (hee hee). I looked at the armbands that they make for your iPod. Those things are $30 or $40! Can you believe it? That, and they probably wouldn't fit my tiny biceps anyway (child's blood pressure cuff here). So, all this background just to tell you about the elastic armband I made. Whew.

Here are the components together.



Here's the sensor in the pocket. And yes, my damn Puma shoes are pink and glittery. Not my first color choice but they are pretty damn comfortable.



I usually wear this sleeveless but you get the idea. I wear it upside down so I can pull my arm up and see it right side up.


Here's the nitty gritty. It's pretty easy obviously. I put several rows of loop-side velcro so it can be adjusted. You just have to be careful because the velcro doesn't stretch. No use putting non-stretch things on an elastic band, right?



You can see the metal buckle I found isn't quite wide enough for the elastic. I made the 1" strap very tight so there is no chance the iPod will slip out.

Here's how I put on the smaller elastic so I had all finished edges.

It's not much but I did sew something.