2008 in Graphs

I love graphing so when Lindsey T showed her progress in graphs I just had to copy borrow her idea and do it too. I found some interesting results especially after I filtered out my earlier attempts at sewing. I started garment sewing shortly after I signed up for PatternReview on 4/8/07. So, it's been 20 months since I started garment sewing. In that time, I think I've come far with my skills. I have sewn 77 garments thus far this year and feel like most of them are wearable and look mostly RTW. I have also figured out which pattern companies work with my body type. Here is a graph showing all the patterns I used for 2008. There are 12 different companies with BWOF, Jalie, and KwikSew being my favorites.



If I just graph the time since I tried BWOF , you see much different results. Once I tried BWOF, I didn't buy or try any more of the Big 4. The Vogue pattern was one that I sewed earlier but then finished much later because I hated it. The Green Pepper patterns are the ones I use for my kids outerwear. When you factor those in, I use basically five companies.



This shows all the different types of garments. Surprisingly, I made as many dresses as I did coats and casual tops. I did quite a bit if kid sewing which surprised me. I always feel guiltly because I'm not sewing for my kids. It's very interesting to view things this way.


I'll have another entry for my goals and reflections on specific garments later on. Dinner calls.

Anybody want these? I'm a certified BWOF-phile.

Well. I don't think I'll ever use these patterns so I will send them on to those of you who will. If you want them, just let me know, I'll send them to you free of charge as long as you live in the US. If you live elsewhere, and want them, you can pay me postage. First come, first served, take as many as you want. I just want them to be loved. Yes, it would be cheaper for me to throw them in the trash but I can't do that, it is like putting a book in the trash. Can't do it.

I trace all my patterns so they are just cut apart but still intact. Some are OOP so I'll get a picture up in a few days.

What Do I Really Wear?

Dana over at Lean Mean Sewing Machine posted a challenge to all sewers (sewists?) about what we really wear in a week. I thought my average for handmade clothing would be about 70-80% in a week. I took pictures of everything I wore this week (I know it isn't Friday yet but I wear the same thing every Friday). I can never remember during the week to take the pictures so I put them on the floor tonight and did it. I was disappointed. Only 8/12 are things sewn by me. I was hoping for a higher number.

Monday: Jalie top and Jalie 2000 pants. 2/2 So far so good.











Tuesday: RTW knit top and Burda pleated pencil skirt (my first Burda!). 3/4 Now I'm at 75%











Wednesday: Jalie slacks, Jalie Cross-Top (PR mini-wardrobe), New Look Blouse (PR wardrobe contest). 6/7










Thursday: RTW knit top with Kwik Sew jumper (one of my most favorite things I have sewn). 7/9










Friday: I'm a teacher. We always wear a "team" sweatshirt and jeans on Friday. I also wear a t-shirt under the sweatshirt. Assuming it is a t-shirt I made, which is most of them at this point, my total stands at 8/12. That's a lot lower than I thought. Drat.

I would encourage all of you to look at what you really wear in a week. It is an eye-opener. My goal for next year (next school year, everything revolves around work doesn't it?) is to have all my clothing sewn by me. I am only going to keep RTW garments that look and feel great on me.

Swap Storyboard Update

Here is my new and improved SWAP storyboard. Now for the other things on my list.

NL 6952

This is part of my Wardrobe Contest. Here is a link to the storyboard.

Pattern Description: There is no pattern description on the New Look envelope. I never realized that before. Here is my description: Fitted, woven tops with integrated collarband and a variety sleeves including full-length, 3/4 cuffed, ruffled, and sleeveless. I made the 3/4 length sleeveless version.

Pattern Sizing:This is 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. I made the size 8.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes, very much so. The fabric, of course, is very different but other than that, yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow?Yes, the instructions were very clear and easy to understand. I have made this shirt twice (see this thread on the fitting woes forum) and the placket seems to give most of the reviewers issues. I decided to leave the placket off to reduce bulk and I like buttons to show.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
-Likes: Good wardrobe basic, nice shaping, very easy to sew. I made this is two evenings with my son pestering me. Here he is. He couldn't resist the camera.
-Dislikes: The regular length sleeve is kind of blah. I think they did that so that it would be an "easy" pattern. If they added too much detail they wouldn't have been able to put that rating on it.

Fabric Used:This is an embroidered corduroy in tan brown. It has a teensy bit of stretch. I had to becareful when I cut this so that the little eyelet holes weren't in, um, places I didn't want holes.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: The only alterations I made were to reduce the length between neck and bust by 1/2". I included pictures of the back piece and the sleeve. When I reduce it, I reduce it all around; the front, back, and the sleeve. You can see from this shot that the bust point fits correctly. I added more buttons and started them higher than they did. They suggest 4 and I did 6. I'm a teacher and bend over a lot.

I did follow the tips of fellow PR.com sewers and sewed my collar a bit differently. If you look in this review I did I asked for suggestions on how to make points, pointy. Several people said to take a few stitches across at the point and then trim. This is what I did and the collar turned out great. I drew with chalk on the interfacing so I could see it. Here is the before and this is where I sewed the seams.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?Yes, I will sew it again. I do recommend to others. I think it is a great basic pattern. I'll probably use this pattern body and add other details and sleeves from other patterns. It fits me well. Here are the back, lifted arm, and crucifixion pose so you can see the fit of the shirt. Different front picture.

Conclusion: I really like this pattern.

Shoulder Alteration

If you look back at this post, you'll see I was having issues with a shirt-arm-back pulling thing. I think I know how to fix it on subsequent patterns. Here is what I did to this New Look pattern to test it out. I took out 1/2" between the shoulder and bust in the front and the back. The shirt is pretty much unwearable but I was going to pitch it anyway.

The blue lines are where I put the stitches and took out that 1/2".


Look, I can lift my arms! It is amazing what 1/2" does for you.

This weird shoulder pucker is why the shirt is unwearable.


Inside the shirt so you can see where I took the 1/2" from.