Mending & Pattern Making

Apron repair.
Lost the hang of the blog thing and forgot to take the "major holes at midsection" photos otherwise known as embarrassing gapes in my work apron.

I resolved the big darning stitches by sewing a letter down over it all.
That's a ladybug stamp.

I was going to add some random thread addressing to help stabilize the layers but my new machine had a meltdown. It claims there is a big thread knot under the stitch plate which is invisible to me. Gah - probably broke the dang computer.
 
 I have to wait until tomorrow before I can call and ask for help. . . .
(And yes, I did try the ON/OFF button to try and re-set.)

________________________________________________

My junior clerk came back and worked Saturday, giving me an unexpected and very welcome WEEKEND!

Woohoo!
At 70+ degrees, I utilized my time Saturday weeding.
My goal for this weekend was not Easter as we celebrated my  mom's 80th last weekend thus taking care of familial duties.

Instead, I wanted to spend my whole two days with Yard Time, Clean The House Time and some Sewing Time.

I managed all three!. The house had not been cleaned in a month as my laundry days have been taken over by the other commitments that landed on my only free day of the week.
With junior clerk back for an undetermined time, I will be taking some time off from Work trying to downsize to about 35 hrs (50+ since September)

I love these shorts for work. They have a knit waistband that is comfortable on my auto-immune stomach.   Alas, my three pairs have worn out. Dang it.
Could I find anymore?

I decided at Christmas to make a pattern and it only took me three  months to do so.

These shorts have a lot of top-stitching details as well as RTW construction details.  I have never seen a commercial pattern with this many pocket details (3 different pockets). Nor the two panel front piece. Is this to save on material to maximize fabric usage  when bulk sewing?

You can see the flap pocket place on the lower side seam. Then there are cargo/patch pockets at the waist zone. This cargo pocket overlaps the seam on the front pieces. It appears to be just top-stitching but there is a rectangular side piece and a narrower 'crotch' piece.

From what I could see, I will be sewing these two pieces together to create one front piece and then adding the cargo pocket. Then I will switch to the back piece (all one big pattern piece) and add the back pocket, then stitch at the side seams to the front. Then I add the side seam flap pocket.

After this is together, I will repeat for the left side with the addition of a fake fly.
These pieces are then seamed at center thru the crotch and up the backside.

Finish with serging on a knit waistband and hemming.

All cut out on my swedish tracing paper.

I'm pretty rough with my seam allowance markings. I allow a big 1/4 inch for the serger and more for fold overs on this particular pocket.  These are not fitted shorts - so I don't need to be exact.
I add copious notes right on the pattern piece because I imagine it might be another three months before I can sew these. We'll see.

Side seam pocket needs a flap. When I was cutting this one out, I noticed I forgot to add seam allowances as this one will be turned but remembered in time before the scissors had their way.

This cargo pocket got snipped from the shorts. This is a great way to go if you are pattern-making and sewing within sight of each other but my sewing time has become negligent at best with Work intruding and I don't know how junior clerk coming back before her re-assignment and possible new boss will impact my hours.

Because of all the top-stitching, all of the seams were well-defined. I cut off the knit waistband as well as cutting the crotch seam apart leaving me a  left and a right 'leg'. Then I laid these flat pieces out on my tracing paper and rough sketched against those top-stitching lines. I wanted to keep the leg intact because of the extra pieces and when I do get back to the project, I will have the original short  mostly intact so I can remember how I thought I was going to construct these babies.

Then, there is the fake fly.


And all the top-stitching. With top-stitching thread that is thicker.

I hope all of you had a tremendously beautiful Easter and got to play with eggs and chocolate.
Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Lovingly borrowed from MousesHouses.

Don't Discuss Bloomers With Every Man You Know

Susan B. Anthony said that the bicycle “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world,” but in the 1890s, bike-riding women weren’t exactly free to bike as they wished. Check out this list of 41 “don’ts” for female cyclists, published in 1895 by New York World:

1. Don’t be a fright.
2. Don’t faint on the road.
3. Don’t wear a man’s cap.
4. Don’t wear tight garters.
5. Don’t forget your toolbag
6. Don’t attempt a “century.”
7. Don’t coast. It is dangerous.
8. Don’t boast of your long rides.
9. Don’t criticize people’s “legs.”
10. Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
11. Don’t cultivate a “bicycle face.”
12. Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
13. Don’t wear clothes that don’t fit.
14. Don’t neglect a “light’s out” cry.
15. Don’t wear jewelry while on a tour.
16. Don’t race. Leave that to the scorchers.
17. Don’t wear laced boots. They are tiresome.
18. Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.
19. Don’t go to church in your bicycle costume.
20. Don’t wear a garden party hat with bloomers.
21. Don’t contest the right of way with cable cars.
22. Don’t chew gum. Exercise your jaws in private.
23. Don’t wear white kid gloves. Silk is the thing.
24. Don’t ask, “What do you think of my bloomers?”
25. Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
26. Don’t go out after dark without a male escort.
27. Don’t without a needle, thread and thimble.
28. Don’t try to have every article of your attire “match.”
29. Don’t let your golden hair be hanging down your back.
30. Don’t allow dear little Fido to accompany you
31. Don’t scratch a match on the seat of your bloomers.
32. Don’t discuss bloomers with every man you know.
33. Don’t appear in public until you have learned to ride well.
34. Don’t overdo things. Let cycling be a recreation, not a labor.
35. Don’t ignore the laws of the road because you are a woman.
36. Don’t try to ride in your brother’s clothes “to see how it feels.”
37. Don’t scream if you meet a cow. If she sees you first, she will run.
38. Don’t cultivate everything that is up to date because yon ride a wheel.
39. Don’t emulate your brother’s attitude if he rides parallel with the ground.
40. Don’t undertake a long ride if you are not confident of performing it easily.
41. Don’t appear to be up on “records” and “record smashing.” That is sporty.
    

Don't Discuss Bloomers With Every Man You Know

Posted by: Erika W. Smith in General on Nov 02, 2012 BUST Magazine


I just read "Lark Rise to Candleford", Flora Thompson's memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood.
Bicycles changed women's lives at the end of the 20th century.

80 Years Young

The New Machine Rocks

  My creative friend came over and MADE me take my new machine out of the box last weekend. Hard to believe two weeks have passed since Sew Expo!

I still have the overtime at work - which easily bought this beauty - hanging me up. My mom's 80th Birthday bash is next weekend so some free time was spent arranging the ordering of the cake, getting enough Pepsi to float the boat, and three kinds of easter candy so my great-nieces will have something to eat at the old folks party.

After work and cake stuff, I sat down and threaded my new machine and played - just a bit.

Not sure if I was doing it correctly but the bobbin wound up s-l-o-w-l-y. 

 Maybe you are supposed to wind slowly ( so as not to stretch the thread?) and the machine is gonna make a better sew-er of me! Ha.

 This is a scrap of pajama pant knit that happened to be lying around (who hid the sewing room elf???). I put the dual feed foot down and it stitched evenly on this stretchy knit with no adjustments from me.  Would I even know how to adjust?

 Stitch #188
Look at #207. The ANT. He might be the clincher on my Pfaff deal.

My mom has always liked pepsi so I thought I would get a variety for her party next weekend.
Did you know they stock eleven varieties at Target???
I managed eight into my cart before I had to go some place else. OMG.  really.

Which is her favorite???
Mom was a little overwhelmed by choices.

And--wait for it -- my sis asked me to get some wine also - which I never do at Target.
Ready?

I'm the middle sister. The wine falls under my "less than ten bucks" rule. And the label Rocks!
First up is a "REBEL RED", then the  "WILD ONE", and finally, "FOREVER COOL"

Not too keen on Merlot so I skipped the Blue top sis. The red is a table wine (!) and the green "Wild One" is a Malbec (?)

tomorrow, a.k.a. Laundry Day: Need to finish taxes.
If it continues to rain, then I can not only play but sew a project. 

Frosty Stearman

It might be 60' with bright blue skies filling us with rumbling spring fever, 

but it is flippin' freezing at night.

More Spring Fever

Rusty & Spring Fever

Worked all day.
Spring Fever raging.
This weekend - we spring ahead.



Does this mean there is another hour of daylight when I get home from work?

Pencil Girl Made Me Do It

Pfaff Quilter's Expression 4.0


I had been thinking about a Bernina 450 - mainly because of the 9mm stitch width and the stitch regulator.
I came to SewExpo to check other brands out. I am 30 minutes from dealers who may -or may not - stock all the different machines.
For instance, the Bernina 450 is an older machine -came out five years ago. Difficult to see one in action as the dealers all want to sell their 500 series now.

Anyway--- the Pfaff did one up on that 450 with the dual feed, aka, the walking foot -- permanently attached to engage or disengage without tossing the notion drawer in my sewing room looking for this attachment.

And, even though the overtime money is plentiful right now, I am super pleased to have spent way less than half of what the Bernina would have cost.
Show special - brand new in the box.

Oh --- Why did I fall in love with the 9mm stitch?

The buttonholes look amazing at that width.

SewExpo Inspiration

Pencil Girl's mom and I are sewing this knit jacket ---by next years sewexpo time. Lol. Lot of LOL.....

Pamela's pattern --Banded Cardigan.




Playing with resin. For creative friend.
Two-part epoxy only heats up to 120' to harden with no fumes and limited air bubbles. Great surface tension.



Art quilt for my craftytokyomama friend. I wanted to buy several Japanese fabrics for you ---but I restrained myself.

haha.

Off to buy a sewing machine .

Pfaff Quilters 4.0

Computer Case

I was excited to learn how to serge a zipper on.
In my class we made a laptop case with a zippered compartment for the computer and another zippered pocket for "important papers".



Easier than you think. You need to use a polyester zipper that is longer than needed. We had a diagonal pocket on the front. Start with a rectangle and slice diagonally.
Open your zipper about 6". Align edge of zipper along diagonal line of material - RST. Serge about 4", then serge off the edge. Close the zipper and serge the remainder.



Flip fabric over and press zipper & fabric flat. Align small diagonal piece along other side of zipper- making sure when it is flipped up that you still have a rectangle of fabric.
Repeat serging technique: open zip ~6", serge part, serge off, close zip, serge remainder.

Press flat. Bar tack zip ends at edge of fabric.
The end of the case also has a zipper. This one is easier because you don't need to open/close the zipper.

Basically, you need to think thru the construction steps to find out if you can use your serger more.



We got to use new Huskylock servers from Viking/Huskavarna.

Caution: go slow thru the layers. Watch your pins and the metal zipper stops.