tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86856749479196784582024-03-05T18:56:32.576+00:00Oh Sew CulturedA quick dose of the arts...and craftsKatrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-77746739847006723812022-03-16T23:34:00.000+00:002022-03-16T23:34:38.337+00:00Year(s) in review. It's all a bit of a blur...<p>A few years ago I started a practice of declaring a name for the year ahead. I have never really liked making new year resolutions, but I have enjoyed having a bit of a guiding principle based on my aspirations for the year ahead. </p><p>I guess it started with <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2014/07/oh-ill-admit-its-predictable.html">The Stockholm Challenge</a></p><p>The Year of the Trouser (2015)</p><p><a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2016/01/that-was-year-that-was-year-of-trouser.html">The Year of the Outfit (2016)</a></p><p><a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2017/01/what-year.html">The Year of Doing It Properly (2017)</a></p><p><a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2018/02/welcome-to-2018.html">The Year of Just Because (2018)</a></p><p><a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2019/01/2018-xmas-gifts-looking-back-on-year-of.html">The Year of Breaking the Habit (2019)</a></p><p>I had been journalling every day and blogging fairly regularly for 15 years but took a hiatus in about 2019 when it wasn't working for me anymore. I'm not sure if I can return to writing everyday yet, it used to be a form of doodling with words and even now I am struggling with this kind of activity, even though its absence leaves me feeling like I'm floating in an ocean.</p><p>I know I 've missed a couple of recap years, but hopefully this post goes some way to redress that.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">2019</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Year of Breaking the Habit</h3><p>I was 30 and really ran full steam through this year. I finally felt like I was doing something tangible at work, I also screwed up something so badly it completely changed the way I work to this day. I got outed as a seamstress to my colleagues after ~18 months of keeping it a secret.</p><p>The guiding principle for the year was to manage the hobbies I was liable to get sucked into in order to free up energy to try something new. </p><p>I took courses in millinery and Japanese. I took classes in bead embroidery and tutu making (I made a professional quality tutu! It might be the best damn thing I've ever made and I never showed you!). </p><p>I stepped back from tap dancing because I had pushed it as far as I could. I was still dancing a lot in other ways and really pleased with how I performed when we were out. I got elected practice leader for the molly group and promised I would do my best to do the right thing for the team. I made progress on the steep learning curve to do so.</p><p>I finally passed my driving test. We unexpectedly bought a car. We unexpectedly bought a house. We hosted my family's Japanese delegation in London and then we went to Japan late in the year. B lost both grandparents.<br /></p><p>We cancelled our Xmas plans in favour of a quiet one at home. And I made my first Christmas roast lamb. I'm sure I levelled up my baking and cookery game but I can't tell you at all anything about what what I made or ate.</p><p>Partway through the year I made a remark there were literally not enough hours in the day. My cup ranneth over and I felt like something needed to give.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">2020</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Year of the House</h3><p>I don't think I ever officially named 2020 but with hindsight it was clearly The Year of the House.</p><p>We started the year prepping for a renovation and finding builders who would take on the job. I got sick and it took weeks to recover because instead of resting I spent days in the loft shovelling out old insulation by hand. Doing that task was one of the most claustrophobic experiences of my life. I was masked up and goggled up directly underneath a roof in howling stormy weather. But I did it.</p><p>We got work from home orders and then there was lockdown. I panic bought butter, cream cheese and a shower. The builders panic bought all the plaster in the local area and stashed it in our gutted house. Somehow they finished the house and we kept going. We moved in. We filled the loft with new insulation in the autumn and it felt like a finishing milestone.</p><p>Besides finishing the house and moving us in, I couldn't handle complicated projects and my concentration was ruined, so repetitive simple steps were the defining features of my projects. Hence the <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/09/distractions-pt21-snoop-my-wardrobe.html">felt baskets</a>, <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2021/03/lessons-learned-from-year-of-mask-making.html">face coverings</a> and <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/12/christmas-sewing-roundup-scrap-garlands.html">scrap bunting</a>.</p><p>With no dance in the foreseeable future I started circuits class and personal training (PT).</p><p>I discovered succulents can get sunburn.</p><p>I did a lot of great cooking. I made my second Christmas Day lamb.</p><p>I think I finally came to understand the phenomenon of 'struggling to switch off'. <br /></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">2021</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Year That Wasn't Even Though They Promised It Would Be The Year That Was.</h3><p>Most of the year featured baseless promises, cancelled plans and stalled restarts.</p><p>I find it easy to forget that this time last year we were still in the early days of the vaccine rollout. The pace at which that scheme progressed nationally was astounding. I got all 3 jabs between June and September.</p><p>Christmas plans got cancelled for a third year. I made my third Christmas lamb. It's practically a tradition now. </p><p>B's sibling got married on a beautiful day in Edinburgh. I made <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2021/12/more-jumpsuits-v1645.html">some jumpsuits</a> and <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2022/02/elsewhen-millinery-zoe-1940s-beret-full.html">a hat</a> for the occasion.</p><p>After doomscrolling one particularly awful Twitter dogpile and losing a full night's sleep to someone else's problem, I decided to go cold turkey on Twitter.</p><p>I had high hopes for gardening and started out in Feb with great plans. But as the year progressed there was a steady flow of disappointments and failures. The rose was a singular pleasant surprise and bloomed beautifully.</p><p>I binge watched a lot of olympics.</p><p>It was a turbulent year for my family, as my grandparents' wellbeing deteriorated dramatically. I found myself stepping up to the plate on care responsibilities to allow my father and stepmother some peace of mind to go to America to visit her family. I altered my grandfather's clothes so they would fit his shrinking body. My uncle finally emigrated to Australia after many years of trying. We continued to miss our Japanese delegation.</p><p>I finally got to see some friends in the flesh again. Some dear friends had a baby and I was so excited to add the new little'un to the Christmas Gift list. I still haven't managed to sew anything for her.</p><p>I upped my cooking game again and finally got the yeast bug. No, not <i>that kind</i> of yeast bug. Some good bread came out of our kitchen I can tell you. I am a damn good cook and I take so much emotion from the food I produce.</p><p>I worked so many extra hours. I worked so much. In 2020 my hobbies were robbed of me, and with little sign of them resuming meaningfully in 2021 what else was there left to do in the evenings except carry on for a bit more work. I have developed a reputation as someone to drop into the middle of a crisis if you want the ship steadied and the mess sorted out. I never planned it that way - it has wrecked my work life balance over the last year.</p><p>I was pressured into holding a return to practice and in-person AGM for the molly dance group. A group of people were keen to start practicing again but with everything else going on I wasn't - the only advantage of holding the AGM in my eyes was to formally step down as practice lead. The rest of the organising committee went MIA and I was left trying to do the job of 3 people. Almost everything imaginable went wrong in the run up to this weekend - it was so cursed. The people who showed up were as supportive as they could be (and I think they had a nice time). </p><p>Every individual, who was absent had reasonable and legitimate individual reasons for doing so. But some of them were behind the pressure to hold the AGM and collectively their absence was deafening. I feel like I had been hung out to dry. So I stepped down having spent 2 years as Practice Lead having not done a bloody thing. The cruellest part of my brain tells me that not keeping the whole thing running during the pandemic is a personal failure. A different part of my brain reminds me that for a large portion of that time it was illegal to do so. </p><p>I don't know if I will ever go back.</p><p>I don't feel like I achieved anything in 2021, and yet I am still burnt out. This was prime time for personal growth but I haven't banked or reflected or developed or studied or researched any of the challenging situations or tests of my skills and character. The whole year felt like it was on someone else's rhythm, someone else's agenda. I just floated along trying to keep my head above water.</p><p>I did have one major goal and subsequent love affair during 2021. I decided I needed to learn how to cycle commute and spent several months taking lessons, practicing and researching in order to have the confidence needed to get out on the roads responsibly. Crucially I knew I needed to do everything in my power to avoid it being miserable - and an interest in ebikes developed. I spent a few moths testing options via the<a href="https://www.peddlemywheels.com/"> Peddle My Wheels</a> scheme and fell in love with a gorgeous red german ebike in September. It is my pride and joy. I have done nearly 400 miles to date. Before this I hadn't touched a bike in 15+ years and never had a particularly good experience on two wheels as a child. So this whole endeavour feels like a massive achievement. </p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">2022</h2><p>I've had an idea about what to name 2022, but it has been difficult to find the right descriptors. Initially I had thought of the word "compromise" and then "pragmatism". Then "making it work". </p><p>When I was initially drafting this in Dec 21/Jan22, I had been reading articles that say the winter months were a good time for reflection and optimism. Then I realised there was no optimism in any of these words, and maybe that was telling me something important.</p><p>2022 is about (metaphorical) navigation and keeping my own (metaphorical) ship afloat and trying to guide it as best as possible until it gets back to its (metaphorical) harbour. Until I feel more like me again. </p><p>You could say this is me already. This is me all over. You could say this is my best version of me because I consistently show up and I consistently put one foot in front of the other. But I don't feel like me.</p><p>The (metaphorical) harbour is there somewhere but I don't know how many more days at (metaphorical) sea are ahead before I get there. <br /></p><p>So 2022 is The Year of Finding a Way Through.</p><p>What does this mean practically?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I've started a different type of journalling to see if I can capture what I'm excited about and what's going on.</li><li>I've recalibrated personal finances am going to track progress until I understand what my money is actually for</li><li>I'm going to try again with my plants</li><li>I'm going to try to regain control over my time and energy. I'm going to try to restore helpful balances and take opportunities to recharge</li><li>When I can, I will try to make experiences or do stuff that is additive (e.g. learning and study). I feel a need to do this, but I don't have capacity to just jump in and do something whenever.</li></ul><p></p><p>I know we're already mid-March and 2022 is already a bit of a dumpster fire. But that's a different blog for a different day.</p><p>K x</p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-42018295653980782722022-02-25T08:15:00.000+00:002022-02-25T08:15:46.779+00:00Elsewhen Millinery - Zoe 1940s Beret (full wedding guest outfit)<p>Having completed <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/10/curse-you-millinery-class.html">millinery class with a damaged boater and even less inspiration than when I started</a> it, I was a bit flummoxed about how I would actually finally find a hat to complete my wedding guest outfit. Honestly, I was expecting to be dis-invited due to the limit on numbers at weddings, but somehow I found out at short notice I was still on the list. "I hope you've got your hat ready" said the bride... #cringeforKatrina</p><p>I stumbled upon <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ElsewhenMillinery">Elswhen Millinery</a> on Etsy and they immediately seemed like a good bet. I'm not massively interested in historical sewing but this store was packed with interesting sewn hat designs that looked completely wearable. </p><p>I was really drawn to a few designs but ended up purchasing the Zoe 1940s Beret because I wanted my face and my hair visible in any potential photos. I also really liked the piecing on the crown and thought it was a nice design element. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWSLLV3rrZjwlIRBKWF48GmkZo14_OBvTmvHKrsFmaXiWTcnEZY8pj7vIy5mG4QNUYNXrucro_rXRaYbpjqz3x9AInV8LhiwhVHXwD-AUhhmUG7QN5-vyqnPeAQoF6C3FvBLCzUIkxWU/s2048/DSC_8154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWSLLV3rrZjwlIRBKWF48GmkZo14_OBvTmvHKrsFmaXiWTcnEZY8pj7vIy5mG4QNUYNXrucro_rXRaYbpjqz3x9AInV8LhiwhVHXwD-AUhhmUG7QN5-vyqnPeAQoF6C3FvBLCzUIkxWU/w265-h400/DSC_8154.JPG" width="265"></a></div><p></p><p>Since this was a special hat I shelled out on some lovely green birdseye wool from Fabworks and some liberty print for the lining. I used a basic fusible interfacing for the pieces and face mask/garden wire for the wired parts. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XBy9MB28ZxpEgbhujLroEa8vtAGZLtgNgCUs8zhq1vhiJJ-AzoOt-Sw6CgzGl7c3j9tVUqJUbnPfBODs_3TZEvdADvzw6W7ddTsavaHZdjm6H7GcFRKkDAFUcaUP3R2h65BwNaO-iaQ/s2048/DSC_8155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XBy9MB28ZxpEgbhujLroEa8vtAGZLtgNgCUs8zhq1vhiJJ-AzoOt-Sw6CgzGl7c3j9tVUqJUbnPfBODs_3TZEvdADvzw6W7ddTsavaHZdjm6H7GcFRKkDAFUcaUP3R2h65BwNaO-iaQ/w265-h400/DSC_8155.JPG" width="265"></a></div><p></p><p>I think the design was great and the hat came together very quickly and easily. I found the instructions to be comprehensive but maybe also a little jarring for people used to sewing garments. I slightly resented needing to draft a lining piece, but the shape was very easy to trace and it fit nicely on an A3 piece of paper. </p><p>I am impressed with how well this hat fits too. I was expecting to add small crochet loops for hair grips but they weren't needed at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9pufGhL7CwEedojR-msSUqyqnrw-7v6KSvR1-IHiB_9IN287z39sHym7PHBKS1kXIXx-23X0Hy8yocOmv2FAbzsw1VlkNC4S6R94MZ6eCiUtH3PWk4ZqxJ04oH7GpTiuBhVxocdRyY0/s2048/DSC_8150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9pufGhL7CwEedojR-msSUqyqnrw-7v6KSvR1-IHiB_9IN287z39sHym7PHBKS1kXIXx-23X0Hy8yocOmv2FAbzsw1VlkNC4S6R94MZ6eCiUtH3PWk4ZqxJ04oH7GpTiuBhVxocdRyY0/w265-h400/DSC_8150.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><p>I was pleased to use my wiring skills in this project but I should've done the wiring in the embellishment by hand as the wire doesn't sit completely right. I also put the embellishment on a pin to make it a bit more versatile in use. I can move the bow around on the hat, or maybe move it to my lapel or a bag for coherence. </p><p>For the full wedding guest outfit I teamed this with <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/11/burda-6875-version-2.html">Burda 6875</a> and <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2021/12/more-jumpsuits-v1645.html?m=1">Vogue 1645 (green)</a> to complete the look. I feel accidentally incredibly stylish!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJSM7cwPOkha0v-WdHJqjiFnWbM6vgeOkyK8FceGD516Nde8vS4yR1IKOV0zEZ9S8-8jecamP6b8okY_VtNCBxhaqXLpnfMMwGvGhFIkZZKbdFVNABeuAvEE856eo2UzVWG3Ni39Q8q8/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2021-07-04+at+17.54.05%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJSM7cwPOkha0v-WdHJqjiFnWbM6vgeOkyK8FceGD516Nde8vS4yR1IKOV0zEZ9S8-8jecamP6b8okY_VtNCBxhaqXLpnfMMwGvGhFIkZZKbdFVNABeuAvEE856eo2UzVWG3Ni39Q8q8/w225-h400/WhatsApp+Image+2021-07-04+at+17.54.05%25281%2529.jpeg" width="225"></a></div><p>Interestingly, this outfit is really tricky to photograph. The jumpsuit and hat appear black in a lot of photos and the coat reads as completely grey. None of the coloured stripes were picked up by B's fancy new Fuji XT2. How odd!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioRtxM4XT3sYA-60NbUZdY5vTDQb3qCR_HUUPMGsfXHBr5r7hBPvkHlZzb-mCfnquoHSqUmd7RKIMcNqYFmlfAsuKIXDbiBKP_huAbwKqXPlpUmwxo9kVYeFJuCSRot57PLrYniTnrc4/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-28+at+23.13.00.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1221" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioRtxM4XT3sYA-60NbUZdY5vTDQb3qCR_HUUPMGsfXHBr5r7hBPvkHlZzb-mCfnquoHSqUmd7RKIMcNqYFmlfAsuKIXDbiBKP_huAbwKqXPlpUmwxo9kVYeFJuCSRot57PLrYniTnrc4/w305-h400/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-28+at+23.13.00.jpeg" width="305"></a></div><br><p>K x</p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-10157906407241203142021-12-28T23:04:00.000+00:002021-12-28T23:04:41.158+00:00More jumpsuits? V1645<p>I wasn't expecting to fall in love with a second jumpsuit, but when <a href="https://www.sewdirect.com/product/v1645/">V1645</a> was announced it caught my attention immediately. I do love a bit of asymmetry and this looked like a really cool asymmetric style. It is another striking jumpsuit from Vogue with very interesting detailing, unlined and with a Hong Kong/bias finish throughout. </p><p>I've made 2 muslins and 2 versions now so I feel like I know the pattern pretty well. This post is going to be relatively long and I am expecting it to cover the story of making the jumpsuits, but also cover some of the issues I encountered while doing so. I'll try to break it up under a few different headings.</p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">V1645 elsewhere on the web</h2><p>I waited before making the jumpsuit to see some reviews pop up. Most of them have been really positive about the design and the look, although there seems to also be some general disappointment the first time the jumpsuit is tried on. I did go through this too but it didn't actually lead to any changes or adjustments in the garment. I think this is an odd look to get used to wearing, but it does look stunning and comes out almost exactly like the original photos. </p><p>A few reviews also complained about the instructions being confusing. I have to agree with this, but it does get you a good final result. The pattern has about 60 individual steps (excluding all the binding!) and there are so many notches and tacks to keep track of. Don't skip ANY of these. I didn't find any to be in the wrong place, but it was easy to confuse notches for different sizes and mark the wrong one. </p><p>The pocket insertion is confusing, but no moreso than the pockets for the <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/FM1dbHPfgEXYNSRh7">Burda Matt Williamson dress</a> (or dresses of that style, like <a href="https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/zadie">TATB Zadie dress</a>). You definitely need to be intermediate/advanced skill for this pattern - if there are omissions with the instructions, as highlighted by a couple of other people on <a href="https://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/97298">PatternReview</a>, I think you can skim over them if you've got enough experience to have your own opinions about how clothes seams should be made/finished. If the front overlay is supposed to be topstitched (as it appears in the envelope photo) then the instruction is definitely missing.</p><p>The pattern is cut partially on a single layer, and partially on a double layer. The asymmetrical pieces mean there's a really high risk of cutting a large piece the wrong side out or stitching one of the first seams the wrong way around. This could be a costly mistake if you've got a nice fabric. </p><p>I didn't find much elsewhere on the internet about my issues with the supplies list...</p><p>As a non-American I found the supplies list incredibly unhelpful when it called for 7x packs of bias tape. In the UK you most often see bias binding available by the cut metre so the requirement for 7x packs was unhelpful. We can't be the only location where bias tape is mainly sold by the metre instead of pre-cut packs. I googled the length of a pack of bias tape at Joanns, which said it was 4 yards so 7x4 yards = 28 yards => 25.6m. I guess. Apparently you can buy packs of bias binding at Hobby Craft, but this is 2.5m so you'd need 10 packs of that stuff at least. I'm fairly sure other brands would have pre-cut packs of different length. I bought a 33m spool of green binding from William Gee and and then a 25m cream spool (from Backstitch) for my second version. Both had significant leftovers at the end of the project. Depending how you choose to finish the seams, you probably need somewhere between 20 and 25m of bias binding. </p><p>Also, perhaps buckle covering kits are a easy to find in the USA, but finding nice buckles or buckle covering kits was impossible here so I opted for an adjustable slider at the waistband on both versions.</p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Muslins and Fitting</h2><p>My measurements have increased a bit recently so I cut a straight Medium for my first muslin, mainly to account for my hip size. I was unsure how all the pattern pieces were supposed to go together and so I wanted to avoid introducing potential problems of grading between sizes incorrectly. I numbered all of the pattern pieces with a sharpie so I could reference how they go together. Naturally the first muslin ended up too big. I resolved to go down too a Small all over with a small amount of extra space at the hips instead. </p><p>I will flag some of the classic errors in my first muslin you need to look out for. Honestly, if you can lay the first few pieces flat or drape them on a dressform, this will really help to establish how the first pieces go together and what shapes they make. On my first muslin, the Centre Front seam ended up the wrong way out. In the subsequent muslins and garment makes, I tried to vary the order of construction to start with the back pieces (which are symmetrical) and then add the front ones to it to get the left front and right front pieces correctly oriented, but it messed up the sensible order of seam finishing as a result.</p><p>On the first muslin my right leg outseam [under the overlay] was also incorrect. You should hide outseams inside the legs like normal trousers, but it's relatively easy to get this wrong because there is an invisible zip insertion at the same time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmldMrHVQl7Vg1Gt2Cfat6H4OsMC3nBTkp_3KCihY7vcME_IJKG7d59sczbQ1Gy4ffRpec_KAzrAHUxfQ0laAqBrEvYOZhGj8Z-b3ffB_5mzXDnaR5r1DDy1gsayJvFkjVWew3M01rjM/s2048/DSC_8118.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmldMrHVQl7Vg1Gt2Cfat6H4OsMC3nBTkp_3KCihY7vcME_IJKG7d59sczbQ1Gy4ffRpec_KAzrAHUxfQ0laAqBrEvYOZhGj8Z-b3ffB_5mzXDnaR5r1DDy1gsayJvFkjVWew3M01rjM/w424-h640/DSC_8118.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3kcqrcR6bFJ-nII-xiWVfvR6n6UYaK2gjPy3BeWDmhyphenhyphenDMcy2AYMVOnbulvzW-ynefp1TzxAf0KrTfh7mUvibk9ILUDuOG4A1GI5BPKrKA6K8ZZnZ_tmUzEi1OmZy82fByJ-bu7jqHKU/s2048/DSC_8119.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3kcqrcR6bFJ-nII-xiWVfvR6n6UYaK2gjPy3BeWDmhyphenhyphenDMcy2AYMVOnbulvzW-ynefp1TzxAf0KrTfh7mUvibk9ILUDuOG4A1GI5BPKrKA6K8ZZnZ_tmUzEi1OmZy82fByJ-bu7jqHKU/w424-h640/DSC_8119.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEhFwMm4O_e5kHs6U2cAruGL5qnwp72uzZB7v9jrVUxkPUri7Tij1rI-bLgIzyH2ZmrQ3v1yjW_RHEFN-orsGRIsjB2CngtsJBWci-taQxbql0vcR2OePe4FEFiRJqYveQ_i-Z3ppaD8/s2048/DSC_8120.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEhFwMm4O_e5kHs6U2cAruGL5qnwp72uzZB7v9jrVUxkPUri7Tij1rI-bLgIzyH2ZmrQ3v1yjW_RHEFN-orsGRIsjB2CngtsJBWci-taQxbql0vcR2OePe4FEFiRJqYveQ_i-Z3ppaD8/w424-h640/DSC_8120.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJyH_yoUEcxEOhDUp-07BdDyBikBtD51D9t7ilX-BIb40EinyybuoXiRZ3AcE3Tl2XikkiLers6_Q55XgnyecvHvPh9ONFA1FBL7jZ5GI3B3kJTGu-bDiSQPpScDP10vEUoAu4r1YDlE/s2048/DSC_8121.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJyH_yoUEcxEOhDUp-07BdDyBikBtD51D9t7ilX-BIb40EinyybuoXiRZ3AcE3Tl2XikkiLers6_Q55XgnyecvHvPh9ONFA1FBL7jZ5GI3B3kJTGu-bDiSQPpScDP10vEUoAu4r1YDlE/w424-h640/DSC_8121.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiago8OVZikcEAQ5aNiwqFVH-CFqSul8LxIwbjpSZBlMGjupft9YpXYyb7ak-HLg1hXZ1zqUoEJ5tPsxER2bYeA71p9bg68L_y3Gri_Uisy6L7M0DGjziYelM1XNp9qyg9qSb-rSDvrGSA/s2048/DSC_8122.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiago8OVZikcEAQ5aNiwqFVH-CFqSul8LxIwbjpSZBlMGjupft9YpXYyb7ak-HLg1hXZ1zqUoEJ5tPsxER2bYeA71p9bg68L_y3Gri_Uisy6L7M0DGjziYelM1XNp9qyg9qSb-rSDvrGSA/w424-h640/DSC_8122.JPG" width="424"></a></div><p>On the first muslin, I also noticed that the body was too long. The hem, crotch, belt and armholes were all too low on my body. Perhaps this pattern expected a lot more boob to fill out the long upper body (<a href="https://mimigstyle.com/diy-red-jumpsuit-using-vogue-1645/">Mimi G</a> and <a href="http://www.ericabunker.com/2019/10/review-vogue-1645-jumpsuit.html">Erika Bunker</a> don't seem to have the low armhole problems that other makers had). For reference, I took some photos to demonstrate how much extra space there was in the bodice that could be filled out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGTdYXkXXLG-U_YX5TFEJwhcnvN1aYyBktpMeVM9_vVn2mb_Hq_6WQAZnc9LJoU7a93a44xtuysnjt7J3SCNkLLq-FUAl49Hmey2h_7wBs1lJE7yhJWYTI3HFbW99roCMp1-HktWNpz8/s2048/DSC_8123.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGTdYXkXXLG-U_YX5TFEJwhcnvN1aYyBktpMeVM9_vVn2mb_Hq_6WQAZnc9LJoU7a93a44xtuysnjt7J3SCNkLLq-FUAl49Hmey2h_7wBs1lJE7yhJWYTI3HFbW99roCMp1-HktWNpz8/w424-h640/DSC_8123.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3domlFRINxtm_H8FcSwheNKIDd4tJmcoI-RdnOwix1MAtXLsQarZcrUjrwfBRXNFUDcGDQFTa0FNltAGn8jaRRbVP6jyEAfV98zkxyhX-V4xCa0cVV3t2sqWREJHoysDQ79wbWGYp92k/s2048/DSC_8124.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3domlFRINxtm_H8FcSwheNKIDd4tJmcoI-RdnOwix1MAtXLsQarZcrUjrwfBRXNFUDcGDQFTa0FNltAGn8jaRRbVP6jyEAfV98zkxyhX-V4xCa0cVV3t2sqWREJHoysDQ79wbWGYp92k/w424-h640/DSC_8124.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsEjchS0OijPMbhilXfoQiwDNY7MpED0EMLpH0cjK4aTb3XYLO97R95oisluzl3K4QuaEfVeWaJSFxXQon-pkf87qvG7sjVTsoOqvm4zbdX3nrqsWxC_1B4uqX2Clatn5ig9juNu3DZo/s2048/DSC_8126.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsEjchS0OijPMbhilXfoQiwDNY7MpED0EMLpH0cjK4aTb3XYLO97R95oisluzl3K4QuaEfVeWaJSFxXQon-pkf87qvG7sjVTsoOqvm4zbdX3nrqsWxC_1B4uqX2Clatn5ig9juNu3DZo/w424-h640/DSC_8126.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbbKDMx_2pZvyJZQOYoFG6hlKQQnUS1SiDCSYdyOoMbRmP1ayn8UbT0j8GNVy7Du2ohlbRP7ZJhjbxmQctrEsIj1APXcktbavbUCZoEOkudn4MgpMzW8iEtHzCBJ0nTFqa-S1M-FqGWw/s2048/DSC_8127.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbbKDMx_2pZvyJZQOYoFG6hlKQQnUS1SiDCSYdyOoMbRmP1ayn8UbT0j8GNVy7Du2ohlbRP7ZJhjbxmQctrEsIj1APXcktbavbUCZoEOkudn4MgpMzW8iEtHzCBJ0nTFqa-S1M-FqGWw/w424-h640/DSC_8127.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><p>I did a bit of a slapdash Small Bust Adjustment to match my figure a little better by pinning length out of the bodice above the bust and across the upper back. I didn't specifically adjust the circumference of the pattern pieces but I was hoping that downsizing to an S would just fix it enough to carry on. Muslin 2:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDePwdF6TqYGAp13FAJflmCDaxw-k_iGIz_Ne78xdOz-ili28jLwb-eOf83Zcs_GTC2beHBEaeCkhJD7vTxuTqg1s5Q9sWibTRCk_UtJRu4eyrUIan7xWcXXGxJ2qyZ0dSm7C1-wYBmpo/s2048/DSC_8128.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDePwdF6TqYGAp13FAJflmCDaxw-k_iGIz_Ne78xdOz-ili28jLwb-eOf83Zcs_GTC2beHBEaeCkhJD7vTxuTqg1s5Q9sWibTRCk_UtJRu4eyrUIan7xWcXXGxJ2qyZ0dSm7C1-wYBmpo/w424-h640/DSC_8128.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ywe6ugfbSos9k25WGdI3hT3d_nhh7YHTBQMOtKE7irHk3pg9f-WPTpmnep4XPEcSx3OIe-9R9im1pBYamDPT9zafohaj7u4Z9QVvw1J9dgGDdoQ4V9Ahh2EhBBUCg7YZOjiiw6f2Wdc/s2048/DSC_8129.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ywe6ugfbSos9k25WGdI3hT3d_nhh7YHTBQMOtKE7irHk3pg9f-WPTpmnep4XPEcSx3OIe-9R9im1pBYamDPT9zafohaj7u4Z9QVvw1J9dgGDdoQ4V9Ahh2EhBBUCg7YZOjiiw6f2Wdc/w424-h640/DSC_8129.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOM7Tnr-m0Svo_M2F6JXXKkDZ0KavL_Hk3v9_ctkDH9OuuaYvcfhCYtoLzGcOCI-IjV5pDY6DI6mI4Wg1BcoNv8eWA9XiBiNoBPXTtMy48gy-5aAavQNxEcwvWlulbQGVhTccYCwxOHY/s2048/DSC_8130.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOM7Tnr-m0Svo_M2F6JXXKkDZ0KavL_Hk3v9_ctkDH9OuuaYvcfhCYtoLzGcOCI-IjV5pDY6DI6mI4Wg1BcoNv8eWA9XiBiNoBPXTtMy48gy-5aAavQNxEcwvWlulbQGVhTccYCwxOHY/w424-h640/DSC_8130.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUWb8JUIVgBDGNX-o7CFbC2Mv_5pi1ebIrDfhDzZ1PRgIa5Wy-ESq0PxHXwyA-VVG1iKsENK8qzU7YHIGRsJjmETOBP3fa7ZO_kXHpfaBR41_24FYjksrL2ozkNG9OHPINTQbCEo4QEg/s2048/DSC_8131.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUWb8JUIVgBDGNX-o7CFbC2Mv_5pi1ebIrDfhDzZ1PRgIa5Wy-ESq0PxHXwyA-VVG1iKsENK8qzU7YHIGRsJjmETOBP3fa7ZO_kXHpfaBR41_24FYjksrL2ozkNG9OHPINTQbCEo4QEg/w424-h640/DSC_8131.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><p>Muslin 2 looked good enough so I made no further changes. There is a small amount of gapping under the arms but I was unwilling to spend time to fix it. </p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Creepy Crepe Version</h2><p>Version 1 is made in a green polyester crepe from Stoff & Still. I have a love/hate relationship with crepe and am always wary of sewing/wearing it but it seemed like a very strong match for this pattern. Crepe has some visual texture that looks rich in photos, polyester crepe is easycare/non-wrinkling and I feel like this is a recognisable use of the fabric (RTW crepe jumpsuits are smart and relatively forgiving of minor fit issues!). So I decided to look past my mistrust and give this a try.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7Z1f9s-_vbtHed9whWmv9yzMCBW7xD4AzSTPMRF6Yibl3IoVBCBTdWa7pCN-Ph5ykb9AC1TPU4a3lqhjFSOorDOP6HgrNiOvO-KZHfLGGSfW4Qih6VBzPab7fNgfPIAwKoAE7E8M8sI/s2048/DSC_8132.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7Z1f9s-_vbtHed9whWmv9yzMCBW7xD4AzSTPMRF6Yibl3IoVBCBTdWa7pCN-Ph5ykb9AC1TPU4a3lqhjFSOorDOP6HgrNiOvO-KZHfLGGSfW4Qih6VBzPab7fNgfPIAwKoAE7E8M8sI/w424-h640/DSC_8132.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFfem2zyyZgHCXSbFw-VcRBW-J_nTTeaBrRhdLXpLtnOW_K0hg8UKHQhyphenhyphen9biHV8z31rUYrrn687YJvABI6nz8qEAekjzPTy4VBiQS3y0wOmngC5IIn-d1w_BgRVzZ-hdlGPMPkJmxqKM/s2048/DSC_8135.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFfem2zyyZgHCXSbFw-VcRBW-J_nTTeaBrRhdLXpLtnOW_K0hg8UKHQhyphenhyphen9biHV8z31rUYrrn687YJvABI6nz8qEAekjzPTy4VBiQS3y0wOmngC5IIn-d1w_BgRVzZ-hdlGPMPkJmxqKM/w424-h640/DSC_8135.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FNZuUkGJr9tMHHUxWnhEGqpLeRAQtp49QgLoalaCBMf0ZkCw76BxzbLMk2jctCqaBo-ob8uw4nh2A6JrGv1PsPwOBO21xH5TMbxWiNt1YSzIF3EflhNVCrgzlTI3KCjaX69_ajvaeNQ/s2048/DSC_8140.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FNZuUkGJr9tMHHUxWnhEGqpLeRAQtp49QgLoalaCBMf0ZkCw76BxzbLMk2jctCqaBo-ob8uw4nh2A6JrGv1PsPwOBO21xH5TMbxWiNt1YSzIF3EflhNVCrgzlTI3KCjaX69_ajvaeNQ/w424-h640/DSC_8140.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><p>FYI I used the red colourway of this fabric for my <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2021/09/vogue-v1672-festive-dress.html?m=1">V1672 Festive Dress</a>.</p><p>To stabilise the fabric I used cotton tape on the shoulder seams, fusible interfacing on all the advised edges and in a few extra places around the pockets. With hindsight I should've also stabilised the zip area.</p><p>I accidentally ordered the wrong seam binding (green from William Gee) and it was super narrow. Some of my binding is a bit messy in places where it was tricky to attach, or where I realised too late I had finished seams in the wrong order. I am hoping no one will notice. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTEvkki9U6Y3bDNgxKAI-aAO2jxZqTN2uYykEI_nF_CdCDbvOdEuNYJOiCQTB77mgZwdMzeITu4nrlh8SUJslkmByB5hOKI-Q6f-8YgjYKIMvwHlTF59DCwnJ56e1UUVt4G3wMT5iOW8w/s2048/DSC_8158.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTEvkki9U6Y3bDNgxKAI-aAO2jxZqTN2uYykEI_nF_CdCDbvOdEuNYJOiCQTB77mgZwdMzeITu4nrlh8SUJslkmByB5hOKI-Q6f-8YgjYKIMvwHlTF59DCwnJ56e1UUVt4G3wMT5iOW8w/w424-h640/DSC_8158.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><p>I found the crepe a little challenging to work with. It has a tendency to creep, stretch and drape which needs to be kept under control. It's a bit springy when trimming the seam allowances and it doesn't press at all. Machine topstitching is an absolute no-no so I stitched down the facing and hems by hand with a tiny herringbone stitch. The crepe was very forgiving of this kind of stitching. </p><p>I messed up the pocket construction on the zip side and some stuff is caught, causing a lumpy seam. I can see it, but it seems to not show up in photos so I am trying not to fuss over it too much. </p><p>Once completed the jumpsuit is quite heavy and there's a lot of fabric hanging off the shoulders without much of an anchor elsewhere. Like I said earlier, the crepe stretches and drapes gradually, so the front and overlay were slowly pulling down and apart from one another. You wouldn't get this in a more stable fabric (it didn't happen in the muslin!) so I fixed it by attaching a small hook and eye at the top of the Centre Front seam. It's much better now. </p><p>Stick around to hear about the occasion this was made for in a future blog post!</p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Slinky Smooth Tencel Twill</h2><p>This was supposed to be a wearable muslin, but I found this fabric AFTER I had completed the green version. You're probably wondering why I was still hunting for wearable muslin fabric when I had completed the main non-test garment. I'm wondering too. </p><p>This is a maroon smooth drape twill with tencel fibres by MeetMilk from Sew Me Sunshine. Hopefully this will be a more casual everyday version (complete with wrinkles) and I'm planning to make some long sleeve tees to go under it. The fabric is fun to sew and presses nicely. I wish the colour were a bit more red but it's fine. I noticed while pressing this fabric that it tends to ignore a bit of water (i.e. a fine spray or mist) but it really drinks once wet. Once wet it sort of smells and behaves like a ratty cotton that is beginning to perish slightly in the laundry. I wonder how it'll fare out in the wild!</p><p>My binding went a lot better on this version but it's still not perfect. The cream binding was a much better width and the fabric was easier to sandwich in one pass. I also learned some lessons from the previous attempt at binding and machine topstitching was allowed again!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1mEfWmQTAh8CPOWSLzQl8pQ1Mf39UlfR_ekU3uQvgdcxYrWjH_AD1_5AYe_A4erWA2JkVHgMEO2bnml-FeqTjpE1fy3MpAw940G-o9uahYD1Xl8AuPesc1isjio5KkBvlR60h-hFlqU/s2048/DSC_8159.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1mEfWmQTAh8CPOWSLzQl8pQ1Mf39UlfR_ekU3uQvgdcxYrWjH_AD1_5AYe_A4erWA2JkVHgMEO2bnml-FeqTjpE1fy3MpAw940G-o9uahYD1Xl8AuPesc1isjio5KkBvlR60h-hFlqU/w424-h640/DSC_8159.JPG" width="424"></a></div><p>I shortened the belt a little and tried to put it a little higher than on the green version (where I bluffed the placement because I forgot to mark it with a tailor tack).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3Od1lnE14RxD5vAfWXaBobD0dCkxAjsLAOoDsJosBYC3o-Z9lJCbajpj3Oz_VdIdEyDzw3ZHd5b2V_5BOb7rQRhlSBaUwoFRSVmv1HJtfR9xSpZLpug2a50RB9aH3gggyDeiU3npvsI/s2048/DSC_8113.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3Od1lnE14RxD5vAfWXaBobD0dCkxAjsLAOoDsJosBYC3o-Z9lJCbajpj3Oz_VdIdEyDzw3ZHd5b2V_5BOb7rQRhlSBaUwoFRSVmv1HJtfR9xSpZLpug2a50RB9aH3gggyDeiU3npvsI/w424-h640/DSC_8113.JPG" width="424"></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14JNyLuFcJ3-1sxpvWrss59rDnD9klEYYJ2WUiaSf5dBRTiHsy0K3-SRKmB4P54AJ94a4JHNxL5R1ebaf-ZsWoiNqNbXjzQAG-uNGEKaYKl4LUwr-mZK3pI-eDlTnzwMzoGSg8143Fsw/s2048/DSC_8109.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14JNyLuFcJ3-1sxpvWrss59rDnD9klEYYJ2WUiaSf5dBRTiHsy0K3-SRKmB4P54AJ94a4JHNxL5R1ebaf-ZsWoiNqNbXjzQAG-uNGEKaYKl4LUwr-mZK3pI-eDlTnzwMzoGSg8143Fsw/w424-h640/DSC_8109.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AA7M4yU-0H_d6vIOkxE5vAvlrigcPcfHtXKrXeMEEv7J7gfldkSvtN0Om-1In2jO6jN9BHpuyH54WKiJoqtithvC3V6HoDvYsMiF1OZOjfR7P1WG-RMX4vusyBtLfN2j-p7sPn3yrBs/s2048/DSC_8112.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AA7M4yU-0H_d6vIOkxE5vAvlrigcPcfHtXKrXeMEEv7J7gfldkSvtN0Om-1In2jO6jN9BHpuyH54WKiJoqtithvC3V6HoDvYsMiF1OZOjfR7P1WG-RMX4vusyBtLfN2j-p7sPn3yrBs/w424-h640/DSC_8112.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">I got a bit lazy near the end and just wanted to be done with the pattern so the topstitching around the armholes isn't </span><i style="text-align: left;">exactly</i><span style="text-align: left;"> the same on both sides. The hem on my right leg is also 1-2mm deeper than on the left leg. Hopefully no one notices. </span></div><p>Trying it on, I was pleased with the fit through the torso. I was a little disappointed with multiple issues below the hipline. Firstly, the pockets are lumpy and I'm not sure why they don't lie smoothly (the muslins were alright!). Secondly, the leg seam with the overlay ripples and pulls down. Maybe I should've cut the whole thing as a double layer and interfaced it like cardboard. It's disappointing. This version also fits quite snug over my hips - I sized down a little after the green version but it may have been too much!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLe5aHlHS5J_JGMOhiKrk4o0_7EUtozvS-4aI8ymtxU5limm8aavCBlyr1GqhXd42cV5qdR8Swfez9zi5pTEWccXb0BRFfH4-qtucTD0rZVlYzzer78vwejuwDGsLNUdZ2-YXZxiFLlI/s2048/DSC_8114.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLe5aHlHS5J_JGMOhiKrk4o0_7EUtozvS-4aI8ymtxU5limm8aavCBlyr1GqhXd42cV5qdR8Swfez9zi5pTEWccXb0BRFfH4-qtucTD0rZVlYzzer78vwejuwDGsLNUdZ2-YXZxiFLlI/w424-h640/DSC_8114.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGEesbJi7SfYVG8IofTqNalBzUE828OgodhGRjlPMuptuIDbbfQg_vvxh1wEJitGWFCgiga3fsIU897dTZFpWpY_AUymVYI_Ea9tDbf9Xbzz1inprOEFuKV33vxIy-idz6nBoAppsdvM/s2048/DSC_8115.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGEesbJi7SfYVG8IofTqNalBzUE828OgodhGRjlPMuptuIDbbfQg_vvxh1wEJitGWFCgiga3fsIU897dTZFpWpY_AUymVYI_Ea9tDbf9Xbzz1inprOEFuKV33vxIy-idz6nBoAppsdvM/w424-h640/DSC_8115.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs1Z3Lh80AhCP0JbeRlDzSDzxnDPKdhXhwcD1DG5rLgs0uvjV8yeQ7_CbJgzcyZYSlnP8gEOOE3OjszmR-SOIC5EaaivkSLFS0sp74cU5xIcDgH2BjSYXsZSDDCxSqdBxtEH-kx0TfXs/s2048/DSC_8116.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs1Z3Lh80AhCP0JbeRlDzSDzxnDPKdhXhwcD1DG5rLgs0uvjV8yeQ7_CbJgzcyZYSlnP8gEOOE3OjszmR-SOIC5EaaivkSLFS0sp74cU5xIcDgH2BjSYXsZSDDCxSqdBxtEH-kx0TfXs/w424-h640/DSC_8116.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><h2 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion</h2><p>So what are my concluding thoughts on this pattern? I think this would be a relatively good office outfit, but not really in a work from home setting. The inconvenience of using the loo seems pretty egregious when you're stuck in your own home. </p><p>The crisper and sturdier your fabric, the better. I think the muslins showed a lot of potential to support the design elements, but the garment fabrics are maybe a bit too drapey. The bust is much bigger than expected, but the enveloped model doesn't seem too well-endowed so I I'm not sure how or why it fits her. She might be very long-bodied. The pockets are okay but a bit tricky to execute if you're grading between sizes in the waist/hip area, especially given the zip and overlay interference. The binding finish is fine but you could equally overlock all the edges before stitching. If you really like a challenge, I bet this whole thing could be made with French Seams. The pattern is a slog to complete because the first 28 steps seem to come together very quickly compared to the second half of the instructions. It is a fun puzzle if you're familiar with garment construction already and you don't mind being thrown by pattern pieces that don't look familiar.</p><p><br></p><p>K x</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-43080142627887883482021-09-30T20:40:00.000+01:002021-09-30T20:40:50.164+01:00Vogue v1672 - A Festive Dress<p>I could tell you the backstory behind each element of this dress, but honestly it's a bit easier at this point to say it's a stashbusting project. The red crepe outer fabric is from Stoff & Stil, the lining is from Fabworks and the pattern came straight from the Vogue website. All the elements were bought with this specific project in mind.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0sYfwdCfsO9R5oLa1eJuEk24d_haMI8JpEajscIwx1_IKFih3vLDMixTVrtAhyd37rWlUbM4SOu0o33Dx6DEJIgfHgOsFLqZDN3R9Gk61IuebCYjrureV4Ph4ciowHfSLe2tqNMZZjw/s2048/DSC_8160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0sYfwdCfsO9R5oLa1eJuEk24d_haMI8JpEajscIwx1_IKFih3vLDMixTVrtAhyd37rWlUbM4SOu0o33Dx6DEJIgfHgOsFLqZDN3R9Gk61IuebCYjrureV4Ph4ciowHfSLe2tqNMZZjw/s320/DSC_8160.JPG" width="212"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining Fabric</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sometime in December 2020 I decided that even if no one was going anywhere anytime soon, I should make a defiant party dress. I pulled out the material and patterns to get started on this. </p><p><a href="https://jaycotts.co.uk/products/sewing-pattern-v1672">V1672</a> describes itself as a Very Easy pattern but I think that's a little generous. The pattern does have big impact for a relatively simple set of pieces, but it does have a couple of elements that would cause issues for someone looking for a very easy pattern. For example, the bias cut bodice is prone to distort or stretch out if you mistreat it. The tradeoff here is that the neckline is on the straight grain, which means it probably won't gape as much compared to a bias edge. I also found that the bias cut bodice was tricky to fit. This might've been due to my spongy stretchy crepe, but I found I didn't need to make my normal adjustments (extra space at crossback for my shoulders, taking out some back length between shoulder and waist for my swayback) and was confused about which adjustments I should make. Instead of a small bust adjustment I just pinned out the excess along the princess lines on the front bodice. The back waistband does dip slightly but I decided I was too lazy to fix it. </p><p>I do like the bodice and am wondering how the wrap front will fare over time. It shows my bra, so I'll either need to remember to wear a pretty lacy number or whip up a camisole. Depends on the occasion. As I mentioned earlier, the neckline does stay put and I don't think there's much risk of a wardrobe malfunction - when standing up. I have found that it gaps a lot more when sitting down. I think this makes a great party dress because the bias bodice allows for a bit of expansion if you've had a big meal! I should've tested this on Christmas Day but the dress wasn't finished in time. I had spent all of my sewing time making <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/12/christmas-sewing-roundup-scrap-garlands.html">garlands </a>and <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2021/01/christmas-sewing-roundup-bonus-content.html">pyjamas</a>.</p><p>The skirt is long. Vogue have done that trick again of using heels and shooting from below the model to create the illusion of showing more leg than the pattern allows. I left the length fairly long because I like the drama of the skirt and I think it contrasts nicely with the very deep v-neck.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lTTVb4AqOzuEggpidgU3RR_Ql9S2hEsQBLM9C27BQ-HRpYdNrNudJRUePSx7aZYKEOJjXoa4RudpNSCTWZ88Dbbyn_I_jKGJsKao5LSlt79-8OlLSPEZOM_NMtn5AA0fqBaWO_605LY/s2048/DSC_8096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lTTVb4AqOzuEggpidgU3RR_Ql9S2hEsQBLM9C27BQ-HRpYdNrNudJRUePSx7aZYKEOJjXoa4RudpNSCTWZ88Dbbyn_I_jKGJsKao5LSlt79-8OlLSPEZOM_NMtn5AA0fqBaWO_605LY/w424-h640/DSC_8096.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvDzDTJWesa4BYLoKlbQIKwuZWqUSJoIBZwaJiLSzxH8X1pmAmBkfsu_rx8PLcOkqJDhbnMiRMsTrEC9Hu53A-5obJAFGNSXOYMIzNbR744bY53XlMJmKvLvUMDLM7gAscLpkBtCTO0s/s2048/DSC_8100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvDzDTJWesa4BYLoKlbQIKwuZWqUSJoIBZwaJiLSzxH8X1pmAmBkfsu_rx8PLcOkqJDhbnMiRMsTrEC9Hu53A-5obJAFGNSXOYMIzNbR744bY53XlMJmKvLvUMDLM7gAscLpkBtCTO0s/w424-h640/DSC_8100.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrS1BzTRMlejrVK86WSVdZJl01yLqcM4MuoXGjwrYl0Sp0ZT6sgK7PRvPcRJX4KSX9MSrBiXk64Rw4dFA5d6HA658R5Oz0qjmcpuzd-wai4zGxwhMt8-wu2pEQzsQcgcOj1ncgl9ih-E/s2048/DSC_8103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrS1BzTRMlejrVK86WSVdZJl01yLqcM4MuoXGjwrYl0Sp0ZT6sgK7PRvPcRJX4KSX9MSrBiXk64Rw4dFA5d6HA658R5Oz0qjmcpuzd-wai4zGxwhMt8-wu2pEQzsQcgcOj1ncgl9ih-E/w424-h640/DSC_8103.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><p>This dress is fully lined. I used the burrito method on the neckline and I think it came out very clean! The lining hem is pretty horrible but I'm hoping no one is going to notice.</p><p>The zip is a centred zip. It does look a little puffy but hopefully it'll be mostly hidden under my arm. The pattern originally calls for the zip to be placed in the centre back but I moved it to the side seam, as usual.</p><p>The pattern envelope promises inseam pockets but I'll tell you right now that this is a lie. There are no pockets and no mention of them in the instructions.</p><p>I tried to avoid topstitching unless absolutely necessary. The crepe didn't take it nicely and the thread I had available wasn't a brilliant colour match anyway.</p><p>That's it - I ended up wearing this dress for a very special occasion: getting my first vaccine shot!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsno1OpcvmcejMTmqUowNeVa12Dabdjkd_lGqcjD95hrgYbZo-xDEQjcR_8Ga0QF48UDFCF4gNcRRSfa5kngvkeIDse-pvsgqEA7_VwzIZ6etM14SCDlyCrWprhmo-Yi_Gxz5TEudndpI/s2048/20210604_153228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsno1OpcvmcejMTmqUowNeVa12Dabdjkd_lGqcjD95hrgYbZo-xDEQjcR_8Ga0QF48UDFCF4gNcRRSfa5kngvkeIDse-pvsgqEA7_VwzIZ6etM14SCDlyCrWprhmo-Yi_Gxz5TEudndpI/w300-h400/20210604_153228.jpg" width="300"></a></div><br><p>K x</p><p> <br></p><p><br></p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-59309693601457413552021-09-11T10:13:00.000+01:002021-09-11T10:13:35.102+01:00The Doppler Dress<p>I think we can all agree that for those of us who sew, there is a perpetual quest to make clothes that look presentable, high quality and stylish but which feel like we're swanning around in our pyjamas. In the world of dresses, nothing exemplifies this more than the t-shirt dress (except maybe the slip dress, but bear with me). Quick to cut, quick to sew and infinitely customisable. The t-shirt dress is a great thing. So when I finished this project and showed it to B, I was very proud when he finally said "I think you've made a nighty".</p><p>This dress was another palette cleanser project. I had the fabric for over a year. On our autumn 2019 trip to Japan, B picked it out of the remnant bin in one of the Tomato stores in Tokyo and I wasn't too keen on it. It's a knit with barely any stretch and no recovery. If it weren't striped I would have probably used it for shorts or culottes but bold stripes on that kind of garment isn't my vibe. I settled on a plan for a dress fairly quickly but never really had the time or desire to sew it up.</p><p>Roll around December 2020...</p><p>I searched a few Burdas for suitable patterns. My first design idea included a centre front placket and collar so the dress would reference polo shirts a little. My second design idea was an overlapped bateau neckline (<a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2013/05/purple-stripe-jumper.html">a bit like my purple stripe jumper</a>) but using some fancy ribbing from <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/09/distractions-pt21-snoop-my-wardrobe.html">my summer myfabrics.co.uk haul</a>. For this second design I planned to copy my sloper and make adjustments.</p><p>I started making this in that quiet gap between Christmas and going back to work. I wanted a 'no stakes' kind of project, which meant that I chose design idea #2 over tracing a Burda pattern. This is not high quality drafting or sewing, but it was quite fun to get out all of my rulers, tapes and pencils. I cut the sleeves according to how much fabric I had left. </p><p>I stitched up the ribbing and put the dress on my mannequin. It looked awful. The seam was scratchy and the ribbing pulled this weak dress fabric in all the wrong directions. With hindsight I shouldn't have tried to be clever with the shoulder seam as I drafted it badly. Oh well. I ripped it off and just bound the neckline using some jersey binding instead.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXWkN9VxBwP77P4fQpP5kIc0oDKHTi3QqYyObLoIFhdYAk4Oi5l_91ZQ3XImvmWc-qrvJiWfTFOzNzbZ2K-E_41uq17zLKk4r4cTpan2d7UBQsv3gZjW5UWPYBL3vi5E2QOzPvoHruUQ/s2048/DSC_8095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXWkN9VxBwP77P4fQpP5kIc0oDKHTi3QqYyObLoIFhdYAk4Oi5l_91ZQ3XImvmWc-qrvJiWfTFOzNzbZ2K-E_41uq17zLKk4r4cTpan2d7UBQsv3gZjW5UWPYBL3vi5E2QOzPvoHruUQ/w424-h640/DSC_8095.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5cMbaVqxW_F1XRkhqKZXxFV0evPvS06WNdFpxgFiROa_DH2kVJlQpo3hTk5pxoN0xFhmr0_-oS1xmE45CQnIRXPMvMHOyodVxotZrBC2tqDdXGFKsns68hW-CCda_-Uq7tJ0D-xoI9g/s2048/DSC_8091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5cMbaVqxW_F1XRkhqKZXxFV0evPvS06WNdFpxgFiROa_DH2kVJlQpo3hTk5pxoN0xFhmr0_-oS1xmE45CQnIRXPMvMHOyodVxotZrBC2tqDdXGFKsns68hW-CCda_-Uq7tJ0D-xoI9g/w424-h640/DSC_8091.JPG" width="424"></a></div><br><p>The seams are zig-zagged and then overlocked. There are no pockets because I didn't feel like adding them here. When we get another mega-heatwave I'm hoping this dress will prove its worth. Right now, I'm layering it with tights, fluffy slippers and a duvet.</p><p>K x<br></p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-89521309715983443222021-08-28T12:11:00.000+01:002021-08-28T12:11:12.389+01:00Low Waste Bog Coat<p> I can't quite believe it has taken me until halfway through the year to break out my overlocker and play with the variegated threads!</p><p>Today is a quickie blog post to go with a quickie project</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6k2hZo-IWV0EaEWybAtqtIVgkFJ459YxgWAeFSShyphenhyphen1mgLZ7SWNdISpjpwQRVs4jfTCzDrWQ__iqIsRbYf9aGgMN5QHL0ix-bqtLVzQA8A_DKwaLkIMvEkazW7HtuU6h4setBF_6QvWqI/s1600/1630149070240335-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6k2hZo-IWV0EaEWybAtqtIVgkFJ459YxgWAeFSShyphenhyphen1mgLZ7SWNdISpjpwQRVs4jfTCzDrWQ__iqIsRbYf9aGgMN5QHL0ix-bqtLVzQA8A_DKwaLkIMvEkazW7HtuU6h4setBF_6QvWqI/s1600/1630149070240335-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>I wanted to make a birthday gift for a friend and thought that a bog coat would fit the bill quite nicely. <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/05/project-selection-mid-2019.html">I wear mine all the time</a> and it's relatively easy to cut, size and fit. The pattern is somewhere between low-waste and no-waste depending on how you style it and it is pretty forgiving if you use the right fabric. I have used sweatshirting for both my versions to date. I think this would also work well in a fleece, terry, chunky knit, mock cable ponte roma, hachi t-shirt knit etc. <a href="https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2011/01/30/how-to-make-a-custom-bog-coat">The Threads instructions</a> suggest fancier and more elegant fabrics but I probably prefer the fluffy loungewear vibe.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jTWyFDiX5duvR42B6AFnNssXkZwDhAkGHkVLVcigM1Gics2tIE_coFM9rtOsHYyWnNzt5wiDUa31FTJSTlnk-fX8iXPh1cENwfey8dWj6gmtv_sX53N-79xeCc5Sfhfw2bK7hqYZtjc/s2048/20210606_164141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jTWyFDiX5duvR42B6AFnNssXkZwDhAkGHkVLVcigM1Gics2tIE_coFM9rtOsHYyWnNzt5wiDUa31FTJSTlnk-fX8iXPh1cENwfey8dWj6gmtv_sX53N-79xeCc5Sfhfw2bK7hqYZtjc/w640-h640/20210606_164141.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">I used ~1.2m of pink sloth sweatshirting from Empress Mills.</span></div><p>All the stitching was done using the variegated blue and white thread cones from William Gee.</p><p>I used my overlocker for a lot of flatlocking detail and have overlocked all the seams. The patch pockets have a flatlocked opening but are otherwise zig-zagged using my regular machine with the same thread.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzntCnFpk0hAgHeowUzRg-h4EuhyYeUyRM864mDblHtgX4aOL0b1ezHikIKy-OaTWFAnnaNn0lp4T0vFyPuetQJPNup4lCktYmtc-R2G1G6lqGgSiA9YBARfdBVrnN3pJ1xbc4wPITCOw/s2048/20210607_110539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzntCnFpk0hAgHeowUzRg-h4EuhyYeUyRM864mDblHtgX4aOL0b1ezHikIKy-OaTWFAnnaNn0lp4T0vFyPuetQJPNup4lCktYmtc-R2G1G6lqGgSiA9YBARfdBVrnN3pJ1xbc4wPITCOw/w400-h400/20210607_110539.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p></p><p>This took an afternoon to pull together and I think it's a hit!</p><p><br></p><p>K</p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-19179722039899862922021-08-18T21:58:00.000+01:002021-08-18T21:58:15.317+01:00So long, sandpaper trousers!Well, the <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/08/distractions-pt18-makers-gonna-make.html">re-upholstered Flintan office chair</a> didn't last long. I got back and hip pain from sitting in that chair and then ripped up and completely disassembled the chair during a particularly grumpy moment. <div><br /></div><div>So, uh, I was without chair again. I bought a posh ergonomic one instead with a 12 year guarantee. Gotta love a 12 year guarantee.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPBD1FLImlF6S1iX_pagFNek-1CkEBO9fiD6IBmZYBK2VRyEjprJowgXd7IbPJ7Ggrq-XYMdfmUSSJ2iIHXP5Zn0EgMa-uM4pcD6vPVqT3nzLiODTUABUwdnorqd_IBWZCRaeNnYqsdE/s2048/IMG-20210319-WA0000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPBD1FLImlF6S1iX_pagFNek-1CkEBO9fiD6IBmZYBK2VRyEjprJowgXd7IbPJ7Ggrq-XYMdfmUSSJ2iIHXP5Zn0EgMa-uM4pcD6vPVqT3nzLiODTUABUwdnorqd_IBWZCRaeNnYqsdE/s320/IMG-20210319-WA0000.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>I did make a workout weights bag from the seat upholstery though!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WWHGGUngCO1bv823qONVugDoWiXik8i_88-L7VraZFs3N8KeSf1q6jJ0SzxdZKgely7VUbaRZzDs7AAW0xf6DGk_BisbfTbXRXiSCiu0k-qBXdCT8Q7xxdP_SIBKvmObMGNawjtUV7M/s2048/20210319_105013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WWHGGUngCO1bv823qONVugDoWiXik8i_88-L7VraZFs3N8KeSf1q6jJ0SzxdZKgely7VUbaRZzDs7AAW0xf6DGk_BisbfTbXRXiSCiu0k-qBXdCT8Q7xxdP_SIBKvmObMGNawjtUV7M/w400-h225/20210319_105013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>K x</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-38490692431023159122021-03-19T00:15:00.000+00:002021-03-19T00:15:11.906+00:00Lessons learned from a year of mask making<p>I'm trying to think of the right way to write this...</p><p>Does anybody else think that the impact of the pandemic has manifested in very specific ways amongst the home sewing community? I'm not necessarily talking about losing creative energy, having no motivation or concentration, or the paradaox of having all the time to stay in and sew but nowhere to wear our finished projects. I'm not even talking about mindfulness via embroidery, yarn or drawing etc. I'm talking about masks.</p><p>We may never be able to prove it, but hopefully these little projects have saved lives. No other project I have ever made, or will probably ever make, holds that potential power. I am so used to making projects to bring warmth, fun, joy etc that it was surprising to feel that only now my sewing skills actually mattered. </p><p>Offering someone a homemade mask is a pretty radical act. It's an act of love, respect and protection.</p><p>Sewing has always had the power to be political and making masks en masse to distribute seemed like a hugely political move for all of us quiet revolutionaries. Making masks and scrubs was a way to protest against the inadequate government response and also to protest against that voice in our heads saying "you can't stay locked down, there must be something you can do!". As manufacturing shut down and PPE supplies dried up, suddenly we had power to step up and help. Small-scale hubs were set up to either alleviate pressure on remaining actual PPE supplies or to help supplement supplies. Millions upon millions of people, making millions upon millions of reusable masks is not to be sniffed at. I'm in favour of nations being able to manufacture their own PPE at scale, but hey, we were faster and more agile - we helped plug that gap. </p><p>But enough about the social phenomena - let's talk about the sewing</p><p>As sewists we famously don't iterate on our projects too much. Get a garment done, move on to the next one. If you're really diligent you might make a muslin or samples of specific techniques, but mostly we jump around and hope to remember a tweak the next time we make a similar pattern.<br></p><p>So, I figured that it would be interesting to go through the versions of masks I've made over the last year and look at their evolution. </p><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Disclaimer #1</h4><p>I have been sewing masks privately and giving them away to family and friends. I think I have made about 200 over the last year (this isn't a competition and I know this is much less than a lot of other sewists). I have never sewed masks with the aim of selling them (I have an alright job, there's no need to ask someone to cover my costs) and I haven't been sewing them for a collective. I joined the Mask Makers after<a href="https://youtu.be/Pmd4D5Ogepk"> Bernadette Banner mentioned it in her video</a>, but it never had massive applicability to the UK. I did use their mask instructions as a basis for my own approach and have seen improvements made to the live google doc. I also joined the local Scrubhub but mostly used it for news because their need for sewers never lined up with my availability. They wound-down once the manufacturing employers came off of furlough. I was never reliable enough to sew for a collective. <br></p><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Disclaimer #2</h4><p>I am lax about using the word 'mask'. This is not a medical device, but I prefer the word over 'face covering' so you may see both in this post. </p><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pattern of Choice: The Rectangle</h4><p>A word about patterns: I have stuck with the rectangle style consistently because I think it is simple and effective. I can tear fabric along the grains and get a decent number of pieces with almost no waste at all from a piece of fabric. </p><p>I also think that you can get a really good fit with a rectangle pattern. Why do I believe in the power of the rectangle when the blue plastic masks fit so badly? Well...let's think about what we know about about garments. One of the hardest parts of the body to fit is the bust. There is a whole industry dedicated to making garments to fit, enhance, reshape, support, compress or contain busts. We judge garments whether they succeed or fail by how garments gap, billow, strain or spread over our busts. In the sewing world we have spent hours poring over FBAs/SBAs, moving bust points etc. Where am I going with this? Well, who on earth thought that a 2-piece darted cup design would fit universally over - potentially - an area of the body even harder to fit than the bust was nuts. You've seen human noses, right?</p><p>It was that knit-fabric cartel, wasn't it?</p><p>Anyway, I get upset about consumer investigations of homemade masks where they assume we don't know anything about fit. I don't know if this is still true, but everything I read about double-masking was not arguing for better filtration, it was about attempting to improve the seal or fit of the disposable mask. You want to get a good seal on your face covering? In the absence of a specialist, ask a garment sewer to diagnose the fit of your mask. You'll learn something! </p><p>Anyway, I have found that a rectangle mask with deep pleats and a nosewire provides lots of scope for extra fabric where you need it (over the nose and chin) and much less where you don't need it (over the cheeks). </p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #1: The Mod Dress</h2><p>I made these on 16 March 2020. B and I had just been given our "stay at home" orders from our employers and I felt like I should probably wear something over my nose and mouth when I went to buy groceries. I spent an evening raiding the scraps bag and frantically googling how to make these things and ended up following an Emma One Sock tutorial (long since removed). The tutorial said to use 2x sandwich tie wires across the bridge of the nose. I didn't have any sandwich wire and ended up substituting in 2x 3mm gardening wire strips. I don't remember how the tutorial recommended to sew these in but I was on a zig-zag kick and just stitched over them with a #5 width. <br></p><p>I thought this fabric would be fun to match my <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2014/05/mod-dress-practice-makes-perfect-or.html">Mod Dress</a> for a bit of "stitch courage" while buying our weekly supplies. <br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YXhwlkCHjVjcx7kFGwZZtp39G5E8Jvb9uRniyhl7JKff8dO7mKNnnrqEqSODKLF5h4twvsOGhuZ3ujmm_31m-oMTTkD_MaR15b_ZAJNCn-dYVSSKHqKQvTnjyc-__Am5tmemc_4v9Ro/s2048/20210131_165959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Used pleated fabric masks" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YXhwlkCHjVjcx7kFGwZZtp39G5E8Jvb9uRniyhl7JKff8dO7mKNnnrqEqSODKLF5h4twvsOGhuZ3ujmm_31m-oMTTkD_MaR15b_ZAJNCn-dYVSSKHqKQvTnjyc-__Am5tmemc_4v9Ro/w360-h640/20210131_165959.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p>I also used spare supplex to make some gloves so I wouldn't touch anything in the shop and share germs. I really hate making gloves and I am really bad at it. I stopped wearing gloves after I tried to manouvre a shopping trolley and realised they had NO grip.</p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #2: Sea Waves and Jumpsuit</h2><p>I made these on the first or second weekend after lockdown began. They were a "project of the week" kind of thing and I was mostly raiding my scraps for supplies. I made a couple of face coverings using leftover soft shell from my <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2019/03/excuse-me-if-i-mei.html">Mei jacket </a>but I threw those out almost instantly. With hindsight, I wish I'd kept one for reference purposes because the debate has evolved over time regarding hydrophobic fabrics, anti-microbial coatings and other forms of technical textile. It would have been interesting to assess.<br></p><p>The main purpose of this batch was to have something to send to my family in Dorset. I was convinced they would think they were stupid or unnecessary but I was frustrated that we lived far away and I couldn't do anything else to protect or help them. I also wanted them to be early adopters and take face coverings seriously. I spent ages selecting fabric scraps they might like and then using bondaweb to fuse 2-layers of fabric together to get a 2-ply mask. I overlocked all of the edges in rainbow thread. <br></p><p>I also decided that 2x garden wires was overkill and maybe I should try with 1x 3mm wire instead. It worked like a charm. <br></p><p>This was still long before mask-wearing was compulsory in shops/on transport etc and long before western organisations were issuing guidance on what a fabric face covering should be made of/what its construction was. This was long-before shops were selling fabric face coverings too so the standard expectations hadn't been set in the public's mind. I think that by now the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52630243">BBC had published guidance on how to cut up a sock and wear it over your face</a>. <br></p><p>My elastic ran out while making this batch and I switched to Fold Over Elastic to complete the set. </p><p>The family was polite when they received these coverings, but I think I didn't appreciate that maybe faces could be different sizes and that masks might be uncomfortable if they don't fit right. I think the fit issue here was the size of the ear loops and width of the mask - it pulled a bit too tight for them! I was heartened when I found out they were taking face coverings seriously though (sensible lot!). I think that as soon as Amazon started selling fabric face coverings they switched for some new ones from the marketplace.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTthNz8BUsMxE6ilhzrZtofIAD9JeIQHsHugatVnQVlJAYaJOrx_7hG9qRYW04ci_xwFcyU3oHbyhKEkgfbqd87phBZmnAp1MX_Za-rnDxoKhMdxG5SFF7YHISx3pdxNfGf5iuYpuoSGU/s2048/20210131_170047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pleated fabric masks with FOE earloops" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTthNz8BUsMxE6ilhzrZtofIAD9JeIQHsHugatVnQVlJAYaJOrx_7hG9qRYW04ci_xwFcyU3oHbyhKEkgfbqd87phBZmnAp1MX_Za-rnDxoKhMdxG5SFF7YHISx3pdxNfGf5iuYpuoSGU/w360-h640/20210131_170047.jpg" width="360"></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #3: New method and tie-style</h2><p>Some time passed. Maybe a month, maybe two...I don't really know. I was keen to do a more systematic approach to mask making because I
wanted to produce better quality than the scrappy ones made to date. We were still deep in The Great Elastic Shortage and I was still working on a make-do with what you have in stock approach. So how do you make face coverings with no elastic on hand? You switch to the tie-back style.<br></p><p>Th obvious advantage to the tie-back style is that it doesn't hang off your ears and therefore the adjustable strap can pull a mask quite tight to your face. One of the best, but probably lesser appreciated advantages to the tie-back style is that if the tie is adjustable, you can adjust the curve of the side of the mask - a more effective version of the "twist the ear elastic on your blue disposable mask" trick designed to make them curve around a face slightly better. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0TgO6yIIp7OebdMsTyq0nv_j2PgGKTT4qmMOxrNLVedeVDwHt4QuQM5-eodVW7KQKSnaSpyhMdxF8h2l48I1fQbzhINfEJ3CbCoLnO9F_VDqAVHIMhM4fkWaNtYoXu8Z3naKP64sXk0/s1600/1615635994186273-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0TgO6yIIp7OebdMsTyq0nv_j2PgGKTT4qmMOxrNLVedeVDwHt4QuQM5-eodVW7KQKSnaSpyhMdxF8h2l48I1fQbzhINfEJ3CbCoLnO9F_VDqAVHIMhM4fkWaNtYoXu8Z3naKP64sXk0/s1600/1615635994186273-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><p></p><p></p><p>I threw open my stash cupboard and looked for fresh fabric (i.e. not scraps) and found some souvenir fabric from Japan 2019 that would work well. It is a tightly woven cotton in a couple of different designs. </p><p>This time I decided to avoid the bondaweb and sewed/overlocked a rectangle with gaps at the corners [for the ties] and in the bottom edge [for turning, for a filter pocket]. I was beginning to think about filter pockets and how they were a useful feature if people wanted to upgrade their face covering when they weren't sure of the provenance of the mask. <br></p><p>I did buy more gardening wire, which didn't suffer as badly as some
items in The Great Gardening Rush of 2020. I machine wash my masks and
the wire has fared fine until now, so I'll just carry on. I kept 1x3mm
garden wire and decided to try zig-zagging through all layers from the
outside. I thought that adding the wire as one of the last steps would
make it easier to turn the mask right-sides-out but it was very awkward to sew. When wearing the mask the zig-zag topstitching was also scratchy and uncomfortable, so there are only a couple of prototypes with this type of nose-wire. </p><p>I had dithered between measured pleats and eyeballed pleats, but Mask Makers had just released a good tip to fold the mask in half, press a crease, then fold 2 edges into the halfway line and press a crease there. It worked really nicely and made things very simple. I like the deep pleats on the masks because they allow for a good curve and tight fit around the cheeks. Sometimes they end up a bit asymmetrical, but it's nothing major. <br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qC_OwX7jtnbtzR10aZp8GJ0PXAIo2zgMpmufGJeG_fuJtKojm2Srl47rQ9hzwn_QfMHmETsS2eARFOiCB5Fh3Mp1PofS5gOAgYRUvT1tOYpLul_NdDgRMhWBBk1PIYjtIxys6f2eJH4/s2048/20210131_170209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pleated fabric mask with rainbow ties" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qC_OwX7jtnbtzR10aZp8GJ0PXAIo2zgMpmufGJeG_fuJtKojm2Srl47rQ9hzwn_QfMHmETsS2eARFOiCB5Fh3Mp1PofS5gOAgYRUvT1tOYpLul_NdDgRMhWBBk1PIYjtIxys6f2eJH4/w360-h640/20210131_170209.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #4: A Big Batch</h2><p>This batch was basically a continuation of Mask #3 but with a modified nose wire insertion. I decided to zig-zag over the nose wire, attaching it to the seam allowance on the top edge before turning the mask right-side-out. This looks a little unconventional because there's no topstitching on the finished product but it fits nicely and there's some cushioning/give in the fabric to prevent irritation on the nose.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVLagj-zYgUSh10TCrmXIVTXmjokCn8sIAC1yDEZQB9GiD7Kqe9sS2ccYfjAJxvlIrpWRHPM1q65MAWeNLewYrGi-fMqIPDBRCR1ZDlpdBdbgG1tqJUKQWj-paDRnUf3OV4u5r3NdhpU/s2048/20210131_170405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plated fabric masks with ties" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVLagj-zYgUSh10TCrmXIVTXmjokCn8sIAC1yDEZQB9GiD7Kqe9sS2ccYfjAJxvlIrpWRHPM1q65MAWeNLewYrGi-fMqIPDBRCR1ZDlpdBdbgG1tqJUKQWj-paDRnUf3OV4u5r3NdhpU/w360-h640/20210131_170405.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #5: Ersatz Big Batch </h2><p>I sewed a lot of masks in the Big Batch and gave them away. I mis-calculated how much cotton tape was required for the ties and ended up harvesting bias binding, trim, ribbon and webbings for a few masks. The webbing was too thick for the tie holes and the bias binding looked shoddy after a couple of washes. I also ended up with more demand for the masks than I had originally made and needed to hastily cut extra masks from more fabric. Unfortunately, some of the supplementary masks were cut from a low-quality [poly]cotton and they pilled in the wash almost immediately. </p><p>I made a few different sizes and really liked the smaller version. B found these too small. I received photos of friends wearing them in different sizes (which was heartwarming!) but showed that the larger masks can fit quite big faces and can fit over beards.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFSTKE_VQ64C8FBhYchYZxTFCS9C6diHjfXlrZgrwy0LXWAjHFC9uIFzqv4kh9tvhP_atzJJSbE9ny0K14npldZ-_SqrzUFZtvZ1adHbstXD3TbaUV0quMGGoB90vENWZ-JkC4HglgkY/s2048/20210131_170446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pleated fabric mask with webbing" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFSTKE_VQ64C8FBhYchYZxTFCS9C6diHjfXlrZgrwy0LXWAjHFC9uIFzqv4kh9tvhP_atzJJSbE9ny0K14npldZ-_SqrzUFZtvZ1adHbstXD3TbaUV0quMGGoB90vENWZ-JkC4HglgkY/w360-h640/20210131_170446.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #6: Failed Prototypes </h2><p>Many months later. <a href="https://youtu.be/iYE0A-5wd14">WHO issues guidance</a> and all home sewists say "wtf is non-fusible polyproylene?!"; <a href="https://www.underarmour.co.uk/en-gb/ua-sportsmask/1368010.html?cid=PS%7cUK%7cBR%7cggl%7call%7cua%20sportsmask%7call%7call%7call%7cuk%7ce%7c116429496200%7c%7bcampaign%7d%7c%7baccount%7d&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTL5oyQDyJUuYKB7PQIAPlKhlQVfQYWjQJQvs0oPJvEkFPUDvvQ8HKYaAnbhEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds">Under Armour over-engineers a beautiful mask design for athletes</a>; disposable mask plastic waste is showing up on beaches; shops are abundant with fabric masks; we start thinking about Christmas meetups and going back to work in the office...maybe I've missed the boat and maybe our household is going to get caught short with too few masks (of crappy quality)...variants start showing up and mask guidance changes; 3-layer becomes the product of choice, Germany demands actual FPP-rated masks on public transport; we enter new lockdowns...maybe I have got enough time to sew another batch of masks before they go out of vogue....<br></p><p>We have completed our house move, my brain is starting to think about stuff properly again. My sewing space is set up. I need to replenish my supplies and start researching. There has been some innovation since I last checked. Elastic has returned, online haberdashery tells you which interfacing is recommended as a non-woven filter layer; everyone is keen to sell you their cotton; Prym has packaged up aluminium nose wires (I'll stick with my garden wire thank you!); plastic woggles/adjusters are freely available. While on a late-night millinery binge, I stumble upon <a href="https://www.parkinfabrics.co.uk/medical.html">Parkin Fabrics</a> which seems to specialise in millinery supplies and surgical-grade woven cotton (?!) - and suddenly I realise that you can overkill a homemade mask. </p><p>Regular home sewists sew at a volume where there's no point in creating a certifiable medical device. Frankly, I don't want my masks relied upon as if they're a certifiable medical device. However I want to make an effective mask to help protect the people I care about. And discovering medical grade cotton might be available to lay people by the metre made me realise that I needed to chill out a bit.</p><p>I also gave up on the idea of making matching outfit/mask combos because eurgh.</p><p>So, I bought 2x quilting cottons from Stoff & Still with little patterns for some subtle fun and 1x cut of Egyptian Cotton from Empress Mills. Holy moly, that Egyptian cotton is lovely. I bought interfacing from William Gee for the filter layer. I bought a lot of cotton tape from William Gee for the tiebacks (and then used all of it making the festive bunting!).</p><p>I also bought some elastic from William Gee and some plastic adjusters from MacCulloch & Wallis (I'm a fangirl, what can I say). I figured my family deserve some new improved masks but without ear loops and without a fiddly knot in the back of their heads. <br></p><p>Maybe I should have prototyped this, but I didn't and cut out about 80x masks' worth of fabric rectangles ready to go. I always think that the rectangle style should be fast to sew, but it really isn't. The steps are simple and repeatable but they're not the fastest. I thought I could save time by switching the sewing order, sewing the masks shut (no filter pocket but these are 3-ply) and then folding over the edges to make a casing. I tried this but realised it was far too bulky. And of course, I'd already sewn and pleated all of the rectangles. So I tested a few potential solutions:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMuLxic9vFLGDwSGYMAIGQbCq1N46usgT2vS4pv1uDyBSwK8pRjojKUdF2727IYKJ7L8pO5aJkpPilR_buluJHzk7j0n05Twz5CEVwnE5eOPlh-u_NkmOicCdQv1HFiXW-aBfIMzy6iA/s2048/20210131_170744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Three pleated fabric masks" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMuLxic9vFLGDwSGYMAIGQbCq1N46usgT2vS4pv1uDyBSwK8pRjojKUdF2727IYKJ7L8pO5aJkpPilR_buluJHzk7j0n05Twz5CEVwnE5eOPlh-u_NkmOicCdQv1HFiXW-aBfIMzy6iA/w360-h640/20210131_170744.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p><b>Top</b>. Fold over the corners, bar tack them down and thread the cotton tape through. This gave a really bad fit with gapping around my cheeks. It was also very irritating because the tape could be pulled tight over my cheeks and it would chafe.</p><p><b>Middle</b>. Stitch on a petersham casing on a "back" side of the mask. The fit was better on this but the width of the casing took away the flexibility of about 1/4 - 1/3 of the mask and made the edges stick out like wings. Also it was pretty ugly.</p><p><b>Bottom.</b> Make a casing over the edges using bias binding. This worked very nicely, but needed tidying up because the top of the casing was a raw edge and prone to stretching.</p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #7: Big Batch 2</h2><p>I made a huge batch using white bias binding with tidy top/bottom edges. Yes, I was annoyed that I had finished these edges on the actual masks and could have achieved less bulk at the edges if I had pre-planned this finish. Oh well. </p><p>B lent me a crochet hook to pull the cords through the casing - it made very light work of approx 60 masks that needed to be threaded.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4ZV2PdUc6X1fSM6VJMxni6EJ08H1uJvLvxhWARjMIEnWxu2ae7O1EEnpMjNMid7Dc6C_-OsjWMPPhQ0CtFno-uyucn0z-DrR3vIEVyNjns1xtoHAA97tQj6_cE7xrw7U3DNGumHTfoc/s2048/20210310_222744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pleated fabric mask" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4ZV2PdUc6X1fSM6VJMxni6EJ08H1uJvLvxhWARjMIEnWxu2ae7O1EEnpMjNMid7Dc6C_-OsjWMPPhQ0CtFno-uyucn0z-DrR3vIEVyNjns1xtoHAA97tQj6_cE7xrw7U3DNGumHTfoc/w360-h640/20210310_222744.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p></p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mask #8: Big Batch with Elastic</h2><p>I set aside about 20 masks in order to add elastic and plastic adjusters to them instead of cotton tape. This means they don't need a knot at the back of the head. The elastic went through the casing and the plastic adjusters very easily with the help of the crochet hook.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTGDeMCwHZm1rjKl6lKn7LYAvXYINJ65qjJM_8qP5mAdH17XUM6KHachfkYiBGOIZXvSGFCuaTzuMss6OOF0qrTmHXrXAJzsS5_qIA_Bvw9mgWJOG8_r89GLPz9LJt83wIRaAsl3f7UM/s2048/20210310_222758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTGDeMCwHZm1rjKl6lKn7LYAvXYINJ65qjJM_8qP5mAdH17XUM6KHachfkYiBGOIZXvSGFCuaTzuMss6OOF0qrTmHXrXAJzsS5_qIA_Bvw9mgWJOG8_r89GLPz9LJt83wIRaAsl3f7UM/w360-h640/20210310_222758.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p><br></p><p>So that's it, a year of mask making. I can't say it's my favourite project but I'm glad that we have a good supply of nice masks. Fingers crossed I don't need to make any more for a while. </p><p></p><p>That's it for now, what do you think of your homemade masks?</p><p>K x</p><p><br></p><br>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-61768224514616986652021-02-05T00:04:00.000+00:002021-02-05T00:04:27.116+00:00Distractions pt22 - The Important Box<div>Behold The Important Box. It is a box of items I sorted and kept together as "important" but "not urgent" when we first moved in to the previous house. This was a box filled with things I was supposed to deal with between August and December 2016. It is a box I accidentally put (irretrievably) under the stairs. It is a box which, in June 2020, I decided to open and inspect before moving to the current house. <br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts21C4ArNixm4vB_N0DqlD76nlvoofqVxz75OUVeu7bkgsSx9BFb-MF7p5XAoo7nVkKCSCm04EceYmch20irAJ9NrwRTs-qY0KJEI5XIqS7KMHWJSzzkKbUV0hlb8TQb0F3DoAhW5dYg/s1600/1609207764169849-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts21C4ArNixm4vB_N0DqlD76nlvoofqVxz75OUVeu7bkgsSx9BFb-MF7p5XAoo7nVkKCSCm04EceYmch20irAJ9NrwRTs-qY0KJEI5XIqS7KMHWJSzzkKbUV0hlb8TQb0F3DoAhW5dYg/s1600/1609207764169849-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>I took one look inside, immediately chickened out, and taped it back up. I moved it and "safely" stored it in one of our many box piles in the new house. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Finally now, in winter 2020/21, let's take a look at the treasures inside...<br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObu20Jw5d_LTVMT-04cK88LiwX5PSSEhUWEQdut3bNmaG8qxKGZ_qltrp_BLpzrDT5ZJ8g6W0myth0lzrIszN0HXD1SceJvBoF1_l92E0JjYgClHQtHWfOIksQn2SUHiW5gRLojaqd8Q/s1600/1609207758558212-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObu20Jw5d_LTVMT-04cK88LiwX5PSSEhUWEQdut3bNmaG8qxKGZ_qltrp_BLpzrDT5ZJ8g6W0myth0lzrIszN0HXD1SceJvBoF1_l92E0JjYgClHQtHWfOIksQn2SUHiW5gRLojaqd8Q/s1600/1609207758558212-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div>Souvenir fabric from my first Japan trip (a gift for Mammafairy)</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw088TeBAZhPeBhzM1plHyQLh7e5a9vs1VdNywDmPt4sAsKuUzt68vTlWTEutFd2YqdiUUNg25eiDbuZvryeHT-FHbf3ZUIHffbyk_Fw_x1x_DC3QhUtzjKmDf3zFqv8DIt-KN2yF7Tk/s1600/1609207753775258-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw088TeBAZhPeBhzM1plHyQLh7e5a9vs1VdNywDmPt4sAsKuUzt68vTlWTEutFd2YqdiUUNg25eiDbuZvryeHT-FHbf3ZUIHffbyk_Fw_x1x_DC3QhUtzjKmDf3zFqv8DIt-KN2yF7Tk/s1600/1609207753775258-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div>Many, many post-its</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjcTAnu7bgDzM_Y70tXRVEqQ90QjE948COw5zymNRkAiBiX8izTouqKnrNzfTFxYotfRm6P29t2-TXNMzL62jHBtPYiGm2fYbobaIfqkd00k2pZFOGAm8OAlKVl2j_wueIP_3dR2l5X0/s1600/1609207749003615-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjcTAnu7bgDzM_Y70tXRVEqQ90QjE948COw5zymNRkAiBiX8izTouqKnrNzfTFxYotfRm6P29t2-TXNMzL62jHBtPYiGm2fYbobaIfqkd00k2pZFOGAm8OAlKVl2j_wueIP_3dR2l5X0/s1600/1609207749003615-3.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div>The mug in which we keep our earplugs</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c0BryiStMeZwN2_Si9ihFkctCgjlv1dwZLAfv6mV2go_C3wmvY8m_1NMRB0r7AvSUdu7SjDxzpVrs9oyCbtWO-MrmSTo71YHz_Ii_G83zvZ794Ui2Zghbf9LpSCO4CGX5hkv9bi8lSM/s1600/1609207744609432-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c0BryiStMeZwN2_Si9ihFkctCgjlv1dwZLAfv6mV2go_C3wmvY8m_1NMRB0r7AvSUdu7SjDxzpVrs9oyCbtWO-MrmSTo71YHz_Ii_G83zvZ794Ui2Zghbf9LpSCO4CGX5hkv9bi8lSM/s1600/1609207744609432-4.png" width="400">
</a>
</div>A Punt & Dennis VHS </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBh_l0DLiQDMoZZ_0OvLWM9ZEwGpnKoNFupZ2H7A3L4KD8HlDU7kVLa1vGnFFCnbmMJtBUGIySnRbtBrnMOuJVNaLAXCk_VR-uw6e4OlAtIN8M9UyUd_huD06nr5olWOljc87J5KLGlHs/s1600/1609207738410361-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBh_l0DLiQDMoZZ_0OvLWM9ZEwGpnKoNFupZ2H7A3L4KD8HlDU7kVLa1vGnFFCnbmMJtBUGIySnRbtBrnMOuJVNaLAXCk_VR-uw6e4OlAtIN8M9UyUd_huD06nr5olWOljc87J5KLGlHs/s1600/1609207738410361-5.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div>Old project lists</div><div><br></div><div>Truly this was sacred treasure...</div><div><br></div><div>In other news, our central heating sprang a leak and all of my sewing corner has been shovelled back into Ikea bags to allow some contractors a look under the floorboards *sigh* I am also in the middle of making a new batch of face coverings and so my sewjo has gone into full hibernation. It is frustrating but I need to wait for it to pass.</div><div><br></div><div>K x</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-4038383509291782522021-01-24T22:55:00.000+00:002021-01-24T22:55:41.989+00:00Distractions pt21 - six feet to the leftI think I'm ready to show you my new sewing space. It's not finished, it's not photogenic but it's up and running.<div><br></div><div>If I were a proper blogger I'd have Before and After photos ready to show you so you get The Big Reveal (I'd also load this site up with pop ups, but we won't mention that). You would have thought that stringing you along with these Distraction posts was the whole point! But I have a confession to make instead.</div><div><br></div><div>You see, my sewing space is about six feet to the left of all the in-progress photos I have shown you so far...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dUaDREhW69XDZULqqFnaUHLchp_gRS4megeCZhJ1wzvJ6fUE58guPL0vheKQiuttROOqOdnS7sfcXk9xVZ3fGgKdWOuDkianIuOcv5RoiC1imhyphenhyphenZo1Df6InKKk1kKh_-V4yQ27ffXKM/s1600/1609207978720312-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dUaDREhW69XDZULqqFnaUHLchp_gRS4megeCZhJ1wzvJ6fUE58guPL0vheKQiuttROOqOdnS7sfcXk9xVZ3fGgKdWOuDkianIuOcv5RoiC1imhyphenhyphenZo1Df6InKKk1kKh_-V4yQ27ffXKM/s1600/1609207978720312-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div>Oops...</div><div><br></div><div>I have rejigged this room in my mind multiple times, and when it came down to it, things didn't fit the way they were planned.</div><div><br></div><div>Now that we're working from home for the long haul, I also felt the need to be near the big window in our backdoor. It's not glamorous, but it's natural light and the rose outside keeps me company. In the warm weather I kept the door open during the day to see the plants. We get very good rain noise, so I'm enjoying that too.</div><div><br></div><div>The ironing board fits quite nicely in the room too, so I'm quite pleased!</div><div><br></div><div>There are still a few things to tweak in my new sewing space. I have no hanging space anymore and need to find a new way of storing my scissors, project notes/queue. We need to finalise the shelves. We've just unpacked onto them, and haven't fixed them permanently yet. I also need to free up a bit of space in the stash cupboard to store works in progress (if not appropriate to rest on the mannequin)</div><div><br></div><div>That's it for now!</div><div><br></div><div>Kx</div><div><br></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-45885990619370413722021-01-16T00:05:00.000+00:002021-01-16T00:05:56.495+00:00More weekend Projects<p>Hi there, </p><p>Just another quick update for you from my most recent sewing weekender. I can't even remember when this was. </p><p>I made a full-length pair of leggings from the remaining supplex in my stash. You may remember I bought this supplex from Zenith and Quasar, and while it is is very nice quality it only ever comes in 1-yard cuts. If I want a full-length pair of leggings I need to piece the pattern somehow. I've done it once at the ankles and once at hip level. I think I prefer hip level, but since I don't have any more supplex in my stash I may look to buy it from a new source that can do multiple yardage on the same cut. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQfry58qd38mMoMHJqCdvdtwLm6gSAKWGWwGXmfim2o0ben0Ul0zVxkIsxGD-ISykeGLysW8ey7ilAGrh1Nj6ghPn5FDqtjAdCSUnfTVe4ES4GqOsYsAqhZrGa_eHiUlb_GK0x4yme0Q/s1600/1609207900418016-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQfry58qd38mMoMHJqCdvdtwLm6gSAKWGWwGXmfim2o0ben0Ul0zVxkIsxGD-ISykeGLysW8ey7ilAGrh1Nj6ghPn5FDqtjAdCSUnfTVe4ES4GqOsYsAqhZrGa_eHiUlb_GK0x4yme0Q/s1600/1609207900418016-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><p></p><p>I also made a starry PJ set using some star print jersey from Stoff & Stil (Made-It Patterns Strip Tee) and some leftover glow in the dark star jersey from Empress Mills (Butterick 5432). The snazzy PJ cord is from Albstoffe. The brand seems a bit expensive, but I don't know where else to find interesting good quality PJ cord or cuffing/ribbing.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkQ7YhLvQMy7U0VpMUGPoA07mKXRWKSbBWMN7I6d8gnkuCUUJW2Ns9aTUgfs5f71P4fxK_cZ-askES0JKjpo4CT0iYAL4sw-li1pSSne8VDIxQlFL27FSsm3wTEfzQ-Gq9OwoNF3H2pI/s1600/1609207896430232-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkQ7YhLvQMy7U0VpMUGPoA07mKXRWKSbBWMN7I6d8gnkuCUUJW2Ns9aTUgfs5f71P4fxK_cZ-askES0JKjpo4CT0iYAL4sw-li1pSSne8VDIxQlFL27FSsm3wTEfzQ-Gq9OwoNF3H2pI/s1600/1609207896430232-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDnEh1KL9fYr9R5ty3JOK5fiHjlE-1Ua6pDdrXFOp7FlZysOqhXs3d7t61Pq8KYQ5qSH39zNc9GopctsImtdCcO1z_nkO5525n8qllViYbR78MJoglFPQAEInX7HKRz_bYE_-xKB1s00/s1600/1609207892194351-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDnEh1KL9fYr9R5ty3JOK5fiHjlE-1Ua6pDdrXFOp7FlZysOqhXs3d7t61Pq8KYQ5qSH39zNc9GopctsImtdCcO1z_nkO5525n8qllViYbR78MJoglFPQAEInX7HKRz_bYE_-xKB1s00/s1600/1609207892194351-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p>That's it</p><p>K x</p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-65352392939712630692021-01-08T23:48:00.000+00:002021-01-08T23:48:57.904+00:00Sewing Airtable update!<div>Just a quickie from me today...</div><div><br></div><div>This may have been the most positive piece of news in Great Britain recently...</div><div><br></div><div>Airtable mobile has just updated with Gallery View! Wahoo!</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoot9KLJr-m5qlNw_g-I0aDj2rGEJdWTxf4pREq5GYKAuRMMYFcUNfiJu4n73D3VHke583uvmfKmW-utt_UO2fuiCwUODtXtHkI4uO_yxC5IA1YPq7L9qsh2KDyUKptLQuZtHeRCKBw8/s1600/1608550131981545-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoot9KLJr-m5qlNw_g-I0aDj2rGEJdWTxf4pREq5GYKAuRMMYFcUNfiJu4n73D3VHke583uvmfKmW-utt_UO2fuiCwUODtXtHkI4uO_yxC5IA1YPq7L9qsh2KDyUKptLQuZtHeRCKBw8/s1600/1608550131981545-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><div><br></div><div>If you missed my original post on how I organise my sewing inventory using Airtable, <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-i-use-airtable-to-organise-my.html">you can see it here</a>. </div><div><br></div><div>K</div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-38438349220450951052021-01-02T22:47:00.000+00:002021-01-02T22:47:04.994+00:00Christmas Sewing Roundup - BONUS CONTENT<p> I can't believe I forgot this in the other post, but I also sewed some new PJs for B!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZfrPR8_c20a4IlFdwTxA_ajiJuUA1dzq_MF7XZkIySv7Sf4d1nsj8Wl7Wv6b3cebU8qUO-yp8o1gU_Yn6whk6QNYskB5V4f5k2GJGv-Xg8q1OrG5JrhHCq3m-npZw3oaHBB6A4fzwpQ/s2048/20210102_123729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZfrPR8_c20a4IlFdwTxA_ajiJuUA1dzq_MF7XZkIySv7Sf4d1nsj8Wl7Wv6b3cebU8qUO-yp8o1gU_Yn6whk6QNYskB5V4f5k2GJGv-Xg8q1OrG5JrhHCq3m-npZw3oaHBB6A4fzwpQ/w360-h640/20210102_123729.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p>We've constantly struggled with a TNT pattern for pyjamas for B. Originally I tried to use the Butterick 5432, but its roomy draft wasn't quite right. Then we tried to draft a pair from Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear, but the draft resulted in very weird proportions (enormous crotch depth!). So for this set of PJs, I borrowed a pair of RTW pyjamas and traced a pattern. </p><p>This was my Christmas Eve panic project and so the pattern is a little slapdash and lacks some of the detail of the RTW pair, but I think they turned out nicely. If the fit gets approval then I'll keep this ready to use next time. </p><p>I love the fabrics - they're both from Dragonfly Fabrics as I was trying to use of a gift card for the site. The yellow one is a Lady McElroy fabric and the blue one was called a Yuma Cotton.</p><p>That's it,</p><p>K x</p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-23702332998132943392020-12-30T18:21:00.000+00:002020-12-30T18:21:43.125+00:00Christmas Sewing Roundup: Scrap garlands, various bags and stickers!<div>Hi all, </div><div><br></div><div>This is a quick roundup of my festive sewing for 2020.</div><div><br></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Chain Garlands</h3><div>Firstly, I was desperate to find a good way of using up the scrap felt from <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/09/distractions-pt21-snoop-my-wardrobe.html">my wardrobe box project</a> earlier this summer. I love chain garlands and was hoping to find a relatively low-fuss way of using the felt to create one of those. Using <a href="https://blog.etsy.com/en/how-to-make-a-no-sew-felt-garland/">this Etsy blog post </a>for inspiration, I figured out a good no-sew way of linking the chain. The advantage to this type of tab/notch method is that the chain can be disassembled and stored as flat strips during the rest of the year. Recipients can also pick and choose which colours go where and how big the chain is. I cut as many strips as possible from my remaining pieces and, unlike the Etsy post, cut a small slit at the end of each strip. My felt was 5mm thick and it was helpful to have fewer, less precise cuts to make compared to the Esty Post. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGq29HXIPdq_c3ay0__9RduTYnJKIyKM42h-6vorlnpsAb3N8MKRmGi-46bjzX7YXEJQ-XuSFK6pYU7z6JQWFZhh3TY5biNFYA425Xwdh5ViVvH1JA9f4YEfXBst1XEQ_sD2acXkTUts/s1600/1609352503025245-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGq29HXIPdq_c3ay0__9RduTYnJKIyKM42h-6vorlnpsAb3N8MKRmGi-46bjzX7YXEJQ-XuSFK6pYU7z6JQWFZhh3TY5biNFYA425Xwdh5ViVvH1JA9f4YEfXBst1XEQ_sD2acXkTUts/s1600/1609352503025245-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div>This is what it looks like when it's all linked up:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXuV6TBaTECGjxRMp6r3wNMaW2sy9pPTfgOrnpWU6iYuHJoXI8jzyfrHsQLL6DDHOfSoS0Bi8q_oOVTmP1mMuwlnwX1jnsNkob7vWQWI9bcTzIbV9hr6oA0OMZdouBw-zzMvrRgZWrLg/s1600/1609292063477459-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXuV6TBaTECGjxRMp6r3wNMaW2sy9pPTfgOrnpWU6iYuHJoXI8jzyfrHsQLL6DDHOfSoS0Bi8q_oOVTmP1mMuwlnwX1jnsNkob7vWQWI9bcTzIbV9hr6oA0OMZdouBw-zzMvrRgZWrLg/s1600/1609292063477459-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>I ended up with about 270 strips/chain links and divided these across 3 bundles. I think each bundle has enough strips to make just under 5m of chain. I raided my stash for some fabrics to make 3x zip-up storage bags. We kept 1 bundle and gave 2 away.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjWYct92fIoKxg_ffIJluIhM_2v4V4q7l2AkOGhN97TFr291DhEYZDtEl06FgXM1Y_w5R08mg9R8RQvI9PS3zFYRA5og-HbJyrZxjWiC2VwieiJoA7YiArwN68J8-v50Y_gNVU_XFOh4/s1600/1609292059594126-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjWYct92fIoKxg_ffIJluIhM_2v4V4q7l2AkOGhN97TFr291DhEYZDtEl06FgXM1Y_w5R08mg9R8RQvI9PS3zFYRA5og-HbJyrZxjWiC2VwieiJoA7YiArwN68J8-v50Y_gNVU_XFOh4/s1600/1609292059594126-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Felt Diamond Bunting</h3><div>After cutting all of the strips for the chain garland, there was the question of what to do with the remaining bits of felt which were too small for the chain links. I cut them all into tiny squares and then sorted everything by colour. I measured out some Prym cotton twill tape for 5m + an arm length at each end and then stitched straight along it, adding felt squares every ~10cm in a regular pattern. After reaching the end of a length of twill tape, I cut a new length and started again. This meant that as colours were running out, I could change the pattern of each length of bunting. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJdb-5X6HfZPKdIMC3sIS6feXsgPPhYSjgadYeAHYYhF1ZPqwu8rLkpVdZhWqV4nrIbyXLU4BN-UE0nx7x8ZpC1ZOPgN5O93OqO7WvbYMimYi2xnLEeDJSzHiCrDrGzBSzS_D-jBmlaU/s1600/1609292055676672-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJdb-5X6HfZPKdIMC3sIS6feXsgPPhYSjgadYeAHYYhF1ZPqwu8rLkpVdZhWqV4nrIbyXLU4BN-UE0nx7x8ZpC1ZOPgN5O93OqO7WvbYMimYi2xnLEeDJSzHiCrDrGzBSzS_D-jBmlaU/s1600/1609292055676672-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>I ended up with about 43m of bunting (In 5m batches) and wound it all nicely onto some card. We kept the 3m end length, which was mostly green/yellow leftovers, and offered the rest as gifts.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAmBZjtnzX2MrNACq9SoC23aawpazwYsO71xNKWdJZt_PdAhcCUT-J5KXWVBHW7afsfFwBlVy-Xsz4YcKqyVteJV369OfX9CL3VlkjN15FKEES4CPS3HIoh9nnFelz5EIJOGFsL5ix18/s1600/1609207497709624-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAmBZjtnzX2MrNACq9SoC23aawpazwYsO71xNKWdJZt_PdAhcCUT-J5KXWVBHW7afsfFwBlVy-Xsz4YcKqyVteJV369OfX9CL3VlkjN15FKEES4CPS3HIoh9nnFelz5EIJOGFsL5ix18/s1600/1609207497709624-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stocking Bunting</h3><div>I had also been eyeing up my scraps bag and thought it would be a good idea to turn some of it into a bunting as well. I cut as many tiny stockings as possible and ended up with approx 60x tiny lined stockings. I split this into 2x 3m lengths of bunting to offer as gifts.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ8V3EfWRdISK-EkioV736a0CmzM63BudEeyaA9txQBqdGeYZBIVz26hi0oFRIp__Yel5gDziDmP-BWeNBlMDfQ3E94-q8blwVujM5orllMgsPGGerDegzhPAqN1acPt7O0ci8IfUdP8/s1600/1609292050761809-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ8V3EfWRdISK-EkioV736a0CmzM63BudEeyaA9txQBqdGeYZBIVz26hi0oFRIp__Yel5gDziDmP-BWeNBlMDfQ3E94-q8blwVujM5orllMgsPGGerDegzhPAqN1acPt7O0ci8IfUdP8/s1600/1609292050761809-3.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>I'll admit, I was dubious that this bunting would work out well. The individual stockings look a little odd because they're not traditionally festive designs or colours - they're obviously scrap sewing. Luckily, the sheer quantity of tiny stockings on the tape is pretty cute and I think the overall effect is quite nice!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejoKfEaH1MKeHLhl7yEYOeyEDxKrkUPlNtZ0vvh0D8GJR41KW_aqrkWpT07khEFfypydvAY6oUplRDUaKIR7rJh9j9blk6hyphenhyphenSxS4LviaZ4mkVeO7kTHso7SNZ0_4Y_EjiSOBhN1qtvQg/s1600/1609207493348220-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejoKfEaH1MKeHLhl7yEYOeyEDxKrkUPlNtZ0vvh0D8GJR41KW_aqrkWpT07khEFfypydvAY6oUplRDUaKIR7rJh9j9blk6hyphenhyphenSxS4LviaZ4mkVeO7kTHso7SNZ0_4Y_EjiSOBhN1qtvQg/s1600/1609207493348220-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Shopping Bags</h3><div>I saw <a href="https://youtu.be/oG1apNXr9Yo">this tutorial by Sewing Times for a tiny foldable shopping bag</a> and thought it would be a cool use for some of my ripstop nylon. I ended up making 4x of these bags, and a variety of others in different designs to offer as gifts too.</div><div><br></div><div>It looks like I forgot to get photos of any of these designs...</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Popcorn Pouches</h3><div>I made a few <a href="https://youtu.be/DMtnIaUdXWQ">popcorn pouches using this tutorial</a> and spares of softshell fabric to offer as gifts as well. Honestly, I have no idea if these are useful but I am hoping they are. I used up some of my zipper tape on a roll for this project and had a lot of fun/difficulty in getting the zip pulls onto the tape. </div><div><br></div><div>It looks like I also forgot to get photos...</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stickers</h3><div>You may have understood by now that a lot of these projects are basically compulsive sewing. There's nothing particularly challenging about cutting hundreds of tiny felt squares and sewing a long straight line. This autumn has been all about finding pick-me-ups wherever they can be found and I ended up gifting myself a little pick-me-up in the form of stickers (!) that could go on each of the wrapped gifts. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKcJ6y4V3d42eZHu9qsmVgLx45Qz9dDIlMjP5nQobFPNYfnUVUXcM78ElqIFtKXHLhaH7MhreGkn2d0WqF2P63lLIdatUAOSn6EFQOv1bYkZ9aUPCbHhj8Udj5VuZclwY4WAdfLHpRCs/s1600/1609207488610637-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKcJ6y4V3d42eZHu9qsmVgLx45Qz9dDIlMjP5nQobFPNYfnUVUXcM78ElqIFtKXHLhaH7MhreGkn2d0WqF2P63lLIdatUAOSn6EFQOv1bYkZ9aUPCbHhj8Udj5VuZclwY4WAdfLHpRCs/s1600/1609207488610637-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>I bought these from Sticky Things Ltd and used a basic template in their online designer. They are so cute and I have plenty left over for future projects too. </div><div><br></div><div>I even stuck them on the boxes of baked gifts that were sent out. It jazzed up the Tupperware a little and meant I had somewhere two write what was inside.</div><div><br></div><div>They make me so happy!</div><div><br></div><div>K x</div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-68155961846524938502020-12-21T01:59:00.000+00:002020-12-21T01:59:16.581+00:00Tutorial: A top made only from triangles!<h2 style="text-align: left;">Introduction</h2><p>I mentioned in a previous post that I was thinking of doing a tutorial on the <a href="https://pin.it/5k80Szs">Pinterest mainstay sunshine yellow triangle top</a>, which seems to be taken from 'Clothes by Yoshiki Hishinuma' (1986). You know I love me some twisty japanese clothing.</p><p>I made a second version of the top for this tutorial, and honestly I think I like it more than the first version.</p><p>Before we jump into it, I just want to say that I think there's quite a few tutorials and instructions out there for a sleeveless t-shirt based on a similar type of pattern. What sets this one apart is the sleeves. If you look closely at the image of the original, you can see they're gathered at the wrist, forcing them to twist, which is completely weird. So this tutorial shows you how to get a proper twitsty triangle sleeve on your Japanese triangle top. </p><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">You will need:</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Basic measuring, drawing and sewing supplies</li><li>Sewing machine or overlocker or mad hand sewing skillz</li><li>Loose drapey knit fabric (those ones with poor recovery i.e. no elastane work!)</li><li>Something to finish the edges (e.g. Fold over elastic, self-fabric bands, knit binding, cuffing/ribbing, added hem allowance)</li><li>Mannequin, or some other draping aid</li><li>Some floor space/some table space</li></ul><p></p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Pattern</h2><p>The basic pattern is 2 different triangles (cut 2 body, cut 2 arms)</p><p>The original top seems to use all-equilateral triangles (which give elbow-length sleeves), but I've also written up instructions here for isosceles triangle sleeve pieces which gives you full-length sleeves. </p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Taking measurements, drawing the pattern</h2><p>I drafted these pieces by folding the paper in half lengthways and drawing one half of the pattern. Once cut out and once unfolded, I had the full pattern piece. You can use whatever drafting method suits you. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Bodice: </b></h4><p>The front and back pattern pieces are identical.</p><p>Measure your hip circumference and the length between the nape of your neck and your hip. Draft an equilateral triangle (sides all the same length) that uses an average of these measurements.</p><p>For reference, my mannequin is an 8-10UK, my hips measure about 37" (94cm) at their widest. They are probably a bit smaller at high hip. ****** The sides of my bodice triangle measured 34" (88cm).<br></p><p>You can break out your classroom trigonometry skills to check that the hip measurement and vertical length nape>hip are similar enough that it suits your needs. (You will probably need to fiddle numbers and compromise a bit - it's not a perfectly fitting top). Just make sure you end up with an equilateral triangle pattern piece.<br></p><p>If maths isn't your jam and you prefer the <a href="https://youtu.be/TYfgs3Aa4PU">Micarah Trewers</a> approach to pattern drafting, measure from the nape of your neck to the centre front top of your trousers/skirt/underpants. Draw 3 lines directly on the fabric (preferably in pancake batter).</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Elbow-length Sleeves: </b></h4><p>Draft an equilateral triangle, with sides equal to half of the side length of the bodice triangle. E.g. If your bodice piece has sides of 88cm length each, your sleeve piece will have sides of 44cm length each.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Full-length Sleeves</b>: </h4><p>Draft an isosceles triangle, where one side is equal to half of the length of the bodice sides. E.g. If your bodice piece has sides of 88cm length each, your sleeve piece will have one side of 44cm length. Then measure from your armpit to your wrist. Note this number. Measure around your wrist or measure a stretchy cuff on an item of clothing you already own. Note this number. Add these two numbers together, this is the length of each of the remaining two sides of your isosceles triangle. Draft the triangle.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmClvHgCiuwZoTg4eu7KVcerRh0ckN76-HoghuLXxaOyB-FGMdsCbivNEzjxIw8kNPKZu1DlzfzLBbHgFANlFFEjI_6EjAFqMxws1ksKX8r2a-VuuZfvpjfCDLvRTbeRJuD3w7FJ-dSA/s2048/20201101_150906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmClvHgCiuwZoTg4eu7KVcerRh0ckN76-HoghuLXxaOyB-FGMdsCbivNEzjxIw8kNPKZu1DlzfzLBbHgFANlFFEjI_6EjAFqMxws1ksKX8r2a-VuuZfvpjfCDLvRTbeRJuD3w7FJ-dSA/w400-h225/20201101_150906.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p>You can add seam allowance either on the paper pattern pieces or directly on the fabric - just be sure to know which one you're doing!</p><p>Don't notch anything yet - especially not if you're doing the all-equilateral version of the top. It is incredibly confusing and unhelpful. </p><p><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Cutting the fabric</h2><p>This top is a good opportunity to mess around with stripes and pattern placement, or you can keep it standard if you like. On my first version, I cut one bodice piece at 90deg rotated so that the stripes on my shoulders would look interesting.<br></p><p>Once you've cut out the fabric you will end up with 4 pieces. Lay them out flat</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu_Mij9_R_Af7MmsGfnFCoNszTcCM8Kfl7OTmpoccJjN6Vd3Duzs42L8o2QETUQdPJImfgeCo-QvqWuh9nit5Gsxr1LDobZ4GbAcZDBJYNJNag9928yRrttOXLxDLWcnG12NLRiMvo5Q/s2048/20201101_154018+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu_Mij9_R_Af7MmsGfnFCoNszTcCM8Kfl7OTmpoccJjN6Vd3Duzs42L8o2QETUQdPJImfgeCo-QvqWuh9nit5Gsxr1LDobZ4GbAcZDBJYNJNag9928yRrttOXLxDLWcnG12NLRiMvo5Q/w640-h360/20201101_154018+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640"></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Assembling the top</h2><p>Take each body piece and mark Centre Front/Centre Back with a notch.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALuYWyfqw7Z9kVJ0vW6rpSoAWuYSWcmHGlQ1woZZ3VegN88kY0zr4kfNEBh6rZ0QfxvG1mplwT2w8nMOXsWtMBNHqjJ_s3BBuLSaUL78WhIUFednvfqcGTg_l3QXY7d1Y_-MjMUDRLZg/s2048/20201101_154242.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALuYWyfqw7Z9kVJ0vW6rpSoAWuYSWcmHGlQ1woZZ3VegN88kY0zr4kfNEBh6rZ0QfxvG1mplwT2w8nMOXsWtMBNHqjJ_s3BBuLSaUL78WhIUFednvfqcGTg_l3QXY7d1Y_-MjMUDRLZg/w225-h400/20201101_154242.jpg" width="225"></a></div><br><p>With right sides together, pin the body pieces together at top and bottom of the garment (align the CB/CF notch with the point on the other piece.) It will look like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWzRWJzZDzp4OhEbapRHFIDwQeRS9YQDe-bVK1vwLZhjEPCt9CdfwDe3R3hGuQ2kheM_h2F8yzLGGJvl0yU7o7jHenIW1d2Yhs-7n_V1R-vYogVaHuLRKwh0Di55zjFf2pHjP5uh2D7w/s2048/20201101_154652.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWzRWJzZDzp4OhEbapRHFIDwQeRS9YQDe-bVK1vwLZhjEPCt9CdfwDe3R3hGuQ2kheM_h2F8yzLGGJvl0yU7o7jHenIW1d2Yhs-7n_V1R-vYogVaHuLRKwh0Di55zjFf2pHjP5uh2D7w/w360-h640/20201101_154652.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>Fold over the "shoulders" of the triangle, right sides together, and pin the seams together. This is the front of your top.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0pFPGbjSOLGRHI91VCz6gUo9X4Pap4x-w9NWNRkbz1Vz9ubN4i_kLynTRh4R0N1SYqkQILFyzcTmRww4xmNmjgv3DQhN-ffjxlY1cv_KA17-WwLdNexhKOQ-68V58_sdh18H8-erB0k/s2048/20201101_154908.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0pFPGbjSOLGRHI91VCz6gUo9X4Pap4x-w9NWNRkbz1Vz9ubN4i_kLynTRh4R0N1SYqkQILFyzcTmRww4xmNmjgv3DQhN-ffjxlY1cv_KA17-WwLdNexhKOQ-68V58_sdh18H8-erB0k/w360-h640/20201101_154908.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>Carefully flip the mass of fabric and pins over, it's time to pin the back of the top....(or flip it recklessly, I'm not judging you!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgGvT_-wt4QR2d2LRlm2I9WtjOTaKwLEOokVdO3LRAY5odEjcMmqcaaWaYl-Co4hb1vH3Y5DXsf_aCd0XA_idXq9yyX1lxapEY2WrkWrMPsWOXo-jsFo-Ln7ZLxCcIvrlt2163-jFsOQ/s2048/20201101_155351.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgGvT_-wt4QR2d2LRlm2I9WtjOTaKwLEOokVdO3LRAY5odEjcMmqcaaWaYl-Co4hb1vH3Y5DXsf_aCd0XA_idXq9yyX1lxapEY2WrkWrMPsWOXo-jsFo-Ln7ZLxCcIvrlt2163-jFsOQ/w360-h640/20201101_155351.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>Fold the outermost points to the CB so they meet in the middle of the back hipline, pin the seams together. Right sides are still together. Baste if desired. Remove the pin at the CB point so the hemline is "open" and you have a way in to the top.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFbTpN-e-X90uvA2-T4-O4V9HfirHSKOkPAi68f-0XBLVP7kgoL8hO-xfCEPXU2gwpRi10fs1xc5vizuTAM3J0VGvG5vPUcwavuozi8rzOnWOIj096Wr756axpCDQq9OIb5OzClqZUoM/s2048/20201101_155656.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFbTpN-e-X90uvA2-T4-O4V9HfirHSKOkPAi68f-0XBLVP7kgoL8hO-xfCEPXU2gwpRi10fs1xc5vizuTAM3J0VGvG5vPUcwavuozi8rzOnWOIj096Wr756axpCDQq9OIb5OzClqZUoM/w360-h640/20201101_155656.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>You will notice that we effectively closed up the neckline with pins. Now is a good time to decide what your neckline looks like. Use a dressform if you have one available as a draping aid, or a pillow, maybe a cardboard cutout. Currently the point of the front triangle sits at the top of the mannequin's head/neck stump.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmD-1-xnebFGgzX4GX4wHg3oLrOZASR5sFXCNit_2rf_o2cedtWqWTMrFtGxX5qAJq2ShZIvfTf7DvquiKrJs59dGABkf1WHETWLqt7XITCiOLRrvaZ8WZxq94XFWcaWVxP-iTUobYI-4/s2048/20201101_160538.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmD-1-xnebFGgzX4GX4wHg3oLrOZASR5sFXCNit_2rf_o2cedtWqWTMrFtGxX5qAJq2ShZIvfTf7DvquiKrJs59dGABkf1WHETWLqt7XITCiOLRrvaZ8WZxq94XFWcaWVxP-iTUobYI-4/w360-h640/20201101_160538.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>Drape something you like for the neckline and finish it off. The original has the neckline along a side of the front triangle, but you could do something else, or even trim the triangles to taste. Leaving the neckline raw is also an option, just make sure you have a space to put your head through. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIPtw_DUKUryhp-Mi8ucLY63erYaBcUcruZmMwjoDlcUVWcNvWZO-jXupDFEYHzhRmbJQLJH7kbL72pdhVO1DWusNlAVcfSdIKICyV4kMkTQsOjJWWSqYI1OzhAztySptYCEWVOYtlvA/s2048/20201101_160738.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIPtw_DUKUryhp-Mi8ucLY63erYaBcUcruZmMwjoDlcUVWcNvWZO-jXupDFEYHzhRmbJQLJH7kbL72pdhVO1DWusNlAVcfSdIKICyV4kMkTQsOjJWWSqYI1OzhAztySptYCEWVOYtlvA/w360-h640/20201101_160738.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>Remember that the top is currently inside out and you may screw up like me and put the neck slit on the wrong side. Double check before slicing or stitching anything. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_AXzsZ2S6dliepnle4PdfNX_m1mTJe0gyHu97f_q3z6_hqIXIwLH3UrwbUvRl7w25Mxsl2kQv-75Jm4ETfVXKrZ9jaX0fs71Dfr7e3eaCL8ClHIPPqUxJgx32XiwaS0hu1VOgW9mbjM/s2048/20201101_160920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_AXzsZ2S6dliepnle4PdfNX_m1mTJe0gyHu97f_q3z6_hqIXIwLH3UrwbUvRl7w25Mxsl2kQv-75Jm4ETfVXKrZ9jaX0fs71Dfr7e3eaCL8ClHIPPqUxJgx32XiwaS0hu1VOgW9mbjM/w360-h640/20201101_160920.jpg" width="360"></a></div><p>You may find it helpful to stitch one or both of your shoulder seams first. It all depends on your neckline finish. On my first version I added a band to each edge, so it was added flat to each pattern piece. On my second version I stitched one shoulder seam, added the collar and then stitched the other one closed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmLJFmZPDgJnxo-h4Doimxx8_bZkB6pe-J_4yR-n9pvK4NxWImDHNcd4Swwu01kG9jmBIkIgUPKJnD9GML7j5NALOXSAlvt1j0ep2dhjvX3wYcQj2NTn4Bu-ARcBljIpKjkxiCQXyit0/s2048/20201101_173134.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmLJFmZPDgJnxo-h4Doimxx8_bZkB6pe-J_4yR-n9pvK4NxWImDHNcd4Swwu01kG9jmBIkIgUPKJnD9GML7j5NALOXSAlvt1j0ep2dhjvX3wYcQj2NTn4Bu-ARcBljIpKjkxiCQXyit0/w225-h400/20201101_173134.jpg" width="225"></a></div><p>Lay out flat again, remove the pins from the body seam (diagonal seam from armpit to CB hip) to make it easier to lay flat.</p><p>Take the arm pieces and position them on either side of the bodice. Pin them in place (right sides together). Stitch. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CdwNQEH39GqKemBkB257l_NhuvYm1LXpQ7Uz1_le46Fd_kRhyphenhyphenOwchnwHYDqXpbgqwIdYbaKbv6Qb2LQMuInOQmgxEBJnWl8NFATrOFVCl6tbP3YI6JpWSt2SMs3BAi8YAal1IGuqYzY/s2048/20201101_173542.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CdwNQEH39GqKemBkB257l_NhuvYm1LXpQ7Uz1_le46Fd_kRhyphenhyphenOwchnwHYDqXpbgqwIdYbaKbv6Qb2LQMuInOQmgxEBJnWl8NFATrOFVCl6tbP3YI6JpWSt2SMs3BAi8YAal1IGuqYzY/w640-h360/20201101_173542.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CfIy6zVW6d-jGvGHdn8rGVAbLfPV8avjeg5wu70MLnNjw2G4PqesJq1KEDaGsAD8EkAzWeP8WLMmke6CSAuGFV9QMl1SpNq__1PyG6WhGyirVPFwN2iPo0a1tt-lBOf-HiEOa2-a9IM/s2048/20201101_173751.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CfIy6zVW6d-jGvGHdn8rGVAbLfPV8avjeg5wu70MLnNjw2G4PqesJq1KEDaGsAD8EkAzWeP8WLMmke6CSAuGFV9QMl1SpNq__1PyG6WhGyirVPFwN2iPo0a1tt-lBOf-HiEOa2-a9IM/w640-h360/20201101_173751.jpg" width="640"></a></div><p>Mark both sides of the sleeve triangle tips with your wrist/cuff measurement. </p><p>Technically you only need to do this for the front edge of the sleeves, but (like me) you will probably mess this up and it'll be easier to just mark both edges.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRsQvzduggf0OhzR6Q9GuOj35QnZuBxhr2NmO2RRYVp3Xe8XY7OlaiB9ARV1M48KR8zOLQh2TTKQzdCKEAL6RNkRqEMtncC6hNT3keSILVyUgI8oOb7YUTqh7ncvObFHKSJH9NlSlZhg/s2048/20201101_175311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRsQvzduggf0OhzR6Q9GuOj35QnZuBxhr2NmO2RRYVp3Xe8XY7OlaiB9ARV1M48KR8zOLQh2TTKQzdCKEAL6RNkRqEMtncC6hNT3keSILVyUgI8oOb7YUTqh7ncvObFHKSJH9NlSlZhg/s320/20201101_175311.jpg"></a></div><p>Put the top on your mannequin or lay out flat so you can clearly see front from back. </p><p>On each sleeve, finish the wrist area. It is on the front edge, between the notch you've just cut and the point of the pattern piece.</p><p>On my v1 I stitched a 1" band like the neckline. On my v2 I was planning to fold over and topstitch, but I made a last minute decision to use the leftover ribbing/cuff material from the collar. This looks nice but added about 7cm to the total length of the sleeve. If you're adding a cuff, you might want to account for the extra length when you're drafting the pattern.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JPee0k0j1U91e7QFQ2ChIJOJJpi5X_mcjyuV9ysKJWFgEHW1FPD7C8jW9m0Vw5rFysKUl8YsP91qJk9mW8ZYAuh-lrq_SKF7R1N9IBSncv-7nKNdArgmWmqgfY7y3E5QwMdrsEmCIwk/s2048/20201101_180826.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JPee0k0j1U91e7QFQ2ChIJOJJpi5X_mcjyuV9ysKJWFgEHW1FPD7C8jW9m0Vw5rFysKUl8YsP91qJk9mW8ZYAuh-lrq_SKF7R1N9IBSncv-7nKNdArgmWmqgfY7y3E5QwMdrsEmCIwk/w640-h360/20201101_180826.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E6kPKCuzR5M6qPEVGlawyHPs-GhBeshHcEFg9LEC5fVAJWYb6T76vyxSoMgnFwu2BvpVUxd2cfh67LJBqOaNrXL9RJUw1A77HZnMIdWL_jm7zzQ6v7kARcQGZ9vDpKsRAXhx1aSOVwA/s2048/20201101_182006+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E6kPKCuzR5M6qPEVGlawyHPs-GhBeshHcEFg9LEC5fVAJWYb6T76vyxSoMgnFwu2BvpVUxd2cfh67LJBqOaNrXL9RJUw1A77HZnMIdWL_jm7zzQ6v7kARcQGZ9vDpKsRAXhx1aSOVwA/w640-h360/20201101_182006+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640"></a></div><p>Gather the whole length of the back edge of the sleeve seam (you could use elastic or gather with thread using your preferred technique) so that its length matches the length of front edge of the sleeve triangle. </p><p>Pin the two edges of the wrist opening together (right sides together). Pin the "underarm" seam, armpit to wrist, easing and arranging your gathers. If you're making the elbow-length sleeves it will look a bit puffy and twisty. If you're making the full-length sleeves, it will look really cursed. Stitch the "underarm" seam.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIGz86WM9lTtqP0K359vdjnoojRRhTSvVHBima2G52SrBg6REb28Es24rDwebAg6dJkJe5PdQKjfhoeTFRPi66pfwd9vNsrZkkqxYdLLrXbd1g3CgIQLJL733UKS1omishynKEWbMIKY/s1994/20201101_182610+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1994" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIGz86WM9lTtqP0K359vdjnoojRRhTSvVHBima2G52SrBg6REb28Es24rDwebAg6dJkJe5PdQKjfhoeTFRPi66pfwd9vNsrZkkqxYdLLrXbd1g3CgIQLJL733UKS1omishynKEWbMIKY/w640-h360/20201101_182610+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br><p>(re)Pin and stitch remaining body seam right sides together. It should be the diagonal line from armpit to CB hip. (diagonal line from armpit to CB hip).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy20p0iqzCdWfPyGmQB0XeG4RZ9ztSsHdA7n7ePD6AVp6QDrGBqoVuQG_3Y9X2aV2Y4knumpry5XTwX1udiCFFipmyrzCUPQyZWkKFBhCrB6bFFYiqWQMGUv8RiPIH1SPEE6-EgusmTGQ/s2048/20201101_190659+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy20p0iqzCdWfPyGmQB0XeG4RZ9ztSsHdA7n7ePD6AVp6QDrGBqoVuQG_3Y9X2aV2Y4knumpry5XTwX1udiCFFipmyrzCUPQyZWkKFBhCrB6bFFYiqWQMGUv8RiPIH1SPEE6-EgusmTGQ/w640-h360/20201101_190659+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj5WnoIch8cg2Zt80yQPxS69sW1cTnOYiXo97lHycf3hR2njVRKFi6LZSdUrjP8vxlFSOG6SvEwejtZBtP_JdohqsKp7Bw9D2vnF_sgnEXhoMIIyY7AJiAh55ekzvC9vZPrqnI0uyV7w/s2048/20201101_190834+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj5WnoIch8cg2Zt80yQPxS69sW1cTnOYiXo97lHycf3hR2njVRKFi6LZSdUrjP8vxlFSOG6SvEwejtZBtP_JdohqsKp7Bw9D2vnF_sgnEXhoMIIyY7AJiAh55ekzvC9vZPrqnI0uyV7w/w640-h360/20201101_190834+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640"></a></div><p>Turn up the hem and finish the edge.</p><p>You're done!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla0JpaBJFXNx6TRGUS8yjtcXP6UN79xtt63H2JmhkxjtHRW9sT755wraf1HC6AEeyr63kedsrE8ELB6LbhPYtJmto8026pW6H48wmicEd_fLbXjDvHE36NlWw14oy9quUjZz8VFnXDiw/s2048/20201102_212352.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla0JpaBJFXNx6TRGUS8yjtcXP6UN79xtt63H2JmhkxjtHRW9sT755wraf1HC6AEeyr63kedsrE8ELB6LbhPYtJmto8026pW6H48wmicEd_fLbXjDvHE36NlWw14oy9quUjZz8VFnXDiw/w360-h640/20201102_212352.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipn41eugwvWr9nocI-E9vCvgLB1eBR7KSep7UNq6GkxwbAim8-eTg8RdkYZb23MzUSXxPZZL6XnYadlq6i_IGsfObzBN0L_qCE3mDDQ9F-OdQEgX73DXSeDfycbwG6NfM2AfOqv7mU3sA/s2048/20201102_212424.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipn41eugwvWr9nocI-E9vCvgLB1eBR7KSep7UNq6GkxwbAim8-eTg8RdkYZb23MzUSXxPZZL6XnYadlq6i_IGsfObzBN0L_qCE3mDDQ9F-OdQEgX73DXSeDfycbwG6NfM2AfOqv7mU3sA/w360-h640/20201102_212424.jpg" width="360"></a></div><br><p>K x</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><br>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-51895083789916454872020-11-18T00:30:00.000+00:002020-11-18T00:30:35.042+00:00Burda 6875 - Version 2<p> Do you remember <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2017/08/nobody-likes-conspicuous-overachievement.html">my previous adventures with Burda 6875?</a></p><p>Well, at some point in 2018 I got a yearning for it again. Progress on a new version was slow and <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/03/distractions-pt10-well-that-escalated.html">it only took a global lockdown to get me to finish it</a>. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Fabric</h4><p>I found this fabric on the August bank holiday weekend in 2018. It was nestled in the wool remnants at <a href="http://www.misan.co.uk/">Misan Berwick Street</a> while they were setting up their Goldhawk Road store. There was a dearth of clearance fabrics in the Berwick Street shop and I really struggled with the decision to purchase it. Of course, it is lovely fabric but there was notably less on the bolt than the Burda packet said I would need for this pattern.</p><p>It is a <a href="https://www.harrisonsofedinburgh.com/collections/w-bill">W Bill check</a> in exactly the kind of fabric I want in my life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIZ6oRBTmUA3AYzigHYn8vr0sgrQJqmNk1xjV6KxOMv66GLDP21SCELuuEqi0PQwOvaYPVUorCsnxguo724utHQqfrO-uHQm0yRtpBZKyGrmN_yBhPtMfaFvteRCnJoVqyHyCa_eiqmI/s2048/DSC_7888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIZ6oRBTmUA3AYzigHYn8vr0sgrQJqmNk1xjV6KxOMv66GLDP21SCELuuEqi0PQwOvaYPVUorCsnxguo724utHQqfrO-uHQm0yRtpBZKyGrmN_yBhPtMfaFvteRCnJoVqyHyCa_eiqmI/w265-h400/DSC_7888.JPG" width="265"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><h4>The Pattern Matching</h4><p>This beautiful check didn't sit in my stash for too long, but while it did, I came to realise that it needed to look consistent across the whole garment. Nowadays you can get away with mismatched checks if they're sufficiently busy - thanks to fast fashion retailers. But such an approach would be a disservice to this fabric, so I needed to treat it with care. There are so many different stripe colours that it would be very obvious if they were offset at all. I was very nervous about this because this remnant technically wasn't big enough to make the pattern normally, let alone with fussy cutting and pattern matching!</p><p>I spent many hours planning my cutting layout. Firstly by pinning stripes together so they wouldn't shift when I cut the double layer/folded. Secondly by drawing stripe references onto every pattern piece with Frixion pen and walking all of the seamlines to match stripes. </p><p>Yes, some stuff ended up unmatched in the finished project, but most of it is there. </p><p>I did plan to match stripes between the sleeve heads and body, but failed. Technically the sleeves were cut to match but I never corrected the sleeve pattern after the forward shoulder adjustment in my first version. So they refused to match when I tried to sew them in. They refused to match 5 times. On insertion attempt #6, I stitched the fabric where it was content to lie. </p><p>The other pattern matching thing is is about the welt pocket. I COULD NOT match the stripes on the body seam closest to centre front (it is is half seam, half dart). I unpicked and re-sewed the vertical seam several times before unpicking the welt and slicing the top edge of the side front panel at an angle. There was also a bit of easing using steam from the iron. Unfortunately I only figured out this fix in time for one side of the jacket.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6W3-rBCNXActFOpivt2cZqdL0MWhxKHYQtbIK8KqO1i4C4kQXT6DJp6NFwohlhJrKF1t-x_IXJSN2VErLHcqU19SSv-c8gg6ALQw1kjCJb3LjTAvmQIM_R3wTrxjB_7qHi6qT23LqoY/s2048/DSC_7882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6W3-rBCNXActFOpivt2cZqdL0MWhxKHYQtbIK8KqO1i4C4kQXT6DJp6NFwohlhJrKF1t-x_IXJSN2VErLHcqU19SSv-c8gg6ALQw1kjCJb3LjTAvmQIM_R3wTrxjB_7qHi6qT23LqoY/w265-h400/DSC_7882.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB36he4_UrByI9p3ewZJ6gbRBkTWLhzsSbqNIdhyn3IB_CeLiyxofBlE528o_Wp5RRPaFGhPe1OhUkW1mPP7Xf4DVhvgegCXByEYvtMNkvg_Bmbg1l-qNqyElWppX3JjEP2ZM2VXDXy8/s2048/DSC_7891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB36he4_UrByI9p3ewZJ6gbRBkTWLhzsSbqNIdhyn3IB_CeLiyxofBlE528o_Wp5RRPaFGhPe1OhUkW1mPP7Xf4DVhvgegCXByEYvtMNkvg_Bmbg1l-qNqyElWppX3JjEP2ZM2VXDXy8/w265-h400/DSC_7891.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Lining</h4><p>Both times I've made this jacket I've made a fragile silk lining. In both cases it was just a case of finding something that coordinated well with the outer fabric. I did buy this silk specifically for this project and was hoping to find something more robust in the shops but I just couldn't. I did shell out for some (overpriced?) cotton flannel to underline it though.</p><p>For this version I quilted the lining to the flannel after cutting out all of the pieces, and was pleased to make use of my Solvy wash-out stabiliser again. The silk was far too shifty to take the quilting on its own, but it did work well under a layer of Solvy. I washed it out in the sink, but did a sloppy job and the pieces dried like cardboard. It got me thinking that you could also treat this like wash-in stabiliser (like the gelatin technique) if needed in future. </p><p>I made up the whole lining, overlocked the edges and ran it through the washing machine before attaching the lining to the outer. This got rid of the residual stiffness before inserting the lining into the jacket outer. Everything was pre-washed anyway so there wasn't any shrinkage post-quilting. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Interfacing</h4><p>Why, you ask, when I bought silk and Savile Row wool, did I dare to use fusible interfacing?<i> Don't you know that's not the couture method? You should be shamed!</i></p><p>Well, Imaginary Internet Sewing Police, because by now I have a fairly good idea of reliable fusibles and how to use them. I am a complete beginner with hair canvas, pad stitching etc. I am not prepared to ruin my nice fabrics with beginner attempts at new techniques. </p><p>Also, Imaginary Internet Sewing Police, I am neither a tailor nor a couturiere. No one is obliging me to use these techniques and no one is paying me to perfect them.</p><p>I used a few different fusibles: William Gee K10 for softer areas, Macculloch and Wallis general purpose for more structured areas</p><p>I also used my new trick of using greaseproof paper as a press-cloth. No more glue seeping on to the iron!</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Buttons</h4><p>Yes, I pattern matched the buttons too. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeetzIoxm-W9vwppSkdYpHvId8QmkHP1_iVZuGke2r4inu2izfj_-ldEb9ealiHdynVhtO5iW6oJ8QhMGB9PjvgpE2AxaKyBZh31uzZmqvXW1yykcLfCJ3KqieJZ94gpt44QFFg9DCOw/s2048/20190908_172900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeetzIoxm-W9vwppSkdYpHvId8QmkHP1_iVZuGke2r4inu2izfj_-ldEb9ealiHdynVhtO5iW6oJ8QhMGB9PjvgpE2AxaKyBZh31uzZmqvXW1yykcLfCJ3KqieJZ94gpt44QFFg9DCOw/w300-h400/20190908_172900.jpg" width="300"></a></div><p></p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZz0-b3oESv_NWU_tvzWewe0-IMh6Rqqjlmmml_3r_7r5OOqah6nSYrWKBLIf83V9ZnCn5RDiZUttPG5-J1EdAkBbupz0qPRXdLyjv-QXVSygFQQHgp1OOu-aJ4bcgwHap_AD1r85S20/s2048/DSC_8025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZz0-b3oESv_NWU_tvzWewe0-IMh6Rqqjlmmml_3r_7r5OOqah6nSYrWKBLIf83V9ZnCn5RDiZUttPG5-J1EdAkBbupz0qPRXdLyjv-QXVSygFQQHgp1OOu-aJ4bcgwHap_AD1r85S20/w265-h400/DSC_8025.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br><p>How does anyone else do fabric-covered buttons with thick fabrics? I sewed a gathering stitch around the edge of a circle and then needed a clamp and pliars to get the backing in place. Does anyone else need woodworking tools to do this job??</p><p>Oh! You guys! I nearly forgot! I did cute little bound buttonholes too! Look how sweet they are:</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK42sfqYZLG2DaaF9UIdbHb90hadFrhu0Xm_fsqwFd05stQ56Xs_t6qdMKls4QcZQBBGL5IlK-uBHPhZZCf6dLLA2s7nHbN50twe6Rw0W8Xy5M1MxYVHx3AipbocOsqOpH99Q-RAm2iQ/s2048/20200317_212458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK42sfqYZLG2DaaF9UIdbHb90hadFrhu0Xm_fsqwFd05stQ56Xs_t6qdMKls4QcZQBBGL5IlK-uBHPhZZCf6dLLA2s7nHbN50twe6Rw0W8Xy5M1MxYVHx3AipbocOsqOpH99Q-RAm2iQ/w225-h400/20200317_212458.jpg" width="225"></a></div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Pattern</h4><p>Normally, the number of pieces in a pattern will be a good indicator of how time consuming the project will be. I will repeat my claim that this pattern is pretty brutal in that respect. With every extra pattern piece there are extra seams to sew but also extra seamlines to check, match and "translate" if you make any fit adjustments. </p><p>So what adjustments did I make this time?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Omit the sleeve vents. I only decided this quite late in the project, shortly after I'd finished working on the <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/05/hadestown-at-henley-hades-jacket.html">Hades Jacket</a>. At that point I was DONE with sleeve vents.</li><li>Added some extra space for my hips in the lower part of the pattern</li><li>Kept my edits from the previous sewn version of the pattern</li></ul><p></p><p>I'm a little frustrated that it still cuts quite high into the armhole and that there seems to be too much fabric between my shoulder and my waist (vertical folds visible in the photos). I didn't pick this up at the muslin stage but it does frustrate me a bit now. I just need to be careful with which jumpers and scarves get worn with this. However, overall I think the fit is alright. The shoulders look proportional to the rest of my body and I think that's quite important.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkS4OIWcAwyReVyilPwBG86lI1hYoA3nb2KySAp6UeBN4N7byTTY8ZqENgh1R8Z9fWIlEv-RNWgDyOBwU1G4Rs4xbB4m6Wk9ItmMNnDTk6kJJvH9foIuvmf-Hktg14C5ELdxf-jMV4RI/s2048/DSC_7896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkS4OIWcAwyReVyilPwBG86lI1hYoA3nb2KySAp6UeBN4N7byTTY8ZqENgh1R8Z9fWIlEv-RNWgDyOBwU1G4Rs4xbB4m6Wk9ItmMNnDTk6kJJvH9foIuvmf-Hktg14C5ELdxf-jMV4RI/w265-h400/DSC_7896.JPG" width="265"></a></div><div><br></div>I will probably wear it buttoned because I like to keep warm, but it does produce some weird buckles in the photos. I don't think I'd care when wearing it and carrying a bag, but it bothers me a bit here. It does look best when worn open. What causes the buckling when buttoned up? Well, maybe the extra space for my hips wasn't big enough, maybe I should have put some more shaping into the darts, maybe the bodice is too long. Maybe it's fine and you just need space to move in a non-stretch coat...<div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4_Ee81qo4rcpYiG0Nmd0B2e1inxRQx-GN9HgX2unLyy1yROhZaMhwHnmXzjP0fMkPO6hOW-zXW-7TIoNJ93Ca5EtELd5wk0d_4_nS7jHaz9Jx7job9yB5xrlCAs4_uTyw4fGgqn6nsM/s2048/DSC_7899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4_Ee81qo4rcpYiG0Nmd0B2e1inxRQx-GN9HgX2unLyy1yROhZaMhwHnmXzjP0fMkPO6hOW-zXW-7TIoNJ93Ca5EtELd5wk0d_4_nS7jHaz9Jx7job9yB5xrlCAs4_uTyw4fGgqn6nsM/w265-h400/DSC_7899.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br>One thing that continues to frustrate me with this pattern is the 'Lower Side Front' piece. The one that sits under the pocket opening. Last time I made this pattern, I said that it was easy to lose track of which vertical edge was closer to the front, and which was closer to the side. This time I struggled with the length of the edges and the balance of the pattern piece (as explained earlier when I tried to match horizontal stripes). This is hard to explain, but I think the pattern piece doesn't account for the pocket insertion. I think it wants to match the horizontal waist seam but the pocket welts add extra length to the jacket front and the pattern doesn't correct for that. It means that the vertical on the side front piece is about ~2cm longer than the edge on the centre-front piece and the seam is thrown off. I don't think this would have been an issue with a "standard" welt pocket where you cut into the middle of a pattern piece. I has only become an issue because Burda tries to introduce the pocket with about 5 seams instead. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_fYvVd1IcOUx5jH4lyoeUWSHgJc39SpwwVaQLxx7ZMld1fF_vjeOJ37-nexmbCUG3PKB8FaCZ7qb1cT0D8L8ZZ7roqQzobZkxXXAh3R4kkBQfqNC4AhCp7Q7jYnKqwcVcc0qcPG_1lQ/s2048/20200405_130531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_fYvVd1IcOUx5jH4lyoeUWSHgJc39SpwwVaQLxx7ZMld1fF_vjeOJ37-nexmbCUG3PKB8FaCZ7qb1cT0D8L8ZZ7roqQzobZkxXXAh3R4kkBQfqNC4AhCp7Q7jYnKqwcVcc0qcPG_1lQ/w225-h400/20200405_130531.jpg" width="225"></a></div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Pattern: Centre Back Vent</h4><p>Twice I have made this pattern and twice I have sewn the vent by hand. </p><p>Is it just me? I just don't understand the draft/method for this feature. I know you should be able to machine finish that area, but when the time comes I just can't do it on this jacket. Is it something about the notches that need to be matched? Is it something about the length/width of the lining compared to the outer? I just don't know. I just can't make it work.</p><p>This is also the second time I have mitred the vent corners instead of following the pattern instructions.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3DRRFA8dKtAGvcIeTR5j9GoKEQ4ClSg8TsyTtD_v08mkIAHNUZsLG7Jxe7coG9jNjBpATSGY5XBJQGbdG-Uc5mVOA-vQN8bknIcsQLFtBmgXijn9LmI8NdseRat7Bww7TZakM-maink/s2048/20200405_130559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3DRRFA8dKtAGvcIeTR5j9GoKEQ4ClSg8TsyTtD_v08mkIAHNUZsLG7Jxe7coG9jNjBpATSGY5XBJQGbdG-Uc5mVOA-vQN8bknIcsQLFtBmgXijn9LmI8NdseRat7Bww7TZakM-maink/s320/20200405_130559.jpg" width="320"></a></div><p></p><p>The topstitching across the top of the vent was incredibly difficult, but I think I got a passable result.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd19xCG2JfAQ1GVEos0Y82-WSd_pKQUknjL4wDWRdo97OJo8Jtw03Zh8OovpMUni4Yu1lw0ew-Uc8ZEp7kUAbtxqmBLGjWniVnyzW5LC-he9sX_O2HSv4lC8FggDR8dV1PVo1T1wnC_M/s2048/DSC_7894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd19xCG2JfAQ1GVEos0Y82-WSd_pKQUknjL4wDWRdo97OJo8Jtw03Zh8OovpMUni4Yu1lw0ew-Uc8ZEp7kUAbtxqmBLGjWniVnyzW5LC-he9sX_O2HSv4lC8FggDR8dV1PVo1T1wnC_M/w265-h400/DSC_7894.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGvoXms7BNPzIqqsqj4-KKM61VCV8LDjeWvLzlGY3OIibOxHX6bHhA7EJfu34eq_n163kmWxYnxVu2TGeRK-spbFaHWTkesEqu0J7NcLpgjwX9HL2V74DZjWsdmY_Az4fwm78qpExewc/s2048/DSC_7895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGvoXms7BNPzIqqsqj4-KKM61VCV8LDjeWvLzlGY3OIibOxHX6bHhA7EJfu34eq_n163kmWxYnxVu2TGeRK-spbFaHWTkesEqu0J7NcLpgjwX9HL2V74DZjWsdmY_Az4fwm78qpExewc/w265-h400/DSC_7895.JPG" width="265"></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pockets!</h4><p>This pattern comes with 2 pockets with optional pocket flaps. They're not particularly generous in terms of size, so I increased them a bit. In this version I did cut out fabric for the pocket flaps but saw how bulky they would be and decided to leave them out. The pocket edges are double welts (also known as jetted pockets), and I really like how they look.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MkRIfn3HmKNs1p_7D3S_kGzItGtw58ULJauJavD80k7y0CMGKp6s7sTL7OpwG8p9aSzD9h5hlubO_uwrp5lKeYjTd5laV0EqrVV6TAU6egFjnDpwiFUXDtRrbcufDw3fHWZCIyUWYUY/s2048/DSC_7903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MkRIfn3HmKNs1p_7D3S_kGzItGtw58ULJauJavD80k7y0CMGKp6s7sTL7OpwG8p9aSzD9h5hlubO_uwrp5lKeYjTd5laV0EqrVV6TAU6egFjnDpwiFUXDtRrbcufDw3fHWZCIyUWYUY/w265-h400/DSC_7903.JPG" width="265"></a></div><p>Unfortunately this pattern doesn't include any interior pockets, so I added 2 to the lining again. These are my first attempt at<a href="http://prosew.blogspot.com/2010/12/bluff-stitching-patch-pocket.html"> Bluff Pockets</a>. I don't know whether they're any stronger than other styles, but I was getting a bit obsessed with them on other blogs/videos at the time. These are the same pattern piece as my pockets on the previous version. In the <a href="http://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2017/08/nobody-likes-conspicuous-overachievement.html">blog post for my previous version I list how much wedding swag I could fit in the pockets</a> - which gives you a good indication of how spacious they are!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3tJiWxGzLzfIhob34iH2IVkbHPfvsSXOMzr7gppp43UNNiI85c5-CsxCORLS9Dtn4seV2gS5UIGSOyeR7Nyf8sNmVHLHlRFiy135sVdoAD02mGUTy6LPEcYoXUGTVqwOMEyqHCPB3uo/s2048/DSC_7902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3tJiWxGzLzfIhob34iH2IVkbHPfvsSXOMzr7gppp43UNNiI85c5-CsxCORLS9Dtn4seV2gS5UIGSOyeR7Nyf8sNmVHLHlRFiy135sVdoAD02mGUTy6LPEcYoXUGTVqwOMEyqHCPB3uo/w265-h400/DSC_7902.JPG" width="265"></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Collar</h4><p>There are elements of the collar I really like: the height, the width, the piecing, but I struggle to get the points around the notch to look flat and nicely executed. I think I need more practice and patience when sewing this step on future jackets.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Hem</h4><p>I've alluded to problems with the balance of the side front piece, but it's worth addressing a bit about the hem too. I feel like I just wanted to keep the same fabric stripe at the bottom, but it looks odd now because the hem dips to a point at the side seam. I also didn't have enough fabric for the lining and the outer to meet so I had to add a length of petersham ribbon to the hem. It does the job but it's not as supple as it should be. I think there is some odd buckling and pulling at the hemline - this always seems to be my downfall in jackets!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxrUDHuG4nsDJRzWq1xuHBS0lsjgqsUOPHdQ_dfoY7PN1dIyhjuilki7X-RXT6oCjG8EvJO9bYL6bkJuowYKr5QxuPoHRBAPMivLPHp2m68dWFI5ELPQmA1aSLa6E8d2Nl0hQtdZA9bQ/s2048/20200405_130515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxrUDHuG4nsDJRzWq1xuHBS0lsjgqsUOPHdQ_dfoY7PN1dIyhjuilki7X-RXT6oCjG8EvJO9bYL6bkJuowYKr5QxuPoHRBAPMivLPHp2m68dWFI5ELPQmA1aSLa6E8d2Nl0hQtdZA9bQ/w225-h400/20200405_130515.jpg" width="225"></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTlQySnue4gtobZx760D3_EZWhoIVBya2ZKlEIKwNQ4qFfwyvr5ezPd7u9a7zeWfAkd1mXiGRGCc8_j2BkPDVW6NRj98sLSv3KdXWtH_RuAwxT3oJJiU7YRrRY7a2Vy8-HaAwygp1Pf8/s2048/DSC_8026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTlQySnue4gtobZx760D3_EZWhoIVBya2ZKlEIKwNQ4qFfwyvr5ezPd7u9a7zeWfAkd1mXiGRGCc8_j2BkPDVW6NRj98sLSv3KdXWtH_RuAwxT3oJJiU7YRrRY7a2Vy8-HaAwygp1Pf8/w265-h400/DSC_8026.JPG" width="265"></a></div><br><p>That's it. I like it. I finished it in lockdown and I haven't worn it anywhere yet. I am hoping it will get some outings in the autumn.</p><p>K x</p></div></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-34705305471639094102020-11-03T23:54:00.000+00:002020-11-03T23:54:38.037+00:00Weekend Projects 1<p>Recently I did one of my classic "shut-in sewing binges". I'm still setting up my sewing space and haven't unpacked all of my boxes yet. I have tried to decant all of my stash into the cupboard but, embarrassingly, it doesn't all fit in right now. I'm not even sure what tipped it over capacity, but I saw the opportunity of a sewing weekend to maybe free up a bit of space in the cupboard.</p><p>I'm not ready yet to make complex projects, so I'm focusing on simpler items at the moment. I'm lucky I can shop my stash for quite a few items and will try to use up some more fabric before buying anything else. I do want to restock on cotton (for masks) and stretch activewear (to upgrade my leggings) but that needs to wait a little longer.</p><p>So I took things nice and slow and ended up with 3 items.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Triangle Top</h4><p>I fell in love with this fabric on the 2019 JP trip and knew that it had potential to become something twisty and conceptual that showed off both sides of the fabric (dots and stripes). So <a href="https://pin.it/5k80Szs">this Pinterest classic</a> seemed like a perfect match.</p><p>I cut out some tiny paper triangles to figure out measurements and seamlines. I also used it to test stripe directions. As someone with slopey shoulders, I don't want to accidentally cut stripes in a way that emphasises them. The trickiest part of this was figuring out the sleeves. The photo shows gathering at the wrist and it's a bit puzzling. It's also confusing that the underarm seam is twisty when the garment is laid flat. You would expect only really to see that if one side of the triangle was longer than the other. If you sew the underarm seam like a normal underarm seam, then it just comes to a point where you effectively close up a cone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCeTJ-2hL_UIrcmf95LC0W38gjIcbhJc7_xO1dt_yj5EWQ6hyphenhyphen6WYFXmZzkYsEiJAMGdmBFm3XpLmRfsRRdPnZKZONi_zG5WHXkayB0-pCLylCBQUofN6H5z2GHMdg32GGYi5vmhyphenhyphenAne4/s2048/20201102_212216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCeTJ-2hL_UIrcmf95LC0W38gjIcbhJc7_xO1dt_yj5EWQ6hyphenhyphen6WYFXmZzkYsEiJAMGdmBFm3XpLmRfsRRdPnZKZONi_zG5WHXkayB0-pCLylCBQUofN6H5z2GHMdg32GGYi5vmhyphenhyphenAne4/w225-h400/20201102_212216.jpg" width="225"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1i0V9K1o7zyr9z-0xjkIGfu-DPfY76SVZj2mMV319E8Eo2hdVsLtDRX3tXoO8wL4_uXZtHk09dl_pzhzfTpRkPQv4Fde_RLXap8F94ZrnKvkpy1YsLe4yzOSMJ8VgPGx6eDlvzsfOzA/s2048/20201102_212232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1i0V9K1o7zyr9z-0xjkIGfu-DPfY76SVZj2mMV319E8Eo2hdVsLtDRX3tXoO8wL4_uXZtHk09dl_pzhzfTpRkPQv4Fde_RLXap8F94ZrnKvkpy1YsLe4yzOSMJ8VgPGx6eDlvzsfOzA/w225-h400/20201102_212232.jpg" width="225"></a></div><br><p>I am thinking of making another mockup, taking photos and writing a tutorial - watch this space...</p><p>I finished the neck and wrist edges with bands because why not.</p><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Fairisle Nautical Jumper</h4><p>I fell in love with this fabric when buying my felt over the summer. It's so cosy and good for wearing about the house. It's a basic jumper using one of the Winifred Aldrich blocks.</p><p>I messed up the pattern placement on this so badly that it makes me laugh. I was not with it when I cut this!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jEWeIwaZgDDYPi3bkV1QWPBFYjVmXaINjeh-CdubHDEtJQ8PP6S-w3TDeFtEyYaqvBeD-TSAJ2MrxGWLLfxXdUDUcNTzlSTSE0UIVcsQ_kogoSjxpmHHLhkG6BvRa6emXX3QWmI5p-0/s2048/20201102_225143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jEWeIwaZgDDYPi3bkV1QWPBFYjVmXaINjeh-CdubHDEtJQ8PP6S-w3TDeFtEyYaqvBeD-TSAJ2MrxGWLLfxXdUDUcNTzlSTSE0UIVcsQ_kogoSjxpmHHLhkG6BvRa6emXX3QWmI5p-0/w225-h400/20201102_225143.jpg" width="225"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZh99XX8MzcUeK16ftRUcTQ9nlgKDaTFWxsnNyjSitf2wJ0aC9y5YoCrsXSA2hANkll4aN0KdhEbcKjM5S353zEi0uyxTA8ixxbHH7hEln6wt8hqkeOaL-9jzlk1ftZ5fbDbhqzsPhyphenhyphenl0/s2048/20201102_225216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZh99XX8MzcUeK16ftRUcTQ9nlgKDaTFWxsnNyjSitf2wJ0aC9y5YoCrsXSA2hANkll4aN0KdhEbcKjM5S353zEi0uyxTA8ixxbHH7hEln6wt8hqkeOaL-9jzlk1ftZ5fbDbhqzsPhyphenhyphenl0/w225-h400/20201102_225216.jpg" width="225"></a></div><p><br></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Joggers</h4><p> I remade Burda 11/2012 #135 (?) using a sweatshirting remnant. These are so soft and cosy. I slimmed the leg down below the knee to make it easier to insert the cuff at the ankle, and because I like that style. The fabric is from girlcharlee and I'm a bit wary of how it will wear over time. I made my orange cardi out of a different colourway and it's a bit crusty after a year of wear.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2tbfEOML0t2ly4MPXLBp0uyO65fmS5WvLP0rZ-PlO-MARNdOs1Rmm8jg4hN194NVHbaFv_THo82Rj9JcKLJszO7FT1JDrIkLTRykdWD47CnJzuB9tJa3Sc4eAQRiotNHY5EVIf2GP7E/s2048/20201102_212619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2tbfEOML0t2ly4MPXLBp0uyO65fmS5WvLP0rZ-PlO-MARNdOs1Rmm8jg4hN194NVHbaFv_THo82Rj9JcKLJszO7FT1JDrIkLTRykdWD47CnJzuB9tJa3Sc4eAQRiotNHY5EVIf2GP7E/w225-h400/20201102_212619.jpg" width="225"></a></div><div><br></div>I used an elastane jersey remnant for the cuffs but ran out so I had to piece one of the ankles together. <br><p>I really enjoy wearing the nautical jumper and joggers together. They make me feel like growing a beard and repairing the lobster pots.</p><p>K</p><p><br></p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-15247448828221227662020-10-17T02:07:00.000+01:002020-10-17T02:07:30.820+01:00Curse you millinery class<p>In spring/summer 2019 I took a millinery course at Morley College. Billed as a 3-month evening beginner course, I was hoping for some structured teaching but it turned out a lot more like an open workshop. The participants had varying levels of experience and I'd definitely describe it as a mixed ability cohort. Coming to class with ~9 years' garment sewing experience allowed me to keep my head above the water. A complete beginner wouldn't have had a chance.</p><p>Honestly, I think that to get the most out of the class you'd need to have a solid design idea in mind and seek the advice or techniques to realise it. I am so new to millinery I didn't really know what I was designing and, under pressure to start drawing up the pattern in Lesson 1, went for a very plain "practice hat".</p><p>The expectation was to work on multiple pieces at once and have several to show off at the end of the course (knowing that it doesn't specifically lead to a portfolio or a final show). I finished one, but it got damaged the week before the photo shoot due to an accident with the stretcher. To be honest, that completely took the wind out of my sails.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdER3JpMsSICi-P9O7LtO14vW71xUTfTUR0Ez8mfX7sQLpcgMncURw8AOx4LB4k6xSoRNqDDswPtGbPtfe22kYp7-NdTl7sJvhu9bEWDChnr-z8-Fj_rWG8mmE8x5_ugjyD8ZHlYrnMQ/s2048/DSC_7839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdER3JpMsSICi-P9O7LtO14vW71xUTfTUR0Ez8mfX7sQLpcgMncURw8AOx4LB4k6xSoRNqDDswPtGbPtfe22kYp7-NdTl7sJvhu9bEWDChnr-z8-Fj_rWG8mmE8x5_ugjyD8ZHlYrnMQ/s320/DSC_7839.JPG"></a></div><p>As determined as fate was to stop me getting the best out of class, I did learn some useful things though:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Introduction to unfamiliar materials like buckram, wire and fusible glue</li><li>The difference between a buttonhole stitch and a blanket stitch (and when to use both)</li><li>The basics of hat design and construction (hint: bias is king)</li><li>Felt blocking</li><li>How to fix a piece to your head (combs, elastic, alice band, fitting etc)</li><li>Directing a photographer and model</li></ul><p></p><p>Time will tell if I pick up this discipline again.</p><p>K</p><p><br></p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-27760556370095838242020-09-28T22:08:00.000+01:002020-09-28T22:08:33.347+01:00Distractions pt21 - Snoop My Wardrobe<p>My sewing corner is still not ready to give you a tour. I'm not really sewing seriously yet but I definitely have the itch.</p><p>I can tell you that we finally have some wardrobes! This took longer than expected after losing a gamble with Oak Furniture Land. The original units were lovely but didn't fit out our tiny victorian staircase. So they had to go back.</p><p>In the meantime B was living out of a suitcase with 7 days of clothes inside and I employed the "shove it all in one bag" approach. This meant that B seemed to have a limited supply of complete outfits whereas I seemed to be constantly fishing for t-shirts in an infinite sea of leggings. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65Pv_xAKIbZFGiQGd9Qr-csq62LZbHPWXf4wGB08WftAEnJ6RbuBsjgt9dsL6Pkr5_dGMzGleBGzvqllFcL9pS4tGDlhFJ5Zbdf_vaComCfFu3K05e5smRWY3DjfZg60T41NInfiZFtc/s2048/20200707_223939.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65Pv_xAKIbZFGiQGd9Qr-csq62LZbHPWXf4wGB08WftAEnJ6RbuBsjgt9dsL6Pkr5_dGMzGleBGzvqllFcL9pS4tGDlhFJ5Zbdf_vaComCfFu3K05e5smRWY3DjfZg60T41NInfiZFtc/w360-h640/20200707_223939.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>Once the new wardrobes were in place I got to work on Step 2: fitting all my stuff inside. Not everything needs hanging space so I wanted some shelving to stack things too. I got excited about felt baskets too so I wanted to have one for each nook in my shelving unit. </p><p>Here's the nerdy bit....</p><p>So, I got all of my clothes out of the big bag, sorted them into their normal piles and then measured them. I plugged all of the measurements into my Excel spreadsheet and worked out the volume in cubic centimetres of all of my clothes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oSvpOC8hAUjU8XexK5346LQR_Ys2k-g6jXJKS58kkg5Z0-X4oIumUpuL7nIJiFHw44i_hQJ3vucQfKFpuURjtZsdvVJH6ij0tmlOvKO4sXepcDF7IAYBPRr8cRdOY6eJwnPMZTMHaHM/s584/Volume.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="584" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oSvpOC8hAUjU8XexK5346LQR_Ys2k-g6jXJKS58kkg5Z0-X4oIumUpuL7nIJiFHw44i_hQJ3vucQfKFpuURjtZsdvVJH6ij0tmlOvKO4sXepcDF7IAYBPRr8cRdOY6eJwnPMZTMHaHM/w400-h345/Volume.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I then realised that I wasn't prepared to make bespoke-sized baskets for each category of clothing so I tried to divide them into S, M and L boxes. You'll see that t-shirts got split into 2 lines. This made them a lot easier to sort. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisb7z2zJfA6KflTcE6gHvknKRa8ChePvcSoQt7iWcn2ibfGhm3U-_ggOizhn1PKr1j6bbg2hK23HmOIucVOgISZdY6RubiXZLevYzbcvoAJ-txJgiR0GgcxhCuYhnQRU3T38yuB1-puvo/s591/Box+Dimensions.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="591" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisb7z2zJfA6KflTcE6gHvknKRa8ChePvcSoQt7iWcn2ibfGhm3U-_ggOizhn1PKr1j6bbg2hK23HmOIucVOgISZdY6RubiXZLevYzbcvoAJ-txJgiR0GgcxhCuYhnQRU3T38yuB1-puvo/w400-h161/Box+Dimensions.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I then tried to work out the dimensions of each basket based on the volume requirements. Pro-tip: Goal Seek is your friend. I was struggling with finding consistent height/depth of boxes so I gave it to B to try out. He subsequently invented the Efficiency Ratio, which essentially says how full the storage space is based on the measured volume of stuff we have to fit in. </p><p>We thought we'd found a solution where all the baskets would be the same height and depth at about 90% efficiency. The next question: would it fit into the wardrobe??</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdWSRqOJNQii9u56l-CaZC8lK7qSBKbC6Soz87X9Jpw47PNLV3L93YdKkNd6-URyD3Nh5A8PD-egvqb1HYD7X9DOsHk0cJul_cYdJL_Yqje9mzvoY4sMqi63JSHJt6GLickDTxbHS290/s344/Efficiency.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="344" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdWSRqOJNQii9u56l-CaZC8lK7qSBKbC6Soz87X9Jpw47PNLV3L93YdKkNd6-URyD3Nh5A8PD-egvqb1HYD7X9DOsHk0cJul_cYdJL_Yqje9mzvoY4sMqi63JSHJt6GLickDTxbHS290/w400-h199/Efficiency.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I do still need some hanging space, so there is a height limit. We needed to arrange the baskets so there was some long hanging space and some shorter hanging space. So, we worked out the maximum height of a stack of baskets</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekotKlD3OLzQXrWZg50iqHdH1zAPSEmJem67VZ5r92m_VRgxJK8RO1HF8H_rW9nxvXsUe4Mb7GCb6-ZvqW_XXxEFGlSuFAoi4iTTwwCe2Qh2xZ-BQbUSAsTGPmwVXEk6GY8sVYOfyUYI/s825/Box+Layout.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="825" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekotKlD3OLzQXrWZg50iqHdH1zAPSEmJem67VZ5r92m_VRgxJK8RO1HF8H_rW9nxvXsUe4Mb7GCb6-ZvqW_XXxEFGlSuFAoi4iTTwwCe2Qh2xZ-BQbUSAsTGPmwVXEk6GY8sVYOfyUYI/w400-h223/Box+Layout.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><p>After a few iterations of basket layouts, we found a good one and I started designing the wooden shelving/nooks. I chose the easiest design possible and wanted to avoid any tricky (for me) carpenty. I'd like to try something tricky one day, but when there's a pandemic on and a house to finish, it really is flatpack or bust in my mind. Anyway, I got the pieces cut by <a href="https://www.cutwrights.com/new/home">Cutwrights</a> because I got very excited about them as a business and their quote/cutting layout facility. I would love to use them again on a future project.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqh3H74povN59rGEqvBk6zRnBTAEy_MYnn7KhiFWea1e8B5CE1I6a0HdqJpo_tIIKxkLcYFX9PNBfRz-5mT2RdXrv8d81l0_e4Pgn_vDz-xP1Rvl7ZqizrVbs9k-06A-rOlQ2n3WYKy9g/s2048/20200726_213033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqh3H74povN59rGEqvBk6zRnBTAEy_MYnn7KhiFWea1e8B5CE1I6a0HdqJpo_tIIKxkLcYFX9PNBfRz-5mT2RdXrv8d81l0_e4Pgn_vDz-xP1Rvl7ZqizrVbs9k-06A-rOlQ2n3WYKy9g/w225-h400/20200726_213033.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>The two levels are completely separate box shelf units, for simplicity.</p><p>We sanded and varnished the 12mm ply, though I didn't clean the sawdust properly and it is rough in places. We worked together on drilling pilot holes, counter-sinking and screwing the panels together. </p><p>I ordered some right-angle clamps from Screwfix specifically for this job and they were so useful. Definitely worth the extra £10. The units would have been a lot worse without these. I also would have had at least one meltdown during the assembly of the shelves without these clamps.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr8WTCT9hkKOjYBoawjR5KKTs8LTF5gzVWP6X_OMS51fpBoScVrIzNx-mc0j9FU0I2ty_88-9Ve-ih3jnrFV9zqPuNlRom4sW-r7PFUjYFEu1oXqXagHzPuIFBP9DHJHuNC1Ys32smbM/s1600/IMG-20200726-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr8WTCT9hkKOjYBoawjR5KKTs8LTF5gzVWP6X_OMS51fpBoScVrIzNx-mc0j9FU0I2ty_88-9Ve-ih3jnrFV9zqPuNlRom4sW-r7PFUjYFEu1oXqXagHzPuIFBP9DHJHuNC1Ys32smbM/w400-h300/IMG-20200726-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>So, once the nooks were in place I could at least organise my clothes into their spaces and think about the felt baskets. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTJH3Tg9wDTejTyh4Msz6HDO2rBd2edCz3XSQhkUQhw9_B_aKpvamZZL884rRefP5QNKay4ZoRdmdN3MLDSNlC3FV9PgekWb-rP6ICo_GPvLfd4RmyxcwU5sMIyze4Ul15osL6mzaBoo/s2048/20200726_220017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTJH3Tg9wDTejTyh4Msz6HDO2rBd2edCz3XSQhkUQhw9_B_aKpvamZZL884rRefP5QNKay4ZoRdmdN3MLDSNlC3FV9PgekWb-rP6ICo_GPvLfd4RmyxcwU5sMIyze4Ul15osL6mzaBoo/w225-h400/20200726_220017.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>I wanted a sturdy felt but was keen to avoid that ubiquitous mid-grey colour. The only website I found that offered felt in a good variety of thicknesses and colourways (and labelled them clearly) was myfabrics.co.uk so I ordered some samples from 1mm to 5mm thickness. In the end, the 5mm thickness won. </p><p>My plan was to use my tapestry needles and thick embroidery thread to sew, so I test-punched some holes using my awl and it seemed fine. I had quite a lot of variegated embroidery thread, and not much that matched the felt, so there's a bit of a rustic look to the stitching.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxhP6hwdLapwqsjqP5FKULDieojgMpjcZg1K9xRihUYeuBs1NlteINu7lpiw6JRsGqoPpS4JYvxIUyilEFpZ-AuFA09uyXZj7BCDGtORep4UXIGnFuX4h_msb8aQrmGuq-Xyw_HjICEk/s2048/20200731_193019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxhP6hwdLapwqsjqP5FKULDieojgMpjcZg1K9xRihUYeuBs1NlteINu7lpiw6JRsGqoPpS4JYvxIUyilEFpZ-AuFA09uyXZj7BCDGtORep4UXIGnFuX4h_msb8aQrmGuq-Xyw_HjICEk/w225-h400/20200731_193019.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>Next came the question of how much felt and in which colours. Working out the pattern was tricky. I do like the <a href="https://pin.it/ONSj0L8" target="_blank">fold-up no-sew styles</a> but they seemed like a serious waste of fabric, so I designed a boxy pattern with the seam running front to back. I drew it up in Excel (note: I have NEVER used Excel like this before this project). This formed the basis of the fabric requirement and I shared out the colours amongst the baskets. The full order from myfabrics.co.uk was MASSIVE. I cheerily threw in a bit of impulse buying too. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBhk0_YY0J1L5jgMAmyK6zEse7y8rKMFHemi9N8F-UQK4QfqFRK0QOTqJbGMHG_BaR0liqR5JGgk7EEG7jJt2mc5tLzYo3urRgKQ5vTXUM-Xxum545Oh1hxh4DoVMcEi0a8sXaeqpUrQ/s922/Box+Pattern.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="922" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBhk0_YY0J1L5jgMAmyK6zEse7y8rKMFHemi9N8F-UQK4QfqFRK0QOTqJbGMHG_BaR0liqR5JGgk7EEG7jJt2mc5tLzYo3urRgKQ5vTXUM-Xxum545Oh1hxh4DoVMcEi0a8sXaeqpUrQ/w400-h217/Box+Pattern.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3yvgREDXdWsPxadZJwQNE25OAvygLDwV-p03_1y8huKvcSoaVNRWDYpPXgxrTz_VPjBLSop1atAAr_1VMknZUPFTmEnbTbzegsh2E_FKmuulUxORUc4MYHbeRbVbZTGQL-3rtBR3IIU/s2048/20200728_233918.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3yvgREDXdWsPxadZJwQNE25OAvygLDwV-p03_1y8huKvcSoaVNRWDYpPXgxrTz_VPjBLSop1atAAr_1VMknZUPFTmEnbTbzegsh2E_FKmuulUxORUc4MYHbeRbVbZTGQL-3rtBR3IIU/w400-h225/20200728_233918.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqTvla4rZid6MTHFyTRQ4S9avy_GgkISjqPre-pHWJnmlKOBebSA-m6YRCY4oYA7nltX9VeFsM3nYz4o_SAB7KyqTHR19TQ-yJpJ_Dp_YC-jB3xbTuSNLCu8C9Jio8R4Clf9PnA72bIE/s2048/20200728_234251.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqTvla4rZid6MTHFyTRQ4S9avy_GgkISjqPre-pHWJnmlKOBebSA-m6YRCY4oYA7nltX9VeFsM3nYz4o_SAB7KyqTHR19TQ-yJpJ_Dp_YC-jB3xbTuSNLCu8C9Jio8R4Clf9PnA72bIE/w225-h400/20200728_234251.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwHMmniosAjWnuD4wzVr9tmnn9f_YwVSgeSW-KEKYdlGskds4UvS82FnxOZdUGRQY6iOqbCCGqRuACn8rmKMCl9ZTReYUDe2ItiEFj1nqMkBl4Ss7oXgrVbk64e8-be95ipRnvB0-gJU/s1600/IMG-20200728-WA0024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwHMmniosAjWnuD4wzVr9tmnn9f_YwVSgeSW-KEKYdlGskds4UvS82FnxOZdUGRQY6iOqbCCGqRuACn8rmKMCl9ZTReYUDe2ItiEFj1nqMkBl4Ss7oXgrVbk64e8-be95ipRnvB0-gJU/w400-h300/IMG-20200728-WA0024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>My cutting plan for these was to get each big rectangle cut and then remove the small squares in each corner. It really helped me sit down and get on with the stitching when the felt arrived. Speaking of stitching, I considered a few stitch styles (backstitch, chainstitch, running stitch) but ended up using a blanket stitch on the seams. The principle was to get a flat join in the same way as an overlocker faux flatlock. Basically, sew the seam right sides together and turn inside out once complete. It also meant the edges were butt joined and there was no need to deal with seam allowance. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEJxm3wV8CuakeOoDp0nhv8pAQGvUBbqCncRlhnQaqEOLlfHZxIDy1cD1Wy0EQZZiiq5NXVBWU2MHRaXXakuZpzorsoXR9GHPR97mZ-wfEpDPuwmGYhGnmeVPatjUeF-PTyScLqSg2-A/s2048/20200731_230223.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEJxm3wV8CuakeOoDp0nhv8pAQGvUBbqCncRlhnQaqEOLlfHZxIDy1cD1Wy0EQZZiiq5NXVBWU2MHRaXXakuZpzorsoXR9GHPR97mZ-wfEpDPuwmGYhGnmeVPatjUeF-PTyScLqSg2-A/w225-h400/20200731_230223.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRQC5ljSA7ULkLsTJTDExVKQhuzhi9-0JcZSw7r0PVDLN_myB9AJK8myBw4ao5hnrALsvDuKz8ZfkXQJCslEMueJEDAcpULFvHS5B1WUC3UIe-QdVnKz4fK6cBVIe9iLFvrTWCF1is4Q/s2048/20200801_004256.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRQC5ljSA7ULkLsTJTDExVKQhuzhi9-0JcZSw7r0PVDLN_myB9AJK8myBw4ao5hnrALsvDuKz8ZfkXQJCslEMueJEDAcpULFvHS5B1WUC3UIe-QdVnKz4fK6cBVIe9iLFvrTWCF1is4Q/w225-h400/20200801_004256.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Although I forgot the inside-out step for a couple of baskets.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">In theory I should've tested the buttonhole stitch as an alternative, for its strength, because we covered it in millinery class last year. Secretly, I don't think it would be so easy to open out the seams because the stitch forms a bit of a knot. A blanket stitch is a bit more slidy. I used a few different stitches for the handles.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p style="text-align: left;">This stitch was an absolute thread hog and I ran out of embroidery floss after about 6 boxes, so I switched to some upholstery spools I had available. </p></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Here's a photo of them all sewn up:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhXkc3fps0GhOM_npVO9zK_s0iRXnh6e8oiZIbpmRrhJ4IFcSNtLkJ9GPwAyHyNY6ub1gwlFhT4TWEEWpgOKWAQR8jmKEJzwNkrHKwDluCn3mlIO6REBv13EU9u_i-cs_t-zmPoi9g9g/s2048/20200816_150345.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhXkc3fps0GhOM_npVO9zK_s0iRXnh6e8oiZIbpmRrhJ4IFcSNtLkJ9GPwAyHyNY6ub1gwlFhT4TWEEWpgOKWAQR8jmKEJzwNkrHKwDluCn3mlIO6REBv13EU9u_i-cs_t-zmPoi9g9g/w400-h225/20200816_150345.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I will confess I've been streaming a lot of Twitch in the background recently and watching other people play board games was one of the things that accompanied this make. So I want to <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/shutupandsitdown/v/581716728?sr=a&t=3s">share this very appropriate SUSD clip</a>.</p><p>You might notice in the image above that the boxes are all quite round. I noticed that too. So did B. After I finished my first basket, B came to have a look and said "that'll be really nice once you've blocked it". Naturally this didn't go down well. Firstly, I didn't know how to block felt. Secondly, this sounded like extra work for something that I thought was already done. </p><p>But, after a day or so I came around and realised he was right. I also realised that I technically do know how to block felt because we covered it in millinery class last year (curse you millinery class!). So there was no opting out. I spent a few days mulling over various techniques to hold the sharp corners while the boxes cooled and dried. We do have some scrap wood that would make a good seam clapper but I decided to try using clothes pegs instead.</p><p>The pegs worked really well, though I had to steam the boxes in about 5 or 6 batches because we only have 1 bag of pegs and they get used up very quickly on something like this. The boxes had their bases squared first, then I came back around to do the vertical corners. The pegs really needed to stay in place while the felt dried completely, otherwise the corners didn't stay crisp. I left them on for about 24hrs each time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfr_OYGAJAzmIbE1rvk06ncTDIhBQKTLVdBEkbi4Y45DmQ4o-QKmUXRvV2NiYATmu4uPr9iJXFXRyG8A-1E5Ed02qgjzvstGuQD2rzwA2TwlNu8XQSdm-f5dwPX58YDhz2Jn4ftBfv7Q/s2048/20200831_213053.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfr_OYGAJAzmIbE1rvk06ncTDIhBQKTLVdBEkbi4Y45DmQ4o-QKmUXRvV2NiYATmu4uPr9iJXFXRyG8A-1E5Ed02qgjzvstGuQD2rzwA2TwlNu8XQSdm-f5dwPX58YDhz2Jn4ftBfv7Q/w225-h400/20200831_213053.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgbgCZV4tk3ynzFaNdHlUczx1CsM5jEy2Jfwo6ISQlgWFQXZ1L88DiQJS5cnRa4g_tbBraXcgQp-Kj0LqPReytGbTbZyr0tt0l0wjKGcEAMN1SLCQi4Gn4gki2fi1zs0yvCUDyOHlzDY/s2048/20200921_223935.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgbgCZV4tk3ynzFaNdHlUczx1CsM5jEy2Jfwo6ISQlgWFQXZ1L88DiQJS5cnRa4g_tbBraXcgQp-Kj0LqPReytGbTbZyr0tt0l0wjKGcEAMN1SLCQi4Gn4gki2fi1zs0yvCUDyOHlzDY/w225-h400/20200921_223935.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>Before starting on the steaming adventure I looked around the internet for some guidance on technique. Using steam to shape felt doesn't seem like a particularly niche technique to me (makers and crafters swap and steal techniques all the time) but the only resources I could find were millinery ones. I'm baffled that nothing showed up for any other discipline! (curse you millinery class!)</p><p>This meant that every resource recommended a wooden block as the only way forward (curse you millinery class!). I saw a few bulldog clips being used, but definitely no clothes pegs. I'm so glad I took a chance on this technique!</p><p>The other reason I was trying to find some resources online was to see how other people were generating the steam. You will remember from <a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/01/distractions-pt2-wallpaper.html">Distractions pt2</a> that we currently have the Family Steamer and I wanted some reassurance about using it for this. On my web travels I found people using: hat steamers, kettles, stockpots, warm showers, microwaves and irons...but not steam cleaners! Come to think of it, I didn't see anyone using garment steamers either and I would have thought they'd be ideal...</p><p>Ours has a pressure dial, so I turned it down to a minimum before using it on the boxes. This worked really well. My only problem is that the handle for the steam cleaner is enormous and quite cumbersome for small/medium projects. I would definitely consider using it for makery or millinery in the future.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2znCT3eWFfrXzkH8pFtbBuJd-4VlCnGfUS-dhBl86OSucu9g264HFFo2Udyxvligxj5N0W6cVwd-Ch_K3lolzREUiI9tgdVlEN6J9X67SJTNarQuD63zR0kZCDgJP5mwdNFL9F8aLwQ/s1600/IMG-20200831-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2znCT3eWFfrXzkH8pFtbBuJd-4VlCnGfUS-dhBl86OSucu9g264HFFo2Udyxvligxj5N0W6cVwd-Ch_K3lolzREUiI9tgdVlEN6J9X67SJTNarQuD63zR0kZCDgJP5mwdNFL9F8aLwQ/w300-h400/IMG-20200831-WA0001.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Once my final batch of pegged boxes was complete I started putting them away in the wardrobe. They look so good. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOEYmD-pXE0-m74mSjmf9-7p8zV9Db1Tj56RdTQVhok6o0fxuwjsmSQGBurXIDuO4lsnQa4hyphenhyphenTQ6VmowpMLsekXGzl9jZrRbshyzPPG7ezdkhmgFMEQauWnYGIs5thil7KY8nK_HsICQ/s2048/20200910_123603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOEYmD-pXE0-m74mSjmf9-7p8zV9Db1Tj56RdTQVhok6o0fxuwjsmSQGBurXIDuO4lsnQa4hyphenhyphenTQ6VmowpMLsekXGzl9jZrRbshyzPPG7ezdkhmgFMEQauWnYGIs5thil7KY8nK_HsICQ/w225-h400/20200910_123603.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p>All in all, I'm pleased with how this turned out. But, I'm more pleased with how many different techniques and skills were involved in bringing these together. It's so satisfying to draw on such a wide range of techniques and to see this designed from scratch.</p><p>Stay tuned to find out what I did with the scraps...</p><p>K x</p>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-36042780346023528722020-09-20T10:20:00.000+01:002020-09-20T10:20:01.213+01:00V1591 - I fell in love with a jumpsuitFriends, I never thought I would fall for the jumpsuit craze. I saw nothing for me in the angular stylised boss-lady suits or the casual summer florals all-over. They seemed quite overpowering. I was always disappointed with the single-layer, unfitted, spaghetti strap sewing patterns with elastic casings and ludicrous cutouts. They were not for me.<br>
<br>
And then <a href="https://mccall.com/v1591" target="_blank">V1591</a> came along. Oh my. I still don't know if I fell in love with the sewing pattern or the model. Look at her: that sleek, smooth hairstyle, uncomplicated no-nonsense pose, those angular square shoulders reflected perfectly by the square neckline. The lack of cleavage, those dominant legs. The camera work is so good here: slightly lower, looking up at her. She takes no sh*t. Yes, these are wide legs. Wow.<br>
<br>
So then I looked at the line drawing. This is a bold design with a bold pattern. Actual pleating/seamline detail! Pockets! Backless! Then I looked at the fabric requirements. Lined! underlined! Hanging loops! It's made of lace! I have never seen a lace jumpsuit before, and this one looks amazing.<br>
<br>
This absolute goddess is wearing some sort of formal lace dungaree/jumpsuit with her full back on show and just looks like she's got places to be and people to stomp on. And the sewing pattern shows she knows what she's talking about.<br>
<br>
I realised I needed that pattern.<br>
<br>
I wanted to make sure it wasn't just me who thought this looked great so I waited a full damn year for reviews to pop up before buying it. There were a few instagram posts, but not much else. I also waited for a long time to find the right fabric. In the end I was fed up with dithering and impulse-bought the pattern and the fabric ready for an Easter-weekend (2019) making session. This took about 2 days to make with minimal fitting or design alterations. I will admit I'm incrediibly late to the party.<br>
<br>
Incidentally, this floral viscose was £4/m from John Lewis. Nothing in John Lewis is £4/m! The lining is part of the gift haul that a friend brought back from India.<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2TjAczOTWo3fYO8osicheWmakQ0O-FGfuJ683sRuRNoYF4Ui2hmNCHVYG97m_3W5hYzB28bSw5bBpabMchyphenhyphenZM49EpeBR-lOCKpuC4dTow17w4G9uhSOAsvDM6F8Xnf8hg2eB6Cpxkvk/s1600/20200511_174806.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2TjAczOTWo3fYO8osicheWmakQ0O-FGfuJ683sRuRNoYF4Ui2hmNCHVYG97m_3W5hYzB28bSw5bBpabMchyphenhyphenZM49EpeBR-lOCKpuC4dTow17w4G9uhSOAsvDM6F8Xnf8hg2eB6Cpxkvk/s640/20200511_174806.jpg" width="360"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">V1591 bodice facing, lining and hanging loops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp7dYT5cCZbhfGT1qs_lTOwI6g1ZSvNUepTAY0CzJH-2Ei30UUQKiz70rQAsM0BHhZmyfbmqXfrO8hA6ueEGCcgLHrAQbeT9vd_JXsB92N1Da2EWahpPCY5iRP5Z1Cs-81BYLmubvZ9w/s1600/20200511_174831.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp7dYT5cCZbhfGT1qs_lTOwI6g1ZSvNUepTAY0CzJH-2Ei30UUQKiz70rQAsM0BHhZmyfbmqXfrO8hA6ueEGCcgLHrAQbeT9vd_JXsB92N1Da2EWahpPCY5iRP5Z1Cs-81BYLmubvZ9w/s640/20200511_174831.jpg" width="360"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">v1591 catch-stitched hems and small thread chain for trouser lining</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5um3qk7DwmtYmi5tuqCLUShANosthm7jpyv4bFPHrXlS4M2Gz4RuPFlqke-WAJvYFJIWP4uNNZFXJkcD7tPeaPlg7uWx0O3rGYYs9VPtDKBlCVHcWLES_kelShE2KV9wM4SHfNQWPt4/s1600/20200511_174909.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5um3qk7DwmtYmi5tuqCLUShANosthm7jpyv4bFPHrXlS4M2Gz4RuPFlqke-WAJvYFJIWP4uNNZFXJkcD7tPeaPlg7uWx0O3rGYYs9VPtDKBlCVHcWLES_kelShE2KV9wM4SHfNQWPt4/s640/20200511_174909.jpg" width="360"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">v1591 CB lining and facing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br><div>
I actually followed the pattern instructions for this make and the finish is excellent. The only trouble I had was matching all of the notches at the waist seam between the bodice and the trouser. I think this is mostly because I like to mark the centre front and seamlines, whereas Big 4 patterns don't. They add notches in different places, so it can get quite confusing if both systems are potentially in play. <br></div><div><br></div><div> I also remember the pocket facings being a bit confusing at the cutting out stage as the pattern refers to them as a "patch". If you make this in lace as advised, they may tell you to cut the pocket facing from the lining/underlining fabric instead of the lace. If you're using regular fabric, you don't need to do this - it's a design choice. If you've made this type of pocket before (like on jeans, for example), you'll know what you need to do, so it's good to trust yourself. I still don't know if there's an error or not - but just watch out.</div>
<br>
In terms of cut and fitting, I'm so impressed at the coverage and modesty of this garment considering it's really designed to be seductively braless. I cut an 8 on top, grading to 12 at the waist. The legs are very long - though my fabric also tends to shrink and droop, so it can vary on me. People with different proportions may benefit from shortening the legs. I could have done an SBA, but for this design it didn't seem worth it.<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7q5uq5UWNWyW8_1rNyMS48HpqDDiyDr3pBq_enFLeQg4XUZK99t_X7aO7t5P5e6JvPPR3Qa7qK3XuwJirnNETvHSTopAoL6GeLYQQ5eVr6UwcNLLFfaBs1WJHW-nOkQcSfcA_qZk7xQ/s1600/DSC_7981.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1061" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7q5uq5UWNWyW8_1rNyMS48HpqDDiyDr3pBq_enFLeQg4XUZK99t_X7aO7t5P5e6JvPPR3Qa7qK3XuwJirnNETvHSTopAoL6GeLYQQ5eVr6UwcNLLFfaBs1WJHW-nOkQcSfcA_qZk7xQ/s640/DSC_7981.JPG" width="424"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cut is quite modest on CF, and around the sides/under the arms. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwlySZfVEjjq1aYSyQ2eOx9qbELTlktqZh73x9SWQBQf-2esdGYOhExLzzU3HcA7mD5GiOFFwdLU8c3ZoZYJj6FZCTci0IYbo7wKJdwFZVawSTa5PTjy_avJPj88QxTBz3xo3MBPBwwk/s1600/DSC_7983.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1061" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwlySZfVEjjq1aYSyQ2eOx9qbELTlktqZh73x9SWQBQf-2esdGYOhExLzzU3HcA7mD5GiOFFwdLU8c3ZoZYJj6FZCTci0IYbo7wKJdwFZVawSTa5PTjy_avJPj88QxTBz3xo3MBPBwwk/s640/DSC_7983.JPG" width="424"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXGJhxN327io40uOa54KbdjCxJWjRPxAU_aqZXP3yu2e-ZsvZH0qK5oWwiWiH-AJ88TCP2x20RlnUiLXkfyPpMfVMnH53NskBjGL49hpcIL14oT6AL1gRl6vAJYg-fvzaTWGCdD_4Oww/s1600/DSC_7989.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXGJhxN327io40uOa54KbdjCxJWjRPxAU_aqZXP3yu2e-ZsvZH0qK5oWwiWiH-AJ88TCP2x20RlnUiLXkfyPpMfVMnH53NskBjGL49hpcIL14oT6AL1gRl6vAJYg-fvzaTWGCdD_4Oww/s640/DSC_7989.JPG" width="422"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br>
My finished jumpsuit is more casual than the envelope. I'd love to make a more formal version but honestly, the current one has been worn so much that a casual version was the right choice. It wears best with no bra/shirt underneath (good for sweaty ceildhs) but I do also wear it with lacy M&S bralets or full t-shirts too. It has survived the office, late night ceildhs, duvet days, housework, house parties and camping. It is oddly well-suited to the british climate, handling our annual heatwaves (for which the Brits are famously ill-prepared) and more moderate temperatures too (the lining and underlining really work together).<br>
<br>
On the next version, I'll pay more attention to the straps. I sewed tubes for this version and didn't top stitch at all. They will never lie flat again. I am hoping to find a solution that doesn't use ribbon like the pattern calls for, because the colour-matching challenge would be a big headache. In future, I may also swap out the tie for a button or hooks and eyes - as I'm not a big fan of the knot and always tie it in front. We'll see what the future holds.<br>
<br>That's it for now,<br>
K xKatrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-17410561493427571072020-09-12T21:33:00.000+01:002020-09-12T21:33:48.175+01:00How I use Airtable to organise my sewing projects (and you can use it too!)One morning, early in 2018, I was clearing out my junk folder when an email from Angelist caught my eye. "Excel is dead" the subject declared - you don't say something like that without getting someone like me fired up*. I took the bait and opened the email. This is how Airtable entered my life.<br>
<br>
I love a good spreadsheet, but I really hate trying to use a spreadsheet where a database would be better suited to the job. Airtable plugs this gap, it looks like a spreadsheet but has the functionality of a database (and it looks all pretty and contemporary).<br>
<br>
There were some examples of applications out there already, though the community is much more active by now. At the time, I enjoyed Simon Hørup Eskildsen's posts on how he uses it (<a href="http://sirupsen.com/minimum-viable-airtable/" target="_blank">Minimum Viable Airtable</a>, <a href="http://sirupsen.com/airtable/" target="_blank">How I Use Airtable</a>) and leafing through the <a href="https://airtable.com/universe" target="_blank">Airtable Universe</a> pages to see hundreds of applications I couldn't begin to imagine. I've built some test bases with enterprise applications but we're an Office365 organisation and I have enough problems with people staggering around abusing Teams.<br>
<br>
FYI. This system below would probably work for any situation where you need to pull together several inventories and create projects. But I've done it for sewing as that's my thing. Feel free to take these ideas and run with them.<br>
<br>
<h3>
The Organisation Problem</h3>
On a basic level, I have a pile of fabric and a pile of patterns - they should all be linked together so I know what I'm using for which project. I want to know what I already own so I don't buy duplicates and I want to know what my stock looks like so I can colour match it.<br>
<br>
I want to be able to plan projects when I'm not in my sewing space. I want to browse my stock or find something specific without having to leaf through everything. <br>
<br>
<h3>
The Problem With Sewing Apps</h3>
For a long time I was fruitlessly looking for a digital inventory system to help with sewing. There are a lot of sewing organisers out there, but I always felt that they weren't quite right. Some were expensive and had too many features, some were free and looked pretty rubbish. Some were designed for quilters, or embroiderers or general crafters, definitely not garment sewers. Some were social. Very few of them were designed to work on more than one device (and I don't mean they lacked the ability to sync (though that is true)), meaning that they were only ever developed for iPad or android or WindowsPhone. And none of them ever contained my holy trinity of requirements for an information store: backup, restore and exportable data. Because nothing gets me down like losing my entire inventory each time I replace a device.<br>
<br>
OH AND THE MANUAL DATA ENTRY. EURGH.<br>
Doing it for one app is a chore. Doing it for several is just eurgh...<br>
<br>
And I understand that a lot of these apps will have been developed by tiny teams with a passion to help out other people like them. I get that. I'm sure that so many sewing apps are imperfect home-brewed solutions, but I desperately wanted to believe there was a better way. Something customisable by the user (we do know how to do alterations after all) but where the nitty-gritty infrastructure stuff was already taken care of.<br>
<br>
In the past I've used:<br><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>
<b>OneNote (and Evernote)</b>: For pattern storage. OneNote is like a freeform filofax or notebook. It's good for images and annotations, but not very good for cataloging. For a long time you couldn't filter or search easily (it has improved), but it is a good ground for recording ideas and making digital collages. I really appreciate that this will work (fairly) seamlessley between computers and mobile devices, and I only need to sign in to a cloud account to access the information. You don't even necessarily need OneNote installed because you can access it in the browser.</li><li>
<b>Fabric Locker</b>: This was on iPad several years ago, it might still be there. Allows you to store fabric and patterns, then you can link entries as projects and add free text notes. Used frustratingly tiny pictures, and only 1 per entry. I gave up on this app when I lost my data a couple of times after it crashed.</li><li>
<b>Clothio</b>: Bless Clothio. I love this little Android app. Sure, I can't extract the data or access it on anything other than my phone. Sure, it clogs up my image library by saving image duplicates and breaks a bit if I accidenally delete a fabric image stored elswhere on my phone. Sure, it won't let me edit a fabric image once it has been added. Sure, it's only a fabric library so patterns are left in the wild - but I liked it. I can search by pattern, colour, type, shop, designer...loads of different attributes which are mostly added via tickboxes. Plus, it's offline so I can look at it anytime (but mostly between tube stops when then the wifi drops).</li></ul>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Enter Airtable</h3>
Again, I love a good spreadsheet, but I really hate trying to use a spreadsheet
where a database would be better suited to the job. Except that I only
know how to use databases, not build them. I suck at building/making relationships and I certanly don't know how to get one to support images, or integrate with third parties. And I have limited time, energy and brainspace to learn how. <br>
<br><div>
I don't code - but I know how to build a smashing spreadsheet. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Before I take you on a tour of my setup, I wanted to give you a bit of context on why I've arrived at this way of working. When I first started using Airtable, I had a grand idea for something that I could deploy to the community for free and that could be copied by other users. I have a very long-standing annoyance about cataloguing patterns via technology to have quick reference available - ideally with some sort of link to a database that will auto-fill all the blank spaces about sizing, style, garment type, recommended fabric, size range, rabric required etc and the images. This is normally tied to a website's functionality as a shop, mostly as a by-product of this commercial activity. I know some people have accounts on <a href="https://sewing.patternreview.com/" target="_blank">PatternReview.com</a> that allow them to do this, that <a href="https://thefoldline.com/">The Foldline</a> is probably one of the best repositories of information by now (but doesn't do the community stuff in the same way), and that <a href="http://www.kollabora.com/">Kollabora</a> has also attempted this. I guess these are the most well-known multi-brand platforms. <br></div><div><br></div><div>The stick in the mud for me has always been magazine patterns. When I was buying Burda semi-regularly, this meant ~50 new patterns I needed to catalogue and refer to. I think there is a solution floating around the Russian Burdastyle community, and some people have just stored photos of each centre-page spread of line drawings into their phones. I used OneNote to store a big reference page of all of the line drawings. I guess it's good enough, but I longed for a system where you could tell Burda you owned a particular magazine edition and it would give you access to the PDF instructions, or pieces or just save a list in your user profile. It seemed like a very small ask.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPMuHCEQTx9Z-316ssb-xdW0yAujPC_7m7Oi1L7XZiGHDp1feNPh6F_Stb4TUT6q3RU-ZHc7Rh5W86fhhR0f-0sQ97U1bp9XAG3Y6wGzSFwWc_L7ZSlHhtl2awIw8w-uGA-5wgZgYL-o/s1600/1596756816124925-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPMuHCEQTx9Z-316ssb-xdW0yAujPC_7m7Oi1L7XZiGHDp1feNPh6F_Stb4TUT6q3RU-ZHc7Rh5W86fhhR0f-0sQ97U1bp9XAG3Y6wGzSFwWc_L7ZSlHhtl2awIw8w-uGA-5wgZgYL-o/s1600/1596756816124925-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>And then they launched burdastyle.co.uk <br></div><div>With no pattern images and missing the back catalogue</div><div>And then they revamped the UK site and the US site<br></div><div>Completely obliterating the back catalogue, purchase history, project history of each user.</div><div>They forced most existing users to choose between inflated pattern prices
in their domestic currency or bear foreign transaction fees and
exchange rates to keep using the US platform that had a record of their
projects and purchases. <br></div><div>Because of course your logins were completely separate accounts.</div><div>And then they failed to fill in the information on the product page so you didn't know what size you were buying or if you'd ever be able to procure the materials for the make.</div><div>And they kept the legacy issues where documents were attributed to the wrong patterns, or the wrong patterns to the wrong magazines. So you could buy something, open up the PDF and discover that it was for a different garment.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Oh, and then the magazine got very lame very quickly.</div><div><br></div><div>So now that Burda is never getting my money again, I think my OneNote solution is fine - I just need to break all of the web links. I tried to input a couple of issues of Burda into Airtable, but it's impossible without webscraping, API or a similar tool. So now I will only add a Burda Pattern if I have taced it out already - indicating a serious intention to make it. I've just cleared out the weblinks on these records:<br></div>
<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhil6z745MHTfWwPoHf9kzoiOOQdSMxINqg_OmeFw9ZwgLWBoatRZT1Ax9kmFL-dzx3p0Fiy7OJ_PG60w25Efvejf7nN124JRAOhrY7bNWrajEPYILV9zZ8_JueEhAP64i6VxPCPEzxgmg/s1600/1596756812875782-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhil6z745MHTfWwPoHf9kzoiOOQdSMxINqg_OmeFw9ZwgLWBoatRZT1Ax9kmFL-dzx3p0Fiy7OJ_PG60w25Efvejf7nN124JRAOhrY7bNWrajEPYILV9zZ8_JueEhAP64i6VxPCPEzxgmg/s1600/1596756812875782-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div></div><br><br><div>For other pattern brands, Airtable works okay. I still can't call on an automated way of populating the pattern information, but I can link to the webpage and I don't actually buy that many so I don't need a scalable answer. This is semi-sustainable for now. One major advantage of Airtable is that I can upload my PDF patterns and instructions. That means that (give or take) if I am planning a project away from my main pattern stash, I can print a new version of the pattern! I can carry half my pattern stash around in my pocket.<br>
<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxcbfOUuenpW-OVCwlONSBQV4iHEEzIkdDvx4mmIGlurb20dZOibt6Sa3GuoD2X4hhU36lfxu1rfFCygnfLP0gIL8CFvjyoL6WbVX0DgiV_aX1ZEWXb5wF-S287hxu2iqPle-4Xq9fA4/s1600/1596756809383041-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxcbfOUuenpW-OVCwlONSBQV4iHEEzIkdDvx4mmIGlurb20dZOibt6Sa3GuoD2X4hhU36lfxu1rfFCygnfLP0gIL8CFvjyoL6WbVX0DgiV_aX1ZEWXb5wF-S287hxu2iqPle-4Xq9fA4/s1600/1596756809383041-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3><br></h3></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3>The Tour</h3></div><div>In essence I have 3 tables within my Project Planner (Sewing) base:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Fabric</b> - in which I log an image, characteristics, composition, measurement, brand, colours and shop of the fabric</li><li><b>Pattern</b> - in which I log the name, web link, image, garment type and category of a pattern</li><li><b>Project</b> - Where I select items from Fabric and Pattern to go together. </li></ul><div></div><div>The Fabric one gets updated immediately after a purchase and it helps me remember how much I bought of a particular fabric. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI91jNAQLbkM11P9cqs73y0ypTm9QFxrdQEYjz5i8OeTAHU8Imodi0rI2UmD8Vq1kWFD2zw9uRlt99x9ozfDfQqi3uwhg2AkdKKMNWqUcRNfgj5gku8KjwBiQI6D4VURLnd2IUqr7txs/s1600/1596756806201235-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI91jNAQLbkM11P9cqs73y0ypTm9QFxrdQEYjz5i8OeTAHU8Imodi0rI2UmD8Vq1kWFD2zw9uRlt99x9ozfDfQqi3uwhg2AkdKKMNWqUcRNfgj5gku8KjwBiQI6D4VURLnd2IUqr7txs/s1600/1596756806201235-3.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div>I have filters for various criteria and have just sorted out a Colour field. One of the things I struggled with was entering colour information into these records. For about 18 months, I just used a free text field but it wasn't great. I was hoping for a colour picker, but it never materialised. When I started using Airtable, the multi-select option had very limited colour choices and I didn't want to be stuck with a label colour coded "Green" when the text said "Blue" - I think this has been expanded, and it currently looks like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHdVihnh1On7kwikgqjkKk1QwYVwhgxbhpEt9EIGPLeeJLVCF5xED4x7vt-qQQZTUUOcezFDg0LedtYxyzRbLSnoV8yISFhqb9CeBY-quP7LgaiMVGgG1idyXKCgzmyh_7lYrAh8KRkM/s1366/Grid+View.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHdVihnh1On7kwikgqjkKk1QwYVwhgxbhpEt9EIGPLeeJLVCF5xED4x7vt-qQQZTUUOcezFDg0LedtYxyzRbLSnoV8yISFhqb9CeBY-quP7LgaiMVGgG1idyXKCgzmyh_7lYrAh8KRkM/s640/Grid+View.PNG" width="640"></a></div><div><br></div><div> </div><div>The Patterns and Projects tables have some notes sections, which can be useful if I need to put reminders to myself.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD33zw4YEIOEEV8JwhEF_tzd-rq5QHY8sVOYUl9q_KziWf9Qewzvzyk5-uL9AFNWRFQoznkw-eyRI3I1bJUWoL-ALPoh6s7rIXx5BXhlwoJuI_UH0L8CguuXz1pSryhyphenhyphenKs7UOd_ZpAujA/s1600/1596756803183309-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD33zw4YEIOEEV8JwhEF_tzd-rq5QHY8sVOYUl9q_KziWf9Qewzvzyk5-uL9AFNWRFQoznkw-eyRI3I1bJUWoL-ALPoh6s7rIXx5BXhlwoJuI_UH0L8CguuXz1pSryhyphenhyphenKs7UOd_ZpAujA/s1600/1596756803183309-4.png" width="400">
</a>
</div>I have a small "Done?" Tick box on the Project records and can use this as a rule to filter between 'To Do' list/Available fabrics and completed projects. This has been really useful over time to check back on things. When adding fabric to a project, the table uses the All Fabrics list, so I can also add a scrap to the Project without clogging up my fabric list with tiny cuts.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkYlO99a28TkNIx9FZhkq_f9oFwaLn5JAjPvj0cYNAdelJTvS6PptCudSQEAJCq0dk_r52HqcOdT2PkoIbgXwIWylJBpTh_JrvAcXYEolWLg4fmHM6wbDqxTCHnTO_zPpm7SeFegOztA/s1366/Project+To+Do+List.PNG" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkYlO99a28TkNIx9FZhkq_f9oFwaLn5JAjPvj0cYNAdelJTvS6PptCudSQEAJCq0dk_r52HqcOdT2PkoIbgXwIWylJBpTh_JrvAcXYEolWLg4fmHM6wbDqxTCHnTO_zPpm7SeFegOztA/s640/Project+To+Do+List.PNG" width="640"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Desktop vs Mobile</h3><div>I love being able to view and edit this on mobile and computer. Most of the fabric entries and Projects are created on my mobile - but there are some edits that are only possible on computer (removing a fabric from a project). The desktop version has different views, while mobile only really has a standard one:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SUmmQpKtFMXg8Xi8JUOmuH65iWBUAqEzvdKmyjbtJWosPzVbc5GKQdoMxqeWAwIte7P53_trEkllEz0DT5lYe2ABDaPdIUTDDj14W_Yqpc84emGdqStVPCA-QbeSzv2vlh13-ed3OTI/s1600/1596756799488292-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SUmmQpKtFMXg8Xi8JUOmuH65iWBUAqEzvdKmyjbtJWosPzVbc5GKQdoMxqeWAwIte7P53_trEkllEz0DT5lYe2ABDaPdIUTDDj14W_Yqpc84emGdqStVPCA-QbeSzv2vlh13-ed3OTI/s1600/1596756799488292-5.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On desktop, you can have a Gallery View:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKRpsmtgXY_M7WDmUCykFkxmuYqZpkGsPPBt81gpXkxjIppOgNc6_lYXiMrKBwMkp8Jc3t7xjo2gTxM4Pl8OP6qJfqZFvvET6rJSwSusUH81T7wRArvOX_Sa6dUjMukyvd2h_Tf7lhng/s1366/Gallery+View.PNG" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKRpsmtgXY_M7WDmUCykFkxmuYqZpkGsPPBt81gpXkxjIppOgNc6_lYXiMrKBwMkp8Jc3t7xjo2gTxM4Pl8OP6qJfqZFvvET6rJSwSusUH81T7wRArvOX_Sa6dUjMukyvd2h_Tf7lhng/s640/Gallery+View.PNG" width="640"></a></div><div><br></div><div>And a Grid View:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8dQ4nLFx3nuAbYEFHzYJeWs2-OInvpJUd3BDh3bsGp1jbYk8CCNmPxaYo-05Ry9VvuyNsTOp0Ah6RAz6AIyYIZwIRozpb0Pw4l8iS1P1d-0vajehf2nyi9YdpZls1R2_ubMOTINTWBg/s1366/Patterns+Grid+View.PNG" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8dQ4nLFx3nuAbYEFHzYJeWs2-OInvpJUd3BDh3bsGp1jbYk8CCNmPxaYo-05Ry9VvuyNsTOp0Ah6RAz6AIyYIZwIRozpb0Pw4l8iS1P1d-0vajehf2nyi9YdpZls1R2_ubMOTINTWBg/s640/Patterns+Grid+View.PNG" width="640"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Grid View is most helpful for editing things.</div><div><br></div><div>It is disappointing that there's no mobile Gallery View yet, but I just discovered a "hack" <a href="https://community.airtable.com/t/gallery-view-for-mobile-android/17578">via this Community thread</a> (and when my phone prompts me how I want to open the link, I choose Airtable not browser). This is what it looks like:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyuNRmYVkDsb5M7EmLc7AnPVmNi1xg1Pfvab2fhvK6pp45_7aeVcZZBn0UZVV9BCdZelqBl-ie9t45rNpC3pakp8slnBWkbOOaRXXNNNPKmpwWbGfAIcBb2NgR60aDYdHtO2mrYp0ECs/s1600/1596756795251967-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyuNRmYVkDsb5M7EmLc7AnPVmNi1xg1Pfvab2fhvK6pp45_7aeVcZZBn0UZVV9BCdZelqBl-ie9t45rNpC3pakp8slnBWkbOOaRXXNNNPKmpwWbGfAIcBb2NgR60aDYdHtO2mrYp0ECs/s1600/1596756795251967-6.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>That's it. Happy organising!</div><div><br></div>
K<br>
<br>
*I am am Excel queen btw</div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-47356267073277851822020-09-06T23:28:00.002+01:002020-09-06T23:28:31.519+01:00distractions pt20 - Home stretch<p><a href="https://ohsewcultured.blogspot.com/2020/04/distractions-pt14-marathon-not-sprint.html">Way back in pt14</a> I said it was important to treat the household paint jobs like a marathon, not a sprint session. I showed a screenshot of my paint tracker and felt daunted by the amount of work ahead. Well, friends, this week we finally finished all of the indoor painting. Look at all of those Y's! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHj6Gy8TM3YekbI5vAZZgo9zKtN4rMOKPWuALjLN8h2motoTtXiuzbxttVoxIDiaSCs5MP1JF-Nx1VsO2ba5OUlArTUsoZvv6APQhz4c4e94ZN6QLVeCAW5G2Hxne6-wNUqvypkHMk-M/s778/Paint+Ref+Sheed.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHj6Gy8TM3YekbI5vAZZgo9zKtN4rMOKPWuALjLN8h2motoTtXiuzbxttVoxIDiaSCs5MP1JF-Nx1VsO2ba5OUlArTUsoZvv6APQhz4c4e94ZN6QLVeCAW5G2Hxne6-wNUqvypkHMk-M/s640/Paint+Ref+Sheed.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For those of you following this saga, we chose a bright butter yellow for the skirting/door frames upstairs and a deep blue for most of the skirting/door frames downstairs. The trim in the kitchen and bathroom is white gloss. There is also some tactical white gloss in the exterior doorways to make them seem bigger. These paints were so gloopy compared to the wall and ceiling paints, it was a bit of a shock when I started working with them! Also, the gloss paints look best with two coats - it was definitely worth the extra effort.<br /></p><div>I am so relieved we have all "finished" rooms now. It feels like a big milestone! <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There's still a bit of external masonry to paint, but I need to wait for a dry spell. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stay safe </div><div>K </div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-34928277177068613742020-08-30T16:35:00.000+01:002020-08-30T16:35:17.022+01:00Distractions pt19 - makers gonna make (Lighting Gel)In the background of some of my photos you might've seen a brown lamp. <div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon5h75SaZw9JPo9jf9OQeESJ5UBhoaAfRrfnvWW-hoLhaju_5GUnnMXTzfQliAKVMwyo19a-IhpWIEjcEWPDubaPMOYcR6__lLmd4Oc2ttOIVzWjeFXLeer9bLkPkoQCc6En9u05cJ8s/s2048/20190818_182106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon5h75SaZw9JPo9jf9OQeESJ5UBhoaAfRrfnvWW-hoLhaju_5GUnnMXTzfQliAKVMwyo19a-IhpWIEjcEWPDubaPMOYcR6__lLmd4Oc2ttOIVzWjeFXLeer9bLkPkoQCc6En9u05cJ8s/s640/20190818_182106.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>A few years ago while walking around TK Maxx, I saw this casing and fell in love with it. It was designed as a patio lamp - supposed to hold citronella candles or something similar. I thought it would look lovely as an indoor lamp, a with a bit of modification to hold a lightbulb. It was £40, which was a lot for me at the time. To get it back to the flat we had to bungee cord it to B's motorbike and I had to get the bus home. I'm amazed it didn't break. </div><div><br></div><div>Anyway, we modified it and installed a lightbulb. I've always meant to install some diffusers too - because the light is a bit harsh at short distances. I scavenged some lighting gel a few years ago from a theatrical supplier, but never managed to install it in the lamp. I over-complicated the job in my mind and then avoided it. I also dithered between using the lighting gel and buying some replacement acrylic (frosted) for the window panes. </div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBZ1zmbrP1Tj9_8VXA_IT9zqY8EVPuosqQ15EDQaQYfr94BQsSxcmmq4pLYDQUVJWCiHoKHfZTHPcTuQKmUnQKjTlUIVGDSS4Kt5-5ohba1EfkvSOB3CgmSALrvspMQM9a1PnP04klbE/s2048/20200625_223652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBZ1zmbrP1Tj9_8VXA_IT9zqY8EVPuosqQ15EDQaQYfr94BQsSxcmmq4pLYDQUVJWCiHoKHfZTHPcTuQKmUnQKjTlUIVGDSS4Kt5-5ohba1EfkvSOB3CgmSALrvspMQM9a1PnP04klbE/s640/20200625_223652.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Shortly after moving in, I had a crafty itch and broke out all the supplies for the lamp. It took me an evening to install the diffusion gel. It's not perfect, but it's good enough and now the lamp casts some softer light. This will be perfect when we finally get a sofa and it can take its new place on a side table. </div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6TprJm-Vy2bYTRBm-QJMKPZ7AF6LxCHxNA6ouXxGgP3MYi-DC7Emv-Uqn_GXf4DdMil2Tw7ZHzpYVoNqJ3aMxc3NJF5MEn1360ile2qC-DqclYZOc3wrLCc42qfBk9FcpVH-4cnI9ws/s2048/20200625_225732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6TprJm-Vy2bYTRBm-QJMKPZ7AF6LxCHxNA6ouXxGgP3MYi-DC7Emv-Uqn_GXf4DdMil2Tw7ZHzpYVoNqJ3aMxc3NJF5MEn1360ile2qC-DqclYZOc3wrLCc42qfBk9FcpVH-4cnI9ws/s640/20200625_225732.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div><div><br></div><div>K x</div></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-44952278906873266152020-08-23T22:32:00.000+01:002020-08-23T22:32:07.462+01:00Distractions pt18 - makers gonna make (Ikea Flintan chair reupholstery)<p>You might not know this but I have a variety of seating in my life. Each item fills a different purpose and, broadly, each one overlaps with another one a little bit: tall stool, short stool, deck chair, dining chair, camping chair etc. But, since lockdown and since moving in, I have been struggling with not having a real office chair to sit in for work. </p><div>B invested in a new chair for his desk, so I took over his<a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/flintan-office-chair-vissle-grey-80336838/" target="_blank"> Ikea Flintan</a>. As soon as I got my hands on the Flintan, I tore it apart. This chair has been sat on for hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours. It needed new foam and new fabric before I was prepared to sit on it. </div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Also, the inside of the mesh back was filthy.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaGXeuONXQtTDm_vec9qUVGoyyIeCYniw1CFLjKsOyb6Xfl1kvC-xU1WhClqzw_wXpv4QjR4BxkfMiSzUIhNIAvuk7NbkTHbr-9YplaZIdDvcBOebsnG3u0SkjZMK3qxq38ArSMO5QtM/s2048/20200816_221856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lots of dust inside a IKEA Flintan seat back cover" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaGXeuONXQtTDm_vec9qUVGoyyIeCYniw1CFLjKsOyb6Xfl1kvC-xU1WhClqzw_wXpv4QjR4BxkfMiSzUIhNIAvuk7NbkTHbr-9YplaZIdDvcBOebsnG3u0SkjZMK3qxq38ArSMO5QtM/w360-h640/20200816_221856.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>FYI, the staples for the seat upholstery did not come out. I used a knife blade to cut around each staple.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ordered new foam off the web (luxury firm), new fabric, new interfacing and a new zip. In the end, I reused the existing zip and used interfacing from my stash. It turns out I can't identify interfacing online at all and bought the wrong thing, and the new zip was a bit too chunky.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHq8oIClDghaPlm-tcAxrsEKaho4-569HHHiSUIznCnoLquRTUtjsBJjtqf511Hvbsh3QeBs9F-eIbArkg6GsM1pQ9pKPoNOJ5Zw6tnx0mcbcuwxeK-g92fsva505-keHuiSTaGCgYWts/s2048/20200816_151440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Replacing the foam in an Ikea Flintan Chair" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHq8oIClDghaPlm-tcAxrsEKaho4-569HHHiSUIznCnoLquRTUtjsBJjtqf511Hvbsh3QeBs9F-eIbArkg6GsM1pQ9pKPoNOJ5Zw6tnx0mcbcuwxeK-g92fsva505-keHuiSTaGCgYWts/w360-h640/20200816_151440.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The back is interfaced but the seat is not. I am fairly sure the original fabric is a cordura, but the website I was buying from offered it in different deniers and I had no clue what a sensible number was. I bought 1000dn, but this seems like overkill now. I could wear sandpaper trousers for a year and the seat wouldn't care.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I seam ripped the existing chair and used the pieces as a pattern. I used upholstery thread to stitch and topstitch.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the back support band you can see between the mesh pieces, I discovered that it is simply looped between two "hooks" which are held in place with screws. This was a relief because I didn't need to work out how to manouvre the metal frame around the sewing machine! This piece was 2x bits of seat fabric with a plastic sheet in the middle. It wasn't very rigid so I upgraded it with a piece of buckram leftover from millinery class. FYI, I really like this stiffener - for certain purposes. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNGOzy15dPy03sa3vb7EYKxbvBGYBls5Fn28WnouHDUOYZGsGAew4ApFRFJOFQONoLOAoqvAP5fkC3oENPCaMYUvtPb4x0ZLuhcq-EVwqOa4qQ0y535UryM1KiwzBkfneZGehpaiI-T8/s2048/20200821_115317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cutting buckram for lumbar support" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNGOzy15dPy03sa3vb7EYKxbvBGYBls5Fn28WnouHDUOYZGsGAew4ApFRFJOFQONoLOAoqvAP5fkC3oENPCaMYUvtPb4x0ZLuhcq-EVwqOa4qQ0y535UryM1KiwzBkfneZGehpaiI-T8/w360-h640/20200821_115317.jpg" title="Computer parts make good pattern weights" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Also, since we're still in "box chaos mode" and I can't find most of my makery equipment, B kindly lent me his scissors for cutting and his fancy computer parts for pattern weights.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, I'm pleased with how this turned out, especially the seat. I should have re-inserted the mesh back because there were some puckers but it doesn't affect the functionality of the chair, so I don't really care.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino4CVayGKw4L06oxsGCzjCjgJBZGF9uKJIfsxkFz90XBHFS2TsIM0beNNEbFK6mI22OorhGN2ScXiwZDuNoMOOTB2JvSLvGIQD5g75sHHdQm3Prx1IvorivvaydeMDiViT1HLbXbW6nY/s2048/20200821_190233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino4CVayGKw4L06oxsGCzjCjgJBZGF9uKJIfsxkFz90XBHFS2TsIM0beNNEbFK6mI22OorhGN2ScXiwZDuNoMOOTB2JvSLvGIQD5g75sHHdQm3Prx1IvorivvaydeMDiViT1HLbXbW6nY/s640/20200821_190233.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNyn0I_en4w7a_ha9YbdKbKGxkIR_no7xBWRB0E60oVgN9aR6m91d9gE6kqxW7UeTxXkxHeVdiN1aAI5ozYwtKkr-VTvJpqjOsNduiJ8t-OVg8Fcygas7ClizcUSvJXdCdGXebKd9oDk/s2048/20200821_190246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNyn0I_en4w7a_ha9YbdKbKGxkIR_no7xBWRB0E60oVgN9aR6m91d9gE6kqxW7UeTxXkxHeVdiN1aAI5ozYwtKkr-VTvJpqjOsNduiJ8t-OVg8Fcygas7ClizcUSvJXdCdGXebKd9oDk/s640/20200821_190246.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Did I spend as much on this revamp as buying a new Flintan? Yes, easily. About £100-£110. The foam was cheap, but the postage was not, the fabric came from Germany and I bought new threads etc. I could've cut the cost down to about £50 by not ordering the stuff I didn't end up using and by switching to a lower denier cordura. I could have cleaned and reused the seat back easily, but the seat fabric was badly damaged when I removed it, so it would need replacing. Replacing the foam was essential as we could feel the hardware though the seat.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do want to say that the Flintann chair has good bones and is simple enough to re-upholster. Seriously, I think plenty of novice DIY-ers could do this, or find good alternative methods to replace what they need without completely replacing the chair. The base, seat and frame are all durable and I'd hate to see this go to landfill. I'm looking forward to getting a few more years of use out of this!</div><div><br /></div><div>K x</div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685674947919678458.post-59988818166818577022020-08-12T17:53:00.000+01:002020-08-12T17:53:47.009+01:00Distractions pt17 - the sliding puzzle<div>I realise I've not done one of these distractions posts since May and you're probably all itching to know what's going on. Well...We're in. We're "finished".</div><div><br></div><div>The builders left us with a lovely new house, and all we needed to do was to (caulk it), paint it and move all of our junk 30 yards down the road from old house to new house. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Friends, it took us about 2 weeks to move our stuff. We spent our first night here on 12 June and have been here ever since. It is a lovely little house. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Since we moved in, everything has turned into one giant sliding puzzle. <br></div><div><br></div><div>We are making slow progress towards being "done" - there is still some bare plaster that needs painting, rooms need clearing of boxes, windows that need blinds, we need to put up a shed, we still need a couch. I have a week off at the end of the month and am going to try to get more done. Don't tell Occupational Health, but my current 'work from home' setup is a camping chair and an ironing board. Hopefully I will have a proper desk and chair by mid-September but we need to see how things go.</div><div><br></div><div>K x<br></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02429683896726352793noreply@blogger.com0