I was inspired to make these leggings by Karen’s Sporty Summer Sewathon, and also in an attempt to get me back on track with my own exercise routine. This past year, my active-ness has ranged from triumph – running my first half-marathon (Yay!) to disappointment – having to drop out of my second half-marathon due to injury (Boo!). But I’m ready to put all that behind me and get back to work! Oh look a button!
I immediately liked the Papercut pattern, because the seams are actually quite flattering and more interesting than your normal boring leggings pattern. In order to make these leggings into a pair of practical running pants, I knew I had to add a back pocket. Often for races, I need a spot to hold a car key, license, and maybe even some cash. Instead of constructing an actual pouch, I thought it might be easier to just double up the waist area and create a pouch that way, similar to another pair of running pants I already had.
I cut two panels of each and serged the front and back of each separately. I then stitched the waist pieces together, seams on the inside, and used it as one piece when attaching the legs. I used a serger on all the seams, because, you know…knit. I decided to use an invisible zipper for the back pocket, in order to keep that clean, legging-like look. I cut a slit on the back panel, sewed in my invisible zipper (cut to fit), and sewed a seam Continue reading “No Sweat! Workout Pants”→
For a fantastic start to my week, Helen from justsewtherapeutic has nominated me for a Liebster award. Huzzah! I had seen these buttons around, and after some googling discovered that this award is given by bloggers to bloggers as a way for up-and-coming blogs to reach new readers. When you are nominated, you get to answer a few questions and nominate others…and the cycle continues.
So here they are…Helen’s questions. I will try to make my answers as interesting as possible.
1. What was the first thing you ever made?
Before I really got into making clothes, I made a green table cloth. It didn’t come out that great, despite the fact that it just a square. I have come a long way….I think. My first real item of clothing was a simple A-line skirt (because I really needed one that I liked), but I had A LOT of help with it.
2. If you could only ever use five patterns again which would they be?
Hmm…this one is tough since I am still kind of discovering new patterns all the time. But if I were to think of it in terms of wardrobe necessities…
New Look 6108 for knits: This has the easiest knit skirt pattern that I have used a few more times – and plan on using for a new skirt very soon. Very versatile.
Simplicity 2700 for pants: Very simple pants pattern that could be used for all types of dress pants.
Butterick B5954 for tops: This is a great tunic pattern – I made one of them and have plans for more. It has sleeveless and sleeved patterns which makes it great for all seasons. Also for knits.
McCalls M6610 for jeans: Cuz you need a good jeans pattern.
A pajama pants pattern I made myself out of some disassembled pants from the dollar store. Not helpful I know
3. Greatest sewing achievement?
Probably the dress I just finished for my friend’s wedding. It was the first project I really took my time on to get it right. A close second would be this tunic, which got a lot of attention from my friends on Facebook.
4. Greatest sewing failure!?
Honestly I made a ton of mistakes with my gold jeans. It was a noble attempt, but definitely a learning experience that will hopefully help me the next time I make a pair of jeans. I also made a pair of wool-blend pants that ended up enormously too big for me. My weight was fluctuating at the time and even though I thought I had followed the measurements on the pattern, they ended up looking pretty baggy, despite my efforts to take them in. I refuse to get rid of them and have worn them a few times, just because so much of my time and effort went into them.
Nothing says summer like outdoor BBQs, Mungo Jerry, and new swimsuits! I have plans to make two, and I even cut out two separate suits, but I only had time to make one this past weekend. What I love is that you don’t need a lot of material to make a bikini, so I got these less-than-a-yard “scraps” at Fabric Place Basement in Natick, MA. The pattern is out-of-print I believe, but I had a hard time finding one that I liked. It’s from the late 90’s, but I think the suits featured here are still in fashion. I decided to make top C and bottom G.
I want to start off by saying I felt like I was cheating a bit, because I actually used my mom’s brand new electronic sewing machine – “Mega-Weapon.” (Yes this is my name for the machine, my mother would never call her machine Mega-Weapon). She had recommended I use a stretch stitch for these, and since I didn’t have time to figure it out on my machine, she told me to use hers. This thing is insane – you change stitches with the touch of a button and it cuts, pulls in the bobbin, and does the back stitch all automatically as well. I don’t know, it was cool to use it, but I think I actually prefer Continue reading “In the Summertime…”→
I’ve been kind of frustrated lately. With my new job, long commute and social obligations, it’s been tough getting a decent chunk of time to finish my sewing projects. Which means nothing to blog about. However, last weekend I did end up taking a trip to Oldie’s Marketplace in Newburyport, MA and I had a great find.
I’m thinking this is from the 1970’s and I got it for $3 (plus tax). I’ve been looking for a pattern for a casual knit dress and I think this could be fun. Hopefully all the pieces are in there :o)
I’ve been really enjoying looking at old patterns lately and I can literally spend hours on Etsy just browsing through them. The challenge is that they usually come in one size, so sometimes you can’t find what you want. This one might be slightly big on top, but should be easy to adjust and shouldn’t be too much of a problem since it’s made for knits.
What do you think? Any fun “throwbacks” you working on right now?
I found some gold shiny slight stretch denim at Sewfisticated Fabrics, my favorite discount fabric store for $1.99 a yard. So thought I would give making blue (well gold) jeans a shot. I actually bought two jeans patterns, but I really liked the simplicity of this one. McCall’s does a good job of writing clear and concise directions that even a beginner sewer can follow. There is also an extra insert that explains how to adjust your pattern to fit, which is actually pretty useful. This is not my first attempt at pants, and I seem to always have trouble with the sizing. Even though I measure and adjust, it always seems like my pants come out 2 sizes too big. I decided to go for a smaller size this time when I cut. This inexpensive piece of gold denim would be a perfect experiment for some other pants projects I had in mind with some really nice corduroy I had bought. But I also thought it looked kind of cool and I thought I could make it into a sort of novelty fashion jeans to wear for certain occasions. When I tried them on, they were a little tight and reminded me a little of…
Hmmm….maybe I can still make them work.
On My Back Pocket
The pattern is designed very logically and very consistent with the way most jeans are constructed. It starts with two front pockets which I used cotton muslin for, and a zipper which you will need to cut and stitch to form a new zipper stop. As much as I hated basting (and oh I HATE it so), it is really important to baste with pants. I was more diligent with it for this project and I think it really made a difference. These also featured a mini right pocket that you see on most jeans which was an easy addition and a nice touch.
The other decision I had to make had to do with the back pockets. I kind of wanted some sort of embroidered design to give these a personal touch. I went with this fleur-de-lis design since I’ve always liked the design and it complements my French heritage. I found a picture online and traced the outline with a pencil onto some tear-away embroidery paper. I pinned the paper to the back and traced the outline with my mom’s newer sewing machine on a tight zig-zag stitch threaded with some lovely gold thread. Then, I just tore away the paper from the back and was left with these decorative back pockets.
Another thing I learned was how easy belt loops are to make. My other pants attempts did not include them, but now that I know how easy they are, this may an addition to all my pants. It’s basically a long rectangle that is folded over from each end (the long way), sewed along both sides, and cut into 4 inch strips. Designing a pattern piece for these in the future will not be difficult.
Waistband Blues
The real issue I had with these jeans was the waistband. For a few possible reasons, the waistband ended up significantly smaller than the waist of the pants. I think there is a reason it is supposed to be smaller – probably to give a more fitted look in the waist. You are meant to ease stitch around the top of the pants and pull the thread in a little to “ease” the material to fit the waistband. There were two reasons I had trouble with this: 1) The thread continually broke when I tried to pull it, probably due to the stiff material. 2) I could not sew the waistband on without huge bunches in the fabric, which looked terrible. I had hit a real roadblock. The only thing I could think to do was cut a new waistband and give extra room so I could fit it around easier. Unfortunately I did not have enough material to cut a new waistband, so I had the idea to cut it in two pieces and sew a small seam down the middle. This was a success even if the back of the waistband now has a seam, which I don’t like. Luckily, this is just an experiment and I can use these learnings for my corduroy pants and other jeans I may make.
The last step, which still needs to be done, is to add a buttonhole and button to the waistband. I was able to find a great button by looking through a giant vat of 25 cent buttons at a local fabric store. Gold-blinger jeans. If I ever need to dress like a service droid, I’ll be all set. But more importantly, I will be able to use these jeans to create a new adjusted pattern for other pants projects. More to come on that later. (Bonus: click on C3PO for a special surprise)
From this angle, you cant even see the back seam on the waistband. You may think that the belt loop is covering it, but unfortunately that is not the case. I really need to get better at measuring.
This shirt got a lot of positive response from friends and family. Very easy to understand pattern and a very flattering result.
Pattern: Butterick B5954
I don’t know if this is technically a sweater knit, but that is what I call it, since the top looks like a sweater. The material is knit, but is thinner than it looks. This pattern is for two-way stretch knits and has a few options for tunic styles. I will definitely try this one again.
One of my first successful projects involved some cotton knit material my aunt gave me, bust-line gathers, and this Very Easy Vogue pattern #V8571.
The pattern was a pretty straight forward pull-over dress with a gathered bodice and empire waist. This looks very flattering for most body types. It is for two-way stretch knits, which works best when the material can be pulled both ways. The material I had probably medium-weight, but I think this pattern will work well for lighter weight materials as well.
My mom’s serger just happened to be in the shop at the time, so I decided to try out the overlock stitch to prevent unraveling.
(This is shown as on my machine)
This worked great on finishing the raw edges, but it unfortunately broke my machine! My machine is from the 1980’s and since those special stitches had not been used in a while, it could not switch off double stitches, even on the simple straight stitch. This really caused an issue when I tried to fix my slightly crooked hem – there was no way I could tear out those stitches. I guess with this one I will have to live with the imperfection (machine has since been fixed).
The gathered bodice was the actually the most successful part of the dress. Since I didn’t follow the cutting directions correctly the first time, I ended up with an extra bodice that I was able to practice on. I did some light research online and jumped right in. Basically, these gathers involve Continue reading “Gather ye bust line…”→
I really can’t pinpoint how it all started. I was unemployed at 34 and trying hard to look for a job, while I finished my MBA at night. My parents had graciously taken me into their home while I tried to craft my ideal career, taking in pro bono work and dabbling in consulting jobs. I had some free time. And I had a recently serviced sewing machine. And I really needed a skirt. I am obsessed with clothes. If you ever saw my closets (yes, more than one) you would…well you would probably put me on that show Hoarders: Buried Alive. Actually clothes hoarder is pretty accurate, since I also panic and cry whenever I try to get rid of a clothing item. I love clothes – I love looking at them, I love trying them on, and I love buying them. Especially new clothes. It can be a pretty expensive habit and when I lost my job, it was obviously the first thing that was cut from my budget. But I also had another problem. Being of a certain body-shape, I can only really wear skirts that are full and not fitted. It seemed like the skirts that I liked the look of were not flattering, and the flattering skirts were nothing special. I wanted to take matters into my own hand – how hard could a simple A-line skirt be? Turns out…not that hard! And so a new obsession was born. Now going to the fabric store is my new high and it’s even more exciting than clothes shopping. I see a bolt of fabric and imagine all the possibilities that it could become. A skirt? A wrap-dress? Maybe just a short-sleeve blouse? Sometimes I’ll go to the fabric store to see if inspiration hits me. Sometimes I buy fabric that looks nice and have no idea at the time what I am going to make with it. At the moment, I have a lot of fabric and many potential projects ahead of me.
Which brings me to this blog. I’ve been sewing off and on for about a year. I can’t stress enough that I am in no way an expert – more of a sewing enthusiast. I thought it would be great to create a place to share the projects I was working on, especially since other sewing blogs have helped me in the past. My hope is that by sharing my experiments and stories, I will reach out to anyone who enjoys the art of making clothes as I do. Maybe there will even be some useful information that will help you in your projects. I welcome all feedback, advice, and anecdotes about your experiments as well. My wish is that it can become more of a conversation about sewing, since I don’t have too many friends that share this passion.
So that is my description. I feel like I need a cheesy quote in here somewhere. Like…”something something the journey is….something ….and that made all the difference.” Whatever, I am not good at quotes. Feel free to insert one if that is your bag. And check back for my experiments…failed and successful! I will try to post both.
gs me to this blog. I’ve been sewing off and on for about a year. I can’t stress enough that I am in no way an expert – more of a sewing enthusiast. I thought it would be great to create a place to share the projects I was working on, especially since other sewing blogs have helped me in the past. My hope is that by sharing my experiments and stories, I will reach out to anyone who enjoys the art of making clothes as I do. Maybe there will even be some useful information that will help you in your projects. I welcome all feedback, advice, and anecdotes about your experiments as well. My wish is that it can become more of a conversation about sewing, since I don’t have too many friends that share this passion.
Threading Lightly 