wow, progress feels really good - the sewing challenge is back on track

I spent a little time this weekend putting together my new Tracy Reese skirt (Vogue 1092) and it's gone relatively well, if you like ripping out stitches.



Honestly, I love this skirt! It's just that those triangles gave me fits for awhile as they all got turned around and inside out and whatnot. The fabric I'm using doesn't have a discernible right and wrong side, so it's been a tad tricky.



But I soldiered on! I will not let this skirt be the hill I die on! I am getting way too caught up in battle analogies, but there are an army of army guys under my feet so it's appropriate.

I finished to the point of hand-stitching the zipper lining and hemming it. I really want to use my blind hem foot but my primary machine is in the shop and I'm sewing in my Grandma's old Bernina, so I'll finish the hemming next week sometime.

I have to confess, I'm wearing Spanx in these pictures. I cut the pattern to my size, and then tried it on after I had the skirt body put together, but before I'd attached the lining. I took in the sideseams about 1/8" on either side, and now I wish I had that back! But it's possible that I'm a tad bloated right now, and I'm always heavier in the winter, and then there's always the possibility that I'll suffer some metabolic change and lose a little weight for no reason, right?

So far I wouldn't call this Vogue pattern Advanced. I think an intermediate sewer with experience putting in a zipper could definitely do it. It has a little insert for the kickpleat that was the first of its kind I'd ever seen, but it wasn't difficult and the pattern's instructions were clear as mud.

Next up, I'll be starting on the jacket, oooooooooooohh [that was a scary ooh, not a happy ooh]. I don't think I've ever made a jacket with sleeve stays, so this is definitely a project that will be expanding my skill set.

And then after that I'm super excited to get started on my Colette patterns Parfait dress! I have the perfect linen/cotton blend from Japan with strawberries all over it. And then after that.... you see my problem? I am adult ADD in action.

- H

Tracy Reese eat your heart out

I have to set aside the two Jazz Hall skirts for a while and take a breather. If you sew or have a hobby that involves something whereby you put something together or whatever, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Sometimes things just go wrong and the best thing you can do is STEP AWAY FROM THE BLEEPING PROJECT.

So I prepared to cut out my next January project, the Kristen dress from Burdastyle in a lavender pinstripe tropical wool.

Only, I just couldn't do it.

See, I spent my lunch hour yesterday at Hancock's, collecting my ten Vogue patterns that are on sale through Sunday for $3.99. When they typically retail for $30, that's a great deal.

Nine out of the ten I picked up are designer patterns. I sat staring at the Kristen pattern printout and the fabrics, and knowing in my gut that it just wasn't the right dress for that fabric, I glanced over at my new pile of patterns. Looky who jumped out at me! Vogue 1092.



I know this Tracy Reese pattern is labeled Advanced, which usually means "Hey, unless you have a degree in tailoring and clothing construction and have spent twenty years interning for Ralph Lauren don't even attempt this pattern," but I'm not scared. The stripes! It's perfect for this fabric.

I had one teensy tiny problem. I only had maybe two and half yards of lavender stripe, and to do both the skirt and the jacket I needed at least three and a half, according to the pattern.

I wasn't dissuaded. I cut out the pattern pieces and started laying them out. I decided the skirt was more important to me, and something I'll wear more often, so I cut that first, being extremely careful to waste not one inch of fabric.

Then I started looking through the remaining pattern pieces for the jacket. I set aside lining pieces, and there were three things left - facings and sleeve stays. Voila! These could be made out of a different fabric than the stripe and the only person who would know is someone who would see me in a dressing room somewhere. And they might think it was done on purpose to be flashy.

So here I sit, with my Tracy Reese skirt and jacket ensemble cut out and ready to go. The rules are you always start with the hardest piece first. I will be breaking the rules on this one, and making the skirt first. After all, I need some instant gratification and a relief from the frustration of the stinking Jazz Hall skirt.

- H

the Jazz Hall skirt(s) are giving me fits

There's nothing that ticks me off more than pattern pieces that don't fit together.

I am now simultaneously making two Jazz Hall skirts and both of them are making me curse outloud because of flounces that don't fit the skirt bodies.

It's ok, I'm working it out, but this "easy" project has ballooned into a gigantic pain in the neck. I'll finish them tonight, God willing, and post pics tomorrow.

I also just put up a post backdated to 1/1 that has all of the patterns and pictures of things that are currently on my project list. It'll be edited and evolve as the year goes on. I need to add a bunch of pants patterns but so far haven't found any I'm in love with.

Thanks for listening.

P.S. Hancock's is having a large pattern sale from 1/14 to 1/18 - $3.99 Vogue patterns, 5 for $5 McCall's and $1.99 Simplicity! Whoo-hoooo, the list should be changing with the Vogue additions!

- H

Jazz skirt update....

Lesson learned early with the Jazz Hall skirt, now the Jazz Hall skirt(s), plural.

I assumed I knew my measurements, after all I've been sewing for myself for a long time and surely I know my own measurements, right?!

Yeah, wrong. I didn't read the fine print, which was to add 2 inches to my own measurements and then pick the size I needed to cut out. Plus, it's maybe possible, although highly unlikely, that the holidays brought an abundance of wealth and riches to my midsection. Slight possibility.

So I made the first Jazz Skirt last night in a size 8. And I really need at least a size 10 but probably a 12 would be better.

Soooo, back we all went to Hancock's in 10 degree F weather, so I could buy another half yard of my charcoal houndstooth merino wool and cut out a bigger size. Add $3 to the project. Except I needed serger thread because I've decided to do a rolled hem on the flounces, and I needed new embroidery scissors because my anklebiters have helped the other three pair I owned disappear, and sooner or later I spent $48.

BUT! The skirt is beeeeeyoooteeful! I can't wait to show you all pictures of an appropriate size on me. And my teeny tiny friend Cindy has graciously accepted my offer of rehoming the teeny tiny skirt I made, so all is well in the universe.

- H

Great Sewing Challenge ~ Jazz Hall skirt project starts

I don't know the best way to serialize the Great Slow Sewing Challenge of 2010, so my titles may change as inspiration hits?

Onward and upward, people! I cut out the Jazz Hall skirt from Wenlan Chia's Twinkle Sews book this morning, under my dog Binnie's watchful eye (or maybe she slept through the whole thing but I talked to her the entire way so I'm counting that as company).

First, I must explain something for anyone considering this book. The patterns come on a CD. She only includes patterns in sizes 0, 4, 8, and 12. If you're in between sizes, you're supposed to print both sizes and then trace in between the two lines and cut your own pattern.

That would be fine, if the entire pattern printing, taping, and cutting out process didn't take two hours in itself. If it were me, I'd probably just cut the bigger size and either sew with larger seam allowances or do a lot of tailoring after the fact. But that only really works with skirts that have little nuance to the cut. Anything like a blouse or dress would probably require her recommendation.

I'm making the skirt's body out of charcoal and navy teeny tiny houndstooth wool. It's extra-fine merino wool I bought at Hancock's (shocker!) for $5 a yard. It's 60" wide and although the pattern said I would need 2 yards, I really only needed 1.5. Note to self: lay out pieces ahead of time to verify yardage requirements.

This book does not do a step-by-step pattern cutting layout. So I cut the flounce pieces and waistband (folded because I only need one) first, then changed to a center line double fold and cut the skirt bodies.

Then I cut the contrasting flounces and lining.


And away I went! [some time passed after I wrote this and the following bits of my post] I started sewing on the Jazz Hall skirt, was enjoying myself greatly, and then my stinking Bernina crapped out on me. When the bobbin thread starts doing this, and you've done all the cleaning, tuning, and trouble-shooting you know how to do, there's only one thing left....my machine will be going to the doctor tomorrow. I'll get out my grandma's Bernina to finish it, and hopefully will be able to post updates by Friday.

Also, here are the supplies I'll be using for the Kristen dress from Burdastyle. I have a very lightweight, superfine 120s wool in a lavender and purple pinstripe for the body, and a coordinating silk in the purple for the contrast and collar. I like it layed out next to each other, so I hope I like it on my big old body!



- H

Porty thing is fixed!

I went to the camera shop today, where the not-so-snarky salesman informed me that I was downloading my pictures the wrong way, as if there was a right and wrong way. Apparently I should be using one of those SD card adapter jobbies instead of my USB cord. So the death of my USB port is not a big deal.

And he said "it won't eat up so much of the battery, either." I really never noticed a battery problem. In fact, I was recently boasting to myself that our camera battery could last forever.

I also stopped off at Hancock's and loaded up on some more things for my Great Sewing Challenge of 2010. Is that what I'm calling it? I can't remember now. Whatever, I got the charcoal wool for the Jazzy Hall skirt (that's from the Twinkle Sews book, that's the skirt I'm making). I also got a pretty little piece of navy blue stretch poplin that will be making its appearance in the spring in a neat little project for the Challenge.

Did you know I plan on making a swimsuit as one of my challenges? Pretty challenging, eh?

I told my mom one of my goals was to get better at the details and my finish work, and she said "Honey, you need to slow down."

Yeah, yeah. I will now be calling it the Great Slow Sewing Challenge of 2010.

- H

The Great Sewing Challenge Begins **edited with a picture**

Alright, this may be a little, um, anticlimactic, but I have no personal photos to share in this post. My camera's little thingy that connects to the USB cord is broken. I'll let you guess which two people in this house may be responsible for its demise.

At any rate, the show must go on. I've decided that one project per month isn't really going to cut it. Mostly because when I started compiling the fabrics and patterns I really want to make, there were more than twelve of them. So some months I may post up more than one project.

Hopefully I'll be so organized and fabulous I'll actually finish one project before starting the next one, but I'm not making any promises.

The other thing I've decided is I want to try patterns that will somehow make me a better seamstress. Techniques that I haven't tried before or have avoided for whatever reason. This includes sewing with schmoozy fabrics like silk. And I want my finish work to be phenomenal, which would be a total change for me when I sew for myself. So there should be a lot of variety in the projects I choose and plenty of challenge to go around.

So, without further adieu...

Drumroll, please....

January's projects will be....

BurdaStyle's Kristen dress with short sleeve modification, line drawing pictured here.



If you click the link above, you can see a full color lifelike version of what theirs looks like finished.

I plan to make it out of this very lightweight British lavender striped 120s wool I got a while ago for a sickening $1.97 a yard. At another little boutique fabric store here in town the same fabrics sell for $100 a yard. Score!

This pattern calls for two contrasting fabrics for the collar and the front inset. I will be using either a pink or blue silk and cotton blend for the contrast.

The second project on January's list is the Jazz Hall skirt from Wenlan Chia's Twinkle Sews book. It's a fairly basic pencil skirt, but with triple layered bias cut flounces in contrasting woolens for the hem, it adds just enough sauce for me. I plan on making it out of charcoal grey wool with a Pendleton ivory and navy check contrast hem. Preppy chic.


As soon as I get the port thingy fixed on my camera I'll post pics of the fabrics and my progress.

Thanks for following this project and keeping me on task!

- H

Great Sewing Challenge projectlist

I've snuck in a sort of pre-post checklist for anyone following the Great Sewing Challenge of 2010. This is an easy way for me to visually keep track of the things I want to make this year and my progress. As I get started on them (meaning I've cut them out and started sewing) and they take on posts of their own, I'll cross them off the list.

Twinkle Sews Jazz Hall skirt - charcoal and ivory wool

Kristen dress, Burdastyle - lavender stripe 120s wool

Vintage Simplicity 2033 bow front top with wiggle dress bottom - ?? fabric




Swimsuit - tankini



Pants - Vogue - Viscose stretch blend black and gold flecked stretch wool

Vintage 70s ruffle-neck dress - like the first pattern better - red tencel?




Vintage Vogue gathered neckline Federico dress - stretch cotton silk



Colette Patterns Parfait dress - strawberry linen and ticking stripe



Vintage skirt pattern with on-seam pockets - ?? maybe blue Japanese landscape print?



Vintage shirtdress pattern - stretch poplin in navy




Vintage pattern with martingale belt - ??



Twinkle Sews sundress (green and white stripe)



Vintage green bridal party dress - ??



Advance smock top pattern from ZipZapKap - Heather Ross doublegauze from Far Far Away


Vintage Simplicity 7633 summer tuck-front dress - Linen/cotton blend from stash

Vintage tunic with bias binding



- H