The great grey vest

Simplicity 2443

First you need to know that I.heart.Cynthia.Rowley.

Next you need to know that I can never never never never never afford her stuff.

Thankfully, Simplicity is trying to help.

I bought this pattern because I loved the jacket. But…

Simplicity patterns fit me crummily (is that a word?).

So, I decided to make the vest first, sort of like a muslin.

But…it fit so well and looked so cute that I finished the details and miles and miles and miles of topstitching and…

wore it on the first day of school!

My review on PR is here.

First Day of Kindergarten

 

The smiles were forced first thing in the morning, but he had a great day!

‘twas the day before Kindergarten

And Grandpa came to visit!

Since his big sister was in school, the Little Man and his Grandpa had some great quality time.

Today’s hobby: Leatherworking

I wish I had a finished project to show, but I think they only '’practiced” today!

Learning to Sew? My Must-Haves

If you walk into any fabric store, you can be completely overwhelmed by all the “stuff” you can use when you sew. But, I think you really only need a few important tools to get started:

• A sewing machine with its manual. I’ve talked before about the importance of your manual. As for your machine--it doesn’t have to be fancy or computerized or even new, but it should be clean. If you have been gifted a machine, it’s probably worth your time to have it serviced. In Shreveport, I recommend Shreveport Sewing Center. (I don't get anything from mentioning them, I just think they are extremely helpful!)
• Dressmakers’ Shears. You want shears as opposed to scissors. Shears have an angled blade that allow you to keep them close to the table as you cut. If you are left-handed, splurge on the left-handed shears. Trust me.
• A Seam Ripper. Yes, you will make mistakes. We all do. Just embrace it and have fun.
• Fabric Marking Tools. This includes chalks, tracing wheels and paper, and pencils.
• Measuring Tape.
• Ruler. I like my clear, plastic 18 x 2 ruler the best.
• Iron and a good pressing surface.
• Pins. I like the longer ones, but that’s just my opinion.
• Needles, both for your machine and hand sewing.
• Fabric and Thread. Personally, I’d recommend you start with a woven cotton, much like those sold in the quilting sections of fabric stores. I find these the easiest to work. You can get started with a good all-purpose thread.

There you go. Just a few notions to get you started.

Fall Sewing, Part 1 (AKA Boy, I’m glad we didn’t use her favorite fabric first)

Simplicity 2436

We saw this dress made up and displayed at one of our local fabric chains. The Big Girl loved it. Maybe because it was bright purple cord.
We brought the pattern home and decided to give it a go. I only had 2 pieces of corduroy in my stash and she didn’t love either of them, but I convinced the BG that we were “just practicing” so she had to pick from the fabrics I had. (Now, I have a huge stash, but since we only need warm clothes about 3 days a year, I just don’t keep a lot of warm fabrics on hand.)

I sure am glad we didn’t go buy any fabric just yet because the fit is just weird for my tall, skinny, almost-9 year old. I cut an 8. She’s really slim. Unfortunately, I just went with the numbers on the back of the pattern envelope and didn’t actually measure the pattern pieces. While my BG is very slim, her shoulders are too wide for this dress (at least in an 8). Also, it needs more length. My finished length was about 1 1/2 inches shorter than the envelope listed. I don’t know how it happened because I used all the recommendations for seam allowances and hems and such.

On a positive note, the pattern was easy to follow. It made up quickly. And—my fashion-designer-wannabe loves all the detail variations.

Next time, I’ll cut a 10 and maybe add a little more to the length. I think I’d prefer an invisible zip. Also, I think I’ll use bias tape to finish the neckline rather than the facings the pattern includes.

And—I’m sure there will be a next time. Actually 2 more times. I’d like to see this made up in a cotton with a crazy rock-star type appliqué and, of course, we need to make it in purple cord!

You can see my review on PR here.

Growing Up and Looking Back

Today-Third Grade

2007-Kindergarten

(If you follow my blog for the sewing, today’s vest is Simplicity 2443. I’ll get the review up in the next few days.)

It's almost time...

The backpack is packed and ready to go.

In less than 12 hours, my Big Girl will be a 3rd grader.

Wow!

The Little Man has a reprieve until next Tuesday.

1 Skirt Pattern, 6 Very Different Skirts

 

TNT:  A “Tried And True” Pattern

Muslin:  A trial garment, used to determine fit.

 

Meet. my TNT.  McCalls 3341.  This simple A-line skirt has become the basis for my skirt wardrobe.  And all for one simple reason—it fits me well!

I started by tracing the pattern from the tissue onto freezer paper.  (I like freezer paper for patterns because its cheap!, plentiful, and sturdy.)  Then I took my measurements.  I adjusted my paper pattern to match my measurements and made a muslin.  After I knew the pattern fit me perfectly, I began to play with design elements.  I made it more flared, straightened it to a pencil skirt, added a ruffle, switch to an elastic-waist skirt, added pleats, etc., all by redrawing my TNT.

Do you have a TNT skirt pattern?  If you are in the Shreveport area, check out this class at LSUS Continuing Ed:  1 Skirt, 3 Ways.

1 Skirt, 3 Ways; well 6 actually

I used McCalls 3341 and did this:

 

 

If you are in the Shreveport/Bossier Area, check out this class at LSUS to learn how to modify 1 pattern into many.