Grandma's Sewing Cabinet » Podcast

Podcast: Chained to the Sewing Machine Again

Dr. Julie-Ann — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:25:47 +0000

Yay! A new podcast! Finally!

In today’s podcast, I talk about how burnt out I was feeling, get on a soapbox or two, and talk about starting a new semester of classes.

I forgot to take photos of “my” students hard at work in the Fashion 1A class but I did remember to take my camera to the 1B class. These are my classmates making their patterns:

Larry is tracing the basic skirt block (the manila paper pattern) onto dot (aka pattern) paper

Natalia has traced the skirt back onto the dot paper (aka pattern paper) and is reaching for the basic skirt front

After tracing the basic skirt block, Natalia is adding the pattern markings for darts, notches, etc.

Cat has cut out the pattern and is trying to keep the paper from rolling up (she ironed it to make it stay flat)

Cat is "closing the darts" on one copy of the dot paper pattern in order to make the facing pattern. She taped the darts closed and then drew a line two inches from the top across the width of the skirt using her hip curve tool

Our homework is to attach the dot paper to brown paper (kraft paper), add seam allowances, cut out the muslin and sew most of the skirt by next Wednesday.

This is the Simplicity 2900 pattern I used for Alice’s dress:

Alice modeling the completed dress

Click here to listen on your computer

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

Subscription feed url: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

Podcast: Portable Sewing Spaces

Dr. Julie-Ann — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:48:38 +0000

In this podcast…

I give you a couple more invisible zipper tips
I share with you my “comedy of errors” that happened as I prepared to attend an American Sewing Guild-Los Angeles sew-in
And I provide some tips on what to do if you don’t have a dedicated sewing space

This is what my sewing toolbag looks like (The Stanley M520100 Wheeled Tool Bag) at the Stanley website:

This is the rolling bag filled with stuff:

These are the envelope/file things that I put most of the components of my projects in so that they are all in one place and easy to schlep around:

And, of course, I have to have to include this photo of Baby Alice that was taken this morning (she is 16 pounds now, which you will learn is significant when you listen to the podcast).

Don’t forget to share your tips on how you deal with non-permanent sewing spaces in the comments section!

Click here to listen to the podcast via direct download

Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes

Feed URL to subscribe in a non-iTunes player: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

Podcast: Invisible Zippers

Dr. Julie-Ann — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 00:34:45 +0000

How is that for a scintillating title?

First, I’d like to apologize for uploading the podcast Thursday night and not doing the show notes until today. But I had a good reason. I really did! I told my baby sister that I was taking her out for a belated 40th-birthday celebratory lunch. Apparently I didn’t fool anyone. Everyone knew that the lunch was just a ruse to hold that 13-pounds-of-happiness called Alice! Jill (my sister) and I appreciate all of the queries into Alice and we are delighted to tell you that she is growing rapidly and is hitting all of her benchmarks just like she should. She is a charmer and she and I had several terrific conversations. She told me yesterday that she wants to grow up to be a belly dancing (like her mother) educational psychologist. Seems like a perfect combination to me!

Every baby girl needs at least one pair of OshKosh B' Gosh overalls!

I had quite a time making this podcast! I had recorded about 15 minutes of it and then lost it because I forgot to shut the lid after I unplugged it and went into the other room to set up the machine only to discover it didn’t have a needle in it. By the time I came back, my laptop had shut itself off because the battery needs to be replaced. Then, while recording it again, my brother-in-law called to inquire about my father-in-law’s condition (He has been in the hospital for a week recovering from pneumonia–but he also seems slightly disoriented. CAT-scan doesn’t show any evidence of a stroke, though. Prayers, as always, are appreciated). I finally got it recorded and since I needed to take my laptop with me to class, I decided to go ahead and upload the podcast.

And here we are to today!

In the podcast I visit with you for a little bit and then I actually install an invisible zipper while I am talking to you all. My professor was impressed when I told her about it. *laugh*

Here are some photos–they didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked but I hope they help you visualize what I was talking about.

Coil is 1" away from raw edge--right sides facing each other

When lining up your invisible zipper, you want the “raw” edge of the zipper to be on the same side as the raw edge of the garment. You can test this by rolling the garment back along the seamline…The coil should run along the “fold.”

After you've sewn both sides of the zipper in place, close it and then pull the remaining loose part of the zipper tape out and away from the seam allowance. You don't want it to get stuck in the stitching when you are sewing the rest of the back (side, wherever) seam.

This is a photo of almost all of the pattern pieces that I made for this dress. I LOVE this dress!

Click here to listen to the podcast via direct download

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

URL to subscribe in other players: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/RSS

Podcast: Where Do I Begin (To Catch Up)?

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:39:27 +0000

Yes, folks, the title says it all. I actually recorded a podcast last night. *Yay!*

In the podcast, I talk about the projects I’ve made for my Flat Pattern Making course. I don’t have a photo of my basic block but here are the others….

Pleated and lined dress:

Here are the 18 pattern pieces I had to create for the dress:

Here are photos of the muslin:

You can’t really tell that those are box pleats in the skirt…I should have taken a close-up but things are kind of crazy at the beginning of class when I was taking these photos.

Finished dress out of fashion fabric. I found the fabric at JoAnns in the quilting section and fell in love with it. They only had about 5 yards of it. I used about 3 1/2 for the dress and will have to figure out how I can incorporate the other 1 1/2 yards into something for ME (and not Joan The Dress Form!):

The paper hanging from the dress is my “hangtag” identifying me as the “designer” of the dress.

Kimono-sleeve with circle-skirt dress:

Because we were running out of time for the semester, our professor said we could make the dress either out of muslin or fashion fabric (but we would get extra points if we did both). Since I already had the skirt cut out for the fit block, I decided to save fabric and take the skirt from the fit block for my dress. I was pleased with how my dress turned out, even if it was “just muslin.” We go through A LOT of muslin in these classes!

Petticoat for dress. I was planning on using the differential feed foot on my serger (yes, I finally bought an overlock machine) to gather all of the netting but it wasn’t gathering it enough. So, I had to gather it the old fashioned way–quartering and quartering it until each section to gather was only about 7-8″. The bottom tier is 160″ around (gathered to sew into the 80″ around tier). The gals on the Facebook fan page suggested I get a pleating foot for future use. I’m finding that a really good foot really makes all of the difference in the world (I LOVE my invisible zipper foot)!

I overlocked the seams sewing the tiers together to give it a more finished look and to make it less scratchy (although the lining would help protect the skin). I finished the bottom of the netting with a rolled hem. I didn’t have any woolly nylon so I just used some embroidery rayon thread that I had on hand. The shininess of the rayon looked kind of cute.

Now, onto my final project replicating this pattern!

Click here to listen to the podcast via direct download

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

RSS Feed to subscribe in other services: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

Podcast: The Basic Block

Dr. Julie-Ann — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:16:06 +0000

After two months and lots and lots of concerned letters from listeners, I was finally able to record and post a podcast!

Click here to listen via direct download

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

Click here for subscription information for other players

First things first, though. Here is a photo taken of Alice and me when we were at my sister’s house planning my grandfather’s memorial service and taking care of other logistics.

Basic Shells

All of the Big 4 pattern companies have a “fit pattern” that is their basic block. Basically, all of the designs springboard off of that basic block in one form or another. One of the main things I learned from my Patternmaking through Draping class is that if I create a basic block using the fitting shells from the Big 4 companies, it will give me a better understanding of what I

need to do to make their patterns look great on me. This is Butterick’s fit shell (number B5746). Because each company has their little quirks in fit, you need to do one for each company…although I am wondering if McCall’s, Butterick, and Vogue all use the same specs now that they are the same company.

I’m thinking about having a fit shell/basic block “sew along” in a couple of months because I now know how important they are.

As an aside, Caroline, over at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic often uses her “Tried and True” dress as the foundation for her creations. Essentially, her T&T dress has become her basic block.

Ode to Dior Final Project

Using my basic block, I was able to springboard from it and create a “New Look” inspired dress. Here is the fit sample made from muslin:

Fit Sample Front

The raglan sleeves were a little funky and my stand-up collar was about 2 inches too short in the back (easy fixes).

Fit Sample Back (pinned)

All of that hard work resulted in this:

Ode to Dior

Ode to Dior Back

In the back view, you can see why I shouldn’t be redrafting a neck facing at 4:30 in the morning and resewing the collar into the neck at 5:30 in the morning. I was sooo disappointed when I realized that I wasn’t matched up and that the top of the zipper was caught in the collar. But I wasn’t about to rip it out and try again. I lost points for it but I earned extra credit for doing Hong Kong seam finishes throughout the dress.

My youngest sister, Jill (Alice’s mother), tried it on. It fit her through the hips and waist beautifully. But Joan The Dressform is much perkier and endowed that 99% of the female population who have a natural bustline so the front of the bodice didn’t fit her very well.

Lots of good learning that I am looking forward to sharing with you!

Podcast: Finding Pockets of Time to Sew

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:01:01 +0000

My friend, Dr. Meggin McIntosh, used to intimidate the heck out of me. She is one of these women who does about a bazillion things at once and does them well. But that isn’t surprising. After all, she is the “Ph.D. of Productivity.”

Since I’m still having trouble with talking without coughing, I asked Meggin to join me on the podcast to share her strategies for finding time. You’ll want to listen to her ideas on how to find “pockets of time to sew.”

Meggin’s Top 10 Productivity Tips

Meggin’s “Putting Pockets in Your Life”

Click here to listen to podcast via direct download

Click here to listen via iTunes

RSS to subscribe using your favorite podcast player: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

True to her word, Meggin sent photos of Gene and Greta to me. These guys are absolutely adorable!

Gene and Greta With Furby

Gene and Greta Reclining on the Couch

Hanging Out with Other Family Members

Riding with Meggin's Husband, Larry

Have you made things that have also taken on lives of their own? If so, please share!

“O’ Christmas Tree” is courtesy of Incompetech.com
“Deck the Halls” is sung by Dan Blocker on the Christmas on the Ponderosa cd (You have to be a hard core Bonanza fan, like The Mister, to want this album)

Podcast: Quick Gifts for 1 Yard or Less

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:48:43 +0000

Coin Purse/Wallet by Sew Christine

In today’s podcast, I share with you my disdain for those $1 store tote bags and share with you why I think tote/shopping bags are a perfect holiday gift.

Here are the websites for the tutorials that I mention in the podcast:

Sew Christine Coin purse-wallet–perfect for people who walk for exercise

Mama’s Pocketbook Tote bag pattern

Lazy Girl Designs Tote bag with cuffed top

Sew Mama Sew Classic tote bag tutorial

And, I didn’t mention it in the podcast, but here is a cool site with 52 Free Apron Patterns!

Click here to listen via direct download

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

RSS to subscribe using your favorite podcast player: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

Holiday songs in the podcast are courtesy of Incompetech.com

Podcast: Pardon Me, Your Muslin Is Showing

Dr. Julie-Ann — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:40:07 +0000

In this podcast, I talk about how my relationship with muslin is starting to change.

Click here to listen via direct download

Click here to listen via iTunes

RSS feed for other players: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

Here are the photos of the skirt I made in class.

Front of Skirt

Back of Skirt

Inside Back of Skirt

Inside of Zipper

Meet My Dressform Joan

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:50:33 +0000

Joan's Sister PGM Dress Forms

In today’s podcast I share how I met my new dressform from PGM Pro, Joan*. I also talk about some of my design school homework.

Click here for direct download

Click here to listen via iTunes

RSS Feed to subscribe via your favorite player: http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

*Joan is not my personal dress form. I have to share her with students in other classes. I don’t know what the other students have named her.

Podcast: I LOVE Being a Fashion Student!

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:56:46 +0000

In tonight’s podcast, I share all the cool things I’m learning at school and talk about why I didn’t finish my Class Reunion Dress. I also lose my voice and cough in your ear a couple of times (I deleted the really bad coughing fits). I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

Click here for direct download of podcast

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

Here is a the close-up shot of the pleating lines for the neckline of my Class Reunion Dress. The picture shows the inside of the dress. The eggplant colored stitches are the basting stitches. The wrong side of the dress is blue and the right side is eggplant colored. This fabric might be a little too heavy for this type of pleating.

(Since I can hardly keep my eyes open, I better head off to bed now…)