Confession: I knew I needed to pretreat fabrics I intended to wash at home but I never realized that I needed . . . → Read More: Tailoring Homework: Preshrink the Fabrics]]> Before Mrs. Poteet set us free to run down to the garment district to buy our fabric and supplies, she told us that we need to preshrink the wool, rayon lining, interfacing, edge tape, weft, etc.

Confession: I knew I needed to pretreat fabrics I intended to wash at home but I never realized that I needed to preshrink stuff I’d be sending to the cleaners.  I also didn’t realize I needed to preshrink all of the notions, too.  Oops.

And that is why I’m taking this class….

According to our book Tailoring…

Although some fabrics are labeled “needle-ready,” it is a good idea to preshrink them anyway.  In general, preshrinking loosely woven fabrics and those made of natural fibers is especially critical because they are more likely to shrink when you press them (emphasis added by me) than tightly woven fabrics and those made of synthetics or synthetic blends.

If you plan to use fusible interfacings, preshrinking the garment fabric is particularly important. Because fusing requires more steam pressing than normal, the garment fabric is likely to shrink during fusing.

The Dry Cleaning Method: The easiest and most expensive method is to take the fabric for steaming to the cleaners.  She told us that we had to specify that we didn’t want it pressed, just steamed.  And that we want it folded, not hung, after the steaming. It would cost us about $5 per fabric.

Steam Pressing Do It Yourself: She told us to lay the fabric out on a large surfaces, such as our bed, and to hold our very steamy iron over the surface of the fabric.  Then, working section by section, move the iron over the fabric without touching it.

London Method: Mrs. Poteet doesn’t like this method so she didn’t tell us about it. (See Carolyn’s link, below, for a summary of the London Method).

Prepping the Other Stuff: Fill a clean sink or tub with hot tap water.  Unfold the notion and submerge it in the water.  Let the water come to room temperature and then drain.  Put the notion in a colander and let the water drain from it a bit more (about 5 minutes).  Roll up in a bath towel to remove excess moisture and then hang over a towel bar to dry.  Do not pretreat fusibles in the washer and dryer unless you want the resin/glue to be stuck to the inside of the appliance and the interfacing be all balled up and unusable.  It melts, people.  That’s why it is called fusible.

I decided to do the dry cleaning method to preshrink the wool and rayon.  I’m a little nervous about it because the girl didn’t write down my instructions and she was the only one there when I dropped it off on Sunday.  Naturally, they are closed today for the holiday but I plan on calling first thing Tuesday morning just to make sure my instructions will be followed.  And, oh.  It cost me $13 per fabric because she marked them as tablecloths.  Because it is a large dry cleaners, I’m hoping that the guys in the back doing the pressing are old hands at preshrinking fabric for sewers.

I wish I had known about Pamela Erny’s tutorial on preshrinking wool before I took my fabric to the cleaners.  It looks like a piece of cake and I intend to use it from now on!  And, remember how I told you the other day that Carolyn got me hooked on wool crepe?  She has a tutorial on how to pretreat crepe that is well worth the read since she knows crepe inside, outside, and upside down!  Finally, Gertie has a blog posting on prewashing a variety of fabrics.

Soooo, here are some photos from when I pretreated the weft and the edge tape:

Fill a sink with hot tap water

Unfold weft, interfacing, tape, etc. and submerse it in the water. The water is HOT! I ended up using a wooden spoon to press the weft into the water. Just let it soak. No need to agitate it.

When the water cools to room temperature, drain it out of the sink. Put the notions into a collander to continue draining. DO NOT WRING TO GET THE EXCESS WATER OUT.

After letting the notions drain for about 5 minutes, roll them in a towel to get the excess water out. Then hang over a towelbar or shower rod to dry.

My weft and my edge tape is in the bathroom hanging dry as we “speak.”  I was surprised by how wet the weft still was even after letting it drain for five minutes.

I was wondering…because the water was so hot, I wonder if I can just put the stuff into the sink first and then fill it up with hot water.  I would think that would also eliminate the need to try and get rid of air bubbles.

So that was part of my homework for the tailored jacket.  I can’t do anything more on it until I get pattern pieces on Wednesday to finish tracing them off.  Oh, and I have to call the dry cleaners in the morning!

How about you?  What is your favorite method of preshrinking wool?

Donna Karan Vogue Pattern #V1202

The front is just as much of a mess as the back:

Seriously.  Who are the pattern companies designing for these days?  . . . → Read More: I Mean, Really?? Oh, Come On!]]> Is it just me, or does this new Donna Karan pattern from Vogue (#V1202) look like she got her skirt and her top stuck in her pantyhose?

Donna Karan Vogue Pattern #V1202

The front is just as much of a mess as the back:

Seriously.  Who are the pattern companies designing for these days?  Obviously not for me!  And I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen if I tried to turn in a design like this for a class project.  I am dismayed that I keep seeing this pattern pop up in Vogue Pattern advertising.  You’d think they’d want to hide it!

I find it interesting that when they show a closeup of the skirt, it is with a different top:

With this top, the skirt turns into something interesting rather than the disaster it is with the top that is part of the pattern.

As the fabulous Tom & Lorenzo would say, this is definitely an “out.”

. . . → Read More: Elda’s Knitted Pin Cushion]]> Doti from DotisSpot.etsy.com sent me a copy of  the newsletter Craft Daily which sent me to Craftzine.com which sent me to Craft Leftovers that featured a free pattern: Elda’s Knit Pin Cushion. While it is not exactly like my grandmother’s, it does give us another clue into how my grandmother’s pin cushion may have been made…

Elda's Knit Pin Cushion

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.  . . . → Read More: Podcast: Invisible Zippers]]> 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

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

Last . . . → Read More: With Curves, A Seam is Always Better]]> I don’t know about you, but I’m a very curvy woman.  My perfect hourglass shape of my younger days has turned into an hourglass-ish with padding shape.  Over the years, I’ve noted that princess seamed tops and dresses seem to look the best on me.  The other night, my flat pattern drafting professor confirmed my hunch.

Last week was the first week of the semester and we were starting out learning how to draft an easy design– the basic block skirt–using only measurements (we measured our dress forms and then put them away).  The basic block skirt consists of two darts in front and four darts in back.  We need more darts in the back because we are going over our backside.

One of the things I’ve learned by being in this program is that there are general rules to design.  Believe it or not, there are standard dart widths and depths.  There is also a standard regarding how far apart they should be located from each other.  Now, I know that there is no such thing as a perfect size 8 because all of our dress forms have different measurements (off by as much as an inch) and are supposedly all perfect size 8′s.  But, I wanted to know how to handle darts for women who are curvier like me.  Do I make the darts deeper?  Is the dart intake wider?  So, I asked my professor what the action plan would be.  Her response?  Seams.

I must have looked confused because she then clarified.  She said that if we are talking about curvy curves, then it is better to make a seam rather than wrestle with a dart.  The seam will enable the fabric to glide over the curves without the issues that would come up with darts (weird placement, bulkiness, etc).  She then told me to think of a beach ball.  A beach ball isn’t made up of a bunch of darts.  No, it is made up of a bunch of seams that enable it inflate perfectly.

The moral of the story is this:  If you are curvaceous like me, the next time you are choosing a pattern, look for the ones that will work with your curves rather than against them.  With curves, a seam is always better.

My original plan was to take lots of photos during my Pattern Drafting by Draping class and upload them at night and tell you about all of the wonderful things I’ve been learning.  Obviously, that is not happening!  I’m loving the class and have a lot to share with . . . → Read More: Baby Swaddler]]>

Ret the Monkey testing it for Alice

My original plan was to take lots of photos during my Pattern Drafting by Draping class and upload them at night and tell you about all of the wonderful things I’ve been learning.  Obviously, that is not happening!  I’m loving the class and have a lot to share with you but the class is also very intense and I have several hours’ worth of homework almost every night.

But, my attention has also been seriously diverted by Baby Alice.  Alice is now 3 pounds, 11 ounces and the medical staff is very pleased with her progress….So much so, in fact, that she might be going home with her parents sometime next week!  That is ahead of schedule.  Apparently this little peanut is always going to be early *smile*

My sister asked me to make some swaddling blankets for Alice.  Being the geek that I am, I, of course, had to do some research.  There are several resources to buy a swaddling pattern but the design I liked the best was available from the Embroidery Library.  I wasn’t too keen on the instructions, though, so I used  the pattern and pretty much relied on my own sewing expertise for the rest.

Details for 2 Swaddlers:

1 yard flannel*

1 yard coordinating flannel*

1/2 yard of flannel for the inner pouch

1 package of soft sew-in hook & loop tape

Pattern (printed or photocopied four times)

A 13 1/2″ x 13 1/2″ square pattern cut from pattern paper, kraft paper, photocopy paper,  or drawn onto fabric

*You will be able to get two ovals laid lengthwise on 45″ inch flannel.  If the design is crosswise, you will need to get about 1/4 yard more fabric.  Just remember that all woven fabric is slightly stretchy on the crossgrain because of how it is woven, so it is not quite as stable as it is on the lengthwise grain.

Steps:

• Prewash and dry the flannel using a baby-friendly soap.

• Cut out the pattern and tape the pieces together.  Then tape them all together to create the oval.

• Make a 13 1/2″ by 13 1/2″ pattern for the inner pouch (if you haven’t done so already).

• Fold fabric lengthwise making sure to align selvages.  “Budget friendly” fabric is notorious for having some twist after washing.  If you try to straighten it by stretching, it will simply relax back into its twist after the next wash.  For our purposes, having a slight twist in the fabric won’t be a problem as long as we make accommodations  for it before cutting into the fabric.

• Lay the pattern on the fabric lengthwise.  You can use the center line made from taping the pieces together as your grainline.  Cut out the pieces.

• Repeat process using coordinating fabric.

• Pin pouch pattern to folded fabric and cut out squares.

• Finish the top and left sides of the each pouch by folding 1/4″ along the top and left sides, pressing, and then folding another 1/4″ and pressing.  Use a mitered corner, if possible.

• Make a  3/4″ pleat on the bottom edge 1/2″  from the finished edge.  Do this by marking 1/2″ from the edge and then making another mark 3/4″ away from the first mark.  Bring the marks together to form the pleat.

• Make another 3/4″ pleat along the bottom edge, only making this pleat 1″ away from the unfinished edge (instead of 1/2″)

• Baste the pleats closed.
• Fold one of the coordinating ovals in half and then in half again and then lightly press along the folds.  When you open it up, you should see two middle sections and the two “wings” that will wrap around the baby.
• Right sides together, lay the unfinished edge of the pouch along the fold furthest to the right.

• .Sew side seam 1/2″ from edge.  Press and then fold pouch to center of oval.  Press seam “open.”  Top stitch pouch 1/4″ from seam.

• Pin bottom of the pouch along bottom of the oval.  Stitch pouch to oval using a 1/4″ seam allowance (it will be stitched again in a moment).

• Pin outside oval to the coordinating/inner oval RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, enclosing the pouch within the oval pancake.  Stitch, using a 1/2″ seam allowance and leaving an opening large enough for your hand to fit through (I made the opening right next to the pouch).

• Grade and clip the wing ends of the oval.

• Reach into the “baby burrito” and turn it right side out.  Reach back in and make sure that the entire seam is pressed out and smooth.  Press.
• Fold the opening in by 1/2″ and pin it closed.  Top stitch around the edge of the swaddler.

There are no pictures for the applying the hook and loop tape because I was frantically trying to sew it on before Alice’s shower!

• Add a three-inch vertical strip of the loop part of the hook and loop tape to the far left end of the oval (as you are looking at it).
• Turn the swaddling over.  Add two five-inch horizontal strips of the hook part of the hook and loop tape to the left side of the oval, about 6 inches from the edge and about 1″ apart (should look like a giant equal sign: = ).

Placing the strips of hook and loop tape this way allows for adjustment and baby growth.

To use: Place baby in the pouch.  Tuck any extra pouch fabric behind her.  Wrap the wings around the baby–folding down the wings as needed–and secure with the hook and loop tape.

Contrast that with fashion shows from the 1950s.  The women glided down the runway.  Today’s Thursday Theatric is a montage of fashion shows and films from the 1950s.  They are pure glamor.  No wonder I’m . . . → Read More: Thursday Theatrics: From When Women Would Glide]]> I can’t stand watching current fashion shows.  They are overproduced and the models all look angry as they stomp down the runway.

Contrast that with fashion shows from the 1950s.  The women glided down the runway.  Today’s Thursday Theatric is a montage of fashion shows and films from the 1950s.  They are pure glamor.  No wonder I’m drawn to it!

When I was a teenager, my older sister worked at Robinson’s Department Store in the foundations department.  There was a time when lingerie was lingerie and foundations were foundations.  Lingerie was the beautiful stuff you wore in private moments.  Foundations were the bras and girdles you wore so that your clothes fit . . . → Read More: A Firm Foundation]]>

Maidenform Ad Early 1960's

When I was a teenager, my older sister worked at Robinson’s Department Store in the foundations department.  There was a time when lingerie was lingerie and foundations were foundations.  Lingerie was the beautiful stuff you wore in private moments.  Foundations were the bras and girdles you wore so that your clothes fit you well.

I think we should go back to calling our undergarments “foundations.”  If we did that, then we would have a better understanding of the importance of well-fitting undergarments.  A bra that doesn’t fit will visually add 10 pounds and a matronly look to the clothes you worked so hard to make.  A protruding stomach and “hip fluff” will ruin the line of the garment.

Although I’m a nag about making sure my readers/listeners are wearing the right bra, the importance of a quality bra was driven home to me the other day while I was at Nordstrom’s for my fitting.

Because of the economy, I had to put off buying new bras.  But it had reached a point that I couldn’t put it off any longer.  I usually will wear a fitted sweater to my fittings.  It helps me get a better visual if I put the sweater on after I put on the bra I’m trying on.  The bunching and bulging really shows up after I put the sweater on.  If I look good in the sweater, then I know the bra is a keeper.

Surprisingly, my size hadn’t changed.  But I went with a different brand than I had before–Fantasie.  These are not inexpensive bras by any means.  But the difference was night and day between what I had been wearing and the new bras.  As they say in the commercials, the new bras help me look more “uplifted and youthful.”  I seriously looked 10 pounds lighter.  (As an added bonus, a well fitting bra will reduce shoulder and back pain–the shoulder straps shouldn’t be holding everything up.  Think European style where the bra band does all of the work)

Since moving to California, I usually am bare-legged ten months out of the year.  In the dressing room, I was noticing the impact of not wearing super-control-top pantyhose.  Every bulge and pooch showed.  I looked kind of dumpy.  Not the image I want to convey.  Either I’m going to have to get serious about Buns, Thighs, and Abs of Steel or I’m going to have to wear the undergarments that will give me the look I desire.

So why am I talking about undergarments on a sewing blog?  Because if you are dissatisfied with the way your garments look on you, you might consider that the problem is with your undergarments and not your sewing ability.