A Life Made From (Almost) Scratch
Last year, a dear friend of mine asked me to make a black tablecloth for her dining room table. Not a problem and what a great idea! I immediately wanted one myself.
I bought several metres of two different black tablecloth fabrics. One was plain and one brocade. She chose the plain for herself. (I was hoping she’d pick that one!). And I made a cloth for my own table out of the brocade.
Ah, the little French jacket. There are so many wonderful versions that have been beautifully sewn over the years. Many fellow seamstresses have used Vogue 7975 as the basis of their creations, and have very graciously shared their insights, tips and process. Inspired, I spent an hour or so this morning, tracing out View E of V7975. I will be making this with a lovely navy and white boucle that I purchased last summer at Mood Fabrics, during a trip to NYC.
Hello all,
There is no doubt in my mind, that when I say that life sometimes gets in the way of sewing, you are all nodding your heads in agreement. Holidays, schedules, family and work have all taken priority and the end result, for me has been a loss of my inclination and enthusiasm.
Someone in one of my online sewing groups had posted a question about this very thing; asking how to get the sewing mojo back after an absence. And most every answer was the same – whip out a quick project. There is something very true about the effect that an instant gratification task brings.
And there is no better pattern for a quick sew than M6886. Two pieces, front and back. It doesn’t get much easier and I was tempted to do the whole thing on my serger.
I chose to make a combination of view D – sleeveless with the scoop neckline, while using the pattern pieces of view F for the length. View D was the shorter version only.
Zip, zip, zip in under two hours, including the tracing.
I serged the shoulder and side seams for a clean finish and did a very simple serge and turn under finish on the neck and arm holes. A zig zag or twin needle are also excellent finishes if you don’t own a serger.
And le voila.
Mojo restored and on to my next project. We are heading out on vacation soon and I’m keen to make a couple of swimsuit coverups. More to come on that…
Bye for now,
Andrea
One of the great benefits of social media, is the way in which it brings like minded individuals together from around our world. I have had the pleasure of being part of a Facebook group, led by an encouraging and ever cheerful host over the past year or so. The leader selects a pattern and the participants all work away on their own version, posting steps, challenges and progress pictures along the way. The sewing talent of the members is inspiring as we all tackle our pattern together; each of us finishing with a garment as unique as our fabric choice. Although I don’t participate in every challenge, I am always a keen observer.
One of my favourites has been Vogue 1422. What a dress! Fabric, lining, underlining and stretch mesh all layered for a gorgeous result.
Now, I have always been a die hard pattern tracer. Weight fluctuations, terribly fragile tissue and a desire to make favourites more than once are a few of the reasons that I could never bring myself to cut into my patterns. Lately though, my husband has questioned why I am not placing value on my time versus the cost of a pattern. He suggested that rather than spending an hour or so taping, tracing and cutting, that I should just purchase two copies of a pattern that I think I will make more than once. Cut one, save one. And he is absolutely right. I had already traced this one out though. Next time…
I bought all my materials from my local Fabricland. The teal fabric also came in a solid, but I was really drawn to the large roses. Bemberg lining, organza underlining for the skirt and a stretch mesh lining for the bodice. Here we go…
An added benefit of the sewing group is that it makes you give patterns a second look. Surely, I had seen this pattern on Vogue’s website, but it wasn’t until it became the group choice that I really noticed it. And I am very glad that I opted in.
Would I make this again? Absolutely. If I do, it will be in a solid colour and I think this would make an excellent “little black dress”.
Bye for now,
Andrea
Hello all,
A very quick post to show off my completed Butterick Lisette B6385. I started this coat in November of last year which you can read about here. Because this was the second time making it, the majority of it was done within about a week. I became quite indecisive about buttons for it however, and set it aside while I found ones I liked.
Of course, then the Holiday season ramped up and my attentions were drawn to cooking, baking and décor. My poor Lisette hung sadly unfinished on my dress form in the basement for a month and a half.
Hello all,
Many years ago, my mum-in-law and her dear husband decided to join the ranks of the Canadian snowbirds; making their way to Florida every November to escape the harsh winter weather.
