For various reasons - like cooler themes and some of which I'm not even sure of myself - I'm moving my blog to WordPress.

I've transferred my old posts too...and can now be found at http://designlived.wordpress.com

See you there!

My newest skirt and a blouse I have admitted defeat on (While I like the pattern, the bust is a wee bit too small - as in it likes to unbutton while I'm driving - and the sleeves are stupid. The edge of the sleeve attaches straight to the back bodice, meaning that you can't lift your arms above halfway. And because of the previous problem, I'm not going to bother detatching and re-sewing):

And from the following day, a couple of poor pictures of my newest pencil skirt and a sorbetto with sleeves:

So there. Now I'll see if I can catch myself wearing some of the other things I've sewn. The two skirts above are the same pattern, so you can imagine the second one in a blue-gray color.

And yes, my husband was snapping pictures while I was talking, hence me not really smiling.

After two days of dog sitting for friends, our dogs were wiped out. Evidence:

I spent the day working on another pencil skirt. I took the waist in a bit from the last one that I made, and it fits much better now. Now that I have an abundance of silk organza I cut a piece to use as a pressing cloth, and the seams of the polyester suiting are much sharper. I even went back and re-pressed the hem of my previous skirt because it was still a little less sharp than I like.

Last week, I had issues with the lining. Today, I had issues with the zipper. (Though technically I had issues last week since the overlap was reversed from the directions I had. Even though it still looks good. And went in the first time with no issues.) Here's hoping the next 2 skirts I have go together a bit more smoothly.

I'm hoping to talk either my husband or sister into taking pictures of me in what I'm sewing. Both of them are excellent photographers. I just have to deal with my own mental block against being photographed. :)

In the meantime, a view from my sewing room:

Yeah. 10 yards of silk organza is kinda like that.

Today's agenda:

Cleaning up the sewing room from the last few projects. (Check.)
Vacuum all the loose threads that the fan blew around while I was ripping out the lining seam I put in backwards last weekend. (Check.)
Cutting fabric for three more pencil skirts. (Check.)

Pre-washing lining and silk organza. (Check.)
Wrestling now-suddenly-poofy 10-yard piece of silk organza into a somewhat folded shape. (Check. Whew.)

In reality, I have 1 piece of fabric left to cut out, then I'll pull the directions for Simplicity 2588 to figure out which pieces I'm going to use to make a burgundy dress.

Tomorrow, I sew. Maybe. :)

After letting my subscription lapse last year, I finally decided to renew. Of course it takes a few months to kick in, and I was really excited to find that my first issue is August's! I just returned home from a week's vacation. While I was gone I saw several blogs reviewing the retro patterns being featured and wavered about hunting down the individual issue. Thank goodness I waited because it was waiting in my mailbox when I got home.

Patterns I am excited about include a pair of sailor pants, a couple of structured dresses, a blouse with a back drape/tie, a blouse with a peplum,  and a pencil skirt with a godet. Some of the pictures can be found on paunnet's blog post (I'd post my own pictures, but really I just got home and am too lazy.) :)

Now to get my first issue of Vogue Patterns, which should start with the next issue. I really only subscribed for the couture jacket series they have going on so I can make my own Chanel-type jacket.

Despite not being up to my picky standards (mostly because I learned a lot while making it), my first quilt is finally done. I finished the hand sewing on the binding this afternoon.

(Forgive the blurry, dark picture - I took it with my iPhone because I was too lazy to get my camera and do the whole transfer thing.)

All done! Though I'm thinking I should make a couple of matching pillow cases. Maybe just the light color fabric with the edging in the green. But later. I'm done for now!

Finished my last Sorbetto this evening. I saw a Sorbetto online last night at seweekly.com with sleeves. Thank you to Mena who posted her sleeve pattern!

 

This will be the last Sorbetto you'll see for while. I think - after finishing the binding of my quilt - my next project is going to be a pair or two of shorts so I have a few pairs that fit well to take with me on my trips to Boston and Indianapolis this summer.

On to the next project!

In my absence from blogging, I received the lot of 50 vintage patterns I won on Ebay, plus a others that I have been buying here and there. My current count is 228?! Yikes! Thankfully, I started organizing my patterns as I went along, so I haven't had to overhaul a system - just buy different storage containers.

To stay organized, I keep a list in Bento (the Mac version of FileMaker), a database program that I can sync to my iPhone and iPad. Ideally, that keeps me from buying duplicates. Of course, that doesn't prevent me from buying the same pattern twice during the same shopping trip, something I did recently. No amount of organization can help me there!

I finally ended up buying cardboard file boxes from OfficeMax - basically 1/2 size file boxes with an attached lid. I pulled the instructions and pattern out of the envelope and put them in a quart-size Ziploc bag with the pattern number/line drawing on the instructions facing out. (Or, if that couldn't be done for one reason or another, I wrote the number in Sharpie on the bag.) Those are filed by number in the boxes, generally 1 group of numbers (e.g. 1000-1999) to a box. Some have two. It depends.

The pattern envelopes are in sheet protectors and organized in 3-ring binders by type (dress, top, bottom, etc) for my own set of pattern books. I have a complete binder of nothing but dresses - that would be the bottom one of the stack. I also scan the front and back of the envelopes so I have them for my pattern database. It's easy to buy fabric for a project when I have a scan of the envelope in my iPhone with notion and fabric information and yardage.

As for the sewing things I've been working on, the quilt is more of an "NFO" - nearly finished object - than a "UFO" or unfinished object. I just have the binding to hand stitch. There was a bit about not having matching thread, and then a lot of working late and not getting home with time to do anything.

In the meantime, I have finished a couple more Sorbetto tops. I will have 4 in the end, which may seem like a lot, but I'm making them out of a variety of fabric and I'm sorely lacking in the in-between dressy and casual top department. I have one more to go, then I'll move on to something else.

Most recent:

Next fabric (pre-cut! just needs to be sewn):

After thinking about it for several months, I finally broke down and bought the Colette sewing book. I have random holes in my sewing knowledge, and this definitely helped fill some things in. One thing I have started is a sewing notebook - right now it contains a list of sewing projects for this summer and for next fall/winter. Hopefully it will keep me from getting too overwhelmed...or from forgetting that really cool idea I saw last week...

I've also been trying out something I read. Somewhere. Cut a bunch of projects out when you're in the mood to cut. Then when you want to sew (and not cut), you can! I tried it with the two Sorbetto tops above. It's been nice being able to walk in and just start sewing and not have to futz about with the cutting and the ironing and the pinning and, and, and.

So when my mom tells me, "Well, you better get sewing..." I am.

About 8 months ago, I started my first quilt. I've learned a lot about sewing since then, but I'm not going to let the small imperfections keep me from finishing it. I'm adding the last border, then on to sandwiching and quilting...and binding.

Thank goodness for 6 foot tables when you're working on queen-sized quilts!

I've offered to teach a couple of my friends how to sew from a pattern. I came across the Sorbetto pattern (it's free!) at the Colette patterns site. (Search Sorbetto to find it posted in the blog.)

After making the skirt muslin, I briefly toyed with the idea of making a quick muslin for this pattern. But no. I figured I'd make a wearable muslin - aka just make the darn thing and hope it turns out.

(Sorry for the wrinkles. This is after wearing it. I had intended to have my sister or husband take a picture of me in it, but I ended up working late, etc., etc.)

Side note: I used the same fabric to line a clutch I crocheted a few years ago. I loved it the first time and just happened to see it again at the fabric store!

Learning points:
-Exposed bias binding. (Really reminded me of quilt binding, but just not hand stitched.)
-Seam binding. (Thank you to Laura Mae at the Lilacs and Lace blog for the tutorial and idea!)
-Pleats. (Revisited.)
-I am really short shouldered? Any sleeveless tops or ones with straps generally need to be taken in. This one I will test a 1 1/2" decrease at the shoulder seam next time.

I have a black with white polka dots fabric that is waiting in the wings for the next Sorbetto top. Oh, and red seam tape. Just because!

As I write this, I am two sewing projects behind in sharing. The first one that I completed last weekend was an obi-style robe from a vintage 60s/70s pattern.

I saw a Hawaiian print when I was in the fabric store and, even though I loved it, I wasn't sure that the color would look good on me. Good enough for a robe, though? Certainly!

The light was a little strange - it's actually smidge more of a turquoise color.

Learning points:
-French seams. (And the fact that you do need to trim the first seam allowance before you sew the second part.
-Obi-style sleeves. (I know that you have to match them up that way so that they curve. Still. I'm not a fan of the adding of sleeves.)

And then, my old nemesis since I am short: hemming. I ended up having to tuck in some excess fabric around the side seams on the hem because the bottom of the robe flared slightly. And this is even after I took 3 inches off the robe in the middle!

After some research, pattern reviews, planned modifications, and some Craftsy class watching, I finally bit the bullet this afternoon and started on my first toile. Having made a skirt or two before, I figured I should start there. I bought Burda 8155 last week and, after some reading up, decided to do a lapped zipper instead of the invisible one and to replace the back skirt slit with a vent.

 I had forgotten how time consuming fitting is - thankfully the Craftsy class I have been watching is a couture class, and the instructor recommended cutting wide seam allowances so you have room to move the seams about. Thank goodness. I'm definitely not a fitting model.

End of the day and, while I have a few last modifications to the waistband, I think I'm ready to move ahead with the skirt. I rummaged through my fabric stash tonight and think I'll hold out until this weekend's trip to LA's garment district to look for some lightweight wool. Most of the wools that I have are either patterned (houndstooth or plaid) or fairly heavy.

WIP (Work in progress) #2 is now finished, and I am headed to bed in my new pajamas. I had started a pair of flannel pajamas a year and a half ago, but never finished the top. Tonight, as I listen to the rain outside, is a good night for flannel.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had already cut out the pattern pieces. I tried to cut the pattern and/or fabric out last night at craft night, but I had tucked away the pieces that I needed in a "safe place." Thankfully, one that didn't take me too long to find considering I've rearranged my craft room two or three times since I started this project. (I can't say the same for the quilting supplies - those took longer to find this weekend.)

I'm leaning toward finishing my other quilt before I tackle another clothing project. In part, because I still have the 6' folding table set to the side (folded up, thankfully!) in the living room. If I do the quilt first, I won't have to drag it back in from the garage at a later date.

Well, that and I need to decide what my next project is going to be. :)

Here are pictures, some better than others:

It reminds me of when I made chicken stock a couple of weeks ago. It's Magic! Oh what some fabric and bits of string will become!

Normally I prefer to be oblivious when it comes to the difficulty level of anything I attempt. (Why else would I attempt a skirt with a lining and a chiffon blouse from a Burda magazine pattern - read "no pictures" - for my first clothing projects? Followed closely by a costume with set-in long sleeves and princess seams.)

I keep hearing about how scary finishing a quilt is, which caused me to piece together two quilt tops and then come to a screaming halt at the point where I was supposed put the borders on. Tonight I forced myself to push forward one of them, which is supposed to be a gift, and I found out that I had really just psyched myself out over the whole thing. Border, backing and stitch-in-a-ditch quilting ain't got nothing on setting in sleeves and princess seams.

While I'm probably going to be ready to work on something else besides quilting after I finish (the other project to finish is queen-sized), at least I don't have the "oo. scary." association with it anymore. Maybe I'll see if I can knock out the pajama top tomorrow so I can actually wear the set a year and a half later.

Chalk it up to another irrational fear conquered. (And yes, the most recent one previous was the eye doctor. Those who don't have to see me in my old glasses anymore thank me.)

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, my knitting projects (especially the Umaro throw that I've been working on a for a year or so) are a little less appealing. That means it's time to sew! So many vintage patterns, so little time. I've spent too long on Etsy scanning through the thousands of patterns listed and marking my favorites.

A couple of blogs that I discovered yesterday that helped re-jumpstart my interest in sewing vintage specifically:
Lilacs & Lace
Atomic Redhead
Clio & Phineas

I also found a few new sources for vintage patterns (aside from Ebay and Etsy and the big 4, of course):
Vintage Pattern Lending Library
Eva Dress

There were also several reference pages that I bookmarked for future reference:
How to fit Butterick 4790 (The Walkaway Dress)
How to Sew a 1950s Crinoline for B4790 (movable to allow for a flat front)
Gertie's Modern Crinoline Tutorial
A Shortcut to Great Linings
How to Apply a Seam Binding
Bias Tape Tutorial

Of course, I do have a few projects I need to finish or revisit - the pajama top I need to make to match the bottoms I made a year and a half ago (pre-wedding, omg that was a while ago), my first skirt pattern that I want to redo now that I'm more sure of what I'm doing (and to have a skirt with a straight grain line and thinner lining), my first blouse pattern (again, now that I know what I'm doing and since I want to add french seams and different interfacing to the sheer fabric), and a pair of pants from an as-yet undecided pattern.

I also have a couple of quilts that I need to finish. A lap quilt for a gift and the queen-sized quilt for our bed. Finishing them will mean dragging my sewing machine into the living room so that I have room to move the excess fabric around without shoving it into the corner of the built-in in my craft room. (My craft room is tiny, and the existing built-in in the corner has a sewing machine drop set as a diagonal to the corner of the room. I *so* am saving my pennies for a Koala sewing cabinet. I'm going to have to pull out the built-in and shuffle other things around, but I think it'll be a better use of the space.)

I also have a couple of friends who took a beginning sewing class and now want to learn how to read a pattern and assemble something other than a bag. I found the Colette Patterns Sorbetto top and think it'll be a good introduction. Just have to coordinate a time to get everyone together!

In the meantime, I need to clear off the cutting table and try and clear off the floor so I have room to sew. I know what I'm doing this weekend - after I recover from DJing at the Jam tomorrow night.