Weekend Project: No Baby Animals Allowed

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

~Author Unknown

The young woman who cuts my hair just had her first baby - a little boy. I was so excited to make something for him - until she explained that her husband doesn't like any clothes with baby animals on them. "He thinks they are too childish," she explained. "Too childish for a baby?" I wondered.


But, mindful that my goal is to make THEM happy, not me, I trudged off to Joann's and dutifully by-passed the adorable Noah's Ark prints, Baby Snoopy prints and Winnie-the-Pooh prints... Let me tell you - it wasn't easy!


In the end, I found 4 fabrics to make 2 reversible baby bubbles. The first pair still retain a trace of the "awww!" cuteness that I feel is essential for baby clothes. One side is light brown with little blue cars & trucks & planes, and the other side (for when he needs to look professional) is a blue pinstripe.





I cannot say how much I love this Sis Boom Carly Bubble Romper pattern. There are only 3 pattern pieces (4 if you want little cap sleeves) and the method of making it reversible so that all of the seams are hidden is ingenious!



I use velcro along the bottom and a ribbon to close at the back of the neck.






For the second bubble, I went with sports-themed fabric, as the new Dad apparently is a big sports fan. Football on one side...



And baseball on the other.






Not your typical baby prints, but hopefully the Dad will approve.


I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! If you haven't signed up for my 500th post give-away yet, don't forget! I'll quit taking entries at midnight (EST) on Tuesday.

Friday Confession

Sewing with a new-to-me brand of pattern (Amy Butler) was interesting in that her instructions and materials differed in several ways from the Big-4 pattern companies that I am used to. Last week I mentioned the darts. Her Lotus Cami pattern also called for SEW-IN interfacing.


Now, I took Home Economics in high school, approximately 30 years ago, when sew-in interfacing was the only option. When I started sewing again (almost 10 years ago), I discovered iron-on interfacing and immediately decided that it was a miracle and the best thing since sliced bread!


I thought I'd never go back to sew-in, but I did figure that she must have some reason for calling for it, and so I followed her instructions. It actually went in pretty easily and works well with this pattern - although that may be as much about the weight (heavier than the iron-in that I usually use) as anything else...


But it got me to wondering - are there times when sew-in is a better choice? Does it have any advantages over iron-in? What do you think? Do you ever use sew-in interfacing? If so, when and why?

Talk Back Thursday

Thank you so much to Karin van D., Karin, Katherine, Cindy, Jessica, Sarah, Summerset, Lisa Laree, Becky, Susie, Debbie, Mamafitz, Faye, Mary, Elaina and Patsijean for talking back to my confession last week! I asked how people finish their darts - backstitching or tying off?

Generally, tying off won out over backstitching along the same seam (8 commenters to 3 commenters), but of course it turns out that there's a lot more to sewing darts than the simple choice that I offered. ;)

First off, some people backstitch for thicker fabrics (home decor, etc.) and tie off with sheer fabrics. Apparently backstitching along the same line can have a messy and/or bulky effect in thin fabrics.

Next, people recommended 2 tricks that I had never heard of. One is to reduce the stitch length near the points of the darts. Six people called this out and several of them said that it was secure enough to not need any other finish.

The second cool tip, called out by 5 people and illustrated in this video - thanks, Jessica for directing me to it! - is to back stitch, but NOT along the same stitching line, rather along the fold inside of the dart.

Finally, a few people brought up an aspect of dart sewing that I hadn't considered - the direction in which you sew it. Two people start at the widest part of the dart (one end or in the middle, depending) and sew to the tip. One person starts at the tip and sews to the wide part. And for Lisa Laree, it depends on the type of fabric - she usually starts at the wide end, unless the fabric is stretchy or unstable, and then she starts at the tip.

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to leave a comment! I can't believe how much I learn from you guys and I am really looking forward to taking my dart sewing up a notch with these cool ideas! :)

Image credit: About.com

500th(-ish) Post Give-Away!

Well, okay, this is really only my 499th post. But I didn't want to mess up my "Talk Back Thursday" post for tomorrow. Hopefully no one objects to me jumping the gun just a little bit... ;)


Normally, I give away a Kiva gift certificate in honor of each of my n-hundredth posts, but I am so excited about having one of my tips included in the new PatternReview.com book, I decided to give away FIVE (5) copies of this book in honor of my (upcoming) 500th post!



The fact that, as a "co-author" I was able to purchase the books at 50% off, didn't hurt either! ;)


So, if you would like a copy of this book, including the amazing tip #489 on page 70, just leave me a comment. I'll accept entries until midnight EST next Tuesday and I'll announce the FIVE (5) (randomly selected) winners in next Wednesday's post. Good luck to everyone!

Weekend Project: Lotus Cami

The Ladybug wears no disguises.
She is just what she advertises.
A speckled spectacle of spring,
A fashion statement on the wing....
A miniature orange kite.
A tiny dot-to-dot delight.

~J. Patrick Lewis

Ignoring assorted chores and responsibilities this weekend, I hid in my sewing room and made my Amy Butler Ladybug Lotus Cami!


For some reason, the ladybugs on the fabric were facing sideways. I wanted them to face upwards on the top, so I had to come up with my own arrangement for cutting out the pattern pieces. Luckily, I had plenty of fabric.


The pattern has two significant princess-like seams - I was concerned about my ability to get a good match between the curved pieces of fabric and the straight ones, so I tried something that I've read about, but never done before. I basted along the seam line of the straight pieces and clipped to the stitching, to help these pieces curve to fit.


Here you can see the 2 strong curves. The pre-clipping approach worked pretty well. :)



For some reason, her arrangement of the back neck facing and the back center seam facing seemed odd to me - she had the center seam facing on top. I don't know why, but it seemed to me like the neck facing should be on top...




So, that's the way I did it. In hindsight, her approach may have been better because with this method you can see 2 folds of fabric (although, no raw edges) along the top inner edge of the back seam...



Getting the neckline facing on and preserving the sharp inner corner was challenging. On the other hand, I think that the bias strips make an adorable armhole finishing. :)



I also like the big buttons up the back.

It was a fun project and I can't wait to wear the top to work tomorrow! This was my first Amy Butler pattern, and it was interesting - she definitely does some things (like the darts) differently from the Big 4 pattern companies.

Make sure to stop by on Wednesday, because I'm having a give-away!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and is as ready as possible to face another work week... :)

Friday Confession

So, I was reading the Amy Butler Lotus Cami pattern and was surprised to see that she says to back-stitch at each end of the darts. I'm used to the sewing patterns from the Big 4, which direct you to leave a tail and hand tie a knot at each end of the darts.


How about you? How do you begin and end your darts? Do you do the knot tying bit? Do you think it matters?

Talk Back Thursday

Thank you so much to Craftygirl, Christine, Amelia, Summerset, Sarah, Elaina, Shannon, Lori and Cindy for talking back to my confession last week! I asked how people tackle stains on various fabrics.

Here is a summary of all the great tips. (This is my first attempt at an html table, and html is not co-operating, so please excuse the flawed formatting. I CANNOT figure out how to make the large amount of white space before the table go away...)

WHO	WHAT	WHY	COMMENTS
Craftygirl	Peroxide	Just about anything	Test first! Can remove all color.
Craftygirl	Dawn dishwashing liquid	Degreaser	Fabrics sturdier than silk
Christine	Club soda	Just about anything
Christine	Pantyhose	Deodorant residue
Amelia	Boiling water	Berry stains	Hot water from the tap is not good enough
Summerset	Rubbing alcohol or anything with alcohol, (ex. hair spray, hand sanitizer	Most ink stains Fray Check residue	See this post on Pam Erny’s blog
Sarah	Rubbing alcohol
Elaina	Vinegar	Cigarette smell & residue	Add a cup to the rinse cycle
Shannon	Glycerin dish soap	Degreaser
Shannon	Sunlight	Food based stains
Lori	Cascade with some water	Stains on white baby clothes
Lori	Alcohol	Pen marks
Cindy	Hairspray	Hair coloring	Trick from her days working in a beauty salon.
Cindy	Lemon juice	Ink
Cindy	Baby powder	Deodorant stains	Apply to underarm area of blouse BEFORE you wear it.

Finally, we had two “shout outs” for Shout Stain Remover® from Sarah and Lori. :)


Thanks again to everyone for sharing their stain removing tips! I definitely picked up some new ones! :)

In the Queue Wednesday

I picked up this Amy Butler pattern (my first) at the sewing expo in Tampa last February. It's been languishing in my queue every since. (At least it's not lonely!)


Over the weekend I squeezed in a quick trip to Joann's and found this fabric:


I wasn't deliberately trying to copy the dot pattern in the modeled cami, but this print - with the lady bug - called to me.

So, the queue pattern advances and becomes a queue project. I'm hoping to start it this weekend. Even if I don't, don't worry, I'll get to it. It's in the queue... :)

Friday Confession

When it comes to getting stains out of fabrics, I'm not very savvy. About the only "trick" that I know is to use baby powder on oil or grease stains. Someone told me about this after I bumped up against the unfinished inside edge of a car door in a silk dress that I had just finished - what a life saver!

How about you? Do you have any "secret weapons" to get different kinds of stains out of your clothes?

In the Queue Wednesday

I just received the September issue of BurdaStyle and this skirt, #106, caught my eye. I think that A-line skirts work reasonably well on pear shapes as they can leave a bit of mystery on the question of how much of the spread is the skirt and how much is the actual bottom under the skirt... ;)


The skirt looks a bit more A-line in the sketch and a bit more straight in this photo. I'll make the longer version (shown here) - not the mini-skirt version being worn by the 5'8", 100 pound, 18-year old model on an earlier page in the magazine.


Not sure what fabric I'll use - definitely something dressy enough for work. Apparently the skirt in this photo is gabardine. And, in the "not sure" category, add the topic of when I'll get around to this one...


But don't worry, I will get to it someday! It's in the queue...

PS - On my last post, Rose asked if my parents were going over a cliff to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The answer is, in a way, yes. We all spent Sunday rock climbing together. On Saturday, before my husband and I were able to join the group, my parents and my sister's family went white water rafting. My parents are not your typical septuagenarians... ;)

Weekend Project: Celebration!

We spent the weekend at the New River Gorge, West Virginia, in a rented cabin, with my immediate family for a very special celebration...

To my Mom and Dad:
Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary!

Talk Back Thursday

Don't panic - it's Saturday. I'm just running late! ;)

Thank you so much to BConky, Wendy, Julia, Kristine, Summerset, Shannon, Faye, Cathy, Stitchywitch, Mamafitz, Lynne, Katherine, CarlaF and Elaina for talking back to my confession last Friday! I confessed that I don't have much experience underlining and asked what other people think about it.

As the picture suggests, underlining got a bunch of big thumbs up! :)

While not everyone underlines a lot - some save it for special occasions like wedding dresses - all but one of the commenters have underlined at least once.

So, what types of garments get underlined? Pretty much everything was mentioned at least once - dresses, skirts, pants, tops, jackets, coats - even corsets and a costume!

Why do people underline? The most commonly mentioned reasons had to do with improving the appropriateness of a particular fabric for a project. Specifically, people underline to:

(a) add body or structure to loose weaves so that they keep the desired shape,

(b) add weight to give a nice drape to a lightweight fabric,

(c) reduce wrinkling in linens, and

(d) add a bit of opacity to sheer fabrics.

A few less commonly mentioned reasons include those given by:

- Wendy, who underlines winter coats in flannel to make them warmer,

- Summerset, who also underlines garments that she want to wear a long time,

- Shannon, who says that it makes working with silk fun, instead of a chore, and

- Elaina, who underlines skirts and pants for the support and to hide panty lines.

What do people use to underline?

Silk organza was far and away the most commonly mentioned fabric.

But flannel, muslin, batiste and lining fabrics were also called out.

Finally, I picked up some good advice - like Kristine I think I'm going to try to always keep a supply of organza on hand and Lynne reminded me that this is one time when I really need to make sure that my pattern fits first! ;)

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time and effort to talk back! You've got me looking forward to underlining my "Iceland" fabric! :)

Photo credit: apdk

In the Queue Wednesday

I have another weaving project in the queue - I'd like to make a guitar strap for my husband. When I first had the idea, I thought I'd make it for an anniversary present - but our anniversary is next weekend (our 28th!), so it looks like it might be a Christmas present instead...

Hopefully one of those Christmas gifts that are handed out in December, not June... ;)

I'll probably let him pick the pattern & colors so it won't be a complete surprise. I'm not sure if I'll need to incorporate some kind of strapping underneath my weave for support or if the woven fabric will be sturdy enough to stand alone.

The other big question, of course, is when am I going to get started? I don't know exactly when, but don't worry, I'll get to it. It's in the queue. :)

Photo credit: Annie MacHale, A Spinner Weaver

Weekend Project: At least the pockets fit...

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.

-Richard Bach

It seems like forever since I've had a chance to do some sewing, but just before our vacation trip I managed to sew up this dress.




I was particularly looking forward to making the pockets, as this is a style that I've never made before. I photographed the main steps. First, I stitched the pocket front to the front of the skirt, right sides together, along the curved side seam.




This piece gets folded back and pressed.



Next, the pocket back is attached to the pocket front along the long, curved inside seam.



Afterward, the pocket can be opened out like this:


Here you see it tucked in the way it will be when the dress is complete. Notice that the skirt now has a straight side seam, to be connected to the back skirt.


There was only one step that I had a hard time visualizing - the directions had me open out the pocket and sew a short seam, starting mid-way along the top edge and going downwards for a couple of inches.


I think that seam closed up the top of the pocket so that it doesn't start its opening at the waist, but rather a bit below the waist and into the skirt.


The pockets came out great and I love them! I think I'll add this style pockets to other skirts and dresses in the future. :)


Now for the dress itself:



I do like it and I have gotten more compliments in this dress than I usually get. But, in fact, the fit isn't very good. It gaps under my arms (sorry for the stubbly pit shot):


And the bodice does not fit well at all - it is too short and doesn't fit over "the girls" and pulls outrageously from the side.



That is pretty disappointing. But, I like this pattern a lot. And I think that, if it fit well, it would be a style that worked for my body. So I am going to officially declare this pattern a "learn to fit" project and I am going to figure out how to adjust it to get a good fit. And that will be the gift that this problem has for me in its hands. :)

Friday Confession

As I mentioned on Wednesday, I've only underlined one garment in my entire life - the wedding dress that I made for my dear friend, Susan. The picture above shows another special woman, Barbara, helping me hand stitch the cut pieces of silk organza onto the uncut silk dress fabric.

So, how about you? Do you underline any of your garments? If not, any particular reason why not? If so, how often and when do you underline - what types of garments and what types of fabrics? What fabric(s) do you use to underline? Why do you do it? Do you have any special tricks or hints to help beginners? I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say! :)

In the Queue Wednesday

Presenting...the fabric I bought in Iceland!


I think the material may be silk shatung (or maybe some type of taffeta?). The black flowers are raised, possibly velvet. The silver flowers appear to be painted on.


I checked Sandra Betzina's More Fabric Savvy, and it's making me nervous. Apparently this material is going to be a bit of a challenge to sew. Looks like I'm going to have to underline it - something I've only done once in my life (on "the" wedding dress).


Between the lack of drape of the material (or its crispness) and the linear nature of the flower stems, I'll look for a relatively straight pattern. Maybe a simple shift dress (sleeveless or short sleeve), with a mandarin-style collar?


What kind of pattern do you think would work well with this fabric?


Cutting into expensive fabric that is going to be difficult to sew is a task that I tend to put off, so I'm not sure when I'll be getting to this.


But, don't worry, I will! It's in the queue...

Our Iceland Saga: The Fabric Store

Before leaving for Iceland, I did some internet research to see if I could find a fabric store to visit. Neither the Burdastyle website nor PatternReview turned up a true fabric store, but an "old-fashioned" google search yielded this store's website: VIRKA.

On our last full day in Iceland, after a morning photographing geysers and a waterfall, we drove into the capital, Reyjkavik, for some fabric shopping. :)

Finding the store turned out to be a bit of a challenge. We saw a good bit more of the city than was strictly necessary and, at least once, were taken completely by surprise to realize that we were merging back onto the highway that we had recently (and deliberately) exited... But we hung in there, and it was SO worth it!

VIRKA is a huge store - with 2 floors full of fabric! The basement had tons of cotton prints and the main floor had everything else - knits, slinkys, wools, silks, linens, bottomweights, etc.

Of course, like everywhere else in Iceland, the prices were high. And much of the fabric is imported from the U.S. But I saw lots of stuff that I've never seen locally, and they did have sale racks that had reasonable prices.

The women working there were wonderful - super friendly and helpful! (Okay, the woman pictured above was a bit stiff...) They made you feel like they had plenty of time to help you and they were knowledgeable about sewing. I got the feeling that the store served as a hub for a community of sewing friends, not just a retail outlet. If I lived in Iceland, I would definitely hang out here a lot! :)

It was a wonderful place to spend a few hours on our last day in Iceland! And I did pick up some fabric - I'll show you soon in a Wednesday Queue post. :)

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This ends my 2 week series of photos from Iceland. I usually only put up 1 weeks of vacation photos, but there was so much to show from this trip! I hope I didn't go overboard and that you enjoyed the images and stories... Next week, it will be back to our regularly scheduled posts. :)

Our Iceland Saga: Earlier Times

Just a few pictures for today...

Early Icelanders lived in turf houses, apparently as a result of both a scarcity of other building materials and the harsh climate. According to Wikipedia, the turf house architecture underwent several major metamorpheses over the last 1000 years, and the style that is mostly preserved today (and shown in these pictures) is fairly new - it was adopted around the end of the 18th century.

This church is still used today (although I don't know how regularly) - there was a ceremony of some sort going on the first time we visited it and we had to return later in the day to get some pictures:

This was an old farmstead that was preserved in Skafatell National Park. The literature said that it had been occupied up until the mid-1940s.

My favorite part of this exhibit - the vintage sewing machine!

Isn't it cool? Have you ever seen one that looks like this?

The hand crank still turned! Man, there is something about an antique sewing machine that makes me feel so connected to the past... :)

A couple of posts ago, Karin asked about the weather during our visit. Temperature wise it was just perfect - daytime highs were in the low 60's (F). Excellent for hiking!

We did have more cloudy, overcast days that I would have asked for, but we also had some beautiful sunny days.

And the days were certainly long enough - that close to the North Pole, the sun didn't set until after 11 pm, and was rising again around 4 am!

Thanks for sticking with me for 2 weeks worth of pictures! Tomorrow is the last day, and I've got pictures of the fabric store we found in Reykjavik! :)

Our Iceland Saga: Iceberg Lake

One of the most amazing and beautiful sights in Iceland was the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon - a lake 100 meters deep, at the base of the Jatnajokull Glacier, where cold meltwater and sea water meet. The lake is full of icebergs and, especially in the early morning hours, seals.

No commentary on the pictures - I'll let them speak for themselves.

Just two more days of pictures left, and we're slowly moving back into sewing territory. Tomorrow I'll show you some (historic) turf houses that we saw - one complete with a vintage sewing machine.