JAM #2

I finished M3750 over a week ago. It's tax season for me so I'm just getting to posting about it. I like it although it's not in style (according to the fashion magazines). I'm really not too worried about the Style Police. What do they know about MY style anyway? First of all, I like paisley. I don't give a hoot if paisley is out and florals are in. Besides, there are some little flowers in the design, if you look closely. I understand that pink is the New Red. That's nice for those people who can wear pink. There are very few shades of pink that I can wear. Usually, pink makes me look like I'm going to my own funeral. That's not exactly the look that I hope to achieve. The pink that I can wear is more of a coral color. Hmmm...good idea there for a jacket in the near future. Anyhow, I like red which supposedly was the New Black last year. Maybe I'll make a black jacket,too. I'm not sure but I don't think black is one of the "Season Colors".

The jacket is loosely fitted. It does fit well in the shoulders and neck. Geez, I think I finally got that fit right so I can start moving down my body for a more fitted look in the future. I'll probably wear this jacket opened most of the time. Here's the back:




I made the jacket from a cotton twill. It's super simple to sew. Of course, I have to complicate it by drafting a lining. I'm very glad I did. The cotton would be difficult to slip on and off. It's getting hot here in Florida. The jacket probably will come off as soon as I go outside.


This is the pattern envelope:

I may make it again in a suede for Fall, as shown in the large picture.

Now, I'm working on pants to wear with the jacket. I'm using a light weight, tropical weight garbadine. I'm afraid they might bag if I don't underline it. I always seem to add a complication to simple garments. That's just the joys of sewing I guess. :)

JAM #2 is Coming

Unfortunately, it's still February in my sewing room. I'm still working on my #2 jacket, M3750. It's a simple, loose fitting jacket. If I hadn't decided to add side pockets and a lining, I would have been wearing it by now. I like the additions so I week late is all right by me. This picture was taken on the last day in February. I had the lining and buttonholes/buttons to finish. As of today, the lining is finished. I drafted the lining using Claire Shaeffer's "High-Fashion Sewing Secrets". Thanks Rachel for directing me to that resource. Claire's directions worked like a charm.


The most difficult part of the jacket was matching the print. I don't brag very often, but I will this time. This is a picture of the front. I barely can see the pins.

I'm off to do buttonholes! I hope that everyone is having a great weekend!!

The Last of 2010

I finally have a Jalie Sweetheart top! Now I know why everyone loves it so much. My only regret is waiting so long to sew it. I wore it for our family Christmas Eve Celebration. Despite sticky fingers and crawling around on the floor, the top still looks fine. The sewing was easy. I like the fit. I like the style. I just plain like this top and will make it again many times. Before I make it again, I will check those diagonal winkles and see what's going on. I didn't notice them before. I'm amazed at what photos will show!The next garment is M5970, a Comfy Blanket for DH. Although it was supposed to be a Christmas present, I gave it to him in November. It was so cold here. I took a cute picture of him that was, unfortunately, corrupted in my computer. He has a face rash and doesn't want a picture taken until it clears. Meanwhile, I want to finish documenting my sewing for 2010. The front pocket is stuffed with fabric for the photo. Normally, the pocket holds his snacks as well as the remote.The most difficult part of this project was cutting it out. I made the L size. It's so big that I had to crawl around on the floor to accomplish that task. The sewing only took a couple of hours. I just serged the edges rather than folding over and stitching. With this heavy fleece, it was too bulky. I also added a foot pocket which he never uses. DH is over 6 feet tall and this blanket still drags on the floor when he stands. If I were to make this again,I would measure the length before finishing. I won't cut this one because he does enjoy wrapping it around his feet.

That's it for 2010! I haven't made much progress on my first jacket for 2011. I'll get back to that tonight.

The Experimental Shorts

I finished M5393 (OOP) shorts last weekend. I didn't have enough fabric to do the large lower pockets. I doubt that they would have looked very good on me anyway, but they would have been functional. While I'm proud of myself for hanging in there until the finish, I was too tired of the shorts to do a blog post. They took a while because I tried several different techniques. One worked well and the rest will be exchanged for my TNT way of doing things.

I wasn't looking for a fitted look because the shorts are for playing at the park with the grandchildren and similar activities. I started with a size 14 (my usual) and cut them down to a size 12. The view from the back shows that they are still a tad too big, but still very wearable. IF I decide to make them again, I'll go to size 10. Wow! Could I have lost 2 sizes? Honestly, I don't think so. These shorts are just exceptionally roomy. Definitely, this "too big" problem is a new one for me. One of my experiments was to try a casing and drawstring waist. Take a look. This will be the last time you'll see a waist like this from me. I generally wear my shirts out rather than tucked in my shorts. The look isn't very good IMHO for this short body. I don't have much of a waist so I think that I look heavier than I am. I'm aiming for the opposite effect: skinnier than I really am (Ah! The dreams of a sewer!) Also, my shirts tend to pull out and look sloppy.

The pattern calls for the use of twill tape through the casting. To me, that looked messy and very home-made. That meant a trip to Jo's to see if I could find something that looked any better. Actually, there was a great sale so I added about $50 of patterns and fabric to my $1.50 cord. Naturally, I left with a big smile! This is the cording that I used. It doesn't look much better in the picture, but believe me, it makes a big difference!

I usually use Sandra Betzina's method for a fly zipper. It works well for me and looks just fine. This time I decided to follow the pattern instructions. BIG mistake!! It took a while because it was new. Also, I kept thinking that the instructions were backward. Hmmm...should have known. I ended up with the topstitching on my right side rather than the left. I guess they meant the "other right" because the instructions clearly said the right side (I did reread them). Also, the zipper wasn't as neat. It could just be me but I'm won't be trying any new fly zipper methods for a while.

Now, I'm finally getting to the reason that I made this pattern in the first place. There is a slanted side pocket. That's about the only thing about the pattern that is right for my body type and it's the only new technique that turned out well for me. At least, I have one technique that I can apply to future sewing. I think that that style pocket works well for me. Thanks to Beangirl I no longer have a gap with this pocket style. She extended the pocket and the pocket lining to the center seam which becomes interfacing for the fly facing. Here's the easy pattern adjustment:

I love how flat the pocket is.

That's all the "experimenting" that I did. Now, I'm back to my know-how-sewing before trying some more experiments. I do believe in trying new things. Sometimes, they work and are great to add to my bag of tricks.

As an aside, I do have a collection of hats that help with the Florida sun. It's not as big as my fabric, pattern, and shoe collections, but it's growing. This purple hat was $2 at Claire's. Shhhh...don't tell anyone that I bought it at a tween shop. It pays to have a small head sometimes.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!