Too Little Time!

It's been a very busy week, with the Holidays here. I do have a sewing camp on Friday from 10 - 5 so I hope to make some real progress on my coat then. In the meantime, I did finish up Sarah's shirt. This came right from Pattern Review, fabric and all, and I have to thank AmyRose for sharing so generously. I knew as soon as I saw her review that my daughter would really like it -- actually I would really have liked it! The only thing I did differently was to detach lengths of ruffle from some of the fabric pieces and used it over the serged edge at the bottom. It made a perfect hem which was great since she didn't want to lose any more length, even with a very tiny hem. The cloth is definitely the star here -- not sure I'd necessarily use the pattern again for a plainer fabric.

I did splurge on Thursday during an outing at Sawyerbrook with my mother and sister and bought a wonderful black and fuchsia silk novelty for a suit for a wedding next spring and a cool poly/viscose that looks good on either side and fringes nicely. Will make a funky skirt for Sarah with the right pattern. When I knit I am never tempted to shop for another project until I am finished with what I am currently working on. If only I could translate that to sewing!! I have no discipline when it comes to picking out new projects and cloth to sew with...

Strudel - Homage to Bubbe and Grandma

When I married into my husband's family, Bubbe was an institution in her own right. I had Nanas, who were very, very different from Bubbe. Until Bubbe, I had never met an elderly woman who smoked, much less non-filter cigarettes! And, no one in my family would give an opinion if they weren't asked -- it just wasn't done. But Bubbe?!

When you visited Bubbe, no matter how little notice you gave, or how badly she was feeling (Bubbe's health was poor from the day I met her until she passed away years later), she greeted your presence by pulling a never ending stream of food from her freezer. There were fish cakes, Bubbe cookies, and especially strudel. Her strudel was legendary in the family, though since I wasn't a big strudel fan at the time, it didn't mean quite as much to me. I will diverge for just a moment to say that when Bubbe made fish cakes (which were my husband's favorite) she would go to the market and wouldn't dream of buying a filet of fish. She purchased the least expensive cut of fish and took it home where she pulled all the bones out herself with pliers! That was Bubbe....

My mother-in-law tried to get Bubbe's Strudel recipe for years, but Bubbe never wrote things down and never measured. So, one day, they made strudel together with my mother-in-law stopping to measure whenever Bubbe was about to add an ingredient. Interestingly, Bubbe ground her raisins and no one knew why until they made strudel together and Bubbe explained that Auntie Sylvia didn't eat raisins, so they had to be disguised! And, so, strudel passed down to my mother-in-law who made it faithfully for every family occasion. She was very proud of her strudel!

About three years ago, my mother-in-law entered the nursing home. So, there has been no strudel since then, and for some time before. She gave the recipe to my sister-in-law, but we never did what she did with her mother-in-law and actually make the strudel with her, meticulously noting every detail. Rosh Hashanah is next week and I am determined that we will have her strudel. It won't be the same, but I will try for their sake. I, too, will make adjustments for family members, this time for my son who won't eat coconut (I don't think I can disguise it -- he's pretty discerning). Next week, my mother in law will tell me if I've even come close. Here's to you, Bubbe and Grandma...

Sewing Class

I don't know whether to call this new fabric store, sewing classes, or Cutting Lines Raincoat! I started class a week ago at Apple Annie Fabric in Swansea, MA. It's a long drive for me -- over two hours each way -- but when I'm there I stay for 4 hours so it's worth it (I think). I had never been there before and they have beautiful fabric! What a wonderful treat -- you can get some idea when you visit their website. They do lots of project of choice classes and you get lots of individual attention, which is great!

I've been sewing, but really need to bring it up another level. There are a number of things I don't do on a regular basis, including linings, knits, zippers..... So, I've sought out help. My project for class is the Cutting Lines Pure & Simple Coat. I'm doing a single color for all 3 sections and I haven't decided yet if I will insert a matching or contrast piping where each of the sections meet. I am also lining it, though the pattern doesn't call for lining. My fabric is a very tightly woven, shiny graphite color and my lining is a beautiful print silk (both shown below). Along the side of the silk is a solid fuschia border which I will use to pipe the edge where the lining and fashion fabric meet.I will probably do much of the work in class, so it may be a bit before we see a final result. I'll do some smaller projects in between. Off to cut this out -- a bit nervous!

Simply Delectable

Saturday dawned sunny and hot and we had absolutely no plans or obligations. So, with the top down, we set out to drive west on 101 through Peterboro, Keene, and into Brattleboro, Vermont. Whenever we're setting off, one of the first things I do is check out what possibilities there might be for fabric stores in the area. Delectable Mountain Cloth showed up on the internet as a definite possibility for exploring.

What an absolute treat. My words can't do it justice, but their website really does give you some flavor. They are a tiny store right on the main street in Brattleboro. They only carry natural fibers, along with some jewels, buttons, lace panels and scarves. They fit an amazing amount of fabric in a small place. There are no notions, or other mundane distractions -- only lovely things to feast your eyes on -- silks, fine Italian cottons, linens, bridals, velvets, and a large selection of 'whites.' Because their fabrics are only natural fiber, they are so wonderful to the touch.

Their glass counters are topped with pretty dishes holding wonderful buttons of all descriptions -- especially glass. There are no cardboard cards holding buttons -- all are arranged so you can pick each one up and examine its uniqueness.

I was so sorry that I was not organized enough to know exactly what I wanted and how much fabric it would take, but I am so glad that I found this very special place. It's a 2 hour drive for me, but on a lovely day, I would gladly make the drive for a special purchase. If you're a fabric lover and are anywhere in the area, you should check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Stripe Help

I finished my second Liberty Shirt today and, while I like it well enough, it did have its challenges. It was the first time I had worked with stripes and I really wanted to match it well. The stripe is an uneven one and I knew that I had to, or wanted to, have the dominant stripe at center front and have my buttonholes/buttons there. Knowing that, I cut a duplicate front and laid out both pieces with the desired stripe on center front. Although the back was supposed to be cut on the fold, I also made a duplicate back and laid it out with the fabric open and tried to line up the front and back shoulders to match. Again, I wanted that dominant stripe at center back.

No matter what I did, I could not get the shoulders to match and finally decided that, with an uneven stripe, perhaps one needed to sacrifice something in order to get the center fronts to match and that something would have to be the shoulder seams. But, interestingly, one shoulder ended up matching perfectly, while the second was off by about a 1/2 inch or more. When I saw it I almost wished neither matched since it now looks as if I didn't quite try hard enough. If anyone out there has advice, feel free! I'd be happy for the opportunity to figure out if I could have done something differently. The collar I cut horizontally just to make it a bit different and I did like the way the stripes angle at the collar front.

The fabric was a remnant and I've long since lost the information on it. It's shiny, almost like taffeta and all of the stripes are slightly raised, which made construction a bit challenging. I may try a burn test to see what it is. I suspect it's a synthetic of some sort. It wasn't wonderful to work on. For some reason I had trouble with the mitered corners on this as well, even though they were a breeze on my previous Liberty Shirt. I wonder if my eye was trying to follow the stripe rather than the construction of the miter. Bad day?! Oh well, it's finished and I do like it on.

My next project is for my daughter, Sarah. I first saw this fabric when someone reviewed a shirt on Pattern Review. The reviewer was kind enough to give details on where she purchased the cloth since everyone was intrigued and thought perhaps she had made it. It's from Sew It Up under novelty cottons.. If you click on the pictures, you'll get a much better feel for the the fabric which is strips of different cloth serged together, some with ruffles, others with embroidery. I knew Sarah would love it so I ordered it on Monday and had it on Wednesday with a handwritten thank you for purchasing it! Great service! I would definitely order from them again.

The shirt is slightly fitted and since the fabric is so unique and a bit pricey, a muslin is definitely in order. I really hope this one goes well. It should be a really fun, funky shirt if it does.

Industry Insider Techniques Review

I bought a wonderful DVD last week, Threads Industry Insider Techniques. Threads editors, along with Louise Cutting, demonstrate some industry insider techniques that make some ready to wear clothing look so good. I like Louise Cutting a lot. She the creator of Cutting Lines Designs patterns which are beautifully put together and have great lines. One of them is on my cutting table now and several of them are on my 'wish list' to purchase in the weeks ahead.

There are actually 2 DVDs and I can't wait to get Part 2. The first DVD covers a no-stitch interfaced hem, balanced darts, the perfect collar, mitered corners and clean french seams. Additionally, and I think my favorite, was a demonstration of how to get some of the bulk out of facings by eliminating some of the seams on your pattern tissue before you cut. This DVD was so easy to watch and the demonstrations were so clear that you really can incorporate these tips into your every day sewing. It's nicely arranged so you can choose which tutorial you want to watch -- great to pop into your laptop and watch the techniques as you actually execute them on your cutting table and sewing machine.

I thought it was definitely worth the money!

Pillow Talk

So I've finished three coordinating pillows for my nephew. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these three -- I will most likely make two more that are different, but I'm not firm yet with what I want to do with those. I did see a wonderful very large shell button in oyster with two black animals on it that I think I may want to incorporate, but I'm not quite there yet.



I purchased the two remnants in Montreal that were a wonderful match even though they were purchased at two different stores. I then combined them with various braiding and fringe that I have collected over the past few weeks with the black and cream theme in mind.

Two of the pillows are very straightforward -- 18" squares in a single fabric with cording all around and a zipper in back for easy removal. The zipper construction is courtesy of Erin's tutorial. Because I am working with heavier upholstery fabric and cording, I generally allow an extra inch and cut my squares at 19" to leave a 1/2" seam allowance. These fabrics often fray, so I ran all edges through the serger which made a nice clean piece to work with. I then attach my cording to the front piece, 1/2" from the edge. You must get the stitching on your cording very tight -- right up against the cord -- in order for the pillow to look truly professional! When turning the corners with your cording, you may need to clip the seam allowance of the cording to get enough ease to turn the corner nicely. You can't always do this, depending on the cording, but if you can, it is helpful. If you have a cording foot, you should use it here. My machine has a nice feature where you can stop with needle down and the pressure foot raises ever so slightly so you can pivot easily. For purchased cording, where you begin and end your cording, I like to pull it off the seamline to the edge and sew over it so there are no rough ends showing. For self-made cording, there is a slightly different way to join where your ends meet.


I then work on the back piece, inserting the zipper into the back piece. Lastly, the back and front are seamed, right on the same stitching line, or slightly inside, that you used for your cording. Turn right side out and your pillow is done
!

On the third pillow I wanted to combine both fabrics. When doing this, you want to keep proportion in mind. I used a 16 x 20" pillow insert and cut my center fabric at 6" wide, leaving 7" each for the two side pieces.

I then attached my cording to either side of my center piece, again snug your stitches right up against the cord. Once that is done, attach either side to the center.

At this point I wanted some fringe for some real punch and I had some very good black silky fringe. This got attached to the edge of either side piece, beginning and ending 1/2" in from the top. Once that is done, insert your zipper into your back piece, attach front to back and again, you're finished!


If you can't find the size form you want, they are so easy to make -- simply use a muslin or even an old pillow case, sew up the sides to form the size you want, stuff it with fiberfill or whatever filling you want (I like to use a really good quality here so pillows are not too spongy feeling) and then handstitch closed.

I've made lots of pillows over the years -- some in very heavy fabric -- often resulting in a broken needle or two or some skipped stitches. These pillows were sewn on my new Viking SE and I felt like I was in sewing machine heaven! No matter how many layers or fabric or cording I was sewing through, the machine adjusted itself and just slid over them as if it was seaming two simple woven pieces. Nice! And, for that I have to give a hats off to my favorite sewing maching advisors at Merri Stitches in Windham. You got me into a great machine!