MMM Week 3: The one in which my Renfrew Obsession is Apparent

Whew!  This past week has felt like 3 whole months!  Thankfully I've got photographic evidence, because I don't think I could remember this on my own!

Wednesday: not pictured.  I wore a plain white bamboo knit short-sleeved Renfrew previously shown.  

Thursday, Day 16.  Repeat orange tencel Renfrew with Boden jeans skirt.  Not my classroom.

Friday, Day 17: Maria Denmark Day to Night drape top.  No joke, I downloaded this pattern earlier this week, but was finished with the shirt from cutting out to wearing way before bedtime on Thursday night.  New. Favorite. Shirt.  After finishing the coat, I NEEDED something quick and easy.

Saturday, Day 18: working in the yard.  Red Renfrew made out of Laguna stretch cotton.  I have a problem in that I don't order swatches, I just order a yard of a fabric.  If it doesn't work for what I'm planning, I figure I'll find another use later.  Which I realize is exactly how stashes are born, but honestly, I can't tell from swatches.  They're like carpet samples, which FYI, look two shades darker when they're covering the floor from wall to wall.  This fabric is amazing stuff, and I've since ordered more in different colors.  It's stretchy, but also thick enough to wear a lacy bra under it without outlining every seam.

Sunday, Day 19: Admitting you have a problem is the first step.  Short sleeve Renfrew, dinner out.  This one is an example of fabric that does not work with the pattern.  It is a light-weight slubby cotton that on its own is great, but not right here.  The waist band weighs it down, so I cut it off, but then the shirt borders on too short.  Also, I can only wear unadorned undergarments underneath.  It sucks, but sometimes this is how I learn best: jump in and make mistakes.  Which is a fine learning strategy for sewing, but not when learning how to drive.

Monday, Day 20: Modified Lisette Market blouse in cotton Swiss-dot.  I used the basic shell, redrafted a lower scooped neckline, and added a Peter Pan collar.  I also left off the sleeve bands, and hemmed the gathered sleeves to cap-length.  I added a small box pleat at the back of the neckline to take in some gaping, and it actually looks intentional.  You can't tell from this picture, but there is a small slit placket in the front joined by a small shell button.  This is a jump-in-and-figure-it-out success, but admittedly, really only gets worn with jeans.  Wearing this made me realize I need to come back to this pattern.

Wednesday, Day 22: Sassy Librarian blouse, made out of cotton lawn with vintage buttons from the stash.  I  added a small snap right at the neckline because the overlap drooped, and it drove me nuts, but I think that is only because I chose such a lightweight fabric.  Please excuse the hot wrinkled mess, I had just woken from a 45 minute couch nap when I remembered I needed a picture.

Week 3 Realizations:

• Still heavy on the tops, but I've actually possibly run out of unworn garments.  I'd considered making some skirts to round out my bottom garment selection, but since I only have one more day of work this school year (!!!!), I'm instead planning shorts. 
• I've deselected a couple of me-made garments from my closet when I wouldn't even consider wearing them.  One I contemplated remaking into something else, and it ended up not working for what I had in mind. I like the fabric though, so I'm still working on that. The other 2 items will be recycled into something else, possibly napkins.
• Wearing my own garments hasn't been hard, but getting photos every day has gotten harder.  I am officially less picky about the quality/photogenic-ness of said pictures.  Sorry.

Goals for the future:

• Recycle unloved garments
• Make shorts.
• Enjoy summer.

A Post of Its Own

So last week I posted this picture for Me Made May.  I wore it two days in a row, then Missouri weather hit, and we were in the 90's.  Did I stress?  No.  I know that the weather will swing the other way before too much longer, just as unpredictably as ever.  It took a couple of days to get some better pictures, and I still don't know if I've gotten them.  

The facts: 

Pattern: Sewaholic Robson trench

Fabric: 4 yards of 60" wide Organic cotton twill (similar fabric here)
Notions: medium weight interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, 5 packages of Wright's 1/2" wide bias tape, 1 + 1/2 jumbo sized spools of Guterman thread, 16  7/8" buttons.
Time to complete: 3 weeks of sewing in 1-2 hour bursts
Total cost: about $37 for fabric, $18 for the pattern, $10 for buttons; maybe about $70?  That sounds steep, but if you're considering a trench coat, quick Google-fu reveals new ones run about $250; used about $130 on ebay.

The Details

First off, the pattern is well drafted, and everything fit together nicely.  I was a little stressed when I realized that it is rated an advanced pattern after I had ordered it, and honestly, I wouldn't considered myself any better than intermediate; some days even less than that.  What made it advanced?  I don't know.  It wasn't HARD, but rather intricate, in that each and every seam is bias bound and top-stitched.  That means 4 passes for each seam.  Wrangling all the heavy material once the shell was together was also tricky, but not hard.  Most of the mistakes I made were the result of lame decisions on my part: not marking the button/buttonhole placement until after it was put together, accidentally sewing a button through the middle of a pocket, deciding to buy more binding rather than piece together my remaining bits.

So, maybe I would rate it as intermediate-plus.  Not hard, but requiring endurance.

Also, I made a straight size 8, without making a muslin.  The numbers fit my measurements fairly well, and with other Sewaholic patterns, I've used an 8.  The style is a fitted trench, and I lucked out--it fits perfectly.

I used a cotton twill, which technically isn't waterproof.  I'm still trying to decide if I want/need to Scotchguard it.

What are your thoughts on Scotchguarding?  Yes? No?

I hate floppy facings, so to avoid future Botox, I slip-stitched the facing to the jacket.  Not that my stitching is in anyway less than perfection, but if it were the case, these stitches would hypothetically be covered by the back storm flap.

I strayed from the pattern directions here in order to avoid catching my ring/watch/random finger on any part of the sleeve hem that may stick up.  The top row of stitching on the bias binding is the only row of stitching that appears on the front of the sleeve.

I used a closely spaced zig-zag stitch to anchor the belt loops. A small child could probably hang from these with no problems.

Although the pattern calls for 3/4" buttons, I upgraded to 7/8" buttons because I liked them better.  I wasn't sure if the smaller buttons would look underwhelming.  Truthfully, I like big buttons and I cannot lie.


What I'd do differently next time: 


It will be awhile before I have time or hopefully need to make another trench coat again, but here's what I would do differently:

• not attach interfacing into the seam lines of the collar and or undercollar.  That is some thick seaming there, even though it is graded and trimmed.
• Cut the belt correctly.  Stupidly, in order to handle my fabric easily, I laid my pieces out and then cut it to a manageable size.  Which is dumb, but I don't have anywhere I can lay out 4 straight yards of super wide fabric for pinning and cutting.  I KNEW the belt had to be cut on grain along a fold, but late at night, I cut off the section I was saving for the belt.  I ended up salvaging the belt by cutting a size 6-ish belt. Don't tell anyone, and they'll never know.
• Figure out a better way to bind sleeve seams.  My sewing machine does not have a free arm, as it is set in a table.  I was able to attach the binding with my machine, but had to hand finish the binding on the other side.  I'm complaining, just be aware that it takes a little something special to hand bind  a double layer of thick twill with poly blend fabric.

In a nutshell, it's not perfect, but I am elated! My friends and family were honestly surprise that I had made it (which I take as a compliment), and even though I'm coming out of trench coat season, I know it will get a lot of wear again in the fall.  If you're debating this pattern, I highly recommend it.

Powell Gardens + MMM Week 2

Before I get to all the other stuff, check out this really cool display Powell Gardens has in the atrium!  The entire area is set up with 60's-ish era furnishings, all repurposed as planters.

The display included a living room with console tv, a flower-filled bedframe, and a bathroom with a toilet that made the boys giggle.  I don't know why that made me smile so much, but it did.

Me Made May: Week 2

Day 8

Day 8: Yet another Renfrew tee; however, this one is off-white in a super soft bamboo knit.  I'm beginning to think I sew a lot of basics.

Day 9

Day 9: What can I say?  Am I looking for wasp nests?  Is someone trying to tell me they don't need clean pants yet?  Am I trying to remember what I ate for breakfast?  Beats me.  

This is a shortened version of the Lisette Continental dress, complete with self-belt, made out of Anna Maria Horner voile.  It is great stuff, and probably the reason I compulsively stash voile.  Sweater is from Boden, and I have no idea about the jeans.

Day 11

I FINALLY FINISHED the ROBSON COAT!!  Whew!  I swear, my next three projects are going to be quick and dirty knits.  I even wore it to Costco, just because I could, and refused to take it off, just because I could.  I wore this Sunday, too, but it was 93 degrees today, so it may not get much wear until fall.  In any case, it is a wonderful pattern, and very straightforward to construct.  I used about 4 yards of an organic cotton red twill.  It truly deserves its own post.

I also wore this with a short-sleeve version of the Burda gathered raglan sleeve tee.

Day 13

Day 13: Repeat-City.  Um, wore this earlier in the month, but it was a Monday, and I had to get out the door, and I just grabbed the first thing I could find that wouldn't look terrible with herringbone cropped pants.  Not sure this outfit is a winner, but oh well.  See that lovely Robson coat on my arm?  I was aiming for better pics of it.

Day 14

Day 14:  Lisette (do you sense a trend) Diplomat dress.  I included links to their website, but these can be purchased anywhere Simplicity patterns are sold, especially when they're on sale.  I am somewhat embarrassed to admit I wore teal shoes, (not too bad), but also a darker teal sweater (gah!) this morning to work.  I may have a sickness.

So that's it.  So far only one repeat.  But what have I learned this week?

• Totally, I NEED a cardigan/hoodie.  A red one.  For work.
• Apparently, I only make winter skirts.  Which is odd, because I usually hate wearing skirts to work in the winter.
• Maybe I should work on incorporating more prints to jazz up some of these solids.

What about you?  

Me Made May: Week 1 Roundup!

Whew!  I made it through week one, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it might be!  Although truth be told, I  do have quite a collection of Renfrews I haven't nearly run through yet.

Day 1: Lisette Portfolio dress in linen/rayon? blend

I purchased the fabric from Joann's, only because it reminded me of tree rings, and I don't usually find prints I like there.  This is my second Lisette dress, the first made from red cotton sateen, and I loved it, but I wore through the seam at the hip.  Full disclosure: that was a tighter fitting dress because I serged a hole in the side, and had to bring the hips seams in about 1/2" on each piece to cover the hole and make it even. It was shorter, too, and I'm not sure I didn't like it better than this one.

Day 2: The first of many Renfrew tops to come, but one of the few with long sleeves.  

Remind me sometime to tell you about how effective it can be to motivate employees with jeans passes.

Day 3: No me-mades to work, but after chaperoning a middle school dance, I made my way home, crawled in to jammies, and watched tv in bed. Classy. So Zo cami + Rosy Ladyshorts.

Day 4: Saturday

Jeans were all in the wash, so the next favorite is skinny velvet pants from Boden.  The teal shirt is Burda's gathered raglan sleeve pattern that went together really easily and is a rayon/spandex blend from Hart's fabric.  I have decided I really appreciate a little recovery in my t-shirts.  

The coat is made from a vintage Simplicity 5415 I found at an antique store for $2.  The wool green and blue plaid wool was inherited from my grandmother's stash, and is the exact same plaid I wore when I attended Catholic school. I made the shorter version, but drafted my own pockets for the front; it is bag-lined with some toasty poly coat lining I purchased.  This coat is perfect for running errands; I'm not sitting on it and choking myself in the car, there is plenty of arm room for movement, and it isn't too hot that it gets in my way or causes hot flashes as soon as I enter a store.  

Day 5: Sunday

Orange 3/4 length sleeved Renfrew made from super soft tencel fabric I ordered online.  I didn't quite expect that color of orange, but as it is amazingly soft, I went with it.  Normally I would wear a cami under this, as it is a bit see-through, but I couldn't find it, and threw on a Target sweater instead.  

Day 6: Monday.  Nada.  Spirit day at work, cut off sweatpants at night.

Day 7: Simplicity 2215 skirt in cotton lawn; lined with cotton batiste. Didn't realize when I purchased the pattern that the skirt is asymmetrically pleated, and to be honest, I don't think anyone else notices.  It is swishy, though, and it gets top marks, because in my book, all garments should include pockets.

What I've learned so far:

• I make a lot of tops, and not very many bottoms.
• I should stop being afraid of sewing pants.
• I need to follow through with my pajama muslin, and make myself more. 

Plans for the week 

• Finish my Robson coat so I can move on to some easy, quick sewing. 
• Sew some more pajamas

Simplicity 1882

Invisible zip insertion + gale force winds

Fabric: cotton/rayon chambray + navy cotton lawn for lining
Pattern: Simplicity 1882 
Notions: 22" invisible zip, thread
Time to complete: 3 weeks off and on

First off, my dress is wrinkly for several reasons:
 1) these pictures were taken after work, after dinner, and after playing in the yard for a couple of hours--we can say a good 12 hours after putting it on in the morning, 
2) natural fibers wrinkle, and 
3) it was pretty windy, which makes for terrible pictures of a dress.  At one point, the wind died down, but I had already lost my  photographer to working on his car.  

I'm getting the evil 'this-is-the-last-shot' eye

The pattern calls for you to baste all seams wrong sides together, check the fit, then resew.  That sounded like too much work, so I made a muslin of the bodice, tweaked it, and went from there.  It is drafted for different cup sizes, and that seemed to work well, but that's not usually an area I have a problem with making commercial patterns fit.  What's nice is that there really isn't a whole lot of ridiculous ease built into the pattern, and the side seams have 1" allowances, so there is room for personalization.  I went my standard route and cut a 12 for the bodice and 14 for the skirt; debated the 'curvy' fit skirt, but in the end went with the middle choice.  I *did* take out about an inch in the top center back due to excessive gaping, but I wish I realized earlier that the collar would be affected, too, when I shortened the neckline.  
Oops. 
I made it work, though, by adjusting where they met in the front.

I opted out of using piping along the waist seams, and instead used white thread to top-stitch along the collar, waistline, and hem.
Other than that, I omitted the facings, and lined the bodice with some navy lawn by making a second copy of the bodice and stitching  it along the neckline and zipper.  I used self-fabric bias strips to finish the sleeve openings, and hand sewed them to the lining.  At the waistline, I hand-tacked the bottom of the lining to the skirt's seam allowance.

In other news, I've started the Robson coat!  I've been working on it slowly for about a week, and it's starting to look like a coat!  Wooo hoo!

I'm in!

 I'm in!

I Joelle/Joanne, of BlueBirdsSinging, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13.  I endeavor to wear a me-made garment 5 days out of 7, as well as continue working on new garments designed to fill in my me-made wardrobe for the duration of May 2013.