I’m on a tear with DIY Daisy’s sundress low waste pattern offered free on her website. It’s made to your measurements & I’ve finalized all my adjustments so it works for me the way I want it to. I’ve made about a dozen now, using linen, lawn, and high quality quilting cotton. I’m planning one with ruffles, and one in bark cloth coming soon.
I took a frame weaving class at Local Cloth in Asheville Nc. I love my result. I’m signed up to dip some fabric in the indigo vat as well this week.
Beverly: Altered a bunch of “men’s” tees – Three concert shirts, a shirt from our favorite local bookstore, and a festival shirt. My main way to do this is to cut off about 4-5 inches from the bottom, make the neckline wider and deeper, cut off half the sleeve, hem the bottom and the sleeve and use leftover fabric for new neckline. Perfect new T shirt.
Work on Skirt skills! Altered my block and drew out two ideas for skirts – one is a narrow skirt with patch pockets, buttons up the front, flap opening in the back. The other is a lantern skirt.
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Who’s our sponsor this month? Ha! Trick question! We don’t have one. Going forward, challenges are just for the fun of it. Does that mean I can win too? It means we all win.
Catch up:
Jenny:
I’ve made a couple new DIY Daisy sundresses. I love this style & it’s helping me to feel comfy with my bra showing. I’m also finishing up two secret pieces that will get revealed this autumn.
Beverly:
Continuing with Skirt Skills. I’ve made my first draft of the block, sewed it up and tried it on. That was finished on Thursday and Brooksann says not to fit on the same day as you make up the mock up (what she calls a toile/muslin). So I didn’t.
You wouldn’t believe the instructions I am following!
The Cantabria is a lined, sleeveless trench dress with a double-breasted front, lending a contemporary touch. It’s ideal for sunny days and can be layered with a suit jacket or cardigan, making it perfect for transitioning into cooler seasons or air-conditioned environments. Craft it with breathable linen for a touch of casualness, or choose a suiting fabric for a more polished and office-appropriate ensemble.
Cantabria Dress Features:
Options for cup sizes
Notched collar
Sleeveless finished with faced armholes
Fully lined
Front and back princess seams with a back yoke
Semi-fitted with a knee length straight skirt
Double-breasted surplice front with buttoned closure
The Cassie Dress is one for the cottagecore lovers out there. If you’re after a really pretty make, look no further than Cassie with her fully shirred bodice, bound neckline, gathered tier skirt and gently puffed sleeves.
Choose between two sleeve lengths: just above the elbow, or full length with an elasticated wrist. Cassie is a midi length dress, but you could also omit the extra hem tier to make her knee-length. Additional elastic is sewn in at the waist, to ensure the dress maintains its shape.
With no closures and the shirring in the bodice, you get the versatility of a woven fabric, with the comfort of a knit!
They also offer a class for this to learn how to make it. The class is just under $30 USD, and includes the pattern, which is about $17 alone.
Topic: What are you most proud of in your sewing journey? What makes you feel good about your sewing? Is it a skill, a garment, or something else? Let’s toot our own horns here!
Jenny:
My wedding dress. I’m really proud that I made my own wedding dress years and years ago. I’d made several for others, but never really considered making my own since it might mean drafting patterns I didn’t have any context for in my size. Ultimately, I made a drop-waisted dress with a boat-neck, gathered skirt, and simple straight ¾ length sleeves in a black and grey brocade. I finished hand-hemming it an hour or so before our wedding. My mother was appalled – her daughter married in a not-white dress. I made my bridesmaids dresses, too – simple cotton dresses in a floral print picked by my sister, with a loose-fitting bodice, grown-on sleeves, and a gathered skirt.
My father’s kilt. We traveled to Scotland to buy the fabric, and I stitched the entire thing by hand, sitting on the couch watching re-runs with my dad. He wore it with pride the rest of his life.
A series of quilts from my father’s neckties. I had a quilting group and we sat at tables and on the floor together pouring over his ties, to design & stitch up a set of three quilts in quick succession: one of my dad’s hospital room, and one each for my brother and sister. I’ve never had a group of sewing friends quite like the women who came together for me during one of the hardest times in my life as we waited for my dad to die.
The Moana costumes I made for myself, my husband, and my granddaughter. She loved to dress up, and this was her favorite movie. It reminded my of my tutu Marian, and I was so excited to create these. I stamped fabric, and tea-dyed laces, and so forth. We did buy a few thing (like the rooster hat my husband is wearing, and the beanie babie on my staff). But she had so much fun, and loved how many people wanted to take pictures with her.
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Who’s our sponsor this month? Ha! Trick question! We don’t have one. Going forward, challenges are just for the fun of it. Does that mean I can win too? It means we all win.
Catch up:
Jenny:
We’ve continued swimming every other night or so which means I’m starting to consider sewing swimwear again. Any one listening have great recommendations for fabric & 60” + hip patterns? Two piece preferred.
Beverly: Jim is home from guitar camp!!! Yay! We missed him way too much!
Somehow screwed up the July bonus for Patreons – so sorry about that. It has been fixed.
I am working on my Skirt Skills class with Brooks Ann Camper. She has a really interesting way of making a block, using NO STANDARD measurements. So far we have determined our hip level, and our waist level. By definition, the hip level is parallel with the floor, but this is NOT true for the waist. Many folks of all different body sizes have angled waistlines, but standard clothing and patterns assumes a parallel waistline because when you make clothing for many or even patterns for many, you have to make a choice and you aren’t likely to make the “non standard” choice.
We also measured out where anchoring darts and where curved side seams were necessary to make the block fit our bodies.
In my previous online classes, we made blocks to our measurements but not to our BODIES. For example, one instruction was to arbitrarily make a straight waistband, and to divide the difference between my hips and waist and then divide that up by a standard ratio to know where and how much to put in my darts vs side seams.
My first draft of my block looks pretty boring but that’s to be expected based on my waist:hip ratio.
I like precision in my work, but I am embracing “Better Done than Perfect” as Brooks Ann says having a block fit perfect the first time is a disservice to ourselves because we miss the opportunity to do fitting!
New patterns:
These are not really new patterns, but at some point – maybe recently? They did nice size expansion. I had to really search for an pattern that had not been updated, but they used to go to size 26 = 52” hip and now go to size 34 = 60” hip. Stitch Witch patterns – check them out for all your ren faire needs!
The Coe is a high waisted trouser with a side seam that wraps to the front giving it a slightly curved leg shape. On-seam pockets at the front and patch pockets at the back with optional self belt. The inseam finishes below the ankle giving you a relaxed look.
Topic:
Sewing Failures. We’ve all had them – let’s talk about some of our worst fails.
Jenny:
My #pfProm dress! I made this from a free mood pattern in a slinky taffeta and everything went wrong. It was strapless, but the cups weren’t even close to fitting my body. It was short, and puffy, and all around amazingly awful. The drafting was bad, but I also didn’t toile (I should have). I waited to the last minute and boy, was it not great.
All my undies. I made them with fabric that was too heavy, and ended up not really loving any of them. For one pair I cut up a tee shirt that was important to me – and came to regret it. Now I buy my underwear on sale twice a year, and accept that I’m not meant to make my own.
My Noice Jeans – sort of. The fit was amazing, I spent a long time crafting these only to stumble at the last minute. I put the button hole on the wrong side of the waist band – and finished it, and cut it open, before noticing. I keep thinking I need to send these to someone else to repair so I can really wear them. I did a junky job at the end trying to make them work. I’m really bummed by these.
Show notes for this episode vanished into thin air so this is actually a good example of Better Done Than Perfect!
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I already had to mend the Blue stripes Caramiya – it got caught in a door and tore, but along the seam in the lower edge of the skirt, which meant it was an easy repair.
Beverly: My entry for #pfMending – cut off two pairs of pants to make shorts
I’ve started a new course – haven’t quite finished Creative Hinterland, but I’ve started “Skirt Skills” with Brooksann Camper! So excited. Will fill everyone in on what I’m learning in case folks are interested but like me – not really sure what it will be about.
The Briny Top PDF Sewing Pattern is perfect for swim or active wear. This clever, one shoulder design provides added comfort and support, and the optional extra strap and included 2″ Full Bust Adjustment Option makes it customizable for added support if desired. Enjoy freedom of movement whatever your activity with this stylish and comfortable pattern.
The TULIP Trousers Tailoring Edition are full-length pants with a baggy leg silhouette.
The highlight is the 4cm high-waisted waistband, tailored to your body. An adjustable hidden buttonhole elastic at the back allows for a customized fit and maximum comfort. Attention to fit is evident with two back darts that contour your curves perfectly.
Front darts create a beautiful folded effect, reminiscent of a blooming tulip, adding depth and charm. Delicate thin belt loops add an elegant touch inspired by tulip stems.
The practical welt pocket on the back side combines function and style. Functional side seam pockets with stay pocket bags.
Easy dressing with a front zipper closure, finished with a fly shield facing, invisible button, and a discreet hook and eye for a polished finish on the outside.
#pfMend recap
Special call out to Lori Somebody_or_others_mom for her dedication to different interpretations of #pfMend #pfMending – mending her relationship with forgotten projects is my fav!
Atlanta: actually got a serger here once! On a business trip!
On long business trips, I sometimes bring a sewing machine, iron, felt pad. I cut out stuff before leaving home, and use my evenings to sew instead of watching tv.
Beverly :
NYC: Mood, J and B fabrics, Gray Lines Linen
Day to Day Textiles – $25 6 yard genuine wax ankara – bought a really nice navy cotton twill with “bubbles” on it.
Moon Tex – same fabric for $40 hahaha – but several nice fabrics
Pacific Trimming
M & J Trimming
Hand sewing project – don’t forget instructions!
Porto, Portugal: Mundo Dos Tecidos (World of Fabric)
Style Arc Teddy Designer top – #pfSewPrecious. Handwoven fabric from Loom and Stars that Jenny gave me over a year ago. I made the top without the collar and the facing stitched down and I love it. Also interfaced the hem facing and it is perfect!
Caramiya Dragonfruit dress as a top – lightweight cotton lawn
Do you know that I basically never fit patterns to my body specifically ? I’ll shorten a waist, or raise a waist, but don’t do FBAs or full biceps, or shoulders, and whatnot.
Beverly :
Likes:
Sleeve and popover plackets
Altering patterns using my fancy rulers – I enjoy FBAs, altered necklines with facings, moving darts around, moving shoulder seams forward/back, converting from sleeves to sleeveless, etc.
Making slash and jeans pockets
Making button-up shirts
A clean work area
Making pretty insides to garments
When I can “mend” or alter a garment to make it something I want to wear.
Buttonholes on my Babylock
Wearing rayon/viscose/tencel garments
Dislikes
Cutting out fabric
Filling the bobbin mid project
Cleaning my serger (except the big cleans when I take it all apart and change knives)
Pinterest – search by item and when you find something you like and click on it, there’s a bunch more like it below. I have a sewing board, a “my style” board, and boards for specific garments.
Last month the theme was #pfSewPrecious and as usual we gave a clue and asked folks to guess. As the song was Depeche Mode’s Precious, most folks got it right away. However, sometimes people think we are more clever than we are and they read a bit more into it. Someone did that and guessed mending – but they didn’t just say mending, they said:
HAHAHAHA!
Is it any better that it’s the August theme? Maybe not!
What are we thinking here?
Just fixing broken zippers in old jeans?
Maybe, but we are thinking anything that we mend, fix, repair, make better – the main goal is to take something that we aren’t wearing because there’s something wrong with it (even if that’s the style of it) and fix it so we do. Or so we can use it. Did you make a burlap dress that is too ugly and scratchy to wear? Maybe you turn it into a laundry bag.
Did you make something that is boring? Hahaha! Maybe an applique or embroidery will fix it.
As per usually, pretty much anything you decide is mending will qualify. Need to shorten some pants? MENDING. Found a seam that came loose? MENDING. Taking in the side seams? MENDING. I recently had to reinforce some bust darts that lost their way after a couple years of wear & tear: MENDING. Taking the sleeves off a shirt? MENDING. Sewing a new top because you hate mending? MENDINGHAHAHAHAHHAA.
I am looking for a solution to a dress that I love. It is made from linen/tencil from merchant and mills and it is a floaty dream. BUT, I cut it on the back when I surged one of the layers. (That awful V shape!) I interfaced it and zigzaged over it well with matching thread, but as I have washed it, the fix has gotten more and more noticeable. (co worker noticed) NONE of the fabric left. What to do?
A sewing forum I’m a part of recently asked us to post a status that would alert friends to our kidnapping. Mine was “I’m settling in with a big pile of mending for a Seth Rogan movie marathon”. So you know my reputation for disliking mending – but I’m also really intrigued by it. My new living situation, smaller space, planning for even less in the future, has made me really aware of how little clothing I need to have in my life. I fall hard for some things, and I’d like to begin focusing on making some “just for now” things, and some “always” pieces. The always pieces will need mending in the future because fabric is in the end basically delicate against wear & tear & washing & so forth. So I’m not necessarily excited by mending, but I want to start thinking about how I’ll made it part of my life even if this isn’t the month where I’ll be mending like a madwoman.
Beverly: I am going to use the beautiful hand woven fabric that Jenny gave me as a gift! She gave me 4 yards so I would have plenty to make something lovely to wear. I have felt like I can’t cut into it for fear that I won’t do it justice! Leaving it in my stash is so much worse!
Jenny:
I think I’m going to try and use up my precious linen scraps and make some scrappy dresses!
The Cassie Dress is one for the cottagecore lovers out there. If you’re after a really pretty make, look no further than Cassie with her fully shirred bodice, bound neckline, gathered tier skirt and gently puffed sleeves.
