McCall's 6294 linen jacket in action

Well, kind of in action.

I snapped a few photos the other day just before heading out the door.

Shoot, timer went off before I had the jacket adjusted.

Oops, trying to fluff the hair and got distracted by the dogs playing in the other room.

Ah, here we go. A semi decent shot if you ignore the goofy look - who knows what I was thinking.

And a close up of the jacket.

You know, I wasn't too sure about the fit of the jacket when it was done. Remember? I talked about it on this post when I finished the jacket. 

But I'm happy to report that it passed the wear-it-all-day-long test.


Only two things I'll note:

1) With any movement the large collars want to flop over to the center of the jacket.  This could be due to the linen fabric and interfacing used, not necessarily the design.

2) I'm still not crazy about how far to the side the princess seams are located as the bust fullness is not quite where it needs to be. 

I'm thinking there's another one of these in my future.  Oh! That means I have another jacket planned for the One Jacket a Month project.


Oh, yea, I almost forgot to tell you.

In my haste to snap a few photos in the very short window of opportunity I had available, I managed to drop my little digital camera (a Canon PowerShot that I loved) on the hardwood floor.  Right on the lens, which happened to still be extended.

I'm sorry to say it's a goner. 

Which means I now have to actually learn how to use the digital SLR we purchased a few months ago. Sigh...

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A Sneak Peek at the next One Yard Wonders book and a chance to be in Crochet One-Skein Wonders

 Looky, looky!  A sneak peek of the next One Yard Wonders book.
Fabric-by-Fabric One-Yard Wonders">

Now don't go getting TOO excited because the book won't be released until November 2011. 

But that means it's being released just in time for the holidays.

My apron isn't one of the projects shown, but that's okay. It'll be more fun if it's a surprise, right?

Oh, one more thing.

While it's too late to be a part of the One Yard Wonders book, Storey Publishing does have a call out for crocheted designs.

Storey Publishing is accepting submissions for their 101 Crochet One-Yard Skein Wonders book. You have until July 15. Details on their website.

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A romp thru times past

What does one do when they have a few dozen 60s and 70s dresses stashed away in a box marked "costumes"?

They invite their incredibly talented and beautiful niece over to do a vintage fashion shoot, that's what.

Before she arrived, with four of her models (girlfriends), I carefully laid out all of the clothing arranged by era - 1960s, 1970s and 1980s dresses along with one pile just for separates such as pants, sweaters and coats.

Barely 15 minutes into the shoot and this is what the room looked like.  My inner neat freak cried out in shock, but I calmly took a deep breathe, turned around and walked away.

They each changed into their assigned garments and spent time with the photographer. Did I mention the photographer was my talented and beautiful niece, Caitlin?  

She gave me permission to share a few of her photos from the day.

Here N is wearing a silk dress circa 1980s with a 1960s pillbox hat adorned with silk flowers.

Here K is wearing a late 1960s floral chiffon gown with a velvet ribbon belt and a 1950s red velvet had complete with feather.

Here is T is wearing a 1970s peach polyester gown from Montgomery Wards.

It was fun to see how they choose to pair style the outfits. 

1980s dresses with 1960s hats. 

1960s beaded tops with 1970s polyester pants.

1980s sundresses with modern jewelry.

I followed along and took a few behind the scene photos myself.   Here are two of my beautiful nieces, one modeling and one taking photos.

A closeup of M with her auburn hair cascading below the 1960s era veiled hat.

There were funny moments too.

Like when N donned this 1970s patchwork print polyester dress and declared "I feel like this is Amish". 

"Actually it looks Holly Hobbie-ish" I commented. 

"What's that?" N said.

To which I had nothing to say.

Or when N was ready for her next photo and I said "N,with your hair up like that you remind me of Jerry Hall!"

Only to have her reply "Who's that?"  

What could I say, except "what year were you born?"

Caitlin even took a few photos for me of some designs I've been working on. 

Here's a photo of the prototype for my apron that will be in the next One Yard Wonders book, Fabric-by-Fabric (due out in December 2011).  Notice the shoes? Oh yea, those were mine from about 1984. 

Even though the weather didn't cooperate the girls had fun and declared the vintage fashion shoot a success.

Stay tuned for vintage fashion shoot part two scheduled for later in July.

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Mistaken identity - a fabric burn test

So I began sewing the Vogue 1247 top.

You know the one.

It's that oh-so-popular-with-the-sewing-bloggers Rachel Comey top.

The one I didn't give a second thought to until I began seeing the many positive reviews.  Then of course I just had to have one for myself.  You, of course, never allow yourself to be influenced like that, right? 

Anyway,  where was I?

Oh yea. I began sewing the top the other day.  Actually made pretty good progress on it in just a few hours - see?

The fabric is a beautiful fiber-unknown piece that arrived in one of those Fabric Mart Fabrics mystery bundles.

When it arrived I had guessed it was a polyester charmeuse, so I washed and dried it and placed it in the fabric closet.

However, as I was sewing I couldn't help but wonder if what I thought was a polyester was actually silk.

Only one way to find out for sure.  A fabric burn test!

I grabbed swatch of fabric, a lighter and asked hubby to join me in the garage for a little burn test.

In a well-vented area (with a fire extinguisher close by) the fabric is held over the flame.

 As the flame touched the fabric it slowly began to burn, sputtering as it moved up the center of the fabric.

It continued to slowly burn up the center of the fabric.

When the flame was removed, the fabric quit burning and I carefully placed it on the garage floor.  The ash looks strong but when it was touched it wanted to crumble.

I thought it was interesting how it burned just along the center of the fabric. Look at the ridge the residue left behind.

The way the fabric burned combined with the smell (like burned hair) I would say I'm working with silk and not polyester.  Yea!

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And it's done - the McCall's 6294 jacket

No modeling photos tonight - it's Zumba night which means I'm sitting at the computer in my workout clothes looking like I was caught in a torrential rain fall. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but believe me, when I work out I look like I worked out.   And I'm not documenting it here :-)

So, let's get to it.  You want to know all about the jacket, right?

The pattern is McCall's 6294.

You might think due to the length of time it took me to complete the jacket that it's a complicated design. But you'd be wrong.  I just haven't had much spare time to devote to sewing so this jacket was completed in chunks of 15 and 30 minutes time.

There's some great details to the jacket.

I already mentioned the lapels and shared a photo here.

The back has a center back seam, princess side seams along with an angled yoke.

The sleeves have elbow darts.

And the entire jacket is lined.

Remember I was concerned about the fit of the jacket?  Mainly the bagginess in the upper chest area. Now I did add shoulder pads as I mentioned the other day, and that did take care of some of the issues.

But there's still some bagginess.  It goes away if the jacket is held together at the center front. Not much help considering it's designed to be worn open.  I'm wondering if the princess seam is set to close to the side of the jacket and that's what's bothering me.   One of these evenings I'll get a photo posted of the jacket being worn.

Take a close look at the pattern envelope photo and you'll see the same issue.

This is just one of those times when I say "it's good enough" and move on.

After all, I still have six more jackets to complete to get myself back on track for the one-jacket-a-month project.

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A PR weekend in Minneapolis would be lovely

Did you notice there's a poll over at Pattern Review to vote for the location of next year's PR weekend? 

And did you know that Minneapolis is one of the options?  It is! Go see for yourself. (Click on the vote for the 2012 PR weekend text.)

Right now Minneapolis is in third place. Not bad, huh?  Except there are only three choices...

Maybe you just don't know how much fun the Twin Cities area can be.  It's easy to get to with a major airport only minutes from downtown Minneapolis.  Our traffic congestion isn't nearly as bad as some other major metro areas (or so I've been told).

Oh, but I hear you saying "But what could we possibly do in there?"

Well for starters there's the Mall of America.  Almost everyone who visits the Twin Cities makes a stop at the infamous mall. I mean where else can you ride a roller coaster, visit LegoLand, savor a delicious dinner at any number of restaurants, enjoy a cocktail in one of the bars and, of course,shop.

"But it's a sewing weekend" I hear you protest.

Ah, but don't you want a chance to visit my beloved SR Harris Fabric Warehouse?  Oh yea, I knew that would get your attention.

Then there's the lovely Treadle Yard Goods.   And who could forget Crafty Planet?  Yep, all in my neck of the woods.

I bet the powers that be behind Pattern Review could even arrange for us to visit the folks at Kwik Sew patterns.  What's that?  You didn't know they were based in Minneapolis? Well, now you do!

And for you vintage loving sewers a related gem that might be happening the Thursday before the weekend begins is the annual Retro Rama at the Minnesota History Center.

So what are you waiting for?

Get over to PR and cast your vote for Minneapolis!

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My what big shoulders you have

Remember these? 

No?

That's because the likes of these weren't see in the fashion world for many years.  I suspect many of you never even mourned their passing. 

What you're looking at a pair of gen-u-ine late 80s shoulder pads. About 1/2" thick. 

I actually had three packages of these in my sewing supplies. Not too sure why I bothered to hang onto them all these years, but they sure came in handy tonight now didn't they? 

That's because I put that McCall's jacket on and tried out a number of shoulder pads.  The jacket is designed for a 1/4" shoulder pad, but it's looking like I'll need to use these thicker one.  The fits still not the best but it's getting better.

See?  Here's a quick shot of the jacket tossed on with the shoulder pads tucked in place. My after Zumba workout look is not a pretty one 'people so no head shots tonight.

 
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Weekend Wrapup - this week I'm thankful for

Another week has flown by.

It was a busy week, marked with odd weather swings.  We almost broke a record early in the week (over 100 deg. F) only to drop low enough two days later to seriously consider turning the heat on in the car. 

This week five things I'm thankful for include:

• A new fitness class being offered at no cost by my employer. It's a Zumba class held after work one night a week.  If you haven't tried Zumba yet you really are missing out on a lot of fun.

• The ability to purchase groceries when the mood hits me to try a new recipe and I'm missing an ingredient.

• The opportunity to talk to a fantastic non-profit group about the possibility of doing some work for them.

• A sewing blogger who graciously answered some non-sewing questions I had on a topic I suspected they had a lot of knowledge about.  Thanks Linda!  And yes, she did know her stuff. 

• A great Twins game enjoyed with my hubby, daughter and her boyfriend. 

I even managed to squeeze in short periods of sewing.   So, what are you thankful for this week?

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Still plugging away - McCall's 6294 jacket

The jacket, McCall's 6294, is slowly coming together. 

During the cold winter months I would have had this baby done and mixed into my wardrobe by now.  But during the summer months I can't bear to be shut up in my sewing studio when there is gorgeous weather to be enjoyed outside.

This past week the weather, combined with a busy evening schedule,  provided brief opportunities for sewing.   When I say brief, I actually mean very brief. As in 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there.

Do you ever have weeks like that?  I don't know about you but I'm often  tempted to say "why waste 15 minutes sewing...you know you won't get much done".  But I ignore that little voice and sew a seam or two and before you know it I'm closer to a completed jacket.

Back to the progress on this particular jacket.

The lining is partially in.  I see that I mismarked the bottom edge slightly (ahem...okay, more than just slightly) and will need to redo that seam.

Right now, I'm not liking the fit on the jacket.  The armholes feel too low causing two things: tightness across the upper arm when I reach forward and this bagginess at the upper chest area.  

Now the jacket is designed for 1/4" shoulder pads and I haven't put those in place yet.  I'm wondering if the combination of my sloping shoulders (which I did not alter the pattern for) and the extra fabric for the shoulder pads is causing that excess fabric.  

I guess once I put in shoulder pads I'll find out, right?

I'm eager to complete the jacket as I already have my next project planned.  Vogue 1247.  The Rachel Comey top that so many of you have already sewn.

 
I have this lovely fuchsia fabric that arrived in a Fabric Mart Fabrics bundle that should work beautifully.  Feels like silk but unless I take the time to do a burn test I won't know for sure. Either way it drapes beautifully and a quick layout of the pattern pieces proved there is just enough fabric for the top.  Once I  iron out those wrinkles and cut out the pattern pieces I think it will act as a great incentive for completing my jacket.

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DIY - An easy to sew strapless maxi dress tutorial

 

Combine a few yards of fabric with a few hours of your time and you'll be ready to beat the summer heat in style!

It's the perfect sewing project for a beginner.  It consists of sewing two fabric rectangles together with an elastic casing at the dress top and at the waistline.

I found the fabric, belt and even the bias tape used for the casing in a thrift store, so total investment for my "Island Dreams" maxi dress was less than $10.

I call this my Island Dreams dress as it reminds me of hot weather, lush flowers and refreshing drinks served with little umbrellas.

Here's how you can sew your own Island Dreams maxi dress (or swim suit cover-up if you prefer).

Materials needed

• Lightweight woven fabric 45” wide - enough yardage to cut two dress lengths.  You’ll determine the dress length in the next step. 
• Choose a lightweight fabric as the width of the dress is about 64" when sewn.  If you want less ease just cut your rectangles narrower. 
• Thread
• 1/2" elastic
• Bias tape
• Tape measure
• Chalk or other marking pen
• Sewing machine
• Fabric scissors

 Determine the length of the dress

• Measure from your underarm to the floor (or where you want your dress to end).
• Add 3 inches to this measurement for upper casing and hem. This will be the length you cut each rectangle. 
• I cut my dress 50” long.

Cut the fabric

• Lay your fabric on a large flat surface.I used my cutting table, but the floor works just as well.

• Cut two rectangles 33" wide by the length you determined in the step above.
• If you want a closer fitting dress this is where you'll want to cut a narrower rectangle.  
• If you want a looser fit, cut the rectangle wider. 

Sew the side seams

• With right sides together pin the two large rectangles together along the long edges,which are the side seams.
• Using a 1/2” seam allowance, stitch the side seams.
• If desired, finish the seams with a serger, a zig zag stitch, or pinking shears.  Some seam finish examples can be viewed here.
• Press the seams open. 

Optional walking slits: If you want a walking slit, stop sewing the side seam about 18" from the lower edge on one or both sides.  If you do that be sure to turn under and hem those raw edges!

Create the casings 

• Turn under 1/4" on the top edge of the dress. Press.

• Turn under another 3/4" on the top edge. Press.   
• This is the upper casing of the dress.

•  Stitch close to pressed edge forming the casing. 

•  Leave a 1" opening to insert the elastic.

• Turn the dress so the wrong side of the fabric is facing out.
• From the top edge of the dress, measure down 9” and mark with chalk or pen.   

• Continue measuring and marking 9” down from the top edge of the dress until you've drawn a solid line around the entire dress.  This is the line for the waist casing.
• Starting at one side seam, place one edge of the seam binding along the line you just drew. 
• Pin in place. 
• Stitch close to both edges of the seam binding. Be sure to leave a 1" opening at one side seam to insert elastic. 

Insert the upper casing elastic

• Cut a piece of 1/2" elastic that fits snugly around your chest (above your bust.)
• Place a safety pin on one end of the elastic and thread it through the upper casing.

• Don't forget to pin the other end of the elastic to the garment or you’ll lose the elastic in the casing when you begin to pull to thread the elastic through.
• Once the elastic is all the way through, secure the elastic to the dress by pinning both ends to the dress seam.
• Try the dress on to make sure the elastic is tight enough to hold the dress up. Adjust if necessary.
• Remove the pins, overlap the two edges of elastic, stitch together securely (you don't want that elastic to come undone while you're wearing the dress now do you?) and tuck into the casing.
• Sew the casing opening closed.

 Insert the waistline casing elastic

• Cut a piece of 1/2" elastic that fits comfortably around your waist.
• Place a safety pin on one end of the elastic and thread it through the waist casing you just created with the seam binding.
• Once again, don't forget to pin the other end of the elastic to the garment.
• Overlap the two edges of elastic, stitch together securely and tuck into the casing.

Hem the dress

• The hem of the dress is created the same way as the upper casing.
• Turn under 1/4” on the bottom edge of the dress. Press.
• Turn under another 3/4” on the top edge. Press. 
• Stitch close to the pressed edge.

Done!

Add a belt, some great costume jewelry and go enjoy the compliments you'll get while wearing your new dress. 

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The a jacket a month project (finally) begins

Okay, so I thought I would begin the A Jacket A Month project a few months ago.

Like six months ago to be exact.

That's not so bad.  After all, I almost have one finished.

It's a little linen number using a newer McCall's design - McCall's 6294 

McCall's 6294, Melissa Watson for Palmer / Pletsch (image from http://mccallpattern.mccall.com)

I'm sewing the shorter version in a natural linen that has just a hint of metallic threads woven through out.

The fabric was purchased at ...

wait for it ...

wait for it...

wait for it...

JoAnn Fabrics!

I know, right?  It surprised me too.  We'll see how it holds up, but so far I don't think its too bad.

So far so good on the jacket.  Nothing unusual on the construction end. 

One interesting detail I want to point out before I go.

That wide collar is one of the easiest collars I've ever sewn. The label is actually two pieces with a seam that meets at the point.

And there you have it.

The slow, yet steady, progress on jacket number one for the A Jacket A Month project.

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