Kwik Sew 2565, Geisha Edition

OK, so yesterday I played hooky, did nothing useful during the day...I suppose I needed the time to chill. I'm well on my way to doing the same thing today, in spite of my project deadline. I just need some more "me" time. Hopefully doing this for myself will lead me to a more productive week at the office. I already know there will be long hours ahead, regardless.

This morning I was up early because DF had to be at work by 7:30 a.m., so I faced down the Evolve and rethreaded it for coverstitching. It's really not hard to make the switch from serger to coverstitch, but it is yet another excuse for procrastination.



Much as I love the look of poly/lycra knits, they can sometimes be a bear to sew because of their stretchiness. The one I used for this project was no exception. Because it had been a while since I had used this particular version of the pattern, I used Sandra Betzina's "fit insurance" for the side seams. She recommends adding 1" to the side seams, "just in case." I think for this fabric, it made the difference between hootchie and wearable, because I ended up adding 1/4" to each side seam, a total of 1" extra ease. Even though this is a TNT pattern, every knit is different, and this one needed some additional room to look decent.

In addition to fitting issues, the needle threads kept breaking on my coverstitch samples until I loosened the tension more than recommended by the manual. Must keep this in mind for the future because I have several yards of it in different prints, and I'm a knitwear girl. I wear t-shirts for casual, and if the garment is nice enough, for work too. A high end looking t-shirt looks great under an otherwise staid dark colored suit.

Another improvement was switching to a clear foot. I had bought it when Ann Silva was having an open house, almost on a whim. Am I glad I did! This puppy will probably stay on the Evolve all the time, I like it that much. FYI, I'm referring to the Babylock Evolve, which is a TOL serger/coverstitch machine with a huge presser foot. What's so nice about the clear foot vs. the metal foot is you can actually tell what's going on with the fabric as it's sewn.


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"Anonymous" asked if I used a serger to sew this t-shirt. Yes, this one was sewn primarily with my Babylock Evolve serger/coverstitch machine. I used a conventional sewing machine to sew the seams (0.5 wide x 3.0 long zigzag) for the first pass, then used a 3 thread serge for finishing. This was done mainly because I was experimenting with the pattern draft I was using and didn't want to trim the fabric edges with the serger until I was sure of the fit. Next time, I won't need to do the conventional stitching and can go directly to the serger.

If you don't have a serger, you can still sew knits! Just use only the narrow zigzag as described in the previous paragraph. For hemming you can use a twin needle with wooly nylon in the bobbin.

Relaxed Saturday Morning

I'm working on the annual review of my largest customer relationship this weekend, so I doubt there will be much sewing. No, instead I'll be at the office, analyzing and writing.

Maybe Sunday night, since DF will be at the Man Cave instead of my house. I hope I can find some time because I'm almost done with another Kwik Sew 2565 T-shirt. All it needs is the coverstitching at the neckline, sleeves and hem. I'll post a picture when it's done.

This morning I've been making copies of my new patterns so I can put them in my catalogs (for more on them, here's the original post on that topic). They've been sitting since the last big eBay purchase because I've been too preoccupied to buy supplies for my printer. Finally got around to it, so that's been a productive form of procrastinating before I head downtown.

Salvage

Like Lisa at Sew Random, I've been doing a bit of salvage sewing during the last week--what a great description! Somehow, it sounds better than "alterations," which I dread. That probably explains why I have so much stuff parked in my sewing room!

Nevertheless, I worked on a couple of items this past week, and I'm actually pretty happy that I've turned a couple of potential discards into "new" items.

The first project was the remake of a slinky skirt I bought at Coldwater Creek a couple of years ago when I wore a Large. I loved the fabric, a gold and black paisley, but there was way too much of it for me to wear now that I'm several sizes smaller. So it hung in the closet. Then my girlfriend Fran wore a similar skirt to work and I had an "aha" moment--time to revive that skirt. It turned out to be so easy. I just cut the elastic waist off and ripped out the coverstitched hem, re-sewed the side seams, put in a new casing, and restitched the hem. It's projects like this that really make me love my Evolve!

The second project was some tweaks of the Plaza Pants I made at the Sewing Workshop Getaway last fall. They were too long in the crotch and too loose for my taste. Since these have no side seams and also have the pleat/flange detail in front, I removed the waistband and cut off 5/8" from the top edge. Then I removed the excess width from the center front and center back seams, a total of 1 1/4". Re-attached the waistband, and done. I think I'll be making these pants again and will need to transfer the changes to the pattern.

Salvage projects still aren't my favorites but I do enjoy the results when I can convince myself to start. A couple of rules of thumb, though. Don't try to salvage everything--make sure you're spending your time on a garment that you'll actually wear afterwards! Like the skirt--love that fabric, so I'll wear it now that it's remade. Don't waste time on something you feel meh about. Similarly with the Plaza Pants--they're a color, olive, that I'll wear a lot. And the pattern has the potential to be a TNT--the flanges can be folded out for a seam down the front of each leg. Or, the seam can be eliminated altogether for a one-seam pattern.

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Also, thanks for all of your comments regarding my rant about my friend. I'm setting more boundaries re: the phone. I'm using the Mute function on my land line and cell phone, and she also knows that I turn off the ringers when I need "me" time. I'm working on weaning her off her computer dependency as well--the public libraries here not only have wi-fi access, but computers you can use. I really believe she'll be happier if she has more control over her destiny during her job search.

Am I a Bad Friend? Or Am I Normal in Feeling Like This?

Do y'all mind a bit of a rant?

I have this friend, she's definitely a phone junkie. And she's driving me crazy. She phones at least a couple of times a day and it's difficult to get her off the phone in less than 1/2 hour. She calls at work, and she calls at home.

Friday, she called at least 6 times in the space of 2 hours. I was trying to have a quiet evening at home, and after the final call, I finally answered, thinking it might be something important. It wasn't. Jeez!!! I'm afraid I let my irritation show, but really. Friday evening--wouldn't you begin to consider that someone might want to have some recovery from the week.

Then there's tonight. 4 calls, after I'd explicitly stated that the debate was on tonight and that I'd be watching. Ummm, live TV? I haven't picked up, but once again, I'm annoyed. Leave. Me. Alone.

True, said friend has "issues." Once again she's unemployed. IMO, it's due to a severe lapse of judgement, but still...I have to have some empathy at her situation. She's estranged from her son, who's acting like a spoiled child, ugh, want to smack him. And there are other family members who are also amazing in their lack of support and sensitivity. But regardless, I'm feeling that boundaries aren't being respected and it's pissing me off. I've been through similar circumstances and I've had to deal with them basically alone (and yes, she and I knew each other during those periods of time, where was she?). But in spite of that, I'm still feeling a lot of resentment at how needy she is, and what a time-sink she can be.

So, am I being a massive B? Or is my response a reasonable one? I guess I'm just more of a self-reliant type. It's hard for me to have to shoulder this.

Again, sorry to vent. But it's my blog and where else can I?

A New Tag

Trinilove of Life Happens to Be Positive has tagged me with the following: "your mission if you accept is to list 7 facts of your sewing history and tag five people to do the same." OK, I'm game with the 7 facts, but I'm a little laissez-faire about asking people to participate. I think this is a cool little meme, so if you want to do this, blog it and send Trini and me a little note, mmmm-k?

So here they are, 7 facts of my sewing history:

1. My first sewing memory is a little project that my Grandma gave me. It was a handkerchief with a design on it, and you outlined the motif with an embroidery floss running stitch. I was 5 years old. The needle was blunt, but I can hardly imagine something like that being marketed as a child's project today in our watchful, litigious society.


2. My mom was one of those cautious moms who was always afraid we'd hurt ourselves around the house. So, when I expressed an interest in sewing when I was 11 or 12, she insisted that I take Home Ec so I'd learn to "properly" use a sewing machine. Once I was enrolled, she let me start using her sewing machine, a circa 50's White made of solid metal with an olive drab finish. Man, that thing was a tank!! It didn't have a foot petal, it had a lever that you pushed with your thigh. I made many, many projects in junior high and high school with that machine.


3. The 7th grade home ec class was absolutely awful. The girls in the class were primarily of the "hood" clique, and I did not fit in with them at all. Our first project was a poncho. It was the 1970s but uggghhh!! I couldn't wait for that class to be over but it was enough that I had open access to the sewing machine.


4. When I was in the 10th grade, I went to live with my Grandma for a while. Long story that I won't get into here. Grandma did not like to sew, her needlework activities were needlepoint and crochet. However, like most women of her era, she had a sewing machine that was used for general maintenance and repair of the household's clothing, for curtains, etc. That machine was a "portable" Singer with black enamel and golden accents, and it had a bentwood case. Another tank, and that thing also weighed a ton, even though it was a portable. When Grandma passed away, I inherited that machine and it currently resides in the front hall of my home.


5. Because my early machines were both straight stich only, I got really good at making French seams.


6. I had a sewing hiatus during my college and grad school years, more due to lack of a machine than anything else. I got my first "modern" machine 20 years ago, when my then-husband bought me an early electronic machine from Montgomery Ward. I recently gave that machine to my friend John, who is delighted at learning to sew!


7. My stash accumulation habits have been aided and abetted by my late Uncle Bobby, who worked for years in the custom drapery business. He would bring home remnants and roll ends of high end home dec fabrics with instructions to use them for something. He later taught himself to do basic sewing and fabricated cornice boards and draperies for his house with the help of the ladies in the work room. He also liked doing re-upholstering and made his own cording for his projects.

She also asked a question about little black dresses, "is yours ready to wear?" Why yes, yes it is. My current LBD is from Talbot's, it's the black version of this:

It's matte jersey dress, and I recently bought at Talbot's--very basic, as a LBD should be. I got it to wear with jackets and such for work. I also got the navy version.