Out With The Old And In With The New

My beloved Brother cs6000I finally bit the dust after more than 12 years of faithful service.   I accidentally broke her cleaning her as I had seen someone do on the Internet.  Lesson learned--don't do everything you see there. I was going to cost $89 just to have someone look at her.  She only cost me $145 to begin with.  It didn't seem worth it to get her fixed when it probably going to cost more than her initial outlay. Luckily I had my ancient Bernette 330 as backup. 

She's over 25 years old and cranky as hell.  Her gears slip, so half the time I have to turn her wheel manually to get her started.  She then rattles and makes a fierce amount of protesting noise at being bothered at her age.  (She really believes in retirement despite being serviced last year.)  She has a 4-step button hole too; and I'm oh so spoiled to my 1-step button button holes.  A new machine was a must--and soon.

I was partial to getting another Brother because I was so familiar with it, has so many feet for it already and because the cs6000 had been so faithful and true. I could also get an awful lot of bells and whistles for my buck.  I also looked at Janome though because they had several machines in my price range as well.  That lead me to an email from Babylock advertising their introductory line in my budget range but they just didn't have all the features I was hoping to get. A thread on Pattern Review got me to thinking about E-bay as getting a higher end used model.  I did look and even bid a few times.  I was outbid and decided I really wanted new from someone I could trust. 

I began to eye the Brother pc420prw.  It certainly had a lot of bang for the buck.  But once I got all my pennies together, and cashed in some vacation time I found I could afford the Brother Laura Ashley pc660la.

She's loaded with features and stitches.  I placed my order and within 3 days she was sitting in the sewing room.  Looking big and beautiful and yes, intimidating.  Could I really learn to use something so complicated, much less to its full potential? 

Her owners manual is a book--written well with many illustrations making it easy to follow. It also has instructions on how to sew basic things like zippers and elastic using her feet and function buttons. She came with so many feet! Her LCD screen does prompt you on foot selection, stitch size, and thread tension (that's changeable with a button!).  After an initial bonding period, I'm happy to report that I have mastered at least the basic functions and can sew successfully.  I've reviewed all her stitches functions.  They're quite easy to enter and change and even link together--like letters to form a word.   There are a lot of embroidery stitches to choose from as well. She has mirror imaging and you can even create your own stitches.  What's really amazing to me is she can sew sideways! Wow!

I've still got a lot to learn but its definitely a machine I can grow into and not get bored with.  (Yes that hole on the front is for a knee lift. Something else I'm getting used to.)  I look forward to many happy sewing days with her. 

Happy sewing all.

My New Favorite T-Shirt, McCall's 6964

I've tried making T-shirts in the past.  There were always problems:  too short, neckline fits funny, or most often, sleeves too short.  All that has changed with this pattern.  McCall's 6964 is a Palmer/Pletsch pattern so you know there's going to be lots of fitting advice in there. 

I made the long-sleeved view D with a little bit of modifications.

First, I used the knit mesh from Fabric Mart over the entire top, not just the front.  Due to its sheerness, I used a solid blue ITY knit, also from Fabric Mart for the underlay on the front and back bodice pieces leaving the sleeves sheer.  I simply sewed the ITY/mesh pieces as one unit.  I also did a ½ inch forward shoulder adjustment.  I cut a size 16 neck and bust and graded to an 18 waist and

 hip (my pattern only went to a size 16).  The only other change I made was to shorten it by about 3 inches, it was very long on me.

This top is so stinking comfortable!  And perfect for our spring with its variable temps.  I love wearing it.

It's shown here with the tan slacks I made for the Wardrobe Contest (Vogue 8157) as this was intended to be part of my entry.  Oh well, have a great top I love wearing and it looks really great with jeans.  I enjoyed working with the knit mesh so much and enjoy wearing it so much I ordered some more and have it cut out already for another one of these. 

Hope your spring sewing is going well.  Happy sewing all.

Denim Slacks-- Vogue 8157

Vogue 8157 is on out of print oldie but goodie.  This is part of the Spring Wardrobe.  I got 8 pieces done before the deadline then stalled out on a dress.  Still working on the dress.  But back to the pants. 

I love the wide contour waistband that wraps around part of the waist.  It's an easy pattern as well. 

I used a denim with lycra blend from Denver Fabrics that's been in the stash for years.  It's a medium weight with good recovery but wasn't so thick that there was any difficulty in sewing over seams.  No topstitching was involved and I serged all the seams. Very easy peasy.

Encouraged by the fit of the last pair of pants, I cut a size 18 again.  I did do a full thigh adjustment but in hindsight and pictures, I see that this was probably not necessary as these slacks are not very snug.  The mock-fly construction is odd, but I finally figured out something out that worked. 

Not as many wrinkles in the back with this pair as with last pair and a good fit in the seat. Maybe that full thigh adjustment worked after all.   These are so comfortable to wear.   The top is McCall's 6964.  Review coming soon.   Happy sewing all.

 

Happy Easter!

The Denim Skirt--Simplicity 4701

This is item #6 for the Spring Wardrobe Contest.  I'm trucking right along.  At this rate I may possibly finish as I have finished  7 as well but have yet to blog it.  This is a remarkable pace for me.  Usually I binge sew on the weekends and on days off, but I've been working a lot of 2nd shifts, so I've gotten a couple of hours in the morning in as well. I don't get to see much of Hubs that way but I am getting a lot of sewing done. 

Back to the skirt.  This is Simplicity 4701, now out of print. I made view F, the little red skirt on the cover. I've made this skirt so many times; each in a different size.  I just love it. 

I've made this skirt twice before in different sizes, so apparently I can't live without it.  It's just so easy to wear and such a basic item.  This times it's in a size 18 made from a denim/lycra blend from Denver fabrics.   The instructions are pretty straightforward but not in an easy order: they hop back and forth to the pants.  Example for the pockets: see steps 2-9 of pants.  

 

I only made two changes to the pattern.  I omitted the back patch pockets, I don't need anymore junk in my trunk, and I made the closure a button instead of hook, just personal preference. I serged and topstitched the seams for a faux flatfell seam like the directions say.  Just didn't feel like messing with the flatfell foot that day.

I just love my new skirt and I off to try to finish Item # 8, another top. Happy sewing.

Butterick 5429-- The Twist Top

the next item in the Spring Wardrobe Capsule is Butterick 5429. I believe this is out of print now.

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I made the short-sleeved twist top.  The neat thing about this twist top is that the twist is above the bust, not at the waist or bust as is usual.  This sounds like it would cause a heavy neckline and gaping, but it doesn't.  In the lightweight ITY knit I used (from Fabric.com), it hugs nicely against the chest and doesn't fly open.

When I read the reviews on Pattern Review, they all said it ran huge.  My pattern only went down to a size 16, so I graded down to a size 14.  The instructions were really easy; the twist was the easiest one I've ever seen.  The pictures made it so clear. It went together nice and easy and quickly.  I can see making another of these. It comes in a long sleeve, too.   More coming soon.  Happy sewing.

Spring Wardrobe Continues

The work on the Pattern Review Spring Wardrobe Capsule continues.  I finally got a good photo-session in with Hubs so I'll be able to get a few entries in. 

First up, McCalls 7254 a really great little cardigan.  I love the shawl collar and how it folds and flares out into the peplum.  I used a dark taupey-brown ponte de roma knit from Fabric.com but can see this in a bulkier sweater knit as well. 

It stitched up so quick and easy; I wasn't expecting that.  It's the perfect thing for these cool spring days when you need to layer on and off.  I'm already getting a lot of use out of it and am looking forward to making another of these.

Next is Butterick 6065, the shaped shell top.  I never really noticed this pattern until I saw Faye's at Faye's Sewing Adventure  blog.  She's made several of these and they're all so cute.  She's so right, with only 3 pieces, what's not to love? I used an ITY knit from Fabric Mart and after reading about it on Pattern Review tried a Teflon foot to keep the knit under control.  Worked wonderfully!  I'll be using it all the time with knits now.   

I don't like the look of folded and hemmed necklines, so I made some binding for the neck and armholes.  Then, after reading about it on Pinterest, I decided to try Wash Away Wonder Tape.  I tried some of it and Steam-a-Seam 2 (¼ inch) on opposites ends of a scrap.  For this material, I preferred the Steam-a-Seam: it gave a smoother, lighter hem. 

The pants are an oldie but a goodie, Vogue 7301

I haven't made pants in years and now I'm all fluffy again so I guess I'm a little crazy for planning on 2 pairs for my wardrobe capsule.  I had made these years ago when I was a new sewer and fearless in my lack of knowledge and determination.  I had made a few changes to the pattern last time when I was about this size so thought it was a good launching point. 

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I raised the center front ½ inch, raised the center back ½ inch and did a full thigh adjustment of about ½ inch also.  I cut a size 18, serged the edges of the pattern pieces and pressed them open at the seams.  

The fly instructions were awesome--clear, well-illustrated, step-by-step.  Made it so easy.  Looking at the photos, it looks like I could do with some kind of wedge alteration at the crotch and a little more room in the backseat.   I seriously need to trace this pattern--it's so faded I can hardly see the print or marking on the pieces and its definitely a keeper! 

So there we have it--Pieces 2, 3, and 4 of the Spring Wardrobe with more to come!  Happy sewing!