Making Memories

We have some bolts of fabric at work that have been around for a few years. The shoppers who come in somehow don’t envisage these fabrics as quilts or bags or any other sewn item. So they sit.

I’ve been making it my mission to get all of these fabrics photographed (or find the pic online, although for older fabrics, that’s not an easy task), and make them available to potential online purchasers. In a sentence: what a shopper cannot see does not get sold.

When I arrived at the store on Monday, eight bolts of Moda cotton twill were stacked next to the cutting table. Balanced on top was a handwritten note from the store owner: “Put in computer and label. Make something.”

When I went to American Sewing Expo in Novi, MI, a couple of months ago, I saw an Indygo Junction vest that I loved. In fact, many shoppers loved it. One of the woman associated either with IJ or with the store booth that was featuring IJ was wearing a denim vest from the pattern. She got so tired of stopping to answer the question, “What pattern is that?”, that she pinned a copy of the pattern to the back of her vest so she could just point! I purchased the pattern, but also bought some of this beautiful, soft denim IJ has developed. My intention is to make the long vest from the soft aqua denim. But I’d been eyeing this olive/black/red striped twill ever since I saw the vest. Wouldn’t that go together nicely? And it did!

Here’s the review:

Pattern Description: The Modern Silhouette Vest is styled with subtle shaping for a flattering fit. Only four pattern pieces combine with an array of construction options to create a variety of looks. Three lengths are offered: a cropped, upper hip number, a mid-hip variation and a lower hip adaptation with a decidedly free-spirited point of view. All have staggered hemlines that taper gently to the back with a concealing extended center back panel. Stitch your pieces together with exposed, serged seams or overlap and topstitch your pieces for an out-of-the-ordinary rendition. If you don’t have a serger or prefer an alternative finishing technique, use your zigzag stitch to cover and accent the raw edges of your garment. The pattern showcases a self-fabric tie option, an easy, single button closure and a vest unhindered by closures of any kind. You’ll also find instructions for deconstructing denim jeans to repurpose as a smart new vest.

Pattern Sizing: Offered in sizes S – 3XL.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Easy peasy! Construction time probably under two hours.

Fabric Used: Moda cotton twill . The store owner found eight bolts of this twill sitting around and said, “Somebody please make something out of this.” So I did. 🙂

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Such a quick and easy vest. Side front and side back seams serge-finished, then sewn WS together and seam allowances pressed open. I love the subtle contrast of the wrong side showing on the side front/back seams.

The only seams sewn RS together are shoulder and side. I topstitched those seams from the outside at 3/8″ just to keep them flat. I personally like the insides of a garment to look as nice as the outside.

I used the Collins C17 “jumbo” plastic snaps, 1/2″ diameter, and I wished I had used something larger. Went to Jo-Ann’s but the larger ones they stock are metal. I felt they’d be too heavy for this lightweight vest. I plan to make this again soon in Indygo Junction’s beautiful Crossroads Denim, and will order larger plastic snaps for that – or use metal.

“But I don’t have a serger,” you say? Don’t despair. Use any of the overlocking stitches or fancy stitches your machine offers. Use cool contrasting thread. Or even use double-fold bias binding or that cool folded elastic that’s available now (just don’t stretch it!). You don’t have to have a serger – that’s just how the instructions are written.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Absolutely. I’ll be leaving it at the Bernina shop where I work, as a sample for shoppers to see. (After I sew my label in the back!)

Conclusion: Cute, easy, flattering vest in three lengths, suitable for medium-weight fabrics and great for repurposing jeans. Highly recommend!

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The picture at the top of the post shows the raku button I used. It’s been in my stash for about 15 years and was handmade by a lovely clay artisan who lived in Oregon at the time. She has since moved to France with her love and stopped creating these buttons. How sad for me and other sewers!

The button is sewn on to disguise the stitches on the snap inside the right front. After I secure that button, I run a couple more stitches and add little glass beads. Love to include creative touches like this.

And don’t you love the word envisage (in first paragraph, above)? My Good Husband, a passionate word nerd, had a word-of-the-day calendar on his desk at the Pentagon. The day he died, “envisage” was the day’s word. It means “To conceive an image or a picture of, especially as a future possibility.” Just telling you this brings back such wonderful memories—and brings tears to my eyes.

Oh, and a smile to my face.

Most of my sewing, when I’m not the intended recipient, is a labor of love. My most recent experience didn’t follow that tradition.

The store owner approached me with three bolts of fabric and a pattern for a little girl’s dress and asked me to make it for a store sample. I was complimented. To my mind, that meant she liked the work I had done on the (much disliked by me) Amy Butler skirt and skirt overlay I had completed a few weeks ago.

Now, I love to sew. Obviously. One could not turn out the number of garments I’ve created in the past 18 months without loving the work. This little dress, however, was a different story. Within five minutes of starting the laying-out and cutting process, I sensed this was not going to be an easy sew.

By the time I was sewing on the final button, I was totally disgusted. I can only hope she’ll give me a bag to make the next time. Or at least something with reasonable instructions!

Here’s the review, if you’re curious:

Pattern Description: Madeline with two variations has a bias cut skirt and buttons in the front. The short dress has a high curved yoke and short puffed sleeves that are finished with contrasting piping and a bias sleeve band. The contrasting fabric is also used as a self-ruffle around the Peter Pan collar and bottom of dress. The other view is sleeveless. The armholes are finished with a bias strip. Pattern includes matching panties.

Pattern Sizing: Children’s 1-4

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Some okay; some very confusing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
1) Be sure to read the entire pattern before beginning, including errata page and extra explanations.
2) Size 4 cutting layout is incorrect. Must be folded on the crossgrain for the skirt to fit on.
3) “Wrap around yoke” – there were four of us, very experienced sewers and sewing teachers, standing around the pattern trying to figure out how to construct the yoke. The instruction illustrations were very confusing, especially regarding the yoke.
4) A French seam on a 1/4″ seam allowance is no good. Once you sew the wrong-sides-together 1/8″‘ seam and trim it, you’ve got two threads holding that seam in place. Then you press, turn, press, and sew another 1/8″ seam? Why not design the pattern with more reasonable 1/2″ seam allowances. That would leave you with a 1/4″ finished seam, which is not too much for a child’s dress. In my mind, this 1/4″ seam allowance is poor design.
5) By this point in the construction of this dress, I was just disgusted. I had cut out the short sleeves, but when I saw the step about piping the binding for the sleeve hem, I decided there would be no sleeves. The instructions and illustration for finishing the armhole on the sleeveless version made it appear that the seam allowance would be visible, not tucked inside. I tried both ways and ultimately turned the seam allowance to the inside, turned the binding under, and whipstitched in place
6) Measurements for cutting strips for ruffle – instructions say to cut 4 (I think – left the pattern at the store) strips of a specific width, selvedge to selvedge. Then you’re instructed to measure the skirt hem edge, front fold line to front fold line. The perimeter measurement was around 205″. You’re supposed to multiply that by 1.75. That’s 359″. You need to cut 9-44″ strips to make that ruffle, not 4! That may seem like a nit, but it’s just recurring sloppy instructions.
7) Turning the leg openings on the panties–given the tight curves next to the crotch–and sewing to make elastic casing was difficult and, ultimately, not pretty. My only consolation as the seamstress on this garment is it’s a store sample and will probably never be worn by a human child!

Fabric Used: 100% Cotton

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: None.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? No. Never. (And given this experience, I’m unlikely to purchase any more patterns from this label or recommend them to any shoppers in the store. Will be advising store owner not to purchase any more.)

Conclusion: Cute dress, twirly skirt any little girl would love, and I can tell the designer(s) put a lot of work into it, but I cannot recommend this pattern. It is absolutely not for a beginning sewer.

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Whew! I’m glad that’s over!

Doesn’t everyone have a favorite travel garment? This is mine. Every time I wear it, I receive compliments.

It’s the Nikko jacket from The Sewing Workshop. The fabric is a home dec linen that I found at a store near the university in Tucson. From my googling, I believe the store no longer exists. I can picture it and about where it was, but can no longer remember the name of the street. I lived in Tucson from 2000-2008—eight years. I’ve now been gone from there for six years. I’ve forgotten many of the places, but still remember all the good friends.

I took this picture Monday morning a week ago (Sept. 8) at 4:15 a.m. as we were heading for the airport shuttle for a nonstop flight to San Francisco. I was going to quickly post it to explain why I wouldn’t be sewing and posting at all. You see how well that went!

Now I’m home and busy posting the travel blog—wine tasting in Sonoma and Napa; a long drive down the coast for lunch with a fiber friend; SF fabric shopping with a cyberfiberfriend who can now drop “cyber” from her title; and lots of walking and sightseeing around SF. Great fall vacation!!!

And the Nikko jacket? The only thing I would have done differently is put in a faux bound buttonhole rather than a regular buttonhole with black thread. Other than that, it’s perfect. Great weight for sitting on a plane for hours. And I believe it’s visited every foreign country I have visited.

(If you want to read about our travels, click the Travel tab at the top of the screen. My account will be complete in a few days.)