I learned something new…

Just by chance actually! As a matter of fact, I learned a couple of things.

I’ve decided I need more dresses in my life (again). I also noticed that IG is having a #sewtogetherforsummer Challenge that I can participate in – if I get my entry done by June 21st. I do not like deadline sewing, so this is going to be interesting.

I have my shirt dress pattern picked out – Butterick B5920. It is an unexpected shirt dress pattern, as it might not even be a shirt dress. It’s a Butterick Retro ’51 pattern. Of course, there is NO WAY I am sewing heart shaped pockets on my chest – sorry. I am going to leave the pockets off completely. But I do LOVE this turned up collar. It kind of follows my neck curve like no other collar I have seen before … and I love it!

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Amber is put to work …

Perhaps you remember my Singer 421G, a convertible free arm sewing machine made in Germany in 1954. “Amber” for short! Since purchasing Amber, she has received a good cleaning and oiling, and I took apart her tension assembly and put her back together again. She runs smoothly now with a nice stitch.

I love the sound she makes – like a train clicking quickly on the tracks, heavy on my table with no shake – unlike my Janome 3160QDC who whirrs loudly and shakes the table as she sews. Now it’s time to put Amber to work. Continue reading →

Finishing that friggin’ UFO … (Part 2)

I apologize for not posting sooner. I did continue working on my Sister’s shirt/jacket during the last week, the final chapter of my Sister’s Sewing Projects, although I am sure she will eventually think of something else for me to do! I am using Simplicity 5455, a pattern from 2003. I started it here using two wonderful fabrics, a solid blue and a white “newsprint floral”, both made of 97% cotton and 3% spandex. Things were rolling along nicely … until they came to a dead stop! Why?

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Not quite a Rocketeer…

My new Baby is a 1954 Singer Slant-o-matic Convertible, model 421G. I’m calling her “Amber”. She was “Made in Germany”. She’s not quite the Rocketeer (the 500 models) I have been looking for, but being in the 400 series, Amber is close! My sister says Amber’s just a Rocketeen! 🙂

Amber not only has an extension bed, but she has a free-arm too. Better yet, the free-arm has a compartment to hold all her bobbins, throat plates and Special Discs (that’s what they are called in the manual, but I prefer the name from the internet “Top Hat cams”).

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Love the dress… The Pattern? Not so much…

Sorry… But this is not the first time I have been shaking my head at a pattern envelope or PDF. This time it is McCall’s M7169. I love the photo and diagrams. This is another garment in my “Sister’s Sewing Projects“.

Let me start with… I love my sister’s fabric choices! Both fabrics are cotton with a hint of spandex – for those days when chocolate or cheesecake are required. The brown flowers are so abstract up close and so clear from far away.

Ok, maybe I’m over reacting, but chocolate was required in order for me to finish this dress properly.
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Last weekend’s accomplishments.

Well there wasn’t much time for sewing, my sister came for a visit! I had my pants finished in advance so that we could laze around all weekend. Well, except for the 5 km walk/jog we did. My two sisters and I did the CIBC Run for the Cure Sunday. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold and it was extremely uplifting to see all the participants and breast cancer survivors, some survivors announcing on their T shirts “18 years cancer free”. Fabulous!

I was going to use my vintage pattern, Simplicity 8740, for my pants, then I realized that my pants sloper was pretty much the same type of pattern piece as the pants pattern and so, I used my sloper instead.

The fabric was called “Aristocrat Solid”, 88% polyester and 12% spandex, with a soft drape – one of the fabrics I bought during my last trip to Vancouver. Continue reading →

I run for …

Vintage Sewing Machines!

I didn’t know I did, but it has been proven that I do.

Ever since I was given Ilona and Maria, I’ve been bitten by the “VSM bug”. (It’s all my Mom’s fault!!!) I’ve been browsing “for sale” sites on line and learning as much as I can about various Vintage Sewing Machines. So far, my favourite is the Singer 500, the “Rocketeer”.

The “Rocketeer”. The most unusual and complicated sewing machine I have ever seen!

The Rocketeer is a slant shank, steel gear driven sewing machine made between 1960 and 1963. It has a horizontal rotary hook (drop in class 66 bobbin) and besides doing a lock stitch, reverse, and zigzag, it has 25 built in stitches, 5 Special Disks (top hat cams) included, plus 12 more that can be purchased separately.

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More on my denim skirt…

Hello all, me again. I’ve had a couple of “distractions” over the last week therefore I haven’t quite finished my denim skirt, but I thought I would show you what I have accomplished so far – and perhaps this week you might even get a laugh out of it!

I started my denim skirt by cutting out a Sewaholic Hollyburn skirt pattern here and making my back pockets, and doing my topstitching and flat felled seams here.

Now it is time to sew my jeans fly front. My one side is interfaced, double fold bias tape is sewn on the rough edge and the piece is sewn on to my left side front (if I am looking at the skirt). The interfacing will never show as this piece is folded over to the inside.

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I’ve decided to make a denim skirt…

from my Sewaholic Hollyburn skirt pattern. I cut this pattern out last week from some 100% pre-washed cotton I found in my stash. I still have a good metre or so left so I’ll have to think of another project for it. Do any of you have a favourite tank top pattern that could use the remainder of my 100% cotton denim?

Since this is the fourth time I have cut out a Sewaholic Hollyburn, I think it is definitely one of my TNT patterns.

My skirt is coming together well. The thought of topstitching and revits and Jeans buttons makes me SMILE!

I started this skirt by making my interfaced back pockets. I just cut a large rectangle shape, as the Hollyburn didn’t have a pattern piece for this. I precisely measured for my angled corners. I marked the centre point of the bottom with my Chaco liner and I measured two inches up on each side and made marks there too.

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Let me talk about new toys…

For as long as I can remember, I have been sewing in my invisible zippers with a Singer Zipper foot that fits on my Janome sewing machine (below right). It bounces around a bit, but it’s ok. A few months ago I purchased this “Unique” brand package. A plastic Zipper Foot with a variety of shanks to fit any machine – supposedly useful for sewing in invisible zippers! Sorry… I found using my Singer Zipper foot to be more accurate.

I recently decided that it was time to splurge. After searching for a Janome Invisible Zipper foot – only to discover there was no such thing – I found a Janome Concealed Zipper foot… and I bought it, despite it’s silly name!