… with the kindness of strangers.

I was determined to clean up and oil Barbie, my Singer Slant-o-Matic 500, my “Rocketeer”, while I was on holidays from work. Before I even got around to cleaning her up … well … I broke off her Plate Cover by accident. I just closed it and it popped off in my hand. The manual showed it was an easy fix – just snap it back on.

I could see though on my Plate Cover that my hinge pins show some paint chipping on the right and a slight crack possibly on the left.

These VSM are famous for broken Plate Cover hinges so I was afraid to force it. I cautiously pushed it back on – with a bad result …

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THE Biggest Grandstand Show in Canada!

Let me explain, in case you missed my IG feed … I headed back to the Calgary Stampede for my summer vacation!

I was in such awe of THE Biggest Sewing Room in Canada when I saw it in August of 2014 at the Calgary Stampede, I just knew I would have to return to see THE Biggest Grandstand Show in Canada – the TransAlta Grandstand Show – and all the talented performers who ultimately end up wearing all those costumes made by all those talented sewists in THE Biggest Sewing Room in Canada. Continue reading →

One of my favourites …

I started this dress last week (read the prequel right here). I love this pattern. It’s a remake of a classic dress pattern, Butterick B5920 “Retro ’51”. Comfortable and easy to make. The fabric is lightweight and soft, an Ellena Rayon Twill Print, 100% Rayon. I even found the perfect buttons for my fabric.

Now I did make some changes – no heart shaped pockets on the chest, no waspish waist, no corset, no crinoline.

One important change for anyone wanting to try this pattern for themselves – I made the sleeve-less version but the shoulders seemed too long at the top seam. I actually cut the armholes to a gradual inch shorter at the top shoulder point. If I am making a sleeve-less top – it’s going to show all of my arms! Continue reading →

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 takes a break …

Well! We are all packed, ready to go on holidays! Amber, my Singer 421G, finished my swimsuit cover up a few days ago and I’ve packed her up for a little R&R!

I just had to show you the cool stitch that Amber can create, one of many I have yet to discover!

This fabric is a lovely “Dahlia Jacquard”. 51% polyester 46% cotton and 3% spandex. It feels soft and comfortable. I didn’t want the seams to be messy and unfinished on the inside, so I decided to finish them off by folding them to one side and sewing them down with a decorative stitch. I was happy with the results.

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One step closer to the beach …

My sewing days are running out. Soon my sister and I leave for Mexico. As usual, I have a dozen ideas but only so much time – so at the top of the list, besides swimsuits, is cover ups. I bought the fabric for two cover ups – one for my sister and one for me – last weekend. My sister chose this print – full of black, brown and gold colours. It’s called Tangiers Linen-look print, 97% polyester and 3% spandex. It definitely has the quality of linen. When I pre-washed both fabrics, this one lost at least a 1/4″ off the width with the unravelling and fraying. I decided that I would have to be very careful finishing off the seams.

Did I make changes to this pattern, McCall’s M7200? I added a few inches to the length and I made the back only one piece instead of the several they designed into the pattern. This pattern has a pretty back with all those seams and a bit of a peplum, but I want my cover ups to be a plain style. I ended up with only four pieces – front, back, collar and sleeve. (My cover up will be the same, made of the beige fabric.)

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So I like it …

and it takes A LOT for me to like the style, colour and fit of a swimsuit. With a few changes, this one was good right out of the envelope. It’s a one piece, which I wanted, and it has flattering gathers at the front to hide all evils. I removed the gathers at the back though – I’ll explain that later. The colour … well it’s a wild purple print! Purple is “my colour” as I have discussed before. The sizing was a bit big, I used shorter than recommended strips of elastic, and I sewed the side seams in with a 1 inch seam allowance, and not a 5/8 inch seam allowance.

So let’s get into some detail about this pattern …

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Photos really help!

Every time I make a pair of pants (trousers) for myself I first take a look at this photo. No, I did not make these. This is how RTW (ready to wear) fits on my body – and this is the right size. Just awful! This photo reminds me that no matter how little or how much work it is or how good or bad it turns out, me-made is always going to be better than this.

I have cut out three pairs of pants so far and last Tuesday I finished the first pair – the chocolate brown ones. I used McCalls M6901 (a Palmer/Pletsch pattern). I didn’t use to like Palmer/Pletsch patterns – basically because they just went on and on, page after page of instruction to which I never paid any attention. Silly me! Continue reading →

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 →

I’m done now …

I won’t be buying any more Vintage Sewing Machines. That’s it. I’m done. Why? Well, because I have my Rocketeer! My Singer Slant-o-Matic 500. “Barbie”, as I call her, was born in 1961. Look at this ad someone shared on FaceBook – look at those prices. Quite steep for the 60’s, I think!

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