Seasonal Sewing Plans

I had fun this week while starting to put away summer fabrics. Most pieces had been slotted for a particular garment that didn't get made.

I decided that ,in order not to forget what I wanted to make , I would take photos of indidvidual fabrics paired with the patterns they had been intended for.

 I used my android tablet to take each photo and then made up a page  with each photo and ended up with this!

This little exercise became quite addictive so, I made up a page for my Fall/Winter sewing plan.So far I have these pieces planned for.

I'll add more to this page. of course, but I'm going to try very hard to stick to this plan. In this way, I'll use a lot of fabrics in my stash and I think it will keep me from adding too  many more new fabric to my well stocked shelves.

Don't you love starting a new season of sewing? There are so many possibilities ahead for creativity and pure enjoyment of our craft, isn't there!

Happy Sewing to you all!

Changing a French Dart to A Regular Bust Dart (on Vogue 1313)

If you follow SewPassionista by Diana, you know I've just finished V1313 by Ann Klein.
It turned out well (with a reservation or two) but I did make one important change to the pattern because of the striped front panel. I new a regular bust dart would distort the stripes less than a French dart which was on the pattern.

This post is to explain how to change a French dart to a regular bust dart.

Here's what I did.

Step 1. I traced the  upper bodice center pattern piece.

Step 2. I drew a line from the side seam to the bust point about 4" below the underarm..

Step 3. I cut a line through the center of the French dart, to but not through the new  bust line.

Step 4. I then closed the French dart . This  opened up the new bust dart.

If you don't need to do a Full Bust Adjustment, you're done  .

However I do need an FBA ,so this is what I did.

Step 5. I cut through the bust point and through the center front.

Step 6. I added paper underneath ,closed the dart ( no picture)to shape the outside of the dart  .

Step 7. ( Only if you did an FBA) .On the side front pattern piece,I cut to but not through to the side seam and spread the pattern the amount I added for my FBA  like this.

That's all I did. BTW, I got this info from Peggy Sager's video "Darts Are a Girl's Best Friend"

This worked very well for me  and I'm glad I gave it a try.

To see more about this garment, please visit Sew Passionista by Diana. I'll leave you with a couple of outdoor shots my DH  took this morning before I left for church.

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Professor Pincushion Video Lessons

I've just found a treasure trove of videos at a site called Professor Pincushion.

I wasn't aware, before, of these video lessons and just happened upon them on the McCall's website. I've watched  some of them through and I think there is some useful info here for new sewers and probably for not so new.


The link for the videos is Professor Pincushion

The individual videos are as follows: ( I got these on the McCall's site but they are on Page 1 under videos at Prof. Pincushion ) They range from about 10 minutes to 20 minutes each .

 I've rearranged the order of the vdeos to make it easier for beginners .

Note: If you're reading this on the BlogLovin Feed , you won't be able to access the links below. However, they work fine on the original post.

1.How to Take Your Measurements For Sewing

2.How To Read A Commercial Pattern Envelope

3..How to Read Commercial Pattern Directions 

4.. How to Mark Your Fabric For Sewing                               

5..How To Arrange or Layout Sewing Pattern Pieces

6.How to Cut Out Sewing Pattern Pieces

For those of you who already sew, there are other  videos  that may be of interest to you.One example is Function and Design Ease. Another is Working With Leather and Vinyl.

This is a great website. Access to it is free but you can also pay a fee for a Premium account which lets you access stuff not available to free members.

I hope this is useful to someone. I'm planning on using these videos to help me prepare for a new sewing class I'm starting in the fall.

Happy Sewing from

How I Streamlined McCall's 6744

I made my daughter a maxi dress  for her to wear while on vacation at the beach. I used McCall's6744.

The pattern called for an elasticized waist and I knew Tamara would not like that. Instead I added
darts to both the front and back bodice pieces as well as the front and back skirt pieces.

I measured 4" from center front and center back for all the pattern pieces involved and drew 1"wide darts. I made each of them 5"long.

This took 4"from the width of the waistband and I thought I might still need to use elastic at the waist. As it turned out ,I didn't. The result is a very slimming dress that can still be pulled over the head because the fabric is poly/lycra. This wouldn't work for a woven .

This is a great little pattern and I recommend it as a shorter dress as well. Tamara has already let me know she would welcome a shorter version and I don't blame her. It looks great on her, don't you think?

These simple alterations can also be used for my maxi dress ,V  1352 . I'm not loving the elasticized waist and intend to use this treatment to  rectify that.

I hope this  information helps someone !

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How I Made the Yoga Palazzo Pant

As promised I thought I'd share how I changed the Silhouette Patterns Yoga Pant into palazzos.

I should first say that I raised the waistline for all of my yoga pants by about !.5 inches because low rise is not for me.I forgot to mention that in the previous post.

I first decided to make the width of the leg bottoms 24".

I started widening the legs at 9" below the waist or at low hip point. I also added some width on the inseam starting at about 5" below the crotch.

The pictures below are fairly explanatory, I think. Please ignore the back pockets. I didn't add them to these pants and they are not part of this pattern but my own addition for a couple of my versions.

Hopefully you can see better when you click on the photo.

I added the same amount to the front and back pattern pieces.

I really love the shape of these pants. It is a very well drafted pattern.

One of my sisters commented on the fit of these and asked me to copy the pattern for her.

The shape through the thighs is of course altered on the palazzos but they fall so elegantly. I'll be making this version again for sure.

I hope the instructions for these are clear. Please let me know if I didn't give enough information.

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How I Made MY Colour Blocked Top

I just posted my Saint Laurent inspired top on SewPassionista by DIANA. In this post, I want to show how I made it.

Here is my top,

Here is my drawing from which I drafted the pattern (based on Vogue 8792)

The top is slightly different from the drawing.

First, I copied the front of  V8792. Then I drew the design on this copy.

       I cut out the different sections.

I decided that I would add 1/2" seam allowances and drew these directly onto the fabric before cutting each piece out.

I wish I had taken photos of the sewing steps but I didn't.

I sewed the  five right side pieces together, then the three on the left. I then added the long perpendicular black piece. It was as simple as that.

I decided to make the back side all in yellow rather than follow my original drawing, Simplicity is usually best after all.

I had planned to add black neck and armhole bands but I changed my mind and used facings instead. I wanted these facings to stay put so I hand stitched them very carefully to the inside so that the stitching is virtually invisible on the outside of the garment. This was made possible by my fabric, which is a stable and fairly weighty cotton knit.

To hold the back neck facing, I added a checkered patch incorporating the four colours of my top for a nice little touch,

I used a double needle for the tunic length top and I was finished. This went together very quickly and easily.You can see a few more pics here.

I can't wait to try colour blocking on another garment This was fun!

I'll show you how I made the palazzo pants I mentioned in my last post in a couple of days.

Making Silhouette Patterns Yoga Pant Three Ways

 I try on this blog to share knowledge and techniques.In this post, I want to share a great pattern: Peggy Sagers Yoga Pants pattern  3400  .




This pattern is one  that I keep using over and over again. I change it up in various ways. I add pockets. I shorten it. I use top stitching. I widen the legs. It goes on and on!

I made my first few pairs last summer.

I then used it as the main project for my sewing class this past winter. I managed  to measure seven ladies, draft a personal, individualized pattern for each, and after a few tweaks here and there (I insisted they had to make a muslin first) all seven ladies were delighted with their Yoga Pants.

This was all because of this well drafted pattern and Peggy's many webcasts from which I learned how to make various alterations.

I've made stretch denim Yoga pants, stretch suiting Yoga pants, and of course ponte Yoga pants. I've also made them out of stretch velvet and stretch cotton sateen.

This summer, I made three  pairs using summer weight ponte.

For the black capri length, I added an in-the-seam pocket with a zipper closing to the right side so I can take my phone when I go walking alone in the woods. I'll blog about the top I'm wearing on Sew Passionista this weekend.

.

I made a cream full length pair .

But my most favorite ones are the white palazzo pair I made that goes with so many things like this .

and this

and even a casual top like this one. I love the inseam pockets I added to this pair.

They feel wonderful and elegant. I'll be making more just like these.

If you're looking for a really great pants pattern, please consider trying this one. You'll be glad you did!
Check back early next week and I'll show you the changes I made to the pattern to make palazzo pants and I'll also show you a great in seam pocket technique which is slimming and attractive.

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Not Quite Enough Fabric? A Solution!

It happens to us all I imagine. Almost but not quite enough fabric. Sometimes it's in length, sometimes in width, or somewhere in between.

It happened to me this week when I was making this Vogue maxi dress I just blogged about on SewPassionista by DIANA.

The front top crosses over and I was missing just a bit at the  point on the bottom. I made sure  that it was the left side that would be deficient because that part would be completely covered by the right bodice piece and proceeded to add some fabric in this way.

I overlapped a piece of fabric making sure I matched the pattern and cut out the left front. It looked like this.

I then used a multiple stitch zigzag on the very edge of the added piece to join it to the rest of the left front bodice. I could barely see where I had joined the two pieces. I held it up against the light and even then it was almost invisible. See?

I guess my point is that we agonize over every little thing as sewists. In this case, the left bodice front is covered anyway. But no one is ever going to examine our garments as closely as we do so let's just lighten up.

Here's the finished bodice and it's fine. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a a great week. More later from

A Lace Dress,1966 and a Lace Dress 2013

This may be silly but since it appears my Google followers anr still not receiving my feeds from Sew Passionista by DIANA, I'm going to publish this post on both my blogs ,just this one time.because I think this is a good one.

What woman doesn't like lace?

I thought I'd show you the only lace dress I've ever owned.....my prom dress from 1966!! I've kept it all these years. It's very teeny weeny! Sigh!

I still love it and can really understand why I chose it all those years ago. From the salmon coloured taffeta underskirt/lining, the organza layer, the gorgeous white lace,  to the beautifully scalloped border of the lace running down the back, it still gives me a thrill.

I couldn't make my dress form small enough so I couldn't zip it up but closed it enough to show the lovely back.

My 1966 prom dress is not in perfect condition. It has spots and discolorations and even some wear and tear. It was worn to a couple of formals, as a bridesmaid dress, as a costume for a High School drama production at the school where I taught and even as a Hallowee'en costume by my then teenaged daughter.
But pressing it and seeing it on Antoinette has made my heart ache a little for my youth now long gone.
But enough of that.

Lace to me is very dressy and formal and I've been wanting to make a lace dress ever since it started popping up everywhere in the fashion world including the blogs we all love and follow. ( Examples include Diary of a Sewing Fanatic and Amanda's Adventures In Sewing.).

We were  attending an event  that was  perfect for a lace dress and since I had a beautiful navy stretch lace in my stash, I decided it was now or never.

My pattern choice had to be New Look 6000    because the fit was so great in the View B version I just made and showed here. This one would be View A.

I decided to use a black lining although I considered a nude lining, but I knew I'd be more comfortable as an older woman in the more conservative navy/black combo.I left the elbow length sleeves unlined however.

Here is my dress.

The true colour is more like this

My 16 year old grand-daughter thought it was beautiful so it must be OK, I guess.

I cut the dress and sleeves so the scallops, which formed both selvedges, finished the hems.

 That made it so there is more stretch going down the dress than there is across,but that didn't cause any problems. The zipper, which I of course stabilized, did buckle a little but that's in the back and if I can't see it, it must not exist,right? Lol!

I'm very happy with my lace dress ,2013. Of course it doesn't have the magic that my 1966 prom dress still has for me, but then,  at the risk of sounding really corny,my life  after all has really ended up like a fairy tale and I don't need magic anymore.

I wanted to show you a real life shot of my husband and me at the event we attended but I forgot to have a photo taken! Darn!

I hope you will let me know what you think!

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