2017 Sewing

I'm clearly not made for blogging!

I achieved my goal of completing 52 sewing projects in the year - my total completed projects now is 57, with one more that's so quick and easy I'm likely to finish it before the new year.

The overwhelming majority of my projects were knit tops - 34 of this year's completed projects were variations on my mashup of the Concord and the Renfrew.  They nearly all got a lot of wear, and my skills have improved enough since the beginning of the year that I can see marked improvement in the ones I made late in the year.

In the next year, I'm sure I'll still make lots of knit tops - I have a lot of fabric right for that - but as a goal for the next year, I want to expand my repertoire somewhat.

I'm going to have to, anyway - I'm going to be making my own wedding dress for August.  The pattern I've chosen is easy and the lines are simple, but I don't have much experience with wovens, so I'll be focusing a lot of my sewing efforts on improving my skills in that area.

Making my own wedding dress, and the work involved in developing the skills to do it, is probably enough of a goal, but I'm setting a tentative second goal - complete projects based on 12 patterns I've never done before.

Five for Five

So we're just over five weeks into the year, and I've just finished my fifth successful project of the year.  That's better than I expected, especially since three weeks of January was Interim, when I teach a fourteen-week-course's worth of material in three weeks and am correspondingly busy.

Some friends are expecting a second baby, and asked for boys' clothes for a baby gift.  This is very exciting, because I've often seen clothing discouraged as a baby gift.  I made them bibs and burp clothes for Baby #1, so I was very excited that there was something I could sew that they would actually like.

Two of my projects so far are thus baby clothes.  I used fabrics from L'Oiseau Fabrics for each.

The hoodie is from Kwik Sew 3811, in a size L (6-12 months).  I was using a remnant only 15" long, so I couldn't cut the hood as intended (all one piece, folded back on itself as a self-lining), but otherwise I made it as designed.  There are a few places where it isn't quite right - you can definitely tell the pockets aren't lined up perfectly - but overall I'm happy enough with it, and I expect that the imperfections are mostly things that only a sewist would notice.  The father's a guitarist in my partner's band, so I like that I've got a guitar-themed item for them.

Next up was this sleeper, using Kwik Sew 2433, in a size S (3 months).  There were a few parts I had trouble with, due to inexperience with this type of project, but I adore the fabric and that makes up for a lot in my assessment of the final product.  I was pleased with how the pattern-matching turned out on the front - not 100% perfect, but pretty good.

My other three completed projects are all mashups of the Cashmerette Concord and the Sewaholic Renfrew.  I've long admired the cowlneck on the Renfrew, but since Sewaholic patterns are drafted for pears and I am decidedly not a pear, I've never attempted it before.  The blue top and the definitely-not-pink* top are both mostly Concord, with the Renfrew cowl adjusted to fit the Concord neckline I've currently got, which is itself different from the original Concord neckline.

* I have issues with pink, have since I was little.  I recognize this now as internalized misogyny, but this recognition doesn't make me any more comfortable with pink.  So this shirt is orchid, or light plum, as the fabric was called - definitely not pink.

From the back, all these tops show I could probably use a swayback adjustment, even beyond what is built into the Concord, but I don't want a seam up the back of my tees, and I don't mind that fitting flaw at all.  I still feel like I could do better on the armscye fit, and that feeling lead me to the different Concord/Renfew mashup I used for this top.

This one was 100% Renfrew for the shoulders, neckline, and armscye/sleeves, and Concord down from there.  I only finished it a few hours ago, so I haven't worn it enough to say whether this fit is better than the other blend.  If nothing else, I'm learning a lot from all my mashups, and understand armscyes and sleeves much better than I used to.

I still have two more fabrics to make baby items from - the mini-shower isn't for another month or so, so I've got time.  I'm torn over what I want to make next.  I am still lacking in the long-sleeved knit tops department, and even with room for improvement, I think both of the Concord/Renfew mashups here are good enough to make more of.  But I've also got some slightly more ambitious projects I want to be sure happen before winter's over -- two lighter jackets - so maybe I should be turning my attention towards those.

2016 Sewing Retrospective

I don't keep good track of what I sew, but in spite that, I'm pretty sure that this has been by far my most productive year ever, sewing-wise.  There are a lot of possible reasons for this - my work was very part-time in the fall, so I had more free time than usual; my study and my sewing room are the same room, where in my old place they were two separate rooms and out-of-sight-out-of-mind often kept me from working on projects; I got a coverstitch machine, thus making knits more enjoyable to sew (in theory - more on this below); and probably most relevant of all, I think I've finally achieved a level of skill where I have a success to failure ratio that isn't too miserable.  I still get discouraged by failures, but I have enough successes that my motivation doesn't usually vanish for too long.

I did abandon thing-a-week after not too long, but with good reason - I spent a few weeks making many iterations of the Cashmerette Concord tee to get a good fit on the armholes in a heavier knit with a much firmer stretch.  These things didn't count towards my thing-a-week goals, since they were not finished nor meant to be, but I was sewing actively, and that's what the goal was really about.  And I did, in time, get a fit I'm very happy with.

The 14 G/H was perfect in lightweight summer fabrics, but too snug in the back and sleeves when I used a heavier cotton lycra with very firm stretch:

The 16 G/H was too big, and I got weird vertical folds in front of the arm holes (most obvious from the side view, but they're there all the time):

A 14 G/H with a bit added to the waist, and armholes raised about 1", is great:

(I could maybe use a bit of  swayback adjustment, but I am entirely unconcerned about that; I don't see myself trying to fix that.)

My next project planned is a Concord with the Sewaholic Renfrew cowlneck on it.  I've long admired the Renfrew's cowlneck, but as I am decidedly not-pear-shaped, I've never attempted it.

The biggest step my sewing took this year was the addition of a coverstitch machine.  I mostly wear knits, so I should mostly sew knits, but I've never been really happy with the hems I get on a traditional machine.  I could never conquer tunneling with a twin needle, and the narrow zig-zag gets the job done, but I wanted a more professional look.  So in the spring, I got myself a Janome 900CPX.

And although I loved the ability to coverstitch, the machine itself drove me batty.  So very temperamental.  I'm sure that a large part of this is user error, as some people seem to manage just fine with the 900, but it had turned hemming knits into something I dreaded more, not less.

So just two weeks ago, I got myself a lavish birthday/Christmas gift, and got a Babylock BLCS-2.  I haven't had it for long, but even so, it's worlds of difference.  The very first test run I sewed on it was a bit iffy, but everything since has been so easy and great looking.  I am madly in love, and consider it well worth it, even though it was plenty expensive.

My sewing goals for 2017 are pretty much in line with my goals in late 2016: keep sewing actively, make things I (or intended recipient) will actually wear.  It would probably be good to plan some skill-building projects - make myself something other than a skirt out of a woven, probably - but we'll get there.  I'm tentatively going to attempt a modified thing-a-week for 2017 - a goal of making fifty-two things over the course of the year.  (Not necessarily one a week, to allow for some projects being faster and some slower, plus busy times, etc.)

I'm going to try to keep better track of my sewing, too - what I spend (I know it's "far too much" but getting specific would be wise), what I use, what I make.  It's a good time to start keeping track.

Thing a Week, Weeks 2 and 3

Thing-a-week continues, but without much passion.  For week 2, I decided on a Concord with mid-length sleeves out of a cute euro knit.  Although this came together well in terms of construction, the fabric was enough different from what I've used on previous Concords that it's really too snug.  It looks okay from the front, but the back isn't good - I could really do without fabric clinging to the roll my bra creates - and the sleeves are really a bit too tight too.

It's wearable, with a cardigan over to hide the back, but not a success.

For week 3, I decided to try out a new pattern for boxer-briefs, the Comox Trunks by Thread Theory.  The main draw for these is the butt seams, which should make it easier to use a print with obvious up-and-down (the grainline can be vertical on the butt panel, but also on the side panels).  Since they are a first run at this pattern, I let coverstitch troubles go uncorrected.  Thus, no pics, they look like a mess.  But they're just a first draft to see if this style works for my partner.  But let the record show, I did complete week 3's thing.

Once more, I find myself in need of an easy, likely-to-be-successful project to keep sewing morale high.  The concord was meant to be that.  Perhaps this week I'll trace off the 16 G/H and give it another go?  I'll definitely want to make it out of heavier knits like this one sooner or later.

Ottobre 5/2016 #7 Miniskirt

After sleeping on it, I decided that the coat wasn't worth finishing.  Even if it ended up looking okay - not a certainty by any means - there were enough places where it had gotten distorted that I would have known it wasn't okay, even if no one else noticed.  So I decided to give my first Ottobre pattern a try, and cut the split-front miniskirt (#7) from the 5/2016 issue out of the plaid-ish ponte I'd used for the body of the coat.

Even though I don't anticipate I'll wear this all that often, it was just what I needed sewing-wise after the things that went wrong with the coat.  This was my first time using a pattern from a "roadmap" style pattern sheet, and it took a bit to get the hang of tracing off it; I had to go back a few times because I'd missed markings.  But once that was figured out, this was a beautifully easy and tidy sew.  Everything lined up perfectly, my coverstitch behaved itself (mostly), and I finished this project in a day, from tracing-off to hem, which I almost never do.

There are things that could be better - for example, it didn't take a press as well as could be ideal, and that shows in the seam between the yoke and the skirt.  But even so, this feels like a success, even if it's likely to spend more time in my closet than on me.  And who knows, if I can make leggings that actually fit me right and stay opaque all the way up, maybe shorter skirts will play a bigger role in my wardrobe this fall and winter.

I made a size 48, based on my waist and hip measurements of 35" and 44" (or 46" if I use the accomadate-your-tummy method.)  The fit isn't 100% perfect - I'm not sure if the lines in the front picture are drag lines or just because of how I'm standing - but it's fully wearable.

So thanks to a very satisfying little project after a week of struggles, thing-a-week week 1 is a success!  I'm not sure yet what to plan for week 2.  The coat failure has made me a bit intimidated by the prospect of trying something else well outside my realm of experience, but I do still need a transitional jacket, and have both pattern and fabric picked out for one.  But this time, a muslin for sure.

Butterick 6254, not working out

Only two days left in the first week since I started my thing-a-week plan.  Finishing this week's project in two weekend days is definitely possible, but I haven't decided if it's worth it.  Some things have gone awry in my attempt at Butterick 6254, and I'm not sure I'd be that into it even if they hadn't.

I've had a lot of issues with things growing during construction.  Even on straight, with-the-grain seams, my double knit fabric stretched a lot, and I had all sorts of things not lining up properly as a result.  (The interfaced facing and the front piece lined up perfectly when pinned, but the non-interfaced piece grew over an inch as I sewed them together!)  It's somewhat frustrating since I'm not sure what I should have done differently, but obviously something!  I staystitched where told, but perhaps I should have stabilized everything before sewing.  Or used the walking foot?

I also tried using bits of washi tape to transfer some of the pattern markings, since chalk usually rubs away before I need it, but the washi tape peeled off too easily and I lost some semi-important markers.  (The impact of this was fairly trivial, since after all the distortion from stretching, they wouldn't have lined up anyway.)

Now that it's close enough to done to put on and get an idea of what it will look like, I'm not sure I'd like it even if it were perfectly constructed.  I haven't done the side seams yet, so I can't be sure, but it's looking like it will be huge, and although I still like the idea of it, I'm finding my combination of fabric choices pretty drab.

All in all, I'm thinking this project is bound for either the trash or the giveaway bag, depending on whether I finish it or not.  It's a learning experience, of course, but I'm disappointed.  I had envisioned this as an easy success while broadening my horizons, and it shows me that in some important ways I'm still lacking in basic sewing know-how.

I have another transitional jacket in my sewing plans, but as my sewing ego is fragile, I think a super-easy project, virtually assured to be a success, is a better next choice.  Probably another Concord, or perhaps a very simple skirt.

Thing a Week?

Unsurprisingly, I didn't complete all that many of the things I had planned in my previous post, and now that it's mid-September, most of them are off the to-sew list.  It's still hot for now, but this is Wisconsin - it won't be for long.


What I have completed:

The greatest success was my striped Cashmerette Concord.  The stripes aren't quite perfectly across, but they're pretty close, and since this was my first attempt at a striped anything, it's definitely a success in my book.  None of them are perfect, but my me-made tees are quickly becoming my favorite thing to wear.  (This has nothing at all to do with the fact that I've gained weight and my RTW tees are mostly too snug now, shh.)

I also made another pair of Greenstyle's Walbrook boxer briefs for my partner.  I always like the idea of making him underwear, since it should be quick and easy and takes so little fabric.  But my coverstitch machine hates the narrow binding on the fly, and what should be a two-hour project ends up involving more than two hours just of unpicking!  (It is nice to be reminded of how agreeable my plain old sewing machine is by comparison.)

I also made a few muslins of the Cashmerette Springfield top, but have shelved that one for seasonal reasons too.  Muslin 2 was pretty close, but then I tried muslin 3 as a meant-to-be-wearable muslin out of this polyester silky I had.  It didn't fit, but in a completely useless way - the fabric was so slippery during both cutting and construction that I couldn't tell if it was that my alterations still needed work, or just cutting and sewing errors.

My next planned project - and I've already traced it off and prewashed the fabric, so it should actually happen - is a lightweight jacket using Butterick 6254.  I've got a black doubleknit for the sleeves and collar, and a black-on-grey plaid-ish ponte knit for the body.

I'm planning on setting a sewing goal for myself for the rest of the year.  My partner and I both have summers off and have just gone back to work, but while he's full-time, I'm only part-time, so I've got a lot of hours at home alone.  I was content to be lazy during the summer, but I want my excess free time to be productive now.  So my goal is to complete one sewing project per week for the rest of the year.  That's sixteen weeks, so even if I fail to meet my goal half the time, it would still be my most productive period of sewing ever.  (There's a reason I'm still pretty much a beginner fifteen years after buying my first sewing machine.)  Who knows if it will happen, but that's what I'm aiming for.