A Year in the (Sewing) Life

2011 has been quite the year.  There was travel in 4 (or 5?) countries, new experiments and collaborations to undertake at work, a 3 month strike with no income, the loss of a family member, a new school and a new language for my son, a new lab for me, conferences to speak at and prepare posters for, the ever-increasing difficulty of managing an independent-minded toddler, a collective agreement to negotiate between the Board of Directors over which I preside and the daycare staff ....I'm hoping that 2012 calms down a bit.

One constant throughout the past year has been my renewed efforts to find time for myself to sew, and everyone out there in blogland has been a great help.  Or should I say a great enabler.  I sometimes find my mind drifting when I'm in a meeting that is dragging on a little too long (....I wonder what would be the best pattern to use with that new purple gabardine.....).  I sometimes stay up too late looking at vintage patterns for sale on Etsy (It's purely to study the construction details on the envelopes, I swear).  I sometimes check out my blog roll when my kids are watching TV and I can't stand one more minute of Toupie et Binoo.  As far as addictions go, it's a relatively innocuous one.  And it's much more socially acceptable to have someone walk in a catch you reading Burdastyle than sneaking a smoke or a drink at work.  Unless you happen to work for Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Price.  

Without any further ado, here is my sewing year encapsulated:

I brought back a fabric hoard from Cape Town (pictured in the upper left) and did a little Cape Town to Canada series:

You can see that there are still a couple of unused fabrics there; I'd better get cracking before the year is up.  Plus, I'll need some more room in my storage for the hoard I plan to bring back from Botswana this February!

I started Sewing Through the Decades with Debi and Sarah:

I had randomly pulled some patterns from my collection that spanned 1940s-2010s, and planned to make one pattern from each decade.  The only one I didn't get around to finishing was 1950s.  I thought about doing a reissued 50s pattern with modern proportions, because the proportions of the 1950s patterns I own are insane.  Whereas I have a bust:waist differential of only about 5", the 50s patterns assume much, much (MUCH) more.  Like 10".  That's crazy.  I lost enthusiasm and put it on the back burner.  Maybe some perfect pattern will come my way and make me change my mind about the New Look silhouette, but for now, I'm going to call it a day.

I also went from reading Mena's blog to participating in The Sew Weekly:

It was great to join the community and draw from each other's projects and advice.  I'll probably continue to participate whenever a weekly theme coincides with free time + a previously planned project + fabric and notions already lounging in my hoard.  Mena is changing the format in the coming year, so there may be the chance to be a featured member from time to time.

You can see that there is some overlap between these three groups of projects.  If motherhood has taught me anything, it's why do one thing at a time when you can do two (or three)?  It's the only way shit gets done around here.

Oh, and I almost forgot!  The weekend escape to NYC to meet up with a bunch of people I had never met and only knew by their web pseudonyms.  Luckily, the weekend did not become the subject of an after-school special and was a legitimate meetup of sewers (sewists.  sewintists.  whatever.):

Those ladies (and gent) know how to have a good time.

That's 2011 in a nutshell.  I may as well post this today, since I seriously doubt that I'll be able to do any more sewing before the 31st.  I had 9 people staying in my house over Christmas, and now that they are gone, it's just me left to do the cleaning, cooking and child care while my man tries to get through a mountain of student papers and exams that are due.  

Happy New Year everyone!

(ms. oona just turned me on to Thinglink.  I'm going to give it a try.  Bear with me until I get it all figured out, but it should results in links within each photo subset.)

UFOs

Last week was UFO week over at The Sew Weekly.  I think this qualifies, since it's been hanging in my sewing corner since February:

Beautiful McCall pattern from 1948 that should have been a quick weekend project, but it resulted in this:

Aie chihuahua, but that's an unflatteringly high neckline.  I hate being strangled by jewel necks, but also the instructions for the tie were strange: the bias strip was meant to be sewn on the inside, then folded over twice and sewn on the outside.  So you end up with a tie that is 6 layers thick (plus the fabric of the neck = 7 layers).  It was so stiff that it was sticking straight out!  Granted, it is a muslin made of '70s polycotton sheet, but still... 

Now, I know perfectly well that I will never have a humanly impossible tiny waist like Lady B on the pattern illustration, but this was looking a little dumpy and needed something to define the waist a bit better.  I tried making a tie-on peplum belt, à la Casey, but it only added bulk where bulk was not wanted.  (I thought I had a photo of me with the peplum tied on, but I guess I deleted it from embarrassment). 

So I hung it up and left it there for 5 months.  

Luckily, it was an easy fix:  

1: unpick the bias tie

2: drop the neckline

3: re-sew it as a typical double fold bias

4: fix the arm seams

5: sew in the side zip more neatly (yay, invisible zipper foot from Amazon!)

6.  add shoulder pads

7:  cut up peplum to make fabric covered belt (used a $1 CK belt from the VON shop)  

The (almost) finished UFO:  

(Yeah, I know those shoes are '80s, not '40s, but they're the only neutral coloured, somewhat appropriate ones I own.  It was these or black mary janes or purple spike heels, so I figure these were my best bet.)

Still needs hemming and shoulder pad attachment, but close enough to post, I figure.  I cut out another one in a silky blue and white vintage polyester, so hopefully I'll finish it in less than 5 months this time around.   

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Sewing Through the Decades countdown:

1940s  1950s  1960s  1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s  2010s 

only 1950s left!

Red White and Blue

I downloaded this pattern last year I believe, and I cut it out and traced the allowances back in March, then it sat on my desk in a dusty pile for two months.  You know the story.  

I have been trying to follow the Sew Weekly and this week the theme was "Red, White and Blue", so I got the kick up the arse I needed to finish it.  (Aside:  spell check just tried to correct the word "arse".  Really?  That's a word!  Well, in Nova Scotian it is.)

This tie-front blouse from Burdastyle 10/2010 has gotten mixed reviews.  Some people love it, some are indifferent but everyone agrees that the ties are ridiculously long and the instructions are crap.  So I ignored the instructions and just used my common sense.  I did french seams throughout because the fabric is so thin (somewhere between voile and shirting....what would you call that?) and very prone to fraying.  I also cut off about 25% of the tie length:

and now it looks better.  

My man was home this afternoon, so I actually got some outdoor shots.  Imagine that.  

And Lulu had to butt in.  Black wool pants are cat magnets.  

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Sewing Through the Decades Challenge Countdown: 

1940s  1950s  1960s  1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s  2010s 

We're all going to Hell in a Handbasket

(To be read in my worst pissed-off Mom Voice):  "I leave the country for one week, and look what kind of mess I come back to!  Conservative majority government.  CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY GOVERNMENT!  Now who's going to clean up this mess?!"

What the fruck.  I saw the news on Cuban TV and assumed I wasn't understanding the spanish, since I only speak about 20 words of the language, but oh no, it was only too true.  I had to go get a bunch of mojitos at the bar to dull the disappointment.  Then I had to lie down for a while. 

Anyway, back to sewing. 

I started off with the very good intention of doing the Sew Weekly "Inspired by a TV character" challenge of 3 weeks ago.  I knew right away that I wanted to do something '80s, since I wanted to fill a gap in my Sewing Through the Decades project.  I remembered loving Lisa Bonet's style from The Cosby Show, and I used to think she was the most beautiful girl on TV.  I wanted Denise Huxtable's sloppy oversized style and curly asymetrical hairdo.  I even remembered this cool halter-style belt that the character's friend wore in one episode and decided to try to make it:

But then I thought I should make a dress to go with it, and chose this pattern from one of my Value Village raids.  It isn't dated, but it looks Totally '80s to me. 

I used some polyester that I got from an amazing estate sale, dated 1972 on the selvage. 

I think that this was the first time I have made a pattern without making any size alterations.  I am usually a 12 on top and 14-16 on bottom, but because this is pretty loose, it worked as is.  I had to topstitch the facings down because the polyester would not take a crease no matter how hot I dared iron it, but because of the stripe pattern, it isn't too obvious.  I never got around to making the belt though.  Meh.  I finished it just in time to wear out that evening with some friends who were visiting from Halifax.

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Shhhhhhh!  If we're quiet, we'll get a chance to observe the Totally '80s dress in its natural habitat: the Duran Duran show at Le National.  Let's observe:

(I have no idea why I have that odd strained look on my face and neck.  Maybe because I was sweating like a whore in church and I was trying to see above all the heads of all those 40-something ladies who were getting between me and my teen-aged obsession - John Taylor.)

Mmm.  Nice.  My man granted me a 30min. Celebrity Free Pass, but alas, I had eaten an Iranian onion salad before the show, and didn't want to risk killing the poor boy with stink breath.

1940s    1950s    1960s    1970s  1980s    1990s    2000s    2010s 

Inspired by Childhood Sew Weekly Challenge

1976 - Grade 1

Over at Sew Weekly, the inspiration this time around is Photos from Childhood.  Since I don't have very many photos at my place, and my parents are traveling and can't send me any right now, you'll just have to let your mind wander back to the '70s.....calico, bohemian, handmade, macrame, crewel embroidery... Everyone's Mom made their clothes and they all wore wrap-around skirts like this Simplicity 7876.  In fact, I think my Mom *did* have this pattern way back when.

So here's my version:  2011 does 1976.

Super fun to take these photos, but I have to find another backdrop to use.  That bookshelf is so visually busy (and messy.  I should really do a spring cleaning.  Yeah, that's going to happen sometime soon.)

Sewing notes:  I shorted by about 8" because it was too stiff and dumpy looking.  Because it had a lining, I was able to turn all the seams inward to give it a clean, finished look.  I made one for my daughter, but trying to get her into it this morning was like trying to dress one of the cats.  She *really* doesn't like the boho style. Only 2 and full of such strong fashion opinions already....my son OTOH told me that I looked beautiful and he wanted to see how I was going to finish the hem, so I may start teaching him to sew a bit.  I was only about 6 when my Mom started letting me use her Singer Featherweight in 1976.

ps.  Oops, forgot to add the Sewing Through the Decades countdown!

1940s  1950s  1960s  1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s  2010s

1967-ish Skirt

I picked up this 1967 How To Sew skirt pattern at either Village des Valeurs or my local charity shop, so I must have shelled out a whopping 25 cents or (gasp) 65, depending on the source.  Thanks to the glut of patterns available in thrift shops around here, I'm amassing quite a stash and I'm starting to lose track of where I got them.  I think I'm close to the tipping point where I will have to start unloading some.  Anyway, on to the skirt:

Cute, basic, reminiscent of my elementary school days, but a bit too small and not high on my list to make.  Then 6 months later, I found this 1m of polyester knit for 1$ and it seemed so strangely familiar that I had to buy it.  

Since it is a knit, I didn't think I really had to put a zipper in as shown in the pattern; I just added the waist band and hoped for the best.  It pulls on alright, but after a whole day at work, it was getting a bit too saggy.  That will teach me to wing it without proper sewing experience.

Here are some photos taken this morning before dropping the little man off at daycare.  He wanted to get in on the action, but didn't want to hold the camera, so it's camera-balanced-on-the-stereo + timer to the rescue:

I guess this counts toward my Sewing Through the Decades goal, but I'm not terribly proud of the result.  In fact, I have so many beautiful '60s patterns that would look so much better than this.  I'm crossing off the 1960s for now, but may bring in a replacement later!  

1940s  1950s  1960s  1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s 2010s

1990s linen shift dress

The next pattern on my list to destash / Sew Through the Decades is this 1 Hour Dress from McCall's (1998).  I always laugh at the label "1 hour Dress".  I guess it would take an hour if you didn't make the sleeves.  Or the long version.  Or the darts.  Or finish the seams.  Or topstitch.  Not that I'm complaining, but it is a bit misleading when you're learning to sew.  I guess I am complaining  ;)

I was trying to copy the pose on the pattern envelope, but I just can't pull it off.  Not without those ugly '90s elasticized sandals and weird topknot.

 It's a bit shapeless, so I made it super mini.  Well, super mini for a 40-something mom.  Isn't there some sort of optimum mathematical relationship between hem length:age?  There should be, considering the woman I saw at the spa last summer, who was pretty close to my age, but wore her skirt so short that we all knew she was coming in for a bikini wax.  Ahem.  Anyway.....

 Believe it or not, the part of the dress that took the longest for me was making that thread loop!  I kept making it too small or getting the thread tangled.  Now that I look at the photo, I see it's a bit too big and too low.

 I picked up this cranberry linen at my local thrift shop last month.  It was yellow-tag day, so I got 3 yards x 35 inches for $1!  The pattern was 25 cents at the same sale, the brass bell that I used for a neck closure button was in my button can forever (0 cents), so I guess the thread was the most expensive part of this project.  Because I am learning how to use my new serger, I bought 4 spools of dark red thread and finished all the inside seams and facings.  (That reminds me: Next time, buy *5* spools, because I forgot I would need one for my sewing machine too, or would have to keep threading and unthreading one spool.  Tabarnouche.)

I also posted to Burdastyle (profile: puffling), explaining how I decided to do the pre-shrink of all pre-shrinking by washing hot and drying on high in order to avoid having DH shrink it in the laundry after I spent a whole "1 hour" on this dress.

2010s  2000s  1990s  1980s  1970s  1960s  1950s  1940s

First project Fini

The first (an easiest) pattern from my Sewing Through the Decades checklist is Butterick 3772.  In fact, it was so easy that tracing, cutting the paper pattern, cutting the fabric and sewing took about two hours.

I bought this cotton tablecloth at the Former Pattern Murdering Thrift Shop in my village.  I still don't know all the proper terminology for fabrics, so I'm going to call this thick cotton.  No, that's not right.  It's only medium weight, but very tightly woven, so I didn't have to worry about finishing the seams - I just pinked them.

(The daycare just finished a unit on insects, so all the little ones really love bugs.  "Bug" was one of Tashi's first words, so I thought she'd like this fabric.)  

Here's a photo of Tashi trying to take a photo, because there would be no photos of this project without letting her have her way, but there would have been a whole hell of a lot of screaming.

Bye bye.