And The Eloflex Thread Winner Is??

As promised.., Today I'm announcing the winner of the Eloflex Thread drawing.

And the winner is..,

Everyone, thank you for participating.  The pleasure was all mine.  Imo Gene I hope you enjoy the thread.   Please send me an email indicating your address information.  Thank you again.   If you like, you are welcomed to share a picture of what you make with it.

Happy Sewing!

C

White After Labor Day

When I was growing up, wearing white after Labor day was one of the biggest fashion faux pas.  These days people are wearing whatever anytime of year.    Fashion is anything at anytime of year!  Believe it or not, I'm still a little jaded when it comes to certain fashion faux pas.

Today's post is about two white fabrics that I purchased this summer from Mood Fabrics:  Helmut Lang Optic White Tissue Weight Cotton Poplin  and Soft White Stretch Blended Cotton Jacquard.  Both textile were great to work with.  There is something special about working with natural fibers.  Cottons are easy to sew, press and super comfortable to wear.

My shirt is part of a "Shirt Project" that I completed this summer for a Haute Couture Club presentation. I used Simplicity 8416 to make, and the contrasting fabric was gifted to me by one of our generous club members, Andrea Birken.   I made no fit adjustments for this shirt.  But I wanted to add a little color to it.  Threads magazine, published an article on customizing your shirt.  This is where I got the idea to add the contracting fabric details.   Check out the details.

The pants are Burda 6879.  This is my third pair of pants made with it.  My reviews are here.  All of them have been made with Mood Fabrics.   For this pair, I made the pants wider for a more relaxed fit.  

So what are your feeling about wearing white?  

Happy Sewing!

C

My Latest Projects Sewn with Coats Eloflex Stretchable Threads

I was so happy to be selected to try out Coats new Eloflex stretchable thread. Initially, I thought of all sorts of "knit" things to sew. Once the initial excitement wore off, I decided to test the thread on something quick and easy.  But first, I wanted to closely examine the fiber of the thread to take note of the look, stretch and feel of it between my fingers. It reminded me of embroidery thread. Then I tried pulling it while holding it between two fingers.

This might sound a little crazy, but I wanted to see if it actually had stretch and if it would break easily.  Yes, it stretch and it did not break when I pulled on it.    I wanted to assess the usability before I tried it in the sewing machine.  I inserted a new Schwetz stretch needle, size 75/11; threaded a bobbin and the machine. I was able to use the thread like other thread without experiencing breakage or skipped stitches. I tested the stitching by holding the fabric taut and stretching it a little as the fabric passed through the needle plate area of the sewing machine.  It sews beautifully.  The stitches were the best when the fabric was slightly stretched though.

I really want you to try it out for yourself.  Please leave a comment indicating that you would like to enter a drawing for a packet of ten spools of thread in a variety of colors.  Just like the packet below.  I will send it to the person who's name is drawn.  If you would like to purchase the thread, you can find it at your location JoAnn's Fabric and Craft stores.

Also, go to the "Make It Coats" website to enter a contest for a grand prize.  The link is here.  Take a tour of the Make It Coats website for other products and project ideas.

Don't forget to let me know if you want to be included in to drawing for the packet of thread.

Thank you and Happy Sewing!
C

PS - DRAWING ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

Shirred Wrist Sleeve and McCall 6964

This is the second sleeve drafting project that I've done using one of Rhonda's "free sleeve Saturday" patterns.

What I like about this one is that it draws attention to your forearm without a lot of fabric.  That is, not to say that I don't like flounces.  It's just a different type of attention-getter.  I decided to take the shirring higher up my arm. You can see that in the pattern below.

This sleeve was just as easy to draft as the "Draped Cowl Sleeve" but it requires more time to slash and spread the small sections.

Black tops are scarce in my wardrobe.  This new one will be great to wear with jeans, slacks, and skirts.  For cooler days a nice 3/4 sleeve kimono jacket is the perfect topper to add warmth and still show off the cute sleeves.

Again, I won't repeat the tutorial for this sleeve.  Get the instructions from Rhonda's blog here.

Thanks and Happy Sewing!
C

Rhonda's Draped Cowl Sleeve with Vogue 1314 and McCall 6963

I'm delighted to post this blog.  Personally, I think my drafting experience was a success.  This weekend, I made two garments with Rhonda's Draped Cowl sleeve:  McCall 6963 drape neck top and Vogue 1314 dress.  As stated previously, the drafting process was so easy.  It took about an half hour to complete.  I posted the pictures on Instagram and Rhonda kindly indicated that if I wanted more drape, spread the top of the sleeve more.  For these garments I just cut it wider as seen in the photo below.

For the velvet dress, I used the lining pattern, front and back, of Vogue 1314 and the dress neck band.  For the sleeve, I used McCall's 6963 designed by Palmer/Pletsch.  My crushed velvet fabric was purchased in New York City during my little shopping spree with Carolyn and Andrea.

This Vogue pattern has already been reviewed on my blog here.  The construction of the sleeve was super easy.  I serged the edge of the top of the sleeve and the hem.   Then I sewed the long seam.  Next, I folded the facing under to the wrong side.  At the shoulder seam, the facing is slightly overlapped and the rest of the sleeve is attached to the armscye in the usual manner.

Paisley Draped Cowl Top

I wanted to emulate Rhonda's top.  So I decided deciding on a paisley print.  This fabric came from Fabric Mart.  It is a lycra knit with glitter and mylar dots on it.  I took a chance on buying this one, hoping that the glitter would not come off on everything and it does not.  But the mylar dots can be hard to sew on.  So I used waxed paper to help make the sewing easy and it did. ;-) This top is also a part of a blog tour sponsored by "Coats Thread".  So more on that later.

Finally, I used McCall's 6963 to make my draped neck and sleeve top.  This basic pattern has great bones and can be used as a sloper for creating other designs.  My another adjustments are the usual:  swayback and FBA.

Special thanks to Rhonda for your generosity.  Her instructions for this sleeve can be found here.

So that's all for now!

Happy Sewing!
C

Draped Cowl Sleeve - Rhonda Buss Sleeve

Top made by Rhonda Buss

Early summer I posted a blog on four sleeves designed by Rhonda Buss that I want to try.  This week I started with drafting the draped cowl sleeve.  I want to make a dress and top with this sleeve.  Rhonda makes it so easy to do.  I was able to complete my first attempt in less than an hour from coping a basic sleeve using McCall 6963.  I'll use the draped front to following the design of Rhonda's top.

I'm not going to trouble you with repeating the steps that Rhonda shared in her tutorial.  So here is the link to it.  

In pictures, here is how I did it.

I posted my test on Instagram and Rhonda gave me a helpful tip on enhancing the drape by spreading the cap of the sleeve.  I will to do that.  But for now, this is my first attempt.

Happy Sleeve Drafting!
C

Loose Ends

I have a few loose ends to tie up.  Many finished projects were never photographed with me wearing them.  I still have several reviews to write.   There are several summer project partially completed.  Good thing these projects can be layered and worn during the fall.  That's the summer sewing update.

Fall is here and I do have some projects in mind.  Included in the list is my test of  drafting a few of Rhonda's sleeves.  I already drafting two of them:  the shirred wrist sleeve and the cowl draped sleeve.  So soon I will post those tests starting with me drafting the sleeves using Rhonda's instructions.  Also, fringes and polka dots are on trend.  I like them and want to make something that includes them.   That's all I have for now.

Stay Tuned!
C

I Was A Presenter at the Haute Couture Club of Chicago - September 2017

Oops, I'm smiling too hard again! Trying one on over my dress.

I planned to blog that I was the presenter for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago September 2017 meeting the day after; instead, I waiting nearly two weeks before attempting to say anything.   My initial thought was to moved forward with finishing or starting other projects.  For most of the summer, I sewed mostly shirts in an effort to show different styles for the presentation and am ready to work on some different garments. But today I decided to do one last summer post on shirts. 

I am truly thankful to the HCC Board of Directors and the members for allowing me to present, sharing my shirt making adventure.  Indeed, it was an honor and privilege.  Close to the end of my journey, I questioned whether or not I had enough to talk about and if I was worthy to present to this very talented group of sewists.  So, of course, I was a little nervous.  But as it turned out, my presentation was well received; and the members will make shirts to wear to the Holiday luncheon in December.

So here are a few more pictures from the presentation, courtesy of Susan Gerbosi.

My shirts were passed around for closer looks

 Near the beginning of my talk, I showed this Cennetta creation from my very early sewing days (1974) when I first started sewing on a machine.

My shirts pile at the end of my presentation.

Now that the presentation is over, my palette is clean, and I'm moving forward with finishing some other projects and planning for some new ones.

Thank you to everyone who continues to stop by my little corner of the cyberspace.  I hope I didn't put you on shirt overload.  And a very special thanks to the HCC Board of Directors and members.

Happy Sewing!
C