Embellish is for BOYS! Ooga Booga Fun

Jess over at Gracious Threads is running a series called Embellish is for BOYS.

Last week I won the pattern giveaway - the Streamline Tee from Terra's Treasures! I wanted to embellish along that week but things got too busy. SO - this week I doubled up. This week's theme is applique and last week's was freezer paper stencilling.

Look! A spiderweb!

Details

Pattern: Streamline Tee

Size: 5

Fabric: Upcycled tee, Ooga Booga interlock, jersey scraps

I used Heat 'N Bond to fused the monsters onto the shirt before assembling it, then used the stencil method and fabric paint to make the eyes.

And by happy chance, the little Ooga Boogas are holding hands! :) He's very pleased with his new shirt, which makes me very happy - I was afraid my big guy would be too old for monsters.

Cash Envelope System

A friend asked if I do do a set of fabric cash envelopes for budgeting - never tried anything like it before but I love how they turned out!

Flat, low-profile clutch to contain the envelopes.

This make my matchy-matchy heart all happy.  Pretty zippers.

Clutch with all the little cash envelopes.

Each envelope has a little clear vinyl label pocket which will hopefully be handy for cash spending categories.

Selfish Sewing Week Cardigan

Something more for me!

Details
Pattern: Scarf Neck Cardigan by Swoon Patterns
Size: Medium with 2" added length
Fabric: Lightweight olive slub-knit poly/cotton jersey
Mods: Added 2" in length to the body pieces and 1.5" length to the sleeves. Cutting was a bear - the fabric I used was off-grain, nearly 45*, so I had to refold and fiddle to get it all to fit.
Fit: The shoulders fit well. The armscye is a little too deep and the sleeves a bit loose. I took off about 1/2" per sleeve in the underarm seam to make them a little more fitted, and about 1" in each of the side seams.

Sadly, after it was all together and I was hemming, I discovered a hole under one of the woven-in slubs at the back. :/ I'm hoping it doesn't grow - may have to fuse a little interfacing on the back of the fabric to keep it together. The fabric store offered me replacement yardage at the same sale price at least, so I get to go pick out another cardigan!

Saturday's Sewing

A diaper clutch, custom order by a local friend.

Details
Self-designed
Fabric: Green twill leftover from Abigail's skinnies, striped Quilter's Candy from Connecting Threads, white vinyl
Details: Bi-fold diaper clutch with two pockets, one for diapers & wipes, one for a matching change pad, backed with a flexible vinyl. Button and elastic loop closure.

The change pad has batting sandwiched between the twill and vinyl for substance and softness.  (Side note: I just love that I can get detailed, perfectly lighted photos with my Rebel, with very little work!)

Ten Tips to Terrific Topstitching

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts' finish it up Friday - not technically finished the project, just the tutorial! :)


People have remarked before that my topstitching is very accurate so I thought I'd share some of my favourite tricks learned by trial and error.

1. Start with accurate seam and hem allowances. There's only so tidy you can make your topstitching if your seams are uneven.

2. Press! Your iron is your friend. When sewing, anyway. :) (Mine lives in my sewing room and is rarely used for anything besides sewing.)

3. Use a slightly longer stitch length to make your stitches stand out a bit more, but not so long that it's hard to make turns or pivot. My machine's default stitch length is 2.5 and I topstitch at 3.

4. Use the needle-down setting if your machine has one, or be sure whenever you stop to reposition your hands or pivot that you are stopping with the needle down manually. That way there's no chance of the fabric moving or shifting, especially for corners.

5. Take your time. My machine has three speed settings and I generally use the middle one for topstitching, just to be sure I'm in control and I'm not zooming past the end of my stitching line.

6. Follow a guide. I will use the edge of my presser foot or the markings on the machine bed as a guide so that my stitching is parallel to the edge. I also recently discovered that the needle position on my machine is incrementally adjustable, instead of just left needle or centre needle positions! This is huge - I can use the stitch width to control exactly where the needle sits.

7. If you have a built-in walking foot, use it. I don't, so sometimes the top fabric will shift forward under my foot as I stitch. To help it along smoothly, I use a straight pin to hold the top fabric in place as it feeds, repositioning it when it gets close to the needle. Helps to keep from getting bubbles or puckers.

8. Stop with the needle down at the end of your stitching line (unless it's in the seam allowance) and reverse two stitches, then forward two.

9. Clip the thread tail on the right side of your project close to the stitching, then turn it over and gently pull on the thread tail on the underside. The short tail from the front will pop through to the back and then you can trim both.

10. Finished! Admire your terrific topstitching.

Spring Tops for Me!

I've been part of Made By Rae's Spring Top Sewalong before - high time to do it again! Custom made clothing is a good idea for someone with a long back, arms, and legs. It's a drain to go shopping and find pretty things only to have to make do with too-short sleeves and waists and hems that hit in awkward spots. Time to fill my own closet, instead of adding more to my little daughter's!

I tried out Colette's Sorbetto Top, just in some lightweight cotton leftover from my Jenny maxi dress. Based on my measurements I'm supposed to be size 12, so that's what I started from, cutting 2.5" longer for my long torso.

Details
Pattern: Colette Sorbetto Top
Size: 12 (modified)
Mods: I ended up taking up 1/2" in the shoulder seams and 1/2" tapering to 3/4" at the waist on both side seams. I'm not overjoyed with the shape still - might have been better starting with size 10 or even 8. Bias tape is self fabric.

Suzanne went shopping with me last week - I was having heaps of trouble fitting the fabrics I liked with patterns and just couldn't decide. I came home with several fabrics, including these gorgeous prints:

I was thinking of doing Sorbetto again in the left fabric, a white dobby voile, and then the apparel weight cotton in the middle with the tone-on-tone blue beside it for a Patricia Tunic. Not so sure on the Sorbetto now that I've done my muslin. I may try something like a crocheted lace yoked shirt instead...hmmmm....

I also bought this smooth jersey - on sale for $6 a metre! And I only needed a metre - score! (Excuse weird expressions. The man was teasing me while he took my photos.)

Details
Pattern: New Look 6497, View C
Fabric: polyester blend jersey
Mods: Added 2" to the length at the top of the skirt pieces to account for my long back. Shoulder ties are self fabric.
Details: Hemmed at the neck and armholes with twin needle and wooly nylon in the bobbin. The tunic hem is my attempt at a serger lettuce hem.

Fits great and I love it. A very quick sew. My walking foot gets hung up when hemming over seams so there are a few uneven bits in my topstitching. If I did it again I'd probably take in a little bit at the neck edge of each shoulder seam as it tends to slide a bit. It also needs a camisole as it gapes a little at the crossover with movement. I probably would have been better off adding some clear elastic tape the the neck edges to keep snug.

Blue skies... nothin' but blue skies - KCW Day 6

...I wish. It was ccccold here today again! Next best thing is blue clothes!

Details
Pattern: Self-drafted
Size: 2T
Fabric: Powder blue slub jersey remnant

I took a basic bodice shape and compared it to a thick sweater that fits Abigail for length and width, then drew up a quick pattern with a v-neck front and very simple sleeves. I thought of putting buttons on the front but realized after cutting that I didn't leave room for overlap - duh! So improvised with ties. Ahem! - design feature. Yup.

The fabric was a bit odd to work with - stiff but flimsy, not great recovery. Happy it worked out as well as it did! I took special care understitching and topstitching the facing in, with a double ballpoint needle and woolly nylon in the bobbin again.

She's also wearing her new leggings I made on Day 5 - quite pleased with the fit and glad they look more like proper skinny pants than leggings.

A blustery walk pushing cousin Shawn in the stroller