In Sewing News Today...

Some days I just shouldn't read sewing blogs and click on links to beautifully funky shoes. Oh my goodness, have you seen these?

Thankfully, they are not in my size. Otherwise, I might be tempted to pick up these three and three-quarter high-heeled beauties that would not be the best thing for my knees. Aren't they pretty though? 

Over at Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing, Gertie is also tempting sewing peeps with more gorgeous floral fabrics. I'm going to have to muster all the will-power that I can and remind myself that there is a seasonal lay-off around the corner.  

In other sewing news, I've been busy cleaning and de-cluttering this past week. I'm so ready to spend some quality time with my sewing machines. I have yet to participate in the fabric stash busting contest over at Pattern Review. 

Right now, there is some cut yardage in the laundry room waiting to be pre-washed for a pair of pants. But first, I'm going to have to clear off some mending projects that have been hanging around for far too long. Not my favourite type of sewing--it's a dirty job but someone has to do it. Sadly, that's me. Missing the fun sewing that is hopefully around the corner.  

Happy Sewing!  

  

Purging Pretty Things

I know that the weather is getting warmer and the mosquitos are out. It certainly feels like summer has arrived but technically, it is still spring.

I'm spring cleaning and purging pretty things. Yup, I'm digging through my fabric stash to see what is going to stay and what will find a new home.

Most of this pile is destined for a new location. I tried to donate fabric in the past to recreational centres that offer kids programs but none where interested in such items. Apparently, fabric doesn't qualify as craft material. Or it might be a polite way to say that kids don't sew, they play soccer when it is not raining outside.

But I did find this!

Looking for Donations of Fabric and other Sewing Supplies

The Central Park Women's Resource Centre operates a sewing circle for women living in the Central Park neighborhood. They are in need of sewing supplies as well as a wide variety of fabrics for their projects. Manitoba Status of Women will be collecting the donations on their behalf. Please drop off any materials to 409-401York Avenue (Norquay Building across from the Law Courts). Call 945-6281 for more information.

I just picked out two items to offer up in the etsy shop and the rest I'm taking down to to the Norquay Building later this week. I'm sure that someone will appreciate it. Besides, some of the knits and suiting fabric is just too heavy to ship if I offered up over at the etsy shop.


The two pieces that I put up over at etsy are two metre cuts that would make lovely tops.



Well, I have more purging of pretty things to do.

Happy Sewing!

Faux fabrics to go with that Faux Sales help

Can you believe that I walked into the local fabric store once last week and came out of the store with no fabric. I can't say the same for the other two visits.

They now sell cheap costume jewellery, (yeah, including earring), vases and lots of faux fabrics. Found right beside the silk duponi table was a whole selection of faux silk duponi. I was not impressed with this polyester poser.

Is it just me or have you noticed a decrease in natural fibre fabrics and quality that is less than impressive? Or is this a Winnipeg phenomenon? And what is up with carrying non-sewing gadgets?

And then when I got to the cash register the store manager instead of ringing in my purchase makes a comment regarding the merchandise I picked out.

"This thread is not the buy one get one free," she informs me.

"I know," not looking up as I search through my wallet.

"The polyester thread is on sale," she pushes on.

"No thank you," I said as I unsuccessfully try to cut her sales pitch off.

"Well, the cotton thread is only 20% off," she adds.

"That's fine," I reply.

I can tell you that I do not find shopping at my local fabric store as enjoyable as in the past. The fabric that I find inspiring are few and far between. The fashion fabric labels that appear with man-made fibre content are over-populating the store shelves along with the appearance of "unknown content" stamped across labels where fibre contents used to be displayed.

As I waited in line to pay for my thread I looked around the store and just felt so sad. I miss the fabric selection of my past. Polyester made an appearance to the consumer in the early nineteen fifties but now it seems to have overtaken the floor space in one form or another. I miss the days of feeling silk noir between my fingers as I try to decide on the colour or the by-gone days of finding 100% linen or wool.

I come home and hold a little tighter to those precious gems that sit in my fabric stash wondering if I should cut into them.

Measure twice, cut once. Gather the remnants & ask what have you done. What have you done?

~Night Vale Radio~

In Sewing News Today...

Just off a big project and tidying up the sewing area. There are a few things that I need to tackle before I think about my next project.

First up, hemming a pair of pants for Papa R. Even Mama R thinks that these will have to be re-hemmed down the road since Papa R is notorious for his lack of patience when it comes to the fitting process.

I believe that in the Portuguese culture bad sewing karma will fall upon your sewing machine if you tell your kin-folk to take their alterations to the tailor. But I have to tell you it is a secret fantasy of mine. I much rather sew something from scratch than mend or alter.

That said, I really can not procraftinate any longer. This weekend will be devoted to all those mending and alteration projects that I just need to get done.  

What is on your sewing table?

Happy Sewing!

New Spring Coat: Burda 7304

Stash Busting 2013:  Project #22

Fabric Used:                  3.2 metres 100% polyester fabric

Pattern Used:               Burda Style 7304

Seam Binding Used:  15 packages of seam binding.

Buttons:                         Six

*****

“The great doilies are stories in crochet, with a beginning, character development, and plot twists, periods of conflict, growth, and redemption. And the best of them have slam-bang endings.” 
~Doris Chan~

This project certainly had its challenges. I don't know where to begin.  

1.  The Fabric!  

I believe that I actually gasped when I first spotted this bolt of fabric in the home decor department. It is a 100% polyester, not the kind of fabric I usually fall head over heels over, rather it was the texture and print that won me over. I fell for the doilies that graced the surface of this fabric.  

This fabric proved to be a challenge to press and finish. Oh my goodness, did it ever fray! I finished all the seams with a bound seam finish. I didn't make my own bias tape. I cheated and picked up several more than several packages of pre-made seam binding.

I went against Burda's advice to use a fulled fabric.

Fulled fabric is a kind of felted wool, the surface of the wool is slightly felted so that the right side looks the same as the wrong side. The quality is smooth, but sturdy, and has a perfect wearing ease. You usually sew jackets from it without lining, which are perfect for autumn and any transitional season. Due to its property, edges need not be neatened, the fabric does not fray and is comparable with fleece.

Garments sewn from fulled fabrics have got volume and stability, and look nice from both sides.

Do I love my fabric? Absolutely! But next time if I reuse this pattern, I will look for a fabric that is suggested by Burda.

2.  Bound Seams!
I love the look of this coat from the inside. All the seam edges are finished with bound seams, it was a lot of work though. This coat would have been pieced together a lot quicker if I serged all the edges. Despite the time-consuming work, I'm glad I bound those fraying seams.

3.  Pressing!
Everyone who sews knows that pressing is one of the most important steps to creating a well-made garment. Sew I won't go on about this step other than thank goodness for my tailor's and sleeve hams.

Despite all the challenges this fabric and project provided, it will go down with one of the most rewarding.

Happy Sewing!

Reasons Why I Sew: Reason # 7

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My name is Graca and I am fabricholic.  Today is my twenty-fifth day without adding to my fabric stash.

Some days are tough. I am presently tempted by this gorgeous fabric over at Gertie's etsy shop. And don't even get me started on all the beautiful fabrics found over at Marcy Tilton.

I shouldn't even be looking because I have one serious fabric stash. Some pieces have been in my stash for decades! Others have been gifted.  

I might be in need of an intervention? And needless to say, it is another reason why I sew.  

Happy Sewing!

QUICK! Someone pour me a drink...

I need to celebrate that Burda 7304 is almost finished. Yup, that is the excuse that I'll stick to...

I'm at the button hole stage of this project. I have one of those fancy-smancy Janome sewing machines with an automatic buttonholer. I found this video over on YouTube that shows a buttonholer just like the one on my machine. Don't be jealous.  

You see in theory it is the cat's meow. But my admiration for this automatic button hole feature hit a snag today when the perfect buttons would not fit in the button hole foot slot.

"Seriously?" I thought to myself thinking back to all the struggles that I have endured these past few weeks while making this coat.

I wasn't going to let this stop me. But then I realized that I live in a small prairie city and where would I take this to get button holes made. Gawd, I miss living in a large urban centre at times like this. The next option was to hunt through the button stash to see if I can find another large button but just slightly smaller than the perfect buttons that would not fit in my button hole foot.

Long story short... I found one. And this seems to work at making a button hole that I can squeeze the perfect button through. Although sewing will have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, I have to celebrate that it is almost finished.

Happy Sewing!