A little sewing hiatus

As we have a ton of things going on in our household- I have had to put my sewing projects on hold.  It makes me sad- but right now my goal is to spend quality time with the family whenever we are able.  Hopefully by the end of the month I will be back at it.

But I do want to announce that I have a new baby- I bought a new sewing machine!  It is a Janome and my first computerized machine.  It was a little strange to sew on at first- but now I am in total and complete love.  The stitches are just beautiful.  Truly- it is like going from a base model economy car to a sports car with all the bells and whistles.  Even my kids were entranced.  And it is so quiet!  I can bring my machine into the living room again without bothering anyone's TV shows. lol

Here she is- the ThreadBanger TB30.  Isn't she gorgeous??

I bought it at Fabric.com

I just realized they raised the price of this baby!  Now I am very glad I did not wait and snatched it up right away.  I think my Hubby was a little miffed with me that I bought it so quickly after discussing it- but wait till he hears I saved about $200.

When I do get back to sewing I plan on making a few things for the kids.  I scoped out the thrift store and found some "like-new" and probably never worn, twill pants that I plan on recycling to make shorts/capris for Sissy.  I never thought of doing that before, but here it is sometimes hard to find what I am looking for.  And!  It is cheaper than buying fabric! 

I like the trend of recycling.  It reminds me of my grandmother.  She grew up during the Great Depression and had to learn to use everything and not waste.  Clothes that were too small were handed down or made into new clothes.  Or- if that couldn't be done she used the good pieces for quilting.  She would show me the quilts she or my great-grandma made and point out the different fabrics used- "that one came from a dress I made your Mamma when she was your age"- or "This is from a shirt grandpa used to wear."  I loved to look at her quilts.  She finally gave me one after Brother was born.  My great grandmother made it.  It is a red, white and blue Dresdon Plate pattern.  This was after my younger cousin had visited and asked if she could have one of the quilts- only to be turned down.  I felt a little guilty about that- but only a little. 

My grandma got me started on my first scrap basket- which I used to make Barbie and doll clothes.  I don't hold onto many scraps anymore just for the sake of not having the room.  But I do continue the tradition of hoarding fabric that she started me on.  I like to say that it is all being part of the "Sisterhood" of fellow seamstresses.

Hopefully by the end of the month I will have a new project to share.  Until then...

My First Muslin

I have to confess I have never made a muslin.  This comes from the fact that I was impatient and didn't want to waste spend precious time making a muslin.  I have been perusing many sewing blogs in the past few months.  It made me realize that maybe making a muslin is not so bad after all.
A few weeks ago (after promising myself last year I would not buy anymore patterns)- I was lured in by Vogue patterns with their $3.99 sale to purchase one or two (or 5).  My favorite was this cute little dress by Anna Sui-

Vogue V1153

I realized that it would be a good idea to make a muslin first.  I had a feeling it was going to be a bit short and frankly it has been a while since I have made anything with a lining.  So not only was the muslin going to be for fitting purposes- but to also practice my skills.  Eventually I would like to make a few coats/jackets with beautiful linings- so here was an opportunity to "train".

The result?  The dress was fairly simple to make after all- once I was able to wrap my brain around how to sew in the lining- the directions weren't so clear on a couple of things.  The bodice seemed to fit perfectly- I was pleased.  After attaching the skirt I did note that I would definitely need to add about 4 inches- too short for me- if a wind were to suddenly pick up it would be all over in the short skirt.  It all looked a little bulky- however.  I thought the tie would help.  It didn't.  It is so bulky around the middle!  It makes me look like I have absolutely no waist what-so-ever.  There a couple of factors here I realize.  One- the fabric I used is just a woven cotton and perhaps a little too stiff.  the suggested farbrics are charmeuse, crepe de chine and broadcloth.  I would think the broadcloth would ne too stiff as well.  The charmeuse is better suited- but I really just wanted a cool cotton for the summer.  If DID try the charmeuse- would the dress have a better drape?

The other factor- the model in the picture is most likely a size 0 in RTW- I am more of a 10.  Therefore- the dress is probably better suited to an anorexic-thin model- not a normal average everyday figure.  So if I did try the charmeuse, would it be worth it?  Or did I just pick the wrong sort of dress for my figure?

(I made everything but the ruffle above the lower skirt.  I love how playful the skirt looks.)

(I love the neckline and shoulder seams- it is very flattering.)

  

(The back is kind of blah and not very flattering at all.  There is an opening at the back of the neck that would look cute if I were to sew the button and loop in however.)

 I am going to hold off making the actual dress for now- until I figure out a solution. I thought of making it with and empire waist (they usually flatter me) and making the skirt longer- but right now that seems like too much work for something that may or may not work.

I am pumped to sew more however- it's all I can think about now!

Finally- the pictures of the finished product..

The darn memory stick lost my pictures!  So I had to buy a new one and now I have new pictures to share.  Unfortunately- I lost the pictures of my daughter's photo shoot she modeled for.  I am so bummed!  They did her hair all crazy- the pictures were so much fun! 
So here is the dress I made from the Japanese pattern I was so excited about.  It was pretty easy to make- even without being able to read the directions.  The pictures were sufficient though I am sure I did a few things differently- that's ok- turned out as it should. :-)

(Don't let the picture fool you- she likes the dress- she just didn't feel like modeling it at the time...)

If you heard someone cursing at their sewing machine it was me!  I practiced buttonhole after buttonhole.  After I got it just the way I wanted- I tried making one on the dress.  All I got was a big ball of thread on the underside.  I finally realized my machine didn't like sewing through the linings (I really should have remembered that from past experiences!)  It has been so long since I have made buttonholes- it felt like I was learning all over again.  Eventually I got it to work by pulling the fabric through with my hand.

My next lesson to learn was that old seam rippers should be replaced!  I did not realize how dull the two I had were.  I ended up ripping a hole the fabric from pushing too hard.  Sissy didn't mind- bless her heart.  I think I could make a little patch to cover it?

(The big rip.  As you c n see I had to make the buttonholes over the seam.  That was due to not using the same seam allowance and not being able to calculate and/or decipher the instructions.  Of course that is why my machine got stuck there..)

But at least the my first fabric covered buttons turned out pretty darn cute!  I used a Japanese kit and it was so easy- why haven't I tried this before?  (Maybe because I have avoided making buttonholes?- lol)  I used a different little birdy from the skirt fabric for each button.

I may try making another one in a different fabric.  The fabric used on this dress is  from the Alexander Henry Collection.  It is really meant to be a quilting fabric- but the two prints were so darn cute and it was on sale!  It is a little thin however- so maybe I will try a cute polka dot next time.

I do have a new seam ripper now.  I bought it here locally and it has Snoopy on it.  And it is sharp!