Sew Distracted

Work...Work...Work

I am almost caught up from our trip over Thanksgiving week.  There are only two small piles of paperwork to finish,

and a pair of pants that needs to have the buttons sewn back on in the background.  They are from Chico's and are about 2 years old so if the buttons held up this long I can't really complain. 

Hiding out of site is a pile of ironing and some shoes that need polishing.  They are on the cutting table so that I don't give myself permission to start sewing before I have finished basic maintenance.  Tomorrow is grocery shopping day and I haven't finished the list yet -- this is the first winter-season shopping since the farmer's market closed, and I am wondering how much I should plan in advance and how much I should leave open to market finds.  I can take my portable computer with me, I have all my recipes there (although not the extensive cookbook collection) as well as my pantry and freezer lists.  I have spent some time coordinating the freezer list to the menu and shopping list so that now, when I plan a menu, it should tell me what I have in the pantry and automatically reduce the quantities on the list as I use items in the menus.  Of course this week will be the test run, so I don't yet know that it will actually work.....

Needless to say, I have been busy enough that I haven't actually missed sewing yet.  The jacket is sitting patiently on the side and I can see it, filled with promise, and I know I will get there yet.  I have spent some time knitting so I am getting some fiberly therapy.

I have also been s.l.o.w.l.y sorting through my extensive pattern collection, deciding what I will save and what will get stored in the file cabinets in the sewing room.  It is a very slow process, usually taking a couple of passes through each category.  I find that ruthlessness doesn't come as easily here as in other aspects of household decluttering.  Perhaps this because patterns have both physical worth (or lack of it) and dream potential.  It is that dream state that is hard to analyze and categorize adequately.

I have also sent off thread packages to most of the people who requested them; you should be receiving them shortly. 

 

My bags are packed....

We head off to Kansas tomorrow for an extended Thanksgiving trip and will be back next weekend.

Although I am packed, I still hope to make it to the gym this evening and squeeze in a couple of hours of office work, just so I will not be quite so inundated when I get back. 

The jacket waits...and waits....and waits....

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

The velvet comes home but its future is unclear

I picked up the Elna at Style Fabrics and also bought the purple velvet.  I can't capture the color exactly on the camera:

I had hoped to make the de la Renta dress.  Unfortunately there is not enough to make any kind of dress, only enough for a skirt.  I bought it anyway as it has been on my mind so heavily.  I think it needs to sit in the stash a little bit and acquaint itself with a few other pieces,  make a few friends, perhaps determine what it wants to be.

A thread story

I had hoped last night to finish serging the edges of the black and white jacket but I got distracted by an e-mail which led to some research and discussion of the Fiat plant which opened in Poughkeepsie in 1910.  That discussion pretty much used up my sewing time, and G was ready for bed, but I begged a little extra time to do my serging.

I shouldn't have bothered.  The serger jammed up again after a few inches.  This seems to have been the norm with this project so I shut everything down and decided that the serger and I needed to spend some quality time together this afternoon.

I had a sneaking suspicion I knew the nature of the problems, and after I managed to fix it the first time, I spent some extra time playing with the machine.  Yes my suspicions were correct.  It was a thread problem.

I know people whose sergers don't care what thread goes into them, but me, I'm familiar with thread problems.  My first serger was a lovely machine, I could thread it mid-seam and we constructed a lot of garments together.  But it was very particular about thread.  It only liked Mettler.  Anything else and it jammed.  So I always bought Mettler thread, and I gave away everything else.  Then I discovered Mettler's finer serger thread, Metrolene, and I loved it.  It gave the finest finished edges, even on sheer fabrics.    But Mettler stopped making Metrolene,  I bought a big supply at that time, and most of it is gone, except for six colors. 

I guess I hadn't used any of the Metrolene on the new serger, which I have now had a year or a little better.  But I used it on this job.  It was the only kind of white serger thread I had in stock; I guess I haven't sewn anythng white and I am fairly picky about matching my serger thread to my project.

Anyway, the thread kept popping out of its guides as I was serging, and the Metrolene is so fine I have trouble seeing it, especially the white threads.  As soon as I ran regular serger thread through the machine everything worked perfectly; if I switched out one thread, it started acting up and I couldn't get it readjusted to work. This serger doesn't seem to care about the quality or brand of the thread itself, I even tested it with Maxi-Loc which just stopped my older serger cold, It handles fuzzy nylon and various embroidery and specialty threads, but it doesn't seem to like the really fine thread, at least not the Metrolene.  But then, perhaps it is just me.

So the remainder of my Metrolene collection is going bye-bye:

Mettler Metrolene thread 2000 m spools
color 792     navy -- 4 spools
color 003     black  -- 5 spools
color 739     red -- 4 spools
color 632     gray -- 4 spools
color 692 l    ight beige -- 4 spools
color 619     brown  bronze --  4 spools

If anybody reading this wants any of the thread, leave a comment; it just needs a good home.  If not I will put it up on e-bay after Thanksgiving.

Out and About

I found a new wardrobe combination that I think looks really good.  The oversized cardigan is perhaps a little schlumpy, but then I feel good wearing it.  Besides I have always loved running around town in a big old oversized sweater.  At least I can almost pull it off again.

Or perhaps it is just that, having reclaimed my space, I feel filled with light and pulled together despite all evidence to the contrary.

The Sky is dark with clouds but the horizon is clear

Much was accomplished last week, but my accomplishments were not in the line of sewing.  At one point I was, indeed, obsessed with knitting.  But my jacket will wait.

But mostly I just needed to reclaim my life.  I had time, but I also had too many projects sitting incomplete.  There were too many piles of dirt and wiring and lumber tracked in by too many men, too many stacks of materials, too many of our own things that had been displaced.  Too much time was wasted shifting things and finding things that had been shifted and made unavailable in the hopes that the job would have been completed long ago.  Life seemed out of my control and I, as a result, felt in the thrall of the men in heavy boots.  No more.  We have been organized, and cleaned.  Space has been reclaimed and along with it, time has been reclaimed as well.

I also managed to get out in the yard and clean out the flower beds, dig up the dahlias, and callas and put everything to rest for the winter.  I was late.  This should have all occurred in October, that month that is best stricken from memory, but I am happy to have the work over and no longer hanging over my head.  My tulips have been planted, later than they should have been, and only time will tell if this will work or not, but now my mind is clear and I can embrace the future and whatever projects catch my fancy, even sewing projects.

It is 6:30 on a Monday.  I am home from the gym.  Dinner still needs to be made and there is still a pile of work on my desk to be completed, probably at least 2 hours worth,  but I am no longer oppressed by "that which has not been done."  I may not be sewing this evening, but the possibilities are once again endless and my time is my own to control as I see fit. My time is full of possibilities.  Whether I knit or sew, I know in my heart that all is possible.

Purple Velvet

When I went to Style Fabrics in Kingston on Sunday to drop off the Elna for repair, I of course took a look  at the fabrics.  Most of the fabrics were cotton and were obviously aimed at a client base based more on quilters than garment-sewers.  This does not surprise me as it seems to be typical in this area. 

However there was one small section with some evening fabrics, which was dominated at this time of year by fabrics aimed at holiday outfits.  On one wall we saw a couple of silk and rayon velvets which were very nice.  They were fairly lightweight but with a nice soft hand.  A deep gray caught my eye first, but then I a saw a deep plum colored velvet, a little darker than a damson plum.  It was lovely.

It has been on my mind ever since. 

I thought of a dress, but what dress? 

The velvet dress from the November Burda world of fashion immediately came to mind.  I love the seaming on this dress and the godets, but I have major doubts about whether I can wear it.  I almost wrote a post about this dress.  You see, I have scoliosis (I have written about this before) and I am asymmetrical.  I always fear that the diagonal seaming on a dress like this will accent my own asymmetricalities and make me look even more crooked.  When I have tried garments on in the store this has been my experience, but it could also be a fitting issue, and it is possible that a well fitting garment might not have this effect.  But I haven't had the heart to try.

Or it is possible that the slope of the cuts could go the opposite direction.  Why do these garments usually seem to go from left to right? not right to left?  There must be a reason,

Either way it is irrelevant.  I cannot picture the velvet I saw in this dress, I wanted something simple but with a little interest in the bodice.

Then when I was looking though the pattern stash, in an attempt at making headway with organization, I noticed this pattern:

This has the requisite detail at the top and looks very simple and elegant.  The pattern is OOP from 2000 and I haven't made it, but I have always thought I might.

I wonder if it would work in velvet, I think it calls for silk crepe. 

I might have to buy the velvet just to drape it and see what I think.

No decision  yet, I have at least another week, probably 10 days, before the machine will be ready.  If the fabric is still there it was obviously meant to be.

What do you think?

First Day on the Jacket: a slow start

Finally, construction has begun on the jacket!  But first, there were still a few details to sort out.

I originally cut this jacket while I was in San Francisco at Sandra Betzina's sewing camp.    It is not a particularly constructed jacket, the upper bodice and back are cut as one piece with the sleeves, and it is not difficult to make.  For this reason, and because I must share cutting table space with the 9 other camp attendees, I did not spend as much time as I often do when cutting out patterns and my project choices for sewing camp were planned with this in mind.  I squared up the fabric meticulously and was very careful about placement of the pattern pieces on the fabric, but I did not thread trace or mark the stitching lines as I often  do, and I used dressmaker's carbon for all markings.  Since I left camp early, the entire project was packed up and placed in a ziploc bag, pattern still attached to the pieces.

Because of the delay between cutting and construction I wanted to be certain I understood what had been done before and the plan for the jacket.  I separated out the pieces, checked that all the markings were in place, removed the pattern tissue, and stacked the pieces together in order of construction use so that I would not spend time later on trying to find specific pieces.

The pattern instructions start with the darts in the upper front piece.  One dart extends to the edge of the fabric and adds shoulder shaping and the other date is completely within the fabric and adds shaping at the neck.  I don't always sew darts first, no matter what the pattern instructions state, but in this case it seems the prudent way to begin.

I started with the neck dart:

The instructions are pretty clear on this point, stating to start pinning at the center of the dart, and then to sew the dart in two passes, from the center to the tips.  This is normally the way I would sew a dart of this shape as it is the only way to gaurantee that the dart is not distorted in sewing. 

To begin, I placed a pin in the center of the dart, making sure that the lines on both sides were perfectly aligned.   Then I pinned out from the center to the tips of the dart.  Notice that I used an orange pin to mark the center, and I was careful not to use orange pins in any other part of the dart.  I also used blue pins exclusively to mark the points. 

By using the orange pin to mark the center, I immediately knew where to start stitching the first time I put the dart in the machine:

Notice that the needle is actually a little behind the center pin, which I am about to remove.  When I stitch the other half of the dart I will again start a little beyond the center to insure that there will be no weakness or pulling stitches at the center of the dart.     Since I am so easily distracted, I need little markers like this to act as reminders. 

I use blue pins at the end of the dart to remind me that I am coming to the edge of the fabric (and yes I know it is pretty obvious).  The blue pin reminds me that I am going to turn down my stitch length as I approach the end of the dart, probably first going down to 1.5 mm and then to 1mm by the time I am a few stitches from the edge. 

I used the same technique of using blue pins at the end of the shoulder darts as well, even though these were stitched straight down from the edge of the fabric (shoulder seam).  The darts are longer and I am still not always likely to pay attention,  the end of the dart can creep up before I expect it, so subtle little reminders like this really help me focus.

After all the darts were sewn they had to be pressed.   I always press the darts first with the right sides together to meld the stitches, only then do I open the fabric and press the dart into its final position.  Since each of these darts created a curve in the fabric the final pressing had to be done on my tailor's ham and I very carefully folded the dart in place, holding it with my left hand while I pressed with my right, trying to ensure that there was no excess folding of the fabric or bubbles or dimples at the points.  This fabric is a wool blend with some synthetic fibers and it tends to stick to the iron.  It is very important to remember to use a press cloth; I usually use silk organza so that I can see through it as I work, and it takes the heat well.  After pressing, I leave the fabric on the ham to cool and dry before moving it to press the next section.  Although the darts were small, I could not press each dart in its entirety in one pass, so significant time accumulated, allowing me to write my notes.

Even on a relatively simple project like this, more time is spent checking that everything is aligned, pinning, and pressing than in the actual sewing.  I remain convinced that the meticulousness pays off, although even I can admit that perhaps I carry things too far (colored-coded pins after all are a little excessive).

After the darts were sewn in the front pieces it was time to serge the edges. Now I know that I am not “supposed” to serge the edges before stitching the garment but I do. I am usually really careful with this step; usually I have marked my stitching lines, either with chalk, pastels or by making tailor’s tacks. But this is supposed to be a quick project and I cut and marked it at camp. I did not mark the stitching lines. So I am very careful to serge right at the edge of the fabric eliminating none or as little of the seam allowance as possible.

Usually serging the pieces is the first thing I do after marking everything because I hate working with the raveled edges of fabric. On this jacket however, I sewed the darts at the shoulder first because I thought the edge would be two bulky if I had six layers of serged edges at the center shoulder. By serging after I have sewn and pressed the darts I get a nice flat seam. Of course if I made a mistake with the darts, this will be much more difficult to correct, but that is why I made a muslin first, to correct any issues with the darts before I started making the final garment. Hopefully I did everything correctly and this will work out well.

All this fuss over pinning and pressing, plus the fact that I had forgotten to thread the serger before I started, means that I spent 2 hours just getting the two upper front pieces ready for the next step of construction and the next step will have to wait.

 

need a new machine doctor

I finally took my Elna in to the shop today, although I am having qualms now that I have done so, and am wondering about the future.

When I first got the Elna, (and later my Baby Lock)long long ago, there was no local Elna dealer so I took it in to Crown Machine Service in NYC.  Usually, if it just needed cleaning or a minor adjustment I could drop it in the morning and they would have it back to me in the afternoon, providing me with an opportunity to shop or pursue other interests in NYC. 

Then we got  Amazing Threads, which sold yarn and  Elna Sewing Machines and they took very good care of my baby.  No more lugging the sewing machine on the train (I'm not complaining) and although I didn't get it back the same day, it was still pretty convenient.  But Amazing Threads was sold.  I had been informed that the same people were doing the machine service out of a fabric store on the far side of Kingston, so I took the machine there this morning.  Ends up they are just servicing the Elnas as a courtesy but don't really handle the machines.  Probably this is fine, it just needs a little cleaning and adjustment on the tension.  But I am feeling cautious -- I love this machine after all, even though I use the newer one more.  Well, let's see what happens and when I get it back, but in one mad moment of panic I almost ran back and snatched my machine.

Perhaps I will be hauling it down to NYC again, after all it is an easy subway ride from Crown Machine down to the garment district.

On pattern storage and Burda WOF

I have not been working on the jacket, although I have thought about working on the jacket and for now at least the problem is not lack of time, but lack of motivation and energy.  Blame my sinuses, all four sinus regions are fairly blocked up, although today I was informed that the blockage is dissipating, and I actually do feel a little better, as long as I don't move quickly, listen to loud noises, or change the elevation of my head (bend over).  I am even contemplating riding the exercise bike at home because I think I can do that without causing my head to move too much (as long as I don't ride so vigorously that I bounce up and down on the bike).  Of course I don't yet know if I will be able to inhale enough oxygen to sustain any kind of effort on the bike. The prolonged sluggishness, not just the sinus pressure, is affecting my state of mind.

I used to just get an annual head-cold.  Now I get an annual sinusitis attack.  I think I would rather have the head-cold.

And so, since sewing requires thought (which seems to hurt my head) and moving from sewing table to ironing board and back, I have been less than inclined to sew.  Besides the decongestants make me drowsy, not the best time to be operating machinery with sharp pointed objects running at high speed.

I am not worried.  November already looks better than October, which has been blacked out in the calendar and stricken from memory .

In order to entertain myself I have been filing my Burda WOF magazines, which have been piling up in an unruly fashion since I subscribed a year and a half ago.  I contemplated various ways of saving them, but in the end went back to the technique I used with the old Burda International magazines, and in fact most of my sewing patterns.

The pattern paper and the instruction pages go in a manila file pocket, as do all my other patterns.  I don't save the actual magazine, but I cut favorite photos out of the magazine and paste them on the outside of the folder for inspiration.  That way, if I am just flipping through the files for inspiration, I see my favorite garments in photos, and the line drawings are readily available right inside each folder. 

I also scan the line drawings into the computer and print them out on a half-sheet sized page that fits into my old filofax which  I now use as a pattern notebook.  You can see the notebook sheets on the left in the photo.  All patterns are filed in the pattern catalog drawers by company and number, in my notebook the patterns are filed by type (blouses, jackets, etc) or all the pattern magazines are grouped together with copies of the line drawings.  The new Burda WOF is much easier than the old Burda, which did not have an index page with the line drawings, and I had to trace each individual drawing onto onionskin paper to add to my notebook. 

Sometimes I do think this is a lot of work, but I enjoy just sitting down with the notebook and looking at my pattern catalog, and I like keeping the pattern envelope or directions with the pattern as well.  I have friends who put the pattern envelopes in three-ring binders and file the patterns separately but I like my small half-size notebooks better.  The space in my notebook is overflowing and I have to get a new one, but I haven't found one I like lately.  The half-size notebooks used to be widely available in France with four rings, and I love those, but I haven't been back lately and I haven't found a source here in the States.  I suppose I can't justifiy a trip to Europe just to buy binders.

I have often over the years thought it would be nice to convert all the pattern information to a database, which would include the drawings or photographs of the pattern and the line drawings as well as yardage information (all this information is in my notebook), as I don't always carry the notebook around.  It is just too cumbersome.  A database could be downloaded to my Palm for quick browsing if I found myself at a fabric source.  But in the end, I usually know roughly how much I need for a jacket or pants or a dress and just buy that "average" value.  Certain patterns take odd amounts though,  I may do it someday, as much for the fun of doing it as anything else.  All these patterns have been scanned into the computer after all so it is just a question of putting it all together.

But in the end, I like looking through my pattern book far more than I like looking through a database on the computer, or on my palm, where it is even harder to see the details of a picture.  So perhaps this plan is best left in the realm of dreams a little longer.