Cape

 This is a cape that I made a few months ago. It is a rayon/poly knit. I used Vogue Pattern  8776.

Vogue 8776

 http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8776-products-15156.php?page_id=265

 The blue/grey knit fabric drapes beautifully and looks good with my grey hair! I wore this to a surprise anniversary party over a black turtleneck sweater, narrow black pants and knee high black boots. I felt quite chic!
 I looked for buttons in my giant button stash, and also at the fabric store but couldn't find any buttons that seemed right, so I got out my button covering tool, and made my own buttons. Now that I am writing this I think that I will do a blog post about that tool. It is fantastic!!!!

Sewing Weather!

                       This photo shows why today will be a day devoted to sewing!

Thoughts on Fitting

 I have been thinking a lot about garment fit lately. It is one of the most important aspects of sewing, and one of the most challenging to master. I had a class of new students this week, and I thought of a way to describe the importance of learning pattern alterations.
  If a sewist puts together a garment without checking for fit prior to cutting, then essentially she is investing a lot of time and money to discover that the garment does not fit. At least when shopping for ready-to-wear we learn of poor fit the minute that we see ourselves in the mirror in the fitting room. Making a garment that fits poorly takes a lot of time!
 For people new to sewing the discord between the size they wear in ready-to-wear and the correct  size pattern  is often the first hurdle. I am sure that there are many people who enthusiastically choose a pattern without  comparing their own measurements to that of the pattern. In fact it is likely that the majority of novice sewists don't even know their own measurements.
  A reasonable person would feel safe cutting a size 12 pattern if they usually wear a size 12 in ready-to-wear. I actually usually wear a size 8 in purchased clothing, but I use a size 12 pattern. This is not a huge problem unless we don't understand this discord.
 One of my favorite fitting books is "The Perfect Fit" from the Singer Reference Library.

 The copyright on my copy of this book is 1987, so it is far from current. That however doesn't mean that it isn't a very useful book! The photographs of real women in ill fitting garments accompanied by very clear photographs and written descriptions of flat pattern alterations are the most user friendly of any fitting book I have ever read.

 The dated 1980's  styles should be overlooked as the information is so valuable. Actually for those of us who sewed in the 1980's it is really sort of fun to revisit those styles!
 I have recommended this book for years, and find that it is always available at half.com www.half.com   or from Amazon. I have ordered copies for as little as $.75 plus shipping at half.com.
 

Silk top with Abalone Buttons

  Here are a few photos of a silk top that I made. I washed the silk jacquard to soften the fabric and then I designed a sleeveless top to feature some of my gorgeous antique abalone buttons.

                   Narrow knotted bias ties  embellish the placket on each side of the buttons.

Gravity Feed Iron

                               One of the very favorite tools  is a gravity feed iron.

 

Gravity Feed Iron

 This type of iron is  heavy (approx 4 1/2 lbs). This weight improves the iron's  pressing capabilities.
Gravity feed irons are fitted with a water tank that is suspended approximately 3 feet above the ironing surface.

Water tank with filter crystals

There is a valve and plastic tubing that carries the water from the tank into the iron's steam chamber.
There are filter crystals (they are dark blue in the photo) that are an added insurance that there is no sediment that can build up on the inside of the iron even with the use of distilled water.
 This iron puts out beautiful, even steam, and never "spits". The steam flow is controlled with a button on the handle. I set the temperature carefully at a low enough temperature to ensure that fabrics don't melt, and high enough that the combination of the steam, heat, and weight of the iron conquer any wrinkle.
 The Namoto iron that I have is very high quality. It is turned on in my sewing studio at least 10 hours a day. It sits on a rubber pad as opposed to sitting on it's end like a household iron.
 This brand of iron is about $400 but lasts for years. I purchased a less expensive gravity feed iron for my daughter, and at $120 it is fine for her purposes. I have students who also run out and buy this type of iron after using mine.
 These irons can also be used vertically to steam wedding gowns, etc.
 Once you have tried a gravity feed iron you may wonder how you can sew without one.

Back From Vacation

There is nothing more invigorating than getting away from dirty snow for a week in the sun! Here are a few photos of my trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my family.

Beautiful street in Puerto Vallarta with actual blooming flowers!

One of MANY delicious meals

Yum! Fresh coconut and a vendor who was very deft with a machete!

Me on a horse! We took a wonderful  ride across a river, and up and down a trail to see petroglyphs!

According to our guide these petroglyphs  were etched into the rock about 1200 years ago using rattle snake venom!

View from the balcony at our hotel

  We spent quite a bit of time touring different areas of the city. There were many opportunities to shop, but in all of our travels I never saw a place to purchase fabric.
 I am happy to be home and looking forward to sewing. My sewing machines had a nice rest, and so did I!

Travel Tunic

There has been the usual whirlwind as I have finished sewing projects for clients in preparation for a week in the Mexican sun. I did take a few hours to make myself a tunic to take on the trip.
 I had a piece of rayon/spandex knit from Emma One Sock  http://www.emmaonesock.com/fabrics/knitprints.asp  
 There is always a selection of knit prints on this site. I love the rayon knits as they drape beautifully and are really comfortable to wear.

I used McCall's 6571 http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6571-products-22762.php?page_id=528&search_control=display&list=search 
 I used view B with the boat neck. The diagonal print on this knit begged to be accentuated, so I cut the top longer, and angled the hem to follow the print.  I will wear this with narrow black capris and a chunky silver necklace.
 I am so happy that I took the time to make one new piece for our trip!