Brown Corduroy Skirt - Burda 5/10 #106 

v. 2.0

I'm making the same pattern that I just used for the navy skirt again, but this time in chocolate brown wide wale corduroy and with some modifications.  Because the fabric is corduroy and I'm not overly fond of the zipper finish (although, I wore the skirt to church last night and it was just fine), I'm making the following changes:

1. Moving the zipper to center back and making it an invisible zipper.  This is easy.  The front is now cut on a fold and the back is cut in two pieces with a seam allowance at center back.  
2. Getting rid of the welt pockets.  These aren't impossible in corduroy, but the resulting bulk isn't exactly going to be slimming in front tummy/thigh area.  Instead, side seam pockets are going to be made.
3. To reduce bulk in the pockets and waist facing, I'm using a thinner cotton print.  

Since I've already added the extra darts to the pattern, and moving the zipper involves only a cutting change, the only thing I needed was a pocket piece.  That problem was easily solved too when I noticed that right above the line drawings for the skirts in Burda was the dress section with a dress that had pockets in the side seams.  This is a cute dress - Cidell made one this summer - but the pocket pattern piece was what I needed.  So I traced it off.

Here's the cotton print I'm using for the pockets and waistband facing.  I'm really happy with it.  I did have a brown paisley picked out (and I do love a good paisley!), but I saw this one and I actually smiled when I saw it, so I knew it was the right one. Not that anyone will see it, but I like it!

To make sure no one will see the pockets and linings, I've made the pockets partially out of corduroy.

This is how I did it:

1.  I cut the pocket piece of out the contrast fabric. 

2.  I cut some rectangles of the fashion fabric.  These are longer than the pocket piece and about 2 1/2" wide.

3.  The fashion fabric rectangles are placed about 1 1/2" from the side seam edge of the pocket and then stitched right sides together with a 1/2" or so seam.  \

4.  The contrast fabric is then pressed open to the side seam side.

5.  The pocket is turned over and the fashion fabric is trimmed to the proper shape.  You could use the pattern piece for this, but the contrast pocket is right there so why not?

6.  The excess contrast pocket fabric is trimmed away from underneath the fashion fabric, for more bulk reduction.  If the two fabrics are not bulky, this step can be skipped.  The seam is then pressed open.

Now the pockets are ready to assemble.

I'm hoping to get this skirt done over the weekend.  Next up:  developments on GTDD.

Parting Shot:  In the Act.  So, I'm trying to take pictures for this post and who decides to show up and prance around the photo shoot?  Oh yeah, that's *my* cat, Kiwi.  She still doesn't trust or like the other family members.

Plain Navy Skirt - Burda 5/10, #106

 Done!

I was able to finish the plain navy skirt and am fairly happy with it.  It is a plain old navy twill, for those of you who wondered.  Nothing exciting, but wear well and will work well with other pieces in my wardrobe.

Burda's instructions were not as helpful as I'd hoped for the inside finishing of the zipper area.  The zipper tab at the top is a bit more bumpy than I'd like, too, but it's not unwearable and barely noticeable.  I wasn't using a lining and instructions for finishing the inside were written for a lined skirt.  At any rate, it is done and pretty clean on the inside.

I do plan to make this skirt again, but with some design changes for the chocolate brown corduroy.  With any luck, I might be able to finish it by the end of the week.

Parting Shot:  Color.  We're just starting to get really nice fall color around here!  I hope to be in the mountains this weekend and I'm pretty sure the color is better there.

Plain Navy Skirt - Burda 3/10, #106

Good Progress

I was able to get this skirt cut out on Friday, and then spent part of Saturday and Sunday working on it.  This skirt has some nice features - darts, welt pockets and a front zip, but isn't too over the top as a whole.  The back also has double welt pockets, but I decided to leave them off, because I was pretty sure I'd need an extra dart in the back. 

On Saturday, I was able to get the fronts with the welt pockets constructed as well as the back with the two darts.  While the welt pocket and dart combo on the front looks complicated, it isn't that bad.  The dart is made first, then the welt pocket is made with the welt right next to the dart.  It isn't actually part of the dart at all, although it looks that way. 

You could also make this skirt without the welt pocket.  I'm thinking of making this one again in a thick corduroy, so I think I'll not do the welt pockets.  I might do a side seam pocket instead, or use a different pattern altogether.  I'm not sure yet.

On Sunday, I got the zipper installed and that was enough for me to start the fitting process. 

 

As predicted, I needed two extra darts in the back and two extra darts in the front.  The back ones were easy to add. 

For the front darts, I placed the point of the dart right at the top of the pocket welt.  This way I wouldn't have to work around the pocket, nor would the pocket welt gape because there was now less fabric between the two ends of the welt.

 

I've added a dart to each of the pattern pieces in case I make this pattern again. 

Today I made all the fitting changes permanent, sewed the side seams and added the hem.  All that's left is the waist facing and inside button and this one will be done.

Parting Shot:  More Socks. I've had the yarn for these socks for a while, but I wanted to make the beaded bracelet first.  (BTW, Gail, there is no fastener for the bracelet, the base is a metal cuff not quite a complete circle with a small opening that just slips on over the wrist.) The pattern I'm using is the Pyroclastic Socks, which I got from Knitty.  I think they'll be pretty cool and in a few more pattern repeats, they'll look a lot more like the sample socks!

Navy Plaid Skirt - Vogue S-4812

Done!

I was able to finish the skirt today, as mostly what I had left was just the handwork of hemming and stitching the waistband facing in place. 

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.  The invisible zipper looks good, not 100% perfect, but for less than 1/8" off, I don't rip out.  If someone is looking closely enough to notice, they're too close, IMO.

I can wear this now or this winter, styled with different knit or woven white shirts, and navy or red sweaters.

Q/A:  Marianne asked, "Are there any tips you can give me when using an invisible zip in a thick fabric like the wool you are using for this skirt? I always use a strip of interfacing in the seam allowance when installing zips but I find it impossible to get an invisible zip to look nice in thick fabrics."  Well, there are many things to consider when installing a zipper and fabric thickness is certainly one of them.  For the most part, I do stabilize with strips of interfacing, too, but not always.  For this skirt, I did not.  The fabric is thick and the fabric is very stable.  I did not feel that it needed any interfacing.  If this would have been a stretchy or spongy wool, I certainly would have stabilized it most likely with some thin knit interfacing.   I will also vary the type and thickness of interfacing used for the strips depending on the type of fabric needing reinforcement.  That depends on the fabric itself and the amount of use the items will encounter.  As always, careful preparation of the zipper (the pressing before stitching so that you can get closer to the coils), and careful hand basting will help an invisible zipper installation; as does a lot of practice!

Next skirt:  Burda 3/10 #106 in navy twill. 

Parting Shot:  Cuff.  I finished the beaded cuff today.  I love the fact that I can wear it will all sorts of things from dressy to casual.  It is a statement piece and at first I was a bit bummed that my local bead shop didn't carry the 2" wide bracelet blanks, as this is only a 1" wide blank.  I think that it is fine and for my size, a 2" wide bracelet might be overkill.

Navy Plaid Skirt - Vogue S-4812

Almost Done

I'm getting closer to finishing the skirt, although from today's pictures you wouldn't know it!  I got the lining made, but it isn't actually attached to the skirt, yet:

I got the outer waistband seamed and ready, too.  I wanted the vertical lines of the plaid on the waistband to match those on the skirt, starting at center front and center back.  I knew it wouldn't match all the way around due to the darts, but at least the centers would look nice.  Since there would be a side seam on the waist band, I matched up the plaids at the center and pinned towards the side seam for both the front and the back.

Once I got to the side seam, I marked the position of the side seam on the waistband pieces, added seam allowances and trimmed.  I then was able to sew the side seam in the waistband and still have the centers lined up right.

All that's left is the waistband and hems.  I should have a finished skirt to show you on Friday!

Q/A:  Today's question comes from Naptime Seamstress (yes, I remember those days!):  "How do you know when it's okay to cut a garment out across the grain? I assume you wouldn't want to cut any knit fabric on the cross grain" For the most part, you can cut wovens on the cross grain. The cross grain in a woven is a little less stable than the lengthwise grain, but still can be used for garments.  Woven fabric does have a little more give in the cross-wise grain than the lengthwise grain, but not nearly as much as the bias grain.  Usually this is not a problem;  border prints are designed on purpose to be cut cross grain.  For knits, you'll need to know what type of knit you have.  You would not want to cut a one-way or even some two-way stretch knits cross grain.  For knits, you typically have the direction of greatest stretch going around the body, not vertically on the body (the garment would then not stretch properly around the body and would sag at the hems).  The exception here is a four-way stretch knit, which stretches equally in all directions; some of these are border prints, too (Gorgeous Fabrics sells some nice ones), and like woven border prints offer some nice design opportunities when cut on the cross grain. 

Parting Shot:  Getting There.  I'm almost done with the beading on the bracelet.  Next I'll need to trim, attach it to the bracelet blank and finish the decorative beading around the edge.

Navy Plaid Skirt - Vogue S-4812

Lots of Darts!

I really like this pattern because of all the darts - it is so easy for me to shape this to my body, although there are a lot of them to sew - eight for the skirt and eight for the lining.  So far, I've got them done, plus one side seam.  I basted the other side seam for a quick fit check and it's good.  This is how it looks at the moment.

Due to the thickness of this wool - it's that nice thicker vintage kind - I've opened up the darts and pressed them flat.  Otherwise, there would be too much bulk where the darts are, three layers worth of wool and no one needs that at the waistline.

 Q/A:  From Kelley:  "Why do you prefer a waistband? I am short waisted with a narrow waist and hippy. Since purchasing a waistband-less skirt some years ago, I prefer this treatment in all my skirts."  Well, I don't actually prefer a waistband over not having a waistband.  I've made and worn both styles over the years and it doesn't matter to me.  The next two skirts, for which I've already traced the pattern from Burda, are the waistband-less style.  The skirt for Spring's First Blush was also did not have a waistband, although the original Burda pattern had one. 

Tomorrow I'll see if I can get the zipper installed in the other seam and that seam finished up.  It will take a little more time since I'll need to match the plaids along the invisible zipper install and then down the seam line.

Parting Shot:  Live Toy.  At least it was for a while.  It did end up being sent to watery grave.

A Few Things For Myself

I've decided to make myself some skirts this fall.   I really need some skirts in basic skirts in solid colors: navy, brown and black.  For right now, I'll be working on the navy and brown ones, later this fall I'll make a black one to replace a black skirt that I have, but will be passed down to my daughter (for the final decision to keep or to donate it). 

As you can see, I've got three fabrics lined up:  a navy twill, a chocolate brown wide-waled corduroy and a navy/white wool windowpane plaid. 

I'll actually be starting with that piece on the bottom, the wool plaid.  It is a piece of vintage wool, given to me by an older customer whose aunt used to work in the woolen mills in our area.  This aunt would buy up pieces that were mill ends and other nice lengths.  The aunt never used them, and when the aunt died, her niece thought I might want them. 

This is a rather small piece, it is folded in half in the photo below, but you can tell how small a piece I have:

I knew for this skirt, it needed to be real simple and be something that I knew fit.  That meant using a pattern I already have made.  The perfect pattern for this skirt is the skirt portion of the The Wedding Suit pattern, vintage Vogue Special Design #4812.  I really loved the fit of the skirt, as it has eight waist darts and needed minimal adjusting at the side seams only.  Since it only has three pieces, that is an added bonus considering the amount of fabric I'm working with.

To make this work, I've cut it on the cross grain.   Thank goodness I'm short and don't need a longer skirt!

In addition to that, I've eliminated the center back seam (less plaid to match!) and kept the zipper in the left side seam.  I was not able to cut the waistband in one piece, but will have to piece it at the right side seam, plus face the waistband with some other fabric.  I don't think I want two thicknesses of wool at my waist, anyway.  As you can see, I've folded out the pattern piece for the waistband, leaving a seam allowance at the top;  I'll have to cut duplicates for the facing later.

After cutting, this is all the fabric that I had left:

This should be easy to make, but due to the fabric amount, I'll have a little more work to do!  We'll see how it is going on Monday.  Tomorrow I'll be announcing the start of a new art garment series:  From Groceries to Dinner Date!

Parting Shot:  Bead Embroidery.  I've always wanted to make a heavily bead embroidered piece, so instead of starting on another knitting project after finishing my daughter's socks, I started work on the cuff bracelet seen in progress below.  I had most of the supplies, and just needed to pick up a bracelet blank, some ultrasuede, E-6000 glue and those leaf beads.  Some of the beads have been repurposed from vintage jewelry and old buttons, too. 

Fun with Velour and Burda, Part 2

And We Have a Hoodie!

The hoodie is done, and it doesn't look too bad.  It wasn't too hard to make, although it was a bit labor intensive with all the stitching, topstitching and trimming.  I'm pretty sure it would look just as nice if you left off all the topstitching and just did the hemming required. 

Today I finished up the one sleeve, made and attached the hood and finished all the hems.  I'd like to note one thing about the hood attachment, because Burda does not seem to add this step in their instructions for any seams like this.  You need to staystitch any corners *before* you clip into them.  It reinforces the corner, especially in wovens, so that it does not shred out between the stitching and the wearing. The staystitching is a very quick extra step, but well worth it in terms of having extra stability at the corners. 

At the front hem, where there is a double layer due to the pocket, I trimmed out the entire hem allowance from the front piece.  Since this is thicker fabric, there is no point in having another layer to hem through.

She likes it, and I'm pretty sure it will get a lot of wear!  Next up:  some skirts for me and a new big project series to begin!

Parting Shot:  Holes.  Sigh.  Guess who again?  I can't leave anything plastic lying around or else it will end up with holes from pointy cat teeth. This is a piece of Timtex-like interfacing and a package of Mistyfuse which was brand new!   No wonder his previous owners had him declawed.  (I'm not a fan of declawing, BTW)  Can you imagine the havoc he'd make with teeth and claws?

Fun with Velour and Burda - Burda 11/07 #118

On a trip to Fabric Fix this summer, my daughter picked out a lavender velour, wanting me to make her a hoodie for the fall/winter.  Since the fabric was very inexpensive, and I've got several hoodie patterns, I had no problem with this request.  So, the weather is now cooling off and a new hoodie is on my list to make. 

I asked her if Burda 11/07 #118 would be ok.  I described the seam allowances on the outside detail and she said she didn't want that, but that the accompanying topstitching would be ok.  She didn't like the cuffs, either, and wanted just a plain sleeve hem.  Not a problem, I can do that!

So far, the pattern is pretty easy.  I made a change in construction, but that's no surprise.  First, let's talk about the seams and how their finished and then we'll talk about the construction change.  Each seam is stitched right sides together, then pressed open:

The seams and then coverstitched with a wide coverstitch straddling the seam.  Once the stitching is complete, the remaining seam allowances on the inside are trimmed away.  So far, so good, I'm happy with the way it is all turning out.

I did change the pocket construction a bit.  Burda wants you to hem the edges, turn under the seam allowance at the top and edge stitch the fold to the center front piece.  You know as well as I do that these hoodie undergo quite a bit of abuse and a pocket just edge stitched to the front isn't a good idea.  I marked the position of the pocket, then placed the pocket right sides together with the front, aligning the stitching lines.  Note the the pocket is upside down.  Once the seam is sewn, it will be flipped down into place, ready to be caught in the side front seam.

After stitching and turning down the pocket, I stitched 1/4" away from the fold to anchor the pocket.  I feel this is more secure than the original directions.

So far, this is what I have done.  I should be able to finish this one up tomorrow.  Then I'm going to make myself a few things!

Q/A:  From Shorty:  "What is on your list for your kids as far as wardrobes? You said your daughter needed one more dress, how many do you like for her to have? I struggle with figuring out what a good amount of clothing for the kids would be. I do have boys so for church it is super simple since they wear suits, just find a different tie each week and we are good to go!lol I do however struggle with how many clothes for the rest of the week."

Well it is very simple.  I like for my daughter to have 3 or 4 outfits to rotate for Sunday church.  These outfits are either dresses or skirt and blouse/sweater combos.  I make sure than any separates coordinate so that she can mix and match if desired.  Right now, she probably has 2 or 3 Sunday outfits and will get the last one in the form of whatever Christmas dress/outfit she chooses.  For school she needs 6 dresses or outfits.  There is a difference in fabrication and style for church and school.  Church clothes are dressier, school clothes are casual and made to be abused.  There are only 5 days of school, but a spare outfit is nice to have. If the pieces are separates, they must match with at least two other pieces in her wardrobe.  That way there are no orphans or pieces that do not get worn.  Add to that some jeans/cords/capris and a couple of hoodies, and she has after school and youth group clothes, too, as the tops can be worn outside of school, too.  It sounds like a lot of clothes, but it really isn't.  She doesn't have things she doesn't wear and I make sure we go through her closet regularly, pulling out things that don't fit or aren't getting worn and then donating them.

For my son, he has two pair of nice pants and one or two dress shirts for church, and quite a few ties, sweater vests and a jacket.  He can make up quite a few different outfits from that.  For school, he is allowed to wear jeans that are not blue and cargo pants.  He's got about 6 or 7 shirts and 6 pairs of pants.  Enough for one spare outfit, like his sister.  Add to that some fun t-shirts for after school, and the ubiquitous hoodies and he's all set.  Again, he doesn't have a lot of clothes, either, but he doesn't need them.  They both have enough to get through a week, and enough to have choice without being excessive.

Parting Shot:   Stamp.  Inspired by VickiW's stamp carving, I carved a stamp last week, from some artwork I had done last winter.  It was fun, as I hadn't carved a stamp in a couple of years!