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January project - long sleeve T-shirt

1/12/2015

2 Comments

 
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This is my January project! I made it this weekend using the fabric on the right from my "serviceable knit" group of the stash I kept ... remember?
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I have this long sleeve Tee that I love ... it's a #5 on my 1 - 5 "love" scale.  I like the way it fits, the sleeves are just the right length and the neck is perfect.  My aunt Erna would call this an "openish" neck, I think.  

I have looked and looked for one like it, but have never quite found what I want. I tried making myself one using a Kwik Sew Pattern, but it had way too much ease, like most patterns.  I do believe this is because pattern companies would rather we were mad because things are too big rather that too small. Too big is fixable, usually.

BUT, why not, I thought, just copy this shirt?? It is such an easy pattern!
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When you lay it flat on a table the front and back are exactly the same, except the neck is lower in the front.  So, I traced around the shape of the body of the shirt.
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To get the lower shape of the front neck I made a bunch of pin holes through the shirt into the paper. Now ... when I'm making patterns with muslin, I do this same thing using a sharp tracing wheel to transfer lines from fabric to paper, but I thought that might damage this knit, so I poked holes one by one with a thin pin.
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I did the same with the shape of the armhole.
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Then I could connect the pin holes with a pencil line.
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And this is what I got. Both front and back neckline are there, just the upper line for the back is a little faint.
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Next I drew on 3/8" seam allowances, which I shouldn't have yet ... grrr.
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It occurred to me that I should check if both sides are the same, so I folded the pattern in half, best I could because both sides were NOT the same. And, ran a pointy tracing wheel over the stitching lines for one side through to the other.
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I erased the seam allowance lines and then used a red pencil to draw a line on the marks left from the tracing wheel for the the seam line from the opposing side of the pattern.

You can see how different the two sides are!

I compromised and just drew a line in the middle of those two. Added the seam allowance again, cut the folded paper and now had my front/back pattern.
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I handled the sleeve pattern basically the same way, 
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poking holes with a pin to get the shape of the top of the sleeve.
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But now I need to check that the armhole seam is the same length as the seam line for the top of the sleeve.

Take a look at the pattern for the body of the shirt, you can see I used a green pencil to mark that compromise line between the regular and red pencil lines and then added my seam allowance. I also gave myself an armhole notch to make sewing easier.
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So, back to the sleeve seam, I laid the pattern for the body over the unfinished sleeve pattern, lined up the underarm point of the beginning of the armhole seam for both and "walked" the two stitching lines, using the point of my pencil to hold the two papers together as I pivoted the upper pattern to keep the seam together ... AND ... I found out the seam on the sleeve pattern was a little short.  So, I added the necessary amount.
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The sleeve was looking a little skinny anyway. I was happy to add that same amount as a new fold line all the way to the hem.

I added seam allowance with a corresponding notch. Then folded the paper and cut out a symmetrical sleeve. Sleeve pattern aren't usually the same in the front and back, because the front and back armhole shape of most tops and bodices are not the same. But, this one is so I can have a symmetrical sleeve.

Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the folding and cutting. BUT, you will see this pattern on Wednesday when I show the cutting and sewing of the actual shirt.

Bye for now.
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The stash I kept

1/9/2015

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So, I have photos of all the fabric I kept after cleaning my personal shelves.  This is all stuff purchased in the last two years and there is plenty to make something for every month of this year, to keep my New Year's resolution.

I should receive today that book about tidying up I talked about on Wednesday.  Remember how I said the author recommends only keeping things that give you joy.  And, I have to say that everything here does give me joy, but not equally.  I'm going to assign numbers 1 - 5 to indicate the amount of joy each thing gives me ... 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest.

So, starting with the group above. These are sarongs I bought in Bali two summers ago. They are a 1 on my joy scale. I can't think of what to use them for just now, but they provide memories from such a fabulous trip. I need to keep them, for now.
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This roll has 3 different fabrics and it is a 4 on the joy scale.  Also from my Southeast Asia trip. These are exquisite fabrics, but I don't know what I will make from them yet, either.
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This is a beautiful block print cotton from India, that I purchased in Singapore.  It is a number 3 and I have a feeling it will either become a table cloth or a dress for a child.
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Another block print cotton purchased at the same time.  I LOVE this. It is a 5 for sure. I want a summer dress out of this for me!
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Also purchased in Singapore, I bought this cotton eyelet in white, so I could dye it, but I love the white so much. It is another #5 and I want to make something for myself for the summer. But, I can't decide whether to make a jacket and leave it unlined or to put a solid fabric behind it and make another dress. OR, maybe a loose dress or top that can be worn over a tank top or slip dress.
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I purchased this pretty border print from Fabric.com this year. I rank it only a 2 because I'm not sure it is right for me. But it is really pretty .... hmmm.
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I got this border print at the same time from Fabric.com and it is a number 5, no doubt. I want to make a sheath or A-line dress with the jungle print all around the bottom.
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This is a bit of stretch cotton sateen that I really like ... a #4 ... left over from a Simplicity project that is coming out really soon! Maybe its' a skirt?
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I bought this giant top at the thrift store this year because the fabric is so nice. It is a shot linen, green going one way and blue the other.  Right now it is a #2.  I need to put it on and see if I can just modify it or I might have to cut it apart and make something completely new.
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This is a group of serviceable knits. I mostly wear knits when I work at home. They are comfortable and easy to care for.  I like them all. They are 5's. I think my January project will be from this group.
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Here are two fabrics that would make great skirts. I very nice black pleather and a tweedy wool. They are #3's.  I think my February project will be one of these.
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Now I bought these 2 fabrics to go with this fun dingle dangle trim. The trim is a 5 and so are the fabrics I guess. Is this a top or maybe just a cool scarf.  I might only use one of the fabrics.  
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Gotta keep these t-shirts.  I want to try some more dying this year and venture beyond Rit.  These are good fitting cotton shirts, number 5's for me.
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This is my assortment of real 100% silk. Some are several yards long and many are just scraps.  I keep thinking I will do something really creative and make an artsy pieced thing.  The joy for these fabrics ranges from 1 - 5.  They don't take up much space. Maybe I shouldn't be keeping them.
But, I did move them all into an old cotton pillowcase, instead of the plastic bags they were in. Silk needs to breath.

My plan is to make my January project this weekend.  And, I really need to dig into my OLD boxes of fabric.  Maybe in a week or two. 
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New Year's resolution

1/7/2015

5 Comments

 
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This is my first blog for the year and my first blog for over two weeks!  I got that rotten flu that wasn't in the flu shot and after a course of antibiotics to get rid of the sinus infection, I'm STILL not back to normal.

The sad thing was, I had planned everything so I would be finished with all my work for Simplicity BEFORE Christmas and then be able to completely relax and enjoy the holidays.  But, it turned out I was just too sick to work and had to scramble for 4 days straight after New Year's to get my last project in, just a day late. But, that's so hard to do while still feeling sick!

So, yesterday, I started the BIG CLEAN! I've shared many photos of my studio in disarray. So I thought I would spare you all that, but here are the shelves where I keep fabrics for my personal projects. This really needed organizing.
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BETTER?

I have some really nice stuff! Which I will show you on Friday. I thought I was going to get a few more days off, but had to send in some sketches this morning.  This is the time when all the Halloween patterns get done for next year, so no rest for the weary.

But, back to my mini stash.  I have a couple boxes of older stuff WAY up in my closet that I will deal with later.

I want to turn most of this fabric into things I can wear or use.  So, my resolution for 2015 is to make something for myself or a gift every month this year.

I was kind of inspired to clear out unwanted stuff by hearing about this book, which I have just ordered. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up 

I heard the publisher on the air and my daughter-in-law read it while she was here for Thanksgiving.  And the thing that has really stuck with me is the way the author recommends choosing what to keep and what to toss.  She says you should only keep things that give you joy.  Isn't that great?  I've always been more practical minded and kept everything that I thought I MIGHT need someday. But, I feel as if I there is such a jumble of stuff in my house, I can't even appreciate what I have.  So, I'm going to read this book and try to tidy my house and studio.  Let's see if this magically changes my life!

More later.
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    From Andrea 

    I am a commercial pattern maker who is now "sewing over 50"!
    I love to sew and hope to encourage others to come back to sewing.
    The water is fine!!

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