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Steampunk Princesses #1093

6/29/2015

What a fun project this was to work on!! I've been known to complain (who me??) about this or that project for being too hard or tedious or I just didn't want to do it, but who can't love Steampunk Princesses?!

Not much tricky sewing to talk about, so today I thought I would show you all the images I sent up to Simplicity for design and materials approval.

I will blog about sewing next time.

This is the sketch I sent up. You can see Tinkerbelle had bloomers. So did Snow White showing below her petticoat, but there were too many pattern pieces and they were eliminated ... sigh ... along with TWO WHOLE OTHER OUTFITS!!!

So, if this pattern sells well enough, it is very likely they will publish the other two ... just sayin' ...

I knew fabric choice would be really important for the success of these costumes. I hit up Joann's first. All of this first pile is from Joann's. I really like their thin distressed fake leather. But it is so thin very sturdy interfacing needs to be used with it. The two green fabrics are their ... what's it called? ... Silky Essence? ... not silk at all, but a nice light weight fabric in good colors.

They, also, have a nice selection of Asian - Chinese brocades.

These fabrics are all from Joann's as well. The red is cotton gaberdine. The yellow is from their Casa collection, a dull satin. And the blue is one of the "costume" satins. Not the nicest fabric, but a good weight and I really liked the shade of blue.

The white of the color is satin and I used white cotton for the petticoat.

The tan lace is a Simplicity trim. They are always happy when I used their trims. And, of course the rick rack is Wright's which is owned by Simplicity.

More Joann fabrics here. More of the thin pleather in a darker color. Another shade of the Asian brocades and more Casa dull satin. Even though I used the same tan lace in this photo, it's not on the actual costume. I didn't want two costume with the same trim. I found a similar lace at an independent fabric store near me. It's more a mustard color, which I liked better for this view.

Finding all the hardware was a challenge. Again, I first checked out Joann's and got a few things there.

Then I searched on line and found more things. Ebay and Etsy have interesting stuff. And most corset suppliers have interesting hardware now, too. Try Farthingales, or CorsetmakingSupplies.com or Richard the Thread ... all good.

I played around with the various fastenings and sent this photo to Simplicity. I wanted these closures to be functional not just sewn over the front seam for show. So, I needed to show how they were working.

Now the fun could begin ... making them! And I will show some sewing on Wednesday.

2 Comments

Sizing is NEVER clear ... grrrrr

6/26/2015

14 Comments

THIS! illustrates some of the problems with sizing women's clothing. We are all so different!

I am re-working my talk on measuring and sizing that I will be giving at the American Sewing Guild's National Convention in July. And I in the process have run across more interesting and confusing stuff.

First, we have the differences in sizes from country to country ... we all know about that, no surprise.

But, because so many of us order clothing on line, there are many, many tutorials and photos showing the "correct" way to measure. There are a lot of people doing some pretty bad measuring out there. And there are some genuine differences of opinions on the right way to do certain measurements.

I'm sorting that all out for my talk.

There is no one perfect, correct size or way to measure.

SO ... if you sew for yourself or others, be prepared to alter and adjust. Any pattern you buy is most likely going to need changes to fit correctly.

And, if you buy a piece of clothing, be prepared to try on multiple sizes AND brands until you find the one that fits.

The chart above, I find mind boggling.

Now, here is something I found on Nancy Zeiman's website.

She calls it her "Right Size" way to choose a size. It is similar to choosing a pattern based on the upper bust measurement, but using just the front.
I tried this and found out I should use a size 10, which I know is too small in the shoulders for me. I almost always use a 12 for bodices and tops. So, close but, no cigar.

Here is the advice from Simplicity's website for when to use your high or upper bust measurement to choose a pattern size.

When to use high bust measurement:

Patterns are drafted for the B-cup figure. If your bra cup size is larger than a B-cup it will affect the way the pattern fits.

If your cup size is larger than a B-cup, you will get a better fit by choosing your pattern size according to your High Bust measurement. When using size chart to find pattern size, use High Bust measurement as your bust measurement.

To determine your bra cup size, subtract your High Bust measurement from your Bust measurement and follow these guidelines:

Difference Between High Bust and BustCup Size
Less than 2 ” - A or B cup
2 ” to 3” - C cup
3” to 4” - D cup
4” or more - Larger than D cup

This method works better for me.

What have you tried? What methods work best for you?

Seriously I would love to know. It would help me with my talk.

14 Comments

Hilarious frustrations of sewing for others

6/24/2015

5 Comments

If you are reading my blog, chances are you can sew. And, chances are you can sew pretty well. Which means your friends who don't sew have very likely asked you to make something for them. Because they don't realize sewing takes TIME!

I've surely been there. When I was very young, I said "yes" all the time. It is a great way to get a lot of experience and I just seemed to have more time back then.

BUT, now I ... as politely as I can ... say "NO". Sewing for others can be so hard and frustration.

Sew! ... you can either bang your head on the wall or just watch this Youtube video.

It is my favorite. If you seen it before, it's well worth a second viewing.

Here is the link if the video doesn't work here. CLICK HERE

Enjoy!

AND ... a friend just let me know about this video ... sewing, picky, Pretty Ponies!!

And here is the backup link incase this video doesn't work. CLICK HERE
This says it all.

5 Comments

#1092 - sewing the puffy parts

6/22/2015

4 Comments

More about the sewing of this Anime costume.

Some parts are very sculptural, specifically the padded sleeves and hip roll. Let me show you how I made these ...

Each sleeve is made up of 2 identical pieces in order to create the long columns that will be stuffed. Sew the bottom edges together first and turn to the right side for a clean finish on the bottom. Then stitch the two layers together from the outside along the lines marked on the pattern to form the shaped columns.

Stuffing has to be pushed into each column. I used the eraser end of a brand new, unsharpened pencil to do this. (no chance of graphite getting onto my snow white satin) I find that the rubber of the eraser grabs the stuffing while pushing it into place. A chop stitch or other narrow pointy thing will work, too. But, the stuffing tends to slip away from the ends of those implements and make the process slower.

After stuffing, machine sew the ends of the stuffed columns closed. Notice there is no stuffing under the arms and at the top of the sleeve.

This is for comfort under the arm and to allow the collar to lie flat on the shoulder.

Now the little short underarm seam can be sewn up.

Ease the top edge of the sleeve so it can be pinned to the armscye ready for sewing.

Which is a little awkward because of the bulk and stiffness of the sleeve!

AND, there is this nice padded roll that gets inserted in the low waist seam.

The double skirt needs to be made first and sewn to the finished pantie part of the costume. The pantie is made of spandex and it will be stretched to fit the woven fabric of the skirt. This is so the costume can be pulled over the hips and no zipper is needed.

Then polyester batting should be loosely piled onto the piece that will become the padded roll.

Bring together the long edges of this piece and pin 5/8" from the cut edge for the seam allowance.

Continue this way down the length of the piece, being careful not to allow it to get twisted.

Machine stitch the long edge closed to keep the stuffing in place. A zipper foot needs to be used for this step to get close to the roll.

Now the prepared padded roll can be pinned to the skirt which is sewn to the pantie. Matching notches is REALLY important here.

And, again, a zipper foot is needed to get close to the roll and sew it on.

I would LOVE to see what some of you do with this pattern. If you ever want to share your work with me. You can send images to this address

[email protected]

I'm thinking of starting a gallery of costumes made using my patterns here on the website.

4 Comments

Anime pattern #1092 - working with Spandex

6/19/2015

8 Comments

The bodysuit part of these costumes is made with Lycra Spandex 4-way stretch. If you have never worked with this fabric before I am going to give you some tips that, I hope, will make your first Spandex outfit a success. AND, then you can make your own bathing suit someday, because, this is constructed like a swim suit.

These are my two favorite machine stitches when I sew Spandex.

I drew them out, so you could see better what they are. Most machines have the 3 step zig-zag. Newer machines have the lightening bolt stretch stitch. My older machines had a similar stitch that did the two forward and one back, but in a perfectly straight line (not slightly off set like the lighten bolt stitch), which is thick and inflexible because, when it takes the one stitch back, the machine needle stitches through the thread of the stitches behind. I don't like this stitch AT ALL. So, if your machine does not have the lighten bolt version, a tiny regular zig-zag is the next best choice.

The front panels and front and back panties are lined with 4-way stretch swim suit lining. This is particularly important for white and light colored fabrics. The back panel is not lined because even though the lining fabric stretches as much as the outer fashion fabric, the two layers reduce the overall stretch, making it more difficult to pull the garment on and off. Which is made even more difficult because of the skirts sewn into the low waist seam.

I sewed a facing of the outer fabric over the lining fabric. This makes the lining fabric that is under the facing act as interfacing to stabilize the edge and prevents the lining fabric from showing along the upper edge.

I used the 3 step zig-zag to sew the lower edge of the facing to the lining fabric.

This photo shows the front and back pantie section assembled with it's lining with the facing sewn in for the front and back crotch section which will have snaps and hooks.

The leg openings are finished by folding a single layer hem over stretched elastic. This is swim suit construction. I experimented with two different kinds of swimsuit elastic, the off white braided cotton kind and the transparent narrow sheet of rubber kind. I thought the transparent kind would be better (meaning less bulky), but I ended up liking the cotton woven kind. It pulls in better after sewing over it made a smoother hem. Do not use regular elastic, it does not stretch enough and even more important, does not pull back tight after stretching.

Cut the amount of elastic indicated on the pattern. I think should be elastic guide patterns.
Then the elastic and the leg edge have to be stretched together to evenly distribute the elastic to the fabric. I used a sturdy push pin into my table to anchor the one end of the leg opening while stretching it.

I pinned the fabric all along the elastic while it was stretched. Then stitched it down with a 3 step zig-zag in the middle of the elastic while stretching it just enough to make the leg edge fabric lie smooth without folds. DO NOT OVER STRETCH ... YOU WILL BE SORRY!

This photo shows the clear elastic ready to stitch.

The upper back edge is hemmed the same way as the leg openings. This photo shows the backs for two different bodysuits with the elastic pinned and ready to sew. I am trying the two different elastics, as you can see. You can also see that the back panels are not lined.

Stretched elastic also needs to be stitched right on the seam allowance of the front neck edge. Because this neck edge has a curved dip in it, the seam allowance needs clipping, like any other curved seam allowance, even though it is getting elastic.

This photo shows the upper front edge seam allowance with elastic sewn on it. See the 3 step zig-zag on the elastic. The garment is inside out, so you can see the 3 step stitch used for the lower edge of the facing and just next to the elastic, see the lightening bolt stretch stitch I used when sewing the outer fabric to the lining with the facing sewn to it.

Every time when I sit down to write a blog about working on this or that pattern, I THEN find out the photos I should have taken ... grrrr.

I don't have a good photo of the finished hems, but you can see at the bottom of this photo one of the leg openings all finished. I used a 3 step zig-zag to sew the slightly stretched elastic to the edge of the fabric and then folded the hem the width of the elastic and stitch it down with the same 3 step zig-zag.

Here are photos from another Spandex project where I used the 3 step zig-zag to sew the elastic down, but then the lighten bolt stitch for the final hem. Either way works, but ...

My last words on this subject are DO LOTS OF PRACTICE SEWING ON SCRAPS!!!
so see what stitches work best for you.

8 Comments

Pattern #1092 - the body suit

6/17/2015

13 Comments

Many people know that I've wanted to do a pattern like this since 2009 when I attended Costume Con in Baltimore, but ... the powers that be move slowly.

This particular style came about when I asked a group of similarly clad gals at last year's Costume Con in Toronto what kind of patterns people would find useful. They said it was difficult to figure out the body suit part of this costume. So ....

This is my final sketch for the two views that made it into my new pattern of Anime style costumes.

YES ... this costume is built on a body suit with a snap crotch, so you all can go to the bathroom! This is a photo of my very first mock up ...

and pattern as it evolved.

This is the sketch I sent up to Simplicity that explained my new plan.

Here we have a version, but certainly not the final one. I can't tell you how many false steps I took on the way to this finished pattern.

First, the view with the puffed sleeve didn't make it into the final pattern.
Second, the separate empire bodice with gathers wasn't working at all. As you can see, the sweetheart neck with the little dip in front DOES NOT work in spandex. Also, gathering spandex to more spandex is very problematic. The spandex is thick and doesn't gather well and then the piece it gets sewn to tends to stretch which totally ruins the shape. So I had to completely rethink things.

And this is what the body suit looks like under the outfit with the long jacket.

AND, these are my working patterns as I am getting them ready to trace out for the workroom at Simplicity.

Here's another big thing that changed. My first couple mock ups had the waistline dip in the back, but then I looked at more Anime artwork and realized the back waist really went straight across.

This is what the back ended up looking like.

I plan to talk about sewing the spandex on Friday.

I hope everyone will like this pattern. I have more versions of it I would like to do and other Amine ideas as well.

AND these will only happen if this first pattern sells well ... so ... please buy one and then write in your ideas for Anime pattern shapes you would like to me to work out for you.

13 Comments

Couple cute new Patterns just out

6/15/2015

3 Comments

These two patterns are on their way to your local fabrics stores! Might even be there now!

Don't see them on the website yet.

They were SO fun to make. Will be writing about them over the next week or so.

3 Comments

World War II and Hemp

6/12/2015

1 Comment

So ... finding those "Make Do and Mend" films from World War II lead me to a film called "Hemp for Victory" from the same time.

Hemp, apparently, is a wonder crop. It's fibers make superior ropes and durable clothing and the seeds are good to eat and full of nutrition. It good for the soil and prevents weeds. What's not to like?

BUT! It's illegal to grow in the US, because it is closely related to Marijuana. They are both called cannabis, although the stuff that makes people high is very, very low in hemp. HA!

This is how the current US laws on growing hemp are described on Wikipedia.

Hemp was made illegal to grow without a permit in the U.S. under the Controlled Substances Act passed in 1970 because of its relation to marijuana,[6] and any imported hemp products must meet a zero tolerance level.[citation needed] Some states have made the cultivation of industrial hemp legal, but farmers in North Dakota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, California, Montana, West Virginia and Vermont have not yet begun to grow it because of resistance from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.[citation needed] In 2013, after the legalization of marijuana in the state, several farmers in Colorado planted and harvested several acres of hemp, bringing in the first hemp crop in the United States in over half a century.[82] Colorado,[83]Vermont, California, and North Dakota have passed laws enabling hemp licensure. All four states are waiting for permission to grow hemp from the DEA. Currently,[84] North Dakota representatives are pursuing legal measures to force DEA approval.[85]Oregon has licensed industrial hemp as of August 2009.[86] Congress included a provision in the Agricultural Act of 2014 that allowed colleges and state agencies to grow and conduct research on hemp in states where it is legal.[6]

This link will take you to the Wikipedia page about hemp. It is so interesting. It can even be used for building materials!

This is the kind of permit people had to get during WWII to grow hemp legally.

We can buy clothing and fabric made from hemp here in the United States, but it all seems to be grown in China ... sigh.

WELL, I have decided to buy some hemp fabric and make myself something.

This will be a project I will share on this blog, step by step.

In the Mean time, watch this film. It's interesting.

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