The Great Pumpkin...Charlie Brown

Okay; don't laugh...at least not too hard.  LOL.  I ran out of regular muslin fabric and didn't feel like running out to purchase more when I have all this old quilting fabric hanging around not being useful.  Sooooo, I used this pumpkin fabric I've had marinating for about 20 years.  I know I got it in Florida.  I remember it being a bit costly at the time, since it had metallic in the design.  I think it cost all of $6.00 a yard.  LOL 

 Pumpkins are apropos for this time of year, no? 

It's a fairly heavy fabric and more able to mimic the wool/cashmere blend I'll be using for the real deal.  I started out cutting the size 18 since I thought the 16 would be just too fitted for me, it just wasn't the case.  When I made it up, the 18 just looked baggy in the shoulder area on me so I re-cut the pieces down to a 16 for the upper body, out to my more normal 18-20 for the hips.   I was so worried my normal 16 would be "too fitted" I caused myself extra work. 

Have you ever done that?  Sigh.

My manikin Ruby is just a touch smaller than I am and there's no help in the photo dept so you'll just have to make do with manikin pictures.  LOL.  I don't know if I want pictures floating around the internet with me wearing pumpkin fabric anyway.  LOL.

Later!

Butterick 5535 - Coat

This will be the one winter coat I'll be making for the season.  You can still get it, but its on the site as an OOP.  It's pretty simple; semi-fitted, lined jacket with collar, bust darts, patch pockets and princess seams.  I'm going to make the one in the center picture, view B.  Initially I was going to make it from a piece of grey plaid wool flannel I picked up at an estate sale but I really don't feel like matching plaids right now.  So I'm making it easy on myself by using a wool/cashmere blend I purchased at the Cloth Merchants a couple of years ago.  It's at the cleaners getting prepped for sewing.

I will be making a few changes though.  (Don't I always?)  I'll be adding 2 or 3 inches in length.  Since this is a semi-fitted coat, I'm going up one size; I really don't want it THAT fitted.  LOL.  

I'm not a fan of patch pockets so I'm going to try a new technique I found in my Threads archive.  It's called "No-clip welt Pockets".  If you have the archive (or the magazine), it's found in issue #91 on pages 48-49.

It's pretty ingenuous really: you simply fit the double-welt pocket between the seams of a princess style jacket!  I was so pumped when I found this article!  LOL.

Needless to say, I'll be making a muslin to see if going up one size & all the various changes will work with what I need to do to get the fit I'm looking for in this style.  And I'll probably do a practice run on the new pocket. 

Well that's all I have for today!  I hope you're having a nice weekend.

Later!

Grrrrrrrr...

I am not happy!  The Reliable (ha!) V100 iron I purchased in July of 2011 has died an ignominious death at only 16 months of age.  The heating element went kaput.  This happened on Friday morning after my 20 year old serger forgot how to be tense.  I messed with it for over an hour trying to get the tension reset.  I guess there is a burr on a looper or something.  I took it in to B-Sew Inn for servicing and problem detection and brought home a Babylock Eclipse sx to use while I wait for the old one to be fixed.  So I start sewing away and go to use the iron and I'm wondering why it's taking so long to heat up.  I finally figured out it had given up the ghost.  Sigh.  Friday was not a good day for me.  I am now using my backup; a Rowenta that has a leaky tank.  So I have heat but no steam.

Sooooo, anyone have a good iron to suggest that may last more than a mere 16 months?

Later!

My service project for the year

Each year our guild (Tulsa Smocking & Heirloom Sewing) performs a service for the community.  We make fetal demise gowns for the unfortunate children who don't make it to term.  Each member makes 2 tiny bonnets and 2 gowns (one set for the baby's burial & the other is presented to the parents) which are then donated to an area hospital.

Here's a couple pictures of my completed gowns & bonnets:

Last year my gowns were white; this year I thought blue would be nice.

Later!


PS.  Our groups trip to NYC was postponed.  Oh well, I'd rather go in the spring anyway.