I only think I want a new sewing maching

Every so often for the last couple years, mostly when I see ads for sewing machines, I think I oh it would be so nice to have an automatic button hole, or look at all those fancy stitches just think of the decorative top stitching I could do, or like the one I looked at last year that pretty much did everything for you but cut the fabric.  And then I think about my sewing machine, we have a history together.

My sewing machine was built in the mid-70's.  There's no bells and whistles on it.  It does a straight stitch, a few zig-zag stitches, and a back stitch.   It's the sewing machine my mom bought when I was 3 or 4.  It's sewed lots of clothes for my sister and me, quite a few patches to my dad work pants, a few Halloween costumes, a couple stuffed toys, at least 2 baby blankets, other decor items and clothes for my own children.  Never in all these years have I or my mom ever needed 22 decorative stitches.

It's a real workhorse machine.  Solid metal body and parts, there's no plastic in there anywhere.  It's heavy, so it doesn't get moved around much and it powers though everything I put under the needle.

So yes while it would be nice to have a newer machine with lots of features, I'm not sure if I'd use them.  I think I want a new sewing machine, but I'm kind of attached to the one I have.  It would be like trying to replace an old friend.

On the needles

It's been a busy summer, but now I'm finding more time to create.  Usually I only work on one project at a time, but I broke that rule because I had to many ideas floating around in my head.

The first one is finished, so I did actually accomplish something.  Actually I've knit 3 of these hats in the last month.  It started as idea, and the first one came out a little to small so I put it in the shop as a child's hat.  Seeing how cute the first one was my daughter requested one for herself, with steampunk buttons, and after I saw how cute her's was I decided I needed one too but with a cool chunky button I bought from a seller at Zibbet.

Next is a sweater I'm knitting for myself, unfortunately I'm not making much progress.  I'm finding it very boring.  If I ever finish it, it will just be a plain hooded cardigan to wear around the house.

Next is a scarf/cowl that I'm making for the shop.

And last, although I don't have a photo because I haven't actually started it, I'm in the process of designing pants for myself again.  I have a pattern that I need to make a few tweaks to and then I can start cutting the fabric, but I have a good idea where I'm going with it.  I'd show you the sketch, but I'm a really poor artist.

How did I go so long without these?

In exchange for some yarn, I received a couple knitting books that I don't know how I went so long without them. 

Cast on, Bind off is just what it says, a book full of different cast ons and bind offs and when to use them.  Until recently I no idea there was more than 2 ways to cast on and this book came at the perfect time when I was finishing up a project and needed a bind off that would stretch just a little.

I haven't had time to really look at the finishing book yet, but I'm sure it will come in handy when I get closer to finishing the sweater I'm working on.

Jean Mulsin: Take 2.1

 I spend most of yesterday working on these.  I scooped out the back about a 1/2" and added to the back inseams which seem to help with the winkles some.  But now there's bagginess right under the butt and wrinkles in the front.  I'm going to rip them apart today and try adding to inseam again but this time extending it down to the knee.  I added mostly to the crotch point.  Also I'm thinking some of the winkles are coming from the sides being pulled up to far.  From the side view you can see the balance lines pulling up just a little, which is weird because it looks straight in the mirror.

I'm also thinking I might widen the pant leg a little, maybe give it more of boot cut.  I haven't made any changes to the leg width.  This is how how the pattern was designed.  Although I do like a tapered leg, I think this is a little much.

Jean Muslin: Take 2

The last pair I made were to tight, so I went up a size.  These fit better in the hips, but now they're to big in the waist.  Since it's usually easier to take in a larger size, I'm going to work with this muslin.  I'm running out of time so I may not get them to fit perfectly but if I can get them at least wearable without crotch lines and fix the waist, I'll be happy.

The front looks ok.  I will need to drop the waist band a little and move the pockets, but other than that I don't think there's to much to fix there.  The back, well that's going to take a little work.  First things that come to mind is scooping out the back crotch.  I don't have a wedgie now,  but if I pull up the back to make the balance line straight I will.  I'm also thinking I might need to add to the back inseams to get rid of the wrinkles coming from my inner thighs. So that's what I'm going to work on the next couple days.  Keep your fingers crossed that I don't cause more problems.

Jean Muslin: Take 1

I started working on jean pattern yesterday.  I'm working on Connie Crawford's Woman's Jean pattern Butterick B5403.  I was a little leery of starting this because I had read some bad reviews, and still being fairly new at fitting pants I was worried I might be in over my head. 

I chose my size based on my measurements and traced it.  I got a little concerned when I noticed the size I was tracing didn't allow for any ease in the hips.  I know jeans are suppose to be close-fitting, but the pattern was listed for 2 sizes, with no ease at the smaller size which meant -2" of ease at the bigger size.  I thought this had to be a mistake because the folks at Pattern Review kept saying when 2 sizes are listed like that, the pattern should have enough ease for the larger size.  And since my measurement was just an inch smaller than the smaller pattern recommendation I thought it would be ok.  I was wrong.

I didn't make any changes to the pattern yet.  I wanted to see how it was going to fit right out of the package.  The first thing I noticed is it's to tight in the hips.  The other thing that really jumps out at me is the back crotch.  I need to scoop it out a little to get rid of that wedgie, and I might need to add a little to the inner thigh.  The bottom of the back yoke feels really low.    First I'm going to try going up a size and see how that looks.

Back to the cutting table.

A sewing success!

A few weeks ago I when shopping looking mostly for jeans but I also looked at capris.  I found a few pair that I really liked however they didn't fit.  Then a light bulb went off and I realized I could make something similar with the capri pattern I was working on.  I pulled out my cell phone and took pictures from every angle and close ups of the details I wanted to copy.  When I got home I uploaded the cell phone pics to the computer I found they were mostly useless.  Blurry, I was in a rush because the sales clerk kept knocking on the door asking how I was doing, and the back shot was completely useless because trying to take a pic of one's backside in a mirror over your shoulder without looking is almost impossible.  I tried to sketch to the best of my ability (I'm no artist) the capri details, and had a fairly good representation but I was still missing somethings.

 A few days later I got an email from the online version of the store I was at alerting me to an upcoming sale.  Although I have sort of a love/hate relationship with this store (at this particular time it was in the strongly dislike phase) I decided to take a look and there they were.  The capris I wanted to copy.  All the angles I needed.  I tried downloading the pics but they were copyrighted, so I had to print pages and pages to get the pics I needed.

After doing a few final tweaks to my capri pattern, this weekend I went to work on my copied version of the capris.  Mine aren't exactly like the rtw ones, I guess in the end I used them more for inspiration than anything.  I really didn't care for the zipper in the side of the leg, because it was useless.  It didn't open to a hidden pocket, it was just there, almost like they were trying to hide a fabric flaw or a cutting mistake.  I did like the felled seams on the side pockets and decided to incorporate that into the back pockets as well.  On the original the front pockets were sewn on the outside, and I thought about doing that but wasn't sure how that would look with the waist darts that I have on my pattern.  Maybe if I can find a pattern with a flat front, I'd consider front patch pockets.  I thought about doing the top stitching around the pocket and knee, but by the time I got the pockets sewn on I forgot about it and then decided it would look silly with it.  I love the finished product and can't wait to wear them, I just wish the weather would cooperate.

Up next: Going to try making my own jeans.

  

Building my fabric stash

With finishing my one pair of pants last week and they actually look wearable, I'm still working on a decent pair of capris, I got excited and went on a fabric splurge.  I have 8 yards of  linen/cotton blend in the tan, which really is more brown than tan, 5 yards of cotton/poly twill in the blue, 6 yards of cotton twill in the olive green, and a 24 yard bolt of 12 oz denim for jeans.  The last time I bought a bolt of denim like this it lasted for years.  Unless I really get into making jeans this bolt should last me the rest of my life.  I plan on making pants in all of these and I possibly have enough of some fabrics to make more than one.

Cheap & easy VS learning though experience

My mom has sewed since she was a teenager.  Growing up she sewed for me and my sister.  She has an amazing ability to look at a thrift store sheet and turn it into something wonderful.  But yesterday when she was showed me a pair of thrift store capri pants that she wasn't that happy with I was scratching my head in wonder why wouldn't she taper them in slightly and hem them up if that's what was bugging her.

As we discussed the pair of pants I spend the last 3 months working on and recently finished, it dawned on me why she wouldn't try to fix them.  Although she has decades of sewing experience, she stopped sewing for herself when things started to require a bit more work to get them to fit.  Knowing how much time I put into my pants she asked if it would of been easier/cheaper to just go buy a pair.

Short answer, maybe, long answer, not really.  I didn't start this project looking for a quick and easy fix.  I knew when I started I didn't know what I was doing and set out to learn; because I felt my options for ready to wear pants were limited.  I'm not willing to spend $70+ for a pair of jeans, and I'm not ready to go with all elastic waist pants.  As my daughter pointed out, "Those are Grandma Pants."  I've never been to worried about keeping up with the latest fashions, but I still have ideals of what I like and what I think look good in and I just wasn't finding it in the stores.

Thanks to all my hard work and the help and guidance of some wonderful women, on the internet, who were very patience and took the time to point out my mistakes and how to fix them, I now have a pattern that I know fits and doesn't look half bad, and  I can make design changes for different looks.  Depending on what kind of fabric I use, I can make dress pants, casual summer capris, or work pants all from one pattern.  I also gained the knowledge and confidence to tackle fitting a jean pattern for myself.  When you weigh the skills I learned and the multiple pattern options against the cost of the fabric, my time, and the frustration of looking for ready to wear (more than once a shopping trip turned into a crying fit in the dressing room), I think I came out ahead.

Finishing up my pants

 I decided since I was desperate for something to wear to go ahead and make a pair of pants even though I'm not quite done with the fitting process.  These are looking ok, but there's still room for improvement.  I figured the problem I was having with the inseam wasn't going to be that big of a deal if I made regular pants that I could roll up into capris.  There's a button tab on each side of the legs to hold the cuffs up once I get the buttons sewn on the outsides.  I also love cargo pockets so I put some on,  although they are a little low.  I could raise them up at least 2 inches, but for this pair I'll just leave them, and they're a little baggy, but I'd rather have them baggy than to tight.  I just need to sew the waistband on, hem them up and sew on the buttons.

So close, but so far

My pants fitting saga continues.  Just when I think I'm good to go, something's wrong with them.  I've worked on getting the crotch right, adding to the waist & hips, getting them balanced, adjusting the waistline, adjusting the darts.  The only thing I thought I had left to was to level out the hem.  So just as I was getting excited about making a pair to wear I'm told they're still wrong.  The back is to baggy and the front crotch is to long.

 I don't know what to do anymore, but I'm desperate.  I went looking for jeans the other day and the only ones I found that fit were out of my price range.  I had a favorite brand, but they've been discontinued and replaced with something I don't care for.  I guess I really only have one choice here, become a nudest.

Pants & Fauxhawks

Boy, it's been a long week, and I feel like I've accomplished nothing.  I had things to do this week that I couldn't ignore, so that left no time to knit or sew, not to mention the house is a disaster and laundry is piled up.  I guess now you know where my priorities are.

Yesterday I was able to sneak in a pants fitting and finally got the thumbs up to go ahead and attempt a wearable muslin.  I'm just a few tweaks from finally having my pants pattern perfected.  I was so excited I decided it was time to buy some new fabric to do them in.  Up until now I've been working with this polyester stuff I picked up on ebay for a bargain.  It looks nice but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing polyester pants.  I bought it specifically for pants muslins.  I picked up some navy twill, and I'm debating if I want to do them as capris or full length pants.

While I was at the fabric store, I picked up some fun fur to use in an upcoming baby shower gift.  I'm making matching father/son fauxhawk hats.  How cute is this?  I knitted the baby one up in just 2 hours.  It was a fun little project and a nice break from my hectic week and all the weeks I've spend on my pants.   

Making progress

From "fluffy pants" as my son calls them to better fitting pants.  The ones on the right still need some work but they look so much better than my original pair.  I need to straighten out the low hip a little to remove a little bit of a bubble there, fix the front and I'm still having issues with winkles in the back, but hopefully in the next week or so I'll finally be able to make a wearable pair.

Taking a mental health break

These pants make me want to cry.  It seems like nothing I do is making them any better.  I've been getting help from lovely lady at Pattern Review, who's been very patient, but I think if she could react though the computer she'd strangle me.  We both made the comment that it would be much easier if we were actually in the same room.  I know how difficult and frustrating it is to try and diagnose and solve issues from a distance.  My mom calls me all the time with her computer problems, and it's usually an easy fix, but I can't see that until I actually get my hands on it.  Until then it drives me nuts trying to explain what I want her to do, when she doesn't understand what I'm telling her.  Which is kind of where we are with this pants pattern.

So I spend the morning playing on facebook, doing laundry, straighing up the kitchen...anything to avoid the sewing machine.  Then I thought maybe there was somebody at the local sewing machine dealer who could help me.  Turns out they couldn't, but while I was there I got to test drive a expensive Janome.  I'll never be able to afford it but it was fun trying it out.

" I don't know why you don't just go buy new pants"

My husband said after the the um-teenth time I asked him to look at my butt.  I know how weird that sounds, but I was working on my pants pattern; trying to fix the back crotch to remove the "smiles" from under my butt.  Oh if only it was that easy, Dear Husband.

I got into this project because I was upset with a certain plus size store constantly discontinuing the line of jeans I wear and having to launch a new jeans search every couple years.  That and the closure of another plus size store that I frequented, I felt this was the only option left.

I think I was able to take care of those "smiles", and now I'm working on narrowing the leg, but as you can see I now have other wrinkle lines to deal with.  Glenda is out of the office next week, so I can't seek her advice.  So until then I guess it's up to me to experiment and see what happens.

Fixing the front crotch

Yesterday I spend the afternoon drawing up another pattern to work with, but this time I got smart.  The first two patterns I drew, if for some reason I needed to compare it to the master pattern I couldn't do it very easily because I didn't remember what measurements I used from the master, or they wouldn't line up like they should have or I had made so many changes that it wasn't the same pattern.  While I was drawing up the new one I decided to write the measurements next to each dot so if I needed to match it up with the master again everything would be where it was suppose to be.  Using a grain board, I also marked the high hip, low hip and crotch line in case I needed to make adjustments in those areas.  It's a good thing I did too, because after making my muslin, I had to use the low hip line to adjust the center front.  I had to take out about 1 1/2 inches.  It pulled the front crotch up slightly and just looks better.

Front view after shorting center front

Front view before shorting center front.  See the fabric pooling at the bottom of the zipper

I also used the grain board to draw the hem line, since I was having issues with the inseam hem pulling up and I wasn't sure it was straight in the first place.   Just looking at these photos I do think the inseam is hanging straighter but I won't know for sure until I finish the rest of my adjustments.

Next I'll be working on the back and tapering the legs.  Glenda suggests I add 5/8 of an inch to the back crotch point.  She's mentioned it before but I was being a bonehead and didn't want to.  I think it's time I do what I'm told.  She also mentioned needing more room in the high hip.  Another something I didn't want to do because I'm worried about getting the elephant ear effect that I had in the first pair, but my husband told me just to try it and see.  Glenda's out of the office next week, so I'll have time to do a pair my way and another pair her way and see which one looks better.  I have a feeling I'm going to loose.

No wonder it doesn't fit

I've been fighting with this pattern for at least 2 weeks and have come to the conclusion that I just need to start over.  I've measured, remeasured and remeasured again, and decided I made the crotch curve to short and no amount of adding to the crotch points is ever going to make a difference.  Last night I added 2 inches to the back, which brought it back up to my waistline, but it threw off the rest of the waist edge, because I had such a sharp angle from the center back to the side seams.  I know I should have added 2 inches to the front too, but I don't need more room in the front.  I'm going back to my original crotch curve measurements from the first pair of pants.  I need to get the crotch curve figured out before I can even think of making other adjustments.  I found a crotch curve tutorial, and guess that will be my next step if I can't get it to fit right.  So as much as I hate to say it, it's back to the drawing board.

Learning curve

Using what I learned from my first pair of pants, I decided to try another pair with some modification.  My first pair, although wearable, needed some work.  The waist was to big, the hips were to full, the legs to wide, ect.  The second pair I wanted to fix all of that.  So I pulled out my tracing paper and using the correct measurements, drew up another pattern.  I wasn't sure how to go about narrowing the leg, so following the Sure Fit master pattern, I drew seam lines for 13 sizes and sewed the tracing paper together until I got to my desired width.  I'm thinking I could probably go down another inch or so and I found this video to be helpful for future reference, but I have other issues to take care of first. 

I realized from these pics that I have a tilted waist and need to make the front quite a bit shorter than the back.  Which also affects my crotch curve, giving me a very short front curve and a long back curve.  I measured using a crotch-o-meter and found my front is 13" and my back is 22".  Looking at these pants that means I need to raise the center back about an inch, and add a 1/2" to 5/8" to the back crotch point.  Hopefully that will take care of the little wedgie and bring my waistband up over the top of my underwear.  The other issue I'm having and I didn't notice it on the first pair until they were done, is the inseam pulls up.  You can really see it in the back view.  I tried to correct it by putting a wedge in the inseam to lengthen it, but that just made it worse because I had all this extra fabric in the inner thigh.  Turns out I did the opposite of what I should of done.  I need to take a wedge out at the side seam.  Here Glenda shows how to fix this.

This pair fits pretty well in the waist and hips, if I can take care of the back crotch issues I think I getting close to where I want to be.

Bad Romance

Knitting this sweater was like a relationship gone bad from the very beginning. At first it was new and exciting. I couldn’t wait to spend my evenings curled up on the couch, running my fingers though its yarn, but soon it became tedious and boring. I’ll admit to having a wandering eye; and soon I was just going through the motions.

About a month into it, I decided I needed a break. I went on to pursue other interests, while the sweater just sat in a lump behind the couch.

Eventually, I went back to it and tried to make it work, but the sweater just wasn’t cooperating. I first had a feeling that it was over when I realized it wasn’t going to fit, but I wasn’t ready to give up. I thought if I just kept working on it everything would turn out ok.

After talking to some knitting friends, who reassured me it would be ok to call it quits since I really wasn’t happy, I pulled the yarn winder out and started the break up process. Sadly I watched as row by row my sweater disappeared, but my friends were right, I do feel better. I’m able to pursue other interests without the guilt, and my sweater has gone back into several balls of yarn to be used in another project.

Oh, Sweater, I loved the idea of you, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

The Absent Minded Seamstress

So my pants are done, and I'm cleaning up before starting something else, since it looks like a sewing store blew up in my basement.  My sewing area is so small it's sometimes difficult to keep all my work in that one spot, and my supplies gets spread all over the house.  This could be the reason why  I have 3 seam rippers, several marking pencils, two scissors, 3-4 things of unopened elastic strips, I just found the pressing ham I bought a few years ago, ect.   Yesterday I was looking for the open roll of tracing paper because I needed to draft a new pattern peice.  When I couldn't find it I had to open another roll, and then found the missing one today in the dinning room.

I really try to stay organized, but sometimes creativity strikes and I can't be bothered to put things back where they belong.  Before I start another project I'm going to try really hard to get everything put away, so maybe I'll have more room to work and spend less time looking for my supplies.