Wednesday, October 27, 2010

TSW Urban Pants Questions

I've had a couple of questions about the Urban Pants that I just posted about.

meredithp commented: These look really nice-I like the seam down the front. Any reason you haven't done the button/tab thing?

I haven't done the detail because I thought it might not look so great on a full length pant. The Urban Pants design is cropped. Plus, I didn't see making ventilated pants now that the weather is getting cold. Someday I'll get around to making the cropped ones and take the time for it.

Mary
also commented: Recently having 2 disasters in a row with SW patterns, I wonder if these run true to size?

I'm not exactly sure what "true to size" means with respect to patterns. I mean, people's bodies vary a lot and so do their fit preferences.

I remember the first time I made the Plaza Pants, which are based on the same block. It was at a Sewing Workshop Getaway in 2007. Based on my (then) weight, Linda Lee recommended cutting out a Large. Linda likes her clothes to have an easy fit (like Eileen Fisher), but I knew how I am, so Linda was able to show me how to make the Medium work for me with a couple of minor fitting tweaks. The fit was OK, not perfect, but improved when I got them home and shortened the crotch seam by taking off the waistband, trimming the top of the pants, sewing it back on. I'm still basing my pants on a Medium even though my weight has creeped up a little bit--I've only had to make some minor adjustments to make them work. Plus, I still think I can lose 5-7 pounds.

Still with me? My conclusion is that these pants are true to my size. Your mileage may vary, but these do not seem to be designed to be overly loose fitting. I like them.

And I like the front seam too. Not exactly princess seam pants, but I do like the vertical line. Not as distinctive as the Plaza Pants with the big pleat down the front, and the seam also provides extra opportunities for fit. I'm planning on morphing this pattern into a version of the Valencia Pants, again the same block, but in a one-seam version.

Monday, October 25, 2010

TSW Urban Pants, Versions 2 and 3

I've been feeling the need to wear long pants. It's been warm enough to wear cropped some days, but it no longer seems right. And I don't feel like wearing "work" pants at home; that doesn't seem right either. I could get away with wearing jeans all the time, but I want some variety. As a result, I've made up some pants that bridge casual and work so I have something to wear while gainfully unemployed.

This pair was made from a mini black and navy check suiting that's been in the stash since 2006. According to my records, it's a poly/rayon blend. Even after cutting out the pattern, I have several yards left, so you're probably going to see it again, in some other form.


I've made up this pattern before so it moved along pretty quickly. I actually completed them at mid-month but I'm a little behind in blogging my sewing projects. Like the last pair I made, these are full-length without the slit/facing/button and loop featured on the original pattern. I've also played around with the fit a little bit, adding 1/8" to each of the center front seams and making a slight adjustment to the center back seam. Actually, this is the same adjustment I made to the Plaza Pant pattern, but the basic draft is the same for both patterns so it works for Urban Pants too.

I just finished up another pair this morning. I used a similar fabric for these in camel/black mini houndstooth. The fabric is similar to the black and navy I used on the other pair, but a slightly heavier weight.


I really like TSW's Plaza/Urban/Valencia pants for me. I think I could use a pair in olive, then I'll be set with pants for a while.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Virtual Studio Tour: Past Posts

Here are some links to my previous posts about the Sewing Cave.

First Post, 2007


Sewing Room, 2008

Guest Room Storage

Downsizing and Reorganizing

More Downsizing

Machines

Now, maybe (probably) nobody is that interested in seeing old posts of my sewing space. But if you are, take a look.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Virtual Studio Tour


Cloth Paper Scissors is sponsoring a Spooky Studios Virtual Tour October 15-17. Since I haven't posted any studio pictures in a while and the Blue Gardenia hasn't contacted me (yet), I thought I'd participate with this post.

What I do: I've been sewing since I was in 7th grade and have tried a lot of different types of projects over the years. However, I keep coming back to garment sewing. Mostly I sew for myself.

Why I chose this space: My studio (aka the Sewing Cave) is located in one of the extra bedrooms in my 3 bedroom home. I had a sewing room set up in my last house too, and it got relocated here when I moved in the fall of 2004. It's right next to the master bedroom, which I felt was a little too close for a guest room. Interestingly, the previous owner also used this space as his studio.

You can see a sliver of the master bedroom from the Cave door in the next photo:


This space allows me to contain my equipment, tools, books and materials in one place. In theory, I can also close the door and hide all the clutter away, although that never happens. I used to use the third bedroom as overflow storage for fabric, but I was forced to consolidate it all in one room when my husband moved in last summer and wanted a room of his own for this things. So the third bedroom became his Man Cave and the fabrics moved into the Sewing Cave. Actually, that's been a good thing for me, as I became more organized in my storage and purchasing habits. Without getting rid of all that much, I now have it all in one room.

I have many, many portable plastic drawers that hold much of my fabric collection. This photo shows the Wall of Sterlite as I call it:


Of course, the closet is packed to the gills, but that's part of the challenge we all have, isn't it? More plastic in there:


Why it works for me: It's great to have a space where I can work on a project without having to put it away. I can be a lot more productive when I don't have to worry about setting up and taking down. No space is perfect, and my "someday" room includes a lounging area, more storage, and a larger cutting table.

Some of my favorite things in it or about it: I like having my machines set up so that I can look out the window.



This corner features a metal file cabinet that's used for storage of articles on sewing techniques, vintage patterns, and binders used to organize my pattern collection. A mini stereo sits on top. I keep my iPod docked there and listen to Pandora while I sew.


I like having the large bookcase for my reference materials--I enjoy having my books, patterns and magazines within easy reach. I'm gradually moving fabrics out of the bookcase. Because it's located directly across from the windows, there is a potential of fading. Eventually, I'd like almost everything to fit into the closet.


Most patterns are stored in the light blue boxes. The pink zebra striped bins are recent acquisitions from Hancock Fabrics that I use to store pattern overflow and other supplies.


The ones on top of the Wall of Sterlite are used for work in process. There's a separate project in each bin. The cutting table has leaves, one I leave up all the time for a work space. The other side comes up when cutting out projects, giving more than 5 running feet to work with.


A lot in a small space! My room is something like 10x11. I'm looking forward to transforming the raw elements into clothing that I'll enjoy wearing.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Palate Cleanser

I needed a quick project for me after completing all my recent faith-based sewing. Yesterday afternoon I completed some more Cat Pillowcases for the master bedroom. If you've been following my blog for a while, you may remember seeing them before. Felines love sleeping on pillows so they're something for the remaining kitty, Smudge, to relax on while lounging on the bed. The pillowcases come off when it's time for humans to use the pillows.

Of course, Smudge is white and the new pillowcases are black. Maybe not the best idea...

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Sewing for a Higher Power, Part Three

Mary commented on Sewing for a Higher Power, Part Two:

Interesting posts on the higher power sewing. I am interested in the colors-are the greens for Easter this coming spring?

Good question, Mary, but actually these were made for Ordinary Time of the traditional liturgical calendar. In my case, that's Episcopalian, but it's also used by other denominations, among them Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ. I'm sure there are other denominations as well, but those were the first that came to mind.

The liturgical color normally assigned to Ordinary Time is green.

Probably more than you want to know, but this detailed description of Ordinary Time came from Wikipedia, source of all knowledge, lol:

Ordinary Time is a season of the Christian (especially the Catholic) liturgical calendar. The English name is intended to translate the Latin term Tempus per annum (literally "time through the year"). Ordinary Time comprises the two periods — one following Epiphany (feast or season), the other following Pentecost -- which do not fall under the "strong seasons" of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.
There are still a few weeks left until Advent, which starts the last week of November, so that's why there was some time pressure.

Also, meredithp asked:

Is the Byzantine one the one in the second photo that wraps around?

Yes, the second one is the Byzantine style our parish's deacons prefer.

New vestments have been an ongoing project for my parish. The old ones have seen a lot of wear and most are polyester besides. So we're gradually replacing them. They're coming from a number of sources so it's not all on me.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Sewing for a Higher Power, Part Two



This round, I made a set of stoles--three for priests and the fourth for a deacon. While the chausable was unlined, these were not only lined but also underlined to give them more form. I was planning to underline anyway, and I knew it was the right decision when one of the clergy mentioned that the stole he wore last Sunday was scarf-like. Not good.

I used the remaining dupioni I was given, this time a beautiful dark green that washed and dried well and did not change colors! The underlining was flannel from my stash. My mom used a similar technique to underline satin for my dance costumes when I was a kiddo. In addition to firming up the stoles, it really makes the silk look even more luxurious. The lining was hand dyed quilting cotton from Hancock's, amazingly close in color to the silk. And why use cotton for the lining? A couple of reasons, actually. First, it was the closest match to the silk. Second, cotton isn't slippery. It will tend to stay in place, where a smooth lining would shift around when worn.

The priests stoles were fairly straightforward and simple. If you've ever made a sash, you already know my general technique. However, the deacon's stole is rightly named the Byzantine style. Not that it was so hard to make, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around what part of the stole went where. And my instruction book made it harder by printing the pattern diagram upside down!

There will probably be some tweaks after the clergy has had the opportunity to wear the stoles. The priest stoles seem awfully long to me, although I drafted the pattern exactly per the instructions. And perhaps the Byzantine stole could use a fastener at the shoulder. We'll see.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

TSW Trio Pants in Camo


I finished this project before the chausable I posted about, but this is the first chance I've had to take pictures and post. This time, I re-cut the pattern as a straight Small, and I'm much happier with the fit. The pants include the pockets, using D-rings and grosgrain for the fasteners. The picture below shows this detail:


By the way, I'm still experimenting with self-photography. These were taken near a skylight in my dining room, with the camera on the breakfast bar and the help of my camera's timer function. Lots of cropping, but better this time.

The fabric is cotton embroidered with an all-over rayon floral design. Strange combination, but that's JoAnn's for you. This piece came from their clearance area, which seems to be the best part of all three JoAnn's in the city of Albuquerque.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sewing for a Higher Power, Part One

This summer, the rector at my church asked me to sew some vestments before all the drama of losing my job. After I agreed, he even went fabric shopping when he was in San Francisco! So I've had the fabric since July. He gently inquired about them recently and suggested that it would be nice to have the vestments made while the colors were still in season. Yeah, well, ummm....so I've been working on vestments this past week. I delivered the chausable Wednesday afternoon and hope to have the stoles completed by the same time next week.

I drafted the patterns for this project with the help of a book called "Vestments for All Seasons" by Barbara Dee Baumgarten. This is a great book to have if you're interested learning about or making vestments. I didn't make any of the specific projects from the book. However, the illustrations were very helpful for developing the projects, and the diagrams were simple to draft patterns from. I used Do-Sew overlaid on a gridded mat to make the patterns

The vestments I'm making are fairly plain, although the stoles may be embellished later. Ornate High Church vestments don't exactly work with Northern New Mexico architecture.

The clergy wanted lightweight, natural fiber garments because of our hot climate. They wear several layers up there at the altar and it can feel warm. With the advice of the Satin Moon sisters, the rector bought several yards of silk dupioni on his trip. Two lovely shades, one a greenish gold with red warp threads and the other a dark green.

I washed and dried samples, and the results were great...except that that greenish gold? Its color shifted to red gold as you can see below. It's still beautiful but not exactly the correct liturgical color for the season.


Fortunately, the change was ok but this is something to keep in mind when pre-washing fabrics. Changes can happen. So why wash the dupioni at all? First, we decided that it would be best to launder the silk to avoid issues with water spotting, etc. when the vestments were worn. Second, it takes care of shrinkage. When tested, each fabric shrank lengthwise about 4-6%. The finished items probably wouldn't shrink when dry cleaned, but why take a chance? Lastly, the dupioni becomes more beautiful when washed--the shine gains more depth and the hand is more drapey.

Anyway, I finished the chausable and delivered it to church on Wednesday. I snapped a quick hanger picture just before leaving the house:


It's lightweight, with no lining in accordance with clergy's wishes. There's a facing to stabilize the neck opening. All seams are French seams. Originally, I had planned to bind the edges, but ended up turning up a hem instead--lots of hemming in a large cape-like garment like this.

Thursday and Friday, I worked on another church project (not sewing). I'll start in on the stoles at the beginning of the week. Three will be typical priest stoles, and the fourth will be a deacon's stole. Hopefully, these will be easier since there won't be so much fabric to wrestle with. I'll write more about those later as I get into production.

Sunday Update: One of the priests wore the chausable during today's services. Sure enough, the deacon spilled wine on the front of it, so prewashing was a really good idea! The wine should come out (they dabbed water on it immediately after the service), and because I prewashed, there will not be any water marks. The priest said it was a perfect weight for our warm weather, too.