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Showing posts from May, 2005

Wardrobe Planning

Today I'm wearing the Unique jacket I made to wear at dd2's wedding. It fits very well. All it needs is a forward shoulder adjustment. I believe I will make another using the grey/white/pink synthetic tweed that I bought for another jacket. If it turns out I'll use it as the starting piece of my first SWAP (Sewing With a Plan). Because of yesterday's frustration regarding semi-fitted shirts I designed & printed a basic v-neck front button waist-darted shirt using Wild Ginger's Click & Sew. I haven't used the Click & Sew in a long time, but I'm willing to try it again--seems to me the shirts I made with it fit pretty well. I can't afford any more Unique patterns right now and I am tired of altering pattern tissue!
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Shapely Schmapely

**Warning**Premenstrual Rant** I don't think the shapley shirt was meant to fit me. The b**bs don't fit right. It doesn't seem to hang right. The neck looks small. I can't make it look right. I'm going to finish this one, but I'm not ever making it again. All I'm looking for is a basic, semi-fitted shirt pattern that can be made up in a stretch woven that fits me and that feels comfortable. Why is that so f***ing hard to do? All I am is round everywhere. My right side doesn't match my left side. My upper front is a size I don't-even-know and whatever size it is I always have to add for the ole' b**bs. My upper back is a size 12 and balloons to about a size gazillion below the hips. Very attractive, NOT! Hmmph.
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Shapely Shirt Shaping Up

The Shapely Shirt pattern is altered to the point of making a muslin. I Narrowed the upper back Did a swayback alteration (and added a center back seam to accommodate all the back curves) Did a full bust alteration (FBA) Enlarged the upper arm Time to cut & baste the muslin to see if these worked! My Vogue 7281 muslin is awaiting it's turn on the alteration table. I was so disappointed at first about how this muslin turned out--I pretty much cut that pattern out of envelope except that I added for my hips. It did not fit--ironically the hips were too big! And everything else except the upper back was too small. I think it needs all the alterations listed above, with the addition of forward shoulder alteration. which I will happily do because I really like this pattern. The alterations will be interesting because this shirt has cut-on sleeves. Luckily, this is covered in Fit for Real People (FFRP). And, before I do all of the above, I simply must hem my dd's shirt. ...
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Happy Mothers' Day 2005. Check out the wee tweety-bird on the baby baseball outfit : ) I'm wearing my red hat (Kim say's it's practice for the red hat society but I told her NO WAY am I old enough for that yet! (She agreed). Notice too my See's candy and my Grandma Brag Book
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Mrs. Dinky over-fitted with Shapely Shirt pattern. Still need to add length to back hem.
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Full Bust and Narrow Back

A portion of an otherwise very enoyable Mothers' Day was spend (over) fitting the Petite Plus Shapely Shirt pattern on Mrs. Dinky. I removed the previously mentioned extra length (why I added it in the first place I do not know). Despite the 'Plus' in the name, I still had to add about 2" in the bust, which caused a need to add a 3rd underbust dart and a side dart. And--dig this...no bust point was printed on the pattern! And, their bust alteration directions were hard to understand--good thing I have Fit for Real People ! Then I narrowed the back 1 1/2 inches--still not enough, so I lengthened the back dart upwards to take in more of the fabric in the back. So....Bust: check, upper back: check. Now for the swayback. I tucked out about 2" from the lower back and suddenly it looked as though it might really fit me. I had added a bunch of tissue at the side seams for more hip room, but the swayback tuck brought things into alignment and I didn't need mos...
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Maternity T-shirt

What I thought would be the last item in my next batch of projects turned out to be the first. I made my daughter a maternity t-shirt using some of the lavender cotton knit. It's fairly heavy and stable so it worked for the pattern I had, which was for woven fabric. Very few maternity patterns to choose from in the Big-3 pattern companies. All the shirt needs now is the hem. The self-fabric neckband turned out awesome, thanks to that Threads video. I did whip this one out--measured, fitted, altered, cut and sewn (except for the hem) in 3 hours. Feels good to get a project that far in one evening. I'm going to keep my eyes out for some cotton-spandex blend for some t-shirts for me. I told dd that if she buys the fabric I'll make her more shirts.
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Birthday Fun and a Completed Shirt

Darren celebrated his birthday at home, at Benihana's of Tokyo in San Francisco and at the San Francisco Zoo. His presents were time with family and friends, and tickets to an Eagles' concert. Here are pictures to make you feel like you were there: Happy 44th Birthday Darren On the sewing front, the work shirt is finished and I'm on to a coupla muslins of shirts for me. I have some stretch poplin florals on the way and I want to re-fit the Petite Plus shapely shirt. I'm so tired of putting on shirts that hang down the back of my neck and that won't close at the hips. Lastly, a t-shirt for the pregnant daughter will be started as soon as I can corral her for some measurements and a pattern fitting.
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