Off the Clock

The weather is finally(!) starting to break and so I've started on my sunwear sewing, beginning with Vogue 8390 .  I went with the halter version to wear with this green and fuchsia below-knee skirt that I bought in England a few years ago.   As there are already lots of reviews about this pattern on Pattern Review  I will limit my comments to the changes I made. Like many others I decided to leave out the full facings on the front - especially as I was using a ponte knit, I thought four thicknesses of fabric for a summer top would be like wearing a coat. I noticed that many used a stretch band to finish the neckline.  Instead I folded over the seam allowanced and topstitched with a double needle.  I recommend using a walking foot for this part so as not to stretch out the fabric while sewing.  The IDT system on my Pfaff worked this beautifully.  I used the same method to turn the hems; fold under the seam allowances and topstitch with a double nee...

Well Phoebe has finished her first project. This is New Look 6098 . From past experience with New Look patterns I made it one size smaller than what my measurements called for and it is just right size-wise.  I'm still not sold on the kimono sleeves but they are so easy to sew and are very comfortable so they are growing on me.  I love the length of this top - I find it figure-flattering.  And I have shoes to match - who knew! I had a heck of a time with the hem - it took three times to get it right.  First I serged the edge and then tried to sew a 1 1/2" hem with a double needle.  There is too much flare in the skirt for that deep of a hem and all I did was make a huge mess that had to be picked out.  So next try I folded the serged edge under and did a 3/4" double fold hem, again with the double needle.  This was too much bulk and therefore too stiff for the very soft drapey (is that a word?  Spellcheck says no) knit fabric.  I contem...

Yay! Technically she was here two days ago but I haven't had a chance to take some pics until now. So far I have been test driving her with a thin knit fabric I am using to make New Look 6098 . This fabric is a pain in the butt to work with because it is a bit slippery but Phoebe is handling it like a pro. As I'm still learning to sew with knits I'm at the low end of the learning curve and had to quit last night when things weren't going so well with the bottom hem. I did the sleeve hems by serging the edges and then using a double needle to turn a 5/8" hem. There were no skipped stitches like I had when Betty did this hem and the stitching was nice and even. Then when I went to do the bottom hem I wasn't really thinking it through. There is an 1 1/2" hem and I tried doing it the same way as the sleeves. This is too deep of a hem to absorb all the curve because the top is quite flared and I just made a big mess that had to be picked out. I'll get back ...

The countdown is on - Phebe's should be here in the next week or two. Had another call from my dealer the other day just to touch base. Ivana at the Sewing Superstore in London has been such a pleasure to deal with. So to pass some time I found another Pfaff video...