Mending her pants

I don't usually post mending on here, but to amuse myself I thought I'd share this one with you.

One knees of her pants had a 4+ inch slit, frayed, etc.  In fact it was so frayed that I could not simply "join" the two sides together--when I had trimmed it there was quite a hole.  The other knee was also extremely thin, so I figured it would go at any minute.  

Actually the entire pair of pants she inherited from her brother is really quite worn out, but we all love the pants and she wanted them repaired.  They probably won't work for her next year (except as the zip-off shorts).  

On the back of each knee I used iron-on patches, then I applied the decorative stuff her mommie bought to the front side.  It was mandatory to cover the ENTIRE slit on the one knee, and fortunately the patch had the square, plus quite a length of the little trees.  It lent itself very nicely to the repair.

The worn thin knee

The knee with the big slit

Final fix

(I should possibly not mention that my CRAZY daughter spent over $8 on the patch kit!)

Pillow Cover – Instructions

Pillow Cover – Instructions

1.       Materials requirements

• Purchase pillow (or stuff, if you choose)
• Fabric to fit your pillow
•  Feet for your machine: 

o   Serger – cording foot if your cording is not too large.  Serging will make the nicest finished edge inside.

o   If you do not have a serger, or if the cording is too large for your serger foot, use the zipper foot on your sewing machine. 

Note:  If the cording is too big for the serger, you can serge the raw edges after the pillow cover is assembled.  If you do not have a serger, you can use a zig-zag or use another good “holding” stitch down the raw edge after you have the pillow cover assembled.  If you do this extra step, you should not have to worry about repairing the seam of your pillow.

2.            Cover basics

·         Measure your pillow.  Depending on the thickness of the pillow cover fabric, you may need to add a little bit to the side for your cover, but the finished cover is ideally a smidgeon smaller than the pillow itself, so it fills it out nicely.

·         Cut a solid front for the cover. 

·         For the back, cut two pieces about 4-inches wider than half of the front cover.

·         Press a fold in place so that the two back pieces overlap at least 2-inches.

·         Serge along the both raw edges that will form the “flap”.   (Photo taken later to show where you serge the raw edge of the flaps.)

·         Place the two back pieces together over the front; adjust the fold.  Mark where Velcro should go to close the cover when it is on the pillow. 

·         Sew the Velcro strips in place.

3.            Make cording (or used purchased cording)

·         To make cording, cut bias strips about 1-1/2-inches wide (or larger for fatter cording). 

·         To join bias strips, place one strip at a 90-degree angle to the other strip, right sides together.  Stitch diagonally across the strips.  I find it works best to begin the stitching a tad to the right of the actual meeting place of the strips, beginning one stitch above the edge of the bottom strip for a perfect “join”.

   

·         Use cording foot on serger (or zipper foot on sewing machine) to sew as closely as possible to the cording.

4.            Appling the Cording

·         To begin applying the cording to the pillow cover front, pull a little cording out of the cording casing at the beginning of the strip.

·         Beginning in the middle of one side, let the empty cording casing hang over the edge.  Begin serging down that side, applying the strip to the front cover.

·         Serge to where you can see where your corner will turn.  Clip the cording there and turn cording at a right angle towards where you will sew the next side.  Continue serging in a straight line off the edge.  Trim threads.

·         Place the cording down the next side.  Serge, clipping at the next corner.  Serge in a straight line.

·         Repeat for each side until you come to the last side. ·         On the last side, a couple of inches before you get to the place you began, stop. 

·         Cut a “tail” about 2-inches longer than needed to “meet” the cording; pull the cording casing back and clip out the cording. 

·         Flatten the casing (your cordings should just about meet in the middle) and serge it down, angling the empty “tail” away from the pillow cover. 

·         Serge in a straight line over the place where the beginning and ending of the cording meet.

5.            Applying the cover back

·         With the Velcro strip “closed”, lay the pillow cover back on the front (right sides together).

·         Serge down each side in a straight line, serging off the corners, trip threads, and repeat until complete.

(And if you are not in class, you could consider making things a tad straighter! :-)

6.            Turn the pillow cover inside out.

back view (I did not actually put velcro on this "sample" pillow cover.)

front view - hermit crabs...

7.            Put pillow inside the cover.

[I no longer hate making pillow covers!]

To Quote Precious Ramotswe, "I'm a traditionally sized person"

I hope that will change, but for now I am definitely "traditionally sized" (in Botswana anyway).   

You will have noticed that it is impossible to find a two piece bathing suit for almost any size person that is in the least bit modest.  I wear a one-piece bathing suit when I swim, but sometimes when I'm in my own back yard and want some sun, I would really like to have a two-piece.  One never knows when the neighbor kid will climb his tree and gaze over the fence (it has happened, and I was in the hot tub, sans suit!), or the meter readers will come...

I had a bathing suit from the days when I was not traditionally sized at all, and I really liked it, so I decided to copy it.  Here it is.  I loved the sewn-in bra and the little-boy shorts.  (I found they were difficult to copy!)

Inside of the top -- store-bought suit.

And the inside of my new one

I had some lingerie fabric I had hauled around for 39 years after making myself comfortable maternity panties...  I used some of it for the lining of the kids suits, and also for this one. 

I had some bra cups from probably 30 years ago that I had never used.  I had to cut the elastic away from the bottom and remove the stretch insert which held the two of them together.  You can see it might be a bit tricky to insert them, but I followed what they had done exactly.  (Thank God for sergers!)

Detail where the cup is sewn into the lining at the top

And across the bottom of the insert

I cut my outside and inside tops exactly the same, but somehow after I was finished there was a bunch of excess fabric on the outside that just bunched up.  Now I know why lots of bathing suit tops have gathers in the center front.  It was an easy solution, so I hand stitched a row of gathers (they do not show up in the picture below).  If I hadn't been so tired (and lazy), when I finished, I would have made a proper tied bow--it would have looked much better.  As it was, I just used a bit of the leftover strap that was already sewn together and made a little bow.  It's fine for the purpose...

I found this lycra fabric, which is intended for bathing suits, but it is not as thick, and is much more stretchy than the fabric I used for the kids' suits.  (It feels more like dance costume fabric to me.)  It's fine, but I honestly do not know how well it would hold up in normal bathing suit-type useage.  The red trim and straps are made from the same polyester fabric that I decorated my granddaughter's bathing suit top with.   For hers, please see:   http://nanabs-sewing-fun.blogspot.com/2011/05/jammers-and-bathing-suits.html

top

I really should have taken a picture showing the insides of the bottoms because I was in new territory again as I copied the store bought front.  I sewed the lining and the outside fabric center seams for both back and front ALL AT ONE TIME!   It makes a very smooth seam.  (The store bought pair was only lined in the front, but I decided to do back and front the same way.  This fabric needs the lining everywhere.)

I really TRIED to make the same little-boy shorts with slight elastic at the leg.  I kept taking them up and up, but this is the best I was able to achieve for my "traditional shape"!  You can see they are a bit more gathered around the bottom than the original ones were.  They do, at least, cover the things I wanted to cover.  If I ever make something like this again, I will make the legs at least 1-inch longer.

bottoms

Ta-dah!   one "sun suit"

(Just don't expect to see me model it on a runway anytime soon!  :-)

Purple Clocks

I had to change my storage "box" system for my sewing machine feet.  I was carting them around with all the spare ones in a small box.  I started using more and more of them, and having to tip the whole box out to search was no longer working.

I ended up with a box as big as the larger one for my serger feet, so my "sewing class bag" is now too small.  I have dithered around thinking about whether to make a larger bag, or use my serger class bag, but it is so huge that I truly dislike using it (although when I go to serger class I fill it completely up because I have more boxes when I use my serger).

I was not going to make this month's sewing class project (yet again... I'm getting a reputation), so I needed something I could work on during class that would allow me to listen and observe what they were working on.  I like to go to class, and normally I pick up several tips (although I have to say I didn't learn anything new last night).  Finally I decided to make a new mesh bag; this time I wanted it to "match" my purple rolling machine luggage/bag.

I browsed my "stash" and one piece of fabric kept coming to my mind.  I had thought I would make my grandson a shirt from it, but as so often happens, when it was washed it was a bit too heavy for a shirt.  Then I thought of making my granddaughter capris but never could quite decided what to do.  I had a piece of green mesh and using the two together just materialized from my muse.

I cut out the mesh bag and (as usual) mulled things around in my head as I was working.  I have been frustrated with having to take a whole purse into class where space is so limited.  All I need is my wallet, cell phone, and keys, etc.  I had purchased a small cloth purse/bag in Hawaii for the purpose of copying it, or varying it at will.  It's not very well made, but could work for flights (ID, wallet, tickets, cell phone).  So I decided this was the time to try copying it.

This is the small purse I purchased.   Front                                                Back

    

In this case, I wanted my purse a bit bigger, so I enlarged it slightly.  Here you can see how much I enlarged it (keep in mind that I mitered the corners on mine, so it does not appear quite a much larger as it actually is).

     

(Yes, my rolling sewing machine carrier is purple, and although I don't ever wear purple, I wanted my bag and purse to look nice with the carrier, silly...  I chose the purple bag because it is both my daughter and my grandson's favorite color, so for once I didn't choose red.)

To begin, I had to decide what size purse I wanted, then how many pieces were used to create the original purse.  Next I calculated the size for each piece of the fabric and the liner so the final purse would come out the size I wanted.  (And guess what, I did a GOOD job figuring that out, because it seems about perfect and each piece was exactly the right size!)

The real trick was deciding the order in which to put it together.  I cannot tell you how I figured out where to start--it just seemed right, but the answer is:  Start with the TOP zipper and work your way down and around to the back opening, attaching the liner/pocket fabric at each step of the way.

It really isn't too tricky, because in the end after sewing the straps in place and attaching the key holder, you pin down the straps and the key-chain holder, leave the upper zipper partially open, sew around three sides, serge those sides, turn it right side out and it's done!   Pretty amazing.  

I had already cut the pieces and fused light weight Pellon to the back of all the exterior pieces.   I sewed the whole purse during my class (except I had to serge it when I got home), and I still had some time to work on the mesh bag.

Finished bag front  

(Next time I will use the longer zipper (12 inches) for both.  It's easier to install and you don't have that tricky seams at each end.  On this one I used a 7-inch zipper for the upper opening.  A 10-inch might work, but I think it would be a tad too short.)

Back side of the bag with the open pocket

Key-chain holder  

(With a shorter zipper, it is sort of buried, so it should be a tad more to the center of the purse, but with a 12-inch zipper it would have been fine.)

Now for the mesh bag

Filled with my boxes for class

Inner pocket for pen and tissues

perspective

All ready for class!

It started out as a skirt.... (and then it grew) -- and yet another truly poor pattern

I had an itch to divert from the projects I was supposed to be working on and trying to make the actual skirt I had based an earlier version on.  

I wanted to cut out what was required, but after studying the pattern pieces themselves and then the instruction sheet for quite some time, it was clear that they had NO idea what they were actually trying to describe.  This one brings lousy instructions to yet another low...  (I hate to be negative, but really....  I feel SO sorry for people who are just learning to sew.)

Finally I decided to begin with just one set of the instructions and see what was needed after that.  My idea worked fairly well, as it turned out.

I altered what they said to do and cut.  The photo on the pattern showed every tier of the skirt was gathered to the previous one.  The cutting instructions for tier 2 were ok (but the number of strips was totally wrong), and the cutting instructions of the bottom tier (or ruffle) were almost correct for what I actually did, but TOTALLY incorrect for the skirt pictured on the pattern AND for the instructions on how to make it on the inside.  The cutting instructions were closer, but still not correct.

The instructions for tier 3 were interesting.  They told you to cut the number required for how I made the skirt--which is no where near enough to gather it to tier 2.  (Now if you are feeling somewhat "lost", please get in line behind the whole long queue of which I am a member...)

Once I had cut tier 2 and 4, it became much clearer what to do about tier 3.  Tier 4 (ruffle), when cut as they directed, is not sufficient for gathering it to tier 3, but it is already over 4 yards around.  If you made it like the picture and the instructions (not the cutting directions), it would end up 10 YARDS around the bottom!   I do not know how many pounds it would weigh at that point, but I'm sure my granddaughter would find it awfully heavy.  

My solution was to gather tier 2 to tier 1.  Sew tier 3 to tier 4, apply the baby rick rack and hem tier 4, THEN gather tier 3/4 to tier 2.  This photo shows how it turned out.

They showed rick rack on every tier of the skirt--including at the hem--on one view; none on another view.  I had already determined that too much rick rack was going to be all in-your-face rick rack with these fabrics, so I knew I was not going to do that much.  But I really needed to de-emphasize the seam where tier 3 joined tier 4 without gathering, so I chose to apply one row of tiny baby rick rack, and I like the way it turned out.

The skirt

Just to show you how truly full it is this way, here is a "spread-the-skirt" photo.  You can see that it is PLENTY full enough for her favorite twirling!

As I was finishing it up, I kept mulling over more things.  The pattern showed how to decorate a store-bought tee shirt and included a butterfly pattern.  Finally I pulled a new tee shirt (already washed and dried) from their "staying at Nana's" supplies, and decided to play around with it.

First I applied the decorative stitching around the sleeves, using wash-away stablizer.  That went pretty well, so I put it around the neck, too.  (I was afraid the neck stitching might be a tad itchy, but not nearly as much as the store-bought ones which have really scratching stuff all over the back of appliques.  She will not wear anything that scratches.)  

Back view

Then I used used Steam-A-Seam 2 and cut out the butterfly, then steamed it to the shirt.  Using wash-away stablizer, I appliqued the butterfly to the shirt, added the body stitching and antenna, and wha-lah! 

After using the Wash-Away stablizer, I ran water over the back and rubbed it with my fingers in a sink of water.  Very soon it was all gone, so I dried the shirt.

One outfit...

When I had finished the skirt, there was one partial strip of the four fabrics left over.  It just kept screaming "purse" at me, so finally I gave in to the impulse.  I made this one up and getting the turn-it-to-the-outside could have been tricky with the zipper, but I figure it out correctly!  

It is lined with the same fabric as the butterfly and tier 1 of the skirt.  I used light weight iron-on pellon on the outside purse fabric and iron-on fleece on the lining fabric.  I didn't do the best job on the strap attachment, but it's fine for the what it will be used for (mostly hauling around fuzzy animals, sharks, etc.)

Back of purse

(I should have taken a proper shot of the zipper at the top, but it went home with it's happy owner this afternoon...)

Purse front

And the completed ensemble...

Pretty cute, if I do say so myself!  

And she LOVES that she can twirl and loves the purse, so that's real success.

Posh Pooch

I wanted to try out a new pattern and use this fabric I got last year.  I think she's going to like it!  It is very light weight so will be nice for summer (if it ever arrives!)

As I began working with the fabric and pattern I decided to use some glass beads I recently got for $1.00/pack at Beverly's.  I don't know if that's a good price or not, but it seemed reasonable, so I got several packages--making sure I got some turquoise--her new "favorite color".  This fabric matches them perfectly and they help break up the pattern.

I had not applied beads to anything in nearly 40 years and never to anything that really mattered how it turned out.  (Back then I was putting clear/colored beads on Christmas stockings.  I must remember to take photos of those and post them some day.)  

Of course I checked the bead attaching techniques in my serger manual, but their method for attaching single beads was not what I needed for this project, so out came the needle and thread for several hours.  

At first I could not make the beads line up properly or stay near enough together, but after about 4-5 inches I began developing my own system for applying them.  (Of course, if I hadn't been so busy sewing on beads I could have searched the internet for suggestions.  Instead I worked out a stitching method that worked pretty well.  I'm not sure I can describe it properly, but I'll try.  It is called the "back stitching" method.  I have now done a little search and I am actually using a more secure way of attaching the beads than those I have seen on-line. 

• First I sew on one bead.  Then I put the needle through that bead and add another bead, then I sew backwards to the beginning of the second bead. 
• I repeat the process, but after the second bead is attached, I insert the needle and pull the thread up completely and BACK TOWARDS the previous bead.  THEN I add the second bead, sew backwards, and repeat.

Of course I used all the hide-your-knot and thread tricks as well.

Close-up of the beading - I am pretty happy with most of it now.

Front view

Back view with zipper--I added the last half-inch of beading after the zipper was sewn in.  I stopped the beading at the row of vertical stitches for the zipper.  

There as also a little bag pattern included.   Several little dress patterns have various patterns for bags, but this is the first time I decided to make one.  I thought she'd enjoy the fabric and I like this pattern.  

I used light weight iron-on pellon on all of the pieces (including the lining).  I then added iron-on fleece to the back the outside fabric to hold the bag upright.  You can see how well it stands on it's own.  The pattern did not have the little velcro tab, but I thought it might be useful.  (She likes to haul her fuzzy animals around sometimes.)

For fun, I added the row of beads to the bag as well. 

Bag front view

She may rarely use them together, but she can if she want's too!

Can't wait to give this to her.  Her mommie is going to love the beading.

[Next summer I will add a ruffle around the bottom for extra length.]

And, guess what?  I ordered some photography lights and full-spectrum bulbs as well as a 90-degree angle arm for my tripod to see if I can get better pictures of all my projects!  Can't wait to try it out.

Tea Cosy

Some people like a proper "tea cozy" for the their tea pot, but I did not want to make anything which could be left on the pot while making OR pouring the tea because they get all messy and look disgusting.

At our house we have a proper English tea pot (after all, my husband IS from England!)

Also, I have a tiny pot for my Genmaicha

My daughter kept wrapping up the proper tea pot in a hand towel to keep it warm, and now that I'm drinking this little pot of Genmaicha--which makes two tea cups full--was also having to re-heat the second cup.  I decided to do something about that.  (Seriously, I am supposed to be making pants and shorts for a 5-year old!)

I have no detailed in-progress photos, but basically I measured the diameter of the larger pot and cut a 7-in. (finished size) circle with my clever ruler.  Then I cut a strip approximately the length of the circumference plus a seam allowance.  It was about 6-in. wide by 21-1/2 in. long.

I cut a contrasting fabric for the inside so I could make it reversible and not get bored looking at it!

Also a piece of Warm and Natural batting of each size.

I steamed Fusible Fleece to each piece (both the "inside" and the "outside" pieces). 

Then I quilted 5 or 6 rows down the vertical side pieces.

I stitched a loop of grosgrain ribbon in the center of each "top" (for something to grab it with).

I then stitched each top to each side and sewed them together, leaving maybe 4 inches of the seam open.  I pulled it inside-out, pinned the opening and top-stitched all the way around the bottom edge.

Wha-Lah!   A Tea Cozy!

My favorite side  (I have a Japanese Woodblock print in the kitchen with these colors.)

The other side

Loops on each side

Reversible!

It works really well.  Two layers of Fusible Fleece, plus one layer of Warm & Natural batting make it stand up on it's own and insulate pretty well.

Understated Fan Attire -- or Evolution of a Design

(could be a number of different teams with these colors)

My daughter wanted me to make her a simple little A-Line dress from some cute fabric for a game she was attending (so working to a deadline...)  

First of all, she went on a massive pattern hunt.  She did not find anything online that was exactly what she wanted.  She kept describing it to me, and what she really wanted was a late '60's or early '70's dress.  None of the patterns we found were compatible with the fabric, or exactly what she wanted.  I began designing it in my mind and trying to formulate exactly what was required to make it come out the way she wanted--knowing all the while that the final result would not be EXACTLY what she had in mind.

We had a stroke of luck (I thought) when I asked where the pattern had gone for a favorite dress I made her in the '90's from some lovely "koi" fabric she found.  It was not as curvaceous as she had in mind, and she wanted a square neck as well.  With the pattern in hand, I started looking at how to make a new one that would do the job.

I told her she should go to my "stash" and find a piece of fabric to make a "test" case in.  Keeping in mind that the dress is made from cotton, you may be as amazed as I was when she picked velveteen for the "test" case!  

After measuring, changing, and fiddling, I cut the dress and basted in the darts.  (Her pattern only had side bust darts, but I needed to make back darts at least, to achieve some of the curves.)  You can see where I adjusted the angle of the darts to make the placement accurate for her shape.  Also my initial attempt at the square neck she described.  (It wasn't right--she wanted it MORE square--no angle to the shoulders.)

I tried it on her and and saw that we needed not only the back darts, but diagonal (in this case "curved") darts from the hip to the bust, and also needed to move the change the side bust darts to accommodate the new darts.  You can see the new darts here:

Then it was back to the drawing board to create a pattern.  In order to get the new darts and changed side bust darts cut accurately, I marked it all on muslin and did not cut the sides until I stitched it up following the correct lines.  Here is the way it looked at this point.  As you can tell, I did not curve the darts for this fabric.  (She may have been happier if I had, but I was rather overwhelmed at this point and decided she would have to live with straight-line darts.)

I basted in the darts and cut the side.  Then I removed the basting and used the muslin as my pattern.

I thought I was ready to begin, but she got up the next morning and told me she had decided she wanted the dress to be lined, so we had another delay while getting the lining, then washing and drying it.  Finally I could cut everything out.  The last seams were the side seams so I could adjust the fit.  (As I mentioned, she is not entirely happy with the final fit.)

I'm pretty happy with the pattern matching at the back zipper.

The side seams are not absolutely perfect, but that's not so very surprising.  Of course with a tapered seam, they won't look like the center back.

This one shows how I stitched down the seam allowance and lining across the front of the square neck to prevent the lining from rolling to the outside.

This view includes the squared front neck and the lining hand stitched down the sides of the zipper.

Front darts from the inside

Back darts - lining; showing 1-1/2" opening in the lining below the bottom of the zipper to allow lining to drape well at the hips.

I used 3-thread serging to make the strings to hold the lining in place at the hem without attaching it to the dress.

The final outcome just looks like a big rectangle without her in it.  It's pretty neat, but still does not fit just as she wants.  Perhaps next time...

Perhaps one day I will get to take a photo of her wearing the dress.  (My attempt to steal one of her mobile ones failed.