Plaid, Plaid, Plaid!!

So here we are another weekend and another weekend project! I know, it has been all sewing all the time for me! I attribute it to the cold weather. Or something. Not sure why I have been so busy in the sewing room, unless it is because I am getting close to making my mother of the bride dress!

This being said, I started work this weekend on a cute cardigan type jacket. I have a wonderful plaid wool that my daughter gave me for Christmas one year. I this it was 2 years ago and I have been dying to use it, but wanted to use it for something special. Plaid is tricky. You have to use just the right pattern or run the chance of looking like a 1970's throwback. Basically I feel that you should use a simple design for the garment the more "busy" the fabric is. I have never been a super fan of plaid but this is just a lovely fabric with a great "feel" and is very lightweight!

The plaid I am using is a beautiful lightweight wool with an all over brownish beige pattern. It is very lovely and just a joy to work with. Used as the lining is a rement that I bought a few years ago at Britex on their rement floor. It is a brown silk with a slight dotted pattern. Another lovely fabric!

Vogue basic cardigan style jacket

I used a simple Vogue pattern for a basic cardigan style jacket. No buttons or closures and patch pockets on the front. I used view B of the pattern.

Beautiful wool plaid!

Looks kind of funky 1/2 done!

Somehow, I managed to match up the pockets!

 Plaids are tricky. You have to make sure that if the design is very visable, you have to match up the plaid in certain areas. That means paying attention when you cut out the pattern, and it may be necessary to obtain extra fabric (more than the pattern calls for) to allow for the matching. Also, if you have pockets in the front, there will be a need to allow for the pattern to match up on the front. It is not difficult, but it does require more time and patience. Also, this wool was a loose weave. This means that it unravels easily so extra care will need to be taken to finish seams to discourage the fabric to unravel. I used both bias tape as well as finishing the seams to provide a more finished look (even though it is inside the jacket and will never be seen!

View of the inside lining

Hand sewing the lining on

The finished product!

I really like how the finished product came out. The picture above does not do it justice (and the pattern does match up on the jacket in the front, it just looks funky on my dress form! I really like the option of having a cute, lightweight jacket that I can dress up or down. I can pair this with a dressy skirt (brown or blue) and I have a suit for work. I can throw it on with a pair of jeans and a bright scarf (purple or pink would be nice) and I have a cute casual look.

 A view of the inside facing. 

I love my labels!

All in all I am very pleased with the outcome. It took both Saturday and Sunday (1/2 day each day) to complete the jacket (including the cutting out of the fabric and matching the plaid). I would use this pattern again, it was very simple. Hopefully I can post a much better picture of the finished product on me instead of the dress form. It looks much better on!

I intend to stay away from the sewing machine for the next few weeks to give myself a break. I plan on traveling to San Francisco to the fabulous Britex fabric on Geary Street to shop for fabric for my mother of the bride dress. I am leaving the weekend of the 22nd so stay tuned for fabric blogging!!

The easiest blouse ever!

So while I am waiting to decided if I am going to SF to fabric shop and also waiting for the Oscars tonight, I decided to whip up a quick blouse!

Now like more fabric-holics, I have a fabric stash. I have a small dresser that I keep most of my fabric to be used "someday" for fabulous creations. I have more fabric than I have time at this point (and yet I buy more!). Is there an intervention for fabric buying??

I had this beautiful 100% silk print that I bought while in NYC a couple of years ago. I was there for work and our office is on Times Square, near the fashion district. I found this fabric at a retailer near the hotel I stayed at. It was so beautiful and I had been saving it for "something"!

Some things to think about when working with silk. It is really not as scary as you think. Silk is very strong and is wonderful to the touch. It drapes beautifully and can be both dressy as well as more casual. But you do have to stay focused when sewing as it can be slippery and may be hard to work with. It is necessary to use silk pins as well as a ball point needle to avoid pin marks or snags in the fabric. If you take your time and focus, there is no reason to fear using silk!

A business card from the fabric shop

100% silk: lovely

Close up view of the blue flowers

As you can see, it drapes beautifully

Now I decided that the time was right for me to do something with it. Maybe I was longing for spring. Maybe I was just wanting to feel productive. Maybe I was bored. Who knows? The end result is a blouse that I whipped up in less than 2 hours (and that includes cutting!).

Butterick pattern

The above Butterick pattern was used for the blouse. I had previously made this top out of an inexpensive red polka dot fabric that I picked up at Joanne's fabrics. I wanted to make the blouse first out of an inexpensive fabric prior to cutting into a pricier fabric. This is so that any mistakes or fitting errors can be made without sacrificing the more expensive piece. (see below for red version). It also allows me to see how I like the finished version and if I want to change anything (sleeves, facings, etc).

Red polka dot verison

I liked the way it came out so much that I decided to use the same pattern for the silk fabric. I did make some changes. I lengthened it about an inch. I am seriously long-waisted and often I have to alter the patterns to accommodate that. Also, I changed the sleeves to a non-flutter sleeve. The original pattern called for flutter sleeves (made on the red version). Now they are ok, but if I wear this with a cardigan (which I often do) then the sleeves tend to bunch up. I don't like that so I changed the silk version to a set in sleeve with pleats at the top.
Also, the silk pattern is a one way design. In order to make sure that things match up properly, you have to be careful when you cut out the pieces. That does require some planning and you have to make sure that you have a little extra fabric to work with. And since the collar is cut on the bias, make sure that you allow for that as well.

All in all, this is a very simple blouse. There are no buttons, closures or zippers of any kind. No interfacing is used and it comes together very quickly. I will use this pattern again and there are options to change it up even more. Used a different color for the collar, that will make it look completely different! If you wanted to add a placket and buttons on the front, that would change the look as well (something that I thought of for this version). It would also look good sleeveless for the summer, just use a bias fabric to create an edging of the sleeves ( which would also be great in a contrasting color to match the contrasting collar)!

So there are many ways you could change this around. I have a grey pencil skirt that I wear continuously (more often than I should!). This would work wonderfully with that!

The finished blouse!

Mother of the Bride dress: Ughhh!

So... After a long decision concerning my mother of the bride dress, I decided to go with the vintage pattern shown in my last post! I have started working on the muslin for the dress and so far so good. Until I started to shop for fabric.

I went out today for a short trip over to Lansing, IL to visit Vogue Fabrics. Now I hadn't been over there in a while, but they have been in their Lansing location for years. I remember shopping there back in 1989 when I was living here with hubby's mom and pregnant with Meghan. Much to my surprise when I pulled up: the store had a "for lease" sign on it and was vacant!! I was horrified! I drove about a block away to a local fast food joint to use the restroom and grab a Diet Coke and questioned the young lady behind the counter. She said they had been gone about a year or so now. Damn! Now they do have other locations (Evanson as well as the south Loop area). But Lansing is closer and I was really looking forward to the day browsing through the bolts of fabric. Ugghhhh!

So the plan is to potentially go next Saturday for a Chicago area fabric- crawl (some people do bar crawls, some do cupcake crawls: apparently I do fabric crawls!  I may also just say screw it and book a trip back out to San Francisco to visit the Orgasmic Britex Fabrics! After talking with Meghan this afternoon that might be the best option. I could also help her with potential veil ideas while I'm there.

Stay tuned! If I do the fabric crawl next weekend, expect a post and pictures! And there may be a SF trip in March as well! I still don't know for sure the color of the dress. I have been leaning towards a type of Thai Silk or something similar in weight. I know that I don't want anything shiny or noisy like taffeta. I am of the mind that when I find what I am looking for, then it will hit me. I just may have to fly across the country to find it!!

Mother of the Bride dress: Is this the one??

So here we go, the year 2013! As you all know I am going to make my mother of the bride dress for the June wedding of my daughter. There was much talk about me making her gown, but the last time I was visiting in California she found the dress of her dreams. It was a gorgeous strapless gown from a Columbian designer and was an allover embroidery over tulle style. Now, as much as I wanted to make her gown, I understood my limitations and that I could not duplicate this gown. So she decided to purchase her gown instead of having me make it. I was not upset at all because when you find the "one" gown that blows your mind, that takes over. It's her day and she should have what she wants. And she looked stunning in it!!

Now, getting back to my dress. I have been going back and forth for several months about the style of my dress. Meghan gave me no restrictions, it is all up to me. From what I hear of European weddings, they are big on the hat and gloves thing. I am so all over that! It appeals to my love of vintage and if I have a free pass to wear a fabulous hat and gloves in public, I'm there!

With that said you have to have a certain style dress to pull that look off, IMO. So I was thinking a vintage styled type dress, with some modern touches. I also didn't want a strapless dress or anything that really shows my arms. Don't want to scare the relatives!  Also, although I am working on losing weight I am still a bit chubby and want to have a style that is flattering.

So what to do? I think I may have the answer! The following is a vintage styled pattern (from 1951) that should fit the bill. I am concerned that I may be too big to pull it off, but it has the elegant style I was looking for and would look great with a fabulous hat and gloves! Not sure of the color yet (have to match those Dress Blues!!).

So: What do you think? Is this the "one"???

The Wedding Quilt: Complete!!!

Well after about 6 months of sore fingers and hands, the wedding quilt is finally finished!! Yay! I did the final wash and dry and went over the quilt to look for any mistakes or things I missed. I won't actually mail it out to Meghan and Don until after the holidays as I want the local family members to take a look at it. They may not get a chance to see it after I send it off to California!

I am really proud of how it turned out. I consider it a bridal quilt, although not one in the traditional sense because it is not white. But this is what the bride wanted and we all know that whatever the bride wants, the bride gets!! This was the first one that I actually designed the entire pattern myself. Normally the wholecloth quilts I have made used a paper template that I traced onto the fabric. This one I used several different designs from books and such, and incorporated it all together into one quilt. I am very please with the results!

A close up view of the border

The center "lovebird" design

A view of the all over quilt

My apologies if the pictures are not that great. I think it had to do with the lighting in the bedroom.

So there it is: only 6 months or so in the making! I loved how it turned out but not really ready to do another one anytime soon!

Now stayed tuned after the holidays for the mother of the bride dress I will be making for myself. No idea yet as to the color or style, but it will be fabulous! I get to wear a hat and gloves, just like the royal family (but without all the crazy family drama!!!)

Happy Holidays all!

The Wedding Quilt: Labels!!

Labels, labels, labels!!!  I have a thing for labels. I think that not only do they provide a nice way to "document" your quilt, but they also provide a type of history of why the quilt was made. Especially for something like a wedding quilt. I added two labels to this wedding quilt.

One label simply provides my name, it is the same type of label that I use on garments. You can have these made from an online service and I probably have these from years ago. Simply hand stitch onto the back of the quilt.

The other label is one that I had made from a vendor I found on Etsy. I wanted something embroidered that documents the wedding. And since I don't do embroidery I enlisted the help of someone else! She did a fabulous job and the entire thing only cost me about $25. Now some have mentioned that this label is rather "large". It is. And I like it that way. I wanted to have this very cute saying on the quilt and although the label is larger than normal, it will document their wedding!

The last part of the quilting process is well, in process!  I go over the quilt for any mistakes and loose threads, then wash and dry the quilt. Why do I wash it? Well, it does several things. It removes all the pencil marks that might have been left on the quilt. It also removes any batting fuzz or potential dog hair (yes that happens!). But probably the main reason I wash/dry it is to shrink it. It gives it an "antique" look that I like. I do preshrink the fabric before I quilt it but the batting will shrink somewhat as well. When that happens it give the quilt a type of "lived in" look that I like. And of course washing and drying it makes it pristine for the presenting of the gift!

Stay tuned for more quilting madness!!!

The Wedding Quilt: Home stretch!!

Ahh the home stretch of the wedding quilt! Yay! I have been working hard to finish up the quilt so that the family coming to the house on Christmas will be able to see the finished product. I wasn't sure who would get to see the quilt once I send it to Meghan in Berkeley, so I want to have it done soon for all to see "live".

So we are basically done with the quilting part and starting on the binding. I like to use a narrow binding and not a really wide one. The wide bindings remind me of the ratty blankets that kids drag around when they are little, with the wide, satin bindings and I don't care for that look. It's just me, if you prefer wide bindings by all means, don't be offended! Now you can make your own bias binding in any color or fabric you like, but I actually prefer to use pre-made binding. It is easy and there are many different colors available today.

My preferred type of binding

I like to use extra wide, double fold binding and then open it up and press it flat. Then I fold it in half and re press it and it is the exact size that I like for my quilt bindings. It is easy to work with and if you need to make it longer then just stitch another package length to the first one. I think that I like this because once I finally get to the end of the quilting process, I want it to be done and over with. So easy is the way to go!!

Now there has been much discussion (at least I think there has been much discussion) about how to round the corners of your quilt so that it looks right. My favorite way to do this: use a dinner plate. Yes, a dinner plate! It is the perfect round-ness and you simply trace the edge of the plate with your pencil and you never miss! You can use a saucer for small baby quilts, a salute plate for twin quilts and a larger dinner plate for the larger quilts. Plate: not just for meals anymore!!

Trace along the plate with your pencil!

Now once that is done, you simply cut along your tracing lines and then stitch the binding to the edges of the quilt. I machine stitch. I find I have more control that way and it holds better. Then I hand stitch the edge of the binding to the back of the quilt. It may take a while but it gives the front of the quilt a nice, clean look and allows you to manipulate around the corners.

Hand stitch the binding to the quilt

After that you are basically done! I have a few more tips and tricks for the final steps which will be on the next post. I like to go over the quilt to check out any "mistakes" and also put on labels and wash the quilt. Stay tuned: more to come!