Jeans

Finally, the 10^th piece of the 12^th Piece Wardrobe is completed.  What a relief it was when I sewed the finally stitches of the grape jeans.  I have worked on the jeans for a while because I had trouble finding all the pieces of the pattern I used the last time I made jeans.  I found lots of pieces, but I wasn’t sure which pieces were the final, “after fitting the pattern”, pieces.  I tried to make sure this time that I marked all changes I made to the pattern and had one clean, dated pattern preserved for the next time I want to make jeans.

I used a grape denim purchased from Zinck’s Fabrics in Ligonier, Indiana.  I never intended to use that color in the twelve-piece wardrobe that I am constructing, but I was immediately drawn to the fabric as soon as I saw it.  Maybe it was because I had never seen denim in that color.    I knew that if I chose grape as one of the main colors, it would make getting 72 outfits from 12 pieces even more difficult.  But I decided to do just that!

I used the “Eureka! Pants that Fit” pattern along with the “Sporty Details for the Eureka! Pants that Fit” pattern.  The Sporty Details explains how to use your pants pattern from the Eureka! Pants that Fit pattern to make jeans.  I especially like this pants pattern because it gives three different pants backs and you choose the back that most closely represents your derriere.  Back 1 is for people with a very flat derriere.  Back 2 is for a round derriere and Back 3 is for generous derriere.  Choosing the right back piece for you can make it easier to fit the back and the crotch n my

It is definitely more time consuming to make jeans than it is to make pants because there are more parts.  It also takes more time to do the top stitching.  For me, it is worth the time and effort because I can make jeans that fit me better than the ones I can buy.  They may not fit perfectly, but they do fit better.

A closeup shot of one of the back pockets is shown below.  I used one of the stitches in my sewing machine and stitched it with a variegated top stitch thread.

 

Pictures of the finished jeans are shown below.

 

 

Now I can work on sewing the last two pieces of the 12-piece wardrobe.  I plan to make a vest and a skirt.  Hopefully, they won’t take as much time as the jeans did!  I do have to fit a pattern for both and fitting is the most time-consuming part of sewing.   Thankfully, fitting a vest and a skirt will take a lot less time than fitting jeans.

I hope you are trying some new summer patterns.  Remember to record all your changes to

any pattern you are fitting on a permanent copy.  That way, your pattern will be ready to use the

next time you need it.

 

Judy

 

 

 

Ninth Piece of 12-Piece Core Wardrobe

I just completed the ninth piece of the 12-piece core wardrobe I have been sewing for a presentation for the Lansing Clippers in September.  I am anxious to complete it because there are so many other projects I want to make.  I used the ABB (Anything But Basic) tee pattern by the DIBY Club which is now owned by Copper Creek Patterns.  I used a soft green knit similar to a French terry knit from the now defunct JoAnn Fabrics.

There is nothing difficult about making a tee top, so this project went together quickly.  It did take a little longer than usual because I added some embroidered fall leaves to the front of the top.  I never attempt to add an embroidered design to anything without doing a sample first.  I used some iron-on tricot interfacing on the back of the knit to stabilize it.   I placed a lightweight tear-away stabilizer and a web mesh cut-away stabilizer in the embroidery hoop.  I placed a sheet of water-soluble topping on the tee top. 

The embroidery sample was really stiff!  I decided not to use the tear-away stabilizer on the embroidery on the shirt.  I still used the iron-on tricot interfacing on the back of the knit fabric and I used the web mesh cut-away in the hoop and placed a piece of the water-soluble topping on the shirt.  The design is still a little stiff, but it will be okay. 

A picture of the shirt is shown below with a close-up of the embroidery design.

 

Do you have your summer wardrobe ready?  It looks like we may actually experience warm and sunny weather in Michigan soon!

Judy

 

Still Working on 12-Piece Core Wardrobe

I just completed the eighth piece of my 12-piece core wardrobe.  It is a black and white print blouse made from the Kayla Shirt Pattern from In House Patterns.  It is the same pattern I used to make the grape print shirt I made a few months ago.  I did make a few changes to the pattern.  I had to really think about the changes I made to consider how one change might affect another aspect of the pattern.

I used 100% cotton for the grape print shirt and I used a rayon blend for this one.  I knew the two fabrics would react differently¸ so I was prepared for that.  I decided I wanted this shirt to be a little less fitted and more drapey than the grape one.  I started by adding ¼ inch to each of the side seams.  That would give me another one inch in the total circumference of the top.

I made the sleeves full length instead of ending just below the elbows.  When doing so, I added ¼ inch to the front and back of the sleeve from under the arm to the bottom of the sleeve.  That accommodated the larger armscye that was created when I added ¼ inch to the side seams of the shirt. 

Then, it was necessary to make the cuffs a little smaller in circumference because the original cuff pattern was for the area just below the elbow.  That area of the arm is definitely larger than the wrist.  I used the same cuff pattern, but decreased the circumference by 3 ¼ inches.   I made some small gathers at the end of the sleeve to fit it into the cuff.

When I cut the two neckbands, one was larger than the other, even though they were both cut at once.  I believe that was a problem caused by the slightly crinkled rayon fabric.  After I ironed on the interfacing to one of the neckbands, the other band was larger.  I had some extra fabric, so I ironed on the interfacing and then cut the neckbands.  Both neckbands have the interfacing.  I think this was necessary due to the unstable fabric. 

After I finished the blouse, I finally made myself hem the gray pants that I finished several weeks ago, but just never got around to hemming them.  A picture of the pants and blouse is shown below. 

 

I have four more pieces to make for the core wardrobe.  I hope to have all pieces completed by late June or early July.  That will give me a little breathing room before my presentation to the Lansing Clippers in September.

Good luck with your sewing projects!  If you need inspiration for sewing, schedule a sewing day with a few of your friends.  That is a good way to get inspiration and ideas for new projects.

Judy