The Laurie Bag

In early September I posted about my plans for making a 12-piece wardrobe and several other items I wanted to sew to add to my wardrobe.  It seems like if I voice what I intend to do, something will inevitably pop up to throw a monkey wrench into my plans.  This time was no exception.  I have been having medical issues ever since I wrote that post.  I am doing better, so I hope my plans will still come to fruition.

A few days ago, I decided to make a small project to try to get back into the habit of sewing.  I promised a friend of mine I would make her a small bag that would hold the essentials.  It was time to make good that promise.  I found all the supplies I needed in my stash or maybe I should say I found them in my “resource center”.  I understand that is the new term to describe all the fabric and supplies most of us have collected over our years of sewing.

I designed the bag as I worked on it.  I used my cell phone to determine the size.  I made the bag a little larger than needed to accommodate my phone because I am not sure what size my friend’s phone is.  The finished size is approximately 9 ½ inches wide and 7 inches tall.  It has two separate sections, both closed with zippers.  The front section will hold a cell phone and a few other essentials such as car keys.  It also has a small pocket and two spaces to insert a ball point pen.  The back section has a divided insert that will hold a driver’s license and some credit cards.  There is room in front of the divider for paper money.

I made the purse from a piece of fabric I purchased from Zinck’s Fabrics in Ligonier, Indiana a while ago with the intention of someday making a purse with it.  It is sturdy and will hold the shape.  The color is black, which will make it a good, basic bag.  I added some decorative stitches using a variegated color thread on the front of the bag to add a splash of color.  The bag is lined with a fabric of those same colors.

Pictures of the finished bag are shown below.

 

 

I think I will call this bag “The Laurie Bag” in honor of the person for whom it was created.  I like the pattern and will probably make a couple for myself.  Thanks, Laurie, for giving me the idea and reason to create this bag.

I hope all of you will make something fun to add to your fall wardrobe.  Maybe you could try one of these small, simple bags.  They are great to take shopping because you won’t be weighed down with all that extraneous stuff that most of us carry in larger purses.  Just keep it simple!

Judy

Purposeful Sewing

Of course, I always sew with a purpose; that purpose usually being to add to my wardrobe or make a gift.    Now, I have another purpose to think about when I sew.  I am committed to giving a presentation to the Lansing Clippers (ASG chapter) in September of 2025 about a 12-piece coordinated wardrobe.  That should be relatively easy to do as long as I get busy sewing those twelve pieces now.  That means I only need to sew one piece per month for the next year. 

I know that I also need to add some other pieces to my wardrobe soon.  For example, I would love to have a new winter coat and winter is fast approaching here in Michigan.  I also have several pants in progress that need to be completed.  I should be able to accomplish these things along with the 12-piece coordinated wardrobe if I plan my sewing time and stick with it.  The difficult part of planning this wardrobe is to find fabric that coordinates with most of the pieces.  I did a coordinated wardrobe a few years ago and was able to make 72 outfits from the twelve pieces.  We will see how many I can get this time.

 I usually post about almost everything I sew.  I plan to do that with the coordinated wardrobe as well, but I will sprinkle in posts about other articles I make that are not a part of the wardrobe.  I think I will include the top with the wing collar and placket that I posted about August 25, 2024.  I believe that top will go well with the fabrics I chose for the three bottom pieces of the wardrobe.

I just completed a top that I plan to use for the wardrobe.  It is another tee top made from McCall’s M6964, but I changed the neckline.  Instead of the traditional round bound neckline, I increased the height of the neckline so that it would drape down slightly similar to a high cowl neckline.  A picture of the finished top is shown below.  This will also be a part of the coordinated wardrobe.

Some time ago, I purchased a machine embroidery design of a chicken from Embroidery Library.  I thought it would look good on a tee top, but it was too large for that.  I really loved that chicken and wanted to use it on something.  I decided to put it on the back of a white sweatshirt.  After all, it is almost sweatshirt weather here in Michigan.  Pictures of the sweatshirt are shown below.

 

 

I hope you are planning to sew something for your winter wardrobe soon.  Have fun!

Judy

 

 

 

Drafting a Different Neckline for a Tee Top

Recently, I decided to make another knit top, but this time I wanted to make something a little bit different.  This one would be for the fall and winter season with long sleeves.  I wanted a different neckline; one that was not round with a binding.  I have been experimenting a little with drafting changes to my basic tee top pattern, so I looked through Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong for ideas.  On page 426 I found directions for drafting a wing collar and placket.  As usual, the book gives two designs; one with instructions and one without.   I chose design 1 with instructions.  The placket had straight lines and a rectangular shape.  The wing collar had angled lines.

The instructions for drafting the design were straightforward and easy to follow.  There were even instructions about how to cut out space from the front of the original pattern to make room to insert the wing collar and placket.   As usual, there were no instructions about how to sew the placket and collar and insert it into the opening in the original pattern.  And there were no instructions about how to finish the back neckline.  I made a facing for the back and attached it to the shoulder seam.   I could do those things because I have experience in sewing.  Without that experience I would not have not known how to proceed after I had the drafting done.

Pictures of my new shirt are shown below.

 

I learned some lessons from this experience:

Lesson #1:  Always make a muslin.  I did not do this.  I cut into my fabric after I drafted the piece and hoped for the best.  A muslin would have offered me the opportunity to plan ways to finish the inside of the garment where I added the placket and the back facing.  How I finished the inside was okay, but I could have made it better if I had sewn a muslin first. 

Lesson #2:  Take your height into consideration when drafting the piece.  Remember, the pattern was probably drafted for a 5’ 6” person.  I am shorter than that; therefore, the placket should probably have been 2 – 4 inches shorter.  I can wear the garment as it is, but I will definitely shorten it when I use it again.

I would like to try to make Design 2 on page 426 of the book, Patternmaking for Fashion Design, but I am not sure I can figure that one out without any instructions.  The placket has a curved bottom, which I could do; however, I am not sure how to do the double round collar.  Maybe I will see if the members of the Pattern Works Neighborhood Group can help me figure this one out.

Good luck with any of your sewing projects.  Remember, you don’t know if you can do something unless you try!

Judy