Preparing for the Sewing Retreat

Next week is the Lansing Clippers’ Sewing Retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana.  I am busy this week trying to get prepared.  I need to get things cut out that I intend to sew when I get to the retreat.  However, I  need to make a couple of new tee-tops to take with me.  I also need to prepare for a meeting of the Pattern Works Neighborhood Group which is this Saturday.  Just to make things interesting, the peaches on one of our two peach trees ripened.  That means I have to do something with those peaches.  And I know our sweet corn is just about ready.  That will probably happen in another day or two and then I will have to prepare the corn for the freezer.  I also plan to attend the meeting of the Embroidery Neighborhood Group in a couple of days.   Of course, I always have the usual housekeeping duties of laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc.  The list goes on; but somehow, I will manage to get through the list and show up next week at the sewing retreat more or less prepared.

Dave picked the peaches and I made some jam.  Maybe tomorrow I can make some pies for the freezer or just make the pie filling and freeze that.  I don’t think there will be much cleaning done this week.  Maybe I can get something cut out for next week.

I decided to use fabric from my stash for the two tee-tops.  I have been trying not buy fabric for a while now and just use whatever I have on hand.  It is a great plan, but I am not making much of a dent in my supply of fabric.   I chose a green knit print I purchased from Zinck’s Fabric Outlet in Ligonier for the first top.  I used the pattern I have used for years, McCall’s 6964, but I decided to do something to make it a little different.  In other words, I wanted to do a pattern hack.  I have been thinking about putting tulip sleeves on a tee-top for a while now, so I decided this was the time to do it. 

For some guidance on how to make a tulip sleeve pattern, I went to the book, Patternmaking for Fashion Design, by Helen Joseph Armstrong.  On page 370 I found information on how to make a pattern for a plain petal tulip sleeve by using a regular short sleeve pattern.  It showed how to draft both the front and back sleeves and then how to combine them into a one-piece sleeve pattern.  I made the pattern and then cut out four sleeves because I needed to line each sleeve.  I started at the underarm seam and pinned in the front portion of the sleeve.  Then I pinned the back portion starting at the underarm section and pinned towards the shoulder seam and overlapped the front portion of the sleeve.  I basted the sleeve into the armscye just to make certain I had pinned it correctly in place.  It worked!  Now I have another style sleeve I can use when making a tee top.  Pictures of the top are shown below.

 

I made the second tee-top from a piece of aqua polka dot print knit in my stash.  It was recently given to me by a friend, Candy, who was cleaning out her mother’s sewing room after she passed.  Her mother was a quilter, so we have no idea what she planned to make from the knit fabric.  I do think Candy’s mother, Bonnie, would be pleased to know her fabric went to someone who would use it.   She also gave me a piece of aqua solid woven fabric that I can use to make capris to go with the top, but that project will have to wait.  I have no time to take that on this week!  A picture of the top is shown below with a close-up of the fabric.

 

Now I need to find a pattern and some fabric to cut for the sewing retreat.  I am looking forward to sewing, chatting with other sewing enthusiasts, eating, and maybe a little fabric shopping! 

Have fun with your sewing!

Judy