Stitch and bitch thread #10. There’s a pattern here

[NutellaEllaElla]

Time for a new thread as the weather starts to turn.
Welcome back oldies and come on in newbies!

@Brefugee
@PickAChew
@BlackAmericanoNoSugar
@Bookbook
@Allthegoodnamestakken
@SewingBees
@Twobluechickens
@kittykarate
@Jins
@Chewbecca
@CrimsonAlligator
@InMySpareTime
@MeAgainAndAgain
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@Rosenspants
@OperationalSupport
@Twobluechickens
@Frumpyunicorn
@Hiddendoor
@PrincessofWells
@Isabelle70
@Daffyyellow
@Sewliketosew
@Lifesingflowers
@123ZYX
@Faffadoodledo
@MorriganManor
@GnomeDePlume
@Isabelle70
@DiggoryVenn
@Wilma55
@ZebraD
@Frankincenseandoranges
@Catnipcupcakes
@Tinuviel
@Karatema
@Nameohnameohname
@Outandabout43
@Thesugarbumfairy
@DuchessNope
@ShoAndSew
@Notthatcatagain
@Spaceman101
@Karatema
@Twwodoorsaway

Whereas i'd do one off the list in like, 6 months!

@PickAChew

Absolutely!!

Thanks @CrimsonAlligator - I'm not near an Abakhan but you've given me a good excuse for a trip to Manchester! Hopefully, I'll be able to fit one in before Christmas.

@CrimsonAlligator I seem to recall that Anna Allen has some really good instructions on how to adjust the fit of jeans. If I can find them I’ll send a link.

Hi everyone I am just checking in, I haven't got much sewing done recently but have managed to cut out my peices for a toile of a style-arc dress. I'm thinking of making a dress for our work Christmas do too, I might just get it finished in time!

After a frenetic week sewing on my new machine I'm going to have to take a break for a few days after going arse over tit and hurting myself. I'll be forced to do loads of boring admin that I've been ignoring 😅

Oh dear @PickAChew ! Hope you haven’t caused yourself too much damage!

My house is a mess so I need to get it tidy before I can justify turning the sewing machine on. I was only away for a week but everything is in disarray and there’s a massive ironing pile from before I went away 🙄

I’m off to Turkey tomorrow so sewing has stopped for a while. I’ve finished my Ballad blouse in black viscose - much better fit through sizing down and using the full bust piece so I guess that’s the way forward. According to measurements I shouldn’t be sizing down and definitely shouldn’t need a FBA but this is the third LN pattern now that has produced a much better fit by doing so.

My sewing output always seems to slow down as we hit autumn. I’m hoping to keep going with remnant busting this year though.

edited to wish @PickAChew a rapid recovery

Yikes @PickAChew that sounds painful. Hope you recover soon.

I’ve temporarily halted work on my jeans toile. I think I finally had a breakthrough but it’s definitely going to need another toile to double check. I can’t quite face that at the moment!

As i’m currently working my way through an online course on shirt design, I have the Archer shirt lined up as a next project. It’s a suitably “bland”, but well drafted pattern to experiment on. Just need to stop myself from applying everything I’ve learnt so far on a single shirt. That would be a bit mad 😂

The wearable jeans toile I made in the Spring still lacks a closure. OK, it has a zip but I have zero motivation to put a catch or button on. By the time I had made that pattern sort of fit me, I hated the lines of it. I need to try again with a different pattern, I think.

I wouldn’t be surprised if my jeans making efforts end up going the same way 😂

I’d sort of forgotten just how much work goes into a “proper” shirt - 19 pattern pieces! Really makes you wonder how commercially made shirts can be sold for relatively little money.

Second pair of pyjamas finished! Only they’re definitely summer PJs and we’re heading for a cold snap. Oh well, very pleased with them. I followed a serged waistband tutorial from SewSewLive and it looks really good; will definitely do all elasticated waistbands this way from now on.

Haven’t decided what to sew next. Got some half price coloured denim (seconds apparently due to a fault running through) so might use that to toile the Heidi jeans; alternatively I might try a straight leg pair of Ash jeans. A few more jersey tops wouldn’t go amiss either. And perhaps a cosy flannel shirt.

I love a nice flannel shirt @twobluechickens. That’s what I’m working on at the moment!

There’s not been much sewing so far as tracing & cutting have taken up most of my time. I’m still pondering the pockets - the original ones included with the Archer shirt look like they’ve had zero thought put into them. It was probably a carefully considered and deliberate style decision, but it just doesn’t look like it!

I’m quite tempted by the Paper Theory Olya but I can’t bear the thought of doing sleeve plackets. I mess them up every time, although I suppose flannel is probably more robust? And do I really care if it’s not perfect?

That's the sort of thing you can practice with scrap fabric @twobluechickens - I've done just that with a half button placket, in the past, and I deliberately didn't do the final stitching so I could use my folding as a guide for the real thing. I also ended up adjusting the pattern piece as it was clear that no allowance had been made for the thickness of the fabric or any wiggle room at all and I didn't have much left for the final fold.

I’ve found - to my detriment - that flannel is not always that robust, but depending on the pattern it can be really effective at hiding those kind of mistakes.

A top tip I’ve picked up from my shirt design class is that the part of the placket that’s to the left of the cutting line (i.e. the tower/ higher bit) should always be wider than the bit that’s to the right of that line. I’ve not seen that in any of the patterns I’ve used, but sounds similar to what @PickAChew is describing. If you add a few millimetres to the left of the placket, you may find that sewing up the placket becomes a lot more straightforward.

Another thing I picked up with that particular placket - it was a Maison Fauve pattern with a sewalong video - was using a piece of paper to form your straight folds. Also useful because you can add measuring marks. I also find it helpful to not interface within the seam allowance to reduce bulk.

Thanks both - I’ll look up the Maison Fauve video. No sewing this evening, decided to tidy up my workspace before starting anything new. Still not quite decided what I fancy making but did have a bit of a fabric cull ahead of a swap next week. Not that I need to bring anything back with me!

It's for the Atlas blouse and dress, @twobluechickens - a front button placket rather than a cuff placket but the same idea. It's also in French but very clear and features a nice Brother sewing machine. I always enjoy the sewing machines in sewalong videos, even if it's not a brand or model I fancy for myself.

@PickAChew totally agree with you about sewing machines. I love the sound of them on videos. They always sound so much smoother than mine.

I have finished my wedding sewing. Jacket and top which will be worn over dark blue trousers. The sari edging was so much easier to sew than I was expecting.

Lovey for a autumn wedding, @GnomeDePlume

@PickAChew Thank you.

I got to see the wedding dress last night. DD looked beautiful.

That’s lovely @GnomeDePlume . Also kind of refreshing to see a wedding party outfit that’s not a dress! Great choice, especially with that fabric.

That looks really lovely @GnomeDePlume I love the colours

I really like that @GnomeDePlume , it’s a fabulous colour