Pattern Review - Zakka Sewing Tape Measure Cozy

I've been meaning to make this for some time!  I bought a couple square Clover tape measures last year for the project, and have finally gotten around to making it happen.

I did not use the pattern provided in the project (photocopy and enlarge, ugh).  But fortunately the plastic part of the packaging on the tape measure served as a perfectly sized template to make a pattern.  I also did not add the circle charms and so made one continuous side panel for the cover.  I did make an applique for the "button" on the tape measure, which is not included in the instructions.

This was an easy enough project, definitely good practice for your ladder/invisible seam hand stitching!  It's also very easy to adapt the pattern and just use the idea for your own tape measure cozy if you can't source any of the square Clover ones (they are available on Amazon, btw).

One of these will be for one of my sewing kits, the other will be sent to my mom as one of her birthday gifts next month.

Pattern Review - NanaCompany's Well-Traveled Sewing Book

Amy from NanaCompany blogged about this very nice sewing travel 'book' pattern she put together, based on her adorable needlebook pattern.  It comes in two PDFs, one for the book "cover", and one for the "pages".  There is enough blank space to serve as inspiration, to put your own pockets or bits of embellishment, and I added my own vinyl pocket and divided up the pocket on the first page.  I flipped the side the felt needle pages are attached on; I'm left-handed and this seemed more ergonomic for me to use.

Initially I wanted to scale the pattern up a bit, in order to accommodate my 7" embroidery hoop, but the more I thought about it I decided I would just stick to the pattern instructions.  Now that I've made it, it feels a little large and am thinking I may try to scale it down to a 3"x5" size sewing kit for dance performance emergencies.  I like the pattern very much as there is a lot of room to customize it for your own purposes.  I like the use of interfacing to make the pages stiffer, and I want to try making a needlebook with interfacing and see if I like how it turns out.

I got my zakka labels (from Fort Worth Fabric Studio) and name labels (from Heirloom Labels, did not realize their cream ribbon would come out so dark!) in time to add these in as embellishments as well.

Get your own pattern here.

Grown-up Wrap Ballet Skirt

About a yard of polyester chiffon and some 5/8" ribbon will get you a lovely little wrap skirt!  It's about 14" in the back, tapered to 12" in the front, and made for a grown-up woman.

It was easy enough to draft, but I am considering digitizing the pattern and making it available on Etsy and Craftsy.

Note For Future Me: Smooth Rolled Hems on Chiffon

Serger settings (Babylock Diana):
Stitch length - N
Differential - 1
Stitch width - N ~ 1.5 (closer to N)
Keep even tension in front and back of the needle plate.

Pattern Review - Vogue 1160

Photo by Sarah Tomlinson

Spring Tango Dress!  I made this for the Spring Tango Festival in Austin this year.  I finished it just in time (hemmed it the morning I drove down to the festival) and wore it later that evening.  I made the slip for it but the hem had lengthened beyond the hem of the dress and I didn't wear it.  I'll need to fix it later.

Fabrics before pretreatment and cutting

Fabrics: "Moonstone" silk charmeuse from Mood (slip), Liberty silk crepe de chine in "Shinjuku" charcoal colorway from Fabric.com

Slip Fitting/Alterations:
Added 1" total width to the front bodice
1" swayback, took it from the top of the skirt (pivot and slide technique), added an extra inch to the bottom of the hem because I wanted to retain the "high low" look
Moved in the strap attachment points on the back towards the center back 1"
Instead of cutting spaghetti straps, I bias bound the top edge with 1" wide self fabric (same width as the straps).  This turned out really nicely.

Completed silk slip

Dress Fitting/Alterations:
Added 1" total width to the front bodice
1/2" sloped shoulder alteration
I made several muslins to get the front band fitting right, I still don't think it's right but looks OK
1" swayback/short back length alteration (pivot and slide technique)
1" full bottom adjustment (made at the top of the skirt pieces)

Somehow when I cut the dress out I cut the back bodice out so that the back bodice and band match perfectly.  I don't know that I could do that again even if I tried.  I used a bit of fusible interfacing to stabilize the zipper, and I want to hand overcast the edge anyway.  I hand overcast the armscye seam.

Bodice in progress

Perfectly matched back seam.

My bicep is an inch larger than Vogue's standard model; the sleeves as drafted came out a tiny bit snug but they don't bother me.  I didn't find the sleeve instructions to be difficult to follow.

 

Nearing completion

I am really happy with how the bodice fits.  The neckline doesn't gape at all on me, and the bodice overall fits very well.  The next time I make this I may fiddle with the front band some more, but it doesn't ripple when I wear it and I have plenty of breathing room.  I used the recommended zipper size and don't have a problem getting it on or off.

Photo by Sarah Tomlinson

Photo by Sarah Tomlinson

Pattern Review - Vogue 1389 Top

I realized this week that I'm going on vacation next week, and when I was thinking about what I wanted to wear on the trip I realized I had crucial gap in my wardrobe.  Luckily, I had already made the top once before, I had fabric prepped, and I had some spare hours to sew this top up.

From start to finish, this took me about 4 hours. If I had not spent 1 one those hours fighting with the coverstitch function on my serger, this would have taken me 3.  If I was not being super careful and basting most of the seams, I probably could have done this in 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

The only alteration I made was to make the sleeves 2 inches longer, this made the sleeves a great 3/4 length for me. Unaltered the sleeves are a bit longer than elbow length and just feel odd.  I probably need to figure out a swayback alteration on this top but it can wait for the next time I make it.

I would be interested in tips on working with my coverstitch. I think the secret is I need coverstitch-specific needles, and I am having a tough time finding those that use the ELx705 system.

I still need more practice in balancing my serger seams, but I am happy with how this top turned out. It's really comfortable and I'm looking forward to this being a staple in my wardrobe.

Capsule Makeup Kit, Revisited

I still love the idea of a capsule makeup kit; something that you can just throw a few tools in and leave on a romantic trip in a moment's notice.

Turns out, a capsule makeup kit is exactly what one needs to use up the makeup products she buys, (hopefully) preventing waste!

I found a "makeup bag theory" on putting together one look (a signature look?), and just wearing that look until all the makeup is gone, or replacing products as things get used up.

Lil Lady's Life - How I Finish Makeup
Lil Lady's Life - How I Finish Makeup: The Replacements

This is what is in my updated makeup bag; I have other makeup in my collection but it only comes out for very special occasions.  If I want to wear any makeup at all for "every day" it comes out of this bag.  Honestly, I usually just wear sunscreen unless I am going to my job's corporate headquarters for the day (I would like to cultivate the habit to wear makeup more regularly though), but this makes it really easy to grab something that just works, saving time and energy in the mornings.  I can get this entire routine on in about 15 minutes, and just the other night was able to get foundation, eye makeup, blush and lipstick on for a last-minute date in 5 minutes.

Makeup Bag: I'm still using a LeSportSac Travel Cosmetic bag, it's the perfect size for everything you might carry.  For travel I have enough room to add a sunscreen, a contact case with eyecream and face lotion, and a Japonesque lipstick palette (no longer available on Amazon).  I was able to move all my eyeshadows and most of my blushes to an Unii Palette; this slips into the travel cosmetic bag without a problem.  For tools at home I use my regular brushes; I'm pretty happy with the set that I've put together over the years but probably need to curate the collection a bit.  For travel I use a very nice travel set my mother-in-law gifted me last Christmas.

Foundation: I picked up a travel size of Dr. Jart Black Label Detox BB Cream, if I don't like it I'll go back to using Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, which feels a lot like Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua to me.

Concealers: For under my eyes, I've been using Bobbi Brown's Light Peach Corrector topped with a touch of Givenchy's Mister Light in Mister Toast.  For blemishes I've been using Bobbi Brown's Foundation Stick in Warm Ivory.

Powder: I keep a Chanel Les Beiges, but this is very luminous and for the office I might swap out for one of my loose powders (I have a Laura Mercier one and a pale yellow Bobbi Brown one) that I need to work through.

Blush: Using Chanel's Joues Contraste in Rose Petale.

Eyes: I don't do this every day, but when I do up my eyes I use any combination of these three products -  Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow in RSVP, Chanel's Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Cassis, and black mascara.  This gives a really professional look and a similar eye was featured in Lisa Eldridge's Fresh and Polished Look for Office/Work.  I also keep an Anastasia Eyebrow Pencil in the bag, mostly to work through it.  It's a good product but super expensive for what you get - not a good value in my opinion.

Lips: I'm using up one of my (three!!) rose colored lipliners (Bobbi Brown's in Rose) and top it with Chanel Rouge Coco in Orchidee (discontinued).  I'm trying to get to the end of both of these products.  I carry a lipgloss in my purse for touchups.

For night or a special occasion I will add a touch of Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl and Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl on my cheekbones.

Pattern Review - Patchwork Please! Embroidery Case

I started out making this embroidery case for myself, but ended up giving it to a friend who has been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma.  She cross-stitches a lot, so I thought she would appreciate and get a lot more joy out of this embroidery case than myself.

It's made out of Essex yarn dyed linen in Steel, and fabrics from the Airmail collection from Moda.  I used a scrap of grey wool felt for the needle pages, and some thicker (16 gauge) vinyl for the pocket.

This project was the whole reason I bought the Patchwork Please! book to begin with.  I wanted a pretty sewing case or "Hussif" with some patchwork or embroidery on it, and I didn't want it to be overly large or bulky.

For many of the projects in "Patchwork Please!", templates are provided which you are expected to photocopy and enlarge by 200%, then add your own 1/4" seam allowances.  For quite a few of the projects, this seems to be an OK, if annoying, method.  But for a patchwork front that is not paper pieced and is completely rectangles, squares, and triangles, I would have preferred complete dimensions for the necessary pieces.  I ended up wasting some fabric when I miscalculated the size of the triangles I needed.
 

 

I added a heart applique and some "airmail" themed ribbon to the back.

 

The binding was not my best work; I have some thoughts for sewing on the binding for the vinyl pocket more neatly but will have to try making the project again before I say for sure that my ideas will work well.  If you examine the photos in the book it looks like the two pieces of binding are applied separately, and the instructions for this are not very detailed, referring to "easily found internet instructions and YouTube videos".  I think the next time I make this I will use a slightly different technique for the cover binding and hand finish it; I was not happy with the machine finished result.

I would like to make this project again, this time for myself to house embroidery projects at home.  My friend was over the moon with the kit and I'm so happy that I gave it to her.

The completed item is large for what I had in mind for myself, but will fit a 7" hoop very comfortably, as well as a pattern and some notions.  I think for the hussif/sewing kit I have in mind I'll need to keep looking for a different pattern, however, the cover patchwork is really delightful and can be adapted for how many fabrics you have available.  It was a good exercise for working with triangles and the whole project can be done in an afternoon if you are ambitious.  I think I made the patchwork cover in an evening, the inside components on another evening, and finished the whole thing in a third afternoon session.  This included having to recut the patchwork portion out and trying to decide on an overall design with the fabrics and colors I had available to me.

Pattern Review - Butterick 5792

I found this really adorable Hello Kitty with roses fabric from Japan on Fabric.com and just had to get some.  Because I ended up getting a lot of roll ends in my order, I'm pretty sure I scored a lot more than my ordered 4 yards. 

Hello Kitty is hard for a "grown up" to pull off, so if I'm going to wear it, it's going to be sleepwear.  I decided to try out Butterick 5792, which is a pretty traditional, feminine pattern.  I made views A & F, the top and capris combination.  The fabric I used was a little thick and stiff for this pattern, but I liked how it turned out.  Cotton voile would be perfect for this pattern (Liberty, anyone??).

The pants were really fast; I got them done in an afternoon.  The top took a little longer because I had to wait to get the right trim.  I do think you need a little trim around the neckline, although I don't know at this point if it's necessary to use the exact beading lace and ribbon trim.  I do like the look quite a bit.

I made bias tape from self fabric; I liked the clean finish this created on the inside but it was super bulky (see fabric) with all the gathers.  On a cotton voile this might not be so bulky.  I'm not sure that this would be any better or worse than understitching the ruffle.  I could see this finish being really useful for children's clothing though.

For the ruffle, I just cut a 2" strip and then cut it to the right length/shape.  This made it really easy!  I also avoided the weird hemming instructions for the ruffle and just made a narrow hem on the edge, and narrow hemmed the top.

I think my favorite feature of this is the elastic insertion in the capris; it creates a tiny ruffle at the top of the pants and is really feminine.  I added my label as the tag in the back.

The set came out really comfy and will be nice to lounge around the house in.  I did have to scoop the back crotch curve a bit for comfort, so I don't know that I believe these are "semi fitted" as advertised.  (Or maybe I need to remeasure my hips and make sure I'm where I think I am in that area!)  At this point I'm pretty sure my "body space" is larger than the ideal model the Big 4/5 draft patterns for.

I would definitely make the capri pants again; after the minor fitting adjustment they are super comfy and I'll use the elastic casing treatment again in other PJ pants.

Pattern Review - Singer Sewing for the Home Pillowcase

I'm slowly re-decorating the guest room that is my sewing space, and one of the things I wanted to do was to make a zippered bolster cover.

There are quite a few tutorials on sewing bolster covers online, but I wanted a nice one with piping!  This one is pretty good.  I turned to my copy of Singer's Sewing for the Home for construction details.  They don't cover the kind of bolster cover I wanted, but they have instructions for a piped/corded pillow, as well as a couple different zipper closures.  I didn't follow the zipper instructions exactly, but thought they were really good!

While some of their projects may be a little out of date, I thought their instructions were really good and could easily be updated with different fabrics.  For example, their instructions on making flange pillow cases were really good and those pillows seem to be really in style right now.  This is definitely a good addition for the sewing library.

I created 2" bias strips from fabric scraps and wrapped it around my purchased cording per the instructions in the book.

I did not snip the piping tape since it was cut on the bias, and found that the bias stretched really well.  I used pins for pinning the bias to the ends of the bolster, but realized I had a bunch of Clover clips that I bought the last time I went to Michael Levine in LA and used those throughout the rest of the construction.

Finishing the piping.  The cording I purchased goes really soft and "fluffy" whenever it's cut; I wasn't super happy with my piping joins because of this.  I think a firmer braided cording would have worked better.

After I attached the piping, I serged the edges.  Lucky for me the spacing worked out perfectly to butt the piping against the edge of the serger presser foot.

After I attached the zipper I topstitched down both sides.  The Singer book recommends using a piece of tape and stitching along the tape, but I used a 1/4" foot and kept the guide in the seam.  I just used regular all purpose thread for this, but you could use topstitching thread here or pick stitch by hand for a nice effect.

I did backstitch along the seam where I wanted the zipper to start, but I wanted to reinforce it.  I attached the zipper similarly to the tutorial link, centering the zipper over the seam.  The zipper I used was longer than the pillow so I could keep the pull out of the way.  When I was ready to open up the basting, I pulled the zipper pull down before reinforcing the zipper stop area.

Clipping the ends of the pillow in place.  I ended up cutting the ends twice; I was unsatisfied with my random cut and fussy cut the ends to match each other.  I'll keep this in mind the next time I make a pillow.  I also unzipped the zipper about halfway so that I could pull the pillow case right side out afterwards.

Using the zipper foot to stitch the pillow together.

Completed pillow on the bed.  I should have fussy cut the main part of the pillow too; the geometric design isn't quite centered on it.  My husband thinks this is OK.
 

The print above the bed is what I'm decorating the room around; it's called "Lovers at Chi Tou"; Chi Tou is a very beautiful forest preserve in my mom's native Taiwan.  I'm trying to pick colors in the painting to decorate the room with; I'm planning to make a bedskirt to match the pillow and I found a beautiful cherry blossom print to recover my ironing board with.

Unfortunately, none of that matches the cute zakka sewing accessories I want to make!  C'est la vie.

Cost Breakdown

1 yard "Artistic Twist" Waverly print from Fabric.com = $21.98
2 yards cording from Fabric.com = $1.36
1 30" YKK Zipper = $2.75
1 yoga bolster pillow from Amazon.com = $33.99 (next time will make my own with poly fiberfill)

Total Spent: $26.09 ($60.08 if you include the pillow)