Sew new

How cute is this? Today I made a shirt for my little man. This is the Outo Otus shirt from the 6/2009 issue of Ottobre. Normally I don't make entire outfits as shown in the magazine, but this shirt was shown on the cutest baby and I immediately thought of my little man. The fabric is Hilco's Campan knit in a brown/red combo that I got from !st European Fabrics group on yahoo, purchased specifically for this item. Actually I really liked the brown/green version in the magazine, but I couldn't find it anywhere so I went with the brown/red.

This shirt went together pretty easily but after trying the lap-seam method that was recommended in the instructions I decided I didn't like the look and after ripping out the stitching I re-sewed the seam with the serger in the standard way, then topstitched the seam allowances toward the sleeve. The flat construction (sewing the arm and side seams all in one pass) is fast, but I'm not fond of the way the seam allowance sticks out at the cuff when done this way. I think that if I make this again (and I plan on it) I'll sew the cuffs to the sleeve in a single layer, then do the arm and side seams so that I'm able to fold the raw edge of the cuff in and then hand stitch it to the sleeve allowance, so that the underarm seam allowance is concealed within the cuff. I think this provides a much nicer finish, although that could be because I'm such a glutton for hand-sewing and finishing. I think a lot of people like the fast way, but then you run the risk of seeing the seams and to me that just screams "Poor Construction!!"

Another note about the fabrics and finishing: The binding isn't as nice as I'd like it to be. To begin with, I wanted to use brown ribbing but what I had in my stash was darker than the brown in the Campan. My husband thought the darker ribbing looked fine but to me it was off just enough to be noticeable and annoying, as opposed to noticeable and contrasty. I figured that if it wasn't going to match I'd better go farther so that it looked deliberate, instead of being a poorly matched fabric choice. Yeah, I'm anal like that. Anyway, the ribbing I went with is the same as the tan that I used in the Kaarna pants for which this shirt was made, so it was a good choice. However, this ribbing - while nice and firm and substantial in weight - has less stretch than I probably should have had. This made it difficult to fit the neckline and still have enough to adequately wrap it to the other side as described in the instructions. I made it work, but it's not pretty if you look at it from the wrong side. Also, I transposed the snap parts on one of the snaps, so that the post is on the wrong side. The snap still works fine and it's not at all noticeable when on, but it's another annoying mistake. Then too, the snaps are a red which doesn't really match with the red in the fabric, but I really had little choice. I wanted brown but they didn't have any so I had to go with red, even though it's a bit brighter than I'd like. It works.

So here he is in the entire outfit:



As mentioned in a previous post, I made the Nala combi by Farbenmix for Miss Gwyn. Finally I've got pictures to show of this one:





The second one shows how cute the leggings are. This is a really easy pattern and it went together really fast. I had some issues with it that were based on fabric and on not really taking time to translate the entire thing from German. The fabric part was due to a very small amount of the stripe: another Campan knit by Hilco that I purchased from Banberry Place about 3 years ago along with the floral. I bought 1 yard of the floral and I thought I bought a yard of the stripe, but either the fabric shrank drastically when I laundered it or there was less than a yard left when I ordered it and Corie just gave me what was left. Anyway, I had to make things work with what I had. The only problem really was that I didn't have quite enough to do the entire neck binding in 1 piece with the stripes going vertically. There's really no point in doing horizontal stripes on the binding because the effect is pretty underwhelming. I tried to rectify this by cutting 2 pieces and then sewing them together, but I ended up not being able to line up both seams in the binding with the shoulder seams. In retrospect I could have easily avoided this if I'd done the 2 binding pieces separately and then sewn the shoulder seams afterward, but hey - hindsight is always 20/20. For the record, Corie still carries the floral knit I used.

Which brings me to the other minor problem I had with the construction. Not bothering to translate the entire instructions or to really look at the sew-along, I didn't bother to slash the circles which are the ruffly cuffs. Instead I finished the edges of the circles (a bit tricky, I must say) and then applied them in the round to the legs and arms after sewing the leg and arm seams. This method works well, but is a bit more picky than I'd like if I were to make it again (she likes it so I probably will). So next time I'll do the slash to make the finishing of the cuffs easier and then sew the entire side, arm and cuff seam in one go. I let Gwyn choose where to put the Farbenmix label and she thought that was cool; it's on the left arm, near her shoulder.

Purple Princess

Earlier in the week Miss Maeve was able to wear her tunic and leggings that I made for her SWAP, which continues to be a work in progress. I might finish by the end of this month, if I'm lucky. I really love this fabric and I have to say that it was expensive as hell. In fact, I'd only bought enough of it back in 2008 to make a blouse for her, since it was something like $32/yd! Okay, it is Liberty of London, but I don't know if I can justify paying that much. The funny thing is, it's such a sophisticated fabric for someone her age and I thought it was too pretty to pass up, even if she changed her mind. My thought was that I could use it for myself if she ended up not wanting it.

Not only did she not change her mind, but she decided that this tunic needed to be made in addition to the blouse (the one I just finished - sorry, no pics yet!). I didn't have enough fabric, so I had to search for it. The local store where I got it no longer had it. They offered to order it, but a special order was going to be more expensive, so I turned them down. After an exhausting search on the web I found it and ordered it from a place in London. It was still expensive, but this time I was paying about $27/meter, so I was getting more fabric for less money and that seemed worth it. I picked up the car-print fabric for T's birthday shirt at the same time.



Anyway, I had enough to make the blouse and the tunic, with enough left over to maybe use in a future project for someone. Plus, the solid-looking raspberry color on the placket is also used on the blouse yoke, so there's actually some kind of continuity in the SWAP. I like this tunic made in the longer dress-length - mostly because I can't stand that so many kids her age wear skirts that practically show their bums. Sorry, I like her bum to be covered, plus she has long legs and I know that come May she's going to want to wear this thing as a dress, without leggings. I may have to make a pair of bike shorts, though. For that I'll probably use the Riviera leggings pattern in Sewing Clothes Kids Love.

Last night I completed the Farbenmix Nala combi except for the waistband for Miss G; I didn't have the right elastic. Or rather, if I do, I can't find it. Anyway, I'll stop by the store on the way back from gymnastics tomorrow so I can get some, then I'll finish it and hopefully have pictures tomorrow to share. It looks super cute and she's totally excited for me to finish it.

Cute pants!

Yay! I've finally been able to sit down at the sewing machine for more than 2 seconds and I actually did a garment from start to finish! To say that I'm thrilled would be a bit of an understatement.

These pants are the Kaarna lined corduroy pants from the 6/2009 issue of Ottobre. I really like lined pants in the cooler months for babies - especially boys - because then I don't have to put tights or leggings on them under the pants. These pants are lined in a woven cotton, so they're more appropriate for early to mid-fall or early spring in this latitude. Perfect for right now, anyway. I'm enamored of this style, too, because it's so reminiscent of the baggies that mini Boden sells in their catalog, with the knit waistband.



Overall, the fit is good, though this pattern runs bigger than I'd thought. I think these will still fit him in September, since I can turn them up twice and they still only come to his ankle. Of course, September can be really warm here so he might not wear them in the fall, but I'm not bothered by that. Next I'll be making a shirt from the same issue to go with these pants.

I wasn't sure about the colors, though I fell in love with the lining fabric the minute I saw it. I actually bought it before this issue came out and had it in my mind that it would be an excellent fabric for something for T, though I wasn't sure exactly what it would be. A week later my magazine arrived and I knew that this was the pattern for that fabric - all I had to do was get the brown baby cord. For some reason I'm really drawn to brown pants for T and I find that unusual since I like so many bright color combos for the girls. Maybe it's because I like monkeys for him, too. He now has 3 stuffed monkeys, plus a scary sock monkey that I hate and won't put out. I didn't buy it - it was a gift. It seems I'm drawn to brown animals, too.

I plan to make these pants again, despite the fact that the pattern runs big. In fact, I already have a pair cut out, from a striped fine cord. Very cute and more colorful, though the predominant color is brown! I plan to line these with a teal cotton that I have had in my stash for a very long time. since they're already cut out I'm going to just go ahead and make them the way that they are, rather than take the time to alter them in some way. I may decide to make them with a 5/8" seam allowance, rather than the 3/8" that I've cut, in order to take in the fullness somewhat. I have a third pair planned for part of his Easter/1st birthday outfit. This pair will be made from a green cross-dyed chambray and I don't plan to line them, so I'll have to finish all of the inside edges with the serger. I'd rather do that and have him be able to wear that pair into the summer. Plus, I'm considering not adding a seam allowance at all when I sew that pair, so that they'll be less baggy. We'll see. The shirt of this birthday outfit will end up being a traditional button-front shirt made from a Liberty of London lawn in a car print. It's super cute.

After the shirt to go with the brown pants, I've got a little outfit planned for Miss Gwyneth, since she seems to want something for me. I was able to finish another one of Maeve's SWAP items - the Olivia blouse from the 6/2007 issue of Ottobre. All it had needed was the buttonholes, buttons, and the elastic on the sleeve edges, but due to the machine malfunctions I'd had it had gone unfinished, languishing in a basket until a few nights ago when I did all the buttonholes and buttons. Tonight I finished the sleeves and it's now hanging in her closet. Pictures of it tomorrow, I think. Anyway, Miss Gwyn was hinting that I needed to make her something. "Next Mommy, you need to make my Easter dress and then the skirt for me," she told me. I've got to trace the patterns for that - Farbenmix Insa skirt and the Rachel dress - but I felt that she was looking for something right now, so I quickly traced out the Farbenmix Nala leggings and top, which I will cut out tomorrow. Fingers crossed that I have enough of the fabric. I've planned to use a floral print and Campan stripe from my stash, but didn't realize that I only have a 1/2 yard of the stripe. Thankfully, Miss Gwyn is tiny and I should be able to squeeze the leggings out of the 1/2 yard. I'll let you know.

Bereft

I feel like part of me is missing. Two of my sewing machines went into the shop for service because they were having issues of one kind and another. In truth, the Kenmore machine is long overdue for a tune-up and it was no wonder it was acting up. The featherweight was having problems, though, and that bothered me because I hadn't used it in 3 years at least, and I thought I had it serviced before we moved to Germany. Hmmm.

Anyway, I dragged the 3 kids down to the sewing machine repair place on Wednesday - first time I've ever been there - and was hoping to speak to the repair technician directly, so that I could explain the problem I was having with the Kenmore. He wasn't there but the shop manager/vacuum cleaner repair technician assured me that he would have the man look at them in the morning and call me.

I should say that I've never left my machines to be repaired overnight anywhere, but it didn't even cross my mind. But when I got home I felt weird, as though I'd left one of my kids overnight with a new babysitter. I'm actually missing my sewing machines. I think most of this was concern over how much it was going to cost me to service them, but I did catch myself looking at the dining room table where I'd had the Kenmore set up, so that Tallon could be in his jumperoo and I could sew but still be in the same room as he was. He likes company and fusses if I'm not in the room with him while he's jumping.

I waited as long as I could on Thursday to call, but by 2:00 pm I hadn't heard from the repair shop so I called them. It turns out he had just finished checking the Kenmore and was looking at the Featherweight. He sort of got snippy with me about the Kenmore, saying that it didn't look like I'd ever had it serviced. I had to explain that I'd lived overseas for 5 years and no one would service it for me while I was there. He sort of grunted, so I'm not sure he believed me. Granted, I've been back in the States for almost 3 years, but he doesn't know that. He said there was nothing wrong with it, that it just needed a tune-up. Since I suspected it just needed a general cleaning and tension adjustment, I was glad. We'll see what happens when I try to make a buttonhole, though.

The Featherweight he said had some kind of problem because it was running way too slow. Frankly, I don't mind that it runs slowly - I was planning on having Maeve use it for making doll clothes for her American Girl dolls, so a slow pace would have been fine. He said that he really likes Featherweights and wanted to get it running well for me, so it would take him a day or so, but that they both should be ready by Saturday and that he would call me. Then he told me the price - $99 each!!! I almost choked, but decided that it really needed to be done and I'd figure out how to work it into the budget. Payday is Monday, after all.

So now I'm waiting for my machines to be done. I don't want to start anything new until I have my current project done, since I'm so prone to stopping mid-project and then taking forever to finish it later on. The current project requires buttonholes, and the Kenmore is the only machine I have that makes them. Actually, my Singer 505 could do them, if I had the right attachment. I had it, but the gears didn't work any more and I can't find a replacement one as of yet. So that machine is a straight-stitch-only machine, much like my Featherweight. Not to mention that at some point during our move here about 7 months ago, the power cord got separated from the machine and I can't find it, so I couldn't use it if I wanted to.

Now I'm sitting here waiting and feeling like a nervous mother hen. I hope the machines are ready in the morning, because I have a hair appointment at 3:45 that I don't want to reschedule and the repair shop will be closed before I'm done at the salon, which would mean that I'd have to wait until Monday to pick up my machines. I might go a little crazy by then.

Update: I was able to pick up my machines on Saturday morning before I went to my hair appointment but didn't have a chance to check them out. Today (Sunday) I got the Kenmore out to repair an appliqué on a shirt of Gwyn's and discovered that I couldn't access my stretch stitches! Somehow the wheel that adjusts my stitch length won't go past 0 now to the stretch stitch mark. Tomorrow (Monday) is gymnastics in the morning and I have to pass the sewing machine repair on my way there. I will be bringing my machine with instructions that it should be ready for me when I come back and free of charge. Sheesh!

Mea culpa

Okay, I've stirred up a hornet's nest without really intending to. I got the book, Sewing Clothes Kids Love about a week or so ago and I find it to be a beautiful, colorful book full of inspiring photographs. We talked about it on the yahoo Ottobre sewing group this past weekend and there are 2 schools of thought: the first is that the book is amazing and that it's incredibly inspiring; the second is that the book lacks appeal because (while the written content may be great) the photographs are so overwhelming due to the mixes of color and pattern that it's too harsh to look at and is difficult to read because of that.

To be fair, I think most of the people who adore the book are already die-hard Farbenmix and Studio Tantrum fans and of the so-called "euro-style" way of mixing colors and patterns of fabric. The people who are turned off by the book are obviously not big fans of such a mix, and I certainly don't expect it to appeal to everyone. And it's definitely a style that can cause a strong initial reaction, as evidenced by the 1 star review on Amazon, whence comes the hornet's nest.

I was going to buy this book in the store but nobody local had it in stock, so I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon. I read the reviews before I placed my order, just to see how well it had been received, and was shocked to see a review with 1 star. I was surprised, mainly because it was extremely popular before it even came out. Since Farbenmix and Studio Tantrum aren't sold in mainstream stores, I (obviously wrongly) thought that the people who were buying and therefore, reviewing it, were already fans of the patterns. Those of us who like these patterns usually already have seen the mixed-color, mixed-pattern finished products from the patterns that can be seen on the Farbenmix website or on Sabine's photo website, and so the photos in the book would be - and are - nothing new or shocking.

The author of the 1 star review basically said that it only gets 1 star because she doesn't like the clothes in the book, specifically because she thinks that the mix of colors and patterns is way too loud and isn't her taste at all. Okay, so maybe she's never seen any of the Farbenmix or Studio Tantrum finished looks before and wasn't aware that these clothes are almost always made in the "Euro Style" with the mix of fabrics and colors. Maybe it's my fault that I happen to know that the word 'farbenmix' means color mix, so obviously things are going to be colorful. Whatever the assumptions that I made, the review made me want to ask the reviewer why the book gets only 1 star if she has nothing else to say about the book than she doesn't like it because it's not her taste.

So I commented on her review, pointing out that yes, the colormix isn't for everyone, and that her description of the clothes as being 'clown-like' was unnecessary. I also went so far as to say that the idea behind the book and the authors' personal theory is that kids like clothes that are colorful and make them feel happy and that it shouldn't matter if the style is to the parent's taste but rather to the child's, since the clothes are for the child to wear and not the adult.

I would have left it at that, I think, had I not looked back to see if there were any more comments. Several other comments were made and some were in support of my comment, saying that the patterns were good and could be made up in solid colors and still look great. But... there was a response from the original reviewer, saying that she at first assumed that I was the author of the book (hello - my name is Jen, not Nancy and it says as much on the comment), but then came to the conclusion that I must be one of the Farbenmix "team". Maybe I should have just let it go, but, of course, I had to reply.

I started out nice, I think. I'm not sure where I went off into a no-so-nice tone. I didn't intend to. I asserted to her that I've nothing to do with Farbenmix and Studio Tantrum, other than I like and use their patterns. I offered that I didn't think it was accurate to write a book review giving only 1 star when she didn't list any specific problems with the book that didn't deal with her own personal taste and made no suggestions as to how to better the book. She offered no critique of the work itself at all and that was my main issue. It was as though she had a gut reaction and didn't allow any time to think about the fact that the patterns might be ones that she could use if sewn with her taste in mind. This obviously colored her whole perception of the book.

I pointed out that the patterns were the main point and that the idea of the book was to make the patterns your own - whether by making them in solid colors or by eliminating embellishment, etc. I suggested that she trace the line drawings and try coloring them with colored pencils to see how they'd look in solids, unadorned. I think the journey away from being nice happened when I said that if she couldn't do that then maybe the book was beyond her creative abilities in this regard. In hindsight, this was too catty, though it wasn't meant to be at the time. There are some people who just can't see the possibilities in drawings and who are too influenced by photos when they are as dynamic as the ones in this book. And they are dynamic.

I also addressed the issue of the fact that the reviewer claims that the clothing isn't 'normal' except for maybe in California or Miami, and that no normal child would wear them. Basically I said that saying that means that those of us who don't live in those locations and like the patterns are abnormal and that anyone in those locations must be abnormal for considering the clothes normal, according to her 'normal' standards.

So maybe I crossed the line in terms of making a personal attack. There's no excuse for it, even if she did do it first. I should have stuck to the main point, which was that her review was lacking in any kind of critique of the book. I'll say that I was wrong to go into the catty area. But I won't apologize for my point of view on the lack of critique.

More thankfulness

I've been wanting to sew for a week. Really. And this time I have a legitimate excuse for not sewing.

We all have heard on the news about this huge snowstorms that hit the DC metro area last week. I experienced it firsthand. And in any state where the average annual snowfall is more than 8" this amount of snow would probably have not been a problem. Unfortunately, this area is not accustomed to heavy amounts of snow in a very short span of time, so they don't have the knowledge and/or resources to handle it the way that I'm used to - remember, I'm from Michigan and snow doesn't scare me.

It started on Friday, the 5th. School was let out early. I'd already been shopping and was prepared for not being able to go anywhere for a week or so. It snowed pretty hard the entire afternoon and evening and the street was silent and white - very pretty. I couldn't sleep because the streetlights were reflecting off of all of that snow, making it very light outside. Then, around 3:00 am, I saw flashes of multi-colored light in the sky outside that lit up my room. It was the transformer for the neighborhood. Almost immediately the light show ended the power in the house went out and all of the streetlights shut off. Not having anything else to do, I went to sleep, hoping that the power would be on when I woke up.

No such luck. When I woke up (Saturday, the 6th) the temperature in the house was 65 degrees. I can handle that because my father left our house hovering around 62 degrees when I was a kid. It's cold enough that you can wear a sweater indoors comfortably. I was slightly concerned about the baby, so I put some leggings on him under his fleece overalls. He generally doesn't get cold easily - he's like his dad. We went about the day as usual, although it was hard to wash hands at all because the water was too cold. Thank goodness for hand sanitizer! I managed to get the front walk and part of the driveway shoveled out in little bits between going back inside to check on the kids, who were constantly at each other. Gwyneth had no concept of 'we have no electricity' so she couldn't understand why she was unable to watch a DVD or play on the Wii or why the lights in the bathroom wouldn't turn on.

I kept hoping for the power to come back on, because in Michigan I'd never experienced a power outage during a snowstorm and when we did lose power at all it always came back on pretty quickly. By late afternoon it looked like we were going to be without power overnight, so I got the fireplace going in the family room and told the girls we'd be camping in there for the night. I managed to scrounge up some dinner that was pretty good, thanks to my Girl Scout camp skills. With chicken breast (hey, it was already thawing!), carrots, and potatoes I was able to make some foil dinners that the kids actually ate. I let them have the last of the thawing vanilla ice cream for dessert. Thankfully, we had enough wood courtesy of the neighbor's woodpile and I had a ton of candles, so we could see and we were pretty warm.

My main concern was how cold it would get overnight and I called Scott. We'd been in contact throughout the day and he was concerned about the temperature inside, too. He reminded me of our friend, Ron, who lives nearby and told me to call Ron in the morning to see if he still had power.

Next morning (Sunday, the 7th) was freezing! We woke up to a temperature of 47 degrees and it only went up to 48 degrees after a roaring fire was going. We ate breakfast bundled in blankets and quilts and then I called Ron. Thankfully (again), he had power and when I told him how cold it was in the house he said he'd be right over. I was ecstatic! I should add that it was my birthday and this rescue was really the highlight of the weekend so far, although my girls gave me some yummy bath products from Lush and a bear that they made a Build-a-Bear when my sister-in-law took them shopping the previous weekend.

Ron took us to his house, where I was able to get a shower finally and the kids were able to get warm. Ron's wife, Kelly, and stepson made me a delicious chocolate cake to celebrate my birthday that evening, so I couldn't have asked for better. The weather was so bad and the snow was so copious that we ended up staying at Ron's house until Saturday morning (yes, that's the 13th and yes, the power was already back on) and when we came back the road still wasn't plowed out, even though it had been a week since all of the snow had started. Ron shoveled out the drive for me again and then took off to PA to pick up Kelly's kids who were visiting their grandparents.

One last thing to be thankful for: Scott came home on Sunday - Valentine's Day! - which was just about the best Valentine's Day present I could have gotten.

So, lots of things to be thankful for. I'm thankful that I had the skills to survive a day and night without power. I'm especially thankful for my Girl Scout-y skills at campfire cooking. I'm thankful that Scott came home. But most importantly, I'm extremely thankful for good friends like Kelly and Ron, who put us up for a week, fed us and rescued us from freezing conditions. Once again, I'm humbled by the goodness of people around me. Ron, you're truly a friend.

Buttonhole-o-pobia

This is my new term for the problem my sewing machine is having. I don't mind that it has a few quirks but why does it always have to be buttonholes, and why does it always happen when I'm really knocking out the sewing, especially when something looks really good?

I've been working on the "olivia" puffed-sleeve blouse from the 6/2007 issue of Ottobre. I love this little blouse for many reasons, but I particularly love the version that I've made for Maeve. First, there's the fabric: it's a Liberty of London lawn and I think the colors are scrumptious. The yoke is made from a very fine calico. Maeve actually picked both of these out herself, and I think the colors and fabrics are pretty sophisticated for a 9 year-old. Second, there's the way it went together. I was scared that it wouldn't look nice, that something would go horribly wrong as I sewed, something that I couldn't correct. But up to this point it has gone together like a dream, and the lawn holds the gathers so nicely. Right now I have 3 things left to do in order to finish it: the sleeves need elastic, the buttonholes must be made, and the buttons need to be sewn on. Maeve is asleep and I need to measure her arm to make sure the elastic is long enough, so that has to wait. But I could do the buttonholes. Except the machine is being picky. I did a test buttonhole and it was fine, but as soon as I tried to do one on the blouse, my machine jammed. I've tried rethreading it, a new needle, adjusting the tension - everything. Nothing seems to help.

What it needs is a trip to the repairman. Yes, I had planned on doing that earlier but I didn't get around to it. It really needs to get a checkup, though, since I haven't taken it in for one since 2001. Yes, shame me for not taking better care of it. It's not my fault. I couldn't find anyone in Germany who would work on it, since it's not a 220v machine. I'm sure there is probably someone somewhere in Germany who could have done it, but not where I was. I have tried to care for it myself by cleaning the dust out frequently and making sure that I don't sew with bent needles, etc. But I can't take it apart, so I'm stuck with doing only the basics.

I hope I can coax it to let go of its fear of buttonholes this weekend. We're supposed to have a snow storm and I know I won't be getting it to a repairman while that's going on.