A Few Less Machines

I did some monumental things this weekend. 

1.  I donated the New Home 671 to The Sewing Machine Project

2.  I lent my Singer 403A to a co-worker so she could start sewing. 

3.  I shipped the Elna 6004 to a PatternReview member who is giving it to her daughter. 

I still have the Viking 6570

I also kept the Singer 201 in it's cabinet

My Singer 221 Featherweight is still here!

Since I've added the BL Audrey, and the two Bernina's to the flock in the last year, I now have 3 modern and 3 vintage machines.  I think that is more than enough!

The lastest machine I added is the Bernina 350 PE!!  Although I really do like the little Audrey, I don't like it for piecing quilts.  The Bernina 350 feeds so smooth and sews so quiet it's amazing.  Even with no presser foot pressure, I got perfect quarter inch seams all the way down.  I'll keep the Audrey for ASG meetings.  It's 5 lbs lighter, easier to carry with the included shoulder bag, and it wouldn't be a travesty if for some reason we had a power glitch and the computer board fried.

So what am I planning to use the 350 PE for?  I find it so quick and easy to just go to this machine and start sewing.  I'll take it to any quilting classes, for garment sewing and piecing.  

My 730 is still a favorite machine, and I'll continue to garmet sew on it.  It embroiders beautifully, and does fantastic decorative stitches, but sometimes that 9mm width can be a dog.  Quarter inch seams are not impossible on it, but there is this ever so slight pull to the left even when using the SS plate on the machine.   Not a problem for normal quarter inch seams, but for quilting, it could make a difference.  The 350 doesn't do that.

Now I feel I have the best of both worlds, all the way around.   

50 Ways to Get a Pattern

About 4 years ago, life became so vastly different for me.  My Mom got sick and then passed away.  Settling her estate was a major chore.  I got married, and moved to a new town, and had to deal with my daughter's school and teenage tribulations.  Throw in a kitchen remodel, and it's a wonder I sewed at all.  Though I did, it was all crafty small items.   I did delve into quilting with a small quilt that I made for my sister. 

Fast forward to a more settled life, and I'm ready to get back to garment sewing. 

Even though I had some success with Butterick Connie Crawford pattern as my first top in 4 years, 5538 -- LOVED the built in alterations -- I still want better.  Life is more settled, but I am still busier than I was at one time.  My ex or my Mom did all the cooking!!  Now I have a husband who cannot boil an egg. 

So, I thought about going back to Unique Patterns.  Going to the website I see that they are now called "Fit Me Patterns".  New owners!  I saw that there were no new patterns added in quite a while.  I had gotten a good fit right with the first dress, before the big life changes, and ordered 5 patterns.  But, I never even sewed a muslin except for the fitted sheath dress. 
So, I called and asked about the new company.  I was told they would be rolling out a new website very soon, with new patterns.  The measurements needed have increased, which is a good thing, and the patterns are now CAD drafted, and hand checked. 
The convenience is that you don't have to print out patterns and tape them together.  With the new measurements added, and the other body shape problems you can tell them about you should get a good fit.  You can tell them what shape your seat is - flat, full, dropped.  You can tell them you have a forward head or shoulders, round back, sway back, pendulous bust, knock knees, and a variety of other things.  She said they absolutely take these things into account.  
The problem is the expense.  Each pattern is anywhere from $18 to $25.  And all you get is one view.  So, you really need to purchase a book on changing the styling.  There are no variations whatsoever on any of the patterns. 
Although at one time Unique had a deal with Simplicity/New Look, I don't look for that to continue.  As I said, no new patterns in 3 years. 
She told me there would be 3 new jackets at first, with embroidery (files included) and some other really neat features. 
It does sound pretty exciting. 
Then there is this new mystery custom pattern company coming soon.   I signed up to recieve notification when it starts.  I can't for the life of me find my email thanking me for signing up, or the thread on PatternReview talking about it.  But, lots of folks are excited about it.  I don't think it's Fit Me.  I'll let you know when I do get the info on it via email.  It promises patterns that fit you straight from the envelope.  But, I'm sure that's after you tweak your measurements. 

Then there is pattern software.  There is Wild Ginger, My Pattern Designer, PMB, Bernina My Label to name just a few of the bigger companies. 
I tried My Pattern Designer's demo.  This company is the old Dress Shop.  I seem to remember fooling with Dress Shop once before.  Maybe I purchased it but it had to have been a download.  So this time around with the demo, I didn't like it any better really.  The patterns wouldn't print properly even with the recommended changes to the printer settings.  The back bodice I drafted was way weird, even though I tried many measurement changes.  And the wonkiness was in the armscye.  I found the whole concept a little confusing - how you purchase and download, and how changes are made.   I didn't find the forums very helpful.  However, there were good features.  You can print quarter size patterns, and there are literally hundreds of patterns to choose from.  You can design your own pattern from all the choices and then purchase it.  Or you can choose packages of patterns.   I'm not sure how many come with the initial purchase.  Pattern ordering seems like it would be slightly confusing at first.
You can choose regular pattern company sizing or input over 40 measurements in a basic program for $199, or input over 60 measurements in the larger program for $499.  I agree that 60 something measurements should give an outstanding fit.  But, that also opens the door to more complications.  If something still doesn't fit properly, there are many interacting measurements to look at. 
Many folks like this software, but it isn't for me.  

I want something slightly simpler. 

So, I'm going to try Bernina's My Label.  Look for more postings on that.  The 3D model simulation is what sold me.  That and it's a bit simple.  Not nearly as many garments as the other companies, but there are free new pattern downloads on the Bernina website.  After registering you get free patterns and embroidery designs.  I would imagine those are the ones included in the program. 
Now, my goal is to do a shirt on that software, and compare the fit to one of my Unique Patterns I already own.  I know my measurements have changed slightly since back when, but after taking a look at them and doing some quick re-checking, they haven't changed much.  I was slighly smaller, but only slightly as I've gained but then lost some weight.  So we shall see. 

BUTTERICK 5538 – CONNIE CRAWFORD

HERE is the review. I did the muslin, and was shocked at how well it fit. The pattern says: "Modern Fit with Ready to Wear Sizing". I think this is close to true.

Lane Bryant was a godsend when I stopped garment sewing due to life being in the way for 4 years. Their Right Fit jeans were spot on.   I can buy a size 14 or sometimes 16 in their tops and shirts, and the shoulder is dead on, there is ample room in the bust, and there is even tummy room. The shirts typically don't hang off the back of my shoulder either. Almost perfection – and very well made. The Right Fit jeans in the yellow tag had a nice flat butt area and were my shape. Houston style dress pants, also made for less curvy yet larger women. Alas, they have discontinued the Right Fit sizing, so I may have to make jeans again.
Connie Crawford patterns incorporate a high round neck, tummy room, C cup, and square(er) shoulders. I am in alteration heaven, except of course for the broader shoulders and excess sleeve cap ease. I did do some weird adjustments that I won't do next time. On the bodice I cut the shoulder at XS, tapering to XL. I don't think I did this too narrow, so the problem must be the sleeve itself. I cut the sleeve cap at M and tapered to XL. I should have started with a L there, which would have resulted in a higher sleeve cap. My alteration did result in perfect easing of the cap, but the sleeve seems to be riding up on my arm, so I think it needs a little more cap up there.
As for the directions – I don't like the advice to crimp or ease stich the bust area between the notches. I find things go together much easier if you just do some snips on the smaller side of the two princess seams and put them together that way. Just don't confuse your snips with the pattern notch marks if you've snipped to mark those! I always mark those differently in this case.
But, all the pieces did go together very very well. Take out that doggone excess sleeve cap ease and you've got a great pattern.

First Quilt!

Okay, well it's been done for a couple of months now, but here it is, my first quilt.  I made this for my sister, who's friend died of ovarian cancer.  This fabric is made special for that cause.  If you make a 12" block and send it in they'll combine it with other blocks and auction off these large quilts.  But being that she already made large donations to the cause, she just wanted something personal for herself in memory of her friend.
So, here it is.  The words are what she wanted on the back, and I decided to embroider butterflies to symbolize how her friend Judy is free now.  It's 24x24.

Not half bad for a beginner who had not a clue!  I used Nancy Zieman's Quilt With Confidence, which i highly recommend.  I really enjoyed doing the binding too.  I cut it on the lengthwise straight of grain, and machined sewed one side and then hand stitched it around the other side.  I actually enjoyed hand sewing the binding - it was quite relaxing. 

Pattern Explosion for the 4th!

HAPPY 4TH!!!  Here's hoping that your BBQ doesn't burn, and your skin either. 

After nothing but craft and accessory sewing and a tiny bit of quilting for like 3 years (the vest I made DH and the PJ bottoms I made DD don't really count because they weren't for me) -- I'm finally back into garment sewing with a vengance!  Yaaay me!   

Meanwhile, because I divested myself of so many out of date and "what was I thinking" patterns last year -- here are shots of all the pattern gluttony I indulged in during the sale on the BMV site, through Club BMV:

Debbie Cook raves about this first pattern in her review, and I meant to buy this one a couple of months ago but instead purchased 5538, the one further down, which I'm working on now.  Debbie is right.  These patterns ROCK!  My one gripe so far is too much ease in the sleeve cap.  But I think I have that tamed.  

BUTTERICK 5300, CONNIE CRAWFORD

BUTTERICK 5365, CONNIE CRAWFORD  This one is for soft flowy fabrics.  I have been wanting a blouse like this for a while. 

BUTTERICK 5472 -- Very excited about this one - love ALL the pieces. 




BUTTERICK 5538, After a muslin, this one fits very nice.  The shoulders are square like mine, and it has a round upper back adjustment built in.  I only had to add a tiny amount on the princess bust line and lower it a little, and narrow the shoulders.  Oh, and get rid of the ease in the cap.  Full review and pics to come once I'm done with the real thing. 


BUTTERICK 5611 I can't decide weather I'm just a "big shirt" girl, or I feel so fat and menopausal I want to wear nothing that could possibly show a bulge.  The view in the white blouse with the drawstring at the hip is calling me.  I will make sure my drawstring comes down low on the hip.  I do still have a smallish hip.  Too bad my waist size is catching up to that measurement!   I have a blouse like this from Target, and I have almost worn it out.  It's flattering.  Good reviews at PR on this one too. 

BUTTERICK 5617  I like boxy jackets.  I have a lovely heavy embossed cotton that I got from Promenade Fabrics in New Orleans while on an ASG Shop Hop last month.  Can't wait to make this as an unlined summer jacket. 



And I vow to not be the blogger who lists patterns and never reports back on sewing them up!  I know I have been guilty of such crimes in the past, but I will for sure report back on the Butterick 5538 soon because I'm starting on the real thing this weekend!  After that I think I will tackle a couple of patterns I bought from Unique Patterns years ago and never sewed up.   But I am really on a roll here, and DH is more and more busy in the evenings with his last season of officiating HS football, so I'll have plenty of time! 

HAPPY JULY 4TH!!!! 



My First Stipples with the Bernina BSR

So before we head off to the Houston Rodeo where we'll get to see handsome cowboys, and Brad Paisley in concert - yaaay -- here are my first and second attempts at stippling using the Bernina BSR foot on my 730E.  The first attempt is using the foot control, mode 1.  The second picture shows my attempt in mode 2, which is where you control the speed by moving the fabric.  I prefer mode 2.  I have more control when everything is being done by my hands and I don't have to think about my foot too.  I also find I can go slower than with the foot control. 

I don't think I did too bad.  I'm a natural doodler, so it was fun to practice over the last few days by doodling on a notepad!   And I used the Machingers I bought.  Those were a great investment! 

Grab Bag Sucker!

They always saw me coming. My love of the grab bag became a running family joke. The bigger the better. This time however, my 6 year old heart was truly happy with what arrived in my Nancy's Notion's Grab Bag. For $9.99, even if it had nothing but the Olfa .45mm 2 pack rotary blades I'd have figured, okay that's fair. But it had much more than that! A yard of some really lovely linen, a yard of interfacing, a fabric pen, 2 packs of embroidery floss, a really nice spiral bound book all about quilt borders, a Silhouette's skirt pattern that I actually like. Embroidery lace design pack, a children's book, some really cute buttons, and Madiera Cotton Embroidery thread, some quilt patterns and more.
Yes I do love Nancy's Notions. I don't order from there as much as I used to, but she has some really cool stuff. I got some embroidery designs and a dresden plate ruler that weren't in the package.


Okay so here is the second quilting attempt:

Oh I would be arrested by the Quilt Police, and the Quilt Judge would sentence me to life for this quilt top!! It's really quite awful, but there is no turning back. One block is particularly nasty, because I thought it would be a good idea to try a different machine/foot for the one block. Dumb idea, as the seams weren't true 1/4".  Then I got really dumb and sort of stretched it a bit.  Oh My did I break the rules.  But I managed to get the thing squared, and will go ahead and finish it.
Not having enough fabric for the back or the binding from the small 6 pack of not quite fat quarters, I made a trip to Fabric Krazy and thankfully they had just what I needed. So the binding will be done in the darkest fabric which is also in the quilt, and the backing from the lighter. 

I'm also planning on embroidering "In Loving Memory Of...", on the backing, as this little quilt is for my sister in memory of her friend who died of Ovarian Cancer. This fabric is by Blank Quilting, called Inspirations III.  If you buy any of these fabrics, they will donate money to the cause. It's really quite lovely teal fabric.  It looks great combined with not just white, but a touch of yellow too.  Wish I'd have seen that earlier, cause I would have gotten some.  

If you make a 12" block and send it in, they will put it with other blocks and auction off big quilts. If you make a mini quilt, they will auction those too, and all those proceeds go to the cause as well. Since my sis has already made a huge donation to the cause, I'm making this little wall hanging quilt for her and she'll probably also share it with the girls Mom. I think I will have enough scraps left to make another. 
I was hoping to have it done for next weekend's visit to see Sis and attend the Houston Rodeo.  But that doesn't seem possible now.  Instead of quilting, I'm sitting here waiting for the season finale of the Batchelor to start.  Now that is really dumb and not at all like me.  I have no idea how I got sucked into that!!   

Linky Lundi

Okay, it's actually Fat Tuesday, not Lundi Gras (the Monday before Mardi Gras). But, whatever, I got the idea yesterday, and it's a catchy title.
For those of us who love to read: Here is an email I got from an author named Melissa Bourbon. Now I usually don't open unsolicited emails, but I'm glad I opened this one. She's totally legit, and I'm excited to see a sewing mystery being published!

Hello, I am the author of a new 'Magical Dressmaking' cozy mystery book series. The first book will be released by Penguin's NAL on August 2nd and is called Pleating for Mercy. I discovered your website and wondered if you'd be interested in reading an advanced copy and perhaps sharing it with your readers and sewing friends. Please let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. The cover and blurb can be seen at my website. Thanks so much for your time! Looking forward to hearing back from you. Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
http://www.melissabourbon.com/
There is a picture of the cover of the book on her website. I look forward to reading it, and I thank Melissa for including me on the list of people who will be reviewing the book.

For those of you like me who are just now exploring quilting (not that I'll ever give up garment sewing) --- here is a great, fresh quilting blog I discovered. Elizabeth Hartman's blog, Oh Fransson!  When you quilt, you want your work to last a long time, so modern fabrics may not be the way to go all the time.
BUT, you just have to get excited about the prospect of shaking things up a bit, and doing some projects with those really cool fabrics you see in your local quilt store and online – like Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Michael Miller, etc.  She uses mostly modern fabrics and has just fabulous results.

There are oodles of free patterns and ideas on projects large and small, and best of all: simple! Her new book is called The Practical Guide to Patchwork, and it's only $13.64 at Amazon! It has great reviews. Best of all, it fits my style completely. I want simple and easy. I love traditional quilts, but I am in no way ready or willing to do paper piecing.  All those tiny parts just blow my mind.  I've ordered the book, and am following her blog.
I'd also like to give a shout out to Nancy Zieman for her book Quilt With Confidence. It's what I used to do my very first quilting project. I did a table runner, and used this simple, easy to understand book. Now why didn't I take another picture of this finished with the binding and AFTER quilting it?? Well I'll do that tonight and update the photo.


Yet one more link - Tipnut Pincushions. Over 50 pincushion tutorials listed here! Pincushions are great projects to turn out after you've had an intense project. They enable you to use scraps, and are so much fun!
And here is a picture of the new Babylock Serenade that I promised to post. I took it off the brochure that a dealer gave me.