Starting Fresh

Today is the day to start blogging again. The sewing adventure never stopped. So lets fast forward to summer 2019 and continue the story.

 Currently I am working on a pair of shorts when done they will be made out of  a wonderful Ankara fabric purchased back in 2018 from the Facebook group Affordable African Fabrics. Like every good tale I started with a plan. Let take a quick look at mine.

Before deciding on any patterns this summer I wanted to make sure they would look fabulous on my body type. Using my custom 
mybodymodel 
croquis, and circled by my Lutterloh pattern stash I sat down for days making quick fun sketches in my project planner. In no way are they professional fashion drawing. These simple quick drawings became my fashion idea color book that provided a wonderful chance to try styles I would not normally choose straight away. I drew for days and at the end I had 4 pages of project start points.

One of the best parts of using  mybodymodel as your croquis is that each model is made with your body measurements. This helps you get a truer idea of how something might look in it finished form. Granted a 2D image is never going to be the exact duplicate as your body.







Not sure what a croquis is... Its a French word for sketch. Most often it is a quick sketch of a model done in a few minutes time. The model might change poses several times enabling an artist to have several sketches. In the fashion world it can be used as a quick drawing to see how a style might look. Often these fashion illustrations are not connected to a real persons body measurements.

The pattern I've chosen to use is from my original Lutterloh kit from 2011, pattern number 34 or if you don't have that kit it would be Lutterloh supplement 273-34-2009. 

Lutterloh 273-34-2009

Not sure what Lutterloh is... Lutterloh is a system that uses miniature patterns and a special tape measure to draft up your patterns. You can learn more about the Lutterloh system here.














Lets hope these shorts turn out the way as envisioned. Until next time.

Live you

Live now

Live bold

High Waisted Bikini

It's swim suit time again. Every few years my daughter finds a style she likes but can't quiet find what she wants. A week ago my daughter walked in with an Old Navy bag with two bikini tops that fit her correctly. Very nicely she asked if I would make matching high waisted  bikini bottoms for each. The first one had to be ready for a day at the water park today. This is what we came up with. I started with the basic panties pattern in the book Kwik Sew's Swim & Action Wear. We then fit the basic panty to her sizes. Once we had that fitting I adjusted the panty to what we hopped would be a good high waisted look for her. Next I playing with the general directions in the book to created the gathered/ shirred panel, and finished sewing up a sample pair. The sample pair will make a nice new jersey panty for her. Glad we did that fitting since we ended up adding several more inches to the panties to create the desired look in her swim suit fabric. Happy Sewing!

My Church Flow Skirt.

This week was one of those weeks were I was testing my pattern making skills for a few tops (bodice). I will share those shortly after I work out a few kinks. Love learning pattern-making. Found myself really shooting for a super fun outfit for Fathers Day Church service. Well that certainly called for a new skirt first. Here it is. A super simple 3 piece skirt using your body measurements. I followed the basic ideas form this maxi skirt tutorial . My additions included inseam pockets and two 11/2 X2 inches pieces off elastic add to each side of my waistband above the hip hopping it would snug in the knit waist band a bit. Next skirt I will be reworking the waistband since the 4 way stretch knit is having a work out keeping the skirt up and keeping it's shape. I also need up shorting the skirt 5 inches from my original measurements. Not sure if son took my length wrong or is I some how miss measured the fabric. Love, love this skirt and will be making more. Fabric is a simple cotton quilting fabric picked up at Walmart. Happy sewing!

The Makings of a Great Skirt Sew Off

The weather this winter has been horrible. Snow, cold, snow, cold etc. Enough already!I really should not complain the cold had me looking for spring/summer skirts which lead me to Lutterloh 267-159-2007. This skirt had my mind moving and my yearn to play with fabric going. Never dreamed it would become a  huge disappointment for me. Three tries later we got to the point of one I might wear this summer but the verdict is still out on that with ten inches of snow still on the ground. On to the review.

Pattern: 
Lutterloh 267-159-2007 (supplement-pattern-year) 
Pattern Description: 
This is a mermaid skirt that would be used in conjunction with a sari or other ethnic type garment. Sorry don't have a better explanation.
Pattern Sizing:
Lutterloh is based on your bust and hip measurement. Your pattern is drafted out using these two measurements. So ideally if your bust and hip are 50cm to 140cm the system should work for you. 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?.
Yes but in one fabric.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Lutterloh has no instructions. I checked a few of my resources about fit.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the general shape of the pattern. What I disliked once it was made was that it had no darts or other helps to fit it properly.
Fabric Used:
This was a piece of poly mix of some sort I picked up in Jo Ann fabrics clearance section.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I drafted this pattern out a total of 2 times with 3 alliterations. The first was in a 122cm hip to try to create it as a wrap skirt. I ended up having to cut over 2 inches from the hem. the skirt was so large I had to remove my over lap and still take it in over 2 inches on each side seam. after much putzing with it I decide a need to re-draw the pattern. Second draft was done in a 120 hip. the ease was still huge 6cm in the waist and 4cm in the hip according to the patter paper. Once I sewed it up it still was about 6 inches to big in the waist so I took in each seam by about 1 inch. By this time I was very tired of playing with pattern and put the wearable muslin in my closet not taking it back out until today. 
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes to both questions. I’m determined to get the fit correct on this one. I have some wonderful bright summer tropical fabric waiting to be made into this skirt.
Conclusion: 
This one might end up in the waste basket.

When it comes to sewing the best 2 cents I can give is try something new. So I did. For the first time in a long time I drafted a pattern from scratch to use to compare to my other patterns and then I decided to to give my SureFit designs a try. My endeavor is to eventually remake the above skirt from scratch. In the mean time why not have a little fun making some new skirts and playing with different styles. This leads us to my first SureFit pencil skirt that I made with the aid of the dress kit  and the pencil skirt design sheet. There is nothing like learning a new system, but after making a quick skirt sloper this pencil skirt went together like a dream.

Pattern: 
This pattern was drafted using the SureFit Designs dress kit and downloadable pencil skirt fashion leaflet.
Pattern Description: 
Pencil skirt with back slight, darted waist, waist band and back zipper.
Pattern Sizing:
I used my measurements to create the pattern. With SureFit’s dress kit it teaches you how to use your body measurements to get a good fit to start out with.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?.
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes the instruction used to draft the skirt were easy to follow. I checked a few of my resources about fit only to make sure I was not seeing anything that I need to fix.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I wanted a blank canvas to work with to create other skirts. This simple pencil skirt will work great as a starting point. The waist may have been taken in to far but that maybe a measurement mistake on my part.
Fabric Used:
A denim remnant found at my local Goodwill.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I first drafted out my skirt sloper to address any fit issues. I found on my slipper that my waist and hips were too big so I had my daughter remeasure me. I then drafted a new copy of the sloper. Next I adjusted the this pattern to be a pencil skirt according to the fashion leaflet. trying on the pencil skirt mid way through construction I thought I saw some pooling in the back under my bum but after having my son take the pictures I don't seem to see it any more.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes to both questions. This may become a TNT skirt to use to create other skirts and designs from.
Conclusion: 

This is a good wardrobe builder.

Let the skirt sew off continue. 
If you are wondering what books I might consult when sewing and fitting something new it would be Easy Guide to Sewing, Fit For Real People, Fitting and Pattern Alterations, and A Guide to Fashion Sewing.

Overwhelmed

The hum of the serge and sewing machine have not been heard here all week. Between dealings with home life and the thought that I'm really returning to college with class starting next week I've found myself a bit overwhelmed. And than to add on top of that the idea that it might be time for a new computer. Well you get the picture. So instead of sewing this week I've done a little digging through my patterns and fabric. Maybe next week I'll sew. But this week my mind is filled with the question PC or Mac? Which do you prefer and why? I'm going back to school for Digital Design so a great computer with great graphics is on the top of my to do list. Happy sewing until next time.