New big pillow cover

No more alterations for me! 

I've had enough with them!

Thankfully it is still pretty warm and summery here,

so I can still wear all the summer clothes I altered.

To be totally honest with you ...

I left one dress unaltered!

Next year...

Here is my new creation.

This huge pillow needed a new cover.

I found this cute upholstery fabric in my stash.

I used both sides of it.

I also added a zip and pipping.

I have to admit that working with so many heavy layers and the pipping 

was not easy.

I've added pipping to projects a dozen times before,

but this time it took a lot out of me.

I guess I was having a bad day...

considering that I forgot I had no more thread in my bobbin 

and I kept sewing... with no thread! Ha ha silly me!

See you around 

Maria

Sew Stylish Magazine Fall 2011

     I was so happy to find out about this press point that has foreign press and craft magazines. I saw so many craft magazines I had no idea they even existed!

     Among them I found the new issue of Sew Stylish, which carries some very interesting articles, about making a jacket with fleece, colour blocking, eliminating flaws from pants and making your own dress form.

    I'm not up for making a fleece jacket. I don't really like that fabric, but, since last year, I've bought this beautiful two sided 100% wool fabric, which is red on one side and grey on the other side and I was hoping to see some techiques about how to finish the edges. Instead I found techniques about how to reduce the bulk, which is ok too, because I'll have to think about that issue as well. It's an issue totally worth investing in. Even if you' ve read such articles before, I bet there's something new to learn from this issue.

    I also noticed that many articles are marked "Adapted from Threads magazine". So... should I buy Threads instead? I've been thinking about subscribing for a while now ...

    Finally, I have to ask ... why is the illustration so dark? I mean, there are no vivid colours and I kind of got the feeling I was holding an old magazine ... Sewing magazines are fashion magazines too, right? And fashion magazines are so alive! Just a feeling I got, maybe you don't agree.

See you around

Maria

Burda Style 10/2011 full preview

    It's almost mid September and I feel I almost got over the vacations syndrome, I've been having since I came back. It took much longer this time! Now I feel better looking at long sleeved patterns! So here's the preview of October's issue.

Is it just me or this dress is kind of boxy and not flattering at all?

I guess an obi belt could do the trick, right?

 

A shirt based on the same pattern

I like the sleeves of this shirt, but not the fact that is crossed. I never feel comfortable in these shirts or dresses, because I'm afraid I'll end up flashing at people!

Love, love, love the design, although the dress is not anything renovating. 

 

 Lovely lace insert, don't you think?

70's dress! Burda really loves these dresses. I like this one too. Long dresses shouldn't only be for summer or black tie events, right?

Jeans like pants

 the fabric they used...  

not my favourite!

Cute

Fur vests were a trend last year. Do you think they will be this winter too?

Mini skirt! You don't see these often in Burda.

Although I prefer shorter capes, I really like the lines of this one. It's so romantic!

Lovely! A long pencil skirt. Good exercise for plaid matching too!

Ideal plus size dress. Show off those curves ladies! 

 

Beautiful plus size jacket.

 

Other than the above, you can find a few basic patterns in this issue. 

 High waisted! I love the comfort you experience in them, but I would tuck a blouse in it! It wouldn't flatter my body type. 

See you around

Maria

Observations on zip installation

    Among the dresses I had to alter, there was this silk one, that was quite too big on the bust. It's a dress I bought from Zara a couple of years ago and only got to year once. I'm posting about it, because I want to show you the way they covered the zip tape. It may be a well known technique, but I've never seen it before.

This is how it looks when you unzip the dress.

There is grossgrain tape along the right side of the zip.

This is how it looks from the inside, when the zip is done.

The grossgrain tape fully covers the zip, giving a smoother feeling on your skin.

And if the dress is too tight, you won't risk catching skin while zipping!

Now let's observe how it's made... so that we may duplicate it!

This is the right side of the zip, on which the grossgrain tape is sewn.

So, if you wanted to duplicate this technique, you would first install the zip, as you would in any other case,

only you would sew the zip on both the fashion fabric and lining, treating them as one.

Then, while having the zip tape flat, you would sew the grossgrain tape 

above all them and really close to the edge.

You would end up with this.

See the edge of the grossgrain tape is hemmed. 

The bottom of the grossgrain tape is hemmed too, while catching the zip tape at the same time.

After you've sewn the grossgrain tape on the zip tape, you would turn the zip to the inside,

as you would anyway and you would catch the grossgrain tape on the top of the dress with a few stitches,

to keep it in place.

You wouldn't have to do anything special to the left side of the zip.

I guess you could use anything but grossgrain tape. 

Silk or satin tape, with some body, or even a folded piece of the fashion fabric, 

as long as it can be stiff enough to stay put!

     

See you around

Maria

A little hem cheating is not always bad!

    When I came back from vacations I noticed that  I have a lot of clothes that I do not wear, because they need to be altered. Some of them are in my closet for way too long. So I promised my self to alter every summer garment has to be altered, before I start a new project. So far so good, I've hemmed 3 pairs of pants, fitted 3 dress and I have 2 more dresses and 2 skirts to fit. Those last 4 garments are self made, before I lost weight and I still have not figured out how to alter them... the easy way.

   So among those 3 pairs of pants, there was these linen, jeans like pants, with this interesting hem.

    I wanted my hemmed pants to have this same hem, but I was to bored, tired and fed up with hemming pants, to take all the measurements, so I decided to cheat! And here is how :

   Firstly, I noticed that there is this little overlapping here, that would hide well a stitch.

So, if I measured the desired length and I folded the extra and I hid the stitching under that overlapping piece no one would notice. Right?

So I did.

1. I measured the desired length.

I had to shorten these pants 4 cm.

That means 2 folded cm (2 + 2 = 4).

2. I turned the pants inside out and I pined 2 folded cm.

3. After pinning I pressed, to create a sharp folded edge.

That's how it looks from the outside.

4. Having my edge all sharp, I removed the pins.

I folded the hem, having the edge as a guide.

I pinned making sure that : a) the side seams match and

b) the overlapping piece is kept, by the pins, down, so that when I 'll sew right next to the existing seam line, I won't sew over it . Got it?

5. I stitched really close to the existing seam line.

I used my zip foot, to keep my needle really close to the seam line.

6. Then I turned the pants outside in (!) and I pressed really good.

See?

Can you tell I've cheated?

This is how it looks in the inside.

No one will know, unless you are not pressing your own clothes!

Tip : If the amount of fabric you have to fold under the existing hem is too long, you may follow the steps above and after stitching, cut the excess off, leaving a 1,5 cm allowance, which you will zic zac, to prevent unravelling. 

See you around

Maria

Pattern Sales!

    Are you familiar with site SewingPatterns.com?

    It's a patterns site, that has collected all known pattern brands and offers you the choice or either ordering the patterns in paper or downloading (most of) them.

    Sometimes the price differs from the original company, to the best! So take a look and let me know your impressions. Oh if you subscribe, you will get free notifications of all the offers, plus free patterns from time to time.

    There is a Simplicity sales running from today, untill September the 6th and maybe you should take a look at it.

    Sew Simple patterns originaly cost 1.99 $, but you can find them for 1.45 $ on sewingpatterns.com, you will also find the rest of the patterns for 2.99 $. It's a good deal isn't it. On the Perfect fit patterns and the vintage ones are a bit more expensive.

    So the minute I saw the sale, I went and filled me cart with this

and this

and this

and this

and this

and this

... but my smile froze, cause they won't ship to Greece! I have no idea why, I should contact them....

See you around

Maria