Silk Jersey Heads Up!

Keep an eye over on Gorgeous Fabrics today and tomorrow. I'm getting a slew of new fabrics in, including a rainbow of gowachuss silk jerseys! I'm expecting the shipment today, and I'll put them up as soon as I have them.

Happy sewing!

Houseguests

L to R: Hoover, Tessa, Lexie

This week I have tripled the number of dogs in the house. Tessa the Rottweiler and her daughter Lexie (the puppy formerly known as Yellow) are staying with us while their owners are on vacation. Then when we head off to vacation, Hoover will stay with them. We are referring to our house this week as Puppy Camp, or Camp Hoovie.

There are only two problems with having three big dogs in the house. First, the amount of dog hair more than triples. Second, I have to pick my way over dog carcasses that like to strew themselves all over the floor. Other than that, they are great pooches. And Lexie likes to park herself in my sewing room, right behind wherever I am working, so I nearly go ass-over-teakettle any time I try to move. Oh well, it's nice to have the company.

Happy sewing... woof!

More on Bra Fitting - Bring a Tape Measure

Not too long ago I found myself in need of new, ahem, foundation garments. I am going to be on TV in the not too distant future, thanks to DS' ballroom habit. When we got the date for the film crew to come to the house, I decided it was time to purchase some serious suck-it-in-and-push-em-up underthings. As you know, I am a firm (pardon the pun) believer in Getting Properly Fitted for a Bra. This time, I headed to the local Nordstroms. And here I found some interesting things that may help you in your quest to look good.

I worked with a very nice young lady who measured me. Now here's interesting factoid number one: every store has their own fitting measurement "standard". For instance, at Lady Grace, to get your bra band size, they measure around the upper chest, also known as the high-bust. At Nordstroms, they measure around your ribcage right below the bust. I find this interesting because my band size varies slightly with these different measurements. With the high-bust, I fall between a 34 and a 36. Using the ribcage measurement, I'm squarely in the 34 size. This isn't entirely surprising to me. I work out 4 times a week and I have pretty large shoulder and upper back muscles thanks to that.

After getting the bra band size, the nice lady at Nordstroms then took my full bust measurement (Lady Grace does this too) to determine the cup size. Then she went off to get some bras for me to try on. Which brings me to interesting factoid number two: bra size is just a number/letter combination. Case in point: she brought me several different styles of bras. The 34 DD in the Natori fit me well. The 34 DDD (what???) in the Chantelle fit me well. In Felina's world, a 36C fits me better than a 34 DD. My favorite Lise Charmel bras, which fit beautifully, are 34D. Go figure (oh man, I am just full of awful puns today, sorry). The serious point of this is that each manufacturer, like RTW clothing manufacturers, uses their own fit model, and sizing is not consistent between brands.

Once I found a couple of bras that fit, the nice lady at Nordstroms went out to get a tee shirt to try on over them. I like this approach; it lets you see how the bras look under clothing, and it takes some of the incipient humiliation out of the situation. I tried on the bras with the shirt and noticed something which brings me to interesting factoid number three. Different bra styles/manufacturers lift and separate differently. Here are a couple of examples. When wearing the Natori, I measured my shoulder to bust apex. 12 inches. It's a minimizer, and we'll get to that later. With my Felina, that same measurement is 11 1/2 inches. With the Chantelle: 10 1/2 inches. Sign me up for the Chantelle, babies! It's like I never had kids.

Interesting factoid number four is that different manufacturers/styles also move you around so the distance between your bust apexes is different. Back to the Natori. As I mentioned, it's a minimizer. So what it does is it pushes them down and apart. In commercial sewing patterns, the bust apex is 4 inches from the center front. With the Natori minimizer, it pushes that out to 4 1/2 inches. I have another bra, a cleavage building balconette style from Felina, that brings that measurement down to just about 3 3/4 inches. This is important because if you sew a garment without taking these things into account, you're going to get wrinkles on your garments where you don't want them.

So the moral of this story is to try on lots and lots of styles and lots of lots of manufacturers to see which one fits you and your body the best. Also, and I know we've all been told this before, but it bears repeating, wear the bra that you will be wearing underneath a garment when you do the fitting adjustments. The right bra really does make all the difference.

Happy sewing and fitting!

The Two-and-a-Half Hour Transitional Skirt

It's July. That means that the stores, catalogues, and pattern drawers are starting to fill with fall and winter fashions. Vogue Patterns, in particular, has come out with a collection that hits it right out of the park. But...

It's July. That means it's hot and humid here in Boston (finally!) and for the first time since last year, the thought of working on a woolen or cashmere fabric is not really appealing. So what's a sewing maven to do? Make a skirt from a season-spanning fabric, of course! I decided to make a pattern I've used before, HotPatterns Plain & Simple Pencil Skirt. This time, to keep it really plain and simple, I omitted the lining. I used HP's pattern, but a couple of other great options for pencil styled skirts that will work up quickly are Vogue 8603 View C (which has princess lines, so you can fit it easily), Simplicity 2564 View D, and Butterick 5934

For the fabric, I wanted something that was cool enough to wear now and into the fall I decided upon Italian Petite Houndstooth Cotton Stretch. To make this in my size (a size 10 in the HP pattern), I only needed 1 yard (not even) of the fabric. For any of the patterns I highlighted, you can use one yard or less for a size 14 (big 4). The recommended yardages are higher than you'll actually need. Since the skirt is unlined, I finished all the seam allowances and hems with my serger. The only slight change I made to the pattern was to use a lapped zipper application, which you can see here:

I hemmed the skirt by hand, using Els' fantastic tutorial from The Sewing Divas. The entire project took me 2 1/2 hours (hence the title of this post) and cost me the price of one yard of fabric. If I had done a centered or invisible zipper, it would have taken me even less time. Ditto for if I had done a machine blind hem. And now I have a skirt I can wear for the rest of the summer and right to the really cold weather!

Parting Shot: Orange Nails!
I borrowed this idea from Cidell. Normally my nails are either bright red or neutral color. But this week I decided to go for the spicy approach and I went with bright, bright orange. It's an OPI color called "Don't Bet Against OPI". Whoever names their colors has the most fun job!
Yeah, they're my nails. I don't have acrylics or gels or anything. I tried acrylics once, but they drove me crazy, so now I just keep my nails short and polished. My toenails are painted bright blue, but I won't be posting pictures of my feet any time.

Happy sewing!

Pattern Review - McCalls 5847 Shirt Dress

Pattern Description: From McCalls' website - "MISSES' SHIRTDRESSES IN THREE LENGTHS AND SASH: Shirtdresses A, B, C, D have princess seams, collar, topstitching, sleeve and length variations; shirtdresses A, D have patch pockets and flaps; shirtdresses A, C have self fabric sash; shirtdress C has buttoned sleeve tab and rolled up sleeves; shirtdress D has three-quarter length sleeves with self-cuff, side slits and purchased belt; shirtdress A is mid-knee length; shirtdresses B, C are 3" below mid-knee; shirtdress D is 7" above ankle."

I made View B, the short sleeved version.

Sizing: 6-22. I made a 14

Fabric Used: A really fun metallic embroidered floral that has been aging in my stash for about 4 years. Here's an up-close shot of the fabric so you can see the embroidery

Needle/Notions Used: 70/10 (Universal equivalent). Pro Weft fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply. Poly core thread, 7 Buttons, 1 snap.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? Excellent! This is a Palmer/Pletsch pattern. In the instructions, they include copious notes on how to adjust the pattern to fit you. It's really invaluable. I didn't really use the instructions, since I know how to do all the fitting I need anyway, but I read through them and was thoroughly impressed.

Construction Notes: I sewed all seams on my industrial sewing machine, and finished all the seams with the serger.

Any changes? I made my usual FBA. Because of that, I ended up using 7 buttons instead of the 8 they recommend. Other than that, there was really nothing that I did differently.

Likes/Dislikes: I like the look and ease of this style. One caveat is that it has more ease through the waist and hips than I was expecting from the drawings. It needs a belt or it tends to look matronly, bordering on housefrau. Fortunately, Nordstroms near me is having a huge sale right now so I'll see if I can get a belt to wear with it. I also really liked the instructions

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Will I do it again? Not sure. There are other patterns that I would rather sew up first. But I do recommend it heartily.

Conclusion: A well-drafted pattern with great instructions. Here's the finished product.



Parting Shot: Eddie Izzard's Death Star Canteen a la Lego
This is one of the funniest routines I've ever heard him do! Be warned, the language is not work friendly, but it is absolutely hysterical!
Death Star Canteen

Happy sewing!

The Best Crabcakes, Evah!

I'm going to start this post off with an apology to my friends in Washington DC and Baltimore. I was down there this past weekend and I didn't have a chance to contact anyone. Renee? Allyn? Next time I'll call you before I come down and we'll all get together. Promise.

Okay, so on to business. Monday, I attended the retirement ceremony for one of my oldest friends. He's a captain in the US Navy, and he's the smartest guy I know, period. Norbes and I have known each other since we were teenagers. I went to all of his graduations (USNA, MIT for his masters and MIT for his PhD). He attended our wedding; DH was one of his groomsmen and I sang at his wedding. And Monday, he was relieved of duty in one of the nicest, most moving ceremonies I've ever been to. The Navy knows how to do it right. The ceremony was at the Naval Museum at the Shipyard in Washington. He got more awards than you can count. We were teasing him back at his house later. He has a wall full of awards that I was calling his "Mister Incredible Wall". Here he is with the admiral receiving his discharge papers.
Needless to say, the party was a lot of fun in the typical Naval style!

The weekend in Washington was beautiful, weather-wise. When we got in Saturday, DH and I headed to Bethesda for crabcakes. I'm not generally a big crab fan, since I'm from Boston, where lobster rolls are the order of the day. But I do love a good crab cake, and the Bethesda Crab House has the best crab cakes I've ever had. If you get down there, check them out. You can also go for the full smash-them-with-a-hammer crab boil. Call ahead and they'll have them waiting for you when you arrive. Oh, and their cole slaw is the best I've tasted in a very long time!

Needless to say, I didn't get any sewing done, but it was a very busy weekend. Yesterday, the continuation of the lovely summer weather we've been having here in Boston kept us grounded at BWI all day. Thank god for broadband modems. Plus, Leslie moved Gorgeous Fabrics to a new host, so you should see a marked improvement in performance. If you were trying to get on there yesterday and had troubles, it should be all fixed now. Thank you Leslie!!!

Back to work. I need some more shorts, so I'll probably get those sewn up tonight.
Happy sewing!

We Have Winners!

Yay! Three people guessed the reason behind the 21%. They are Diane D., Marcia H., and Linda T. Congratulations to all three! They each received $10 gift certificates. Enjoy them ladies!

Now, the reason for 21% is because the US was founded in 1776. Playing the numerology game, 1+7+7+6 adds up to 21, and there you have it!

Honorable mention does go to Karla K., who's guess was

My guess: the 21% discount reflects the age or waist circumference of the owner of Gorgeous Fabrics.

Did I win? Did I win? ;-) -Karla

Oh, that was a good one. If only - thanks Karla! The sale runs through Sunday, so have fun and have a very happy 4th!

One More Shameless Plug and then I'm Done for the Day

As long as I'm plugging away, I just saw an email that came across my desk last night. My friends at HotPatterns are running a 4th of July sale too! So you can buy your patterns from them, your interfacing from Pam, and your fabrics from me and you'll be ready to rock and roll!

Here's my all-time favorite, the Cosmopolitan Dress:


Which would look fabulous in our Flowers in Showers jersey


I'm just sayin...

Big Sale at Gorgeous Fabrics, and a Shameless Plug

Hello my dears! This weekend is July 4th, which is a big holiday here in the US. And to celebrate said big holiday, we're putting almost every fabric on sale at Gorgeous Fabrics for a whopping 21% off, including all the new fabrics that I've been putting up, like this fabulous extra-wide cotton jersey!
Normally this baby is $14/yard, but through Sunday, it's on sale for $11.06/yard!

Click Here to Shop the Sale

Why 21%, you say? Well, that's the question of the day! And in fact, the first three people who send me an email with the correct reason that we chose 21% will get a $10 gift certificate to Gorgeous Fabrics! Here's a hint - it's not because it's one more than 20%, though that's a good reason too. Send your emails to Ann "at" gorgeousfabrics "dot" com. I'll post the winners here as soon as I have them. Good luck!

Another Shameless Plug
I'm not the only one running a great sale right now. My friend Pam at Fashion Sewing Supply has put all of her interfacings on sale. I use her interfacings exclusively, and in fact I just put an order in for 10 yards each of black and white Pro-Weft, so I can heartily and knowledgeably endorse her products. NAYY aside from being a very happy customer and a friend.

So what are you waiting for? Get shopping and have fun!

The caveats: Sale pricing is effective through Sunday, July 5, 2009. Sale prices do not apply to muslin, swatches, gift certificates or EMc2 for Sewing Hope fabrics. Sale prices may not be applied to prior sales. Sale prices can not be combined with other discounts.

Whoof!

That's not a dog barking, that's exhaustion rearing its head. I took a bunch of students and colleagues to New York yesterday for a "field trip". It was a great time! We had a couple of adventures, but more than that, I think everyone had fun. And we were able to meet up with Carolyn and Lindsay T at the end of the day for dinner. As an aside, Jack's Restaurant on 40th looks like a pub grub place, but in fact, has great tapas!

We started at Mood and did the rounds. I'll let them tell you which stores were their favorites. Here's the group at Paron's at the end of the day:

Photo courtesy of LindsayT

Not the best picture, but it was the end of a long day of fabric shopping, and the heavens had just opened and it was pouring out. Today I'm tired!

The other thing that happened yesterday is that my latest library acquisition arrived! Can I tell you how psyched I am to have this book? I'll be reading it every free moment I have. Stay tuned for a review soon!
I'm way behind on work, so I'm off to catch up.

Happy (couture!) sewing!!!!!