Garden skirt

I'm still on a skirt kick.   This one's the same as the sunspot skirt, just with side-seam pockets.   I looove this fabric!   Beautiful and also a very nice quality lawn: it hardly wrinkled after a long day at work!  This one's from High Fashion Fabric in downtown Houston, and I've been hoarding it for a few years.

The pattern match-up in the back isn't perfect but will do at a glance.   Lining and yoke follow the usual protocols.

Wore it with my trusty gold cardigan a week ago.  On a very humid morning:  the camera lens fogged over!  Let's call it an artistic effect.  We can say the same about what my bangs are doing -- ew.  

I've been wearing stuff I've made to work a lot more recently.   I think it's finally nailing fit on a few patterns, and realizing that I really like the same simple shape.  For me, color and print is where the fun is at.   So I may not be sewing many wild and crazy new designs, but I'm finally making stuff I can count on liking and wearing, which is a bigger win for me.  At least right now.   The downside is that I am running out of hangers ...

Sunspot skirt

I've taken a quick break from Emerizing to make a few new skirts.  I think I've just about got my "perfect skirt" formula down -- really a matter of getting the waistband just right, since I like full, not fitted skirts.

Thanks to my husband's help (and a newfound interest in wearing my makes to work as soon as they're done), I'm also doing a bit better at documenting my finished items in use.  This is from last Friday early in the wee hours.  I had to leave the house at 7 freaking a.m. that day, so ironically there wasn't much sun to illuminate the ol' sunspot skirt.  Many of the photos came out blurry as a result.

Smiling and foot-gazing just like a JC Penney catalog model.

I'm liking the slightly longer length I hemmed this at.  It's actually the same skirt (modified from vintage Butterick 6075) that I use on my version of the Emery, modified to have front pockets (what's the technical term?) instead of side-seam pockets.  Just because.  The fabric's an inexpensive cotton lawn and I've had it long enough to forget where it came from.    (So when I say "inexpensive" you know I am talking about quality, not price.)

This was sewn with Mrs. Williams the Featherweight, as was several other of my recent projects.  So, the zip came out a bit crappy because I don't have a good zipper foot for this machine.  I put this one in with the regular straight stitch foot and it came out better than the one I used the low-shank zipper foot on.   The zipper foot I have is rigid, and this seems to make it impossible to get over any kind of seam, and what zipper doesn't cross a seam?  Ugh.  I could adjust my foot pressure but it's good for everything else and who wants t fiddle with that every time the zipper foot comes out?   I've seen zipper feet that are hinged ... need to hunt one down I guess.  OK, end rant.  :)  Other than this zipper thing Mrs. Williams' company continues to be a pleasure.

The facing's quilting cotton.  The fact that it coordinates so well pleases me -- the scrap bin gods smiled on this project I guess.  The lining's the usual Imperial poly/cotton batiste.

Have a great weekend everybody!

The Anniversary Emery

Say hello to Emery #5, aka The Anniversary Emery.  Since I decided to make it in honor of our 20th wedding anniversary (now almost a month past!) I asked my husband to help pick the fabric.  Then began to waffle, second-guessing his choice and proposing alternatives.  But he was not to be swayed, and he was right, this was a good choice.

Naturally the dog and I have both managed to look like goofballs.  And I look like I am trying to meld with the jasmine on the fence.  But in more urban settings this dress stands out nicely, I promise.  I wore it for one of our anniversary dinners (we had several, because what the hey).

Not much to add on the making of, at least that I can remember anyhow given that it was done a month ago.  Looking at these pictures I did decide that the bodice might be a hair too long in front, even though it doesn't feel long.  So I shortened it ever so slightly for Emerys 6 and 7.  Otherwise the slight bodice looseness is intentional -- yay for a little easy, easy ease.

By the way, 20th anniversaries are awesome.  We originally thought we'd travel somewhere nice to mark the occasion, but decided to take a week to just spend time together and work on some home improvement projects that would make our daily lives better instead.  That worked out well.

OK, side 'n' back views and we're outta here.  Have a good evening, or a great day or fantastic wherever you're at in the celestial cycle.

Mrs. Williams' triumphant return

We're all rained in here on this holiday Monday (Memorial Day in the US) -- prefect day for sewing, and that's what I'm up today.   I finished up a dress yesterday (Emery #7) and am currently working on a skirt that I hope to be wearing to work next week.    But today's topic is not those sewing projects, but rather what sewed them.  That would be the Mrs. Williams referenced in the title of this post.  Here she is:

... also a sneak peek at Emery #7

Mrs. Williams is a 1947 Singer Featherweight gifted to me by my Aunt Dora while I was visiting over the Thanksgiving holidays.   (Aunt Dora has about as many vintage sewing machines as I do, but used her formidable "thrifting fu" to acquire her lovely collection for a fraction of what I've paid.)   Mrs. Williams was one of three featherweights in my aunt's collection -- they all have names taken from their previous owners.  This is how we know Mrs. Williams' name:

A service tag, from The Singer Company in the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta.  Wikipedia tells me that the Cumberland Mall opened in 1973, but no luck finding out when Singer was a tenant there.  Since the other information wasn't filled in, it's anyone's guess when the service took place or what was done.

I sewed a few projects with Mrs. Williams around Christmas time, after doing some basic cleaning and oiling, but it became clear that she had some thread stuck under the bobbin case:  periodically the thread would get snarled up and I'd have to stop and pull everything out.   Also, while the tension was "good enough" I couldn't seem to get the perfect balance.   Other than these things, Mrs. Williams was working pretty well, but I decided to get her serviced, rather than try figure out how to fix these issues myself (chicken).  However, I dragged my feet on actually taking her in -- my local service center will work on anything, new or old, but their turnaround time is at least a month.   Even though I have other machines to use (9 of them ...) I hate to leave my machines at the shop for that long.

A "before" shot that attempts to show off her pretty faceplate.

Then I noticed an ad in our local newspaper (as I was putting it in the bottom of the birdcage lol) for "Kimberly's Junk in the Trunk",  a local antiques store specializing in vintage Singer sewing machines, both sales and repair.  I checked the place out the next time I had a chance, and ended up bringing Mrs. Williams back there for service.  They told me the turn-around time is usually two weeks, but they had her ready in one.   And not only did they fix and clean every aspect of the machine (and provided a detailed list of everything that was done ... it was a lot!),  they also cleaned and polished the case, and fixed the original screwdriver that was with the machine (it was bent).   Now I am glad that I was too chicken to take things apart myself: no way would I have done this good a job.

It's nice to have Mrs. Williams back home and in tip-top shape, because she's become one of my favorite sewing machines.  Definitely different to sew with than my modern Janome, or even my 70s Kenmore 1931, which I also use a lot.  Someday I'm going to have to work up a big spreadsheet comparing my collection and what they're like to sew with ... but I wonder, is much of sewing machine enjoyment subjective?

I also gave away my Kenmore 1320 last weekend, to someone who is just getting started with sewing.   So, one machine in, one out, and hopefully good sewing karma for everyone!

California Houses Pacific Moon

Couldn't resist making another Pacific Moon!  Since the doubled fabric experiment seems to have been a success, I wanted to try it with a quilting fabric.  Because if that works ... the door to whole universes of fabric possibility have been officially thrown open and who knows what might happen.

schmeebot liked the "Mod Houses" fabric I used for Emery #4, and I had barely a yard left over, enough to make a PacMoon and not much else.  I had to cut the pocket back pieces upside down, but the thing got done.  Pattern matching was out of the question, but I think it looks okay.  The print is also slightly off-grain, but that's not too noticeable either.  

To make the skirt the heavier weight that schmee prefers for hiking, I put a layer of white Kona cotton underneath.  Apparently the two fabrics together form a formidable opponent, because it made my serger cry like a little baby.  And by that, I mean both needles broke instantly and the blade couldn't cut it.  (To be fair, I have not changed my blade in ... well, ever. Maybe it's time?)  I ended up finishing the edges with zig-zag stitch on the regular machine, which is clearly made of sterner stuff than the serger since it had no complaints whatsoever.

I associate this style of house with California, perhaps because they look so darn good with the landscape.  Also, schmee is a structural engineer.  So clearly this fabric needed to be a Pacific Moon.  Anyhow, long story short (since this is PacMoon #26, after all) I really like the way this came out.   

On an unrelated note, the jasmine on my backyard fence is blooming and it smells awesome.

Emery #4: Deer Dreaming

Still no photos taken of Emery #2 ... it's deep undercover on a secret mission and cannot be recalled.   Uh, or maybe it's in my closet, but kind of wrinkled and I'm not in the mood for press and photograph it.  Not when I could be sewing Emery #7 instead!

Meanwhile, here is Emery the fourth, which is a rather psychedelic number featuring deer.  The fabric is "Oh Deer!" by MoMo.

The fit of this one is the same as for Emery #3, Mod Houses, but somehow this one looks a bit loose in the lower bodice.  It is actually, if anything, slightly tighter, and I'm not sure I want form-fitting anyhow:  I like taking deep breaths, eating, etc.    Perhaps the problem is that the front bodice is slightly too long?

Check out my awesome totally accidental pattern matching on the back.  I cut the back bodice pieces along the selvedges and it just worked out.  Hooray blind chance.  Too bad that in real life it will always be under a cardigan!

I promised (threatened?) to list the modifications I made to the bodice pieces.  (I used the skirt from another pattern.)  Here goes:

• Increased bodice length 1 1/4"
• Doubled width of back upper darts, and made them about 1/2" longer
• Made the front and back lower bodice darts 1/4" longer
• Used the size 0 bust darts, but shortened them about 3/8" (I made the size 4 otherwise)
• took a 1/8" deeper seam allowance on the shoulder seam at the neck, tapering to nothing at the shoulder
• Pinched out about an inch or so from the front upper bodice, tapering to nothing at the bottom
• Took out 1/4" at the armhole on the side of the front bodice, tapering to nothing at the bottom
• Adjusted armholes for a sleeveless version by making them 1/2" shallower, like so:

Cribbed this adjustment from vintage Butterick 6570.

... and probably some other stuff that I forgot.  I'm also sewing the side seams at 3/4" rather than 5/8".  All this for a pattern that had a pretty promising fit out of the envelope!  This may be why I like to stick with a good pattern once I find it.

OK final gratuitous shot with dog (though it's not his best).  Emerys (Emeries?)  5 and 6 have been completed in the time it's taken to get around to posting this, and #7 is on the horizon.   My photo editing situation has also improved, so expect to see photos taken with something other than iPhone and lots of gratuitous post-processing in future posts.

Double trouble Pacific Moon

schmeebot has received her Pacific Moons, so it's safe to reveal the "surprise" entry in the collection!  It's challenging to find good PacMoon fabric:  schmee wears these skirts hiking on windy Southern California hillsides (Or are they mountainsides?  Living in Houston I would hardly know the difference!)  Anyhow, we all know that wind + skirt = danger, so heavier materials are best.  Ikea always delivers, but it's nice to have other options.  

Hancock's had a 50 percent off sale on this super-bright-and-cheerful twill.  I spotted it, got excited ... and realized it wasn't quite beefy enough.  Bummer.  But I didn't want to give it up, and decided it was time to try a double-layered skirt.

This first attempt is orange with pink inside. Yep, the pockets are nice and deep:  schmee puts water bottles and such into them while hiking.  The cotton twill layers "grab" each other well, and behave as one.  I cut them separately, but otherwise treated them the same as I would have a single layer.  I didn't double the pockets and waistband, and I think that worked.  If it washes and wears well, expect to see more fun color combos in the near future!

The yoke facing was some leftover fabric from Emery #4.  Which I guess I still need to post ... soon!   I had to cut pieces sideways and upside down to get them to fit, but I did manage to get a deer with a bird on his butt on the back yoke.  Sometimes it's the little things.