Jazz skirt update....

Lesson learned early with the Jazz Hall skirt, now the Jazz Hall skirt(s), plural.

I assumed I knew my measurements, after all I've been sewing for myself for a long time and surely I know my own measurements, right?!

Yeah, wrong. I didn't read the fine print, which was to add 2 inches to my own measurements and then pick the size I needed to cut out. Plus, it's maybe possible, although highly unlikely, that the holidays brought an abundance of wealth and riches to my midsection. Slight possibility.

So I made the first Jazz Skirt last night in a size 8. And I really need at least a size 10 but probably a 12 would be better.

Soooo, back we all went to Hancock's in 10 degree F weather, so I could buy another half yard of my charcoal houndstooth merino wool and cut out a bigger size. Add $3 to the project. Except I needed serger thread because I've decided to do a rolled hem on the flounces, and I needed new embroidery scissors because my anklebiters have helped the other three pair I owned disappear, and sooner or later I spent $48.

BUT! The skirt is beeeeeyoooteeful! I can't wait to show you all pictures of an appropriate size on me. And my teeny tiny friend Cindy has graciously accepted my offer of rehoming the teeny tiny skirt I made, so all is well in the universe.

- H

Great Sewing Challenge ~ Jazz Hall skirt project starts

I don't know the best way to serialize the Great Slow Sewing Challenge of 2010, so my titles may change as inspiration hits?

Onward and upward, people! I cut out the Jazz Hall skirt from Wenlan Chia's Twinkle Sews book this morning, under my dog Binnie's watchful eye (or maybe she slept through the whole thing but I talked to her the entire way so I'm counting that as company).

First, I must explain something for anyone considering this book. The patterns come on a CD. She only includes patterns in sizes 0, 4, 8, and 12. If you're in between sizes, you're supposed to print both sizes and then trace in between the two lines and cut your own pattern.

That would be fine, if the entire pattern printing, taping, and cutting out process didn't take two hours in itself. If it were me, I'd probably just cut the bigger size and either sew with larger seam allowances or do a lot of tailoring after the fact. But that only really works with skirts that have little nuance to the cut. Anything like a blouse or dress would probably require her recommendation.

I'm making the skirt's body out of charcoal and navy teeny tiny houndstooth wool. It's extra-fine merino wool I bought at Hancock's (shocker!) for $5 a yard. It's 60" wide and although the pattern said I would need 2 yards, I really only needed 1.5. Note to self: lay out pieces ahead of time to verify yardage requirements.

This book does not do a step-by-step pattern cutting layout. So I cut the flounce pieces and waistband (folded because I only need one) first, then changed to a center line double fold and cut the skirt bodies.

Then I cut the contrasting flounces and lining.


And away I went! [some time passed after I wrote this and the following bits of my post] I started sewing on the Jazz Hall skirt, was enjoying myself greatly, and then my stinking Bernina crapped out on me. When the bobbin thread starts doing this, and you've done all the cleaning, tuning, and trouble-shooting you know how to do, there's only one thing left....my machine will be going to the doctor tomorrow. I'll get out my grandma's Bernina to finish it, and hopefully will be able to post updates by Friday.

Also, here are the supplies I'll be using for the Kristen dress from Burdastyle. I have a very lightweight, superfine 120s wool in a lavender and purple pinstripe for the body, and a coordinating silk in the purple for the contrast and collar. I like it layed out next to each other, so I hope I like it on my big old body!



- H

Porty thing is fixed!

I went to the camera shop today, where the not-so-snarky salesman informed me that I was downloading my pictures the wrong way, as if there was a right and wrong way. Apparently I should be using one of those SD card adapter jobbies instead of my USB cord. So the death of my USB port is not a big deal.

And he said "it won't eat up so much of the battery, either." I really never noticed a battery problem. In fact, I was recently boasting to myself that our camera battery could last forever.

I also stopped off at Hancock's and loaded up on some more things for my Great Sewing Challenge of 2010. Is that what I'm calling it? I can't remember now. Whatever, I got the charcoal wool for the Jazzy Hall skirt (that's from the Twinkle Sews book, that's the skirt I'm making). I also got a pretty little piece of navy blue stretch poplin that will be making its appearance in the spring in a neat little project for the Challenge.

Did you know I plan on making a swimsuit as one of my challenges? Pretty challenging, eh?

I told my mom one of my goals was to get better at the details and my finish work, and she said "Honey, you need to slow down."

Yeah, yeah. I will now be calling it the Great Slow Sewing Challenge of 2010.

- H

The Great Sewing Challenge Begins **edited with a picture**

Alright, this may be a little, um, anticlimactic, but I have no personal photos to share in this post. My camera's little thingy that connects to the USB cord is broken. I'll let you guess which two people in this house may be responsible for its demise.

At any rate, the show must go on. I've decided that one project per month isn't really going to cut it. Mostly because when I started compiling the fabrics and patterns I really want to make, there were more than twelve of them. So some months I may post up more than one project.

Hopefully I'll be so organized and fabulous I'll actually finish one project before starting the next one, but I'm not making any promises.

The other thing I've decided is I want to try patterns that will somehow make me a better seamstress. Techniques that I haven't tried before or have avoided for whatever reason. This includes sewing with schmoozy fabrics like silk. And I want my finish work to be phenomenal, which would be a total change for me when I sew for myself. So there should be a lot of variety in the projects I choose and plenty of challenge to go around.

So, without further adieu...

Drumroll, please....

January's projects will be....

BurdaStyle's Kristen dress with short sleeve modification, line drawing pictured here.



If you click the link above, you can see a full color lifelike version of what theirs looks like finished.

I plan to make it out of this very lightweight British lavender striped 120s wool I got a while ago for a sickening $1.97 a yard. At another little boutique fabric store here in town the same fabrics sell for $100 a yard. Score!

This pattern calls for two contrasting fabrics for the collar and the front inset. I will be using either a pink or blue silk and cotton blend for the contrast.

The second project on January's list is the Jazz Hall skirt from Wenlan Chia's Twinkle Sews book. It's a fairly basic pencil skirt, but with triple layered bias cut flounces in contrasting woolens for the hem, it adds just enough sauce for me. I plan on making it out of charcoal grey wool with a Pendleton ivory and navy check contrast hem. Preppy chic.


As soon as I get the port thingy fixed on my camera I'll post pics of the fabrics and my progress.

Thanks for following this project and keeping me on task!

- H

Twinkle Sews cuz Heather needs positive goal attainment

Ahem. It is slightly possible that my mood, and thus my blogging, in the past um two to three days, has been less than, shall we say, positive.

I'm ok with it. Sometimes I'm just a bitch, that's ok.

But I don't want to wallow because that makes my skin look really bad, and I'm intrigued by two different ideas running around in my head.

The first one is a challenge I read about somewhere (if it were earlier and I wasn't so stinking lazy I'd look up the link for you guys) was a challenge to start 2010 without spending any money. I can't remember if the challenger was doing a whole year kind of money cleanse, or just the month of January. The point is, no discretionary (or is it indiscretionary?) spending. No frivolous spends. Not even grocery shopping unless you don't have three freezers and two refrigerators plus two shelving units full of food from Costco. Nada.

I'm thinking about it. There are a few problems with the idea for me. One, I handle all the money matters in the household. I pay all the bills. Does that count for spending? Second, I often work out on the road where it is convenient necessary to eat out for lunch. This has cost me a great deal of money in the past twelve years.

I wonder how much money I'd save if I either didn't eat lunch (oh, and imagine how much weight I'd lose!) or packed something? But oh my god that sounds awful, packing a lunch every day. And I'm a lunch eater. I can do without dinner, but I needs me my lunch.

And then there's the whole task of fixing my oldest son, who has been spoiled. There, I said it. he's spoiled and I need to fix that problem. Not spending any money might help. No McDonald's. No trips to Target that inevitably include a toy or a new movie. Nothing! We might even start turning out the lights and reading by flashlight or something, we'll be so Little House on the Prairie.

The second idea is kind of a challenge to myself. I have this book called Twinkle Sews, and there are a couple of patterns in it that I'm really interested in making. I even have fabric for a few of them. Add that book to the growing collection of vintage patterns in my sweatshop and I'd like to start some sort of monthly sewing diary. Like a personal goal of working through the dozen patterns I want to make the most? One per month.

Only problem with that second goal is it might interfere with my first goal. I have a lot, ok a ridiculous amount, of sewing paraphernalia so I might be able to do the first few months without buying anything, but you never know.

So, that's it folks. I'll post up my first monthly sewing project on Monday, after I decide what it's going to be. And I'll let you know whether or not I decide to do a NO SPEND JANUARY. Yeegads, it's scary when you type it out like that.

- H