SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED – SEWAHOLIC MINORU

Posted on August 22, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

I have finished the Sewaholic Minoru jacket.

Sewaholic Minoru – good for hangin’ around in. A nice casual jacket

and the back view

Monkeying around in Sewaholic Minoru – back view

I purchased this fabric to make the Lisette Passport jacket – great idea, until I got home and realised they were postage stamps – not passport stamps. Doh!

Then along came Sewaholic Minoru.

I really like the pattern but I must say I’m not terribly fussed on my choice of fabric (I like the print just not the fabric itself) or my finishing. When I realised the things I did not like, I was ‘past the point of no return’ and the choices were to 1) ditch the project in a huff or 2) solider on.

I took Option 2.

Sewaholic Minoru jacket fabric – postage marks!

What don’t I like about my jacket?

My topstitching is inconsistent and looks like I hired a drunk monkey to do it.

Sewing in the hood zipper was just horrendous. I did it three times!! The stitching is wonky. I should have used a metal zip. But no, SillySewBusyLizzy decided to use a pink zip as a contrast. It’s a dress zipper and I’m not happy with the finish – and the hood shall hang out forever more!

Sewaholic Minoru – my disaster hood zipper

No needle seemed to agree with this fabric and worse, the print ink is quite heavy and the reverse is quite light. When the needle pierced it, the blue seemed to ‘break’ a little, and on the inside of the hood (which is only lined on one side because I used ‘stash fabric’ to line it and I ran out) you can see the lighter reverse of the fabric. The hood hides it (I had enough fabric to line the hood). It still annoys the little OCD person who lives inside me. There is a raw edge on the lower edge inside of the hood (that only I can see) – next time I would encase this with bias binding.

The waist feels too high. The pattern calls for 2 inch elastic however I felt 1 1.2 inch was more than enough. I just need to drop the waist down a couple of inches.

I only put in one inner pocket. I don’t actually think I would use the inner pocket much (unless I finished it with a zipper for security like SewMM suggested). But outer pockets? I miss those!!

Sewaholic Minoru – the inner nuts and bolts

When I washed the fabric and it dried (yes, yes prior to cutting and sewing), it developed weird ‘worn’ looking creases in the blue background. I don’t actually mind it as I look like a parcel that’s been through the post several times… a worn battered package (probably a little close to the truth for comfort…).

Sewaholic Minoru – the worn parcel look!

I got a bit ahead of myself when sewing and did some silly things – like not stitch across the bottom of the plackets when attaching the lining, stitching the lining all the way down on the front and a few other things. I would strongly recommended following the instructions and using the online Sewaholic sewalong – then it’s easy (Note to self: follow own advice more often).

Will I make it again? Yes – despite all my bellyaching.

What do I like about the Sewaholic Minoru pattern?

There are not two-hundred-and-fifty bazillion pieces to cut out.
It’s lined.
If you go slowly and refer to the online tutorials, it’s not that hard to sew.
The big collar.

What don’t I like?

No front pockets. I could have put these in – but I was cranky with the fabric and very very tired so I did not worry (a few days later I stayed in bed for 17 hours so that should explain some of my poor decisions!).

How will my next Sewaholic Minoru be different?

Front welt pockets or side in-seam ones. I’ll have to wear the jacket for a while and figure out where I would like to put my hands.
Lower waist elastic. It is the right size across but the waist is waaaay too high.
No hood.
Put in both inner pockets.
Make a tie belt and attach some belt loops.
Improve my topstitching!!

I have stacks of jackets – I adore them. It doesn’t get terribly cold here so jackets are great to throw on is there is a cold breeze or it’s early morning or late afternoon. There is always room for another jacket in my wardrobe!

In closing, Miss 9 thinks this is ‘the coolest jacket’. I was surprised, she’s often embarrassed by me – not because I’m a dag but because I turn up to school in smart work clothes. Quote: ‘everyone knows who you are – they all go “Zoe, Zoe there’s your Mum” – that is soooo embarrassing’. Last year she instructed me to wear jeans, sneakers and polar fleece – like other mums. The following day another mother told me her daughter had asked her to dress more like me – so you really can’t win LOL.

Note to self: I need to dye my hair again. Soon someone is going to realise I’m a curly-haired ash blonde (aka mousey brown frizzball). I’m going a hideous auburn/orange colour… but I would rather pay off my overlocker/serger…

Funniest thing? There are postage stamps from New York, Paris, London – even the Vatican… and then there is this from Australia…

Sewaholic Minoru – there’s even Townsville

Fabric: $10 metre from Spotlight. Lining: pastel pink polka dot cotton from stash.
Pattern: Sewaholic Minoru from Sew Squirrel

Lovely surprise

Posted on August 19, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

Thank you Pretty Grievances who alerted me to the fact I’m the ‘featured member’ over on PatternReview.com. Thanks!

What a nice way to finish my weekend. 🙂

Little old me as ‘featured member’ on Pattern Review!

ACCIDENTLY KELLY SKIRT – MEGAN NIELSEN

Posted on August 19, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

The first thing that sprang to mind when I saw this new Megan Nielsen pattern was Frente!’s song ‘Accidently Kelly Street’. It’s a quirky, charming song – rather like this pattern!I wasn’t sure about the shape of this pattern on me. I love high-waisted skirts but I have always worn pencil skirts. I thought the fullness of this might be weird on me. If it is weird, then I’ve decided I don’t mind weird so much after all. Good to try a new silhouette – just like Crafting a Rainbow suggested this week. I like how the pleats are positioned and the skirt falls flat over the ‘junk trunk’ – nice.

Megan Neilson’s Kelly Skirt – back view

This pattern purchase was totally impulse (naughty SewBusyLizzy!), as I was buying Sewaholic’s Alma blouse from Sew Squirrel I thought ‘why not just chuck an extra one in the shopping cart‘. And I had seen Foursquarewalls version which totally sold me on the design. ::Paunnet:: posted her’s this week and it’s also gorgeous.

Megan Neilson, Kelly Skirt pattern

When it arrived I was completely delighted by the packaging. It’s in an envelope that seals with a little velcro dot. There is a little booklet of instructions with cute illustrations, and a section for notes at the end. The pattern itself is printed on bond paper and is strong and sturdy.From start to finish I think I was all done in around 3 to 4 hours. Attaching the waistband was very easy as there are four lovely deep pleats and the not two-hundred-and-fifty-bazillion gathers to contend with.

The only change I made was to French seam the side seams. Next time I make it I will finish the pocket edges with bias binding because then it will all be perfectly neat and tidy on the inside. If my house can’t be spotless, my sewing might as well be!

I picked up my buttons from an op shop for just 20 cents. The navy pinwale corduroy was on special at 40% off.

And later this afternoon as the sun was fading and my hair was curling…

Megan Neilson’s Kelly Skirt – I never thought a pattern could be so sweet.

It’s a beginner’s pattern so it’s quick and easy but it’s also cute as a button. I think in a ‘sensible’ fabric this would be nice for work with a blouse, or in some fun fabric on the weekends with a t-shirt. Not everything needs to be complicated – after just completing the Sewaholic Minoru jacket (yes, yes photos later this week) this little burst of sunshine was just what my sewing mojo needed. A little moment of joy 🙂

I’m not sold on my topstitching skills and definitely need to do some research to improve. I almost unpicked all the topstitching but then decided there would be more Kelly skirts in my life and I can live with the topstitching on this.

Thank you for your lovely positive reaction to my last blog post Celebrating Little Moments of Joy. I confess am a slightly opininated person and always worry that I might sound like I’m having a soapbox moment, so I’m glad I did not come across that way and that being kinder to ourselves and celebrating our big/little successes struck a chord with many people.

The chorus of ‘Accidently Kelly Skirt’ reminded me of all the wonderful people I have ‘met’ since I first started the SewBusyLizzy blog, it certainly wasn’t something I had anticipated. It’s a wonderful little online niche – thank you for all your advice, chatter, encouragement and kindness – it’s much appreciated 🙂

Here is a snippet of Accidently Kelly Street (lyrics by Frente!, from the album – Marvin the Album (1994).) Or listen to it on YouTube.

Accidently Kelly Street
Where friends and strangers sometimes meet
Accidently Kelly Street
I never thought life could be so sweet

CELEBRATING LITTLE MOMENTS OF JOY…

Posted on August 12, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

Does something have to be hard to be a sewing achievement? Do you need to slave away for hours and hours at the machine and cutting table, and turn out something completely unique and immaculate to celebrate a major triumph?

I don’t think so.

Lately I’ve seen a few projects pop up and they haven’t been a couture garment but they have marked developing a new skill, overcoming a hurdle, technique refinement or beating a difficult fabric. I enjoy these posts as much as the posts that are full of monumental sewing achievements, like a couture dress, a tailored jacket, jeans that look just like RTW. Yes, those posts blow me away and I often read them and think ‘I wish I could do that’ or ‘if only I had the time’. However I think celebrating our little achievements is important. Cumulatively these will lead to bigger things but it’s important to enjoy the sightseeing stops on a sewing journey. Everyone starts somewhere and I’m sure even the rock stars of the sewing world have their sewing nemesis.

In the last couple of weeks the following have popped up:-

Goodbye Valentino posted a Kwik Sew 2498 top. She commented that this year she had decided to sew challenging projects – but this project qualifies as it has five buttons – apparently she’s not a button fan! I think that’s great, it’s not a couture top but its a celebration of overcoming a sewing hurdle, and yet she’s churned out made an amazing dress that counts as couture but celebrates this Kwik Sew project too. I admire and love that.
Kim-ing. I love everything about this blog. She’s quite new to sewing but her enthusiasm, sense of fun and sharing is infectious. I’ve loved watching her Thurlow journey (because I’ve been there too!) and I think there are another pair to come! Or her Cambie dress with its invisible zip and lining. She’s a stitcher who bumps along over the hurdles and lets us have giggle on the way, I mean this would have to be one of the most light-hearted and joyful sewing blog pictures I’ve seen, I love it!
Bimble and Pimble – she made leggings! Yes, leggings are not hard sewing in themselves (although she did try hard to make it so) but she drafted them herself from an Etsy tutorial! And oh my goodness they are wicked things! Check out the fabric!!
Sylkotwist she conquered some very temperamental dobby fabric and made a lovely pair of Iris shorts. She’s also nailed Peony and got it to fit beautifully – which was beyond me. I got so cranky with this pattern, I ripped out the zip and binned it before the camera came out!
Thornberry’s made some more Renfrews and so has Sew Squirrel and SusiehomemakerMDand Gillian they all find ways to sew this pattern and make it their own. The sewing blog world seems to be afflicted by Renfrewitis!

There are hoards of others I can mention (sorry if you feel I’ve missed out but trust me I’ve read your blog!) but there are many more that I can’t because they are not deemed fancy or clever enough to blog about. I think that’s a shame. We all often bang on about ‘the simple things in life are often the best’ but it seems we don’t think so in regard to sewing.

So what’s been my achievement lately?

Making a simple gathered skirt with an invisible zipper closure. Exactly easy peasy.

I love making these skirts. This is my third and I can see the simple improvements in my sewing skills. For these skirts my go-to guide has been Gertie’s full gathered skirt posts.

I’d been having a rather tough and arduous time at work. Feeling very flat on Friday evening, I spotted some owl quilting fabric I had purchased for my eldest daughter. She’s got an obsession with owls this year, it’s her classroom theme. She’s a very diligent student and adores her teacher – so it’s all about owls in 2012. Too often I promise to make them something and never quite get around to it.

I decided to remedy that.

So I cut out four rectangles of fabric, a piece of interfacing and started sewing. Less than 90 minutes later she was wearing this.

Owls in action!

Now it’s not a WOW project. However this is the third skirt I have sewn for my daughters and it gives me simply joy because of the improvement in my zip insertion skills, drafting and finishing.

I had planned to add piping to the waistband – but she just wanted the skirt NOW. So I obliged.

Zoe’s owl skirt waistband – front view

I’ve gone from no zip or button – just a tie waist. To a centred zip and button. To finally an invisible zip. This one is not perfectly neat but it’s getting better! I should have finished this in the same way I finished the Hazel zip (which was perfect), I’m not too fussed though – I’m sure there will be a next time. The girls hunt the bargain tables for new skirt fabric every chance they get!
I’ve learnt how to accurately calculate waistbands and finish the waistbands neatly.
I can do French seams (this is how I finished the side seams).
I can draft a simple skirt and have a child beam with pride because it fits them perfectly – and only them. And they are happy because their Mum took the time to make it for them.
Most importantly, I feel much happier about life;
and my daughter adores her skirt.

And perhaps those last two are the most important achievements of all to come out of this little sewing project… it might be simple but to someone else is means the world.

Perspective.

Zoe’s owl skirt waistband – back view

Giselle’s skirt – my second simple gathered skirt. She loves this skirt dearly. It’s nto as well made as the Owl Skirt – but it twirls beautifully and that’s what counts in her world.

I’m not saying that creating a couture dress or making a tailored jacket is not an achievement (because they are some of my ambitions and I am awestruck by these projects and most jealous) however I think we all need to be a little kinder to ourselves and celebrate the simple joys and improvements in our techniques as well – however simple the project might seem.

What’s been your major sewing achievement lately?

NOT ENOUGH JUNK IN MY TRUNK – SEWAHOLIC THURLOWS

Posted on August 6, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

Sewaholic Thurlows – full view. Sorry black is very hard to photograph at night!

‘Not enough junk in my trunk’ as the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie so succinctly put it.

Or the post that could otherwise be known as ‘Does My Bum Look Flat in This?”

I’ve knocked out Sewaholic Thurlows No.2. While the execution of the pattern is pretty good (my welts are only minorly woeful) and the pattern is absolutely fabulous, I just think I need some more junk in my trunk for them to look smokin’. I think my butt looks flat. Perhaps that’s a good look – I’m not sure. I was very disappointed with myself last night but after a good night’s sleep and some photographs I think I’m being a little hard on myself.

Sewaholic Thurlows – side view

The fit is excellent around my upper hips and waist. I like the long wide legs. But I just don’t have enough ‘junk in my trunk’ to fill out the upper legs – I found a cure though – strike a pose and the junk appears to be in my trunk. So perhaps I just need a little more attitude – or self-confidence.

Sewaholic Thurlows – strike a pose

I have figured out welt pockets which makes me mighty pleased with myself.

This time I put a strip of interfacing behind the welt pocket area and there were no temper tantrums on my behalf during constructions. I did two test runs before I attacked the actual trousers – as there is no going back once you cut that great big hole in the junk trunk zone!

Welt pocket practice – using contrasting thread

I was kind to myself during welt pocket practice and stitched white on black so I could better see and understand what was going on.

I also marked two sewing lines on the welt strips before I started sewing. I found my finish was much more even – not perfect but better. I would like to practice these some more as once you get the hang they are kinda cool!

Welt Pocket practice – marking the stitching lines

This fabric is really quite nice. A black damask which is 35% cotton – it’s very hard to buy fabric for trousers where I live. I guess that’s what you get for living in a coastal resort/retirement hotspot. The flash photography makes it look frightful – those sparkly bits are just weird and not there in ‘real life’. I have made a mental note not to let anyone photograph my junk trunk in these pants with a flash in future. For some reason I think I can manage that.

I did not add belt loops as I’ve always purchased trousers that don’t need a belt. I like flat front trousers (no pleats please) with long wide legs to create a long lean line (I dream of actually being tall – I just have to live with visual tricks!) – these pants tick that box so no belt for Sew Busy Lizzy’s Thurlows.

I was having a pitiful-me-session about my pants and ELH (Ever Lovin’ Husband) pointed out they look like ‘bought pants’. “What” I cry “My bum looks this flat in pants?” “Well yes, it’s cute but that’s how pants look on you.” Shock and horror from me. I guess I’ve never let anyone do a close up photograph of my junk trunk before. Never again! (Unless it’s relevant to the blog of course).

Calico Stretch has commented on my first Thurlow post and provided me with some great fitting online resources to go and check out. It’s an ongoing challenge. But now I think I have a go-to pattern for wide-legged pants and shorts.

In the meantime I’m retreating to dresses, skirts and tops.

SEWAHOLIC THURLOW CONCLUSION: Ignore all my self-critical blather. This is a great pants pattern – give Thurlow a go! I’ve learnt a lot – made welt pockets, sewn a fly and made ‘grown-up’ pants for the first time ever. They sit beautifully, not too high or too low. There are FOUR pockets – which should keep any stitcher happy!

IN OTHER SEWING NEWS: I knocked up a muslin the other night after I put the girls to bed. It’s a Colette Macaron – part of the Colette Sewalong 2.0. Because I have had numerous fitting issues with Colette (clearly they don’t design for celery sticks like me), I resolved to only do the bodice as that’s my main area of difficultly and also only use scraps from previous projects. So here is my Macaron muslin.

Colette Macaron muslin bodice – front view

It’s too big in the back and a took 25mm seams instead of 15mm seams at the sides. I think I need to take some out of the centre back panel if I decided to make this.

I also used some bias binding to finish the neckline as that’s my plan if I end up making a ‘real’ version of this one. This is too big in the back and I think you need to think hard about the contrast and shell fabric as this muslin sits a bit odd due to the different fabric weights. Me no like. Yes, it’s cute but the slight tension between the two bothers me no end. I would not wear this, it feels slapdash dodgy homemade.

Colette Macaron Muslin bodice – back view – too big

I’m not a huge fan of the white top version of this pattern on me so I have other plans if I do proceed with this one. I have a tendency to going grungy with Colette – which I think does not always sit comfortably alongside all the lovely Colette stitchers finished projects which favour prettiness, pastels and florals. So I’m not sure about this Colette 2.0 Sewalong project. I think I’ll turn into the slightly obnoxious Australian in-law that no-one really wants over for dinner… ‘oh dear did you see what’s she’s wearing…tsk tsk’

Besides this is my colour combo for the shortly to be produced Sewaholic denim a-line with red polka dots. Denim is drying on a rack!!! Watch this space (and send some warm weather to speed up the process).

And even if you are nice enough to say that this muslin in lookin’ cool, I’m not going to add the skirt. The blue is denim and the skirt would be waaay to stiff for this pattern. I would look like Davros.

Colette Macaron muslin bodice with my Vogue 1247

YET MORE SEWING NEWS: I’ve clearly been rather productive of late and also knocked out a quick little skirt for Daughter No.1. She adores it – she was even careful not to leave it at a friend’s house after a play day. Trust me that degree of care for her belongings never happens. Photos later this week.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE! I’ve started cutting out a Sewaholic Minoru.

Sew Busy Lizzy

she sews by the seashore…

Category Archives: Sewing Projects