Sewing Has a Conspiracy Theory Now

Let me share the back story here. Yesterday, a mailing list I am on shared a link. This one actually. It discusses how in Florida, you’re considered a business if you own more than one sewing machine.

So I sent it along to my favorite nut. (None of what I say in here isn’t something I don’t tell John* to his face, or IM.)

*John is not his name. He’s paranoid like that, and threatened me with aliens (seriously) if I used his real name on here.

So he hit me this morning.

John: Hey.
Me: Hey.
John: That link? I think I figured it out.
Me: Okay. You have to hold on for me to get my tin foil hat, coffee and a pack of cigarettes. It’s too early to deal with you without alcohol, but I’ll settle for coffee.

Me: Okay.
John: The government wants to force us into buying only what they want us to buy, and having multiple machines will enable you to be an individual, not depend on the government for clothes and keeps you from looking like everyone else when we get the national uniform.
Me: Dude, you’re turning into Mel Gibson.
John: Think about it. Why else would a sewing machine be a problem?
Me: Cause they’re expensive and the insurance company doesn’t want to pay for them.
John: You need to get your head out of your ass and look around.
Me: You need to loosen the tin foil dude. Or take medication.

He entertains the hell out of me.

Sewducky.com is live…sorta!

Sewducky.com is live! Yay!

Well, kind of. For now, it’s pointing to the same old wordpress blog, but hey…it works!

The 1912 Project

I am a Titanic nerd, however much I keep it in the closet. I’m chronically upset that Neal won’t stop at Pigeon Forge to see the museum, but I think he thinks I am kidding about wanting to go. (I’m not.) To that end, when I heard about the 1912 Project from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library, I had to join.

Once a month, I’ll post about sewing with actual 1912 patterns. My inner Titanic Fangirl is happy. If you want to join and do it yourself, go here.

Recap of 2011 and Looking Ahead To 2012

2011 was somewhat of a bust, as in I didn’t sew much. I think I made a whopping one dress back in February. Of course, I moved, built a house, had a baby and just now got enough of my figure back to sew for myself again to make it worthwhile, but hey.

Next year, now. Neal bought me the website sewducky.com, and I hope that I can figure that out soon, ’cause, hey it’s cool. I also have a lot that I need/want to sew, and someone that doesn’t mind it (and enables the fabric shopping), so hopefully it’ll be smoother then the last couple of years have been.

I have some plans for the blog, although the stuff isn’t going to change much (and it is not going to become a mommy blog. I like my kids, but outside of sewing here and there for them, I doubt you like my kids as much as I do), and I still need to spend a good month working out the tags (which I say every year).

I am starting this year out with a plan, and fabric/patterns to create a working wardrobe for myself. At least I am ahead on that, now I need to sit and get to sewing.

Happy New Year!

Sewing Is Impossible When Your Machine Looks Like This

I’ve had this blog for 3 years now. I find it hard to believe. When I started it, I planned on posting daily, and at the time, I was kind of sewing fast and a lot.

Now. Meh. Things happen. Sometimes I am good to post once a month. And I find that I miss it. It being sewing, the posting was just to entertain myself.

This last month I had to replace a goodly amount of sewing stuff my ex decided to steal from me. With the pregnancy, it was just a cost we didn’t want to undertake, although none of it was overly expensive, because we knew she was coming early due to my incompetent cervix. As it was, we’re just now catching up financially from her being born and spending 2 weeks in the NICU.

So, the last of it came in this week. After having to buy another iron, design ruler, button hole attachment, buttonhole gauge and needles and bobbins and having Neal repair my sewing basket (yeah, all this was stuff my ex kept or broke to make me pay for leaving him over), I still have to buy some more odds and ends, but I can actually sew now.

Except for this:

This is my machine. This is also all my crap on my machine, plus some. Sewing is awful hard when your machine is the catch all while you try and do everything else that needs to get done. And I have to get my ironing board from my mom’s house, as well as try to figure out the 2 month old.

What 2 month old stays awake all day long?! (The answer is mine, I have weird kids.)

So I am hoping to get this nightgown made next week. Not going to lie, holidays zap my time.

Jumping Right On In With McCall 5441

Not one to, you know, ease back into sewing, this pattern is one in my collection I have had for…well, a long time. Now that I’m not pregnant any longer and I’m back to the size I was before, I need to get back to sewing.

I posted this on my Facebook page, and Erin (of this blog) and I discussed it. While I have it all cut out, and all the gathers done by hand, the sewing part has not been completed yet.

My pattern is a size 14 (I got this picture off the Vintage pattern wiki), and it is a bust 32. No where in my pre-pregnant body was a 32 bust even going to fit, so I had to do alterations. Now I am not one of these that feel the need to “save” my vintage patterns for posterity, and I use them without copying them off (if they are damaged, torn or otherwise have a problem I will). I know this is a sore topic for a lot of vintage pattern aficionados, but I am not overly hard of pattern pieces (and I am not a vendor, so what do I care?).

I paper fitted this to my body, which means I just held up a pattern piece to my areas and figured it out/measured what I needed. In the bodice area, I added an inch to the bottom, since women in the 40s had very perky boobies that were very tiny, and I don’t. I also added a bit to the sides (2.5 inches, but I also had to re-account for a hem in the surplice bodice) and added a couple inches to the waist and skirt. That was it. Then I cut.

Now on to sewing.

Finally! New little duckling!

After a long (and I do mean long) hiatus, I finally can show you the reason:

Katherine Barbara, aka Katie was born October 26 at 1 am. On the dot. And yes, she is as sweet as she looks.

Hopefully in the next few weeks, the blog will be back to normal and I can, you know, sew again.

The Saga That Is My Life

Let me give you a quick update here.

I am back in Tennessee, which is a LONG story in and of itself. To make the story very short, and as least amount of drama that I possibly can: I went through a break up, got back with an ex I’ve been in love with for years and got engaged, am building a (small) house and am generally so happy I will make you sick.

I also am 6 weeks pregnant, and the duckling will be due at Christmas. Things are fine with the baby and I, and my doctor is upset since I’m so OLD, ya know. Of course, the baby won’t REALLY be any more of a duck then the boy is, but I got a theme here.

Sewing…not much going to happen until the house is done. Sorry. On a bright note: I DO get to sew with Mike again, since I abandoned him in Tennessee when I left and he’s here. Mad and not wanting to sew for shit, but here.

The blog, although I’ve been neglecting it, won’t stay this way for much longer. I have A LOT of sewing to do before December, and a lot AFTER December to do so there will be activity. I do promise I am not going to turn into a soccer mom, though.

Elaina

More Fabric!

WordPress eats my posts. *gives it the evil eye*

Last week dfr, a friend on Pattern Review sent me some of this:

No idea what I am going to make from it, but it is RIGHT in fashion and is the latest “it” color. I’ve got 3 yards, and enough to make whatever I want. I am thinking of making a copy of a shirt I saw a few years ago in Hot Topic (I know, I know), but right now it’s sitting on the bar waiting for the perfect pattern.

Awesome I am ahead of a trend for a second!

Valentine’s Day Dress…A Day Late, Simplicity 1832

My boyfriend works on most holidays, this one included. So we decided to celebrate on the 15th instead.

He wanted me to have something a bit more va va voom-ish than what I might have made, and chose both the fabric and the pattern. I did not take the photo, and the phone camera sucks monkey balls anyway, so forgive the photos. I need to find a cheap camera pretty soon. Sadly, this dress was created the same year my mother was born.

Pattern Description:
Vintage 1940s dress with princess seams, bodice details, shoulder shirring and 3 sleeve options for day, afternoon and evening options, with the latter having a belt detail on the back.

Pattern Sizing:
Vintage, this one is a bust 38, Hip 41

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Not really, but I changed a lot of the details to cope with the fabric I used. I should have shortened the arms to get the elbow darts where they were, but I forgot. This was supposed to be a 3/4 sleeve, and you can see where it fits perfectly like a long sleeve on me, although the darts do help with movement when I push them up a bit.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Like all vintage ones, they were scant. I also didn’t use them because I knew how it went together. Saying that, they would be adequate for most people to use unlike many of them that are out there.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I have had this for a number of years and never made it up. It was one I bought and planned to use, but never got around to it. This one is nice since it’s in a larger size, has details that are very 40s and gives a look that is unique.

Fabric Used:
Poly brocade I got years ago at Joann’s. It also calls for one zipper, I used a 12″ red metal one from stash.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I created pleats instead of the shirring at the shoulders and the bodice. I did not add the shoulder pads, since my own are wide enough not to need them.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Well, this is very much a unique dress that I changed to suit my own fabric. Saying that, I might make it again. I am not sure that the day option made in a cotton would not come across too fancy, and even back in the era it was created for.

Conclusion:
I had very little problems with this dress, even with some of the fiddly bits (notably the point in front and getting the facing to lay right). Overall, I knew what I wanted to do, and older patterns tend to be marked exceptionally well. Sleeve caps are the same problem all patterns have: the ease is more than the cap.

Saying that, a lot of this is due to my skills sewing more than the pattern. For those that want to use it, the scallops at the neckline might cause problems getting them symmetrical, and if you need more than simple instructions (especially with the neckline) then you may want to find someone that sews with these types of patterns.

It did come out okay, and men liked this a lot more than women did. I had 5 men compliment me, and 2 women get bitchy over it (although not to my face, it was to each other with the comment “Look at HER. Who does she think SHE is?” as they hung out of their sweat pants with words across the butt). I’m not sure it’s all that flattering, but Sterling likes it.