The Price of Cheap Clothing

I still haven't bought a piece of clothing this year but with swimsuit season just around the corner, I sure am tempted. I've been working on a home decor sewing project but need to make room in my sewing room for a few pjs and practice on swimwear. Just when I felt like I was losing my resolve, I came across this piece: Are Kids Making Your Clothes? Okay, that will get me through temptation for another month, I think

Cold Weather and Hot Irons

Just thought I'd follow up on my Stuff I Want Post with the good news that the sewing fairy godmother, otherwise known as my mother-in-law, sent me a brand new steam iron for my birthday. She understands that delicate paradox that to give someone a small appliance may is weird and giving a fellow sewist a steam iron is perfectly normal.

And now that I have a new bike in the garage, Mother Nature is thumbing her nose at me. It is bright, sunshiny, and 20 degrees outside today. Gorgeous but too cold to ride. Sigh. Universal Bike Truth #16 strikes again.

Where's Waldo?

I finished my entry for the One Pattern Many Looks contest on patternreview.com. As you can see, my "many looks" is fairly subtle, hence the call out photos calling your attention to the difference. But look at those matching stripes!!!

Stuff I Want

I've been enjoying my sewing so much lately. I'll post later about my two follow-up tops for my One Pattern Many Looks contest, but today I'd like to write about what sewing has been doing to my mind. It does help me relax and it is so nice to have something to show for my work at the end of the day. Parenting, cleaning and cooking don't quite have the same "look at what I did" appeal.

The dark side of sewing has been a serious case of the gimme's. I find that as I plan and prepare for future projects I am increasingly finding things that I want to buy. Crafting in general for me has this problem. People buy the materials for whatever craft/art interests them but they spend far less time actually DOING the craft. It's as if by buying a watercolor paint set and nice papers, it will magically turn you into the sort of person who paints lovely landscapes. It is the crafting fantasy. Now I've always been cautious of this tendency in me. Even craft supplies that I no longer use, at least at one point were in heavy rotation: card making supplies, I'm looking at you.

But since I know that I'll be doing some serious sewing for at least a year, its as if all my internal stop gap measures to avoid hoarding are gone. I feel entitled to web browse for things, even if I'm muddling along just fine. So in full confession mode, here's the stuff I want:

Sewing Furniture

For the most part, actual furniture made specifically for sewists is hideous, oak veneered, particleboard monstrosity. But I would love to put my sewing machine on something more stable than the card table that I'm currently using. Oh, and a cutting table like this that would get me, my self-healing mat, and rotary cutter off the floor would be a dream.

A Dress Form

While I would love to be able to splurge for a high quality form like this one from Fabulous Fit ($390):

I could be easily appeased with a standard adjustable one from a sewing outlet for about $129

Do I NEED a form. Probably not. But it would be so nice for help with fitting and with taking brag photos for the blog!

A Better Iron

My current iron was purchased by my husband at the hardware store. Need I say more? It steams and gets the job done but I'd love to have an iron with more than 12 steam holes. Say something like this:

400 steam holes!! Imagine!

Better Fabric

Ames has three fabric stores: Joann, Hobby Lobby and Quilting Connection. The first two have fabric that is fine for muslins but really substandard for durable garments. Quilting Connection has a fantastic array of fabrics...for quilting. So far I've been making do with Joann but I'm frustrated and know sooner or later I'm going to have to shop online. I've been eyeing these stores:

Gorgeous Fabrics
Emma One Sock
Elingeria (lingerie/swimming fabric)
Mood
Fabric.com

A Pantone Fandeck

If I'm going to start buying fabrics online, I'm going to need some color help. Enter the Pantone fan deck. Most of the better fabric stores list their fabrics by Pantone number.

Small House Patterns

While I can get patterns from "the big 4" companies at Joann (McCalls, Vogue, Simlicity, Butterick), I'd really like to get some of the great patterns from smaller houses like Sewaholic, StyleArc, Jalie, and Pamela's Patterns. Style Arc in particular interests me as their patterns are often knock offs of current fashions and they give hints on how to style them. Oh, but they're located in Australia--shipping charges are a bit steep. Sewaholic drafts patterns for the pear-shaped body, which obviously appeals to me as well.

Better Lighting

I really do love my small basement studio. The boys have their art table and I have my sewing space. And there is tons of storage space for fabrics, tools, supplies, etc. I just wish I had slightly better lighting around my imaginary sewing furniture. An Ottlight floor lamp would be awesome.

Okay, so that's about $2500-$3500 worth of stuff right there the range depending on the amount of fabric and patterns purchased. I'm off to scour Craig's List and Goodwill and hope for the best! I do think the better fabric and a few new patterns may be in my future though.

The First Garment of 2013

 And it is finished! My first garment of 2013--and it is only January 7th! This v-neck may not be perfect but it is certainly wearable--even in public! Here are my notes for posterity:

• The directions were super with the slight exception of the lack of detail about putting in the neckband. I really liked the final results though.

• The sides are a bit snug but I've also put on about 5 lbs since the beginning of Christmas season so I don't want to alter the pattern too much for a problem area that I KNOW I can get whipped into shape by next month.
• The bust is also a bit snug. Instead of doing a major change to the pattern, I think I'll just add a bit more length to the front and then ease that into the rouching on the sides. I HATE t-shirts with darts so the rouching is a nice alternative.
• I had a few blips in setting the sleeves the first time so a little ripping and restitching were called for. I think I'll improve with experience.

• My topstitching on the cuffs and hems leaves much to be desired. Next time I'm going to lengthen the stitches and experiment with the double needle option. Too much puckering.

Now as for the contest, I'm not sure how many of these I really want to make. I certainly have a white rayon shirt on deck and I'd like to try out a stripe. Not very creative but at least I'll make my goal of having an entry.

The First Top of 2013-Vogue 8536

So work is underway on my first article of clothing for the new year. It is meant to be a tomato red, long-sleeved, v-neck shirt. It's the one in grey on the pattern cover above. I've still got to attach the arms and hem the bottom but so far it is a decent effort for a wearable garment, and an EXCELLENT effort for an initial muslin. For some unknown reason, I decided to jump back into sewing with the world's wonkiest, most slippery thin rayon knit. Thread tracing to find the grainline was an exercise in futility. Beware the red tag clearance knit! Overachiever I suppose. Next time I'm using plain old squishy interlock...that stuff doesn't budge.

I'm planning to make a few of these tops as entries in to the One Pattern Many Looks contest. We'll see if I include the big tomato top in the entry--if I can crank out two more of these before the end of the month probably not.

I've been reading up on fit so I don't make a bunch of potato sacks this year. (FYI does anyone else think that "swayback" is code for small waist and big bum?) For the first time in my life, I based the pattern size on my upper bust and not my bust size. Surprise! It actually fit my small shoulders perfectly. I think I may want to increase the side gathers to make a little more room for the bust and definitely add a little room to the waist and hips. Thank goodness knits are forgiving!

The Shopping Trip

Yesterday, thanks to the Christmas generosity of my in-laws, I made a trip to Jo-Ann's to get ready for my first project of the new year. I purchased several patterns for $1 each, some new needles, thread, seam tape, a new blade for my rotary cutter, marking transfer paper, a HUGE mat for rotary cutting and 1.5 yards each of red and white rayon fabric. The sales plus a 15% off coupon meant that I got it all for less than $75. The mat was the bulk of the cost, but I'm hoping that it will get good use this next year.

I then walked next door and checked out Thread's Easy Guide to Sewing Tops and T-Shirts, Skirts and Pants to learn more about sewing knits. I've decided for the first project to make a few variations on a basic knit top. I've never sewn knits successfully before. I figure if they turn out a bit wonky I can just wear them under sweaters for the winter, right? 

I'm pre-washing the fabric right now and can't wait until tomorrow to start cutting and marking. Why the wait? Well, I want to participate in a contest called "One Pattern, Many Looks" on the Pattern Review website. I figure the camaraderie with other contestants will help me stick to it this month. I have no hope of actually winning the contest. I'll consider myself a winner if I actually get a decent looking entry submitted before the deadline at the end of the month.

I must admit my glee at all my new fabrics and tools makes me wonder if this project will really help curb my consumerist appetites or just whet them. Time will tell.

Thinking About 2013

Have you started thinking about your New Year's resolutions? I have. A lot. Between much-needed weight loss and our recent move to a colder climate, I had to do some significant wardrobe shopping this past fall. I took it as the perfect opportunity to reevaluate my style. After five years of fulltime Mom-on-the-go status, I'm sorry to say that my clothes were just a bit tired, ill fitting and flat out worn out. So I started looking at blogs for inspiration for honing my style for the next phase in life.

Well, I fell down a rabbit hole, so to speak. I happened upon a fabulous  blog called The Vivienne Files which advocates having a smaller but more functional wardrobe based on a core of neutral colors and silhouettes with a splash of accent colors. The simplicity of such a wardrobe really appealed to me as did the polished aspirations of the final look. I also appreciated that, unlike several other fashion blogs I perused, it didn't focus on trends but on developing your own personal style.

Through that site and others, I found recommendations for two books: Overdressed: the High Cost of Cheap Fashion and Deluxe. Each book deserves at least a post of their own...which I intend to do later. But my take away from each was that:

1. The quality of ready-to-wear, even those on the higher end of the price scale, has declined significantly. Most clothes are throw-away quality these days.
2. The appetite for newer, trendier, cheaper clothes has led to significant degradation of the condition of those who make our clothes--people.
3. Knock offs are worse than "disposable clothes." They fund all sorts of atrocities and terrorism and are merely signifiers to an era of luxury that no longer exists.

So after much thought and consideration, I've decided to take on a new challenge for 2013: I am going to stop buying clothing altogether AND make my own clothing as needed. I may make a few exceptions for things that would truly be difficult for me to make: socks, shoes and tights come to mind. But I'm committed to even complex items like lingerie, swimwear, and outerwear. 

What do I hope to gain from this project? Several things. Better sewing skills for sure. I need to master the full bust adjustment (FBA) and would love to learn to draft my own patterns. But also solidarity with those craftspeople who manufacture my clothing: perhaps with a renewed acceptance to pay more for fair trade and quality projects. I want to jump off the ever rapidly spinning trend cycle that seems to produce more dissatisfaction and waste. I'd like to have pride in my own work, and the freedom to make clothes that truly fit my body. I'd like to delight in fashion without becoming a slave to it. Is that even possible I wonder? Most of all, I'm interested to see what unexpected things come out of such a project. 

Will I make it? I don't know. Will it be fun to try? Absolutely! Will it be fun to read about? You tell me!

Homesewn Luxury

A few weeks ago we finally were able to buy a new box spring and mattress for our master bedroom. This was a purchase that was planned, delayed, replanned, and so on for at least two and a half years. Whenever we had the money in the budget some unforeseen expense would come up that was more urgent. Since we are a pay-as-you-go kind of family, charging what is basically a non-emergency expense was out of the question. So I waited. Sometimes with patience, other times with resentment or self-pity. The entire mattress issue became a spiritual issue for me. I spent time in prayer about it.

Fortunately when the time came we found a great mattress that was well within our budget with a little left over. It's near-double depth compared to the old mattress meant that we would need new sheets too. So I turned my online research skills from mattresses to sheets.

My husband is what some call a "hot sleeper." Not only does he feel hot at night but he heats up the bed and sheets as well thus affecting us both. I found out that our old high thread count cotton sheets may have been making things worse as the tight weave makes for softness but less breathability.

I also discovered that 100% linen sheets are the gold standard for hot sleepers. Unfortunately, they are also extraordinarily pricey. It isn't uncommon to find them on sale for about $800 for an entire set. So with a little disappointment, I went to Target and bought the lowest thread count cotton sheets I could find. They were good, but I kept fantasizing about how much better the $800 linen sheets would be.

One morning it occured to me that I could make our own sheets. While they would need to be pieced together from 60" cloth they would still be linen. I was unable to find any online instructions on how to sew your own queen-sized sheets from fabric--I suppose you have to be a little nutty like me to even want to try. So for posterity, here are my instructions and lessons learned. I'll try to add some more how-to photos in the future.

A queen flat sheets is 92x102 inches finished. In lieu of making a fitted sheet, I decided to make two oversized flat sheets, one of which can be folded with hospital corners on the bottom. That way they would be interchangable. I also needed four pillow cases, 20x32 inches finished.

I found a great online store to order the fabric from. I must have been in a fog when I ordered the fabric because I only got 8 yards when I really needed 17. Somehow I lost sight of the fact that each sheet required two three-yard lengths. Don't make my mistake!

In any case, here's the how-to for a single sheet:

Cut two lengths of cloth at 3 yards each. One will be the center panel and the other will be split down the middle to form the two side panels. Depending on the desired final width (full, queen, king) you may want to split the second piece into three panels, a side panel from each edge (you'll want to work with the selvege, believe me) and the remainer cut out from the center piece. I chose to just keep the extra width to make it easier to use as a bottom sheet and to be able to use if we ever upgrade to a king-size bed.

Prewash, line dry, and press the fabric. Then pin the raw edge of the side panel to the selvege side of the center panel. Because you are working with such an expanse of fabric, you'll want to pin carefully. Sew a 5/8 inch seam. Press flat, then press open. Trim the raw edge of the seam down to a 1/4 inch. Fold selvege edge of the seam over it and press. Sew near the edge of the selvege. This is called a flat-felled seam. It encases the raw edge and results in a sturdy flat seam similar to those you'll find on a pair of blue jeans. Repeat the same on the other side of the center panel with the second side piece making sure the flat felled seams are on the same side of the sheet.

Double fold the bottom edge of the sheet (1/4 and then 5/8 inch) and press to form an encased hem. Stitch the edge through all three layers.

Single or double fold the sides of the sheet--since they are selvege edges you don't need to worry about fraying.

Double fold the top edge of the sheet (1/4 and then 4 inches) and press to form a thick encased hem. Stitch through all three layers. This is the area where you may choose to do a decorative stitch across the top. I preferred the simpler look. These are positively monastic and deliciously so. I would refrain from hemstitching like you see on tea towels though as that basically weakens the sheet which is intended for heavy duty use. I imagine after a year or two it would tear sort of like perforated toilet paper.

Pillowcases

Pillowcases were much easier for me. Cut a 44x36 inch square--a little less than one full yard of 60 inch cloth. Fold it over width-wise to form the pillowcase shape. Stitch along the bottom and side. I did a straight stitch first and then went back over with a overedge stitch on my machine similar to an overlock/serger stitch. Basically I wanted a no-fray finish without having to turn under the seam. Then double fold the open edge of the pillowcase (1/4 and then 4 inches), press, and stitch through all three layers close to the folded edge. Again, if you are going for a decorative stitch this should be the place for it. No hemstitching though!

Here are a few things I would do differently next time...learn from my mistakes:

• Buy the correct amount of cloth in the first place! 17 yards, not 8. Doh!
  
• Don't bother with prewashing the fabric since there is a lot of wiggle room in the final dimensions. Prewashing just created a pressing and edge trimming hassle I think.


• Pin, pin, pin and pin before stitching. Yes, it's a straight stitch but as I mentioned earlier a little bit of slippage over the course of a 3-yard length makes for a huge uneven edge. While I did pin, next time I'll do it about twice as much to avoid that problem again.
  

So far, we've been sleeping on the cotton bottom sheet with the linen top sheet until I can make a second order of linen. I find that it feels so wonderful to be in linen sheets but it does take a little getting used to if you are accustomed to silkier sheets. The best adjectives I can use to describe it are "soft and crisp." Oh, and it is much much cooler but yet still cozy. Apparently linen sheets are a study in contradiction...like the phrase homesewn luxury I suppose.

Father Pine

Thanks to the very creative Catholic mamas over on the 4Real Forums we got the inspiration this summer to make Father Pine to help us follow the liturgical seasons here in our domestic church. Lexy painted him and I made his green ordinary time vestments. Unfortunately, Father Pine has been hanging out on our mantel in green for several months now despite several church holidays that called for other colors.

Last night I decided to get back in the swing of things and whipped up a red chasuble and stole for Father Pine to help commemorate today's feast of the martyrs, Pope Cornelius and Bishop Cyprian. A little lace hem tape made a nice trim don't you think?

The reality is that until the boys are older, I am the primary target of all the religious education. Until I started reading up on domestic church family activities I had no idea how much I didn't know about the traditions of the Catholic church. Following the feast days helps dip a toe into Church history while using the liturgical colors helps us prepare for the big calendar events: Lent, Advent, Christmas and Easter.

Sew and So

I have been sewing since I was in high school. I'm pretty much self-taught from books. I found my mother's old Sears model in the closet one day and started fiddling around until I got the hang of it. In college I worked in the costume shop of the Theatre Department and even spent one summer stitching costumes for the theatre at Chautauqua, NY. The nice thing about working in costume shops is that you have the right work spaces and tools: cutting tables, steam irons, sergers, hem stitches, dye vats, etc.

Sewing was something I picked up and put down throughout my adult life. Because my Sears sewing machine was vintage, it only did a straight and zig zag stitch. I never mastered the skill of a buttonhole that didn't scream "home sewn!" that I simply didn't make items that required them.

This Christmas my in laws gave me a brand new Singer 9910. It has about 60 different stitches including a serger-like overedge stitch to make sewing knits, a blind hemstitch, and even the ability to embroider small monograms. It is also much quieter than my old Sears model, meaning I can sew in the next room while Xavier takes his morning nap.

I've so very much enjoyed being able to do 30-45 minutes of sewing each day that I choose to do so. I've managed to finish piecing together this quilt top that I started working on before I met my husband!

I've stitched some "babylegs" out of kneehigh socks for Xavier so he can just hang around in a onesie without getting cold or skinned knees.

I've also cut up and edgestitched a few old bath towels into kitchen rags in an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of paper towels we use around here.

Future projects include finishing up a dress sloper to have an accurate master pattern from which to draft new clothes. I purchased Pattern Master Boutique 2.2 in January 2004 and still haven't used it to make an item of clothing. Maybe I've watched one too many episodes of Project Runway, but I can't wait to make a new knit top and a custom fit pair of jeans.