Organizing patterns

I have struggled with how to organize my patterns. Where to store them, how to store them, so I can find what I want easily. Then an idea came to me. I have a couple of boxes I bought from Costco that originally contained greeting cards. They were organized by type of card, with dividers. I thought maybe patterns would fit in the space. I was right.

The box. I turned around the dividers to label them with the type pattern:

One box is clearly not enough, as I have many other patterns. My second box still contains greeting cards. So now I am thinking of storing them somewhere else... In the meantime at least some of them are organized.

Pillowcases for Valentine's Day

The Tuesday before yesterday I made two pillowcases for one of my daughters, for Valentine's Day. I had read directions for pillowcases online and in a book so I had the general idea how to make a simple pair. To make these special, I decided to applique hearts on the "cuffs" of the pillowcases. I cut out hearts freehand, ironed them on using Steam-A-Seam 2 (no, I get no money for this endorsement!), then used an applique stitch around the edges.

It didn't go entirely as planned.

Initially, after I cut out the "cuff" part from the white cotton, I ironed and sewed hearts on it, then realized I had placed them in the wrong place. Once folded, they would not be in the right place. I started over, and this turned out to be a good thing.

After I cut out another cuff piece the sewing teacher came by and I told her what I was doing. She suggested that I use different stitches, better for appliques. For some reason I had not thought of this and was using a simple tight zigzag. The zigzag is fine but if you have a nice applique stitch how much nicer it can be! (Click on the pictures above to see the stitch up close.) But more than that, I realized I had not looked in my sewing manual for "how to do appliques". I did so, and learned about the "open toe" foot. This is a presser foot that is empty in the middle, allowing me to see clearly exactly where the needle is sewing. I could then do the stitches far more accurately and with greater confidence. I can see myself using this foot more often for situations where the exact placement of the stitch is important.

The first vest

In my sewing marathon last Tuesday I started and almost finished this vest. I added buttonholes and buttons at home yesterday. I am still not so good at getting the buttons and holes exactly where I want them. I think this is a matter of marking as much as anything else, of doing a good job marking.

The vest was intended for my grandson, who wants to be a "mafia guy" for Halloween. Unfortunately, as I progressed in making it I realized it was not long enough for his long torso. The chest size was right and the waist okay but when I looked at it I was sure it was not long enough. So I called my daughter and she measured her son from shoulder to waist and that confirmed it.

I am now in the process of modifying the pattern to fit him. The bitch of it is that I could not find a pattern closer to his size. The pattern I got - and just about all of the others I found - is multi-sized for both men and boys. You'd think that would cover it but it doesn't. The boys' sizes are S, M, L, and the L is not large enough. But the small men's size is way too large. So I have decided to adjust just the length - and a tiny bit of the waist - and see how that goes.

I may have a problem with having enough fabric but I don't think so. I found two clothing items at the Goodwill Outlet last week, both of them pin-striped, one a pair of slacks and the other a suit jacket, and I think one way or another I will have enough. I only need enough of this fabric for the front, after all, just those two pieces. If I need to buy more black satin for the lining and back then so be it.

What tips did I garner from class Tuesday?

One in particular: you can make a dress form from duct tape and a large T-shirt. And some kind of stand, like a Christmas tree stand. This subject came up at lunch and it reminded me of the sculptures you can make with clear packing tape. I suppose packing tape would work for the dress form too, but duct tape is probably better for pinning. By the way, there are several videos on YouTube on how to make one of these.

Also: sharpening scissors: go to a knife shop, where they will sharpen them right there and do a good job. If you take your shears to a sewing store they will send them out.

Watch me grow

Bags o' Fabric

Sewing equipment

The above two pix show the whole of my sewing equipment and materials, except for a smallish pile of patterns. I have yet to figure out a classy way to store these things that is out of the way yet easily usable. But when I do come up with a way I need to allow for expansion. I need room for more fabric, probably in clear boxes, perhaps for larger cutting boards, even, eventually, another sewing machine? I think it will be a while before I am looking for that, fortunately, but I am thinking about the serious sew-people I know (I don't like the term "seamstresses", which implies they are all women). Well, what is everything up there?

* A folding table. Six feet long, about 2-1/2 feet wide.
* Sewing machine
* Portable notions carrier (the purple thing) that has two plastic trays with thread and notions in them, plus pockets for scissors and other miscellaneous stuff
* Plastic boxes of fabric and additional notions
* Green cutting mat and clear straight-edge cutting edge
* Two soft bags of fabric

The investment is growing. So also is my enjoyment. I doubt I will save money in this enterprise but I'll be able to make what I want.

A little bag

I have hunted around the web for cool easy projects to try on my sewing machine. The pillowcase cat pillow was one. The placemat was a variation on something I happened to see on some crafts page. And this bag is a third project.

I have several pairs of jeans that were due for the thrift shop. Some of them will still get there. But I figured I could use one or two for various projects, thereby saving a bit of money, considering how much I have spent on the machine, equipment, fabric, and thread. This little bag appeared to be just the ticket.

The bag is made from the leg of a pair of jeans. You cut the length you want, plus a couple of inches to allow for seams. Sew a seam at the top to be used as a casing for the cord, then cut out a round of denim from somewhere on the pair of jeans and sew that to the bottom. Thread the cord through the casing and that's it.

Only thing is, I forgot about making a hole for the cord. After I had sewn the casing I then used a seam ripper (generously supplied as part of the accessories that came with my machine) to tear out the stitches on one of the original seams, within the casing on the outside of the bag. I tried to thread the cord through that. Thing is, I didn't have decent equipment for this maneuver and couldn't get more than a couple of inches. I finally tore out a bit of the casing seam (that I had just sewn), tucked the cord in that, then sewed it back up partway. Then I tore out more and continued pulling the cord through this way, sewing it back as I went, until I got around the perimeter. Not a good way but it worked.

Now I know what I need: a bodkin. I had no idea what this thing was, frankly, although I have seen them from time to time. Now I do know. It's on my list for when I have any money.

One thing I have discovered from the web instructables is that many of them assume quite a bit of sewing knowledge. The project may be easy but the details are left to the reader, and if you are a novice that can be a problem.

Equipment

When I decided at last to buy a sewing machine I did not think, not very hard anyway, about what else would be necessary. Was I thinking I could sit down with some thread and fabric and that would be it? I knew better.

Yes, it is possible to sew with a minimum amount of equipment:

- sewing machine with needles & bobbins
- scissors
- a table to cut on
- thread and fabric

But even these things cry out for a place to keep them. And it is hard to do any serious sewing without an iron. Preferably with an ironing board.

After the sewing machine, then, I bought the iron and ironing board. I looked up the ratings online (consumersearch) and went out to buy the one I had chosen. Of course, as usual, that particular model was not available. I found a substitute. It's fine. When I found an ironing board I realized I should have one of those ironing board hook things. Got that.

Scissors were not all that easy to find, oddly enough. People are now using the rotary cutters more often. I found scissors but later came back to one of the sewing stores and bought a rotary cutter and "self-healing" mat, along with a measuring straight-edge, clear plastic with various rulers printed on it.

Back home, I ordered a sewing materials case, in which I could keep thread and all the little bits of equipment and things like bias tape, which I also bought when I realized I'd need it. I ordered several sewing books, realizing how much I do not know.

At the fabric stores and elsewhere I bought different plastic containers for fabric and other stuff, pins, pin cushion, fabric marker, hand-sewing needles. I bought two kinds of fusible interfacing and a couple of yards of velcro.

I'm horrified by how much I have spent on this stuff this month. Of course, this is what keeps those places in business.