Jalie 3245 - The Raglan Tee

I have a lot of patterns. Some would say I have more than I could ever use and they would be right. Yet, that doesn’t prevent me from buying more. These days, I purchase most of them online and once in my possession, I scan the front and back of the envelopes and file them first by pattern company and then by number. I’ve turned the PDFs into my personal pattern catalog by grouping them together by categories: skirts, tops, dresses, etc. I keep the ones I want to make soon in a basket by the Bernina. Having those Golden D’or remnants got me to thinking about trying one that has been patiently waiting, Jalie 3245.

Jalie 3245

I took my measurements and a leap of faith and traced the size that matched. And, to give my faith a bit of insurance, I also compared it to my Style Arc Susan t-shirt pattern. It was spot on.

The fabric for this first t-shirt came from a Wal-Mart $1 or $2/yard cotton knit. There wasn’t enough length for the sleeves, so I quickly serged scraps on to make pieces that would work. I wouldn’t have thought to do that otherwise. I like it.

But, what I didn’t like was my bra straps at the edge of the neckline threatening to show every time I moved. Therefore, this second version has a neckline with one inch less exposure. It doesn’t change the look (can you even tell?) but makes me much more comfortable. I started with the top back of the sleeve (which is actually the neck) and, using the French curve, gradually added one inch to the top of the sleeve and the front neckline. The back stayed the same.

The orange stripe is a soft stretchy cotton from the Golden D’or bag. There was barely enough for the front and back and I didn’t even try to match the stripes though it doesn’t look bad. I want to say the grey and white knit was from a Fabric Mart bundle. Anyway, there is enough of it to make something else later.

I love this pattern and it has so much potential!

The eBay serger arrived. I chose this model at it was pretty close to the one I had. The tension disks are different and you don’t have to change the needle plate to do a rolled hem, but other than that they are very similar. It wasn’t used much at all but will have its chance!

Have a wonderful week!

One Step Forward...

Once home, I made quick work of getting those Golden D'or Fabric Outlet pieces inspected and washed. After serious culling, the remaining fabrics are worth the seven dollars paid. The picture above is a sampling. Don't know that I would do that again, but it was amusing to see what was in that bag!

Before the Dallas trip, I completed a pair of capris (Ottobre Woman Every-Woman's Pants 05-2008-16), the Classic Flares (Ottobre Woman 02-2013-20) and a pair of cropped pants using Burda 7068. They were all made from the same $1.99/yd black windowpane cotton fabric purchased from FabricMart.com. Same fabric, same thread and so I couldn't help but put them together assembly line style. Did it save any time? Maybe yes, maybe no. But it was satisfying when I had three new garments all at once. I didn't take photos mainly because details on black fabric do not show up well and besides, nothing you haven't seen me make before. Just pants.

Soon after the assembly line ended, I started the Vogue 1247 Rachel Comey top and was pleased that I'd pinned the pattern to the dress form before cutting the fabric. The top would have been way too large had I gone with the size that matched my measurements. I chose a less-than-wonderful floral polyester and all went well until I went to overlock. The usually dependable Kenmore was skipping stitches and I blamed it on the polyester. I switched out needle sizes and types and unthreaded and rethreaded the machine. It didn't help. Finally, I removed all thread and rotated the hand wheel. Yep, sure enough, the looper was hitting the back of the needle plate. It wasn't loose nor did it look odd. I removed the plate and laid it flat on the table. Flat? Shouldn't it be flat? Nope, it was like a rocking chair...

See that triangular piece on the right of the needle plate? It was bent. I took pliers to it and that corrected the skipped stitches. No clue as to how it got bent. Not trusting it to remain flat, I bought a replacement from eBay, swapped them out and the the machine stitches like new. Now, in my panic before I determined the problem was the needle plate, I overreacted and there is a similar model (via eBay) on its way.

The quilt? It is resting as:

• I ripped the Supreme Slider by catching it on the needle when removing it from the Bernina. I'm hoping I can find some type of tape that will keep me from having to buy another one anytime soon - any ideas? I also somehow managed to stitch through it.

• I quilted to the edge of a panel where I should have left a seam allowance. Yes, I have some unstitching to do and I'm not happy about it...

 

In other news, DD #1 gifted me some Robert Kaufman fat quarters from the Passage to India collection. I love the prints and was able to find more online. I'm in no hurry to decide what these fabrics will become. Aren't they beautiful?

Golden D'or Fabric Outlet

Guest Blog by GG & DD#2:

DALLAS (TX) - A hot June morning in Texas started with a quest.  Visitors traveled to the Golden D'or Fabric Outlet in search of fabric... and unprecedented adventure.  

SewThereTammy was on the scene, and encountered a wild beast she had never seen in all her days: the $7 Fabriconda.

Upon sight, our hero Tammy instinctively grasped the fabric snake by the head before wrestling it to the cash register, stopping only to make sure that its contents were at least as interesting as the multiple other snakes swarming in the pit below.

"Ain't nobody got time to search for them there derned fabric pieces one by one" she was heard mumbling as she pulled the snake out to the car and loaded it in the trunk.

News 10 was able to privately interview Tammy this afternoon.  During this interview, Tammy revealed that she later cut the snake open to reveal her prize: the snake's mysterious fabric contents.

"Just like any road kill I done seen, there's gon' be scrap.  But you really gotta look at each piece to find them sweet, sweet gems worth keepin'."  Although about half of the fabric in the snake was torn, stained, taped, or contained mysterious permanent marker symbols, Tammy believes the remainder will be useful for muslins, shirts, and other various projects.

As for Tammy, she's taking the night off after a rough day of Fabriconda fighting.

The “Take a Break from the Quilt” Quilt

So, this is what happens when you need to find room for some newly purchased thread and you come across the forgotten and untested Bernina walking foot.

As soon as I saw it, I went straight to my box of quilting fabrics. Minutes later, I had a bunch of 5 1/2" squares that I stitched into nine-patch blocks.

Each nine-patch block was cut in half both vertically and horizontally. After rotating the upper left and lower right squares 180 degrees, the blocks were sewn back together. Yes, you are correct. This is the called the disappearing nine-patch block.

It didn’t take long to get to the quilting part and that walking foot really did keep the layers together. Granted, some of the stitching lines are wobbly but I can’t fault the walking foot. I marked a few of them with chalk, but due to impatience, I mostly eyeballed it. Just so you know, chalk works…guessing? Hmm, not so much.

Once the binding was on and all loose threads clipped, I tossed it into the washer and dryer. I love the wrinkly transformation!

The crib-sized quilt is 45” x 60” and will become a gift.

It makes me smile.

Burda Plus 01-2013-433

I’m still working on the third panel of the quilt. I chuckle and chortle every time I unfold the panels to inspect my silliness! Nothing planned – just whatever I feel like stitching at the moment. Anyway, that last panel will be finished soon enough and then the next challenge will be uniting them. For some reason I worry that they won’t match up. I know it is illogical as each and every block was squared up.

Burda Plus 01-2013-433

So, taking a break from the quilt, I stitched up a woven t-shirt/tunic. This one is 433 from the Burda Plus Spring/Summer 2013 magazine. I used a silk/cotton blend that I’ve had for a few years. I want to say that it came from Fabric Mart, but I'm not really sure...

After pinning the pattern pieces together to check the fit on the dress form, I modified the too-wide-for-me neckline. Brought it in about an inch at the shoulders. And, to compensate for the smaller opening, dropped the center front about an inch or so. Don't know that it was really necessary, but that is what I did.

The length of the t-shirt/tunic was shortened as my intent was to sew a top and not a dress. The only other change was to the binding. The coverstitch machine did not want to bind over seams. The outside of the stitched binding looked fine, but flip it over and you can see that it produced loops, not completed stitches over the seamed areas. After a few tries, I surrendered and instead folded the bias strips in half and sewed them onto the neckline and the bottom of the sleeves using a ¼” seam allowance. Then, to finish, I serged and edge-stitched. If I hadn’t been in a hurry, I probably could have sorted it out. Maybe it was the needle. Maybe it was the tension or perhaps the fabric itself. Who knows?  Who cares? It worked.

Neckline Finish

Sleeve Finish

You can bet this pattern will be used again. Perfect for anything light and drapey in the stash. Oh, wait. That is what Burda recommends…

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

Two of the strips are quilted, one more to go and I think I have an idea of what is supposed to be happening. Only I am not there yet as my stitch quality could be better.

And, no doubt, I am breaking all sorts of other quilting rules – some I know about and some I have yet to discover. It doesn’t matter…the mismatched colors, patterns, and off-grain pieces tickle me.

Known rules broken:

• Total disregard for color and print harmony in chosen fabrics
• No pre-shrinking of the cotton batting yet the cotton fabrics went through the washer and dryer (by the way, this was a conscious decision)
• Not utilizing a stitch regulator for the FMQ (does one even exist for the Bernina 930 Record? I would use one if I had one…)
• Stitching with 100% cotton machine quilting thread vs. a polyester or polyester/cotton machine quilting thread (polyester = superior strength)

Oh, well…I love how this quilt is turning out!

FMQ Started

Pinmoors engaged (I love these things!):

Backing fabric:

The Bernina - ready with feed dogs down and stitch length set to zero:

Progress:

Detail:

I’m loving this free motion quilting thing. In fact, I think I’m addicted. Once I got started, I didn’t want to stop! The first panel is almost finished.

The slider, gloves, pin anchors and the Teflon bobbin insert all worked as hoped. Me? Well, I need more practice with my stitching. Notice the small and large stitches – they should all be the same size. Go fast and produce huge stitches. Move slowly and get teeny tiny stitches.

There are two panels left so I’m looking forward to more consistent stitches…