Catching Up

Well, John Lewis was an almost total waste of time. I was hoping they might have some decent jerseys but they had next to nothing. And what they did have I wasn't too thrilled with. So far Fabrics Galore is the best I've seen for jersey.

I went into Macculloch and Wallis, and manahed to pick up a couple of things I needed. It's a little too chaotic in that shop though. I've always preferred to find things for myself rather than asking the assistants for everything.... But that's what they're there for.

I'm working on the No Mouse dress today -- managed to set in the sleeves quite nicely, and I've decided to leave off the sleeve tabs as I think I'll like it better without them. So that's one less task to do.

Now I'm going to stick a sewing podcast on and with any luck I'll be able to get it finished.

And then I can start something else. And it won't be grey!

(It'll be black. *Sigh*)

On the subject of zips...

I've been googling for ways of improving the top of my invisible zips -- most tutorials only seem to cover the actual insertion. While that's certainly something I could probably improve, that's all down to accuracy rather than not knowing now to insert them.

The details on finishing the zip of the zip and attaching a facing are usually pretty vague.

I have just found an interesting tip here on www.isew.co.uk. Scroll down to tip number 9. It suggests using a longer zip and intersting it with the tab above the seam for the waistband. In other words you sew underneath the little plastic tab. Makes sense to me, and I'll try that next time.

I'd also like to branch out into other types of zip, because it seems like the only zips I sew are invisible and fly zips. Actually, what do I mean 'seems'? They ARE the only ones I sew.

BWOF 10/07 105 - Grey Dress - Progress

Success!

I managed to fix the facing last night. The invisible zip doesn't look perfect, but it's better than it was, and it's enough for me. I also got the facing stitched down, and basted the armscyes of the facing and outer shell together, ready for the sleeve insertion. Go me.

Next up: the sleeves. Ideally, I'd like to get them hemmed and inserted tonight. Then there's just the belt, the pocket tabs and self-covered buttons and the hem. Don't think I've forgetten anything.

I'm really excited about this one. I've tried it on and I think it's going to be a lovely dress. Even if it is another grey garment.

I think I might be venturing to Oxford Street tonight -- John Lewis and Macculloch and Wallis. Unwise? Almost certainly. But I need to unwind after a chaotic week. I have a coupld of items in mind, a retro blouse, a long jaquard skirt and a jersey dress. All, naturally, from Burda World of Fashion. I also need a buckle for the grey dress and a strip of leather for Paul's coat, so there is actual need here.

Honest.

10/07 - 105 -- Progress

Frustratingly, I've stalled on this. The last think I did was attach the facing, and unfortunately the top of the invisible zipper looks like crap. Ugh.

I sewed the facing to the edge first rather than the top -- call it an experiemnt -- and I'm now kicking myself. Tonight the plan it to rip the stitches attaching the edge to the facing and do it the old-fashioned way -- hand-stitching the fazing to the zip. Hopefully this shouldn't be too much of an issue, although I've already done some trimming so it might be a little tight.

I like invisible zipsm but I find finishe=ing the top of them rather tricky at times. Sometimes it seems more luck than judgement. Maybe I just need to sit down and work my way through a bunch of samples -- great idea, except that I always have something (usually several somethings) on the go, and it seems like my time would be better spent on those.

Anyway, my task for tonight (and I do want to get it finished tonight) is to fix and finish the Facingm including pressing and understitching. If I have time to slipstitch it to the waist seam, so much the better, but I'm not going to push myself on that. It's the facing I want to get finished.

Newport News

I have Melody of Crazed Sewer to thank for this fascinating wardrobing link. It was 'Neiman Marcus Taste, Newport News Budget' that drew my attention.

It's all about Newport News.It's a clothing catalogue based in the US. (No affiliations here btw -- I haven't shopped there and I try to avoid ordering items from abroad so it's unlikely that I ever will.)

Their catalogue and online site has a feature called '10 Items, 10 Ways', in which they spotlight ten garments they sell and ten outfits put together using those garments. I LOVE this sort of thing as inspiration for SWAP, seeing the way outfits are put together with a certain number of basics. It's the sort of thing I buy magazines for, only they never really fulfil my expectations. These are especially good as they're work-appropriate.

So inspiring. Now all I need is fabric.

Whoops

I went and accidentally ordered some snaps from www.planetfleece.co.uk. I've been hunting for snaps that are easy to set for a while, and I wanted to try this one out. They've got a wide selection of fleecy fabrics, but not a great deal more than that. A lot of children's fabric too. Not really what I want. I do find myself wondering what 'flurr' is like though. I guess a furry fleece.

I'm going to be sewing tonight. Getting a bit twitchy as I want to be sewig now. I'm also toying with the idea of popping to my local fabric shop tomorrow to pick up some interlining for Paul's coat. I haven't even finished the muslin yet! Probably next week.

All Quiet on the Blogging Front

Perhaps it's just me, but the sewing blogland has seemed rather quiet of late. Is no one blogging, or is everyone far too busy sewing?

I know I have been. I've also been dragging my lazy carcass back to the gym. I'm off there after work today, in fact. It's just a matter of trying to build the habit, although I know I should be going back to the classes. If I book in for one then I have to go.

I spent most of yesterday evening listening to sewing podcasts and cutting out the dress from BWOF 10/07 -- 105. I cut a little extra in the outer bodice (no room for it in the lining), but it seems like there's a lot of stretch to my fabric. Maybe that's wishful thinking though. It was a bit of a squeeze, as my fabric was narrower than I'd realised, but I got everything cut out in the end. After the gym I'm going to do any necessary interfacing, and then hopefully it should be ready to sew.

The fabric itself I think I love. It was from Croft Mill (sadly missed, at least in my household), and I can't remember what it was. It has a lovely feel to it (so much nicer than the fabric I'm using for the jacket muslin), and I think it should make up into a lovely dress.

In Progress -- Paul's Jacket Muslin

I've made a bit of progress on the muslin for Paul's jacket, and it seems to be coming along quite well. I think I must have made a mistake tracing the collar band, as it seems to be about 1.5 cms too short. Perhaps I left off the seam allowance.

The instructions for the collar and facing were a little confusing -- it isn't clear how the facing is attached after the collar is on. The open seaming doesn't exactly help. I haven't quite made up my mind whether I'm going to use the open seaming in the finished jacket. Once the pieces are cut out I'll try out some samples and see.

That's assuming I choose to use this pattern. I like it, but as you can see in the picture, he's only wearing it over a shirt and I want it to be a proper coat rather than a jacket. I'm planning on interlining it for extra warmth. Would I be better off with a single breasted three-quarter length coat?

Finished Object - Patrones 129 - 31 - Miniskirt

This was a quick sew. I managed to get it sewn up in an afternoon. Have I mentioned that I'm not a quick sewer? I've already worn it too, as we had a sudden spell of lovely weather over the weekend. It isn't as short as it looked in the original image in the magazine -- possibly because the model is around 5'11 and I'm 5'4.

You can find my pattern review here.

BWOF 10/08 -- first thoughts

The German preview for BWOF is mostly up -- and yes I do stalk the site obsessively. Why do you ask. I'll wait until I have the mag in my hands until I do the full runthrough post but here's my first impressions.

Modern Woman Don't like the styling for this at all. What happened to this model? It looks like she's just managed to drag herself away from a rabid dog before the photo was taken. Having said that, I quite like the shirt she's wearing, although those are some big turnups on the sleeves.

Do I like this shift dress? I don't know...

Classics. I question whether some of these are really classic pieces. Nice skirt though.

I think I do love this jacket though. Hungrily awaiting the technical drawing so I can see the details.

More men's clothes, which look okay but I haven't looked too closely at them yet. None of the men's patterns stand out, although the trousers look promising.

Edited to add: What the freaking hell is happening with the kids' clothes? Those are certainly some... interesting garments. Yikes.