Notion Emotion

***ETA: I took another look at my new Professional Sewing Gauge while I was sewing this weekend and see that it actually is not scaled for Metric. Rather, it is scaled for 1/32nds and 1/64ths inch (English system). The conversion chart on the back is also English system to decimal equivalents. Sorry for the confusion; however, it still is the best English system sewing gauge I've used! end ETA***

Cidell over at Miss Celie's Pants complained about her (useless) sewing gauge, which, of course, got me thinking about my (useless) sewing gauge! Mine is long gone -- I tossed the last one after I melted the little moveable gauge do-hickey with the iron. Instead, I've been using this Dritz measuring gauge thingy which is double-sided and marked to allow you to make 14 different length measurments. The measurements range from 1/4 inch to 2 inches with about 10 or 12 of the standard English system measurements in between.

Then, a few weeks ago I came across this professional gauge at Sew Exciting Fashion Sewing Supply. I think I'm in LUV! It is so accurate! It is calibrated in 1/64th inch and millimeters and has a English-Metric conversion chart on the back. It is entirely stainless steel -- no chance of melting or bending out of shape with use. Most importantly, the sliding gauge thingy really holds it setting without moving. Between the extremely accurate 1/64th inch markings and the amazingly steady sliding gauge thingy, you can be certain your hems, topstitching, collar points, etc. will match up precisely when sewing with this seam gauge!

What gives? Life's UFOs...

Well, I didn't get much done on the sewing front this past week. I spent most of the week dealing with the ethics committee and end-of-life decision questions at the hospital at which I work. Its not the patients, but their families, that really have divergent views that we (the hospital administration & attorneys) are called upon to help referee. Surprisingly, our patients are quite prepared for this stage in life on paper, but tend to fail to adequately communicate their wants to their family members and friends.

*** BEGIN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT***

Okay, let me put on my hospital lawyer hat for a moment and remind you all out there in blogland how important it is to plan for health care decisions before a crisis occurs! You don't have to be suffering from a terminal condition to make your wishes known and document them in writing. In fact, it is better if you make those decisions long before, God willing, they are ever needed. And once you make those decisions, please, please, please have candid discussions (plural) with your family and friends about it -- make sure they understand YOUR wishes despite their own thoughts/biases about what is best for you. If you don't have an advance directive/living will, check out Caring Connections for your state-specific advance planning documents, or speak to your personal lawyer of choice.

***END PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT***

So back to sewing ... I did manage to retrieve my dress form from my parents' garage. Its a size 10; I am not. I hope with a lot of padding, some muslin, and a fitting shell, that I can get "Iyagogo" to resemble my shape and be a boon to my attempts at fitting myself. My name, "Nneka," means "Mother is great/superior" in Igbo; "Iya" means "Mother" in Yoruba (one of the other main Nigerian languages); and a girl who takes after, is named after, or reincarnates (if you believe in reincarnation) her grandmother is often called Iyagogo. I haven't decided yet what method to use to pad Iyagogo out, but I'm contemplating either: (1) a duct or paper tape double a la Threads that I can put over the dress form with some kind of stuffing between the form and my double; or (2) creating a tight princess seamed shell based on my measurements and pad that out like Kay Y and Agnes on PatternReview.com did. Oh, I see that I commented on Agnes' review back in '06, so I better get cracking on this one!

I also found this ECI dress at a Dillard's clearance sale a few weeks ago for $15, marked down from $125!

I LUV the fabric. Its 100% rayon jersey cutout embroidery. It is buttah-soft & very drapey. The neck is done in beautiful silk organza and its lined in nylon. It is *supposed* to be a dress, but it is waaaay too short for decency's sake IMHO, so I'll wear it with jeans. But, as I said, I'm in love with the fabric, so I think I need to find something similar for my stash. Have any of you seen it out there in fabric land? Preferably online?

Well, that's it for now. The classic white shirt is still on my list, but I think I need some instant gratification projects this week.

A Few Good Things

I've been slavin' over my classic white shirt for a while (and am a bit fed up with it), and have found a few things I like to have around that make tracing, altering, and redrafting a bit easier. Some are old friends and some are new finds.

The Curve and Square Ruler (CSR) to mark seam lines. It is marked in both English and Metric system and has a French curve, a square, a straight edge, buttonhole guides, and handy slots along the straight and curved edges to mark 1-inch (like the "just in case" seams on my classic white shirt), 5/8-inch, & 1/4-inch seam allowances. The curved edge is perfect for tracing and marking seam lines along armhole, hip, and neckline curves. The CSR even gives you the points on the ruler that match those curves, for example, the hip curve is from 0 to 9 inches. I also have a random collection of Fairgate curves and rulers, but this one is the most handy.

A Calibrated Flexible Curve to measure and mark curved seams, such as crotch curves and princess lines. I ordered mine through a “big box” office supply store and its 24 inches long. There are longer flexible curves available that would probably be even more useful for longer design lines. I guess I'll probably use it to measure the darned armhole on that classic white shirt if I ever get that far.

Swedish Tracing Paper (STP) and Bienfang No. 106 for tracing off patterns. I like the fact that, if I sew desire, I can actually baste the STP pattern together and try it on for fit. Ballpoint pens, lead pencils, colored pencils, and crayons make clean lines on STP with no bleed through. And it cuts like a dream with regular paper scissors. STP can be pricey, so if I know I will be making a lot of alterations to the original pattern , I will use Bienfang No.106 white tracing paper and reserve the STP for the final draft. An added bonus is that scraps of both STP and Bienfang paper can be used as a great tear-away/cut-away stabilizer for delicate seams and embroidery projects. I got my last 5 rolls of STP from Debbie Cook's coop, but you can get it from a number of places online, including directly from Birch Street Clothing . Bienfang No. 106 is available from Mister Art and also comes in canary. I hear canary is easier on the eyes, just what I'll need after going cross-eyed with the classic white shirt alterations.


A Utensil Caddy for pattern weights, smaller rulers (there's my CSR), colored pens & pencils, rotary cutters & scissors, and other marking tools. The caddy is handy because I can carry it around with me to wherever I'm working. I got this one at Walmart at the end of last summer. And I just bought another one because it matched my other one. You can find it in the "summer/outdoor living" section. I also saw them at Joann's and I'm sure the Container Store, Linens 'N Things, Crate & Barrel, and the like will have other versions. I don't have a plan for my new one yet, but I'm sure it will come in handy!

Finally, I just picked up this Gridded Template Plastic in the quilting notions at Joann's the other day when the notions were 50% off. I've been using it essentially as an extra-wide ruler for pattern alterations (primarily on the classic white shirt). I slash my pattern and slip the gridded plastic under it. It allows me to line up my pattern evenly along the total length of the slash. Then I slip in the extra tissue to fill in the open, slashed area and tape everything down. My cutting mat has a 1 inch grid printed on it, but gridded template plastic let me fine tune my alterations down to 1/4 inch.