Another White Blouse on the Cutting Table

I had Curves this morning and errands this afternoon so not much time for the sewing room. I was able to hideaway for about an hour and managed to cut out another white blouse from this this BWOF pattern.

Here is the fabric.

It has a very nice hand and I think it came from Pursley's in Duncanville. I had just enough for this blouse. Not sure when sewing time will materialize. Lot's going on this weekend and some cleaning to do prior to the weekend.

Oh, I did get the buttons and buttonholes done on the plaid blouse from the previous post.

Very Close to Finish

All it needs is buttons/buttonholes. I got some uninterrupted sewing time this morning.

The white one seemed about 1/4" long at the shoulder seam. No big deal, but I took this amount off this one at the shoulders. Now it seems a bit short. Definitely wearable, but I'll go back to the original pattern if I make this again. I think I will enjoy both of the blouses from this pattern.

I appreciate all the nice comments on the white one. I think I love it!

Another blouse in the making

The batik I had hoped to use for a second BWOF blouse just didn't have the soft hand I had hoped after washing. So, I had to make another choice, and I chose this:



It's a nice soft cotton, and in this close up, I hope you can see the raised threads that look a bit like bobbin work.



I'm going to change the sleeves to 3/4 length for this one and shorten it a bit overall.

I managed to get it cut out today and hope to work on it some tomorrow if the sewing gods are with me.

Me wearing the white version:

God Bless the FBI

photo from Dallas Morning News file


Fountain Place is the building I worked in for over 20 years.

Fountain Place is the building I was visiting yesterday having lunch with former co-workers.

Fountain Place is the downtown Dallas skyscraper that the 19-year-old Jordanian citizen Hosam Maher Husein Smadi thought he was going to blow up yesterday.

Dallas Morning News article.

Thankfully, the FBI was on top of this terrorist's plans.

It's a little unsettling to think that I and many of my fiends "could" have been but memories today had his plan been successful.

Wow, Thank You

Trudy, thank you for such lovely award.

Trudy of Sewing with Trudy gave me this award. It is so nice to know that others enjoy my little world of sewing. Thanks to all of you who read and follow my antics.

The "RULES" of this award are that I am to 1) tell you seven things that you don't already know about me. 2) I am to name seven other blogs to receive this award. 3)I am to leave a comment on each of the blogs I have nominated letting them know that I have given them an award. 4) And lastly, I am to thank the blog who bestowed this award.

OK, here goes:

1. I make homemade dog bisquits. Not often, but I do make them and often give them as Christmas gifts to my friends' fur children.

2. I have never seen (and do not intend to ever see) the movie "Old Yeller." Heck, I cry at Lassie reruns and I KNOW she survives at the end of each show. I will go to my grave without seeing this movie.

3. I've put up a ceiling fan all by myself. My husband wasn't working fast enough on his 'honey-do' list years ago, so I just "did it myself" and, yes, I turned off the electricity so as not to make him a widower.

4. While I am generally outgoing, I LOVE my "alone" time to recharge my battery.

5. The original "Godfather" is probably my all time favorite movie. As a kid, I loved "Gidget Goes Hawaiian." I had a crush on James Darrin (Moon Doggie).

6. I've met and have autographs of Jack Bennie, Carol Burnett, and Tom Poston (anyone remember them?).

7. I don't drink milk. Never have liked that stuff!

I'm going to have a difficult time selecting seven blogs to award. I'm going to have to think on that one a bit, so I will come back later and amend this post to add my seven "awardees."

Trudy, thanks again. I do enjoy your blog!

White Blouse Ready to Wear - finally...

I finally finished the wonderful white blouse today. Buttons and buttonholes all done! Lots of "life" got in the way the last few days.............





I think I originally said that I didn't make any alterations to the size 42. I did make one as I cut it out. I moved the shoulder seam forward (add .5" to the back seam and take .5" off the front seam) by .5".

Here's a close up of the fabric with the raised design.



I used Louise Cutting's method for altering the shirt collar so there are no seams at the point. Here's what it looks like cut out:



Sew the one seam which becomes the center back under collar seam,




then sew the outer edge seam, and it looks like this when turned right side out and pressed:



I want to make another of this pattern. I have some cotton hand painted batik in the dryer now (after it's second washing), but I'm not sure if it will be too "stiff" for this pattern. We'll see when it comes out of the dryer how the drape is.

If that doesn't work out, I'm not sure what's next up. I've got a fairly busy week coming up that will keep me out of the house, so I'm not sure how much sewing will get done.

Flash back Friday 1964

photo from www.rarebeatles.com

45 years ago tonight, I was attending the Beatles concert at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (now called the Convention Center). What an evening!

My best friend's dad bought three tickets to the concert so Kathy could invite 2 friends. He was so much fun! He took us so many places and did so much for us!

He was trying to think of a way for us to meet them so he had a cake baked at a local bakery in the shape of Texas. They were staying at the Cabana Hotel, one of the newest, luxury hotels in Dallas just north of downtown Dallas on I-35. After school on Friday, he picked the three of us sixth graders up with the cake in tow, and we headed to the Cabana Hotel. He managed to get us into the lobby of the hotel which was under quite a bit of security. He tipped one of the bell boys to take the cake up to their room. Of course, he hoped they would invite us up, but, unfortunately, that was not to happen.

According to the bellboy, he took the cake into the room and Ringo asked, "Is this really what Texas looks like?" We were thrilled. (I look back now and wonder if the cake was really delivered. Perhaps it was as 1964 was definitely a different time!)

Anyhow, he took us out to dinner, dropped us off at the concert, and was waiting for us at the exit door as the concert ended. What a wonderful night that was!

So many buttons, but not enough buttons

I didn't have much sewing time today, but I was able to get my blouse hemmed.

I began looking for white shirt buttons. From what seems to be "millions and billions" of buttons in my stash, I didn't have 11 identical ones that would work on this shirt. Isn't that always the case????

So, I'll need to get buttons. I may have a chance tomorrow. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning, so maybe on my way home, I'll be able to find what I need.

BWOF 5/2009 #110 - White Blouse

I'm really liking this blouse:





Needs buttonholes, buttons and hem. I'm pooped so I'm closing up the sewing room shop for today. Hopefully, it will get finished tomorrow.

I cut a size 42, made no adjustments and I'll model it in photos to come. I used some different sewing techniques than the BWOF instructions; I'll share those with you later. The fit is good IMO. :-))

Storing my traced BWOF patterns

Right now, here's how I'm storing my BWOF patterns I've traced. Using a one gallon clear zip bag, I fold the pattern to fit, copy the burda instruction page that includes the line photo. Circle that pattern and place it so that I can see it through the clear bag.

Here are the recent ones of traced:



Close-up:



I'm working on the white blouse today. It's comming along nicely. Maybe I'll be able to post an "almost finished" photo later today.

Our Beloved Post Oak Tree

We awoke to this scene this morning. Our wonderful post oak tree fell last night. Thankfully, the house was spared any damage. It has been estimated by arborists to be around 100 years old. It has been struck by lightening twice that we know of. It's provided almost complete shade for one side of the house. We will miss it!

TNT pants coming along

I tried to post this last night, but was having internet connection problems.

I traced one more BWOF Friday, and I may be gearing down on the tracing. In a later post, I will get those numbers and post the links and also show you how I'm storing those patterns.

Yesterday, I worked some on the burda TNT that I told you about in an earlier post. Draft #1 was sewn together Thursday. See photos and then I'll explain what was done on this draft:







Before I cut any fabric (oh, and guess what I found? the rest of that orange twill that I had used for my jeans muslin) I did
Ann Rowley's flat seat adjustment. I found the reference for this adjustment on Stitcher's Guild sometime back.

I then cut the pattern and used the front pattern as it had been traced. I drew 1" seam allowances (SAs) on the side seam only. All other SAs, I traced at .5". I sewed this draft 1. I discovered that I needed to take in the side seams where they were curved for a rounder hip--which I don't have. In the photo, I have one side seam sewn with this increase and the other side just pinned.

That ended Thursday’s pant sewing.

Friday, looking at the photos as well as studying them in the mirror as I modeled them, I still had too much wrinkle under the butt. So, I pinned out approximately another .5” horizontal fish-eye dart horizontally at the crotch line. I took the pants apart, adjusted the back pieces taking the additional underbutt excess and redrew the sideseams. All the while I’m thinking “Am I trying to overfit these?” My mind answered, “possibly.”

I proceeded on—sewing the pants back together as Draft 2. Here are those photos:





The only change I made from the Draft 2 pattern was to scoop out the seat into more of an L shape. I think they look pretty good. I feel there is still more tweaking to do just below the dart area. I need to wear them a bit to see how the crotch feels. How do they look to you?

I have not forgotten 9/11/01

If you've been following my blog for a year, you will remember that this song was posted on 9/11 of last year. It's worth repeating!

Have you forgotten?

God Bless America!

Thanks, Rose!

This is the other blouse I traced yesterday. It's from BWOF 8/2005.

Thanks, Rose, for reminding me that the German site's archives go back further than the US site. You saved me some time!

I'm going to my knitting group this morning, then on for a hair trim, then maybe the tracing bug will still be with me and this tracing fool may continue!

Tracin' today

I was in the mood to trace more WBOF patterns. Some days, you couldn't pay me to trace, but today, the mood struck.

The first was from a 2005 issue. The website's archives don't go back that far, so I'll have to take a photo in order to post. I will do that--maybe tomorrow. It's a blouse that I really liked and intended to make, but never did. Maybe now that I'm wanting to make a couple of white blouses,this one will finally get sewn. I have pulled out the white blouse weight pieces of fabric from the stash.

The second was this pants pattern from a 2006 issue. The reason for this? I've got a bee in my bonnet to perfect a waist band pants pattern--a TNT. (I still love my Louise Cutting One Seams elastic waist, and I'm happy with that fit.) I have a couple of patterns that I use that are really close, but I want to improve, if possible. I like the curved waistband; there are no pockets to contend with; appears pretty straight forward--simple pattern with which to begin.

I still intend to make the jeans, but I've got to find some denim, and I haven't even looked yet. As I said before, I will like try to tweak that jean pattern after this next version which I hope will be a good wearable.

There is another blouse pattern I want to trace; I think it's from a 2005 or 2006 BWOF. Sorry, I don't have it in front of me now. It will not be white, but a print--hopefully silk. By the way, did you look at any of the silk that Fashion Fabrics Club has on sale? I've resisted so far, but the sale is still on.......... I think I may have to get a couple of pieces.

In fact, maybe I'll click on that website right now..........think maybe the mojo is inching back some more........

Better Jeans

Sewing mojo is not in full speed, but I have been able to accomplish a few things. See my colorful "muslin?" Definitely not intended to be a "wearable." I cut the size D of the Sandra Betzina Vogue Jean pattern, which was closest to my hip measurement. I knew I would have to take in the waist a bit.

After my first "try-on" I took in the side seam .25" from the top of the pant to just below the thigh--taking out 1" total (.5" on each side). I angled in the back center seam from the waist top of the yoke to about 1" below the yoke connected to the jean back. Then, I took a tuck just under my butt to pinch out some of the "horizontal wrinkle" there. I seem to have that on most of my pants--due to flat butt????

Anyhow, while not perfect, this one is much better than the McCall you saw in an earlier post. Think????



You will see the tuck in the next two photos:




I have more of the coral color twill, but I have no clue where the rest of it is hiding--so, this explains the other fabric scraps used.

I think I will try to find some dark blue denim (with just a hint of lycra) and give this revised pattern a try. I may still have more tweaks, but I definitely feel these will be wearable and comfortable.

I do have a Burda WOF jean pattern traced off. I may give that one a go as a muslin since my full mojo and attention to detail is not in full mode at the moment.

Michelle of Cheap and Picky showed this lovely blouse that she completed over the long weekend. Isn't it great? It's from Burda WOF (I know, it's not WOF anymore, but old habits due hard here) 5/2009 #110. I found my copy of the magazine and traced off the pattern this morning. Not sure when it will get sewn, but the pattern is ready.

I may trace off another blouse pattern. I need to go back and look at that January 2008 BWOF that was the 'blouse' issue that so many of us loved. I have yet to make a top from that issue.

Well, now you know I'm still alive and kicking here even tho the blogging has been non-existent lately. :)