Happy Halloween!! (Bias Jeans and a Creepy Meatloaf for Dinner)

Happy Halloween!  I'm so excited, this is the first year in at least 5 or 6 that I'll be home to hand out candy to all the little ghosts and goblins that come to our door!  I have an afternoon of pumpkin carving, decorating the front door and spooky dinner making planned. ...So let's get the business out of the way first!

Instead of a black cat, I have black bias jeans to show you.  I've been running the idea of cutting out jeans on the bias for a while now.  ...At my last visit to the thrift store I was searching through the men's jeans section to find good candidates for remake and I spied these black jeans that were cut on the bias!  I almost freaked out right in the store (I was so excited)...   Anyway, you can expect a bias jean how to very soon!

Now onto the creepy thing I want to show you.  One of my other loves is cooking and my specialty is anything that has to do with pasta and cheese.  I can make macaroni and cheese about 100 different succulent ways (No Kraft in this house)  I was contemplating making a "spooky" version with all sorts of stuff coming out of the noodles and sauce.  But then I came across something so much better.

...I found the perfect recipe on a blog called Not Martha.  I'm going to give you the link...but first I want to give warning.    Above are the very innocent ingredients posing for the "before" picture.  This pile of ground meat and such is transformed into a gruesome meatloaf of sorts... check it out if you dare!

Personally, I couldn't be happier to have a game plan for dinner that will be a thrill for my kids (and husband)  ...and I'm sure they will love it too!

Happy Halloween Everyone... Serious Sewing and Design will commence next week!

How To get your Happy on...and be a better sewer.

Good Morning!  The FBA post ...and something that happened at the gym yesterday has inspired me to share something with you.   Feeling happy makes everything better...whether it's sewing or doing the dishes.

I've been trying to get into shape (after falling off the exercise wagon) ...I'm starting to make some progress, (not weight loss or better fitting clothes)  ...my "comfortable" pace on the treadmill has gotten much quicker and I'm feeling more perky everyday.   Everyone knows working out makes for a Happier mood--but I found out yesterday that smiling while on the treadmill can make even more Happy.

I was clicking along on the treadmill and the man in front of me was just getting of his elliptical trainer.  When he turned to get some paper towels to wipe his machine off, he looked at me.  So, I gave him my big smile.  He smiled back.   After he was finished cleaning off his machine he came over to me and said "Don't kill me, but I just have to say, you have a beautiful smile".  ...it wasn't a cheesy pick-up line, he just said it and then he walked away.

That quick little smile didn't take any effort or burn any calories, but it made my mood sparkle.  I had 20 minutes to go, so I decided to try it again, I smile at the next person who walked by, she smiled back...  I was so busy smiling that those last 20 minutes sped by.

Give it a try...Smile and spread some happy around!  (I was sparkley for the rest of the day)  (This also works at the grocery store...ask me how I know!       : < )

How to do a Full Bust Adjustment on The Tee

Ok ladies, I've posted how to relax the fit ...which works great for lots of people.  But really I think many could use more room in the bust without all the other relaxation.  Others might benefit from both adjustments. 

To start with I want to show you how much I love you all by showing you my "lovely" naked arm....  Here I am in my adjusted Tee.  Before I show you the front view, I want to mention that the knit I used is a specialty fabric that is moisture-wicking with not a whole lot of stretch...(I'm  trying to get some yoga tops out of this tutorial as well.)

When I followed my own instructions and tested this knit using the stretch guide on the back of the pattern, it barely made it to the "it has to stretch to here" line.  ...So, the fit is much tighter than it would be if it had more give.    This top sewn up in this fabric would not even come close to fitting me without a full bust adjustment.  

...In addition to being snug, you can see I'm a little chilly too.  BUT the important thing to note is that the side front pieces around the unfinished armhole are not wrinkling or distored.  The full bust adjustment I did is really "D-Cupping" the pattern.  You can adjust the amount of fullness you add by adjusting the amount you spread the pattern pieces.

If you have a D-Cup     Spread 3/4"
If you have a DD-Cup  Spread 1"
If you have an E-Cup   Spread 1 1/4"  (you might want to draw a double set of lines spaced 1/2" apart. 
         Slash and spread each 5/8" instead of trying to spread one line 1 1/4"
F-Cup   Spread 1 1/2" definitely drawing two lines to work with  (spreading each 3/4".)    

--If anyone needs help with this, please let me know and I will draw it out for you--(anytime I offer, I mean it sincerely!)

If you have a bust size larger than that, I would plus-size the pattern first. (Check out the post I did in Oct, 2008 showing how to do that.)

My full bust measures almost 41" -- I cut out the size xl. 

Lay the side front, center front and lower front pattern pieces next to each other as shown above. 

Using a ruler, draw a horizontal line 1 1/2" below the top edge of the lower front piece.  (This should be where your apex is.)  Then draw a second line that starts just below the notch in the front armhole, goes through the top edge of the lower front next to the notch and intersects the horizontal line. (Pointing to your apex.)

First, slice the side front along the diagonal line, creating a hinge at the armhole. The spread the pattern 3/4" (for a D-Cup).

Tape the pattern piece to the paper to hold it in place.

Then, slash the lower front pattern piece along the horizontal line.  Anchor the top edge to the pattern paper with some tape and spread the lower half 3/4".  Also, trim off the little triangular piece and spread that 3/4" from the center piece as shown.

Use a French Curve to "true up" the top curved edge of the lower front pattern piece.  You will end up trimming off some of the existing pattern.  True up the lower edge of the side front pattern piece as well.

I used a red pencil to color in the area that is added by doing this adjustment.  As you can see, you get more room without adding any width to the pattern.  Adding to the side seams in combination with this adjustment can give you a more comfortable fit as well.

Because you're adding the same amount to both the side front and lower front, the pieces sew together perfectly. 

...And, this is what I've been doing this week....

I've been spending a week revamping my computer, software and such and I'm very excited about it!  (That's why I haven't been  posting promised Full Bust Adjustment and other good stuff!  It's coming, I promise...  When you find out what I've been doing, I think you'll be excited too!

...I'm going to be making the transition from my wonderful photo how-tos to VIDEO!  If course I thought I could do this in one or two days... After the 1st trip to the Apple Store, we realized that it was going to be a little more complicated than that.  My wonder husband is a PC guy...  so, we have some cross platform issues to figure out so he can help me edit my footage.

On the upside, I did get a new 23 inch monitor so I can see what I'm doing (always a plus) and I cleaned up my studio during the "sit and wait while I install this or figure that out" moments.  ...I even cleaned up my desktop (after being admonished by aforementioned wonderful husband!) ...and bonus, he's going to let me use his fancy dance camera to shoot my sewing videos in HD!

Stay tuned, there will be exciting changes in a couple of weeks.  Also, if you requested swatches of prewashed denim, they will be going in the mail today...if you didn't and would like to see some yummy denim, shoot me an email with your address.  Talk soon!

Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a Freebie from Urban Threads - CraftStylish

Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a Freebie from Urban Threads - CraftStylish

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A New Design Idea for the Pattern 0051--A Top with Two Collars and a Peplum

Sunday I was going to start working on samples of each size of my Jeans pattern.  I found some heavy weight muslin in NY that's perfect (so I don't have to make them out of denim) (Hopefully by next week I'll have denim and muslin up for sale...interested?  Send me an email with your address and I'll send PRE WASHED (5x) swatches of the denim and the muslin) ....Anyway, I got way off track...

I decided to work on a Top that I had started a while ago...and realized midway in the cutting out process that I wasn't going to have enough fabric (ever happen to you??)  ...I have lots of gorgeous pieces hanging around that I have to use before I let myself buy more... I thought I'd be able to squeak a sleeveless version out of a piece of silk crepe that was calling to me...   Luckily I had cut out the front bodice pieces first.  The back bodice pieces did not fit on what was left...Yuck.

So, I dumped out my scrap bin and large scraps of black silk charmuse caught my eye.  They were left over from the bias dress I made a couple of month ago.,  I stopped to think about it farther....a matte crepe front stitched to a shiny silk charmuse back???  I wasn't sure I was going to love that.  (Kinda reminded me of that villian in one of the Batman movies that had two looks coming and going....)

As I looked at the back bodice pattern piece an new design idea popped into my head...Why not split the back piece into two pieces???  Then I would use the charmuse for the center back pieces and the crepe for the side back pieces...I think I like that....

I tried it out.  Here's how to make the new back bodice pattern pieces:

Use a Variform curved ruler, French Curve or Hip Ruler to draw a line from the tip of the dart to the back arm hole (somewhere near the back notch).   If you don't have any of these "fancy" rulers, dash along with your pencil to create a very gentle curve then fill it in with a straight ruler to make a smooth line.

I'm working on my master pattern that I've adjusted to fit me... So, I'm not going to cut on the line.  I traced the "new" center back and side back pieces onto another piece of paper.  Then I added 1/2" seam allowances along the new style line that joins them back together.  The RED DOTS mark the dart tip on the original pattern--that way I know where and how much to gather the center back piece (until it fits the side back piece)

I "quickly" cut out the pieces and basted them together...I decided to cut the peplum out of  silk charmuse as well.  (no pressing yet)  Here's what the back looks like, I like it! 

Here's a close-up of the gathered dart.

To bring some "shine" to the front bodice, I used the silk charmuse to bind the raw edges.  For a more elegant look, I trimmed the seam allowances to 1/4" after I sewed the binding onto the front edges.

...now I have to take it apart the basting and really sew it together!  (another day)

How to make Jeans into a Skirt--A design idea...

Hi,  I had the chance to meet one of my customers at the Sewing Expo last week...meet my new friend Robin. She stopped by our booth in Chantilly to say hi...and we snapped a few pictures! We chatted a little bit about sewing, Pattern Review and such...as it turns out she has a blog too.  Take a minute to check out "A Little Sewing on the Side"... lots of great sewing and fun!  ...and I think we have "twin" photos!

While visiting her blog, I read that she wished she had snapped more pics of one of my skirts that I made from a pair of jeans (that got a little snug).  Well, I decided to snap some pics for her....and share them with you.

This skirt was a pair of Ann Taylor Jeans...yes the binding around the waistline came with the jeans!

Here's a close-up of the applique detail in the front.  I fussy cut flowers from some Japanese fabric I got at the Houston Quilt Market a few years ago.

 

Instead of the "traditional wedge" of fabric used to close the gap in the front of most jeans skirts, I drafted a unique, curved piece.

Here's a side view showing where I cut the side seams and added more room.  The strip of fabric I added at the waist opened into a godet at the hem.

...I added a cool pleat peeking from a "window" in the godet.   It's hard to see in the picture, but the pleat is really multi-layered pleat.  How to do it? ... Check out one of my favorite books on my shelf -- The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Collette Wolff.  (It's on sale at Amazon.com till Oct 13th! Take a quick peak!)  (There is A LOT of fabric manipulating techniques in there.) 

...Next to come is a design idea for The Top with Two Collars and a Peplum....I was working with black silk crepe and I didn't have enough yardage.  I'll show you what I did coming soon!