Sewingstuff and B5 updates

Finished Tank Top #2 last night! Tank Top #1, as I mentioned yesterday, was scrapped after my sewing mistakes accumulated to exploding point.

I did manage to do one more inside out mistake, but caught it in time to only have to use the seam ripper once. I also ran out of one colour bias tape so ended up using both red AND white bias tape.

I also had trouble with the hem. It always looked like such an easy job when I gave my pants to the local tailor to hem! But I found it more difficult than I expected to make sure the hem was straight, AND then fold the extra bit under before pressing and sewing. I have to figure out how to do that properly.

Anyway, when I put on the final product I could see all the problems -- the crooked seams, the uneven sewing, the bad fit (I'm going to leave out the darts for my next attempt; I think the pattern was made for someone with a bigger bust!) -- but I still feel hugely proud. I MADE THIS TOP MYSELF!!!

I can't wear this in public, but I can at least wear it in my office and when working out in the garden.



I went back to Fabricland and bought some more of that blue floral fabric to give my top another go. I also bought a bunch of zippers because they were on sale for 3 for $1. I figure I'll have to learn how to sew zippers sometime, and I can practice on scrap fabric.

Spent some time yesterday cleaning out and rearranging my craft corner to make room for my new sewing hobby. If you think the photo below looks cluttered, you should have seen it before. :-)



Thanks so much for the sewing encouragement, everyone. Some comments:

From aunt_marion:

"Ah, yes - the problems with sewing are many and legion, even (as oreouk says) for the more experienced. The term "moebius lining" springs to mind...

I have a half-made pair of summer-weight casual trousers (also, thankfully, in a cheap fabric!) sitting on the side - I measured, very carefully, an UNPICKED pair of old trousers which I knew fitted me, to make a pattern. And double-checked the measurements, and allowed a little extra on top of the seam allowance. When I made them up, they were several INCHES too small!!!! Grrr.

Don't worry too much. Practice makes perfect (or at least, better)."

From BSAG:

"Hehe. Your sewing tribulations sound a lot like my last serious attempt to sew during needlework classes at school. It took me all term to finish a very simple skirt (which was also hideous, as an added bonus), only to find that I had inadvertently sewn the pockets closed. These classes were just a perfect excuse for my friend and I to chat non-stop for a double lesson anyway, so the actual product was fairly unimportant. Thinking about it, the non-stop chatting could explain why I sewed the pockets up...

Keep at it and I'm sure it will get easier!"

From damedini:

"*grin* I've been sewing half my life. My constants are sleeves sewn inside out, sleeves backward (yeah, sleeves hate me) and hemming the wroing way. I have also sewn one piece wrong-side-out. No worries, you're learning how to make really good errors. And that's important.

As to the rest, you'll get there. Cheers!"

From Teddy:

"It's good to learn when to make gratuitous use of the unpicker and when it's better to scrap the project and start over.

The more work and time you've invested in a project already, the more expensive or hard-to-find the fabric is etc, the more you value the time it takes to unpick and resew over the prospect of scrapping and restarting."

From fifona:

"Well, thank goodness, Debbie, because sewing is the one thing I can do with a certain degree of success, and everytime I read about your newest hobby which you immediately turn into a successful business idea I always think "Wow, oh, well, if only I could paint, play an instrument, do computoid stuff...never mind, everyone can't be good at everything"...

I was beginning to think you were infallible! For the record, everyone does the things you did by way of learning to contruct any sewn-up item. Inside out pieces? Un-picked the wrong seam? Decide to adapt a pattern and then find it doesn't quite look right? Sew a silk dress then discover it comes apart at the seams (sorry sis, but you were only the bridesmaid, not the bride!) Been there, cursed myself blue in the face at that!

:-D"

From artbeco:

"Hey! You're now an official member of the club of sewers! You can't really be a true member until you've sewn a piece together with one part inside out, or sewn a facing onto the wrong side, or a sleeve on backwards or inside out. ;)

It'll get easier and more intutive the more mistakes you make. I think. And you have lots of people to ask for translations of directions. My mom's motto works well too: Pin it, then check twice (or three) and only then sew. And still expect to have to unpick now and then. Also, don't sew when you're tired.

*hugs*"

From mickeydaily:

"When I was in school I got 14% for home ec the same year I got 98% for science. I think I was a bit of a science snob, on reflection. Now I sew like a demon. But I make mistakes all the time too. It's part of the fun (and frustration)."

From chk:

"Rip-stop nylon is hard to sew because it is relatively thick, and very slippery! And then there's the nylon webbing for making strut pockets and reinforcing corners...

And yet, we continue to try to make new kites! (well, mostly Michaela does :-).

Learning to sew is fun, be it kites or clothes; welcome to the club!"

From vixyish:

"Meeheehee! You're in a distinguished club, my dear, as you have already seen. I haven't sewn very many things, but ever since a hideous purple shimmery (what was I thinking?) APRON in middle school Home Ec, I too have made my share of mistakes.

But you can get there! Did you see the blue Kaylee jacket I had on at FKO? I made that! And it looks great... from the *outside*. Nobody but me ever gets to see the *inside*. Like where I somehow managed, despite (I *swear*!) following the pattern exactly, to wind up with a collar considerably longer than the neckline it was meant to attach to, and sort of crinkled and crumpled and stuffed the excess fabric inside and sort of sculpted the collar into shape with a bunch of clumsy hand stitches. :)

Remember, just like Vegas, what happens in the seam allowance stays in the seam allowance. ;)"

To see the rest of the comments, see my LJ comments section for that entry.

Babylon Five Virgin update

SPOILER WARNING: The blog posts below focuses on my reports while watching Babylon Five for the first time. An LJ feed is also available. If you haven't seen B5 yet and don't want spoilers, please DO NOT click the links below.

Season 3, Episode 45: Matters Of Honor
Season 3, Episode 46: Convictions
Season 3, Episode 47: A Day In The Strife
Season 3, Episode 48: Passing Through Gethsemane



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A Lack Of Sewing Aptitude

And now my Home Ec sewing nightmares are coming back to haunt me...

So yesterday I confidently added darts to what I intended to be a pretty blue summer tank top. When I held up the piece to examine afterward, I noticed that one of the darts was a bit lower than the other.

Ah well, I thought. Maybe no one will notice.

Then I sewed the bias tape onto the neck line. Keep in mind that I had no idea what bias tape was a week ago! It sounds technical, but just refers to a strip of fabric that's used to add a bit of substance and support for parts of a sewing project.

In theory, after I sewed it onto the neckline of my top, I could fold it over to make a nice finished edge. However, when I went to fold it over I realized that I had sewed the tape onto the WRONG SIDE of the top. Sigh.

Ginny had given me a stitch picker, and I used that to pick out all the stitches. Then I sewed it back on, this time on the right side.

But then (THEN) I noticed that I had sewn the two pieces of top together with one piece inside out.

AUGH. Instead of unpicking the bias tape again AND unpicking the rest of the sewing, I decided to scrap the top and try again with another piece of material. I'm glad I'm experimenting with inexpensive pieces of fabric in the beginning!

It's clear, however, that I don't have a natural talent for sewing. BUT (!!) I refuse to give up. I immediately grabbed more fabric and started again. I currently have two more tops on the go, and this time things are looking much better.

There's still plenty of time to screw up, though.

Wish me luck. :-)



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My First Sewing Project(s)

Inkygirl update: I've posted an interview with Jo Knowles about her first book, Lessons From A Dead Girl, and am also giving away a copy of the book.

The main focus of today's Blatherpost, however, is sewing.

I'm happy to report that I still haven't impaled any of my fingers with my new sewing machine. That's a very good sign.



My first sewing project with my Very First Sewing Machine: a pillowcase! I'm sure you experienced sewing types out there aren't super-impressed, but this was a major accomplishment for me. I took a pattern I found in Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp and modified it to fit a small pillow I use in our car.

Yes, I said modified. Am I adventurous or what? Anyway, when I'd finished, I couldn't believe that it actually turned out ok. Sure, some of the seams may be a bit crooked and the case could fit tighter but I MADE THIS PILLOWCASE MYSELF! With MY SEWING MACHINE! I kept admiring the pillow, hugging it, marveling that the case looked almost professional (if I didn't look too closely), something I might even have bought in a store.

Bolstered by this success, I decided to visit a Fabricland and pick out an easy clothing pattern.

Dear lord.

I felt like a little kid in a candy shop. Not just because of the huge variety of fabric colours and types, but also because of the hundreds of patterns to choose from! I ended up asking one of the Fabricland clerks for advice, saying that I was looking for a very simple pattern for a summer top.

I ended up buying Butterick's B5170 See & Sew pattern, encouraged by the "Yes! It's EASY" promise on the front. I'm starting with the tank top.



Many thanks to Ginny for giving me my first sewing lesson. I remember being baffled by the terminology used in sewing patterns back in grade school Home Economics classes. It seems just as baffling to me now, but Ginny went over the pattern and helped explain what the instructions meant, as well as showing me how to do darts.

Anyway, I've pinned and cut out the pieces to the top with her help...now it's up to me to do the actual sewing. I was surprised by the cost of the cloth itself: I needed one metre for my top, and it only cost me $3.



Seems unbelievably inexpensive for a women's top, even a simple one. Stick a designer label on the collar, and something like this could easily sell for $40 or $50 in an upscale fashion shop (one reason I don't tend to buy clothes in upscale fashion shops).

Eventually I'd love to be able to sew more complicated clothes as well as stuffed animals, costumes and fabric art. It was SO hard fighting the urge to leap into a more advanced project right away, but I'm forcing myself to take small, easy steps until I can feel confident that I've mastered the basics.

If any of you more advanced sewing types out there have basic advice and words of wisdom, I'd appreciate it. :-)

Below: As soon as I spread my paper patterns on the floor in prep for my first sewing lesson, my mom-in-law's cat IMMEDIATELY settled himself on the crinkly paper.



Below: world's best French fries, prepared by my chef brother-in-law (who hand-cut each French fry!). So bad for me, I know, but soooooooo good!






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Cockroach love, letterpress cards, and poison ivy

Yesterday I found a shortcut into Sunnybrook Park, which is 147 acre wooded area in North York. It's scenic and relaxing, with a river and picnic areas and trails through the forest.

And poison ivy! I've made a note to wear long pants if I plan to explore the more heavily wooded areas. I walked about 5.5 km (over 3 miles) yesterday. I took my lunch with me in a backpack, along with some bottled water; the whole walk took just over an hour.

Sunnybrook Park is a maze of trails. I'm embarrassed that I haven't been doing more walking (and running) in the park, considering it's just a 15-20 minute walk away. The area connects a number of smaller parks as well as hooking up with the Sunnybrook Stables and Edward Gardens.



I've been gradually adding some new items to my Etsy shop, for those interested. One is the charming porcelain spoon rest / dish above, which is titled "Cockroach Love."

The piece (measures about 4" across) is made of porcelain clay, thrown on a wheel and trimmed by my friend Luisa. After it was shaped, Luisa gave it to me so I could hand-paint it. Then I gave it back to her so she could fire it in a kiln, glaze it, then fire it once more. We sent the piece back and forth via our husbands, who meet weekly for gaming. :-)



I'm also offering my new Letterpress cards for sale on Etsy! You can buy them individually or as a set (or mix and match). I only have about six of each available at present; I need to order more.

Each of these letterpress cards has one of my designs. The cards themselves are printed by a couple in North Wales (who found me via my Flickr pics), and they've commissioned eight more of my illustrations for the card line.

Each card is hand fed into a Victorian printing press where the inked image and handset type is pressed deep into the cream-colored paper. The cards were launched at the Spring Fair in Birmingham and apparently got a great response, yay! They're now being sold in places in Canada, U.S., Japan and the UK.

You can find out more about my card line on the Blush publishing site.



Above and below: I've added some more vampire creatures to my Menagerie in Etsy.





And mini pin-back buttons!



I've put some of these on one of my backpacks. :-)



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Will Write For Chocolate

Virtual Filk Con Walk update

I've created my own ConWalk map, if you're curious. I decided to create my own instead of using Brooke's because I wanted mine to start in Toronto, plus I'd like to plot a route using roads.

I'm recording my route as I go along (to give me flexibility in making detours when I feel like it), and I think I'm going to stick to the smaller roads rather than the highways. I've reached my first filk convention already, FilKONtario, and am now heading off for Columbus, OH! I'll be recording my route in the map below.


View Larger Map

Zooming in on where I am right now:



I set my starting point as my P.O. Box address.

If you're confused about all this, please read my first post on the topic. And thanks again to Brooke for the inspiration!

Babylon Five Virgin update

SPOILER WARNING: The blog posts below focuses on my reports while watching Babylon Five for the first time. An LJ feed is also available. If you haven't seen B5 yet and don't want spoilers, please DO NOT click the links below.

I've been gradually updating my B5 Virgin blog with episode reports; Jeff and I recently finished the second season of the show, and we're both hooked!



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