Details Can Really Make a Garment Pop!

I have recently begun to long for a new little dog, a puppy, a little puppy that's brand new to this world. As tempting as a purebred is, it will be a little rescue pup. I've looked at so many rescue sites. While looking last night, there was a little pup that caught my eye, but the angel in my heart whispered, "wait, not yet." The older I get, the more I am learning to listen to that angel who lives in my heart, she always knows best.

A year ago, my Little Bit was beginning to struggle. The stairs were an issue, but she had learned to call for me when she wanted to come down, and of course I would come running to her aide. The tumor in her jaw had also begun to grow. It's still heartbreaking to think about it, but hearts do heal, and mine is mending. It's amazing what time can do :) 

After what has turned out to be a busy summer, things are returning to normal, and I'm getting back to my neglected projects.

Just about a month ago, I shared with you the jacket below that I made using the Islander Fast and Fabulous Jacket pattern. I was very pleased with the finished jacket. 

  

Taking a look at the pattern cover, you can see that I tapered the jacket at the waist. Although I was very pleased with the pattern, I found the sleeves to be a little short and advised to lengthen the sleeve. 

The jacket was designed to be a fast make by serging the seams. While that's great, I wanted do another where a little more time is taken to give the jacket just a bit more pizzazz. 

The jacket below is a linen and denim blend. I purchased a fun coordinating fabric that I used to bind the seams.

I absolutely love how it looks. It's now one of those jackets that I enjoy looking at the inside as much as the outside.

I decided to pipe the outer edge of the jacket. As you can see, I'm not quite finished.

For a little added interest, I included the vent and piped it as well.

I plan to pipe the edge of the welt for the welt pockets, and I think I will also do piped bound buttonholes. Why not, right? :)

I'm going to do one final jacket and this one will be out of suede, and lined. So you'll be able to see just how versatile the pattern is.  

 The Fast and Fabulous Jacket pattern is a great pattern that lends itself to so many fabric possibilities. And...it's perfect whether you want something quick to make, or you want to add a little more detail.

Back to the studio!
Rhonda

New Winners and a New Jacket

Last Monday I announced the winners of the new Islander Fast and Fabulous Jacket Pattern. Sadly, Karen Roop was the only one of the 3 winners to respond :( So one's loss is another's gain!

The 2 new winners of the pattern are:

Kathy Shrank

Kim Caywood

Congratulations ladies!!! Be sure to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com ASAP with your mailing info. 

I've decided to make 2 more jackets. After I made the first, I decided that I really would like one made in leather. But before I get to that one, I would like another that will be great for summer, especially in air condition. I get so cold sometimes.

I found a lovely piece of denim that actually has a little linen in the fiber content which softens the denim beautifully. I also purchased a light blue woven cotton to pipe the jacket and bind the seams.

The denim has the traditional twill weave, but like I said, softer with the addition of the linen.

The lighter blue cotton has a matching diamond of the blue denim in the weave. I love the first jacket I made, but I wanted to step up the construction a bit by binding the interior seams. Besides that, jackets look so lovely when you take them off and there's something interesting on the inside that catches the eye. 

Once I get started on the jacket, I'll show you a fun stretch cotton I purchased for pants. I think it will work well with the denim. 

Just a reminder that Janet has graciously offered a 20% discount to anyone who comes by the blog. Just use the promo code SEWBUSS at checkout. The discount is good until Saturday, July 22, 2017. You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the PDF pattern HERE.

Happy Sewing!
Rhonda 

Master Sewing and Design Certification/Piped Pockets

If by chance you are thinking about taking the plunge and working toward Master Sewing And Design Certification, I wanted to let you know that most of the techniques that I'm sharing with you at this point are not a part of the requirements. For instance, you will need to demonstrate a welt pocket, but it does not need to be a piped welt pocket. I think that the tutorials offer great information, and hopefully help you in projects that you take on. Something that you might want to think about doing is getting a notebook, doing the samples for yourself and building your own sample notebook. A notebook like this can be a wonderful resource. I made one when I was in school...lots of years ago :)...and I loved my notebook. Sadly, we had a flood and I lost the book, but I am now building a new one. For those of you who teach, this is a great resource to have and to share.  

Today I wanted to do a welt pocket with purchased piping. This is a fun technique to have in your sewing arsenal as you can customize your garments with a purchased piece of piping, or even create your own. Since the piping that I'm using is quite small, it could also be used to make bound buttonholes, and the process would be basically the same. 

Piped Welt Pockets

The fabric that I'm using is a piece of raw silk.  

Depending upon where you want to place your pocket, and the type of fabric that you are using, you may want to back the pocket opening with a piece of interfacing. I used a piece of cotton fusible interfacing. Just be sure that the interfacing corresponds to the fabric.

As we did with the triangle buttonhole, marking is very important. Notice here that I have marked the center of my pocket and the ends. Hand basting is best for this step.  

The size of the piping may not be as wide as the tape that is holding the piping, so be sure to measure the width of the piping before you begin. My piping is approximately 1/8" wide. 

Once I determine the width of my piping, I then marked the outside edge of the pocket. 

Align the piping with the basted edge of the pocket.

Stitch down the piping, starting and stopping at the marked ends of the pocket. I stitched the piping to the fabric on the right side, but it's easier to see the stitching from the back side.

Once the piping has been stitched to the garment, clip the pocket open, using the center basted line as a guideline.  

Stop clipping about a half inch away from the ends, and clip a small v shape as you see below.

Turn the edges of the piping to the inside of the pocket opening and press.

Now that the piping is in place, we will add the pocket bag to the inside. Begin by stitching the pocket facing to the lower piped edge. Once the pocket facing has been stitched to the lower edge of the piping, simply fold it down and press.

Now stitch the top pocket to the top edge of the piping.

Once the top pocket and the pocket facing have been stitched in place, it's time to sew the pocket together.

Turn the pocket over and make sure that the piping is aligned and you are happy with how it all looks. Maybe give it a little light steam, depending upon your fabric. 

Fold back the sides and reveal the small triangle that was cut at the ends of the pocket.  

Beginning on one side, stitch across the triangle, right at the edge of the pocket and continue stitching around the pocket to the other side and stitch across the opposite triangle.  

All I need to do now is take the basting stitches out of my fabric and my pocket is complete. 

If by chance you are using a piece of piping that is encased in fabric, you will probably want to pull a little of the piping out from the edge so that you don't have to sew over the piping. A larger piece of piping could also leave a bump on the right side of the garment which you would not want. The piping that I used is quite small and basically pressed flat, so it is not an issue. 

The Pattern Review Weekend will be May 13th and 14th, here in Chicago. If by chance you are coming, be sure to check out Chicago Fabric Yarn and Button located at 208 South Wabash. The shop is not a large shop, but if you don't mind digging, you can find some wonderful treasures. The piping that I used for this demonstration was purchased there. This is our only downtown fabric store. All the other stores are either in the suburbs, or will require a ride on the elevated train. 

I hope this tutorial will inspire you to be creative with your pockets and buttonholes. Think about building a sample notebook. I have lots of tutorials coming up and I think you will enjoy having the notebook as a reference.

Happy Sewing,

Rhonda

Decades of Style Arches Skirt Sew Along Week 2

The second week of the Decades of Style Arches Skirt sew along is up on the Sew News blog. You can find the post HERE. This week is all about underlining, pattern marking, and how to match up the front of the skirt and obtain that flawless center point.
For the blog post, I added a little something more. I found this lovely piece of piping that works perfectly with my fabric.

 In the post, I show you how to add the piping to the arch,

 and then obtain that perfect center point.

 A preview of my new skirt! I am in love with this skirt!!!

I've included the video here for you to take a look at. In the video, I talk quite a bit about the underlining and marking of the pattern and I also show you how to lay the pieces together to create the front of the skirt. Take note that I didn't have the piping when I did the video. The piping really makes the front of the skirt pop.


I'm so happy that I found the piping as it really gives the front of the skirt that special touch that it needed. So as you think about putting your skirt together, you may want to think about adding a special trim or piping and accenting the interesting arch detail on the skirt.
Happy Sewing!!!
Rhonda