C Doggle here…

I’ve been sewing a lot of tote bags for all the ladies in my life.  I decided I wanted to sew something for my dad…and thought Michael’s Chef’s Apron  was just the ticket.  For the FREE pattern see

http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apronpattern1.pdf

I picked out “manly” colors…a green/brown stripe for the outer fabric and solid brown for the lining and straps.  Ok, honestly I was going to make the straps out of the striped fabric too–but I had a little fight with my rotary cutter. 

The pattern is simple and straight forward…except maybe for sewing the straps on, as they are sandwiched in between the front and lining…and I’m not sure I placed them right.  In retrospect, I might do them a little different and use an square/x to attach them decoratively after sewing the apron body together.  The other thing that was a pain in my ass easy to figure out…how to turn the straps…big long tubes…inside out…or is it outside in…I don’t know.  I actually had to call Laura for guidance.  Thanks for coaching me bravely over the phone Laura.

Here is Dad, making French Toast Casserole for breakfast tomorrow, wearing his sassy new chef’s apron.  I forgot to mention that I ironed on the “LP”–which stands for “little petey”— I think MAKES the apron that much more special.

Not to shabby for an afternoon’s work…

C Dog has lofty sewing plans for vacation, so keep checking back for posts on “Skirt-o-rama” and posts about the 1940’s Vintage A line skirt.

DId I mention…I love fabric…

On Saturday, I started my third class at Spool. And, for added fun, C Doggle, Trish, and I are classmates!

The class is being taught by Michael Fulkerson — creator of the now-famous bird mobile (bird pattern available here) — and utilizes the Birdie Sling pattern from Amy Butler.

I agonized over choosing fabric, because I wanted the bag to be something that I would actually carry. My wardrobe tends toward basic black, so while I really enjoy looking at bright, colorful quilting fabric, it doesn’t fit easily with the rest of my clothes and shoes. I also tend to like things that are a little off-beat — maybe even a little creepy — but also tasteful (and, if not tasteful, at least artful). When you’re talking about quilting fabrics, this combination can be a tall order (can’t wait for Spoonflower!).

But, in the end, I found the most amazing fabric:

And, by some incredible stroke of luck, Hancock’s of Paducah was selling it for less than $4.00/yard. It’s currently out of stock at Hancock’s, but The Virginia Quilter has it for $8.79/yard.

The fabric also led me to Alexander Henry Fabrics, which, if polygamy were legal, I would totally marry. I love them that much.

I’ll post pictures when the bag starts to take shape.

I’m happy to report that, yesterday, I completed my first project that had no pattern or instructions.

My sister has an old bolster pillow that she uses to support her neck while she sleeps. If you’ve ever had neck or upper back problems, and have tried to find a good supportive pillow, you can appreciate how hard it is to find one that is really comfortable. So, she has this pillow that she loves, but the cover on it had become threadbare, and she asked me if I could make a replacement for her.

I started by taking the old cover apart, so that I could use it as a template.

I used some leftover fabric from Franken-skirt, to make a “test” cover.

I decided that I would make a “test” cover out of scrap fabric, before attempting to work with the fabric that my sister bought. Since I wasn’t sure in what order to assemble the pieces, nor the best way to attach the ends, I figured there might be some seam ripping involved. Happily, there wasn’t much.

The most difficult part was attaching the round end pieces. I’m sure there is a better way to do this, I just need to find out what it is.

I did this one with my eyes closed. Kidding. It just looks that way.

Here’s the finished cover!

From the outside, even the ends look good.

OMG! I made a lapped zipper!

I wasn’t sure how to install the zipper, so I took a skirt pattern that included a lapped zipper, and used the instructions to figure out how to get started. It required some improvisation, but everything worked perfectly.

Close up!

Here’s what the zipper looks like when it’s closed. Very inconspicuous. Almost makes up for what I did to Franken-skirt.

I’ve sent the cover off to my sister, and am just waiting to hear if it fits properly. Then, if all is well, I can start the “real” cover.

When we last left our nemesis, Franken-skirt, it had been discovered that, while it now fit in the hips, it was too wide at the bottom. Though wearable, it was dumpy and unflattering. So…

I couldn’t leave well enough alone, but I also couldn’t bring myself to spend money on alterations for a skirt that I made. It just seemed so ridiculous. Plus, I figured it was time to learn a little bit about making fitting adjustments. And, it seemed to make sense to practice on something toward which I was already harboring some resentment. That way, even if I totally butchered it, at least it wasn’t something I loved.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “This doesn’t bode well,” you are so totally right.

Franken-skirt meets Jaws! My skirt now has a dorsal fin!

Basically, I had to taper the skirt at the side seams, so that the top would remain the same size, but the bottom would become more narrow.

Yah gonna’ need a biggah boat.

If I could figure out how to type the Jaws theme phonetically, this is where I would put it.

Seriously, what am I supposed to do with that thing? Cut it off with pinking shears?

Winner of the World’s Most Conspicuous Alteration award. I’m undefeated. Fear me.

Is that the worst case of pattern mismatch you’ve ever seen?

Nevertheless, after all of that futzing around, it fits (pretty much). Unfortunately, because of all the crazy biz I did to the side seams, it looks like an insane blind person stitched it together. But, I’m past the point of caring, because now it’s personal. That skirt is totally getting worn.

The ‘A’ in A-Line apparently stands for Anger. So far, this has been my least favorite project.

I made this skirt as part of a Sewing Basics II class, which was offered by the Philadelphia Sewing Collective. The instructor was Christine Phillips, a local fashion designer. The fabric was purchased at Spool.

On the hanger, it looks like a typical A-Line skirt; nondescript and nothing obviously wrong with it.

But, underneath, lurks a disfigured monster that I am now referring to as…

Franken-skirt!

Everything started out well, but, after the whole thing was put together (of course), I realized that it was about 5″ too small in the hips. I had to add fabric inserts on both sides to make it fit. I started out with tapered inserts, but, the skirt kept puckering, so I had to go with straight inserts.

I am still extremely confused by how it could have been that small. According to the pattern (Simplicity #4036), the hips were just one inch smaller than the A-Line skirt from Betsy Ross Patterns. If the measurements were accurate, it should have fit perfectly, because I have a little bit of room in the Betsy Ross skirt. I can understand sizes being different (i.e., a size 10 in one brand, is different than a size 10 in another brand) but, in this case, we’re talking about standardized units of measurement (specifically, inches), so I’m not sure how they can be that far off.

I’m inclined to believe that Simplicity is the problem, rather than Betsy Ross, since another pattern I bought from Simplicity created a garment that was way too big. Although, after re-reading my last post, where I thought the Betsy Ross skirt was going to be 5″ too small, maybe I’m just inclined to give Betsy Ross the benefit of the doubt, since the skirt I made from their pattern actually fit.

The inserts weren’t long enough.

I felt like I needed to rush to get the inserts completed during class, since I needed help from the instructor. Consequently, they wound up being too short. It wasn’t the end of the world, but now my hem looks weird.

Adding inserts also made the waistband too short.

After installing the inserts, I had to make the waistband longer. I measured the skirt, and factored in enough fabric for the seam allowances, as well as a little bit of extra at the zipper. Unfortunately, it still wound up being about 3/4″ too short. As you can see in the above picture, I had to pull a Frankenstein at the end of the waistband, otherwise, it wouldn’t have attached properly to the zipper.

Although a lot went wrong, some things also went right…

I was able to install another zipper.

And, I got to practice some more darts.

Overall, I guess the skirt looks fine from the outside, which is one of the great things about sewing. However, the inserts have made the skirt too wide at the bottom, so I’ll probably still have to take it to the dry cleaner for tailoring. That sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?