A Sewer's Gotta Do What a Sewer's Gotta Do

I have not been shy about proclaiming the two things I dislike most about sewing.

1.  Sewing knits

2.  Making muslins

Recently,  I addressed my knit aversion buy purposely seeking out, buying and sewing more knits.  Now, I'm about to vanquish my other sewing demon.  I gotta to make a muslin.

I bought Sarah Veblen's fitting book,  The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting.  Why would a self-proclaimed muslin-hater buy "the ULTIMATE  reference for fitting test garments and transferring accurate adjustments to patterns"? Because my daughter got engaged and wants me to make her wedding dress! That's why!!!!

My future son-in-law is a lieutenant in the Marines and was recently deployed to the middle east (please pray for him) so the wedding won't be happening for quite a while.  In the meantime, I have plenty of time to learn to love muslins.  There are other things in my favor:

• I've made my DD's prom gowns, so I'm not a total novice to formal wear.
• She's bringing home a wedding dress that belonged to a co-worker's daughter so I can study it up close.
• In addition to buying the ultimate muslin book, I have Claire Shaeffer's Couture Techniques Workshop DVD, Claire Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques, and last but not least, Susan Khalje's Bridal Couture. 

Yet, with all these resources, I'm still apprehensive.  I've been sewing for more than 40 years and I've encountered lots of techniques, including some of the techniques used in wedding gowns.  It's not so much the techniques or processes that worry me (although I AM worried; especially if she wants lace), but I've never sewn a project with such strong emotional connotations.  I'll be lucky if I don't cry all over the dress!

So, if anyone has any advice, tips, sources and resources, stimulants, sedatives or liquor, please share!

All I Wanted for Christmas

Last Christmas, my Darling Daughter surprised me with a Caribbean Cruise.  We went in October and, in spite of Superstorm Sandy, we had a wonderful cruise.  My greedier self wondered how she would top last year's gift.  Well, she did.  She wants to learn to sew and asked for a sewing machine.  The gift is just as much mine as hers.  We spent the weekend before Christmas sewing together.  What gift could be better than that?

As soon as she told me what she wanted, I ran to my trusted dealer to select a starter machine.   I was shown two options in my price range: Babylock Molly and Singer Confidence Stylist.  The two machines were exactly the same price.  I chose the Singer because it had a few more bells and whistles and gave her more room to grow if she sticks with it.

So, on the Friday and Saturday before Christmas, I taught my daughter to sew.

First, she got familiar with using the machine, including good posture.

Before:  Aching back after 20 minutes

After:  Ready to sew for hours

Her first project was a pouch, and she was quite proud.

Look, Mom!  I did it!

Our next lesson was reading a pattern, layout and cutting.

Cutting out pattern pieces

Finally, she made her first garment, a skirt, KwikSew 3765 , which, when you compare construction techniques,  was very similar to the pouch!

First garment! (Unhemmed)

She was a very good student and her attention to detail borders on obsessive.  I also bought her a book,  Sewing 101, a very good book for beginners with DVD included and I recommended she take a class at JoAnn.  I wish she lived closer so I could work with her more.  But, I had a great time teaching her and she seems willing to keep sewing.

The Sew/Fit Manual

I've always preferred the Pivot and Slide method of pattern alteration over the Slash and Spread method. This method involves tracing, pivoting and sliding the pattern to make the necessary width and length changes. I first learned about this method by watching Sewing with Nancy, so naturally I bought Fitting Finesse (Zieman, 1995). For a long time Fitting Finesse was my primary resource for pattern fitting information. When Nancy Zieman published an updated version, Pattern Fitting with Confidence (Zieman, 2008), I bought that one too.  I purged sewing books a while ago and I decided to keep Pattern Fitting with Confidence, believing "newer is better" and it would be my go to source for pivot and slide pattern fitting.  I was wrong.  Fitting Finesse contained information that was left out of Pattern Fitting with Confidence. I had to re-purchase Fitting Finesse to fit a dress with princess seams.

I own several books by Nancy Zieman and I refer to them often.  But I find them a little "watered down".   I decided to search for the undiluted Pivot and Slide book and the search led me to  The Sew/Fit Manual (Oblander and Anderson, 1992).  I'm embarrassed to admit, this was another book I owned and purged some time ago. Now that I've re-purchased The Sew/Fit Manual, I've taken a more critical look at it. I think it is an excellent resource for P&S and I don't remember why I ever got rid of it in the first place.  It covers much more than either of Zieman's fitting books. In addition to step-by-step instructions on completing scores of P&S alterations, the book has several chapters on fitting theory. In fact, the actual P&S "how-to" instructions don't begin until Chapter 5, page 159.  Detailed step-by-step instructions are given for measuring and marking the pattern pieces and pivoting, sliding and tracing to make the adjustments.  Full figures, petite figures and princess style adjustments are also covered.  And if, after all this,  I still needed the Nancy Zieman seal of approval, I learned she worked with the authors on the first edition and was the first model.

Eww.

I have one criticism about this book - the artwork.  Some of the faces of the drawn figures are downright scary!  (Maybe I got rid of the book to stop the nightmares. ) Others are simply amateurish. Luckily, these are just the fashion illustrations and they can be ignored.  The diagrams that illustrate the processes are clear and that is what is important.

The Sew/Fit Manual was last published almost twenty years ago. New copies are available through Hip/Line Media.  I bought a used copy from Amazon.   I hope  I've finally learned my lesson about purging books.  There is no guarantee I'll be able to replace them.

Note:  I did find one newer comprehensive source for pivot and slide.  Fitting and Pattern Alteration (Liechty, Rasband and Pottberg-Steineckert, 2010) compares P&S, the Seam Method and the Slash Method for each pattern alteration.  I would like to own this book, but it cost over $90.   I'd have to give it a good, long preview before I spent that much money.  I can't trust myself.  After spending $90  I might purge it within a few years. With The Sew/Fit Manual and two Nancy Zieman books, there is no reason for me to buy another book on Pivot and Slide.

Sometimes, I'm My Own Worst Enemy

Every once in a while, I get fed up with the clutter and conduct a purge in the sewing room.  Most often I purge patterns;  sometimes I purge books.  Purging patterns isn't a big problem.  I use lots of Burda Style Magazine Patterns and if I absolutely have to,  I can always retrace patterns hastily purged.  Purging books is another matter.  Mistakes are not so easy to fix.  I got rid of several books a few years ago and I lived to regret it.  Gwen warned me, but I didn't listen.

Wouldn't you know,  I needed one of the books I so foolishly tossed aside in 2009.  Gwen is entitled to a big, fat "I told you so!"

My current project (BSM 06/2008 #128) needed a little enlarging in the bust area.  The dress has princess seams.  I forgot how to pivot and slide princess seams and I got rid of the book that would have helped me.    It wasn't all my fault.  Nancy Zieman should take some responsibility for my problem.  Her Fitting Finesse (1994) had information on using pivot and slide on princess seams.  The updated version, Pattern Fitting with Confidence (2008) omitted that information.  I believed having both books was just a waste of space, so I got rid of  the older Fitting Finesse.  When I needed to refresh my memory,  I discovered I didn't have the book I needed!  Who leaves important information out of an updated version of their book?!?  Thanks a lot, Nancy!

Did I buy a replacement?  I plead nolo contendere.  An observant reader will notice the photo above was taken in my own sewing room.  Please,  don't let me purge again.  Friends don't let friends purge sewing books.

Illustrated Guide to Sewing: Garment Constrution

I bought this book months ago after buying and loving two other books in the "Illustrated Guide to Sewing" series.  I delayed my purchase of this book because I thought it would contain the same information as the introductory books I already own.  Well, it does and it doesn't.

The introduction says, "These instructions are no doubt more detailed and demanding than those you are used to seeing, or those you found in your pattern envelope."   These are probably the techniques my mother and grandmother used when they sewed.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  For example, if I were sewing a blouse out of delicate lawn or handkerchief linen, I might use self fabric as an interfacing rather than a lightweight fusible.  I would use the instructions for sew-in interfacing provided in this book.  Garment Construction gives sewing instructions for five basic garments: Classic Dress, Classic Shirt, Classic Blouse, Classic Skirt, and Classic Pants (men's and women's).  First, the order of assembly is given, then detailed construction directions for things like zippers, cuffs waistbands etc.  This book is different because the techniques and methods are not the newest, fastest or easiest.    As I read the book, I thought it would be a very good supplement for a beginning sewer who is brave enough to use the patterns in Burda Style Magazine.  When BSM says "insert zip in slit", the sewer can turn to pp 108 – 109 and follow the 14 steps and detailed diagrams and instructions for a centered zipper absent from BSM instructions.  Fourteen steps to insert a centered zipper isn't intimidating.  Step 9 is simply "Close the zipper and turn the garment right side out."

I think of the methods in the book not as "old-fashioned", but as "traditional".  These are probably the methods used by professional dressmakers of the past, when "ladies who lunch" had their clothes custom made.  I wouldn't be surprised if custom dressmakers of the past saw the introduction of basting tapes and non-woven fusible interfacings as a dumbing-down of standard garment construction methods.  However, I am tempted to try some of the methods.  People use vintage patterns – why not vintage techniques?

Two New Books

You have to love those guys at Amazon.  Their targeted marketing is dead on.  By now, Amazon knows I'll buy almost any sewing book.   Every time I visit the Amazon site, I'm tempted with sewing books.  At the top of every page I see, "Hello.  We've got recommendations for you".  Click the link, and I've got about 50 sewing titles to browse through (many of which I already own).  I also get tempting emails.   Recently, Amazon sent an email heralding new sewing books and that's how I learned about the Illustrated Guide to Sewing series.  I'm glad Amazon knows me so well.  I really like my two newest books.

Lately, any book with the word "couture" in the title interests me.  I am on a mission to upgrade my skills and incorporate couture techniques into my sewing.  In the absence of classes, what better way to learn something than to buy books on the topic.  I like this book much better than the last book I bought on couture techniques.  It's not a book for beginners or sewers looking for quick techniques.    There are only three chapters in this book:  Premium Fabrics, Getting the Right Fit and Couture Techniques, but a lot of information is covered.  The sections on fit are quite extensive and cover topics like dolman and raglan sleeves.  The book recommends making a muslin and using standard "slash and fold" pattern fitting.  The couture techniques chapter never mentions fusible interfacing!   Can you believe it?  Interfacing sewn in by hand! (I guess real couturiers don't fuse.)  And there is lots and lots of basting and thread tracing with illustrated instructions on several hand sewing stitches.  And speaking of hand sewing stitches, the instructions for putting in a centered zipper involves very little machine sewing.

I also want to make a tailored garment. Since I was in a book buying mood, I also ordered this title.  Somehow, making a tailored jacket scares the bejeezus out of me.  I made a jacket a few years ago, but I've been afraid to wear it.   The subtitle is "A Complete Course on Making a Professional Suit" and that is exactly what this book is. *  I like this book because the sections on pattern fitting are not general fitting techniques but are specific to suit patterns.  Men's and women's jackets are addressed separately.  As in Couture Techniques, no fusible interfacing is mentioned.  The step-by-step instructions are very detailed, almost to the point of intimidation.  There are 69 steps for constructing a flap pocket.  But there are tons of multi-colored diagrams to help. 

These diagrams show twill tape, pad stitching interfacing and lining, yet they are not confusing.

Another title in this Illustrated Guide to Sewing series is Garment Construction.  Those evil marketers at Amazon offered special pricing for all three titles.  I didn't order Garment Construction, though.  Not because of any strength of will, but because  I felt confident in general garment construction and I already own four or five basic books.  Besides, at the time I received the email, the book hadn't been released.  But, judging from my reaction to Couture Techniques and Tailoring, there might be something new for me to learn from Garment Construction and I may end up buying it, too.   I wouldn't want to break up the set!

Amazon lists Peg Couch as the editor of this series although her name does not appear on the title page.  She is described as "an amateur seamstress and book acquisition editor at Fox Chapel Publishing".  At first, I was put off by the word "amateur".  But the information is these book is far beyond "amateur".  Both books remind me of the articles that used to appear in Threads Magazine back in the 1980s.  Right now the techniques seam beyond my skills.  But now I have the information to improve my skills.  That is exactly what I was looking for.


* I don't know if Peter of Male Pattern Boldness reads my blog.   I believe he could sew the suit he promised Michael if he had this book.

Giving in to a Book Addiction

My best friend is married to an addiction therapist.  Given our personal connection, I wonder if he would be violating any professional ethics if he gave me a few sessions – gratis, of course – to help with my book addiction.  On one hand, I'm giving away piles of Burda magazines because I simply don't have space to store them.  At the same time, I'm buying more books.  Isn't that a sign of addiction?

My most recent purchase was The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques by Lynda Maynard.  Whenever I think of couture techniques, I think of Claire Shaeffer, so I couldn't help comparing the two approaches to couture sewing.  Many of the techniques in Maynard's book are not "couture" in the Claire Shaeffer sense of the word.  Where Shaeffer's techniques are traditional and learned in a Paris atelier,  Maynard's techniques seem more contemporary and bring to mind Fashion Week in New York.    The techniques are divided into three categories:

• Bindings and Finishes e.g. Banded V-neck on knit fabric, Banded V-neck on woven fabric, Piped double-fold bining on woven fabric, and Baby French binding  
• Design Details: On Show e.g. Channel-stitched accents, Petersham "Peek" seam, Hong Kong finish on the outside, and Button-on Garment Sections.
• Design Details: Concealed e.g. Couture Waistband, Organza "Bubble" hem finish, balanced dart, and couture dart.

There is a chapter on Designer Underpinnings in which Maynard tells how fabrics can be "enhanced or inhibited by backing or underlining with various companion  fabrics" and a chapter called Directory of Luxury Fabrics in which she describes fabrics and discusses applications and practical points.  The final chapter is Essential Couture Techniques.  This chapter includes the more traditional couture techniques such as French seams, hanging loops, hand bound buttonholes and covered snaps.

I like the way the book is organized.  The first section of the book is a "couture technique selector" in which the included techniques are listed with short descriptions, thumbnail photographs and page numbers.  I can browse the section, select the desired technique then flip to the directions in the body of the book.  The instructions for the techniques are clear and the photographs enhance the instructions. I also like the spiral binding which allows the book to lay open next to the sewing machine for easy reference.

Maynard's book contains both style details and construction techniques.  For example, there are several methods on applying binding to edges.  One might find the same techniques in a comprehensive sewing book like Vogue Sewing, not a book on couture sewing.  However the use of these techniques goes beyond the basic instructions and elevate the garments beyond typical home sewn garments. 

I have never met a sewing book I didn't like and I admit I didn't need this book (especially since I plan to buy the revised and updated edition of Claire Shaeffer's book when it's released).  But, I'm sure I will eventually use one or two of the techniques.    After reserving it at Borders, I went to the store planning to look through it objectively and critically before making the purchase.  I was fully prepared to walk away if it didn't meet my expectations.   Who was I kidding?  Isn't that the way an addict deludes herself?  I was convinced I was meant to own this book when I got to the register, presented my Borders Rewards card, and got a 33% discount!   After I buy Claire Shaffer's book, I won't buy any more sewing books – and I mean it.

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

A civilized accumulation in the back yard

We had a wonderful Christmas with my youngest sister in Charlotte, NC.  Charlotte had only 3 or 4 inches of snow on the day after Christmas and it stuck only to the lawns.  Not so in Philadelphia, which had it's first blizzard of the season.  Since I hate snow with a passion that burns hotter than the fires of hell,  I decided we should stay and experience Charlotte's civilized snowfall for two extra days.  Why come home and deal with the immediate aftermath of a blizzard?  It would have killed all the warm, fuzzy holiday feelings from the aftermath of Christmas.  Instead, I indulged myself with sewing related activities even though I was far from my sewing room.

Shopping for Fabric
My sister and her husband are expecting a son in Spring and I agreed to sew the baby room stuff!  On Christmas Eve, we went to Mary Jo's in Gastonia, NC to search for the fabric.  Mary Jo's is huge!!!!   Hard to believe, but even with  the tons of fabric in the store,  Little Sis didn't find anything she really loved.  I found a piece suitable for my mini-SWAP, so I was happy.  My eight-year-old niece found a piece of minkee to use as a TV-watching-cuddle-up blanket, so she was happy.  Only Little Sis was disappointed.  Two days later while she was at work,  I went on a solo reconnaissance mission to Sew Much Fun in Charlotte and sent a few pictures of possibilities to her cell phone.  Still, nothing.  I can't go into a fabric store and not buy anything, so I bought a package of Wonder Tape as seen on the Sewing Toolbox DVD (see below) and two packs of charm squares (20% off!) for a future quilting project. Our last chance was Hobby Lobby.  There are no Hobby Lobbies in my area and I was curious about them.  For me, it's too much of a craft/decorating store and not enough of a fabric store.  But that wouldn't stop me from shopping there if I had one.  Little Sis found just what she wanted, but there wasn't enough yardage on the bolt.  Luckily, she was able to order the amount she needed.  In addition to the stripe pictured, she ordered dots in the same colorway.   The brown minkee is for the crib quilt.  Mission accomplished.

Sewing Books for Christmas

I got both volumes of Sandra Betzina's Power Sewing Toolbox for Christmas.   The books are full of just what the subtitle promises:  "tips/techniques not found in patterns".  I'm guessing the content is from the Power Sewing webcasts available by subscription on the Power Sewing website.  (I am not a subscriber.)   The books are very capably reviewed by Sharon on Adventures from the Sewing Studio.  I have nothing to add except I think the books are definitely a "must have."  Having the books and accompanying DVDs  made up for being so far away from my sewing machine.

If I had been snowed-in at home, I would have spent long days in the sewing room and that would have been wonderful.  But I didn't feel cheated.   There was lots of fabric shopping and I had two new sewing books to read.  Best of all, I got to spend Christmas with a small part of my extended family which made this Christmas more like the Christmases I remember.

Couture Techniques Workshop

This may become my favorite sewing DVD, which is not surprising because Claire Shaeffer is one of my favorite sewing experts.  Couture Techniques Workshop: Basics really demonstrates the difference between home sewing and couture sewing.  I've heard about professors at design schools using "home sewn" as the ultimate put-down.  Now I understand why.  Home sewing, even when done by the most talented and skilled practitioners, and couture sewing are two different animals.  In the introduction, Shaeffer stated she rarely has time to make a garment using only couture techniques.  Instead, she recommends using the techniques where they will make the most difference.

Two discs are included.  Four of the seven chapters on Disc One covered various hand sewing techniques:  Basting Stitches, Permanent Stitches, Slip Stitches and Hemming Stitches.  On Disc Two, Shaeffer demonstrated marking, pressing, shrinking, stretching and how to make bars and chains. Thanks to excellent camera close-ups,  I clearly saw how various stitches are made.  Shaeffer used many couture garments to illustrate the various techniques.  In addition to her own designs for Vogue, she opened up pieces from Chanel, Valentino and other couturiers of the 60s and 70s.  Shaeffer used wool crepe to demonstrate most of the techniques.  That has always been one of my favorite fabrics and if (I mean "when") I make a jacket using some of these couture techniques, wool crepe will be my choice.

Many current and popular sewing books and videos teach how to make clothes "fast and easy".  I look for resources that teach how to make clothes "well" and this DVD does exactly that.  Using even a few of the techniques will make the clothes I sew look like expensive ready-to-wear, if not couture. I'm okay with that. This DVD inspired me to incorporate couture techniques into my home sewing and improve the quality of the garments I sew.