No Class

No class this week so I have no update for today. I will give an update on my Batman pj's on thursday still. :D See you thursday!

Whoever thought voodoo dolls could really prove helpful! :D

                                   Mrs. Feisty

Thrifty Treasure Deals!

 

I have grown up hunting through thrift stores for hidden treasure and I love it!

 

I get a rush as I bespy patterns, objects, and items that form new ideas of usefulness while chucking other things aside.



 

Above is the Styling Design Ruler at a local sewing store full priced. I got it from the thrift store for $1.99. :D I skipped across the store to my husband to show him the treasure we would be taking home. Of course he doesn't understand it's potential but I do. ;)

Now to be honest I had no idea what this was at the thrift store because it had no label but I had a hunch that it was something great. I sent pictures to Mastermind and it was hard to see what it was in text because it is clear plastic.

She thought it was a thread holder and so I bought it still unsure of its purpose. When I went to the local fabric store I stopped to see if I could identify it and lo and behold! $39.99 for a thread holder when I paid $3.99. :D

I didn't get this at the thrift store; it was only $2.99 at the store and I was sure it wasn't worth a real thrift store hunt for the price. Not everything is worth a thrift store raid.  

I also saw this at the thrift store and it tickled my mind but it had no writing or anything on it so I dismissed it! ARGH!SRFGSDFGJSDOFJSD!!!

Seriously people, follow your hunches, guts, and mind tickles for deals. But I am keeping my eyes peeled for sure on this and some other things. Raid those thrift shops like a Viking! Take the best even if your not sure its the best. :D Lol.


                                                                    - Mrs. Feisty

Pajamas Part 3

An hour is so short when you don't want it to be and forever when you want it to pass by. :/

Once again simple tasks but I learned a lot. We pinned the sides together and matched the notches. I have a hard time paying attention to the notches at first because all I wanted was for everything to match up. However, in order to do that you had to match the notches first then go up and down. Because the back pieces that go over the butt have more fabric so it seems weird at first but it's logical just flow with it.

We basted it and did a half inch seam at first to see how it would fit. So we basted a leg and I tried it on. It was still a little big. We previously altered the pieces before because it was a little big but we decided to do a 5/8 inch as the pattern instructs to make it fit better. :D

Sewing a straight line is hard. So mastermind showed me a little trick. She took some tape and aligned it with the line I needed to follow so it was very easy for me to sew a straight line.

Don't do these:

1. Do not pull the fabric from the back. Guide it with your hands from the sides and front.
2. Always match up the notches first before any of the edges.
3. Always try on the pattern and fabric pieces to ensure accuracy/comfort.
4. Iron all your pieces.

Patterns are hard to read because I am a visual learner. Those who do well reading instructions can probably read a pattern better than me. Because I have sat down and read the instructions multiple times. I have to take it into very small steps and move the pieces to help me understand what they want.

Next update for the pajamas will be sewing the crotch together with the elastic and hem of the pants. I have to pick up elastic. Don't let me forget. :)

The robe will be updated shortly as well. :) The pattern is hard to read and there is not a lot of instructions. A bit is assumed that the sewer knows what they are doing. However I don't. Bwahahahaha :D See you next time!

                                                      - Mrs. Feisty

Simplicity Bath Robe

     In order to keep practicing outside of my class Mastermind said I could do whatever I wanted as long as it reinforced what I was learning and didn't get too crazy. (This is my facial reaction below.)

      Keeping in mind I couldn't go nuts I picked out a bath robe pattern to make for my hubby. And I will share what I learn from my mistakes with you as well. You can laugh really hard at me because I did. :D 

1. I already had to get more fabric because I cut the wrong side of the fabric. 

2. I wasted so much fabric playing puzzle with all the pattern pieces on the fabric at once.

3. I didn't do smooth long cuts so some edges are jagged.

4. I cut out and ironed all the pieces in the pattern later realizing it contained child/teen and teen/adult when all I needed was teen/adult. 

5. I almost cut my hair while leaning over the fabric when cutting so I have to keep it up or bound. 

6. I didn't cut the notches because I didn't know what they meant. So I will have to go back and rectify that!

Simplicity Patterns are not so simple. :'(

   
      Now I have only actually worked with two different brands of patterns and that is McCalls and Simplicity. What I do like about McCalls is that each size has their own individual dashed lines such as some are smaller and others are thicker or smaller. It was very easy to follow with a price but that is what a coupon is for. :D

      Then Simplicity threw through a loop because the same line is used for each size complete with confusing size labels and such. I cut on the wrong line a few times and ended up taping it back together. Simplicity is not terrible because their price is usually really cheap and their instructions are not as detailed as McCalls. But I am  glad to have worked with Simplicity.

      The brand I am hoping to try is Butterick. Mrs. Ann's had a 5 for $7 deal that I heard from a bird so I grabbed some I would like to make. This way if I try many different brands you guys can decide which one you will like.

     Because I am working with fleece that sheds like crazy I have to overlock the edges to prevent it from falling apart while washing and wearing. To overlock you keep the fabric half way under the zipper foot. Yes the zipper foot is what we want to use because only a zipper stitch will bind the edges.

     What happens sometimes when sewing is that I get caught up in sewing and start to stretch the fabric while if feeds underneath. DO NOT COMMIT THIS SIN! Terrible stuff people. Just hold it up and gently guide it in the right direction. You don't want the wavy mess I got. Trust me ;)

      Can you see it? The words make it the most apparent. I cut the wrong side. :''( Sad moment. I could only laugh then go to the store. Yes more Star Wars has appeared. Geekiness isn't meant to be hidden. :D I hope you guys had a good laugh and I will share more stupid funnies as we go on. :)


                                                                          -Mrs. Feisty

Pajamas Pattern Part 2

Why is there a ruler on my pattern piece? Fantastic question! We need to be sure that the pattern stays  aligned so we can measure from the edge to the grain (7.5 inches above) to make sure it doesn't get tilted. 

     Once the measurements on both sides of the grain line match you can pin them then pin as close to the edge as possible at all corners and sides preventing the fabric from being cut in a choppy fashion. 

     Because I chose a patterned fabric I had to insure that it was properly aligned so that it wouldn't look cadywompus on me. As you see in the picture she showed me how to conserve fabric. 

     Mastermind achieves this by having the fabric underneath stick out farther than the one on top. Make the fold and selvage as close to the edges of your piece as possible. That way we have smallest pieces for scrap and can have bigger left overs. :D 

Question Answered by Mastermind

How can you tell you have good or high quality fabric?

     -Well it depends on where you go and it comes with practice. Wally's World is not going to have top of the line fabric but they do have high quality once in a while. I wouldn't mind going there for pajamas but not for a prom dress. 

     Mrs. Ann's  is middle quality. It has a lot of bad, good, and high quality because they carry so much. An easy way to tell is by checking if the cut of the fabric on the bolt matches the grain line. If it doesn't don't touch it. If it was initially cut incorrectly for a bolt your are going to fight it the whole time and there will be a pucker. 

<--------Lets avoid this .

Continuation of explanation: 

     You also have to understand that here in America sewing is expensive and a hobby so you gotta cut your coupons and watch the sales to buy from the high quality stores in your area. High quality stores are stores that only carry fabric. (I have find such a place!) 

     So I did that today I went to the store with my coupons in hand and took advantage of some sales. ;) I'll share my haul later. :D 

                         -Mrs. Feisty

P.S. Seems like we didn't accomplish much but I learned a lot. Next week we will be busting out the sewing machine! :D Woop! Woop!

Pajamas Pattern Part 1

"I can teach you everything you want to learn." - Mastermind

This is where my mind went as she finished her sentence. Just a few examples of some things I would like to have. :D

I love dresses! This is a simple one that I just love. Its modest, well I would bring up the fabric farther in the front. The color pops so well against her skin and hair color. 

Okay, back to business. Mastermind laid down some rules for our lessons. We work on the pajamas together and I experiment with patterns and sewing at home. Woohoo! With a catch of course. My experiments have to reflect the concepts I have learned in our lessons and cannot get too complicated. 

I have this tendency to bite off more than I can chew and Mastermind does well at keeping me in check. :D 

Now that we have our fabric in hand we have to follow these steps to ensure success: 

1. Wash and dry your fabric. (Sounds silly but no one wants it to shrink after you spent the time creating a master piece.)

2. Iron the fabric. Every inch! No cheating people. We want the fabrics to 'set' back together and it will help make our measurements and cuts accurate. 

3. Have someone measure you. Here is a good guide to follow the directions and make sure you are standing straight up! http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-get-your-body-measurements.html 

4. Compare your measurements compared to the pattern. After Mastermind took my measurements we discovered that McCalls upped me to a size 14. *Serious scowl. (I'll rant about it later)

5. Cut out the pieces from your pattern that you need then iron them at medium heat. 

6. Pin your pieces together to try it to see how it fits against your body. We had to make some adjustments because I needed the width of a size 14 but I am only 5'4. :)

7. Make adjustments as needed based on where your curves are at. :) 

Trying it on.

That is as far as we got in an hour and a half but we had to make a lot of adjustments because I am short but curvy. Plus the waistline for the pattern goes to where your real waist is at and not at your hips where I like to wear my pants. 

Then we accidentally cut off too much from the top and had to go back and add onto it. It was fun but I learned A LOT! 

Soap Box Time

Now, I told you I would rant about this. ;) I thought that working with patterns would relieve me about the sizes I wear. On the contrary I'm not feeling any love from the fashion world for my size. I am 5 '4 and weigh 135 pounds. 

Not many woman are open about their weight but I don't care so much because I like the way I look. That is right! I LIKE THE WAY I LOOK! Am I considered overweight by the doctor, fashionistas, shallow men, and snarky women? Yup. But it's my body and I like it. :D

 I am a normal person and the truth is that everyone has curves, but they are in different places. The other problem is that we don't always know how to dress our curves because we see them dress only a few body types or bodies that have so little weight you can't find their curves. Bwahahahaha. :D 

So I will try not to pay attention to the sizes if you will to. :) What is my size then? Well . . . lets just go with gorgeous! ;) What's yours?

                                                                             By: Mrs. Feisty

Supplies

What's your pattern?
 (sounds like a pick up line. Ha ha ha ha.)

Now, I am not going to explain how I got everything for every project. However, this is our first project together so for those who are ignorant like myself we will discover this together!

I cannot stand a certain store in the area and they are very popular despite their dreadful service and lack of specific supplies for any one craft area. I will call it Mrs. Anne's for here.

In order to avoid Mrs. Anne's I went to a local store. Now what happens is that you sort through books with all sorts of clothes and on that page with the clothes you like there is a pattern number.

The pattern number is like a call no. for a book in the library. You write it down then sort through the patterns using the numbers. It is in bold on the right of our pattern in this picture. Once you find it flip if over to the sizing area.


Sizing

     I'm a size 8 in U.S. pants normally and so my first thought was that I am a size 8. STOP! Retail sizes and pattern sizes do not coincide. So I actually had to measure myself so that I knew what my real size was. Which works out great because if you are heavier at the top and not the bottom vice versa you can easily adjust the size of clothing.

     After my measurements I discovered I was a size 12 and tried to take no offense to what the pattern was telling me. I blame retail. I chose to do the A top and F bottoms. I underlined the yardage I would need to help me focus. *(Fabric bolts usually come in 45 or 60. The smallest in height is a 45 and the taller ones are a 60. It is not written or typed anywhere it is assumed that you have that knowledge when you go into the store. Just a warning.)

Fabric

     I was so excited for Batman! The store didn't have any of the real batman but the cartoon version that doesn't really stick to the real batman so I grabbed Star Wars.

      Please forgive me. :/ I did put in a request for Batman and other superhero fabrics that I could possibly use later on.

     I chose a regular cotton blend for the bottoms and a jersey fabric top. I am super excited to start sewing and now my hubby wants some made for him too. They had Darth Vader fabric there of all people! I might make him some from that pattern.

     Sadly, I wasn't able to coordinate with our master mind to start sewing and reading patterns so we will get that done this next week. Sorry guys I trying to be patient as well! :D



                                                                 - Mrs. Feisty