Sew Crazy! Week 1

I'm officially calling my goal to sew 8 garments by the end of May "Sew Crazy!" because starting today I work backstage for about 10+ hours a day, 5-6 days a week. I still aim to make it happen and I've got my projects mostly planned out, but I'm not going to be bummed if I don't get them all done.

The good news is that one of my fellow wardrobe apprentices was also really eager to have a sewing buddy, so I'm a bit more motivated. Everything's going well so far but all I've done is sew snaps for (literally) 17 hours. My fingers never hurt so badly.

Pattern: McCall's 6435 (2011) ($1.99)

Fabrics: Dark pink - rayon/lycra jersey, light pink - cotton jersey (JoAnn's - $8)

Time: Approximately 4 hours

Total Cost: $10

Size: I usually make a 14 but here I made a 12. RTW I wear 8 petite.

Pros: It was very straightforward and quick! The fit is about what I would expect of a store bought t-shirt, so nothing amazing, but I think I can fix that next time. I was just glad it wasn't sackville. The yoke is cute and it would be eays to convert this to a plain t-shirt.

Cons: This should have been a stupid fast project, but I ignored the instructions for hemming everything (bottom, sleeves, neck) and first tried hemming with a twin needle, which I loved, but it skipped on occasion. Then I switched to banding, which was bad.  I pulled on the sleeve bands and they ended up kind of tight on my biceps. And I'm no Hulk! So then I didn't pull on the neck band and it ended up loosey-goosey. Since it doesn't look bad I'm going to leave it but I know better for next time. The pattern itself just calls for a narrow hem. All this banding meant the dreaded hand sewing and that's why it took 4 hours instead of just 2.

What's next? My Macaron I've been trying to finish since January!

Happy Easter Video

This really has nothing to do with Easter, it is just how (it's called a RipStik, it's sort of like a skateboard with only two wheels) my sisters and I spent a good bit of the holiday. Tomorrow is my big move!

Me-Made-May '12

I'm taking my inspiration from Meg for this photo (and check out those 1970s pajama bloomers!)...I'M SO EXCITED for ME-MADE-MAY '12! Why? Because I think I have gotten to the point where I'll actually finish the month, and we'll actually be doing it during a month in which it is practical for me to participate. No chances of freezing, snowy days nor weeks of rain, nor endless heat and humidity.

I, Lisette of WWNDW, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '12. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made garment each day for the duration of May 2012'

AND I will not be ashamed to fill in my wardrobe gaps using modern patterns, but I will not neglect my vintage patterns either. Therefore, I'm also pledging to make 8 new garments between now and the end of May, 4 for April and 4 for May, 4 vintage and 4 modern.

March Sewing Summary

Not a lot of sewing done this month, but I won't feel too badly about it because I had two trips to New Hampshire and did my taxes and have been busy packing for my move to Connecticut. Not a lot of time left to sew!

Most importantly I coordinated the sewing of 13 1912 style skirts for the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts event being run here.

You can see it in the photo above as well, but I attempted curlers with my new haircut and ended up with something similar to Kelly Garrett's hairdo on Charlie's Angels. And look, a me-made shirt!

 It was summer weather here for one week (now I'm back in sweaters!) so I took the opportunity to wear my mustard skirt - Simplicity 2258. I love it!

Then I started this pattern for the Mad Men challenge at Sew Weekly. I got halfway done and had to pack up my sewing machine for the move. Not to mention, it is a little chilly now for sleeveless dresses.

 I still wanted to participate and I've been thinking about making retro bow ties for awhile, so I made up this pattern, which happens also to be from 1965.

 

Oh yeah, there's a new guy hanging around too. We'll call him Mr. Fix-it. Isn't he handsome? I made the bow tie for him, and he kindly agreed to model it, face and everything. Forgive my bow-tying skills and photography skills, it was early in the morning.

SW Challenge: Mad Men

Pattern: Simplicity 6254 (1965) View 1

Materials: Hounds-tooth with a mystery fiber content. Leftovers from a never finished "Peggy" dress, ironically.

Time: 3 hours

Cost: Le free

Size: 16" neck (but I made some errors in my math so it might be a bit off).

Pros: This didn't require the usual hardware so you can make it adjustable without having to retie it. However, that also means it has to fit the person. It is a nice size for everyday, not too big and gaudy like a 1970s tie.

Cons: The majority of my time was spent turning this inside out. The hardest point were the back center seam and when the wide end was going through it. Other than that, a reasonable sewing gift for the sartorially-savvy men in one's life.

Notable Bow Tie Wearers on Mad Men

From the Mad Men wiki 

Bert Cooper: I love the pointed shape on this. Not sure how to achieve it, though. He tends toward small prints.

Source

Harry Crane: His are usually a diagonal stripe. I especially love his with the glasses.

From hark.com

 From vulture.com

Jimmy Barrett/Don Draper: Obviously for black tie events.

Source

Toni Charles and the Bunnies: Obviously part of the uniform. Dang, I'm surprised no one thought to be inspired by this!