Michaels Bundle

Here's the 2nd of 3 posts this week. The last one will be tomorrow then I'm out of the picture til at least Sunday. Wednesday is a holiday here in Quebec and I booked off Thursday and Friday in order to fit in a quick trip to New Brunswick.

Ann & Diana - I'll be passing through about suppertime both Wed and Sat ! ;-)

First a Q&A - actually, one question from Faye about my piping foot. I don't have a piping foot (actually I do have one for my serger, but I only thought of it AFTER I'd finished both dresses LOL)

For the Pink dress, I used my Kenmore's regular zipper foot. It's a really square, clunky, metal foot and you can't sew really close to the cord of the piping.

For the Butterfly dress, I used another foot, it has a vertical edge on the right hand side and I just sewed from the right side of the fabric leting the piping ride along the inside of that vertical edge. I think it's my 1/4" foot, but don't quote me. It worked really well.

My singer has one of those plastic, narrow, pointy zipper feet that would probably work well enough, but again I only thought of it after.


Sooooo, I received my Michaels bundle last week. It was shipped on Jun 9 and I received the delivery notice on Jun 16 - ONLY 1 WEEK ! I was expecting at least 2 weeks, shipping to Canada is NOT fast.

Now I need some help/advice. (and all of the problems, questions, mis-expectations are the result of my own inexperience, not Michael's fabrics)

I got a 15yd bundle of the cottons, which includes, cotton, linen, silk and variations of them - how do I tell what is what - is there a way ?

I also, for some unexplainable reason, expected a cotton bundle to be all shirtings. What is it they say about assuming things ?! I have 5 pieces, 3 twill and 2 shirtings. But now I have to figure out what to do with them, I'm sure the twills are too heavy for shirts. I will say, the colors are great. When you order bundles, basics are a safe way to go. There isn't a piece here that I won't use just as soon as I figure out how to handle them.

And how to care for them. Do I bite the bullet and throw them all in the washer ? (This would be where I need the advice)

Every piece has some sheen to it, which makes me think they're not all cotton, but probably/possibly blends. They are all generous cuts, all 3 yards except the brown shirting (4 yards).

Here's what was in the box.



Clockwise from to left - the Twills first
Kind of a medium blue, the twill is pretty fine


Navy blue, herringbone (?) twill, yeh navy blue, really dark, this was the flash from the camera


Cream twill - the weave on this one is larger than the first blue one, and it is quite susceptible to runs, there are 2 pulls in it now, but near the selvage so I can work around them. Will not be able work with this with my rings on !


White shirting


Brown shirting (this one feels fabulous !)

2 more dresses for J

It was another busy week at work so at home there were lots of bits of things but no great accomplishments. I only posted once last week - I think I'll spread the bits over a couple of posts this week.

The biggest thing this week is the sundresses for J.

I'm not going to review them because they're the same NL6908 as the first one and I only made a few changes.

1. I made a size 3 this time.
2. Her mom asked for the view with the ruffle - the pink version is View B with a ruffle and a bit of white piping
3. The butterflies are View A with lime colored piping but no ruffle.

It was my first attempt at piping and ruffles. Both were a pain in the neck and I'll need more practice.

The two dresses:

The back(s):

Butterfly piping:


Pink ruffle:


These are all packed up to take to work tomorrow. They leave on vacation Wednesday, so the dresses were done in plenty of time.

Weekend wrap-up

Saturday was the summer version of 'girls' day out'.

Two girlfriends & I spent the day in downtown Montreal and Old Montreal.
Families were deserted mid-morning and we didn't get home til about 11pm.

Generally, we spend a couple hours window shopping and this year we got lucky. We all found pieces we liked.

I have to say though, this sewing thing got in the way of a very enjoyable browse. I was very aware of exactly how everything did NOT fit. Shoulders, swayback, etc. etc....... Until we went into the very last store, I was feeling really disappointed. Then I found a skirt and a couple of tees I quite liked and they fit ! Some swayback issues on the tee but none on the skirt (I don't think - I'll see once DH takes a pic for me)

So, here're the 2 pieces...

The skirt is cotton, very full with a wide yoke and fully lined with a lightweight cotton (batiste ?)
The tee is very dark, chocolate brown with a pattern stitched in the bodice.
I didn't really like the brown tee with the white skirt although my friends did. It did, on the other hand, go really well with the orange M3341 I was wearing at the time ! And not much goes with that skirt - so - bonus.


A close-up of the bodice pattern.


The skirt is really wide and comes below my knees.


The front placket is actually full length, and hides working buttons all the way down.
Are these pockets, welt pockets ?


Close-up of hidden buttons.


Sunday, I cut out 2 more sundresses for J. I haven't finished them yet, but will post pics once they're done. Off to work on them now - on these, an assembly line technique works great !

I Missed it ! :-(

Oh boy, I was watching my blogoversary button pretty closely and STILL missed it - my first post was June 3, 2008, a year ago plus 8 days - apparently a reminder button is not enough LOL !

But, THIS one is my 100th post !!!!!! Who'da thunk I could write 100 posts - most anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised that I could talk that much, but write them ? Color me surprised.


Also color me very happy.

The followup on the sundress is that J LOVES it. It's just 'like a princess Mommy!'

Yes, she would like another one. I'll make a size 3 next time, this one is quite big for her but I don't think she'll part with it long enough for me to take it in. So, she'll grow into it and I'll make a couple more to fit now.

I guess it was a success :-)

New Look 6908

This is a bit late but it was my Sunday afterrnoon project. I only hemmed it last night though, so am only posting it now.

A friend at work has a little girl (J) who I really want to sew for. She is in a size 3 so not quite yet at the Burda childrens' sizes. Most of their kids patterns are just a bit bigger than that.

Anyway, on Saturday I was at Walmart and saw a couple of remnants that looked like they would be cute sundresses for J. Last week, her Mommy mentioned that they need sundresses for the summer but she hadn't yet found anything she liked.

I liked these 2 fabrics so I picked up NL6908 and made this one up over the weekend.

HOPING that they'd like it. This fabric was not at all what I expected. All rolled up in the remnant bin, all I could see was the blue portion. Once I unrolled it, there were 6 different stripes across the width of the fabric. What to do ? It's still cute, so I made it up.


Pattern Description: Girls' sundress, top & pants...I made view A - the sundress with the tie at the neck

Pattern Sizing: 3-8 (I made a 4 but I think my little one is only in a 3 - it may be a bit big)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? yes, so easy I made stupid mistakes - LOL !

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? No dislikes, it was very easy. I'm hoping the sizing is forgiving, the back is just elasticated and while I made a size 4, I used the elastic length for a size 3.

Fabric Used: Cotton remnant from Walmart

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? If J likes it, I'd love to make her some more as well as the tee & pants in this pattern.

Conclusion: It's a very cute sundress for a little girl, & I have another bit of cotton ready, if she likes this one and once I find out if this actually fits.


Update - it's a hit with Mommy ! Now I just have to find out if it fits and get a pic to post. The second piece of fabric is blue with butterflies. J loves butterflies so she should like this one.

BWOF 04-2009 (101) - Done

I knew I wouldn't get 4 items sewn in one month for the mini-wardrobe contest, but I got close. One more item is done ! If anyone is counting that's 3 things this month that I finished !!! I can hardly believe it :-)

Here we go - might as well copy the PR review rather than type it all again.

Pattern Description: The perfect length, the perfect cut. You can't go wrong with this slightly flared skirt in novelty-weave fabric !

Pattern Sizing: 36-44

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, although I actually made 101B which is the one without pockets or topstitching.

Were the instructions easy to follow? (Why do they ask this ? If you select a BWOF pattern, this section should just assume 'NO' and let it go at that - LOL! ) For the skirt, yes...for the yoke, well, I'd read the PR reviews first and didn't stress too much when they were confusing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? No dislikes, this is a great basic skirt.

Fabric Used: Black stretch cotton twill from a FabricMart Mystery Bundle - it's a FREEBIE !

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:

1) cut a 44 waist and 42 hips...by the time I was done taking in the seams to fit, I should have just cut a 42. Next time.

2) I scooped 1/2" from center back for a swayback adjustment but it wasn't enough. There was still lots of bunching in the back ! back - 1st fitting
I took out another 1/4' and it seemed much better. adjusted back

3) I added 4.5" to the length since I'd seen a few comments about it being quite short. I'm tall so I generally have to add length anyway. It turns out it wasn't 'that' short on me. I cut off all but 1.5' and hemmed it with a 1/2" hem just above my knees.

4) My sewing order was pretty wonky, I think. I don't think I did anything in the order it said to and the yoke instructions were horribly confusing so I followed Allie in Hong Kong's review for the yoke. Her inside front photo was great.
I did the yokes first, including buttonholes and buttons, placed them RS together with the center front panel and serged them on. Then I put that full panel aside til the rest of the skirt was done.
The facings were attached when I did the center zipper using the tutorial from Fashion-Incubater the same as my previous skirt.
The last thing I did was serge the full front panel seams to their side panels, including facings. No hand stitching, no fuss, no muss. It's a pretty clean inside finish and since I made such good use of Allie's pic, here's mine in case it's of any help to anyone. inside yoke

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, & yes. My twill seems pretty lightweight and has stretch. I think I'd like to try this one again in a denim or heavier twill with no stretch. I would recommend though that you don't bother with the BWOF fussy instructions for the yoke, they seem to make it more difficult than it is.

Conclusion: It's gonna get lots of wear !

Airing the Laundry, or.............I wear what I Sew

I LOVE doing laundry in the summer ! 1st, the machine does all the work anyway, all I have to do is hang it up and wait. Yesterday, my usual laundry day, was not good for the line so I crossed my fingers and waited til today. It's a perfect day for the clothesline, a full load dry every 1.5 hours or so.

And what does this have to do with sewing you might ask?

Well, look below and you will see that, without a doubt, I wear what I sew. This is what my line looks like right now. 5 pieces hanging all together that I've made so far and worn in the last week or so. You will recognize some of them. You won't recognize the polka dot skirt. That's my 3rd M3341 that I mentioned but never posted. Hmm, I never realized how different all my skirts are in length.

It's a large picture...I was going to crop it, but if you look waaaay down to the bottom left corner, you'll see my puffball, Skippy. He follows me just about everywhere, especially outside - one never knows when the human might throw the ball - LOL !



I'm working on BWOF 04-2009-101 today, it's tough though. My thermometer reads 26°C in the back - I wonder if I could plug my SM into the external outlet on the deck ? :-)

Probably (for sure) won't get it done today, but there will be 'some' progress.

Told ya it was blue LOL

I HAVE to learn to wait for DH for pics. He took these for me this morning before work.





I wore both the tee and the skirt to work today.
The wearability factor is awesome !
Very comfortable, I LOVE the wide yoke, and while I thought (am positive) the skirt is 100% cotton, I expected it to wrinkle but it didn't at all and I spent all day sitting at the computer today. I think this one's going to be a summer favorite.

It received quite a few comments/compliments today. There are a few ladies in the office who know I sew, so anything new gets ' did you make it ?'. One of them just found out today that I'd made the newsprint tee and was shocked. Where she thought I would've found anything RTW in that fabric is beyond me, but, it's flattering and kinda cool :-)

One question...tee tucked in or out (since I added a bit of length to it, it might be a tad too long to wear untucked).


Tomorrow, I'm done at 11:30 am and this weekend's plans include some progress on the next skirt - the black twill BWOF 04-2009-101. I thought I had it all traced out, but I guess I missed a couple pieces. Will trace the last 2 pieces tomorrow, cut them out and see how far I get before supper.

Weekend update

Wow - I made progress this weekend !

This was a long weekend and I really wanted to make the most of it. I had stalled on the BWOF tee and wanted it finished. The hope was that I would finish the tee, cut the pieces of the two BWOF skirts and start the blue twill one (BWOF 10-2008-103)

AND ?.................

The tee is done and the skirt is done as well - I have NEVER started and finished something in one weekend ! Yaaay me :-)


A quick update to the Storyboard - I deleted the 2nd t-shirt option




By the time I finished the last hem of the day, the light was gone for a good picture. I took a few myself so I could post this and will get DH to take some better ones with me wearing both pieces this week.

BWOF 08-2008-109 - Raglan Tee




Size - 34-42, I made a 42
Fabric - Lycra knit from fabric.com

Changes -
lowered the neck at center front by 1"
lengthened the body by 1-1/4".
1/2" forward shoulder adjustment
I didn't use the back zip - it IS a tee after all.
I checked out the reviews on Pattern Review and it seemed that there was trouble with the underarm binding and most 'did it their way'. Well, I don't have a 'my way' yet, so I muddled through the BWOF instructions. They seem to be fine although I'm not sure if I did them 'right'.




For the neckline binding, I used the Sarah Veblen tutorial that Ann sent me after my last tee had a wobbly neckline. Thanks Ann !





BWOF 10-2008-103B - Pleated Skirt (trust me, it's blue ! although I'd love to find the shade of green that is showing up on my monitor)



Size - 36-44, I 'cut' a 44 (see changes below)
Fabric - Cotton Twill remnant from my local Fabricville. I must remember when I buy remnants to make sure I've got thread and zippers for them. This was all cut out and ready to go Saturday night. When I started Sunday morning, I realized none of my thread or zippers matched. Had to wait til noon for the stores to open.

Changes -
I traced View A, the longer version and forgot to add the hem allowance before I cut it out. So, I made View B, hemmed, it's a bit above my knees.
My understanding of the instructions was to sew the back and front waistbands together, sew one of the side seams of the skirt then attach the full waistband to the skirt. In order to be able to take in or let out the seams, I sewed each waistband to its skirt piece then sewed a full side seam. And a good thing it was too...by the time I took it in enough to fit, I ended up a size smaller - 42 ! :-)
Dawn made this skirt twice now and her original post referenced Fashion-incubator's Centered Zipper Tutorial. I didn't have the suggested invisible zipper so I bought a regular zip and used this for the installation instead. The facings are not even (they were before I turned it all right side out, don't know what went wrong) but this is the CLEANEST zipper I've ever put in - I'll use this method again and again, I'm sure.




A close up of the front and back pleats. Ignore all the little dots you can see along side the pleats. I used crayola washable markers for my markings so the skirt needs to be washed now, before I can wear it.


That was my weekend. Hope you all had a good one :-)

Mini wardrobe progress

I wanted to show a completed item today, but it was not to be.

Last week was crazy at work - idiotic crazy, and that's never a good thing. I don't manage other people's stupid very well. So much so that I booked off Friday on a whim. It was my first quiet day since January and I needed the break. Paid off too, I was alot better going back this morning.

The plan to spend most of the weekend in the sewing room didn't work out though. I want to say the weekend was busy, but it really wasn't, it just got away from me.

Here's where I am now:

The blue twill for the BWOF 10-2008-103 skirt is prewashed and ready to cut.

The patterns for both BWOF skirts (10-2008-103 & 04-2009-101) are traced out. I've been bringing my BWOFs to work and tracing a piece or two at lunch. I keep a roll of swedish tracing paper at my desk...doesn't everyone ?? LOL !

The grey tee is still at the basted stage. Yesterday, I undid the shoulder seams to press the raglan sleeves ready for the arm facing ? binding ?

Honestly...I've been procrastinating. I have to serge the tee in a light color. The serger is set up with black thread. I've been seriously considering putting the tee aside and working on the black pieces in order to avoid threading and rethreading the serger. Pitiful ? You bet !

We have already established that I'm stubborn. I WANT to finish the tee. Last night I sat down, pulled the black thread from the monster and rethreaded with a nice light color thread.....wait for it.....


WITHOUT THE INSTRUCTIONS !!!!!!!!!!!!


The book wasn't even in reaching distance. I did a happy dance LOL !

DH just called to say he's going to be home a bit late. I'm heading down to the sewing room to tackle the tee.