2 down, 1 leaving me stressed

I finally found time to sew my assembly line tops.

These are the two I've finished. On the first one, I cut of part of the hem, and and replaced it with a band because I wanted to have a tie band top. I don't know if thats what they are called. Gosh I seriously need a camera. My phone really is not the best.

I know I did a good job with this one because my husband did a double take when he saw me in it, and asked me if I made it ( with total disbelief on his face when i said yes.)

For this one I added ruffles at the front. When I made this pattern last time, I mentioned I wanted one with ruffles similar to a Boden top. In the end, I decided to place my ruffles differently, because I did not have enough fabric.

Sun getting the better of me

Now, the last one is supposed to have Peter Pan collars, and that, dear friends, is the source of all my issues with my assembly tops. I actually drafted the pattern for the collar, which was easier than I thought. Attaching it to the blouse is proving quite difficult for me. I don't know what to do right now, and I have just given up on it ( for now). Sewing should be exciting, and I see it as way for me to relax, and when I started shouting at myself every time I did the collar badly, I knew it was time to stop. So I am going to tackle this collar when I get a burst of inspiration. Hopefully that should be before June!!

Has anyone done Peter Pan collars before? Any advice on how I could proceed with this? Come to think of it, I have never made anything with a collar before. This was going to be my first, and I was really excited about the fact that I drafted the collar myself. Oh well!!! 

My goliath

Sewing these tops assembly line style has taught me a couple of things. 

1. Do a lot of planning before you start production. I started out with the intention of sewing the same top with three different fabrics, but then changed my mind after I had already cut them. This resulted in delays. If I was actually in a clothing factory, I would have lost customers because I would not have delivered on time.
2. If you are going to do an assembly line project, you have to make sure the fabric can all be sewn with a common thread. There is nothing more annoying than having to change thread every time you want to sew something else. The purpose of the assembly line technique is to sew all the items simultaneously, and if you have to change thread all the time, you will end up wasting a lot of time, and the experience will not be enjoyable. I was lucky enough that I used black thread for all three of them when sewing the main bits, but I had to change thread when doing the bias binding for the all of them ( not amusing at all).  
3. Following Miss P's advise, I finished off the edges before sewing the pieces together. This was good because that meant I did not have to worry about that later, and it made sewing a lot easier for me. I use my machine to overlock my edges so changing presser feet every time I have to finish seams off is always a hassle. I did all the darts and back seams first, then attached front and back together and did the side seams. From this point I started sewing them individually because they all had different finishes. 

I would definitely try this again, but this time, with skirts. I do not have enough skirts, so this might work. 

The sun is out in full force today in London. I best go out and enjoy it.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

xoxo

Mad Men is ruining my life.

It's 11:30pm, and I am going to bed a very disappointed woman.
Today of all days, when I was inspired to sew, was the day my other half decided to watch Mad Men. Normally I sew in the living room, and he never bothers about the sweet music of my sewing machine. Today however, was Mad Men day.
I tried ignoring the steady increase of the tv volume. Firing away on my machine. The harder I pushed my foot pedal, the louder my machine squeaked, and of course, the louder the tv became. In the end, I gave up, turned off my machine, and resigned myself to another wasted night of no sewing. I started counting the seconds, realising with dread that every one took me closer to a June of limited outfits.
Sitting idle did help me though, because it gave me time to evaluate my assembly line tops. I decided to make each one different. They only have the same base obviously, but I want each one of them to have a unique feature. So, one will have a peter pan collar, one will have ruffles down the front, and the other one will have a band at the hem which will be tied.
I spent the rest of the evening figuring how to draft a peter pan collar, using my pattern drafting books, and ended up with this.

In Preparation of Pattern Making

I'm starttinig my first ever series on my blog, and its about pattern making. I shall at this point own up to the fact that I do not have any noteworthy pattern making skills, so bear with me if I get things wrong ( which I am sure I will do on many occasions.). The reason for starting this series is simple. I am getting tired of buying commercial patterns, that may or may not fit me, so I want to try my hand at making my own patterns.

Nothing too complicated for a start, but things which I may be able to use to make the patterns I have now more unique. If you have been reading my blog, you will know by now that I love to deviate from the pattern instructions, by adding little trims here and there. By starting this series, I will be able to document my foray into customising my commercial patterns with different necklines, or dart positions, or sleeves or collars. It won't be easy I know, but I think if I can sew, then I can do this as well. Plus there is alot of information on the blogoshpere for pattern making, so I know I will be okay. The road will be bumpy, but I will get there someday.

Last year I bought Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear by Winifred Aldrich, which can be bought from Amazon here. I found a bit complicated, probably because I did not have making knowledge. I still do, but it might work for someone else. So you can check it out if you want.

This year, I bought another book, Pattern Making for Fashion Design by Helen Armstrong found here at amazon.  This book is not cheap (£46.29), but I think if you are serious about learning something, you should invest in it. Buying these books work out cheaper than paying for a beginner course in pattern drafting, which will only teach me things I can figure out myself. So my strategy is to start studying on my own, and then when I feel the need to, sign up for an intermediate course which will teach me more advanced things. I also like learning by experimenting, so there.

There are also many resources online to learn pattern drafting you are interested. I have been reading the Fashion Incubator lately, and there is a wealth of information there. I will also be uploading more pattern drafting themed sites as I go along.

While reading about pattern drafting, the recurring theme was investing in good tools, some of which are quite pricey. Some of them you already own, like an awl, or good rullers, and cello-tape.

I'm not going to go over the most important tools to use as a beginner, because lets face it, I am just begining myself so I do not know my left earlobe from my right index finger, but you can find a good article over at Burdastyle on the important tools you need for drafting your own pattern.

I have started buying the essentials I think I will need now, and which I can afford at the moment. I found this really cool thing called the Shoben Fashion Curve.



Shoben Fashion Curve

Apparently it is the industry standard here in the UK, same as the Fairgate rulers are in the US. I really want the Fairgate rulers, but getting them was not cost effective for me, as I can't find any supplier here in the UK, and I am not willing to pay for postage that is the same price as the product itself. So another thing to jot down on my christmas wish list.


Fairgate designer kit

After watching Martin Shoben ( the creator of the Shoben Sashion Curve) demonstrate how to use the fashion curve, I quickly ordered it. Apparently it combines 12 pattern making tools into one. You can use it to draw straight lines, curves , find your bias and seam allocwances from 0.5 cm to 5cm i think. You can watch the video here . The ordering is old fashioned. You fill out the order form, with your details, and card details, and send.  Then they "review" your order, taking into consideration your location, before sending you an email with the charges for posting. Sweet non? They send the email quickly though. I got my email 5 minutes after sending the order form, so hopefully my parcel will be with me tomorrow.
Is anyone else learning how to draft their own patterns?

have a nice day

xoxo

Dibs