I am sewing, darn it (pun intended)

Well, there's no darning to speak of.

There are pants

Ravens from Spoonflower on twill and crows for lining

Jeans. The fabric is too stiff for trousers with any pleating.

I am really good with the whole jeans making process until the end and then I get sloppy with the handstitching (and yes, the zipper ends got a tab to enclose them).

Also there was a sewing failure, where I secured the 1 1/2" elastic in the waistband with nonwoven material and of course it tore while I was wearing them at work. I had to safety pin my pants to my shirt so I would not become unpantsed.

Sorry, no good photos of that. Which is a shame because it was quite the epic moment.

Used the homemade plastic bodkin (yes, I staple it on. I can remove the staple)

And if you look very carefully, you can see the remnants of the fuzzy shreds of the nonwoven stuff I used as a elastic leader.

I am trying to not stitch the elastic through the waistband layers to secure it, but I end up doing that very thing at the end of the process because I just SCREW UP. I don't think it looks very finished, but I get impatient, I want to have the thing done now so I can wear them tomorrow (or some other ridiculous self inflicted deadline)....

I'm working on that.  I am also still altering jeans

The query this time was: could I take them in as extremely as before (almost four inches in the back) and not run the dart into the pocket to hide the end? I played with these a lot before I committed to my choices (two darts and taking in the back seam.

 In a single color fabric without distressing or bleaching, this would look fine. Because I am dealing with the different colors, the seams look really sad. I should just replace the yoke entirely. It would be the wrong color, but it would be better.

The next time I am going to make a virtue of those dips in the yoke and exaggerate them to look like the points in a western shirt yoke.  I am not done with my love of western shirts and making jeans, but maybe for the moment.

photo source https://sneum.com/the-anatomy-of-the-western-shirt/

Alphonse Elric Hoodie

 Yes, not a lot of sewing going on. I have a new position at work, and it's going okay but I am an overachiever and 'well' is not acceptable. I will get up to speed, but in the meantime I am not doing a whole lot besides laundry and sleeping. Maybe a little movie, maybe I went to a couple of things that are work related concerts or stuff I had tickets for long ago. 

Finishing a vest that has a problem this did not solve

Short lady needs shorter handles on Daiso bag

Jacket does not fit, jacket is broken, zipper is still perfect so harvesting it.

Emerald City Comic Con 2024 AND SewExpo were both missed, because I could not make that time out (until I could have...dang). But cosplaying houseguest was inspiring.

http://johannathemad.tumblr.com/post/83172920414/melissa-aggressively-playing-in-the-distance

So at this point, I am moving out of hoodie season, but I am becoming such a slow sewist, I might as well start now on it.

see previously

https://erniekdesigns.blogspot.com/2019/01/eccc-march-to-march-2019.html

I was going to buy two and use one to add to the other, but in a strange turn of events, all the grey hoodies in the world disappeared

nice collar view

good front shot

and of course

Spoonflower Delisting FAQ

 The choices are fairly random.

Took down Power Tool

Left up the joke tea towel of 2020

I can go on.

I hope I can still find the designs I love that might have been delisted.

Pleating Fabric (another link to Spitalfields Life)

I'm going to repeat myself, you need to read this blog

Spitalfields Life is a treat you give yourself

and sometimes there is sewing content, in this case

PLEATING

https://spitalfieldslife.com/2024/01/27/kyriacos-hadjikyriacou-pleater-i/

Go already!
 

ReNecking

 I have a fat neck. I don't have a problem with that, I'm turning 65.

I do have a problem with collars pinching me, so there's been some renecking.

For the Uniqlo sweater (the one with the squirrels), the turtle neck was a size small on an extra large knit sweater. A style choice I am sure, but I removed the original neck (it was knit on after the sweater was constructed) picked up stitches with some reasonably similar yarn and did a single knit roll edge. 

Not entirely perfect, but acceptable for the moment. It will get redone, with a proper count of stitches to be picked up.

The uniqlo turtle neck had same issues. I cut off the turtle just above the seam (to keep the neckline from stretching out a million miles, I want it to be a turtle, not a cowl)

Then I take that tall turtle piece and slice it up and sew it to be a longer shorter one.

I hope this makes sense

And then I took the bit I trimmed off the bottom and added it to the sleeves (after I cut off the ribbing cuffs - those pieces were too small to work with)

Pocket Zippers Need Tabs. They Just Do

 I've done this before, but let's see the new ones I made and didn't use!

This is one of the interior pocket zippers. They're the plastic toothed ones.

Interior pockets need tabs. For grabbing, for not snagging on your sweater, to keep the assembly from disassembling.  I like to put the novelty ribbons to work on this, but this ribbon is getting some use in other parts of the coat so let's use it like a grace note and repeat it just enough.

I do most of this by hand, because zippers are squirrely and like to scramble away from the presser foot.

There was a zipper pull emergency once, and someone had to give up their pull.

I have replacement ones now, I can make a quick one with Sugru (or a two part epoxy, or a big glob of hot glue) wrapped around a paperclip) when I finally use this one.

Gets a little machine sewing. It makes tinier stitches than I can.

Mark it to match the first one for length.

I am pointing to where I did not sew through the teeth. That does not work.

I cut out the teeth and glued the stub

and this shows you how the tape goes past the teeth on the wrapping tape

GLUE

Hello Twins (fraternal not identical)

Hand basting into the pocket opening

Ready for my closeup

Okay, there is puckering (at the top)

All this and - I switched the exterior fabric up and did't use them!