TnTee #sewcialists mini challenge

All cut out and ready to get sewn a month ago. I just finished the last one yesterday.

Things got busy!

 I make a lot of tshirts off the same pattern. I traced it off a t shirt that fit me, and have refined it from there.

And I cut out a batch of them on one evening.

Trying to grain up the fabric and get the biggest leftover piece for the collar (upper left corner of fabric here), meant I cut the sleeves on the fold (bottoms folded up equally) and let the leftover space between them determine their length (at bottom of photo). I had to piece the collar, which didn't really show.

Cutting down an XXL shirt for myself, here estimating where the logo will go. 

I am short, and I love logo shirts, so I do a lot of this.

Another tshirt, this one in black bamboo, same layout as first shirt.

This shirt was not touched. Yes, we date back to when Excel was Microplan. That's Mr I Worked On The Manual. He does have magic Excel powers.

I picked the sleeves off to make sure I could get all of their width. Yes, that was boring, but it was worth it. That's what I do on Saturday nights while watching Svengoolie horror classics; unpick seams. Think this one was The Wolfman.

Not that long, but I did add a little at the cuff for width later. It fits just fine.

Another t, adding stay tape to the back neck and shoulders to all of them one by one.

Those old serger spools come in handy for tape. I had to cut it in half lengthwise. It wouldn't iron to this poly, I don't know what it's issue was.

Use a thousand pins to add the collar

Sewing the tag on wrong

Tag sewn on right (used white stay tape for this shirt)

All I sew with is a sewing machine, reduced the pressure on the presser foot, use a zig zag stitch, and I test the stitches before I start every time. Sometimes I use a ballpoint needle, sometimes a stretch needle, sometimes I forget and use whatever is in the machine.

But I always test.

And I always prewash.

And I try very very hard to get the fabric ongrain first.

Enjoy!

The Pekka Jacket, versions 1 through 4

 I didn't like this jacket at first

And I'm kinda shocked I haven't written about it yet.

I started the first one in July. I was sewing this summer, I really was.

I worked on the first version, using a heavy rayon twill that frays when you think about it. I assumed it was going to be a problematic toile. I adjusted the length and cut down the pockets, but left the original seaming. Which took forEVER to finish. About ten hours of misery.

I finished the seams before I assembled parts because the edges were disintegrating as I handled them. I worked as flat on the table as I could manage.

this was a video that blogger isn't interested in loading today

And I hated it. And my sister didn't want it, so I hung it up in my dining room to stare at. 

And a few weeks later, I wore it to go back to work.

And it works; it's the perfect office jacket. And now it's a TNT.

version two

version three

version four, in wool

Endless seam finishing; hand sewing is not my strong game

Plus adding a neck saving piece (Fun fact: I'm allergic to most wools. Except for mohair)

Most of the construction of this jacket involves interior seam finishes. If you use a fabric that doesn't need much finishing (besides hemming the body, the sleeves and the interior of the pocket) (or let's say you bag a lining for it, which might be quicker), you could be done in an afternoon.

This took all of Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, Star Trek and two podcasts on Dune.

It's a oversized jacket with cut-on sleeves and a lot of seams, and it's a jacket that I made in fabrics that either ravel or are stiff enough that those seams need hand finishing. Either tacking seams open or wrapping them with bias tape.

https://blanchexblanche.com/en/shop/woman-patterns/jackets-coats-en-2/ready-to-sew-veste-pekka/

Obligatory hair touching pose

So much seam finishing

Version two, made of a quilted grey knit from District Fabric (back when they were still in Seattle) left off the vertical seam that encloses the pocket seam, and gained a armscye and an added sleeve so I can wear a winter coat over it.

The pocket is still deep, and will hold an army of cats and a to-go coffee 'mug'. 

The third version is from similar knit/quilted material that started pilling the moment I pulled the fabric out of the bag. By this point, I'm cavalier about seam finishing. And photos.

Version Four was planned to be the warm work layer, a stylish slanket. I bought double layer wool/rayon sweater fabric from Emma One Sock, and planned ahead to finish seams by trimming them out and basting them over.

It's easier to see the construction details in the wool.

 I had to trim the layers apart in the seam allowances to make the seams flatten out better.

And I bound all the seams with homemade rayon scrap pieced bias tape

This spool is perfect for this job.

I attached the pocket on the outside seam, folded it over, tacked it down, and then you add the back and sew on the collar

Photos that are overexposed are to show details. But you knew that.

The rayon edges shed little blue curls EVERYWHERE. Still cleaning them up.

The seam finishes were pretty much all done on the dining room table, to keep the weight out of my lap and off my wrists, and on Saturday nights watching Svengoolie monster movies on the big television.

Hand sewing is not my forte, and I am trying to improve my skills by stitching as often as I can.

Next time, I want David Sedaris' jacket

What a great riff on blue line kitchen embroidery!

New Necklines for 2020

I've got the TNT top pattern down. It's becoming my go to woven tshirt.

This was before I rounded the neck out, It fits nicely. Last summer's hair though....

Some have long sleeves and are made of Ankara wax

A few have no sleeves

There are many more, but you get the idea.

I enlarged the head hole and angled it to the front, so it would not be too wide but not ride up on the back of my neck. Getting some pudge back there and it doesn't like to be stressed

And now I want to play around some more with it.

photo from Pinterest, sorry for not getting source

photo from Harts Fabric website

from Sew Chic Facebook page

Everything I'm looking at has notches

Honestly can't remember where this photo comes from. Sorry.

Well, this one doesn't. It's got a front yoke with an opening you can really only see because of the buttons. Frankly, you wouldn't need a closure except for looks. And they could be uneven.

the white line indicates where the facing piece would end. Yes, there would be a lot of clipping and trimming, but just one facing cut separately

I mean, these are ideas. Next week I'll have a million more. Most will stink. Some will not. Those horizontal yoke seams don't have to be horizontal (but that does make them easier to piece. This pattern fits on 1.5 yds of novelty cotton with spare enough for a mask).  So I will be thinking about this, as I have some other PANTS to finish as soon as my SISTER comes over to try on the first pair to make sure the pattern still works for her.

(drums fingers on sewing table)

Meanwhile, I have zippers to replace and this yard project to sleep on

photo from http://www.samuiislandvillas.com/blog/thailands-stunning-spirit-houses/

Palm trees will not be a feature. 

Bride of Dignified Pullover: Collar Transplant

Somehow, something went wrong.

Yes, the back is super wider than the front.....

I made a toile from the edited pattern. The back is enormous

And fixing it is .....pointless

I've had this problem before; move one thing an inch, next thing over needs moving an inch. 

In the end, I was chasing the seams around the bodice.

In the middle of a long walk, it occurred to me that I need to transplant the new collar onto a shirt that already fits and stop chasing the errors
(we aren't even near working on the sleeves...yoinks). Then I can slash up the new pattern into sections for my knit pieces.

And I HAVE that shirt pattern already. 

https://erniekdesigns.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-sleeve-that-will-do-mostly.html

So all I have to do is trace off that pattern, and redraw the new collar opening onto it. 

I'm going to open it up a little, and lengthen the sleeves.  I was going to add some ease, but this is for knits and it will have plenty as is. I might put the bands back on it (scaled down a little)

I can open up the bodice and make it a little wider, toile that, and then decide where to divide the body into blocks for my ....collections of shirt images

And I'm going to reuse the sweatshirt fabric.

I still have about a yard left. There's enough between the toile and that yard to make this second version. For once I used a long stitch length

Just in case this happened.

HEY! Thanks Previous Me!

But then, this happened. Just hanging out at Pacific Fabrics, like ya do....

Alexander Henry Flying Machines 2016

HOW DID I MISS THIS???????

So I had to do this. I didn't leave any for you, and I've used it all up. The Cutie summer 2018 dress, updated with the 2019 Arm Expansion Pack (going to try to make the Lady Arms sound like an advancement, rather than an aging side effect). 

now with more arm

Still too chilly to wear without leggings and a sweater, but DAMN

So the pullover in progress went into a project box and we'll come back to it presently. I gots work this week. Mmmmmmoney!

Have a good week, folks.

Today's soundtrack: Morricone https://youtu.be/yRDDflQlvgc
and 
Herrmann https://youtu.be/ANn3qjr-0fg