Just a quick post...

I haven't posted in awhile but I have been sewing so I thought I'd stop in real quick & post an update.

 My Pendrell muslin is going great! It may even turn out to be wearable. :)  I'm using a super slippery fabric & that has been the biggest challenge. I should have pictures this weekend or early next week.

Ah, the Crepe. I've done the facings & am at a stand still. I think I'm going to, sigh, declare this one a wadder. Simply because of the fabric. It really is too sheer. I'll never wear it. Even with a slip, probably. And in all honesty, I just don't have the heart to pour my blood, sweat, & tears (alright, that may be a bit dramatic) into something that I know from the outset won't work out. I still intend to sew the Crepe (and soon- this would be a great spring dress!) but only after I've found THE fabric. Oh, and I think I'm going to tackle the sloping shoulder adjustment. I'm working up the courage to slice that sleeve off & re-attach it.

So that's that. Consider yourself caught up.

Altering for My Uneven & Sloping Shoulders....

One fitting challenge that I didn't even attempt to conquer with the Crepe was my uneven, sloping shoulders. Since the sleeves are designed as cut on, the alterations require that you cut the sleeve off & move it. This scared me. This still scares me. But I'm warming up to the idea in anticipation of sewing the Sencha.

The Pendrell is much less intimidating. After reading FFRP (again & again), consulting my body graph, and making the following notes, I feel prepared.

Harts Fabric: A Review

I ordered the fabric for my Pendrell (which I realize, you guys have yet to see) from Hart's Fabric. Their system is set up to buy fabric by the yard, so I e-mailed to see if it would be possible to order 2.5 yards instead of 3. They responded very quickly. I was more than welcome to order any quantity I'd prefer, but I wouldn't be able to return it. I was ok with that, so I ordered the fabric & the Sencha blouse pattern (to save on shipping, of course).

My order arrived a few days later & included an "I 'heart' Hart's Fabric.com" which I thought was cute. I'm a sucker for free gifts.

Hart's Fabric has a HUGE selection, including Home Decor, laminated cotton, table cloth & toweling fabric, patterns, and thread.  They will even match your thread to you fabric for you. I think that is just above & beyond fantastic! Swatches are only offered for their Home Decor fabric, but their fabric return policy is very straight forward.

All in all, I highly recommend them. I can't wait to order from them again.

Pendrell Progress!!

I've partially sewn my tissue for the Pendrell (using Soil Separator, which I've found to be a fantastic substitute for Swedish Tracing Paper). I don't have the sleeve ruffles on, but I love the design of this blouse! And it's very straight forward to so. So far I am loving Princess seams.

Here's less than stellar pictures, but they'll do....

Progress at last!!

I am excited to say that not only am I caught up on the Crepe, but I've actually sewn ahead a bit!! I stitched the darts & attached the front & back bodice at the side seam. :)

It was actually another project that brought my sewing motivation back. I'll post about that in a day or two. 

The only bad news about the Crepe is that because of the fabric,  I really don't know if it will be wearable. It is so, so sheer. It might work with a slip underneath. Either way, I plan on giving my all to the construction process both as a learning experience & also so I can donate it if it isn't going to work for me.

As for the Pendrell...I am very excited to get started! I received my yardage from Hart's Fabric (a black silk/cotton blend) & yesterday I got the pattern all traced out. In the next day or so, I intend to tissue fit & possibly sew up a muslin. I'm anticipating an FBA & also a sloping shoulder adjustment. I may also have to grade it up in the waist. We shall see.

Ramblings....

I'm really losing steam with the Crepe. I haven't even basted all the pieces of the fashion fabric & underlining together.

It isn't the design. Far from it. It's a fabulously versatile pattern with great instructions. It must be the fabric. Must be. It's very plain. And sheer. Very, very sheer. And fragile. It's just plain uninspiring. I'm determined to finish the dress, though. Even if I don't wear it.

Also not helping the Crepe are some fabulous projects I have in the que. For example, The Pendrell. Which, after HOURS of pondering & fabric shopping, I decided to go with a nice, solid black Silk/Cotton blend. I would have loved to do something with more of a 'wow' factor, but in the end, a nice black blouse is just so very versatile. And the ruffled version that I'm planning on doing will be great with a pair of jeans & heals or a high-waisted pencil skirt. And the fact that it is a silk/cotton blend combines the best of both worlds. The comfort & ease of cotton with the dressy look & feel of silk. Win, win. I'm certain it will fill a few holes in my wardrobe.


I'm also scouting out fabric options for the Sencha, which I ordered along with my Pendrell yardage (to save on shipping, of course).

Oh, also, I wanted to mention that I've been scouring the net for new places to buy fabric & I'm updating my "Fabric Shops" list on my sidebar, so if you're in need of some retail therapy, take a look!

Yet Another Sewing Investment...

I've been toying with investing in a rotary cutter & mat since....well, since I realized how horrible I am at using scissors. Really, it shouldn't have bee a surprise; sometimes cutting paper proves to be challenging.

Joann had all their cutting goodies for 40% off this weekend, so I went ahead & took the plunge. I bought the 23x70" mat (which is actually 2 mats that you join together), an ergonomic 45 mm Olfa cutter & 5 extra blades. Between this purchase & my recent sewing machine, I've invested a pretty penny on my sewing in recent weeks. I'm trying to view it as just that, though, an investment.

I used my new cutter & mat to cut out my skirt underlining for the Crepe & I loved it! Not only was the actual cutting part faster, but I didn't have to spend a lot of time pinning, I just put soup cans on the pattern to hold it in place.  My cut edges were nice & smooth instead of the usual jagged.

Definitely a worthwhile buy, if you ask me. So, how about you? Do you use scissors or a rotary cutter? What's your preference?

Pendrell Sew Along

Sewaholic is hosting a sew-along for her very own design the Pendrell blouse starting January 10th. And I think I'm going to join.