rostitchery

3 ways to improve your sewing TODAY

(this post was origially published on my temporary blog at blogspot on tuesday, 7 april, 2009.  i'm migrating those posts to this blog for those who might have missed them.)

i know what you're thinking: is that tim gunn? why yes, it is. tim gunn, and me. but i'll get to that later. for now, let's talk about you and how to improve your sewing TODAY.

1--iron more than you sew.

supposedly "nobody" likes to iron. well i do, i LOVE to iron. it satisfies the one standard american craving i will publicly admit to: instant gratification. it transforms a crumpled piece of fabric into a smooth field of fiber, right before my very eyes. order out of chaos. and it works on your sewing too.

just iron every seam--EVERY SEAM--before you cross it with another. that's it. i guarantee this one tip will elevate your sewing at least three levels, instantly, or your money back. :)

i use a sussman industrial iron, which has a gravity feed water tank and makes steam on demand--this iron is so heavy that i don't have to press on the project at all, i can just lay the iron down and the weight does the rest. most likely you are using a domestic iron, which doesn't get as hot and is made of plastic to keep it lightweight. consider going to your nearest thrift store and picking up the oldest metal iron you can find. it will be heavier, it will get hotter, and if you keep it full of water it will weigh almost as much as mine does.

2--use your accessories.

did you ever wonder what this is for?

or this?

how about these?

those are just some of the things that make it possible for me to make a dress in an afternoon. these are presser feet for my sewing machine, they make sure everything is accurate, neat, and consistent. the accessories that came with your machine--or that are available to purchase--may be different from the ones i have, but all of them serve the same purpose: to help you do your best work.

now don't fall into the thinking of someone who recently asked me, "is this just cheating? is relying on a foot (he was asking about a flat fell foot) just a lazy way and i should do it properly?". my response is this: if it is cheating, then brooks brothers is cheating all the live-long day. how do you think those factories turn out shirts by the hundreds and all of them so well made? they certainly aren't stopping to fold each seam by hand. use whatever accessories you have or can get, that's what they're for! BUT, make sure to follow point #3:

3--make a test sample first.

anytime you come across a technique you don't know how to do or a tool you don't know how to use, STOP, and make a test sample first. do it as many times as it takes for you to become confident that you can do it well. i know it seems like a time suck, but think about it: the last time you just plunged ahead without first learning how to do something, you had to go back and take it apart and fix it--and maybe go back to the fabric or craft store to get more supplies because you had just enough and no more--and how much time did all THAT take? (how do i know you did that? because i've done it too--but i don't do it anymore--i make test samples).

there are other things you can do to improve your sewing, but these are all things you can do TODAY.

this is just one example of a dress i've made in an afternoon, using the above advice to make it turn out beautifully. this dress has been blessed by the aforementioned tim gunn as "adorable", and "exceptionally well made". i'm glad i took my own advice. :D

now it's your turn. what would you add to this list?

revelation: stash reduction is a myth, PLUS a giveaway

after posting my humpty dumpty dishcloth, i started choosing my next dishcloth project, getting all excited about how much yarn i was using up--i'd made five or six dishcloths up to that point in april--and then i realized:  that yarn was all still here.  i hadn't reduced my stash at all, i had just relocated it to another part of the house--from yarn bin to kitchen.

what a blow to my self-esteem.

it turns out pretty much the same thing has been happening with my fabric:  find a piece of fabric that i can't even remember what i bought it for--hey, that's just enough for a new skirt.  find a piece left over from some quilting project from at least 12 years ago--wow, this is perfect for new seat cushions.  on and on it goes--the stash pile goes down, but nothing leaves the house.

i'm trying to be philosophical about this--trying to let this motivate me instead of discourage me.  after all, my intentions have been honorable, it's just the methodology that has been flawed.

so this week i am going to do the unthinkable:  i'm going to get rid of fabric.  i'm going to go thru the three huge bags of personal fabric stash that i brought home last summer when i left the blair school of music and get rid of at least 75% of it.  i bet i could just dump all three bags at the door of a thrift store and never even miss any of it.

but i'll reserve one small pile.  this fabric will be for one of you.

these napkins came from a bunch of fabric that i had been hording since before we moved into this house!  it was all upstairs in a bag, just doing nothing.  now it is a nice little stash of napkins for christmas, valentine's day, halloween, and thanksgiving.  the leftover cuts are big enough to use for something like a wall quilt or a toy or a gift bag, but i'm not going to do that.  i've already made something with this fabric.  instead i'll give them to one of my readers.  leave me a comment telling me what you do to reduce your stash--or relocate it--or whatever you do to to relieve your stashing guilt--and next monday, 4 may, i'll announce a winner.  i'll also let you know how i manage to get rid of those bags of fabric.  wish me luck!

sunday shout outs: stuff for the kids

this little portable cardboard art studio is just the thing for my little artist on the go!  this project is an older post from maya*made, a blog i used to read all the time but lost when i changed computers.  (i know, that is lame.)  anyway, maya*made is such a pretty blog that you should set aside some time just to browse around it.

filth wizardry is full of great ideas for projects to do with the kids, the one that is currently on my list is the cardboard pizza--this will be perfect for helping ella with her fractions!

 

and don't miss this a new-to-me blog, koala brains, where i found instructions for something ella has been asking to make for at least two years:  a max and ruby earthworm cake!  this would make a wonderful companion for my own max and ruby dolls.  i can see a whole max and ruby day in my near future....

do you know of a site that deserves a shout out?  post the link in the comments and i will make sure to include it in a future sunday shout out!

 

creativity: certainties

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. "

-- Erich Fromm, social psychologist, psychoanalyst, and humanistic philosopher

pleated hem sleeve

a couple of weeks ago i saw a cute blouse in walmart of all places and fell in love with the overlapping pleat on the sleeve.  i couldn't wait to try it at home. it is so simple that even a beginner can do this.

 

using your best-fitting sleeve, trace around the pattern on the seamlines--do not include seam allowances.  do your pattern work on your tracing.

if you are using a long-sleeve pattern, cut the tracing so it has a 1" underarm length (or the length that is most flattering for you). 

 

slash the pattern vertically from the center of the hem to but not thru the sleeve cap--do not worry if the line doesn't go directly to the shoulder point. 

lay your slashed pattern on another sheet of paper, then using the top of the slash line as the pivot point, spread the sleeve apart at the hem--basically you are opening a pie wedge.   the amount to spread depends on how big a pleat you want--the bigger the pleat, the more you spread.  i pivoted 1.75" each side of center. 

tape the pattern in place so you don't lose the pie wedge you just opened, then draw a new hemline--it will be curved because pivoting the sides makes the ends wing up. 

also smooth out the sleeve cap.

 

add seam allowances and a generous hem allowance--deeper hems are give more body to the bottom of the sleeve.  on this blouse i used a 1" hem, in fact i use 1" hems on almost all my short sleeves.  TIP--try using a smaller seam allowance on the sleeve cap--i use 1/4"--but if you do this, make sure to adjust the armscye seam allowances to match.  the narrow seam allowance makes it much easier to match the seam lines on the opposing curves of the sleeve cap and armscye.

i recommend you fold the pleat into place before setting in the sleeve--it is easier to work with when it is flat.  baste it in place so you don't lose the pretty folds, and even go ahead and press up the hem.  then when you have the sleeve set into the armscye you don't have to worry about getting the pleat folded properly.

see--wasn't that easy?  please give it a try, and feel free to come back and brag about your sleeve in the comments, especially if you have a link to a picture of it to share!

yardage conversion chart

if you've ever been shopping for fabric and have chosen something that isn't the width your pattern called for, never fear!  you just have to know how much more or less you need to buy to accomodate all your pattern pieces.  this is not an exact science, but there are guidelines and formulas, which are totally useless for those of us who are math-disinclined.  it's handy to carry a chart around, just in case.

click to enlarge, feel free to print!

sunday shout outs, one day late

sew retro is a group i keep thinking i'll join, except that i know i'd let them down by not posting enough.  :D  the members of this group produce some terrific projects and creations, and if you are obssessed with vintage and retro patterns, this is the group for you.

 

ikat bag is a new-to-me blog that i will be visiting often.  the foam and felt cake is spectacular!

i've been buying patterns from emailed vintage patterns ever since i found her on ebay a few years ago.  she offers instant PDF downloads of retro/vintage patterns and craft books, and for every two patterns/books you buy, you get your choice of a third FREE!  the files are excellent, and all are within the public domain but are so rare that her efforts in preservation are a unique and valuable service.

do you know of a site that deserves a shout out?  post the link in the comments and i will make sure to include it in a future sunday shout out!

creativity: a learning process

"creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual."

--arthur koestler, novelist

threaded commenting, and open mic friday

 

today i'm starting a new feature:  open mic comments.  basically, this is your turn to post on rostitchery!  the comments section is all yours:  ask a question, reply to each other, post links, offer suggestions--you know--conversate. 

open mic friday will take place on the last oops! third friday of every month (if it becomes popular enough, i'll open up more fridays).  to make it even easier i've installed a new comment tool called typepad connect that lets us reply directly to each another's comments and displays them in threaded format!  typepad connect is a beta comment management program, so there are possibly still some bugs, but let's give it a work out and see what happens.

playground rules apply:

1. be nice:  no profanity, and no name calling.

2. no porn, unless it is of the fabric or yarn variety.

that's it!  please invite your friends over, there's room for everybody.  y'all have the floor until 8am monday morning, and i'm really looking forward to talking with you!

humpty dumpty dishcloth

it is quite possible, based on my own casual observations, that i am the last person in north america to knit a ballband dishcloth.  i actually avoided knitting one for a long, long time--i can't even tell you why--i just refused to follow the herd (no offense to herd followers intended).  and then, last week, as i finished a ball of peaches and creme cotton yarn, the band came apart and there in all its rich tradition and glory were the instructions for a ballband dishcloth.  and i guess it was the combination of sleep deprivation and the presentation of the thing in it's place, but for some reason i was overcome and so i started a ballband dishcloth that very day.

since one of my life goals this year is to reduce my worldly possessions by 50%, i pulled out two balls of yarn from my stash that were chosen for the obvious reason that they were right next to each other in the bin.  and in no time i had finished the first two courses of what looked like bricks and mortar.

when i showed it to ella, she said it looked like humpty dumpty should climb up on it.  and that is how the humpty dumpty dishcloth was born.

i am totally smitten with this pattern and will be making more.  i wish i hadn't resisted so long.

there are variations of this pattern all over the net, but if you want to kick it old school, go to the source:  peaches and creme ballband dishcloth pattern.  or, if you want to kick it even older school, go even closer to the source:  go get a ball of peaches and creme cotton yarn (i get mine at wal-mart, i hope the wal-marts close to you still have a craft section) and open the ball band.  you'll feel so radical and pioneerish.  ok, maybe that was just me, but you won't know if you will unless you try it.

*the book is volume 1, "nursery favorites old and new" of the bookshelf for boys and girls (the blue series).  my parents bought this collection for us kids when i was little, and over the so-far 40+ years i have read every volume cover to cover more than once.  this collection is what i consider required reading for any well-educated child.  but enough about me.  :)

typepad to the rescue, or, you CAN go home again

when i announced a few weeks ago that i would be moving my blog to another service, i posted a little note here about how much i have loved blogging with typepad, and i made sure to let them know personally how sad i was to leave.

and something wonderful happened:  typepad arranged a means for me to stay.

i was actually torn about this--on the one hand i was thrilled that they valued me as a client, and on the other hand i worried that my readers would think i was flakey and unreliable or "weird".

but in the end, i decided i would stay.  if people think i'm flaky or weird, well, i can live with that.  i want to send out a huge thank you to typepad, esp. to jen who contacted me to make the offer.  if you are thinking about starting a blog, or have one that you would like to move, i strongly recommend you consider typepad--you will not be disappointed.  (and no, that was not a paid advertisement--that should be considered a love note).

so, dear readers, i'm back home!  everything is more or less where i left it (with the exception of a couple of lists that i think i misplaced when i put up the new theme), and i am ready to get on with business.

one thing i want to do more of is share the other creative things i'm learning to do.  like cooking and baking--i've never been good at either of them, but i'm learning, and the one thing i'm coming to know is that the old tried-and-true are the ones my family loves the best.  so today, i made a coffee cake, from scratch--that is if bisquick can be called a scratch ingredient.  i'm claiming it is, since apparently cream of something soup is also considered a scratch ingredient for all sorts of recipes.

i found this coffee cake recipe at least 20 years ago, in an old cookbook that i checked out of the public library.  there is nothing special here, except that it is light, and just a little sweet, and when you take it out of the oven it smells like somebody went to a little effort.

cake:
2 cups bisquick
2/3 cup water or milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar

topping:
1/3 cup bisquick
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

directions:
1:  preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2:  grease a deep pie plate, 8"x8" square pan, or 9"x9" square pan.
3:  mix cake ingredients and put in baking dish.
4:  mix topping ingredients with a fork or pastry mixer until crumbly.
5:  sprinkle topping mix over dough and bake for 25 minutes.

and hey, how about the photo?  i'm learning to take better pictures, with the help of a fun new camera that rudi gave me, and a fabulous website i found that i can now make real use of, digital photography school.  tasty baking and pretty pictures--i feel so accomplished!