Bye bye to the original phantom foot pedal

Well I have donated the Phantom Foot Pedal machine to a lovely schoolgirl who is starting to make her own clothes. I'm worried that it's a bit of a poisoned chalice due to the machine's - ahem - idiosyncracies. But she's been fully warned.
It's great to see people taking up sewing (she says in the slightly patronising way of an expert who's been sewing for ooh a year).  I used to sew when I was a hideously square teenager and then I didn't sew for about 20 years. I work as an Occupational Therapist and that has led me to understand the importance of the process of creating as much as the finished product. I'm not artistic but I can follow instructions, and the joy of sewing is that you get to wear the product at the end.
I hope the recipient of the machine goes on to sew for years to come and to share the joys with her friends and family.
and I hope she doesn't curse me when the machine takes off with its crazy mind of its own...

Doing some groundwork

I've had fitting issues with most of the stuff I've made so I've decided to do some groundwork before I plug the sewing machine back in.

My excellent local library furnished me with this book:

Fast Fit: Easy Pattern Alterations for Every Figure by Sandra Betzina. It might look a bit dated but this book is a bible for fitting issues and how to adjust patterns. I've started doing my measurements... Just need to rope the hubby in for the hard-to-reach bits. This is such a good book that I may well invest in a copy. I can't recommend libraries enough. There are so many sewing books out there that it's easy to purchase a dud. Libraries may not have every sewing book but mine certainly has a good selection, particularly of reference books for techniques. 

I so picked up this one:

Which is a bit groovier and has all sorts of quick projects. Some of which look a bit bonkers.

New shoes and thinking about the avant grade

I haven't done any sewing this week. Too busy at work, plus the students have moved back in next door and have been partying till half 6, which is when I get up for work. Bless 'em.

So I've been very tired. So tired. 

Anyhow, we dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday and drove down to Rushdensimplicity to a factory sale of Grenson shoes. I've never owned proper handmade shoes and these were all 40 and 50 quid instead of about 200. 

This got me thinking about my wardrobe and I decided I need to branch out from the big pattern companies and try something more adventurous than an endless series of shift dresses. (I think this may be part of my turning 40 crisis. Which has coincided with a Fleetwood Mac reunion. This could all get a bit Stevie Nicks....). So I have ordered a copy of Drape Drape 2, a Japanese sewing book that I've been reading about on the blogosphere. Apparently some of the patterns are fairly mindblowing, but there are some knit patterns that look wearable. There are 3 books in the series, but I thought I'd start with this one and see how I got on. 

I've persuaded a friend to come to Barry's fabric store in Birmingham in a couple of weeks, which gives me time to work out what patterns to make and how much fabric I need! I can't wait to get started. 

I've also been envying Dolly Clackett's new Anna dress/ Charlotte skirt mash-up.... Maybe next time....

More thoughts on Simplicity 1913

So, I finished my dress just in time for the wedding do. I mean literally, grabbed it out of the sewing machine and then out the door.

The problem was... Bulges and Bags. I had bulgy bits below the waistline and saggy bits at the back. I blame this partly on the pattern's marrying of a princess-seamed bodice with a pencil skirt that is gathered at the waistline. Why? Why would you put a fitted top with a gathered pencil skirt? Darts, yes. Even a gathered full skirt. Anyway, the combo was weird and unflattering, so ten minutes before I was due to leave, I unpicked a couple of bits of waistline and eyeballed some darts. They don't marry up with the princess seams but fortunately the lace is quite forgiving.

I had problems with the whole fit of the dress. The pattern was a freebie that came in what it said was US sizes 12 to something, EUR 38 to something. The smallest measurements married up quite well with mine, but I ended up taking loads out of the side seams and the centre back seam. I really don't know anything about fitting but I thought a fairly structured dress like this wouldn't have too much ease. I think in future I probably need to make a sway back adjustment and something around the upper back and chest as I always end up with a baggy lower back, excess fabric at the top back and a gaping neckline. Maybe I need to cut a smaller bodice size, with a full bust adjustment? Hell, I don't know.

My next project is going to be something loose to lounge around the house in so hopefully the fitting issues won't be too much of a problem.

Still, the dress was a success... A friend asked me if it was Phase Eight.

Almost done

I bloody love my new sewing machine. I've been sewing this pattern ready for an evening wedding do tomorrow:

It's Simplicity 1913, which was free with Sew Easy magazine recently. I'm not mad on the buttons and stuff but I wanted to do something with Princess Seams. Well, after a couple of evenings of hand stitching, it's almost done. Just a hook and eye to sew on at the top of the zip.

Here's a sneak preview: 

Full reveal and details of my numerous adjustments to follow. And have I mentioned I bloody love my new sewing machine?

Time for an upgrade?

I received a rather unexpected cheque in the post at the weekend and, as a result, I am contemplating upgrading The Phantom Foot Pedal machine for one that actually works. (Shhhh... Don't tell her!). The PFP was a generous gift from a friend when she was gifted a better machine. She did warn me that it would randomly start sewing without you touching the foot pedal but I've kind of got used to that little quirk. It certainly makes sewing more exciting. Like driving an F1 race with no control over your speed. She's been a great machine for starting me off in sewing but now I think it's time to move on and move up.

I've been scouring the Internet for recommendations but I think I am going to visit my local independent sewing store for advice. They even do. Free "getting to know your machine" class when you buy from them. Which I think I'm going to need. Exciting times! I'm off work today with a stinking cold, which is giving me time to think about the purchase and all the fancy things I might sew. I've also ordered some fat quarters from Frumble Fabrics for an as yet unknown project. This is why it's important that I work full time if I do t I end up buying stuff...

Meet the twins

Here are two I made earlier. In fact the first two dresses I finished - ooh about a year ago now.

These are McCall's 2401 - an Easy shift dress pattern with six variations. I made view E, with a boat neck and elbow length sleeves.
The material is Ponte Roma - I can't remember where I bought it from now, but it was less than £5 a metre, and each dress took less than 2 metres. I still have some left over, maybe enough for a top or a pencil skirt.
As the material had some stretch, I left out the centre back zip and cut the back as a single piece. I didn't make a very good job of the front darts on the red version - they aren't sharp enough and have ended up more like pin tucks. And my hem is a bit goofy because I trimmed the hem allowance too much and just did a narrow, machine stitched hem.
What I love about these dresses is that I can chuck them on and immediately look smart without making any effort (low maintenance, me?). And they are soooo comfy - basically a big sweatshirt. Just today my son's schoolteacher asked me where the dress I was wearing at parents' evening was from - yay, I made it!
I would definitely recommend this pattern for beginners, and a Ponte is great because you can do away with the zip. My main issue was with the facings, which tend to have a life of their own. I ended up top stitching close to the seam to try to get them to lie flat.

Shorts disaster

Bloody hell. I finished my shorts and they're shit. Look:

Side view isn't too bad...










But from the front they look ridiculous. I think my hem goes up too much at the sides, the material is a bit too stiff for the baggy, pleated cut. And my spindly, knobbly-kneed legs look stoopid.

I'm getting to the point now that if I have another sewing fail I'm seriously going to have consider sticking the Phantom Foot Pedal machine in the skip and burning my Burdas.
But... I have a plan...