SewBaby News

   I got to wondering if I could tone down the neon pink in the dress from my last post if I dipped it in a black dye bath, so I gave it a try last night.  I knew that my fabric was synthetic, and probably wouldn't take a lot of dye, but if it had a hint of nylon in it, it would absorb something.  Here's what it looked like in the bath:  I used a standard RIT dye with vinegar and hot water.  Most of the dye washed out, and what I was left with was slightly more purple and less neon than the original.  It also changed the black and white houndstooth to black and grey.  My daughter saw it this morning, and absolutely loved it, so she's wearing it to work today.  It's hard to capture the neon-ness of the pink in the photos, but this is what it was before: I've used dye a few times now to make a garment more to my liking, and it's really fun.  It does take some time, as you've got to stir, stir, stir, and then rinse, rinse, ...

Some pattern companies identify their patterns by numbers, some give them names- often a female first name.  But Ottobre gives each design a a name that often describes the item, or the situation it will be worn in.   This design was called "An Ordinary Day".  This dress is anything but ordinary!  I would have called it "A Very Crazy Day".  Just what you need to wear when everything around you is chaotic.  Here's the line drawing from the issue- this is the Fall/Winter 2015 Ottobre Woman- available here .  In looking at this again, I didn't get it quite right!  My front center panel goes all of the way.  Darn it! Let's start from the beginning- the tracing.   This is basically the same design as another dress in this issue- #1- Twig.  I made Twig when I first got this issue here, and wanted to test the fit of it before I delved into the pieced version.  But while tracing Twig, I also traced the lines for the Ordi...

It's official.  I'm a Connie Crawford convert!  Have you tried sewing with any of Connie Crawford's pattern s from Butterick? They are advertised as modern, ready to wear sizing.  I had tried one many, many years ago, and it was not a success for me, so I didn't buy any more until I saw this one, Butterick 6187.   I'm so happy that I gave it another try, as this one fit so well! If you are new to sewing, you may be very surprised by the sizing of patterns by the major pattern companies.  They don't usually correspond to ready to wear sizing.  So, if you usually buy a size 12, you would most likely need to make two or even thee sizes larger in a pattern. As someone who has taught sewing to beginners, I can tell you that this is really a huge hurdle for people to get over.   I tell people to not worry about it, that it is just a number, but I know that for so many people, this is not easy. Even though I've personally come to terms with ...

 I've had my fall issue of Ottobre Woman in hand for a little over a week, and have just gotten my feet wet with the first two designs, so I had to share them with you!  The first is design 1, the Twig Jersey Dress.   I had this very interesting fabric that I bought last year- it is a knit with an ombre tie dye design that goes from selvage to selvage.  It has the most beautiful texture, like a crinkled gauze but not thin at all- in fact it is a double knit.  I shortened the sleeves, and added 4 inches to the hem, as their original version would be 33-1/2" long, and I knew that would be obscenely short on me.  The fit in the neck and shoulders was perfect, as usual, but I did find the sleeves to be a little snug.  On my next version, I'll add a little extra there.  Here's a close-up of the neckline: I left out the pockets on this one, because the fabric really is pretty thick, and I didn't really want to break up t...

It's mid-August and that means it's time for a new issue of Ottobre Woman pattern magazine!   I can hardly wait.  Our SewBaby shipment has been shipped from Finland, and it is due in on 8/17, so it won't be long!  As usual the photos from the issue have me salivating like a cat awaiting a dish of cream.   Here's a peek of what is inside this issue.  This is probably my favorite.  I love the curved piecing and the pocket openings are darling.  I'm thinking about what fabrics I could use for this one: This one is adorable too.  I already know what colors I'm going to do mine in - a deep teal, a light aqua and a cream.   Doesn't that sound delicious?  These two look like the same dress with different sleeves and neckline options.  Just a very nice basic dress that can show off some pretty fabric easily. These are some nice active wear/ leisure wear patterns: And for those who like more fitted o...

Do you spend a lot of time in your pajamas?   I have to admit that I do spend way more time in them than I should.   I usually put them on a couple of hours before bed, and then not change into something else until I've been up a couple of hours, so we're looking at about 12 hours a day!  But, my sleepwear is definitely the most neglected part of my wardrobe. And based on what I see others sewing on their blogs, it may be the most neglected part of everyone's wardrobes, as I rarely see anyone posting pajamas! A few years ago, I did have a very posh set of coordinating polished cotton pajamas and a robe.  I paid big bucks for it, but wore it until the fabric had holes and the print had completely faded.  So, with that in mind, I set out to recreate something similar.  The first step was the robe.  Since I wanted this to be summer weight, I needed a pattern that was designed for woven fabric- a knit or fleece robe would be too hot.  ...