Mint Green Jeans Jacket

Finished the Mint Green Jeans Jacket! 

The color is SEW fresh - perfect for spring! This is a mint green cut out floral fabric with pearl beads with a border purchased at Supreme Fabrics, Chicago, IL. 

My first thought was to showcase the floral border along the collar, waistband and cuffs.The flowers were beaded and begged to be shown.  

After experimenting with the border and facings, I decided to sandwich the interfacing between the lining fabric for the Front Facing, collar, waistband, and cuffs. This would allow the interfacing to be hidden and not show through the cut out or the interior of the jacket.

Before sewing any beaded fabric, the beads need to be removed. Soon there were beads flying everywhere, rolling across the table and across the room. There was no easy way to corral the little beads; even the vacuum missed several. 

My favorite pattern weights and KAI scissors!

To keep the flowers along the edge of the curved collar, the flowers and leaves needed to be released and then retacked before sewing the collar layers together. This is quite easy using a close matching thread color and a zigzag stitch on top of the embroidery.

Yes, those are my pattern weights! 

Girl can't have too many of these!

 

After stitching the collar with 3/8" seam allowances, the seams need to be pressed open to allow the stitched edge to be pressed along the stitched seam. This gives the collar a sharp crease. To do this, be sure to use a point presser. Lucky me, I have several to choose from!

 
The construction was easy, a simple jeans jacket pattern, Butterick 5402 by Connie Crawford, using industrial sewing techniques. 

As with any jeans jacket pattern, this pattern features princess seams (easy alterations!), back yoke, belted waistband, dropped shoulders, long sleeves pleated pleated into a shirt-style cuff, and front patch pockets with flaps. 

SEW now that the jacket is construction is finished, the hunt is on to find the perfect closures. Any suggestions?!? 

Mint Jean Jacket

Spring Jean Jacket

 

 This is such beautiful fabric, big flowers with beaded centers and beads scattered throughout the leaves and stems. Supreme Fabric's, located in Chicago, has some very unique fabrics and laces perfect for this Jean Jacket by Fashion Patterns by Coni. 

 
The border edge was a challenge - to cut along the border or not. The straight edge of the Jean Jacket Waistlband and the Sleeve Cuffs begged to be cut along the border. The Border WON! 

The Collar too wanted in on the border edge yet the Collar's curve meant to cut and release the flowers to allow the fabric to curve.

 SEW - the flowers will be tacked 

during the construction.

Another challenge was the BEADS.

 

 

Lots of beads were flying everywhere yet they had to be removed before any stitching.

Other areas of concern was the facings & interfacing; and to line or not to line; and what about buttons or snaps! 

SEW - what do you think - buttons or snaps?

Stay tuned for construction . . .

Valentine Gift - Vintage Sad Irons

It's not everyday that a girl gets something this nice for Valentines! AbSEW lutely love these for pattern weights! Picked up at a flea market somewhere sans the handles. SEW hubby fashioned and made the handles from scratch for me! What a sweetheart!

Ivy's Crushed Panne Dress

Ivy finished her dress and was SEW excited she couldn't wait to have her picture taken outside and wore it to church that evening. Knowing Ivy, she probably wore it to bed and is probably still wearing it! She albSEWlutely loves the crushed panne.

Ivy chose crushed panne over velvet for her first time sewing a knit. She found out just how difficult a stretchy knit fabric with a nap can be for someone with her experience. Panne Velvet is shiny and glossy; with some stretch and is a knit fabric. Regular crushed velvet has a more subtle sheen; usually doesn't stretch and is a woven fabric. Regular velvet is also made of higher quality fibers such as acetate, rayon, silk or a blend while panne is usually made of less expensive polyester.

Cutting Panne Velvet can be difficult because of the stretch and the nap. However Ivy first pinned the fabric to paper and used Kai Scissors 10" Professional Serrated Scissors to cut her fabric. It was much easier than using regular cutting scissors.

Her dress is empire waist with a cowl drape at the neck. Ivy wanted a 3/4 length sleeve with a flounce so she learned how to make the flounce and how easy it was to sew on the lower sleeve edge using a narrow .25" seam. She also learned how to insert an invisible zipper in the center back seam quick and easy using methods from Easy Zippers DVD.

Ivy also made her dress using NO PINS or BASTING! A remarkable feat for such a young seamstress! Congratulations, Ivy, your dress it beautiful! I am sure that you will enjoy your Daddy Daughter Date!

First Sewing Projects Completed

One by one the young 4-Hers are finishing up there very first sewing projects' Talk about excitement! One little one, Josie, wanted her picture taken immediately outside by the barn. Um - we will have to wait until warmer weather arrives because your coat will be covering your pretty little dress!

 SEW we improvised using a palm tree.

Josie was SEW proud of her new dress that she danced around for more than an hour. prancing and modeling it for anyone who just happened to pass by. This is Josie's very first sewing project; she picked out her own fabrics and trims making a simple peasant style dress with two pattern pieces. Josie added a fun gingham trim with elastic inserted to draw up the neck edge and tied a pink satin bow around the waist for shaping. If Josie is anything like her sisters, she will wear this dress for several years and later use it as a nightshirt. Great job, Josie!

And just as we were ready to leave, Ava's fun personality had her dancing around the room wearing her first sewing project: pull on pants! She was SEW excited that she wanted to wear her new flannel pants home to show her whole family. Ava was also looking forward to using the rest of the fabric to make herself a matching pillow case and pajama bag. She will be ready for camping and sleep overs by tossing everything in her new matching bag.

Claire also finished up her new pajama pants made in a cotton fabric. She was very careful to keep the elephants that were printed on her fabric all standing on their feet and not on their backs. Great job! Claire is making a couple of matching bags that will hold her personal items when she needs to take them on road trips. The bags will keep her well organized. Well done, Claire!

These girls are only part of a larger group of young seamstress all who are working on different projects, each one challenging. The best part of helping them is that they WANT to learn and can't wait to start up their next project. SEW rewarding!

SEW do you remember what your very first sewing project was?

Cutting Slippery Fabrics

SEW - what are you working on?

As you can see by the pile here, I have been busy weeding through a stack of mending. Now that it is finished, let's move on to some fun things.

And now about that slippery fabric . . . 

 
Cutting slippery fabrics or any fabrics with a nap can be a challenge for most. Not only does the fabric change shape it seems to take on a life of its own! 

It starts creeping toward the table edge, it begins to grow taking on a whole new shape, and it even tries to creep silently out of the room! 

Seriously there must be a better way!

There is! 

If you follow along and try what this young 4-H gal learned a few weeks ago, you will be cutting miles of silk fabric strips. You will find that linings hold true to their shape, and bias edges do NOT grow as you cut and nap fabrics will not creep out of the room!

The trick to cutting any slippery fabric or any fabric with a nap is to pin the selvedge edge of the fabric to the selvedge edge of the paper. 

What type of paper? Any newsprint paper (let 'dry' one week), printed or roll end newsprint paper, Kraft paper, paper bags, etc.


Next pin the pattern pieces to the fabric/paper. 

If the fabric has a nap you have a choice before pinning the fabric selvedge to the paper selvedge. When cutting fabric folded onto itself, lay a piece of paper in between the fabric layers or cut the fabric single layer. Laying a piece of fabric between the fabric layers prevents the fabric from creeping under the table.

Now you are ready to cut your fabric.

Get out your BEST fabric cutting scissors and CUT through all layers. 

Yes, I did say BEST scissors. 

Hopefully you are not cutting with an old pair of scissors that have not been sharpened in years or a multipurpose craft pair of scissors. 

Please - you owe it to yourself to get the BEST pair of scissors on the market. I have had the same pair of scissors for over 30 years and they still cut just as clean as the day I bought them! I now own at least a dozen of the same brand, all in different sizes. 

There is one pair that is PERFECT for cutting any slippery fabrics or fabrics with a nap - the KAI 10" Serrated Edge Shears. I have cut miles of silk bias trim using these scissors without any hand/wrist/elbow fatigue. And for those that know me, cutting can be a struggle with my wrist & elbow problems. These are truly my favorite pair of scissors! I only wish they were as long as my favorite pair of professional KAI 12" scissors. 

SEW - start cutting right through the paper and fabric. Yes, cut through all layers. 

Go ahead, what are you waiting for? 

Pardon me? 

I can hear you mumbling or perhaps thinking - "NOT with my fabric scissors! The paper will dull my scissors!"

Sigh, while the paper might dull the scissors a little, the quality of the scissors makes a huge difference and your pattern will not grow in size or shape when the fabric is pinned to paper. 

This is the only way fabric is cut in pattern making workrooms and all the designers' workrooms. In fact, if someone were to cut fabric without using paper in the industry, they do not keep their job long.

As you can see here, this young designer loves to get on 'top' of her work as she cuts. Remind you of anyone you know?

SEW - what are you waiting for? Treat yourself today and get yourself a pair of serrated scissors for cutting slippery fabrics and fabrics with nap. You will be SEW glad you did!

SEW tell me, what are you working on?

 

Rag Rug

Upcycled "Tails"

My group of 4-H children learning to sew love to save the selvedge strips and left over scraps to make long "tails". Somehow this morphed into a ball which we quickly named, Paige's Tail, for one of our favorite sewing buddies, Paige. 
Paige loves to tie one long piece to her belt loop and walk around with it dragging behind her. 

Slowly the ball grew. Each week new tails were tied on to the last tail end. 

And it grew. 

And grew. 

 (Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures before leaving, SEW these were taken in the car.)

And finally everyone's projects were cut out. Now the decision of how to present the ball to Paige. Some suggested to wrap the ball and give it to Paige. Others wanted to make something. 

I suggested we crochet a rag rug for Paige's Play House. The little Play House built by her father and uncles which Paige and her nine siblings fill with lots of laughter.

Due to time restrictions the task to crochet a rag rug was bestowed to me as the children were not yet ready to crochet. 

SEW with a borrowed crochet hook - a giant one - and on my eight hour trip to visit my little grandsons - I thought maybe I could have it done before the end of the trip.

Much to my amazement, just one short hour after departing, and after crocheting round after round, the little rag rug was suddenly done! Huh? I still had seven hours to fill! 


And now the kids can start saving new tails to make a new ball SEW they can all learn to crochet! Meanwhile we will present Paige with her new rag rug for her Play House.