Pivot and Slide with Side Pocket

I use the pivot and slide method to make pattern adjustments.  When making pants with a side pocket, as 99% of my pants are, I usually ignored the pocket and adjusted only the hip yoke.  I read about a method for handling side pockets in Fitting Finesse (Zieman, 1995).  I missed it because it was hidden in the chapter on skirts.  This method used waxed paper and a tracing wheel to trace three layers of waxed paper at one time.  I couldn't use this method since I don't use waxed paper.  The marks made by the tracing wheel on my tracing paper were barely visible.  But, I realized I needed to adjust all three pieces (pants front, side hip yoke and pocket lining) and I modified the method to suit me.  The important part of this method is what I call "The Master Pattern".

1. Trace pants front master pattern.  Layer hip yoke and pocket lining pattern pieces into position, matching notches and dots.  Trace lines for hip yoke and pocket lining pieces onto the master pattern.  For easy identification of pieces, use a different color for each piece.
 

2.  Make adjustments to hip yoke.  Lay tracing paper over master pattern and trace hip yoke piece and side and waist seams (red).  Mark adjustment point measured distance from side seam.  Pivot to increase and trace new lines.  Be sure to trace side seam and waist line differences (red colored-in sections).

3. Make adjustments to pocket piece.  Lay tracing paper over master pattern again and trace pocket piece and side and waist seams (green).  Mark adjustment point measured distance for side seam.  Pivot to increase and trace all new lines.  Be sure to trace opening edge and waist line differences.

4. Increases appear on front, hip yoke and pocket lining.  Adjustments are made to the center front, center back and side back as usual.

So far, I've only tried this method on paper.  I'm eager to make my next pair of pants so I can try it out.

Zippers – The New Old Way

I needed a 22" navy blue invisible zipper, so I went to my local JoAnn Crafts and Fabrics. There was no 22" navy blue invisible zipper, not even a 16" navy blue invisible zipper, so I bought a regular zipper.  Yes, I could have purchased another color because only the zipper pull would be seen, but I'm too obsessive for that.    I hadn't inserted a conventional centered zipper in ages.  When I did, I basted the center back seam, pinned the zipper over the basted seam and sewed it in from the right side.   The pins sometimes prevented the zipper from being sewn smoothly, so I thought this was a good time to try something different.  I found this method in The Sewing Book  (Smith, 2009).    It uses more hand basting than I'm used to, but I have learned to "embrace the baste."

I realized I've become too dependent on invisible zippers and  I decided to work on installing conventional zippers.  I was never completely satisfied when I inserted centered zippers the "old" old way.  Even using this "new" old way, the zipper teeth show a little more than I'd like. But then I'm used to invisible zippers where the teeth don't show at all.   There is a slightly different method in The Illustrated Guide to Garment Construction (2011) that still involves basting the zipper tape to the seam allowance.  Installing zippers better is a worthwhile goal for me.  It gives me an excuse to buy Bernina's zipper foot #14, which has a guide to insure straight top stitching when inserting the zipper.  Both The Sewing Book and Garment Construction were originally published in the UK.  Maybe this is the way zippers are done over there.  This method takes a little longer, but I'm willing to sacrifice speed for a neatly inserted zipper.  I'm sure the time will come again when I can't find the invisible zipper I need at JoAnn Crafts and Fabrics.

"Hack!"

Hack:  1. Someone in the film industry, usually a director, who works on projects solely for financial reasons, rather than creative reasons.   2.  a person who is a professional at doing some sort of service, but does crappy work.

edited from Urban Dictionary

I'm in danger of becoming a "sewing hack".   I'm churning out countless garments without stretching my skills or creativity.  It's time for a change.  Currently, I'm working on another pair of fly front pants.  Only this time, I'm using new-to-me techniques from Making Trousers for Men and Women (Coffin, 2009) and from Easy Guide to Sewing Pants (McIntyre, 1998). 

The first challenge was a modification on the hip yoke pocket.   I based my technique on that described in Easy Guide to Sewing Pants and I extended the pattern piece all the way to the cut edge on the fly extension. 

I've done this before and I'll use this modification again, but with a shorter extension. If I'm using self-fabric, the extension doesn't need to be as long as the zipper opening.  That just adds more of the bulk I'm trying to remove.  Another option would be to use the method described in Making Trousers for the front pockets.  The front pockets are made of lining fabric and faced with self fabric only where the facing/lining would be visible. This would also remove bulk.

Next, I wanted to reduce bulk at the waistband.  Coffin recommends petersham ribbon rather than self-fabric to face the waistband.  Real petersham ribbon (not grosgrain ribbon) wasn't easy to find in the local brick and mortar stores.  I found two online sources:  Judith M and Vogue Fabrics Online Store. 

The petersham makes a great waistband facing.  It's firm and provides a good deal of support.  I was so eager to sew, I didn't remember to shape the petersham at the ironing board first.  This resulted in a little wonkiness on the outside, but it's a negligible wonkiness. I like this technique too, but I need to work on it a little more.

I intend to up my game and try new techniques to avoid becoming a hack.   Maybe my mojo occasionally leaves me because it's bored.  Instead of blindly following the instructions, I need to look at every project and decide the best way to construct the garment.  A funny thing – when researching online for information on the new methods, I found references to books already on my bookshelf!  I had all the information I needed to avoid hackiness (hacknicity?), but I wasn't using it.  Sewing is a journey and I've been on the same road much too long.   I can continue to use familiar  methods over and over or I can challenge myself and actually learn something! 

Burda 7671

I don't sew a lot of knits.  I always seem to get wavy seams and hems even though I use a serger and reduce the presser foot pressure.   So, I avoid knits like the plague.  But, I found a discontinued pattern I really liked for $2.00, a knit fabric I really liked, and I had an occasion coming up for which the pattern was appropriate.  So, I sewed a knit.

Burda 7671 – Dress

Pattern Description:
Long sleeved or sleeveless wrap dress that is gathered along the shoulder and down the sleeve.

Pattern Sizing:
US 18 - 30
European 44 - 56


Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were easy to follow.  I had to read some sections more than once, but that was probably because of my state of mind at the time.  I was so worried about working with a knit I didn't give my full attention to the instructions.  There were no unusual techniques involved.

The gathers on the sleeve and shoulder had to be a specific length.  When gathering the shoulders and sleeve, I cut a piece of stay tape to the finished length + 1 inch or so to make "handles" on the ends.  I pinned one end of the stay tape to the beginning of the gathers and the other end to the end of the gathers.  Then I adjusted them to fit the stay tape and pinned the gathers to the tape before sewing.  The stay tape is very thin and doesn't add bulk to the seam.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I needed a dress for a specific occasion and this pattern was perfect.  Now that the dress is made and I've had it on, I realize I can only wear it if it is chilly in central NY state at the end of the month.

Fabric Used:
I used a cotton/poly jersey knit.  This knit was easier to handle than other knits I sewn.  I didn't get the waviness that discouraged me from sewing knits in the past.  Maybe it was a better quality knit than I'm used to sewing.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
This was an easy dress to make. The style is classic.  I would most certainly sew it again and recommend it.

Conclusion:
I learned I have to be gentle with knits.  Knits are like toddlers – they don't always stay where you put them.  But, if handled gently, they are less frustrating.  This pattern has been discontinued and I'm glad I bought when I did.  Now that I'm determined to make more knit garments, I'll probably be using this pattern again.


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Sometimes, I feel guilty about leaving the cats alone while I'm shut up in the sewing room. This is what happens when I weaken and let them in:

Tangi oversees construction.

Soleil waits to get in the way of layout and cutting.

About Welts

I was critical of my last project because it was an all too familiar no-brainer. BWOF 09-06-137 presented the other end of the spectrum - a brand new technique I'd never done before - single welt pockets. I felt confident because I'd been successful with double welts using the technique from Pants for Real People, (Palmer & Alto, 2007). According to my convoluted mathematical logic, by definition, single welt pockets were twice as easy as double welt pockets. One-half the number of welts - multiply by the inverse - twice as easy! See? So I should have been able to knock out a single welt pocket in no time. Replacing BWOF's famously vague directions with clear and illustrated directions from Palmer and Alto would only make the task easier. However, I decided to practice a welt or two, just to be on the safe side.

The flaws in my logic became evident very quickly and my initial confidence was replaced with frustration. After two practice attempts, I kept getting the same bad results and I thought, "Forget the mathematical logic! Single welts are more of a PITA than double welts, not less." The end of the welt didn't slip into the opening to form a neat corner. I got more and more aggravated so I took a break. Eureka! The solution finally occurred to me in a flash. The end of the welt wouldn't slip into the opening because I sewed the opening closed. (Duh!) In the midst of my false confidence, I didn't pay close attention to the written directions and depended on the diagrams, which I misinterpreted. Rather than sew completely around the box, I was supposed to sew only one of the long parallel lines to attach the welt. Somehow the illustration gave me the impression I was supposed to sew all the way around the box. As a result of this epiphany, the ends of the welt slid easily into place and yielded the neat looking single welt I expected. When I reread the instructions more carefully, I realized my interpretation was completely wrong and the instructions never said sew the shorter ends of the box. That was an assumption on my part and like most assumptions, it was wrong.

Single welt pockets are no different than double welt pockets. Making one welt takes just as much patience and practice as making two. I spent an entire evening practicing these pockets and about the same amount of time putting them in the pants, but it was time well spent. I'm so glad I didn't get carried away by my confidence and attempt the pockets without first practicing the technique. That would have been a disaster.