Finished: BSM 03/2011 #139 & #140

I've always been of fan of wearing knits, but I've never been a fan of sewing them.  I don't like the way some knits refuse to be still and lay flat for pinning and cutting.   Currently, I'm working on clothes to wear for PR Weekend.  Since we are not staying in a conventional hotel, access to irons and ironing boards will be limited – a perfect reason for packing knits.  So, this outfit served two purposes:  having travel-friendly clothes for PR Weekend and getting over my knit-phobia.

Top:  Burda Style Magazine 03/2011 #139
Over the past several months, I've noticed the plus size collections in Burda Style Magazine have moved away from "a collection of coordinating pieces" toward "variations on a theme".  (I can't speak for regular size patterns.)  As Big 4 patterns have done for decades, BSM now shows design details that can be mixed and matched on a basic design to make up a number of garments.  I took advantage of this feature to make my top.  I used the neckband and sleeve pockets on  #139 and the body of #137.
By the way, I'm not entirely happy that BSM is getting more like the Big 4.

Pants:  Burda Style Magazine 03/2011 #140
I used to complain loudly and often about the lack of diagrams in BSM instructions.  Sometimes careful study of the technical drawings helped, but in this case, the drawings for #140 were misleading.  The  cargo pocket has a pleat in the front and on the bottom.  The back of the pocket has no pleat and is edgestitched directly to the pants.  This is not what is shown in the technical drawing. I knew this by looking at the pattern piece, which doesn't have an allowance for a pleat on the back.  I got a bit confused trying to reconcile the technical drawing with the sewing instructions.

I have another knit top in the queue.  If the knit is too wiggly and disobedient, I'll use Nancy K's suggestion and try cutting it in a single layer.  I'm tired of not sewing knits and I'm determined to learn to love them.

Good News to Share

We are lucky to have an excellent music teacher at Morton Elementary School in Philadelphia. Thanks to Mr. McVeigh, (and the Hamels Foundation) the Honors Chorus sang the National Anthem at the Phillies home opener earlier this month. 




It was a wonderful opportunity for the students, many of whom had never attended a live sporting event, much less performed at one!  The faculty and staff were very proud of and excited for our students.

Yes, reading and math test scores are important, but let's remember the music and art teachers who give students the opportunity to add something extra and beautiful to their lives.

T.G.I.F.

It's considerably less than a SWAP, but Thank God It's Finished!

To quote the renowned philosopher, Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

If You Fail to Plan ……

I've always been the kind of person who needs a plan.  Since the P in SWAP stands for Plan,  I believed I could finish a SWAP.  Several days ago, my SWAP felt more like a SWAMP and I didn't know how to move on.  I wasn't enjoying the project, but I still was compelled to finish it.  The problem was I had no direction – no plan. 

The SWAmP was the last item in my queue and I felt lost not knowing what I was going to do next. I felt obliged to finish the wardrobe because I didn't have another project lined up.  This problem was easily fixed.  I had fabrics on hand and an occasion to sew for (PR Weekend) but, I hadn't assigned the fabrics to any patterns yet.  So I spent a relaxing evening going through my pattern index and assigning patterns to fabrics.  I added four projects to my queue; enough to keep me busy for weeks.  Once I had goals and a direction, I was able to enjoy myself again.

In addition to formulating a plan,  I took the advice of some commenters from my previous post.  Charley gave me good advice.  She said,  "What if you sew it by outfit? Do one top/bottom/jacket then move to a different project and come back to the SWAP pieces and pick a skirt/top, etc." So, that is what I did.  I already sewed the two blouses.   I'd only have to finish the pants or skirt and I'd have a completed outfit.  Best of all, I wouldn't feel like a failure.  Once I decided on the pants, my mojo was freed and I got back on track.  Then Carolyn, in her much appreciated, no-nonsense way, said, "Sometimes it's okay to put the fabric back in the bin and wait for the next season. If you need permission, then I'm giving you permission. Move on and sew spring because your hobby should make you happy not tense and uptight! :)".     I happily put away the rest of the SWAP fabric and I'm ready begin the next projects in my newly revised queue!

Some People Just Shouldn't SWAP

I've always found SWAPs fascinating.  Imagine owning eight to ten coordinating pieces.  Wow!  I was inspired by SWAPs I'd seen on blogs, on Stitcher's Guild and on Pattern Review.  I dreamed of the day I would sew my own SWAP.  I found a group of suitable patterns.  I found fabrics that worked together.  I finally started the SWAP I'd dreamed about. Then I woke up.

Sewing a planned wardrobe has not been as much fun as I originally thought.  I feel like I'm bogged down and plodding through quicksand.  So much is working against me.

• I just don't have the temperament for a SWAP.  I prefer to work projects from beginning to end but I'll be bored to death if I stay with this SWAP.  I may have to put it aside in order to save my sanity.  I'm considering interspersing SWAP pieces among other projects.  Following this schedule, it might very well  be August by the time I finish my SWAP and that may make me crazier than if I stay with it until the end.  I do much better when I can make two pieces - a top and a bottom - and move on.  Two coordinating pieces is a SWAP in the broadest sense, isn't it?
• So far, my blouse fabrics have not been user-friendly.  The print fabric is very stable and the sleeve caps didn't ease well.  The solid color fabric ravels and frays like crazy.  I basted a pleat, then by the time I got back to it the fabric frayed beyond the line of basting and the pleat had disappeared.  The fabric was heavily treated when I bought it.  I had no way of knowing it would fray so badly until I got it home and washed it.  Things will get better (I hope) when I get to the skirt, jacket and pants, which will be made from a lightweight wool crepe.  This brings me to the next problem.
• Time has not been on my side.  Sewing wool crepe makes me think of Winter just when I'm finally seeing hints of Spring in southeastern Pennsylvania.  (It hasn't snowed in almost a month!)  After a miserable Winter,  I want to sew Spring fabrics.  I'm already looking ahead and planning pieces for PR Weekend in May.  Yet here I am, fussing with 5 yards of wool crepe.

Once again, I learned what I already knew:  SWAPs are not for me.  Maya Angelou has been credited with saying, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them."  I should have applied that advice to myself.  I showed myself to be a sewer who prefers sewing outfits, not wardrobes.  What made me believe I could sew an entire SWAP?

The Reason Why I Sew

I needed a simple long sleeved blouse as a part of my Mini Swap.  I looked through my BWOF index and even looked through McButterVogue catalogs.  Nothing was exactly what I wanted.  But wait!  I'm sewing this top, right?  I can do anything I want with it!   Isn't that the reason why I sew?  Doh!  Huge head slap!

BWOF 05-2006-130 had the bones I wanted:  long sleeves and no collar.  All I had to do was shorten it and move the front opening to the back.  The process for making a slit opening in the neckline was in Easy Guide to Sewing Tops and T-Shirts (Tilton, 1998) but since there was a slit opening already in the front of the top, I really didn't need to consult the book.  But, I read it anyway to bolster my confidence.

There is a real possibility this wardrobe won't be finished in time to wear this season.  This blouse is only the first piece in the wardrobe.  I still have another blouse, pants, a skirt and a jacket to sew.   The fabric for the skirt, pants and jacket is a light weight wool and would certainly qualify as a transition garment and that provides some motivation to keep working on this project.  I've always suspected I didn't have the patience to finish a SWAP.   Life has stolen a big chunk of my sewing time and I've almost lost interest in this project.   So, I'm changing the purpose of this wardrobe.  It has become a segue project until I can begin warm weather sewing. At the rate I'm sewing now, by the time I finish the four other pieces, it will be May!