Cindy Taylor Oates

Updated to add that I did finally finish those pants! I love them. One pair is sage green and one is navy, both weaver's cloth. I am glad the ladies on PR mentioned weaver's cloth because I had been missing kettle cloth, a fabric I loved in the 1970s.

Cindy Taylor Oates - I have a couple of her books, and I keep meaning to make a dress, an apron, and a skirt. Today I Googled and saw her blog. Very pretty and very inspiring! Now, to get all my present projects done and move on to a few more. I think a whole day of cutting out would be the thing to do again in a few weeks. Then the back will recuperate while I sit and sew! Almost done with the sage green Lutterloh pants - they will be plenty roomy. Working on the Lutterloh blouse for Kate, then to sew the Lutterloh top I have had cut out seemingly for years, but it's only months!

Lutterloh Blouse

Daughter has picked this NOT beginner pattern for her first shirt project, and we have a lovely print silk crepe for it. THINK BIG! Well, so far so good, layout and cutting went well, although I must say Sandra Betzina's fabric book wasn't much help because she doesn't describe the FEEL of various silks she lists, so we weren't sure about our silk crepe. On to sewing - darts went well, as did the shoulder seams. As with any Lutterloh, no instructions, so I had to figure out the facing for the front opening, that's done. Now I am working on the collar. Here is the lucky break. This very pattern is the one used in the Collar Class I am taking from Lutterloh NZ for the standing collar. This is a great help. I am in the midst of making the collar. Kate sewed the other things, and I am doing the collar. This is a good opportunity for her to learn garment construction sequence. I particularly love the sleeve style - there are two tucks in the top of each sleeve and they are so pretty when done - I did them in the muslin. There will be follow up on this project!

Kwik Sew skirt done!

The Kwik Sew skirt 2954 is done. My daughter's first garment and she did a terrific job. The natural linen was such a joy to sew on, though a bit slippery. Thank goodness for the Viking Sewing machine feet! Several edge stitching feet came into play. We used the regular edge stitching foot and the newer plastic wide guide foot with the red markings as well. That foot allows for some nice wide stitching with a guide. And you can use several lines for several lines of stitching. The ties went on very oddly though. They go on and then you must pick out some of the seam and cut a chuck out of the tie on the inside! I think I can manage a better way to attach those when she sews the next skirt. Already there are two lengths of fabric waiting!
I did purchase the plus version of the skirt only to find out that is is NOT the plus version. It is plus, and it is A version, but the pattern differs in a couple ways. 1. The Plus version has a waistband, not a faced waist. AND it is cut differently with a difference in pattern pieces as well. I may or may not make it up, but I might get to it some day. In the meantime, we are drafting Lutterloh patterns for a blouse for my daughter to sew, and a couple of pair of pants for me(yes, the ones I keep talking about). AND, I have signed up for Lutterloh NZ's classes on Collars and Zips, so I have to get busy with that. The plan is to make muslins of necklines with collars and learn a couple ZIP inserts I haven't bothered to learn over the years. It's a good challenge. In fact in the blouse pattern(2005 #16)we've selected, there is a band collar and a cuff setup on the sleeve that will require me to review cuff making. And the blouse is going to be silk. Quite a selection for a second project...silk, cuffs, facings, band collar and a button or three along with the holes for them.

Sewing lessons and Planning...

Planning, that's what I've been up to! My daughter wants to learn to sew garments, and she has picked KWIK SEW 2954, the wrap skirt. A nice neutral toned linen is the fabric she chose, and we've begun the process. I'm not such a good teacher, but I am trying to teach a combination of the way the books say to do things, and the way I do things. It's easier to learn it the "proper" way, and then go out on a limb later. For the seam finishing, I am serging that for her. Serger learning comes later on after the sewing machine gets mastered.Meanwhile, I do have the Lutterloh top from Supplement 271, #60 of 2008, ready to go - all cut out and sitting there waiting for me. :) Last week I went out to the art supply store and got a piece of 1/2" foam core about 48x60" to use for drafting Lutterloh's. My cardboard Superboard is fine, but I think the pins will better stick into the foam core. It isn't so easy to find the 1/2" (they had only the one type) but I think it will be worth the $18.00 investment. It is amazing the materials at the art supply store though. They had several types of the thinner foam core, and those may have done the trick as well, but I wanted to make sure I had a good pinning surface. The XL pants are in the works before the top, and all I have to do is wash the fabric, get it laid out and cut out, and then sew it! Yes, that's ALL...