Sew Behave!

Window Seat Cushions Project

2011-09-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Made these two custom-sized window seat cushions from my client's beautiful upholstery fabric. I ordered the foam to their window seat dimensions, cut out and matched the repeating pattern in the fabric, and created and applied the piping. I put a full length zipper in the back that allows the covers to be easily removed for occasional cleaning.

Abbi's Shirt

2010-12-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

Made this shirt for school for my granddaughter. I drafted the pattern in her measurements based on a popular current style shown below. She and I had a fun day shopping together for fabric.

Window Seat Pillows

2010-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Just completed window seat pillows to go with the cushion I made for my neighbor, Donna. I ordered custom sized pillow forms after we figured out her needs. The pillows are 10" high. Two are 22" long; the big one is 42" long. We used almost every scrap of leftover fabric from the cushion and included a full length zipper in each pillow for ease of cleaning. My June 20 post shows the window with just the cushion and the June 19 post shows the mini planning sheet on this project.

Scout!

2010-08-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

My granddaughter is modeling Scout! This tank top was made-to-measure for her specific shape. I think she looks totally cute. I named the pattern after her. She is the queen of great naming; I'm hoping she'll think of a brilliant name for the next pattern we're going to make:

Scout!

2010-08-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

My latest from-scratch pattern making/sewing creation--Scout! I've put the steps in the pattern and design process into one triptych above. The first photo shows my first muslin. A muslin is a basic tool of pattern making from scratch. It is a trial cutting of the pattern into inexpensive fabric similar in weight and texture to the fabric intended for the finished garment. You can see my fitting notes and pattern changes marked directly on the muslin. I needed to raise the armscye 2 inches, widen the neck band to 3 inches and drop the top level of the bodice 1 inch.
The third photo shows my second muslin made after I made the changes on my pattern from the first fitting; the band is wider, the armscye higher. This muslin fit my client perfectly! Now it's time to make the final garment, seen in the middle photo.
Below is the mini version I drew out and corrected as I went along developing the pattern. It served as a beginning point for my design as well as a reference point in constructing and updating the actual pattern pieces.

Best Place For Dreaming

2010-07-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Made this window seat cushion for my friend and neighbor, Donna. It's 100" x 20" x 1 1/2" with a back zipper, wrapped foam and welting. It was great fun to make and an adventure to stuff. Donna's planning a trip to Spain in a few weeks!

The Planning Behind The Project

2010-07-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased with the look of my latest sewing creation, Donna's window seat cushion. After posting, I began thinking of the process of its creation and realized most of the problem solving on the project was worked out when I drew up a mini pattern of her cushion. Several design and construction issues showed themselves as I sketched out the pattern and I was able to solve them ahead of time with precise cutting, measuring, and planning. The pattern making skills I've been learning from Reyburn Brown are making the results of my work easier to accomplish yet more professional looking at the same time! Thanks, Reyburn!

My First "From Scratch" Skirt

2010-06-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is made entirely from a self-drafted pattern. I'm currently enrolled in French Pattern Drafting which is setting me free from guesswork altering of commercial patterns for customers who have special needs in getting clothing that fits. I must give much credit to my pattern drafting teacher, Reyburn Brown, for his instruction, encouragement, feedback and suggestions on my first from scratch pattern project! His classes and teaching style are amazing!

I made this skirt for my friend, Eileen, who has a beloved skirt of a similar design. It's a four-panel skirt with gores at the kick, front & back. The gores, yoke, and hem are top-stitched with twin needle stitching. The skirt has an applied waistband with side zip. Eileen chose a medium gray linen/rayon blend fabric that is light and a bit bouncy for her skirt.

To create a pattern, I first sketched out the design of the skirt, then made a mock-up of what the pattern would look like with all the proposed pieces.

From Eileen's measurements, I drew up first, a straight skirt pattern and muslin that would fit her; second, an A-Line skirt and muslin that would fit her; and, third, a modified A-Line skirt with drawn in gores that would show me the correct sizes for the pattern pieces. After making the third pattern version into a muslin and seeing it fit perfectly, I made the final skirt version you see above!

2010-05-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Custom Fit Skirts

and Blouses

Handmade skirts and blouses created to fit YOU!

Many styles to choose from or suggest your own.

$105-$125 (depends on complexity of design) plus materials

Like good cooking, good clothes take time.

They require around two-four weeks with two-four fittings.

A custom made garment will fit you perfectly because it will be made from your measurements and adjusted to fit your shape. The quality of my custom made garments are similar to skirts you can find at high quality stores like Talbot’s, Macys or Nordstrom but they fit YOU from the beginning.

Coat Lining Pattern Making

2010-02-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here's one of my latest projects: Relining a customer's wool coat handed down from her grandmother. The coat has a swingy, graceful, a-line design from the 1920s I'm guessing. I've unseamed half the lining pieces--the front, back, sleeve, and pocket--and traced them out to paper patterns. The other half of the pieces I left intact as reminders of how the lining goes back into the coat. I laid out the pattern pieces on my cutting table to figure out yardage requirements. Next week--shopping for lining and pocket fabric!

Bicycle Duvet Cover

2010-02-07T20:17:00.001-08:00

This project was great fun to make! It's a full size duvet cover for a little boy client who is bicycle crazy. It's made from a cotton blue bicycle print on front and plain red cotton/poly blend behind. We decided to use a button closure of seven buttons at mid-back.
I downloaded a machine embroidery pattern that matched the bicycle print very closely and put two colored bicycles between the buttons on the back. So cute!

Rosemary's Drum Bag

2009-11-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Had an amazing experience recently creating a customized drum bag for my friend, Rosemary. The bag is made from a felted wool blanket and lined with a keepsake mink stole my friend had. Below is Rosemary wearing her drum in the bag at a healer's training. She chose three animal designs, snakes, black panther, and tortoise, to have me embroider on the bag.

Sleeve Shortenings

2009-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

One of my latest projects--four of the eight sleeve shortenings I did for a client.

Evil Luke Skywalker

2009-10-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

My grandson, Sean, is Evil Luke Skywalker for Halloween this year. As part of his costume, he's wearing a cape I made for him. I found a long, black, princess-style dressy dress at a thrift shop for $3. I cut it to just below the waist for the body of the cape. The midriff part of the dress, from the waist to the lower armholes, became the hood. The waist ties of the dress came in handy to make a flap for a buttonhole; it closes with a single button at the neck. The cape is big but it will probably last him many years for other costumes. According to photos of Evil Luke Skywalker, the cape is supposed to be large to make Luke look mysterious or menacing.

Here he is wearing the cape at the zoo last week. My Father-in-Law is steadying him on the lion.

Ask Me If I Can Fix A Rainy Day

2009-10-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

After a frightening encounter with a pet rat, this Dora The Explorer doll was in need of serious hospitalization and surgery. Her upper right arm was almost completely chewed through and there were holes chewed in the back of her head and the back of the shirt.
I patched and stitched the holes in her head. Then I made a completely new shirt and re-stitched it to the good old parts. I created a new upper arm and reattached it to her body then added new stuffing to perk her up. Here's how she turned out:
And here she is waiting to go home again, complete with a bandage:

Down Comforter Recovered

2009-10-13T20:13:00.001-07:00

What do you do with a favorite duvet when the cover begins fraying? Recover it! I did this project for a client who has used this duvet each winter and finds it the perfect weight--not too hot or heavy; not too light or chilly. He had it recovered once in the past but it began fraying along the outside edges and leaking a lot of down. I stitched through the duvet all around at the edge as well as through the two cover layers. Then I turned the duvet inside and stitched the edges again, creating a border that should hold in the down. Then I marked and stitched the baffles lengthwise and crosswise.

Extra Large Beach Windscreen

2009-10-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

It may not look like much but this is a 24 foot x 4 foot beach windscreen made from ripstop nylon. You can see an example and get pattern directions for such a screen on Martha Stewart's website.

My client supplied the ripstop nylon and the plans. This was an adventure to cut and seam given it's extreme length and bulk. I had to invent marking, cutting and sewing techniques plus I needed to perform repeated checks to make sure I was turning hems and stitching the pole tubes all on the correct side of the fabric.

Custom Made Special Occasion Dress & Jacket

2009-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here's an example of custom pattern fitting, alteration, sewing. My client provided fabric for both the dress and jacket while I prepped the pattern and altered it to fit her. We needed to make alterations to accommodate her petite shoulders and back yet allow the dress to fit easily in the hips. Also, the sleeves in both the dress and jacket pattern were way too long. Nothing off the rack can match this kind of custom fitting in a garment.

Handwoven Souvenir Fabric Made Into Curtain

2009-09-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

A friend received this piece of hand-loomed fabric from Uganda as a gift from her daughter; she wanted to see and appreciate it everyday. She asked for a curtain for her kitchen window using as much of the fabric as possible. The material was fringed on both ends which worked out perfectly for the two halves of a tied back curtain. However, the halves were short the length of her window by two inches. I borrowed just enough fabric from the selvage edges to create a a rod pocket and add enough length. Next, I stitched complementary fabric tiebacks seaming in a piece of what would have been waste, fringed border trim.

New Palden Lhamo Framing

2009-09-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is my third thangka framing and my best so far. It's getting easier to see the project in my mind before I cut it out and it's also getting easier to keep all the pieces even and balanced. Gluing the seams and the piping ahead of stitching the way quilt binding is sometimes laid down is immensely helpful.

Thangka Fabric Framing Detail and Techniques

2009-09-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Details from thangka framing. Above, a light fabric glue holds piping in exact alignment before stitching.

Red piping and gold framing panels after stitching in place and pressed.

Favorite Sweater Is Refurbished

2009-08-11T21:56:00.001-07:00

A client's favorite, favorite alpaca sweater wore through the elbows. Such yummy colors; I can see why he loves it.
I rewove the yarn at the elbows then hand-stitched leather patches to both elbows for reinforcement. You can see the hand-stitching above.

Result--a renewed favorite sweater for less than half the cost of buying and wearing in a new one. I'll be happy to repair a sweater for you!

1st Machine Embroidery!

2009-07-10T22:15:00.001-07:00

I'm learning to do custom embroidery. It's not as hard as I thought! This is a photo of my machine stitching up a custom phrase for a meditation cushion.

Palden Lhamo Tangka Framing Finished

2009-06-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

Just completed this thangka fabric frame this afternoon. It was a more complex work due to the inset, gold mitered fabric combined with the blocked red silk plys the insertion of a rod at the bottom. My client wanted hanging ribbons which, surprisingly, took me two tries to get them to look pleasing to my eye. I experimented with several methods on the back, which is red cotton broadcloth, to help the silk dupioni lay down flat(ter) than it was wanting to do. On the third attempt, I came up with the idea to apply stiffener (interfacing) over the entire backing piece then stitch-in-the-ditch through the silk on all the seams. Finally, that worked! With the addition of the bottom dowel (my client has silver finials on order from Tibet!) the piece has turned out beautifully.

Penny Ironrite

2009-06-25T14:46:00.001-07:00

Found this image in the Ironrite manuals that came with the mangle I bought last week. Not at all sexist, mind you. Here's what one ironing machine enthusiast has to say about her:

Roll Over, Dr. Freud!
This effectively targets both the Men (who would have had to pay for the thing back then) and the Women (who forsee a bit of added leisure). It sure sells the thing better than calling it a "mangle."
Etymology of the Dreaded "M" Word
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a "Mangle" as a device that uses rollers for pressing or extracting water from clothes. It gives the origin of the word as Dutch, mangelstok.
I believe that current usage feeds on a myth that people could do serious damage to their hands if they were caught in the rolls. Every modern ironer that I have seen has a foolproof mechanical disengagement device. When I got my ironrite, it was set to balk at four layers of denim. I suspect that folks who were suspicious of the machines (or jealous of their owners...) preferred the old word "Mangle" rather than "Ironer."

On the other hand, it appears that none other than Herman A. Sperlich used the dreaded "M" word in his 1928 patent for the original Iron Rite. This was probably before he got a Public Relations Department...

Mr. Sperlich's 1928 Patent No. 1,670,387

The Dreaded "M" Word as Sanctioned by Uncle Sam, Himself!

2009-06-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

This is my current sewing project, a fabric framing of the Tibetan deity, Palden Lhamo.

New Beast!

2009-06-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for awhile that I would LOVE to have a commercial press put on all my finished sewing projects. However, for the Tibetan Deity paintings, I cannot turn them over to a dry cleaner or laundry for pressing. Fortuitously, I went in to the Salvation Army Store near where I live on Sunday looking for either an old sewing machine or an old steam iron and amazingly, they had this mangle! Price: $50!

A mangle is a commercial pressing machine used in hotels or laundries to get a really good press on a garment or piece of fabric. I only know what they are because my grandmother had one from the time she owned and ran a boarding house. This one weighs a ton even though it's much smaller than the one my grandma owned. I have to stow it in the garage for now but at least I have one!

Ironrite was the best manufacturer of mangles, from what I can tell on the web. And this one is a Model 95 which is supposedly the best model. It came with a service manual and a bunch of information printed from the web about how to use them. It also had a brand new, updated for the 2000s electrical cord the last owner had put on! Sweet!

Squaring Up The Miter

2009-06-15T18:21:00.001-07:00

I'm in process of constructing another fabric frame for a Tibetan deity painting. I'm using a measure to make sure the mitered corner turns out at a perfect angle.

Fancy Stitchin'

2009-06-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Found this stitch on my machine last night while wondering how to keep my current project, summer pants for a client, from fraying so much. In the manual, it's 1-17. It's an overcast stitch and it's a far cry from the old zig-zagging we learned how to use for seam finishing in high school! Below is the sample once it's sewn on the waistband. Yay!

Crystal Wand Pouch

2009-05-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

This is an all natural materials upgrade of a pouch for a healer's crystal wand . My client asked for real, red leather, brown lining, and a crystal button. For the project I sourced dyed deerskin, cocoa-colored cotton sateen, and undyed cotton batting. I had fun shopping for the button at Portland's very own, Button Emporium. It is never used faceted glass crystal from 1940s, U.S. Zone, Germany. The pouch from which I took the pattern was made from suede microfiber. It had a perfumy smell. This smells wonderfully of real leather. A fine shelter for a healer's wand!

Tibetan Deity Painting Framed

2009-05-16T08:02:00.001-07:00

Just completed a custom framing job for a friend wanting a fabric framing for a Tibetan deity painting called a thangka. Traditional Tibetan framing is done in a very elaborate style with up to three, four, five, six different types of silk brocade in one framing in addition to bunting and ribbons. Some westerners find that style a bit much.

For this project, my friend and I chose a gold/orange/red toned dupioni silk. I backed the fabric to stiffen it and applied it to the painted canvas adding a self-fabric piping. The fabric back is unbleached muslin with two rod pockets and an "intention" pocket.

Pokemon Child's Play Tent

2009-04-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Reconstructed the pattern for this child's play tent from one I made 25 years ago for my daughter. The lime green fabric is polyester knit. The sides are made from Pokemon pajama flannel. The tent is stretched over a PVC pipe frame.
My grandson does flips over this tent, as you can see. He has been sleeping in it most nights since I made it for his birthday last month. He's removed the front pvc piece to make it easier to lay down in as well as for doing head stands for the camera.