Jeanne ❦ Marie’s Sewing Studio

I'm relocating!

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:17:53 -0700

Thank you so much for visiting. Jeanne Marie’s Sewing Studio is transitioning to a new site....

I submit to the Pressinatrix

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:16:39 -0700

During my recent Internet travels, I discovered this wonderful post by self-proclaimed Pressinatrix...

Clover Wonder Clips

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:27:00 -0700

Clover Wonder Clips: Just saw an ad for this new product from Clover in my American Sewing Guild...

Today's progress

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:28:01 -0700

Today I traced my pattern pieces, cut them out in muslin and started sewing them together. The...

How Swedish tracing paper improved my sewing

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:24:00 -0700

Not long ago, I read about how much Swedish tracing paper can help the garment construction...

Why a muslin ...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:08:00 -0700

There’s been an interesting discussion going on in the online sewing community regarding doing...

The first wearing … Now that I’ve worn my skirt for...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:55:00 -0700

The first wearing …

Now that I’ve worn my skirt for the first time, it’s time to take stock of what worked and what didn’t.

❦ The lining definitely saved the quilting cotton. It would have been too thin without it. It barely wrinkled at all when I wore it. I wonder if that was at least partially due to the fact that the lining was a poly-cotton, instead of the 100% cotton I thought I was buying. Knowing that quilting cotton is a viable fabric for clothing opens up an entire world of great prints for summer outfits.

❦ The “blind” hemming was really more like “nearsighted” hemming. It only worked because the print was so busy. It wasn’t until I was sitting down at work that I noticed that the stitches were easily visible on the right side. The photograph shows some of the biggest and most visible stitches. Many others are nearly impossible to see. That being said, I won’t hesitate to hem by machine again on a busy print, but for a solid, it will definitely be hand-sewing time.

❦ The curved waistband ends were a great idea poorly executed. First mistake: I hand-drew the curves. Next time I will search the house for a cylnder of some kind to trace for the stitching line (paper towel tube?). I thought “Oh, it will look better when I topstitch.” Nope. It looked worse! I clearly need to work on sewing small curves.

❦ The waistband itself. I rarely tuck in anything. I have a straight figure that doesn’t lend itself to tucking anyway, but besides that, my waistline isn’t parallel to the floor. All around a bad scenario for tucking. But the cotton lawn blouse I wore with the skirt MUST be tucked, otherwise it wrinkles horrible across the torso. All this just further reinforced what I already knew but had forgotten: Straight, cut-on-the-grain waistbands are just not for me. I need to draft a go-to contour waistband. I have one on a pair of Jones New York pants I love, so that will serve as the model. It happens to have curved waistband ends.

Bottom line: I love the skirt. And the 3-inch heels that inspired the skirt. I haven’t worn shoes that high in years, but they are Aerosoles and weren’t uncomfortable at all. Totally worth it. They make any outfit feel a little more 1940s.

Today, I digress from the topic of sewing to participate in...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:36:00 -0700

Today, I digress from the topic of sewing to participate in Casey’s Cherished Collections Summer 2011 Blog Tour. To see the other collections on the tour, visit:

http://elegantmusings.com/tag/cherished-collections/

My tea collection

I’ve never been a coffee drinker. I made it through 4 1/2 years of college with pretty much no caffeine. And why bother with coffee when it is so often drunk from a styrofoam cup? No, tea is the way to go. Elegant cups and saucers, charming accoutrements, and delicate sandwiches with no crust. I have tea things all over my house. In summer, I’m all about the iced tea; but in winter, these sets are in heavy rotation. They also come in handy when my friend Patty and I host tea parties for our friends. What could be more fun than gossiping over scones and Devonshire cream?

The tea collection is so out of hand that I brought some pieces...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:35:00 -0700

The tea collection is so out of hand that I brought some pieces to work and put them on a bookshelf in my office. They came in handy for the Royal Wedding Tea a few of us hosted at lunchtime for our department on April 29. At right you see the bounty from my first trip to the Sacramento Antique Faire earlier this year. See the Siamese (vase?) in the back? I’m thinking of turning it into a pincushion. The tablecloth has a tea motif.

And, of course, my tea collection would not be complete without...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:33:00 -0700

And, of course, my tea collection would not be complete without Sewing Assistant Teacup.

The next project … I found a great coral polkadot fabric...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:24:00 -0700

The next project …

I found a great coral polkadot fabric when I found the brown, teal and ivory medallion fabric for the 1940s skirt. (Both fabrics are quilting cottons.) Yes, it goes with another pair of cute shoes. At first I had a dress in mind for the fabric, but I was so happy with how my skirt was coming along, that I decided to do a skirt and top. The skirt (Vogue 1072) is a reproduction 1948 pattern. The top (Simplicity 4047) is a reproduction 1950s pattern. This is most definitely a muslin scenario so I can check the fit, length and amount of ease for both pieces. I’ll be lining the skirt. The skirt has neckline and sleeve facings, so I’ll underline that to have something to tack the linings to. I haven’t underlined before, so this should be an adventure.

It’s done! The 1940s skirt is finished and I am in LOVE...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:07:00 -0700

It’s done!

The 1940s skirt is finished and I am in LOVE with it! It fits perfectly and the A-line is very flattering. I love how the lining made it easier to hand sew the waistband. I don’t think I ever want to make an unlined skirt again.

Today’s progress … I attached the lining to the...

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:31:00 -0700

Today’s progress …

I attached the lining to the skirt and hemmed the fashion fabric. I let the Fancy Damn Sewing Machine do all the work on the hem. I used a combo straight and overcast stitch to finish the edge. Then I used the blind hem stitch to finish it off. I also inserted the zipper using the lapped technique in the pattern instructions and hand stitched the lining around it. I tried it on, and the fit is perfect. It’s funny how a skirt with so much attention to detail and technique is going to end up looking like the simplest project in the world. But that’s what I’ve found in any kind of design-related project. The more finesse you put into it, the less apparent it is, because it just looks effortless — exactly the way it’s supposed to.

The Serger

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:20:00 -0700

As mentioned in my previous post, my serger and I are at currently at odds. I know how to thread it....

1940s skirt -- seam allowances

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:49:00 -0700

Today I did the side seams of the 1940s skirt project. The front and back panel seams call for...

Sewing Assistant Teacup makes a cameo!

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:42:00 -0700

Sewing Assistant Teacup makes a cameo!

Today’s progress … And this, Kids, is why you pay...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:26:00 -0700

Today’s progress …

And this, Kids, is why you pay attention to where the fabric’s motifs fall within the pattern pieces you’re cutting out. If you look carefully, you can that this is three pieces sewn together. The medallions go down the center because I took the time to refold my fabric lengthwise through the center of the large motif. I also lined up the main medallion down the middle of each side piece and across the top seam of all three pieces so they would like up horizontally across the front of the skirt. If I’d been careless in cutting the pieces out, the medallions would have been all over the place, which probably would have been most noticeable at the hem.

I’m really happy with how this project is going so far, but if you’ve sewn for any length of time, you know: How you feel about a project halfway through does not necessarily reflect how you’ll feel when you’re done. There’s still so much that could go wrong between now and the final hem stitch!

My attempt at the scalloped embroidered hem I saw on...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:18:00 -0700

My attempt at the scalloped embroidered hem I saw on Casey’s blog.

http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/2011/05/blueberry-fields-dress/

How to: I used the scallop stitch on the Fancy Damn Sewing Machine. Regular Gutermann 100 percent polyester thread is on the top and bobbin thread is on the bottom. I used tear-away/wash-away stabilizer cut in long strips and pinned to the hem. After the embroidery was done, I cut as close as I dared to the threads then immediately went over the cut edge with fray check. I love how it looks but hope it survives the washing machine intact. The next step is seaming the actual skirt.

What I learned today

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:30:00 -0700

I’ve been sewing for nearly 30 years, and I still learn something on every single project. On...

Casey's lining hem treatment I plan to use on my skirt project

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:42:00 -0700

Casey's lining hem treatment I plan to use on my skirt project:...