Miss Bossy’s Avocado Hoodie

Almost May and I’ve just finished my The Monthly Stitch sewing challenge. Well done me! I knew I had to make it a March & April mash-up, and you all chose so very well for me: The Avocado Hoodie by talented Mari of Seamster Patterns / Disparate Disciplines.

Almost finished hoodie (I only needed to overlock all the inside seams)

I did a very analogue vote count, by tallying the comments on my blog post, via Twitter and via Instagram. Unfortunately, I’ve been on a bit of a sewing room organisational spree and tossed out the bit of paper I’d tallied everything up upon, but the winner by a nose was Avo Hoodie, followed closely by Sureau dress, then Thurlow trousers, then Tiramisu dress.  So, they will be the order of my sewing in the near future, distractions permitted.  And I’ll be swapping around Thurlow and Sureau, but only because I need to make a muslin of the Thurlow trousers, and I suspect I’ll work on all losers of the vote intermittently.

(Did your eyes just read what I just wrote?  “Make a muslin.” I don’t think I know who I am anymore.)

{by the way, I’ve finished the Jedidiah trousers; I’m just waiting for my partner to model them… I might be waiting a while …}

{also, also, by another way, I interrupted the sewing of Jedidiah trousers to complete a boring, but still awesome, navy Lady Belladone Skater dress.  I posted her to Kollabora, because she belongs there more than here.  There are reasons.}

Oops.  I’ve tangentialised so much I’ve lost my thought thread.

I showed you a picture of my “blue & brights” knit stash.  And then I went on a wee fabric shopping spree with Elizabeth of Sewn By (can you guess?) Elizabeth and ended up with some grey and green striped French terry from the Alannah Hill outlet.  Plus some other fabric to add to my ever increasing stash.  Interestingly, I shortly thereafter attended another sewing meet-up, in honour of Amanda from Symondezyn, who was visiting all the way from Canada, where there was another fabric shopping spree and I escaped with nothing.  The reason was (and this is the part I found interesting though you may yawn in boredom) I actually felt ill when in The Fabric Store, knowing how much fabric I had at home, and how little time I had to sew it up.  I’ve felt this a few times, so I must have a tipping point beyond which I cannot acquire more fabric without feeling ill.  Actually, physically ill.  Intriguing, no? Anybody else experience this? Is it in the DSMV?

I’ve never successfully stripe matched.  And the avocado hoodie is not a pattern to try it on.  Probably a more experienced and less impetuous sewist than me would have realised a princess seamed pattern, using fabric where the print wasn’t on grain was going to be stripe matching hell.  Well, friends, it was.  First, I made pattern for all pieces cut on the fold, so that I cut everything I a single layer, and very carefully.  Then I hand-basted seams (hand-basted! On a knit!). I’m kind of amazed at how many times I unpicked seams, that I had basted to try to get everything matched, until I realised it either just was not going to happen or I’d be sewing the hoodie as a Sisyphean endeavour for my hubris in believing I could stripe match.  Also, it got cold and I needed something warm to wear, so I just got on with it, matching most of the stripes in the front torso area and accepting that I was defeated everywhere else.  

 So very close.

Next time I’m stroking some lovely striped knit fabric, someone please hit me.  I need some negative conditioning away from striped knits.  Seam matching does not at all suit my sewing style.

I’ve been using Mari’s sewalong posts, which provides excellent additional guidance, especially with the pocket tabs because I did not do them right on my Partner’s hoodie.  Other modifications I did was sew the pocket tabs down, and line the hood. 

I could use some guidance on how to sew this thumb hole bit, but I muddled along reasonably well.

Pocket tab sewn down.

Hood lining, in homage to its origins.

The pocket lining fabric happens to be an old Threadless t-shirt of my Partner’s, and there was just enough fabric to cut a hood as well, except that the print would show.  I contemplated having the hood lining be inside out, and then decided it’d be kinda nice for the hood to pay homage to its origins.  So the print is on display.  I rather like it.

Also, you should all know that I sewed this entirely on a basic sewing machine, which does admittedly have stretch sewing capability.  I’ve wanted an over locker for ages, but a few events have conspired to mean that I don’t wish to currently expend the money that a good over locker will cost, and probably won’t in the foreseeable future.  But with switching out different feet on my little machine, I’m getting pretty good results sewing knits.  Because I sew (& wear) a lot of knits. For the avocado hoodie, I used my walking foot, over locker foot, plain foot and blind hem foot (for top-stitching).  Using the walking foot was a revelation, and though it is a wee bit of a nuisance to switch out, I’m definitely doing this more often.  

The insides, to demonstrate overlooking capabilities of a basic machine, helped along by walking foot and over locker foot.

All About Alma

It took me a long time to make Alma.

I acquired the pattern about a decade ago (as calculated on the basis of sewing blogging and tweeting time. According to the Gregorian calendar, I acquired the pattern in October 2012.) I traced it almost as soon as I got it (yay me!) and then I did nothing with it for an age (boo me!)

Prior to Christmas, I cut out pieces. The fabric was acquired from The very lovely Kat of All the Whimsical Things at i think the very first Social Sewing day in September 2012. After cutting, I did nothing for an age (are you sensing a theme?)

The cut pieces sat on a hanger, which hangs off the floor lamp near My Sewing Corner. This is where all my started projects sit.

The WIP Station

Cut Alma sat there for a long, long time. She watched a Tiramisu come and go. She watched three shift dresses come and go. If she were a person, she may have wept and wailed that I was not paying her any attention. Or she would have glared at me every time I sat down at the sewing machine with something else. If I was Alma, that’s what I would have done.

But, thankfully for me, she was, at that time, multiple inanimate, emotionless pieces of fabric, and I was projecting my own guilt onto her and then mirroring it back to myself. What a bizarre vortex of emotions, that affects nobody at all. And really, that vortex should barely affect me. But there you have it, those were the feelings around Alma.

I eventually started sewing Alma up in mid January. I sure as hey took my time with her. I picked her up; I got nervous; I put her down again. It was clear that every other project I was doing was procrastination from completing Alma. I don’t even know why. Sure, I was a bit nervous putting in an invisible zipper, and a bit perplexed by the shoulder/sleeve binding instructions, but why on earth did I avoid completing Alma for so very long? I honestly do not know.

Anyway, she is done, and I adore her. I’m definitely going to make more. Not sure how long each of the mores will take me. Hopefully, less time, as one of my sisters would like an Alma of her very own. I’d like to fulfil that desire in a timely (for me) fashion. My sister has been warned not to expect anything any time soon.

Also, I am not sure I made sense of the shoulder/sleeve binding instructions. I even tweeted Tasia to ask her but got no reply.

In case someone goes a-googling like I did to try to make sense of it, here is what I worked out and I hope I’m right.

I basted, as Ms Bimble and Pimble would say, like a boss. But, sadly for me, I basted on the sewing line (that is 5/8″ from the edge of the fabric) I should have basted on the inside of the seam allowance (that is, anywhere closer to the cut edge than 5/8″). Foolish me. When instructions say baste, always baste inside the seam allowance. Otherwise, you will have to put the sewing away and wait for a day when you feel like unpicking the unsightly exposed stitching.

This is how not to baste. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Where I had issues was with the instructions about binding.

The instructions are:-

Pin armhole binding to armhole with raw edges together, matching notches, and sew.
Trim seam allowance close to stitching, press binding to inside and edge stitch close to fold.

Is this terribly clear to everybody but dense me?

Eventually, I found the answer by googling images of sewn up Alma blouses, enlarging pictures and staring at the shoulder seam. The clearest image was Lauren Llladybird’s plaid Alma, where you can see the stitching line. Lauren is a ridiculously accomplished seamstress, so I was happy to concede that this was the correct way of reading the instructions.

So, you are supposed to sew the folded over piece – #8 – and then stitch it down. In effect, you will get some top stitching appearing from the other side, but if you match your thread very nicely (woo hoo! I did this!), it is barely visible.

I maintain that the shoulder/sleeve binding is weird. However, I cannot work out how to make it less weird. (Word me up if you’ve got a fancy shmancy trick.)

Was it only me who thought this was completely bizarre? The bizarreness is the appearance of the top-stitching on the right side. It’s barely noticeable, but it’s just weird. I don’t have a problem with it, I just think there must be a better, non-top stitching way. Not that I don’t like top-stitching. I’m rather a fan, and I top-stitched the facing at the neck-line down like nobody’s business (two lines, even). Since completing Alma #1, I’ve noticed that, on almost all of my partner’s shirts, the stitching line at the shoulder seam is similarly visible. I had no idea.

On the subject matter of top-stitching, I discovered that top stitching is best done with a slightly longer stitch length. So, if you sew at stitch length 2, you should increase to 3, or maybe even 4 if you’re feeling all crazy-like, for top stitching. I sew at 2 (most of the time), top-stitch at 3 and baste at 4.

It took me a month to complete this single step because it just kept weirding me out. Every time I came to do it, I would re-read the instructions and think, “But that can’t be right,” pick up the garment, stare at the shoulder sleeve, put the garment down and think about it some more. Perhaps, I’m the one with the problem.

Really, I love this top. Posing for pics in my made garments? Not so much.

But the pace of this project actually worked well for me. I’ve found there is always a point when making something up that I get suddenly nervous: that it won’t work out; that it’s ugly; that it won’t fit; that I cease to like it. But if I just leave it and come back later, I’ll love it again. It’s weird and irrational, but that just seems to be my way.

This will not be the last Alma. I finished this Alma quite a while ago, and have worn it roughly once a week! I have orders from my sisters, and I definitely plan more for me. It is a perfect work blouse for me. But there are other things in the sewing queue at the moment, and quite a few almost finished projects that I need to finish, and then blog about. You cannot wait, can you?

Oh, for more hours in the day, or fewer hours at work, or another me.

Progress Report

A progress report and some photographs are in order.

First up:

Clockwise from Top Left:
1. The Garment formerly known as The Sack
2. First Renfrew (pattern by Sewaholic)
3. Second Renfrew
4. Bus Stop Bag (green) and Toiletry Bag (orange, with polka dots!), pattern by Nicole Mallilieu, made by ME!

I am trying to get better at doing little bits of sewing, so that I can get more done. I am trying not to mind doing only an hour here or there and setting everything up and putting everything away again.

The Sewing Station. Also known as The Dinner Table. Plus, a bonus muffin! Woo hoo!  Blur due to crap, out of practise photographer.

I am trying not to dream of a spacious room, with lots of shelves.
I am trying not to dream of even a wee tiny room (but it has to have lots of shelves).

I am also trying not to dream of owning an overlocker (a serger to some of you). Because it would be fairly easy for me to achieve that dream. Then I would be faced with the reality of where to keep it and when to bring it out. I have a love-hate relationship with the overlocking stitch on my sewing machine. It is very troublesome getting the tension right, but it is so good for finishing seams. And the other trouble is that I know the ease of an overlocker. I know it well.

Recently, I sort of almost but not quite completed my Thurlow shorts. I realised, after sewing it in, that I had cut one of the waistband pieces inside out and managed to insert it upside down. I have no more of the fabric (either lining or outer), and I have no patience for unpicking. So, I have put it aside and may return to it in future. (Both lining and outer fabric should be easy to source) And I did such a good job on the fly front zipper, too! Oh, the shame. (In case you follow these things, I skipped the welt pockets at the back because I’ve always found back pockets completely useless.)

I have, in any event, learned enough to feel confident tackling Thurlow trousers.

And I still love the Renfrew, having completed another V-neck tee. However, I don’t quite have the technique for the V.

To wit:

Renfrew V Neck Fail.

Still, I completed it. And to anyone who says, like my Partner* did, “Is it meant to bunch up like that?” The answer is, “Yes. Of course it is. That’s part of the Design.”

I am actually looking unimpressed at a bug that landed on my chest, but this is perfectly illustrative of my troubles with that darn V-neck.

I am not deterred! I will make more and I will master that V-neck if it’s the last thing I do! ->insert triumphant music, or the music from that bit of Gone with the Wind when you see Scarlett’s dark silhouette framed by the setting sun as she stares at the ruin of Tara and says, “If I have to lie, cheat, steal. As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again.” The moment is exactly like that.

You know the scene.  Of course you do.

 “>

 

* I was going to write an apologia for my Partner.  But I don’t think I will.  Take that, Partner.