photos from the ASG sewing retreat

I thought I'd best share some photos of the weekend before I completely forgot to. Here's the outside of our sewing space.

and turning 180 degrees around the view was this, that sign you can barely see warns that the edge of a high cliff is close.

Here's the room where the 30 of us were set up, I placed my overlocker & sewing machine back to back and walked around the set up to use the overlocker - easier than moving the machines and their foot pedals.

 

The 2 winter skirts that I finished - am so disappointed that my PCOS belly has swollen up like this. I feel like I look pregnant, when I'm not! The accommodation is in the wings that surround this garden - the large "sewing" room is in a corner of the square. Decades of Style #3004, a favourite skirt pattern.

And this was taken almost a week later, in another park. (again sighing over my puku ngārara). This is a favourite Burda WoF pattern from December 2004, and a completed UFO.  I'd foolishly cut it out forgetting to add the seam allowances to my traced Burda pattern. So I had to cut another panel and insert it in the right side seam.  I over compensated and ignored my inner voice telling me to take half of it out. So part of the Sunday morning was spent unpicking 75% of the waistband, unpicking 1 of the 2 panel seams, narrowing the panel by half at the top & swooping it out again in the bottom quarter to mimic the shaping on the other side. Then overlocking the raw edge (I never overlock together), reseaming, and reattaching the waistband. I should never have ignored my inner voice.

Lastly, my pirate pants (KwikSew2529 with a longer leg).

I used up my remnant of pirate cotton knit, before I even made the yoga pants that I bought the fabric for (to wear around home). Hmm, I'm guessing that they're a missing UFO.

another Decades of Style #3004 cut from stash

Last night I cut out Decades of Style #3004 in a khaki wool twill, and I was able to raid the stash for matching thread and a good enough zip.  I'm not sure that I could get a better zip in-store so why try. I even have a button that works.  It's a boring colour that's suitably useful in that it won't clash with a lot of colours I wear, though I'm using the not-twill side of the fabric as I prefer the colour.

I was also going to cut out the Butterick retro skirt, however I hadn't yet made the alterations I need to (take out 1" between waist & hip) and I really think I have enough to sew already.

I've got to get everything together for a sewing weekend and no doubt will pack too many projects.  I've got the UFO brown wool skirt, 2x cut out shirts, 1 cut out fitted T and this skirt. Oh, and another UFO blouse in a paisley that I suspect won't be the best colours but it's half made and I love the pattern that I drafted so lets get that sucker into my working wardrobe.

This would almost clear my non-costume UFO list - and boost my options to wear to work. I'm also packing the regency saque hat just in case I'm inspired to hand sew a little. Erm and I'm taking my navy-green twill to cut out a corset.

I realise that I've got more than I can realistically sew in 2 evenings and 2 full days, but I also figure that if I get stuck on something I can put it aside and sew the next thing.  With everything cut out - other than the corset - it's easier to get stuck in and feel productive.  I also don't want to be sewing the same thing over & over.

Non costume UFOs
- replacement cotton sheers for my main room - cut out
- paisley self drafted pattern - 50% sewn
- 2 work shirts cut out
- aqua knit top - cut out
- Go Petunia's T - cut out
- brown wool Burda WOF skirt, partly sewn

Historical UFOs
- pink white stripe regency saque hat, half sewn
- blue (with tiny black diamond) open robe, half sewn
- regency stays: mantua maker pattern cut out for a friend
- regency stays: Missouri Historical Society, cut out
- striped pocket hoops, 80% sewn
- 1850s ruffled petticoat, needs levelling & waistband. therefore needs cage crinoline.
- cage crinoline, bag & vertical straps sewn, needs steels & waistband
- stripe lobster tail cage bustle, sewn, needs canes/steels inserted & waistband
- red bustle dress, part cut out
- 1917 austerity corset, toile cut out

Pop Culture UFOs
- Idris - skirt cut out

planning for a sewing retreat

I've got a weekend sewing retreat later this month, and I need to make sure I have a plan for my sewing time. I'm going to take more than I can physically sew - after all I do this for each Sewing Guild day. The smart thing is to also take things already cut out, so that it's all jam on the toast.

I thought I might as well start with some UFOs that I can use now.
- brown wool Burda WOF skirt, partly sewn
- aqua knit top - cut out
- 2 cotton shirts cut out.

I'm also going to cut out the khaki twill in my fave decades of style skirt pattern #3004, and the olive green in Butterick Retro 6257. I'm thinking of cutting out another knit top, to see if the SBCC T is a good fit for me - short & plus size sounds like me!

I may also take a corset with me - Sydney Supanova approaches and I'd like to make a new costume for it, but that requires an functional undergarment version of the 1890s, page 71 one from Corsets

Productivity - I have it at last

I went to the sewing guild yesterday and had a busy time. I didn't need to take the 3rd skirt as I didn't get to even touch it.

I tackled the near doomed UFO skirt - it got to the point where I didn't care how well something was done, so long as it was done. Look at this zip insertion for example. Worst ever, but I just don't care!  I attached the waistband today, and topstitched it as the interfacing started to lift. I don't care if it's sewn in and not fused.  I started stitching in the ditch but halfway changed ... nobody is going to see it as I don't tuck in tops. See what I mean, what an attack of the "Just get it done" when usually I'd take the effort. But after 2 years and 7 weeks, pffft. Get it finished.  The buttonhole is done, and I got this button from the stash - it's a lavender and almost perfect match to the periwinkle blue.  This fabric just doesn't want to photograph properly.


Next up, the purple skirt from the Burda WOF pattern. I think it might be a smidge too long, but I'm not going back unless I get laughed at when I wear it. I topstitched the panel seams, and put the zip on the RHS as I don't need to wrestle with a zip over the seamlines. The original pattern had an elastic waist so there wasn't this to think about (had I done that). However, with my waist & hip difference, I get too much fabric bunched in the shortness that is my body. blech.

4 days left to finish the skirt

Despite it being a long weekend, I did the tiniest bit of sewing. Saturday was domestic chores and schlepping across town to get a Hello Kitty mug and black glass bead long necklace. (This is the short version).

Sunday I slept til noon (like a teenager) and then did electronic housekeeping - backing up files, tidying up data folders before that.

Monday I slept til noon (so really must have needed it) and then I put my Big Girl Pants on and folded and [more unlikely] put away all the laundry I washed on Saturday. I put away all the costume books I'd pulled off the shelves, and stacked some library books to return on the way to the bus stop today.

Then I put all the copier-enlarged scale patterns and regency fashion plate printouts that I'd calculated design proportions on, into a bigger bundle than I expected.

And only then did I venture to the storeroom and collect bothy my ufo skirts & pattern pieces. The brown wool I put aside for later on, but the blue one got opened out for evaluation.

1) The 2 cut pieces (L & R fronts) are crumpled and need pressing.

2) The rest of the fabric is neatly folded

3) The back pattern piece needed altering to match the fronts (raising hip 2" cos I'm short with high hip padding).

I got #3 done but decided not to bring it to work to cut out. I've got til Friday night to finish it, and it's 3 seams, hem & waistband. I can do it

MAGAM: January gets a skirt from the UFO pile

I've been a little slack since I came back to work. Early in the year I challenged my gluten tolerance, and had what can only be described as a 4-day gluten hangover. Silly me. It seems a tiny bit is ok, and a smallish amount isn't. Good to know, and that's much better than before when I could have zero amount.

Enough about silly innards, what was/is my plan for Make a Garment a Month??

I'm going to finish my UFO skirt this weekend. It's the Decades of Style 3004 shaped seam skirt. I've made it before, but the 'new beginning' is that it's just below knee length. This is shorter than I usually wear and the concept is that it's cooler on a hot day. Except of course that it's [yet again] cool, cloudy & showers with nary a patch of blue sky to be seen. NOT what I moved & stayed in Sydney for!

It's a long weekend here, so I've plenty of time to get a skirt done. It would take less time if I didn't have to press my now crumpled fabric. ooopsie!