Swan Song

Bloggers come and go.  They don't always say goodbye.  I feel a bit sad when people just fade out. So this is my goodbye.

Summer is coming and we need more time for this

Slip and slide

Our own Olympics with the cousins.

And rainy days doing this

Baking with Rosie the bear.

I owe a big debt of gratitude to the very successful bloggers who were gracious enough to put me on their blog rolls.  Without whom, I would have been shouting into an echo chamber.  I also owe a huge thank you to the bloggers who re-listed my new blog when the old one (Making the Seam) was corrupted.  And then, there are all the cheerleaders, who were always there with a kind word or a sewing tip to keep a beginner going and motivated.  

I still love sewing and plan to use the sewing community websites such as Pattern Review and The Sewing Forum more.  My handle is Twinkle, or Twinkle72.  Hopefully, we can keep in touch there.  I do plan to continue reading sewing blogs, but I think I will pick one or two days a week to have a peak rather than everyday.  I love them, but for me, it's almost been an addiction! 

What I am not interested in is photography, graphic design, HTML, modelling, or creative writing.  I think this shows in my blog, and it is the reason that I am bowing out.  I just have no interest in keeping up.  I might pop back up in years to come.  Who knows, if the next 15 years go well, I might be one of those empty-nester, wise heads on the internet dispensing advice and encouraging the newbies!  

GBSB Episode 3: The SemiFinal

I really don't have a lot to say on this one.  I agree with the judges' decision.

If you need access to the uTube broadcast, here is the link.

For me, Anne has to win.  Her sewing is amazing.  I am slightly fed up with the judges telling Anne again and again that she has "played it safe."  She is sewing attractive, elegant, impeccable clothes.  The sort that we might actually like to wear.  A train wreck of "too-much" makes for good TV, but not beautiful clothes.  Bravo to Anne for not being goaded into being silly.



One final thought.  More than 2 million people in Britain are watching this show.  The vast majority of them don't sew and won't sew.  They do buy RTW clothing, though.  Do you think that the little discussions of how to properly finish  a seam; that the grain should hang straight; that the shoulders shouldn't droop, etc. are sinking in?  If people are not going to learn to sew, could they be learning instead how to evaluate the workmanship of a garment?  Could this be a first step in changing buying habits?

Lilly Dresses

Lilly Pulitzer died two days ago.   She was famous for her little shift dresses out of bright tropical patterns.

Link to article in The Atlantic Monthly

She made her simple, fun, practical little dresses out of Hand Printed Key West Fabrics.  My mom used to buy the same, hand printed, sea island cotton and sew her own cute little shift dresses.  They were so comfortable and timeless that I raided her closet and wore them myself 20 years later when I was a teenager.

When I was down in Key West one Spring break, I went skipping away from the beach and the bars to find the Key West fabric shop that I remembered from childhood.  It was full of frumpy "cruise wear." There was very little fabric by the bolt, and at that time it was all rayon.  No sea island cotton with a crisp, cool hand.  I don't know what has become of the store now.

Living in London, the last thing I need, is a sleeveless, riotously bright shift dress.  You need warm weather, lightly tanned skin, and saturating sunshine to pull off the look.  We have none of these.  Sometimes I still long for it though.  I know I am not the only one, when I see other home sewers making clothes out of bright busy quilting cottons.  You can get the general look and feel from the quilting cottons, but the quilting cotton is not as crisp, as smooth or as tightly woven as the old sea island cotton hand prints were; so, it's just not the same.

The brand bearing her name is still selling the same style dresses.

A company called Thatchers is making glazed calico in France that certainly has the vibe of the old Key West hand prints.  In fact, designers who worked for Lilly Pulitzer in the hay-day of her dresses have actually designed this fabric.  Unfortunately, I don't think the that this glazed chintz is designed for dressmaking.  I think it is strictly upholstery weight.  Sigh.



This is their Princess Collection.  If it was the right weight, I'd be placing my order and planning which  pattern to use to turn myself into a Palm Beach Princess this summer!

GBSB Episode 2

It feels sad to see any of the "contestants" go.  But, a tournament style contest is what we are presented with, and so go they must.  Given that two had to go, it seems that the right two went.

Bye Tilly!  You can always see her on her blog, Tilly and the Buttons.

Bye Mark!  I wish we could have seen you make a proper costume.

For me, Anne should have won the blouse competition.  Sandra should have been second.  Stuart is an appealing personality, but his "blouse" was neither fitted, nor was it out of a soft slippery material which was the brief.  

I am pretty sure that Stuart used Vogue 1274. And sewed it out of a shantung type silk with a crisp hand. A smart move, but not really within the guidelines!

I was impressed that Sandra achieved a good quality rolled hem on a cheap machine with the standard foot and a pair of tweezers!  

I am not certain, but I think Sandra used McCalls 6467 view A.  Smart move, no button holes, and it pulls on over the head.

It was Anne's Burda blouse that blew me away, though.  I remember this blouse from Burda Style.  It was so attractive and tempting... and difficult to sew!  After reading about the trouble better sewists than me had trying to make this blouse, I decided to give it a miss.  It was beautifully fitted, perfectly executed, on trend, sophisticated, and all those rouleaux loops!  But it passed with barely a comment from the judges.  Do the judges know what they are talking about?  Or is this all part of creating tensions and drama by downplaying Anne so as to create the appearance of a more even contest?

Am feel sure that Anne used Burda Style's 1/2011-102

I hope there is a second series.  

What I would really like is an Anne and Sandra Show.  They are both so appealing and would compliment one another beautifully.  How about it BBC?

Finally, I've picked up on a lot of swooning over Patrick.  I just can't join you.  He reminds me too much of my Father!  

Patrick Grant

I don't have a picture of him on his own scanned in, this'll do.  That's my mom, of course.

To be fair, this is what he looks like now.  In my mind he still looks like the picture above.  I am often surprised to see my mother and realise that she is a grey haired little old lady, rather than the tanned, slim, dark-haired woman in my mind.

Anyway, I am looking forward to episode 3.  I hope episode 2 turned up on youtube for all my international sewing buddies.

Did anyone watch the "Great British Sewing Bee?"

The judges, presenter and contestants.

Here in Britain, BBC2 has started a new program called "The Great British Sewing Bee."  It's not a Bee at all, it's a contest.  The premise is that amateur sewers complete timed assignments for two judges; a Women's Institute sewing teacher and a Saville Row designer*.

*The Women's Institute, or WI, is a rural based, old fashioned women's club dating back to 1915.  It's sort of a "Home-Ec" club that is mostly frequented by "ladies of a certain age." (I said mostly.)  Saville Row is the street in West/Central London, where the fine tailors of men's suits have store fronts.

The BBC has taken great pains to get a rounded demographic, so we can all relate to someone and enjoy the dramatic arc of their journey of self-discovery.

I say nuts to that!

I have only been sewing properly for about five years now, but I would enjoy the show more if it were filled with contestants who had decades of experience.  I enjoy learning and admiring more than schadenfreude.

Even my husband, felt there should be more explanation.  He wondered, "Why don't they tell us why the invisible zips are all so bad?"  Hear, hear!  An explanation of how to do it right would have been most welcomed.  I know I am not their target market, and that most people watching will never attempt to sew anything.  Of course, most of us never attempted the difficult cakes in "The Great British Bake Off" either, but it made great telly.  It is fun to have secrets explained.

At the end of the first episode, Mark, an HGV mechanic won the dress challenge.  This was ridiculous, assuming that this is a sewing contest and not a design contest.  You could see puckers all over the darned thing, and he was lucky enough to have a relatively easy model to fit.  I think they only picked him for the sake of creating contenders and making the series interesting.

Meet Mark

In realty, there were two women who should probably win every time throughout the series.

Ann, who has been sewing for 75 years and was even a home economics teacher for a stint.

Meet Ann

And, Sandra, a hospital cleaner who has been sewing for her family for decades.

Meet Sandra

But, of course, that wouldn't be a very interesting contest to watch!  So, I am sure I will be slapping my forehead and talking to the TV every Tuesday night for weeks to come.

I actually think Sandra should have won the dress challenge.  She sewed a button down, denim dress with contrasting collar and top stitching that fit her model perfectly.  In seven hours!  

And there is the rub, the less experienced could probably make up for their shortcomings and produce some good stuff, but they are under tight time constraints and that forces errors.  

Trio of White TopsBurda

I had three metres of white cotton/lycra jersey from Tissu fabrics.  So I decided to sew two long sleeved t-shirts for Faye's sew-along, which I badly needed.  It's quite handy to sew a bunch of tops out of the same fabric all at once. I only had to thread up the machine once, and I was able to lay out the pattern pieces so as to eek out a bonus short sleeved t-shirt.  Hurray!

Number One

The neckline gapes a bit.

I gave Burda 2/2013-127 another try.  This time in a beefier jersey.  It did come out better, but the neckline still gapes a bit.  I am not sure if it is my lack of skill in applying the binding.  Perhaps I stretched it too much.  Or, should I have cut a slightly shorter length of binding than Burda directed?

Burda 2/2013-127

This style is cute, and I can wear it more easily than most raglan styles, but it is still not ideal for me.  I think this will be my last go with this pattern.  I have shown you this top on my dummy cranked out to my own dimensions rather than sneakily pulling the hips in to make a nicer picture.  Looking at this, I think it is pretty clear that it would be more flattering if I shortened it about 8 to 10 inches.

Line drawing

Number Two

Burda 02/2011-106

For me, this is a TNT pattern, I have a striped version in thick rayon knit that is still going strong.  Somehow this version seems less roomy, but I put that down to differences in the fabrics.  I should probably put it down to the 8 lbs I've gained, but I don't feel like doing that! LOL

Again, the neckline gapes.

I had trouble again with the neckline.  I think I need to change my "touch" with the fabric, or keep doing it my way and lop an inch off of the binding lengths suggested by Burda.

Line drawing

Number Three

McCalls M6604

I bought this pattern for the bias cut, woven cowl top, but I've used it for a rather uninteresting little pattern thrown in as view C.  I never thought I'd use it; as it is a rather sad imitation of the Hot Pattern Weekender Sunshine Top.  That pattern is an oldie but a goodie and launched a hundred imitations.  Why would I use this "b-side" pattern rather than the HP Sunshine original?  Well, because the HP version requires more fabric, and I just couldn't squeeze it out.

Now, after running down this little pattern, I have to say that I am quite pleased with it.  It might be the best top out of the three.  It was meant to be sewn out of a woven or stable knit.  I cannot say that this jersey was stable, but it worked out fine.

Line drawing

So, those are three white tops.  Not wildly exciting but oh so useful and definitely needed!

Happy Easter everyone!

Bloglovin

OK, I am now on board the bandwagon with Bloglovin.  Fingers crossed!

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