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February 21, 2015

Completed Gathered Top Sleeveless

先日作ったカットソーのスリーブレスバージョンを作りました。
微妙に予感はあったんだけど、やっぱりこのデザインは似合わないようだ・・・。
Made a sleeveless version of the Butterick B5495.
I had a feeling when I made the mock-up, but I think this design is not quite for me.

February 18, 2015

Completed Gathered Top Wearable Muslin

前身ごろにギャザーが入ったカットソー完成。
試作品とは言え、普通に着てもおかしくない感じ。フィット感は微妙だけど。かなりマタニティだけど。
With my brand new (used) coverstitch machine, I hemmed my Butterick B5495 muslin and it is finished.
It is wearable, but the fit is questionable... The next one is a short sleeved coral pink version.

February 17, 2015

Coverstitch Machine

英語で酒は「サキ」、空手は「クラティ」、カラオケは「カラオキ」、イッセイ・ミヤケは「イッセイ・ミヤキ」、そして蛇の目は「ジャノミ」と発音されます。

ワンポイント英語コーナーでした。

そんなわけで、奮発して蛇の目ミシンが作っているカバーステッチミシンを買いました!(でも中古)形から入るのが得意な私。清水から飛び降りるのも得意。

カバーステッチ(片面飾り縫い)はTシャツの裾なんかでよく使われる、表側は平行する2本の縫い目で裏側はジグザグしてるステッチで、特別のミシンが必要なのです。
・・・Tシャツの裾を縫うためだけのミシンだと思うと、奮発しちゃったな、と思うわ。

ちなみにこれは日本では多分エスプリ796Rというやつ。中古を個人販売で買ったんだけど、ぜんっぜん掃除とかしない状態で送ってもらって、ちょっと笑えたわ。下糸まわりがラメでいっぱい。
I may have to move my Phantom somewhere else...
Sake becomes "sa-ki" in English; karate becomes "k-ra-ti"; Issei Miyake becomes "Issey Mi-ya-ki"; and Janome becomes "ja-no-mi." It makes me chuckle.

No offense; I know we totally butcher "McDonald's" in Japanese, too.

Anyways, I have purchased a used Janome CoverPro 1000CPX. The previous owner shipped it without even bothering to clean and it is filled with very sparkly lint. The previous owner also did not have a user manual, but I was able to thread the machine and sew without a manual. I wish it was as easy as this machine to thread my serger.

So far, the stitch looks pretty good. I will definitely need to vacuum and get new needles for my many future projects to come.

February 16, 2015

Green Onions

常時放置されているワケギを収穫しておきました。
Cultivated my perpetually growing green onions.

February 15, 2015

FO: McCall's M7014 Jumper

面倒くさがるオットを説き伏せて(?!)やっとジャンパースカートの写真をとってもらった。犬の毛掃除してから写真撮ればよかったな。
Please ignore the dog hair all over the floor
布をくれたおばあちゃんに写真送らないとね。ちなみにこのおばあちゃんは、オットの実家の近所のおばあちゃんで(90歳ぐらい?)、11月に訪れた時、私が最近裁縫してると言ったら、これもってきなせぇ、ってこの布くれた。
仕事に着て行ったらとても着心地よくて、ルンルンです。ポケットが特に。
This is a summary of my jumper dress.

The pattern is McCall's M7014 and I made a view A, which is a sleeveless, princess seam dress with front patch pockets. I also added the flat piping on the princess seam line following the view D direction.
The fabric is a mystery knit that was given to me by a very nice lady who used to sew garments. It's mainly gray but has some orange texture in it as well. I also used some ivory color knit lining.
I cut a size 12 following my body measurement. Then I did the following alteration for the fit:

  • Took in horizontally 1/2" at high bust, front and back.
  • Narrowed the front bodice at shoulder by 5/8", front and back (narrow shoulder?)
  • Took in front princess seam at under bust a tiny bit
  • Took in back princess seam near the armhole a tiny bit
  • Took in 1/2" at hip
  • Shorten length 1/2"
  • Then it got too tight so let out 1/4" at sides from the waist to hem
  • Took in 3/8" at top of center back (gaping back neck)

I did not make a muslin so I altered as I sewed. After all these alterations were done, I did not have enough seam allowance for the armhole so I just bound the armholes with the same bias tape I used for accent after the lining was attached.
Since I used a knit fabric instead of woven, I omitted the zipper. I added interface, lined, and added a bias tape near the opening to the pockets.
I still have some swayback issues by looking at this photo.
Also, there is a vertical drag lines from the neck towards the bust. I don't know what's causing it. Part of front neck gaping?
In the future, I will have to move the shoulder a bit. Near the neck, it is pulled to the front by about 5/8".

The hem of the lining is just finished with rolled hem stitch of my serger. The shell fabric is serged, turned up then top stitched.

I wore it to work the other day and the dress was very comfortable. I sit on a balance ball at work and I had no problem with that.

I never knew I would like patch pockets on my dress so much. My very first patch pockets and I really like them.

February 14, 2015

Gathered Top Muslin Day 2

試作段階のカットソー、一応ここまで出来た。
あとは裾と袖の始末をすると出来上がり。写真とってくれる人が忙しいためセルフィー(自分撮り?)で失礼。ジャンスカの写真も撮ってもらいたいんだけどねぇ。
My muslin for Butterick B5495 gathered top is going to be a wearable muslin. I just need to finish the sleeve and hem.

However, the fit is not quite right. The front bodice is pulled to the front and there is a weird fold of extra fabric in the front but I don't know how to alter this dolman, gathered front bodice so I will just leave it as is.

I got this fabric for $3/yard or so and I found two huge (2"x2" each) imperfection/smudge/burrs on the fabric, and I somehow placed one of them in the front bodice. Hopefully, the gathers and the print are distracting enough that nobody would notice. Hopefully.

February 13, 2015

Gathered Top Muslin

ピンクの布で作る予定の次のカットソーなんだけど、とりあえず別の布で試作品を作ってフィット感を確かめてみることにしました。
ピンクの布は1メートルも無いのでノースリーブの予定なんだけど、これは半そで。
でも間違って同じ側の袖を二つ切ってしまった。
I decided to make a muslin for my Butterick B5495 gathered top.
But somehow I cut two of the same side of the back bodice. Oh well.

Next Project: Butterick B5495 Gathered Top

ジャンパースカートが完成したということで、次の裁縫プロジェクトはまたカットソー
ノースリープバージョンを予定しております。
とりあえず買った布の裾にロックミシンをかけて、洗濯は週末の作業。洗濯は週1回しかしないだめな主婦ですから。
Now that my jumper dress is finished, my next project is a Butterick B5495 sleeveless front-gathered top.
I diligently serged the edges of the fabric and put the fabric in the hamper to be washed over the weekend. I am not going to do an extra load of laundry just for the fabric.

February 11, 2015

Completed McCall's M7014 Jumper

1ヶ月に渡ってちまちまと進めていたジャンパースカートがとうとう完成した!
それも、自分でもびっくりするぐらいフィット感もよろしく、基本的にカットソーなプルオーバーのため、締め付け感もなく着心地もよし。ポケットが、たまりません。
あぁ、早く着てるとこの写真とって、この布をくれたおばあちゃんに見せたい。
My jumper dress is finally completed.
I am very pleased with the fit and it is so comfortable to wear without feeling too tight since the fabric is a knit fabric. I just love the pockets.
I hope I can have a picture taken soon so that I can send the picture to the lady who gave me the fabric.

February 10, 2015

Snow Peas

さやえんどう、すっかり冬を越しました。
何かの生き物に食べられずに育ったのはツル一つだけだけど、2月だというのに実をつけて頑張っています。
ブロッコリー(これは買った)と一緒に茹でて食べました。
My one snow pea that survived without getting eaten by some creature that lives in my garden is still going strong in February. Ate them for dinner.

February 9, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper Hem Day

ジャンパースカートの裾の始末に取り掛かっております。
今日は裏地の裾の始末にロックミシンで巻きロックというのに挑戦。
巻きロックをしたのはまだ2度目なので、ロックミシンの糸調節にかなり時間を費やしました。
糸の色もあってないけど、裏地だからいっか。
Rolled hemmed the lining of my jumper dress.

This is my 2nd time using the rolled hem stitch and I spent most of my 1 hour sewing time for adjusting the thread setting.

I should have planned my serger thread when I purchased notions for this project. I used Bulky Nylon thread for upper looper and regular Maxi Lock thread for needle and lower looper thread. Since this is lining, I give myself a passing grade.

February 8, 2015

Carrots

いちごの苗を花壇に植えたくて、放置していた人参を収穫しました。
写真だと大きく見えるけど、大きいのでも10センチ弱ぐらいの人参です。
I wanted to make some room in the garden for strawberries and pulled the carrots.
They look bigger in the photo than in real life. They are mostly few inches long.

February 7, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper Joining Day

今日は、オットが車を買うというので州都まで行ってきました。
気軽に日帰りできる距離とは言え、さすがに180キロ行って、お昼ごはんをはさんですぐまた180キロ帰ってくるのは膝にこたえる。
その上、州都には何度も行ってるけど、今日は初めて自分で運転して帰ってきました(オットは買った車運転して帰らないといけないからね)。やっぱり大都市の運転は緊張するわ。

ジャンパースカートの続きに取り掛かりました。
この前、首のスリットの処理方法がわからなくて適当にバイアステープをつけてみたけど、よく考えてみたら裏をつけるんだからスリットの処理なんてしなくてよかったのよ。
裏つけて首周りをぐるっと縫ってひっくり返せばいいだけだったのよ。
あとは腕ぐりと裾の始末をしたら完成。
Understitched but not top-stitched yet
The lining is attached at the neck for my jumper dress.

So, the other day, I added a bias tape for the neck slit because I did not know how to finish it and I was so confused because there was no instruction how to finish it.

When I was about to attach the lining, I realized how stupid I was to finish the slit when all I had to do was to attach the lining with right sides together and turn right side out. What was I thinking?

The lining is now attached a the neck. Although it is understitched, the lining was still peeking out so I top-stitched it down as well.

The rest is armhole and the hem so I may be able to finish this tomorrow. Because I had to move the shoulder inward after cutting the fabric, I don't have enough fabric for any seam allowance around the armhole. So I am thinking I will finish the armhole with the same black bias binding I used for the "piping."

February 5, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper Lining Day

今日はジャンパースカートの裏地を切って、前身ごろを縫ったところで終了。
The lining is cut and I sewed 2 seams today.

February 4, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper V-neck Day

ジャンパースカートの首にはちょっぴりスリットが入っている。
型紙のカバーの写真はこんな感じ:
Pattern Envelope Photo
しか~しっ!作り方にスリットの作り方がのっていないではないか!
仕方が無いのでバイアステープでとりあえず処理してみた。
My bias tape V-neck
So this McCall's jumper dress has a center front slit as shown on the envelope photo.
However, the instruction totally skipped how to make this slit. WTF.

Being an inexperienced sewist, I just did not know what to do with the slit. But I still wanted the slit.
So, with a help of Lynda Maynard's book, I used a bias tape and treated the slit as a V-neck opening. It's not perfect, but this will have to do.

I sewed the side seams and shoulder seams and done with the shell for now.
I have to transfer my numerous alterations to the pattern and cut the lining next.

February 3, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper Pocket Day

ジャンパースカートにポケットをつけてみることにしました。
裁縫の本買ってよかった。ポケットの裏地がかなりガバガバになってしまったけど、誰もポケットの内側なんて見ないから、いいってことにしよう。


My very first lined patch pockets.

I am so glad that I bought the Reader's Digest sewing book. I wanted to line the pockets but the pattern instruction was not lined so  I used the Reader's Digest instruction for lined patch pockets.

My lining did not turn out very flat but who would see inside of my pocket? No one. I hope.

My topstitching to attach the pockets were also not very good, but fortunately, the thread just gets buried in the knit fabric and can't even see the stitching.

February 2, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper Piping Day

ジャンパースカートの縫い目にパイピングを入れることにしました。


I have added a piping to my jumper dress. Well, since it's a bias binding sewn flat, it is not technically a piping? The fabric is a bit thick so I added a top stitching on the side panel side.

I have also decided to skip the zipper and sewn the back shut. I did not test wearing it with zipper shut when I basted the whole thing so I am not sure if I can actually wiggle into it. The fabric is actually knit so I'm hoping it will stretch enough. We shall see.

February 1, 2015

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper Day 3

ジャンパースカートに取り掛かりました。
丸一日かかってなんとかサイズ調整終了。
I have finally re-started my jumper dress project. And I spent all day fitting and re-fitting and re-fitting and re-fitting.
Since I did not make a muslin, I hand-basted the entire dress and fitted and re-basted seam by seam. I think I have come to a point where I can sew for real.