Lansing Clippers Sew

  What Is a Scrappy Quilt? * This is the second in a series of articles about Scrappy Quilting. A scrappy quilt is not necessarily a quilt made up of small pieces of leftover fabric, but it can be.   The quilt I showed you in my last blog was that kind of quilt.   My definition of a scrappy quilt is one which includes a variety of fabrics in a variety of colors, a variety of prints and blocks which are not matchy-matchy.   As I began my search for patterns which would be adaptable to scrappy quilts, I discovered that there are a wide variety of existing quilt patterns which are perfectly designed for scrappy construction.   Some of these patterns call for precuts, but if you have an existing supply of fabric. you can create your own precuts in sizes such as 2 ½ inch strips or 5-inch squares. The pattern which I have chosen for my next quilt is called Candy Store, which I found in the May/June 2012 Fon’s & Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine.   The...

  I’M A QUILTER! *This is the first in a series of articles about Scrappy Quilting. I’m a quilter.   I’m also a garment maker, a crocheter, and a crafter.   But I’m mainly a quilter.   I love to sew and quilting allows me to sew mainly in a straight row without worrying about fit.   I’ve been quilting for about 16 years and in that time, I’ve made at least 30 quilts.   Many I’ve given away but the rest are in my closet waiting to be useful.     As I’ve created, I’ve accumulated a lot of leftover fabric.   I also have a habit of buying Fat Quarters, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls and other precuts as I visit quilt shops just because I like the designs.   Recently I’ve begun to realize that my inventory (stash) is out of control.   Way out of control! As a member of the Lansing Clippers Chapter of the American Sewing Guild, I attend our annual sewing retreat held in Shipshewana, Indiana each summer.   This is a time for uninterrupt...

  Knitting Socks Why knit socks?   There are many very nice socks commercially available that cost a lot less than the yarn for hand knit socks.   But there is something satisfying about completing a pair of patterned or striped socks.   But therein lies one problem, you have to make two and then there are the complications of tools and techniques.   Socks first appeared late in my knitting life – like in the last ten years.   The first pair was completed; and there were a lot of aspects of the process – tools and techniques – that I didn’t really like.   But I tried again; and this time one sock was finished and then the second sock was removed to the bottom of the yarn basket for about five years.   I found it again last year and thought it only needs the toe to be finished.   JUST DO IT!   So, I did and was reminded of all the things I don’t like about knitting socks.   That sent me looking for solutions. What don’t I like ab...

  Jacket 8 – Done The jacket is finished!   (Picture 8-1)                                                                                             Picture 8-1 It took me about 6 weeks to complete.  I only worked on it for about two hours a day for three or four days each week.  In total, I think I probably have about 40 hours of work.  I like to work in the morning when the sun is bright in my east-facing sewing room.  Old eyes and old hands don’t work as well later in the day.  Each day I would decide which “chunk” of the project to tackle – usually the next paragraph of my tailoring book.  When my efforts didn’t go as hoped or I had too much trouble (like the day I could not thread the needle), I quit for the day a...

  Jacket 7 - Finishing The finishing steps are mostly completed by hand.   The jacket undercollar is cut from pre-made collar fabric.   This is a combination of wool felt for the right side and hair canvas pad-stitched to it for the wrong side (Picture 7-1).    The hair canvas was applied on the bias, so when I cut the under collar, I had the bias grain line on the pattern follow that of the canvas.   The seam allowances on the under collar are removed.   This is a little tricky and I later had to adjust the under collar to fit the upper collar.   After the under collar is trimmed it is folded and steamed on the fold line using a ham to shape it (Picture 7-2).   With the under collar prepared and after a break of several days to contemplate fell stitching, I attached the under collar to the upper collar.   This is where my less than precise trim of the under collar caused some issues.   It was a little too close to the outer edge ...

 Jacket 6 – Lining Now it is time to tackle the facing, lining and creating the inside pocket, and collar.   The inside pocket is a welt pocket usually on the right-hand front.   When using a full lining, the front lining is joined to the front/lapel facing.   After joining the facing and lining, I marked and then thread traced the pocket placement.   The thread tracing adds a step but simplifies the creation of the pocket opening.   With the placement lines thread traced on both the facing/lining and on the pocket piece, it was very easy to line up the pocket.   Once I was satisfied with the placement, I basted the stitching lines.   Basting may seem unnecessary, but it meant I stitched a nice even box for the welt.   At this point, I took a deep breath and paused for a couple of days while contemplating slashing the pocket open.   Up to this point, mistakes were reversible – just a little ripping out of stitches.   An error here...

  Jacket 5 - Construction of the Outer Jacket . Now I am ready to put the parts together.   I have two jacket fronts (a left and a right), the back, and two sleeves carefully checked to be sure they are mirrors of each other.   I have been known to end up with two right or two left sleeves.   So, I took extra care to be sure I got these correct.   The fronts and back go together easily.   I have to keep the chest piece out of the shoulder seam but as it is only tailor basted, it is easy to fold back.   It’s beginning to look like a jacket. Next is setting the sleeves.   This is where having the notches marked is helpful.   I could find the front and back notches and the shoulder seam point on the sleeves but the back notch on the jacket seems to have disappeared.   Ugh.   Fitting the sleeves was more challenging than it needed to be.   I finally measured where the back notch on the jacket should be and then fitted the sleev...