Calculating Cats

Courtesy of Woolanthropy, I took this quick online quiz and was shocked --- just shocked --- at the result:

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I can't believe my sweet little Simon would plot anything ... other than a chance to lie on my freshly ironed fabric or swat at my dangling strands of yarn! Look at that face --- does that look like the face of a calculating cat?!?

Trousers - Not Just Two Sleeves Sewn Together

Someone once told me that sewing a pair of pants is as easy as sewing two sleeves together. Ha!

I just finished a pair of high-waisted trousers, which are lined and feature a fly-front zipper and belt loops. While it wasn't as challenging as tailoring a jacket, it was still pretty involved --- definitely not easy!

Here's a line drawing of the pattern, which is from the January 2009 issue of Burda Magazine.



Pattern Alterations
As this is a petite-sized pattern, the only alterations I had to make were to add some width above the hip at the side seams. I made a muslin and found that it was a bit tight, so I made the required pattern changes and decided to make another muslin using a fabric closer to the final fashion fabric. Odd thing --- this muslin turned out too large! I decided to split the difference and added half of what the original muslin required.





As you can see from the front view, I should have gone with what the original muslin told me. It is a bit snug around the abdominal region. Just more incentive to hit the gym!

Fabric
I used a blue/gray wool suiting that I've had in my stash for a while. It is a "hard" fabric so it was difficult to press. For the seams, I used steam and a clapper to get a good press. I overlocked all of the raw edges rather than doing an enclosed seam finish, as I wanted to keep the seams as flat as possible. I used Bemberg rayon for the lining --- just some yardage I had in my stash.



Techniques
1. Fly-front Zipper: As I mentioned in an earlier post, I used this technique to put the fly-front zipper in, and it worked well. The only problem I ran into was accidentally pulling the zipper pull off! I managed to get it back on, but it doesn't quite look as good as it did before I had to fiddle with it. Oh well --- I learned my lesson --- do not cut off the zipper stops at the top of the zipper without securing the zipper top first!

2. Neat Belt Loops: The Sewing Lawyer has a great technique for putting in neat belt loops. Using her method, there are no raw edges showing and no messy topstitching at the narrow ends of the loops. Mine aren't as neat as hers, but I'll get there!

Construction
The only major change I made was to run the zipper up to the top and add a narrow bias band along the top, which added stability. The original pattern called for a two-button closure, but I was lazy and didn't want to make buttonholes. Yes, I am honest.



Changes I Would Make Next Time
1. Secure the zipper top before cutting off the stops!
2. In addition to interfacing the facings, I would interface the fronts and backs long the waist areas for added stability and potentially a smoother line.
3. Pockets would be nice.

Overall, I am pleased with these trousers, even though they are a bit snug. As someone who hasn't made very many pairs of pants, I think these turned out ok. I'm ready for my next pair!

Latest Burda --- in German!

One of my stocking stuffers every year is a subscription renewal to my beloved Burda magazine. I've been a subscriber since 2006 and have all of my issues neatly organized by year in racks with a reference binder of patterns from each issue. Yes, I can be rather hyper-organized.

Well, last month, I received two January 2010 issues in the mail, one in English and the other in German. I thought there must have been some shipping mistake, but no --- I just received my February issue and it is in German! I looks like my subscription renewal was for the German language version!



Although I cannot read German, I am tempted to keep this subscription because the quality of the magazine is greater than the English version. While the English version has all of the pages, including the pattern sheets and directions, all stapled together in the center of the magazine, the German version has the pattern sheets and instructions bound together as a pack and inserted in the magazine. The pack has its own cover page and photos of each pattern style, so it can be neatly kept separately from the rest of the magazine. As any English Burda reader knows, in order to pull the patterns out, you have to remove the staples that hold the entire magazine together! Below is a picture of the pack, which has a perforated edge along the magazine binding.



I think the German version has special features as well which, unfortunately, I can't read, but I can appreciate the photos. Also, when you flip through the main photo pages, they include line drawings of each pattern, which is really nice to have, as sometimes it is difficult to discern the exact style in the photograph. The English version doesn't have this.



So it wouldn't be too bad to keep the German version --- the pattern pieces still have English terms on them and often times the instructions aren't all that clear anyway. Maybe I'll learn a few new words!

A Shirt's Tale

Here's a good WSJ article about quality details in a well-tailored shirt. The article focuses on men's shirts, but the details can be applied to women's shirts as well.

For sewing shirts, I have the David Coffin book, Shirtmaking, which has excellent information on construction techniques. I know he recently came out with a trouser book, which I am thinking of buying. There is a really good blog, Off the Cuff, that is written by a designer who creates beautiful shirts. She has great tutorials and tips for making shirts as well as other garments, and I always learn something new from her site.

Week in San Francisco

I spent the past week in San Francisco for a work-related conference, which meant no sewing and minimal knitting. During open times, I was fortunate that the weather allowed me to walk around and do a bit of window shopping. San Francisco has a great mix of the usuals (Nordstrom, Neiman, Saks) as well as specialty boutiques by local designers.

Margaret O'Leary has beautiful sweaters, and this time, a gray swing coat with an amazingly cozy oversized collar caught my eye. It's one of those sweaters that doesn't have great hanger appeal, but is transformative when put on. It is from the Fall 2009 collection and the image is on her website.

Sunhee Moon is always a fun store for clean-styled basics that are locally designed and manufactured. I love the shirtdresses and skirts, while a friend of mine says the pants are the best-fitting ever. I've had my eye on the dress below --- love the shape and the sleeves.

Image from here.

House of Hengst is another locally designed name that has really cool garments. The style is very clean with some retro elements to add interest. The fabrics are absolutely gorgeous and the construction is impeccable. The designer gives a lot of attention to the details, so if you have the chance to see one of her pieces up close, check out those details.

After all of my obligations were finished, I treated myself to a leisurely stroll through Britex Fabrics, which is one of the best resources for fine fabrics in the San Francisco area. All of the imported and designer fashion fabrics are on the first floor --- bolts of gorgeous wools line the walls and rolls of silk charmeuse prints cover the tables --- just the stuff to get your creative juices flowing. I always check out the fourth floor, which is where the remnants reside. I found a beautiful navy blue wool jersey, striped cotton shirting and a pale gray silk and cotton. I have no idea what I'm going to make but I'm sure I'll figure something out!

WSJ - Mariniere Style

Image from here.

WSJ featured one of my favorite styles yesterday. Here's a link to the article, which features mariniere style or nautical style. The slideshow is very cool too.

According to the article, boat-necked striped shirts were first worn by French sailors. Then Coco Chanel came along and introduced the garment for women. Since then, the look has surfaced a number of times, the most current time being influenced by the movie, Coco Before Chanel, which was released last year and featured Audrey Tautou wearing one of the iconic shirts.

Here's a version that is actually a dress and has very cool draped sleeves. It is from a brand called T-Los Angeles.

Image from here.

I would love to make my own version --- maybe a tweaked version to give it more spunk. If anyone can recommend fabric sources for this kind of striped fabric, I would appreciate it!

Fly-Front Zipper Technique

One of my goals for the year is to challenge myself with projects and techniques that I've shied away from in the past. One project is a pair of nice trousers with a fly-front zipper. I've made elastic waist pants in the past but only one pair of fly-front pants --- they were black twill and looked okay from afar as long as a shirt or sweater covered the front zipper!

So I found a wonderful video by Sandra Betzina demonstrating an easy way to insert a fly-front zipper. I created a sample using her technique and it turned out beautifully. If you haven't already, check it out --- it really is a great technique.

The photo below is my sample using a very nice wool suiting fabric that I've had in my stash for several years. The pattern is a high-waisted style, which is why the zipper comes up short --- there will be buttons above it.



Topstitching the curve at the bottom of the zipper was a bit tricky, but I think the key is to smoothly rotate the fabric as you sew. I stopped and pivoted at one point, which created a slight point rather than a smooth curve.

Tailor's Board

A belated Christmas gift arrived at our house yesterday afternoon --- a tailor's board!



With all of its points, edges and curves, it will simplify pressing all of the "hard to get" seams such as collars and lapels. The flat bottom can also be used as a clapper to help set steam into the seams. It is beautifully crafted --- I'm thrilled!

This one came from Golden Hands Industries, which was recommended on Pattern Review. They don't have a website so the best way to order one of these gems is to call: 770-998-1323 or 800-998-1392.

Happy 2010!

I spent the last days of 2009 in a frenzy of cooking and cleaning --- unfortunately no sewing or knitting for me.

My family came up to ring in the new year with us so we had a full house. We prepared some traditional Japanese dishes (some successful, others not so much) and had a fun time visiting, competing in Wii games and playing with Simon, who loved having everyone around.

These are some of the more traditional dishes (from left to right): salted roe (kazunoko), burdock root (kimpira gobo), sweet black beans (kuro mame) and sweetened dried fish (tazukuri). My beans came out a touch too tough and the dried fish stuck together in a clump (over-caramelized the sauce, I think), but they tasted good.



Here's one of the main dishes, which are a variety of root vegetables and chicken simmered in a seasoned broth (nishime). I overcooked the carrots so there are carrot bits on everything! Traditionally, each vegetable is cooked separately to ensure the full flavor of the individual vegetable is brought out, but I really didn't have the time for that --- hence the carrot bits.



It was a great way to start the new year. Best wishes for a wonderful 2010!