Thursday, January 7, 2010

Have You Ever Wondered---


You see a to-die-for fabric.  Can't possibly leave the store without it.  Without a specific pattern in mind, how much to buy?  These wonderful, little plastic cards take away the guesswork.

Gwen, of After the Dress, has manufactured these credit-card size jewels after gathering tons and tons of information on her blog.  She calculated yardage for specific garment types, from women's sizes 6-22.  There are calculations for dresses, jackets, shirts, coats, skirts and pants.  Each card refers to a specfic garment type.  For instance, one card deals with dresses.  On the back of that card are drawings of dresses that could be made from the amount of fabric calculated on the front of the card.

I'm sure it took an amazing amount of time to accumulate all that data.  She's done a terrific job on these little cards, which are small enough to slip into a pocket or handbag.  They would make a wonderful gift for yourself or a sewing friend. These are available at:  http://gwynhug.com/


I was able to spend some time in my sewing room today.  I made a muslin of McCall 5941


Mine will be a hip-length version, made in black/white houndstooth.  I made a change to the pattern.  The underarm is actually made like a kimono sleeve--squared off in that area, with the underarm seam left open.  Because I am adding a lining to this unlined jacket, I believe it will be easier to insert lining if the underarm is completely sewn.  I simply drew a curve at the underarm, making it a dolman sleeve.

Also, I'm going to add red piping to the collar, and down the front.  The front facing is cut-on.  I'm making the facing separate, so I can pipe the edge.  And, I made a lining pattern.  Tomorrow, I intend to cut and start sewing.  The sky has opened up and snow is falling.  It will be a good day to sew.




                                                             

17 Talk to me:

KID, MD said...

Oooh, houndstooth with red piping. Sounds yummy! I can't wait to see.

Eugenia said...

I must check out those cards - thanks for the tip. Your jacket sounds like it's going to be wonderful - I love houndstooth.

Trudy said...

Thanks for the recommendation of the cards.

Myra said...

I am anxious to see how it turns out.

Mary Nanna said...

oh how I laughed at your last post.. but I got to tell ya, I'm one up on you because I walked out of the fabric shop yesterday without buying a pattern and they were all half price..

Elaray said...

I've made a few farbric estimation mistakes lately. Those cards would have come in handy.

Patricia said...

Your jacket sounds nice. What scale is the houndstooth?

julia said...

I knew you would change it to make it truly your own. I think red piping on black and white houndstooth sounds great!! I can't wait to see it done!!!

Nancy K said...

The cards are a great idea.
Red piping is also a terrific idea. It should look great.

Faye Lewis said...

I just saw where you gave some more pants wrinkle advice. I'm going to have to start calling you the "WRINKLE EXPERT"!

BJ said...

I like the idea of the cards - are they laminated? What are they made of? I worry that they won't last in the black hole I call a purse unless they're plastic!

ClaireOKC said...

I have a philosophy that I would rather have 3/4 yd too much than lack 6" to make an outfit. So I always get too much. I can always do something with what's left over and usually have!

Love the jacket pattern - great lines for your effort.

Linda L said...

Thanks for showing your alteration to the pattern. I have this on my list of jackets to make and assumed jacket was lined. So that would solve that little issue. Your fabric with red piping sounds like a fantastic looking jacket. Look forward to seeing the end result.

Kathi said...

I haven't tried to work with piping yet. It is one of those things I want to try!! Look forward to seeing yours!
The little cards look awesome - I saw them when they did a give away and thought they looked cool. Of course, most sewing gadgets (oops, notions) look cool!!!!!!!

Nishant said...

Your jacket sounds nice. What scale is the houndstooth?

Work from home India

Rose said...

You are just full of great ideas on this post! The cards are good tip and the jacket with the alterations you made and the fabric/piping sounds wonderful. I hope that it is coming along so that we can see it soon.

Michelle said...

I must get a set of those cards. I have a "cheat sheet" that lives in my wallet, but it's just my own estimations, and occasionally I am not able to get the project I had envisioned out of the fabric purchased because of my estimations.

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