Coat Sew Along

September 28, 2012 ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 2 Comments

Here we go sewing peeps. I’ve committed to Gertie’s coat sew along. The schedule is to have our muslin sewn and fitted by Monday (October 1).

I’ve not ever participated in a sew along before. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps it is the stress of accountability. Will I be able to keep up with the schedule? What if my garment doesn’t fit properly in the end, what if it just looks stupid, what if my color/fabric choices are pathetic? I must get over my insecurities and dive in with fortitude. I know the end result will be greater sewing experience and many, many lessons learned. So it will be a win, win either way. What about you? Do you like to commit to challenges or sew alongs?

In the opposite sewing realm, I am busy quilting my grandson’s twin size quilt. My daughter indicated she would simply like straight-line quilting, so rather than using my quilt frame and short-arm quilter, I am using the walking foot on my sewing machine and quilting ~~straight~~ somewhat straight diagonal lines. 🙂

Have a great weekend.

Sassy Librarian Blouse

September 24, 2012 ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 3 Comments

Have you enrolled for any classes at Craftsy yet? If not, I do highly recommend them. I’ve taken several classes including cooking and sewing/quilting. Christine Haynes offers the Sassy Librarian Blouse via Craftsy and I wanted to sign up as soon as it became available several months ago. Well, my patience paid off and the class went on sale last week for $19.99, so I quickly signed up. It is definitely geared toward beginning sewers, so you may ask why I would be interested. I must admit, my interest was in the pattern not necessarily the class. But Christine Haynes is a talented pattern designer and her instructional videos are very easy to follow. I really enjoyed watching the videos and following along with my project.

I cut the size 8 and tapered to a 10 at the hips. I ended up taking in an extra 5/8″ on each side seam. I also sewed the vertical darts two inches higher than the pattern called for because I wanted to accent the waistline a bit more than what the original pattern allowed (it was a bit boxy on me).

The collar is difficul to see as it blends into the bodice fabric, but here is a close up:

And of course, I used my serger to finish the inside seams and front facing:

I really like the pattern. It pays homage to one of my favorite TV wives – Laura Petrie. I believe I will style my new top with leggings and ballet flats (ohhhhhhhh Rob!). If you are a beginning sewer or you are simply interested in this pattern, I highly recommend the Craftsy course. I would love to see your version if you are so inclined to share. 🙂

Burda Style Magazine 02-2009-125

September 13, 2012 ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment

No, I did not recently complete this top. But when I wore it Sunday, I realized I never shared it with all of you because I wasn’t blogging when I made it. And it is too nice of a pattern to keep all to myself! The blouse has somewhat puffy sleeves with a sleeve band that includes a functional button, it has a collar and it buttons up the front. Princess seams add shaping detail so it is not a boxy fit.

Burda’s fabric suggestions are for light weight shirting. I used a great batiste fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics. If you are interested in this pattern, I posted a review of it on Pattern Review way back in 2009 when I made it. So if you have the February 2009 Burda World of Fashion magazine in your archives and decide to make this blouse, I would love to see your version. I just might make another one in the upcoming months.