Yes, Simon gets another sweatshirt

Another stashbusting project completed. I have to say that Jalie's 3355 pattern is really getting mileage. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to sew, with laundry and kids running around. So it is a simple easy project.

We had bought a lot of fabric for Simon to make himself sweaters but he never had the time. So I have taken it upon myself to rid us of the fabric. Plus he could use some sweaters.

He requested that I made him a sweater using the "Freddy Cougar" material.We have 3 red striped fabrics, but this one is the closest.

 

I think I lined up the stripes well.I pinned them prior to sewing so the stayed in place. 

 

You see the stripes line up, yippee!

Yet another Jalie 3355

Well, I am on a roll! I made another Jalie 3355 sweatshirt for Simon. This one took a tad bit longer as I had kids running around screaming, throwing things, generally causing Chaos! No worries, nothing was broken and miraculously no kids cried.

I used more fabric from my Tonitex stash, a nice lightweight checkered knit and a lightweight black rib. It went well, nothing special. I am now an expert at this pattern.

Jalie 3355 - Thomas the Tank Sweatshirt

So here is another version of Jalie's 3355. I made it with the flannel and white rib we bought at Tonitex. This was origanlly slated for a PJ top but we don't need another PJ.

It was a super quick and easy sewing project.

I love quick and easy.

I am running out of labels so I decided to use Thomas' face. When kids dress themselves it is always useful to have tags to help them identify the front from the back.

Here you can see my topstitching details.

I am loving how easy it is to attach rib.

Jalie 3355 size "I" for Sam

So I decided to sew a sweatshirt for Sam with the tool fabric we got from Tonitex. I originally wanted to make PJ's with this fabric, but Sam has more than enough PJ's.We also got this amazing sturdy grey rib from Tonitex as well.

Sam was a screamer this evening and he did not want to go to bed. He finally did, and I had enough time (and motivation) to sew him a sweatshirt - from start to finish.



I used Jalie 3355, size "I", which corresponds to a child's size 5. This is a fun easy pattern. Let's hope tomorrow morning Sam will enjoy his new sweatshirt. I told him he had to go to bed so that I can sew. The last time I went to settle him down he told me that I should now go sew!

Jalie 3355 Sweatshirt

I had bought a nice soft sweatshirt fleece from Tonitex. I wanted to make Simon and the boys a nice fizzy sweatshirt. The problem was I did not have a pattern for Simon.  That is where Jalie 3355 comes in. I could NOW justify buying another Jalie Pattern.. YIPPPEEE!



I made the boys sweatshirts and now it was hubby's turn. The inside of the fabric is all soft and fuzzy. Super warm and comfy, or so I am told. I made myself a pink sweatshirt.

There are 3 items to this pattern. Sweatpants, sweatshirt or a hoodie. I used the sweatshirt pattern, sized "Y" for Simon. I did not make any pattern adjustments, for once!

By now I am used to sewing sweaters with cuffs and a ribbed neckband. I did not need to look at the instructions, but I did anyways. I am on vacation and the little one is not here today, he's at daycare. So my mind is open and clear! Why not take the extra 5 minutes?




Now I usually make one small mistake. It was going so well, then I realized I only cut out one arm. OOPS! Good thing I was frugal with my pattern placement. I had enough fabric.

One thing that I like to do is I mark which piece is the back. Sweatshirts can kinda look all the same when you are sewing, so I have gotten into the habit of sewing a small piece of string onto the back piece and writing down String=back as a reminder.

 

Another tip I use is when I know I will use the pattern again I tape the areas where I pin the pattern. This protects the paper and stands up to numerous uses.

The only changes I made were extra steps. I serged the edges of the rib after I sewed them on and then I topstitched it in place.

 

Completing Holiday sewing - all for Moi!

Today was a great day for sewing! I finished version 2 of my hot yoga outfit, I lined the back of the pink hot yoga outfit and I sewed another version of the Kwik Sew Sweatshirt. I made an extra small in the long version. I find the short version too short for my comfort. This is comfy sweatshirt and I wanted it longer than the brown version. So I guess third time really is the charm!

 

I found this soft pink fabric at Fabricville. I was there to buy thread to hem my pants for Scouts and I needed to buy something else so that I could use my interac to pay. This jumped out at me. It is nice and soft. The perfect color and texture for a sweatshirt.

 

The band is made from ribbing that I also bought at Fabricville. I like this rib as it is sturdy and thick. It will stand up to many wears! I tried finding this at Tonitex and Club Tissus... NO luck. Only at Fabricville, hence why I purchased a membership there. I am not a fan (AT ALL) of Favricville. Their material is a lesser quality and their customer service is pitiful! You ask a simple basic question and they stare at you like you just asked them a quantum physics question. Then they point to the other side of the room and say it may be over there. Basically they are useless!

 

 I added some topstitching, it was not mentioned in the instructions, but I like extra details, and I like the cuffs to stay in place.

 

With this type of style you really need a marker for the back, On my Pink one, sized small I did not sew one in and I am always putting it on backwards!

Hot Yoga outfit #2

When we went to Stretch text we bought 2 materials for hot yoga outfits. What I learned from the pink one is that I should a) sew the bra inserts in before construction and b) I should line the back as well as the front and c) it is a work in progress learning the CoverPro machine.

I liked the placement of the cups from the pink one so I followed those. I sewed the cups onto the lining. From my Lululemon bras I HATE HATE HATE stuffing the cups into the top. So Sew them permanently it is!

I had my concerns on how to sew the cups to the lining without it shifting in weird ways. Pop the cups upwards. This way they stay in the proper place. Then you cut the lining around the cups after they are sewed in so that they lay properly. 

 I then sewed the elastic and then the powermesh as I did in the pink outfit. I then sewed lining on the back.

I kind look like a pool liner! 

 

Here is the outfit all sewed together. Looks kinda cool, n'est pas?

 

I am learning how to use my CoverPro machine. It is about time I say! A few years sitting idle and now I am ready to face my fears. It is not perfect...yet! But the fun is in the learning process. No one picks something up for the first time and is perfect. 

 

Here you can see the powermesh, liner, elastic and cups all sewn together. 

 

I like the shape of it. One thing I got a tad wrong was in this spandex I should have used a size up, as the stretch is less than the peachskin material. I hope it will be ok, I will have wriggle quite a bit to get out of this after a hot yoga class. But I will be all limber after the class! 

 

The back has a really nice scoop to it. 

 

And the best part of this outfit? I don't have to wear a bra and my ya-yas are held in place and covered up!

Hot Pink Hot Yoga outfit

So I have a plan. We bought hot pink peachskin material at Stretch Text last weekend.That coupled with Jalie's 3138 Unitard will make a nice new outfit for hot yoga.














I want to add lining and bra inserts and power mesh to the front. I will take what I learned during my sewing class for the bathing suit and modify it for this pattern.

The pattern is 3 pieces and the lining would be basically lining, an elastic band, power mesh and then lining again. And I would sew in the bra inserts. But why am I so scared to do it?

I plan on tracing the pattern tomorrow evening and then this weekend sewing it. Now that we got the CoverPro rolling and we bought cool pink thread for it I can forge ahead!

Wish me luck! And then I just have to have the guts to wear it during class. Most of the women are clad in head to toe black. Then there I will be - Hot Pink in Hot Yoga...


Friday


So I traced the unitard pattern, size "T". I will be cutting the material single fold so I traced the pattern pieces for both sides. I learned in my bathing suit class that it is best when working with bathing suit material to not cut on the fold. Since there are 3 pieces to this pattern it is not too much work. Plus if I like this pattern I will use it on my crazy spandex pattern that I chose. I like to see how a pattern piece lies on fabric when there is a pattern.


I traced the front pattern piece to make the lining. After the kids go to sleep I will modify the lining to be lining, elastic and power mesh to control the belly, and then lining again. We can't go to hot yoga without a) proper coverage and support for the ya-yas and b) proper lining. You sweat, A LOT during hot yoga. And this is not black. I want coverage. This is peachskin, so it is nice and thick, but still.

Saturday

I decided that I would like the legs to be a bit longer. I am comfortable in these Lululemon shorts. They are the perfect length. I will copy this length to the pattern. In bridge or downward dog I may find the pattern a bit short.

 This UHU glue stick is the best for pattern modifications. When you apply the glue it goes on in a nice purple streak. When it dries it dries clear. This way you don't have glue everywhere sticking your paper to everything. And you know exactly where you applied the glue.

You can find this anywhere, but Simon bought it at Bureau en Gros (Staples).

























Now this is what I meant with the lining. I cut the pattern piece where I want to elastic inserted and I added 1 cm to both pieces to allow for seam allowances. The top is lining, then an elastic band, and then power mesh on the bottom. I have a nice light power mesh. I mistakenly bought a very sturdy one at Stetch Text, which I believe you would use in your skating outfits. That would not be comfortable in hot yoga.

In my swim suit class we were taught to avoid putting pins in spandex as much as possible. This is why I traced the entire pattern with no fold lines. Perhaps it does not matter and I could cut on the fold, but this is how we were taught, and this is how I sew. It takes a bit more time, but I am not sewing for speed. I like the entire process. And if you are using a fabric with a pattern you can see exactly where the pattern piece lies.

Now that all the pieces were cut out I could sew them together. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding Jalie's instructions. This may be because I have a hard time following along visually. It takes me a while to catch what is being instructed in a picture. It has to be clear and I have to attempt it. I am more hands on. Once I do something, put it together and see how all the pieces fit together, then I will get it. Otherwise I will sit there and scratch my head.


I could not visualize the crotch pieces from what I had to what was pictured below. I was like "What the HELL??? SIMON HELP!"


The material curls A LOT. A simple solution to make it more manageable is to sew the lining to the front piece and work with it sewed together. This made it easy-peasey to work with. I did this to the front and the crotch pieces.


One other boo-boo I made was I did not modify the pattern for the crotch. I guess this is where not being able to visualize how all the pieces go together comes into play. Since I extended the legs I had to extend the crotch, as it runs on the inside of your legs. DUHHHH.


Once I fixed all my mistakes I sewed it together. I tried it on for fit and made my adjustments to the shoulders. I am short, I could have modified the pattern before cutting anything out, but I didn't. I then serged all the seams.


Now it is on to the bindings. I will use the technique I learned in my tissue extensible course and use a Chanel binding insertion. I think I will use a wider pattern for the pieces as the material curves like crazy. I had a fight with my CoverPro and I (meaning Simon) is ripping out my stitches at the moment. I will get this done in time for tomorrow's Hot Yoga class. The lining is sooo worth it. I would not make another one without it.

Sunday

I was dreaming of finishing my outfit all night. I wanted to widen the bindings to make it easier to work with. I did not look at the instructions too long, so perhaps she instructs us to sew on the bindings the way I did, perhaps not. I used the Chanel binding technique. It is rather easy and simple. Just be sure to mark the 4 points on your binding and on your material.

The collar and armholes went on smoothly and so did the hems on the legs. I learned how to use the CoverPro and I ended the seams all by myself! Yeah! I did not need Simon's help. The results are not 100% perfect. I am a perfectionist and I strive for perfection in my work. I have only used this machine a few times, so the results are pretty awesome for a newbie, if I do say so myself.

Now onto the bra inserts. Ummmm, they are too small. Perhaps that is why I did not like my bathing suit that I made. I found the inserts oddly placed. I now have to go back to the store and buy more stuff. YEAHHH! But I will not have time to complete it for a yoga class today. Just as well. I will wear it tomorrow. The class will have less people in it and if I have a wardrobe malfunction there will be less people to see it.

Hand sewing the inserts was harder than i remembered. You don't want to see the outer layer so you want to be careful. I mist likely will sew the cups prior to construction on the next one.

It is finally done. I had to buy 36 cup inserts. I had a hard time picking them out as the ones I wanted were sold out. Of course, my size is always sold out.

I did not want inserts that were too rigid nor too narrow. 

The outfit stays put in downward dog. Sam loves to do the downward dog.

I should have lined it in the back. The material is thick, but I was afraid it would be see through. That is why I lined the front completely. The back you can see the color of my underwear. 

Oh well, I will know for next time. I will have to wear pink undergarments when I wear this. Good thing Hot Yoga is done in a dimly lit room.

The next one I sew (I have already cut it out) I will not sew the bra inserts into it. I will create an opening so that I can insert them and remove them when I wash it.