Apparently one challenge isn’t enough…

Thanks for your comments on my last post. It is a challenging project to knit (and I don’t want to think about how difficult it will be to seam the pieces together) but at the same time I am enjoying it.

I must be in the mood for stupid ambitious crafting, because I’ve decided to try making my first garment from an original vintage pattern. I’ve chosen Hollywood Pattern 1387, which the Vintage Patterns Wiki dates as c.1944. Look at that fabulous illustration on the front of the pattern envelope! So stylish.

The back of the pattern envelope describes the dress as follows: “Buttons from neck to hem at center-front. Skirt has pleats at side-fronts and a panelled back and joins the blouse under belt. Two patch pockets. Blouses gathered at shoulder yokes, front and back. Notched collar. Long sleeves gathered to cuff-bands and short sleeves”.  There are 12 pattern pieces in all.

The tissue pattern pieces are in good condition, apart from some damage to the facing section on the front bodice. It’s torn and crumpled, so I needed to do some gentle reconstructive work. I have tremendous respect for vintage dressmaking patterns – this one has been around for almost 70 years, which is a lot longer than me. I photocopied the instruction sheets and I have traced the tissue pieces to preserve the originals.

This is where it got tricky as a newbie to vintage patterns – the tissue pieces are unprinted, and the pattern markings are indicated with notches and dots. Also, the instructions are a lot less detailed than for some modern patterns. There are no fabric suggestions, although the pattern mentions the treatment of wool, silk and rayon, suggesting that woven fabrics with drape are appropriate. It doesn’t tell you how many of each piece to cut! I used common sense here – I figured I would probably need two sleeves

I’m going to make a muslin using some polycotton kindly given to me by Mr GiW’s mum to check for fit and also test out whether I can actually make this dress. Although the jumper I am knitting is a challenge, I have no doubt I can make it. I don’t feel so confident about this sewing project, so I will be asking you – my dear readers – for advice along the way.

I haven’t made any fitting adjustments as the pattern should be my size. I will omit pockets – I do this normally to avoid adding bulk to my thighs which are my problem area. Finally, there’s no mention of interfacing in the pattern – should I interface the collar, front facings and buttonhole band? Arrghh! Why do I do these things to myself?!

I am an idiot

How else could you explain my decision to knit an adult size jumper which has a 24 row repeating lace pattern in sock yarn? Also, the pattern starts with 32 rows of K1, P1 rib on 2.25mm needles. What joy!

I have It Cannot Fail to Please from A Stitch in Time Volume One on the needles at the moment. I’m making the medium size (38-42″). The lace pattern is quite enjoyable, once you get into the rhythm. However, the pattern will definitely fail to please if you don’t download the errata as there are quite a few mistakes in the version of the printed book that I have.

I’m using Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4 ply in cream. I have to be honest, the fact that the yarn is cheap was a major deciding factor. I was worried it would feel scratchy, as it’s made from 75% wool and 25% polyamide, but the yarn has been a pleasant surprise. It’s a lot softer than I expected and it’s knitting up nicely with good stitch definition.

So far, I have knitted the back section and I’m about halfway through the front section. On the positive side, the project is very good value for money as there’s a lot of knitting time needed to make this jumper. It’s keeping me quiet anyway…

Image credit: Susan Crawford, A Stitch in Time.

Sewing gadgetry

I do like a hobby where you can accessorize and sewing is excellent for this. There are many, many gadgets and tools available for the home sewer. In fact, one of my favourite things to do these days is to browse through a sewing supplies catalogue (I know, I know…). I have bought a few useful sewing tools lately so I thought I would share them with you.

Magnetic pincushion – I’ve been storing my pins in a Cath Kidston tin. However, being the clumsiest person in the world, I’ve knocked over the open tin more times than I care to remember. I walk around the flat barefoot and I don’t relish the prospect of stepping on a pin. So I bought a magnetic pincushion and I am very pleased with it! It holds plenty of pins, it’s weighted at the bottom (the magnet, I assume) so it’s difficult to knock over and the pins are held firmly on the top. No more crawling around the carpet looking for stray pins!

Duckbill scissors – They are meant for applique, but they are brilliant for grading seams. Normally I have to be super careful not to catch and cut the back seam accidentally as I am trimming the front one with dressmaking shears. However, the ‘duck billed’ blade on these scissors slips between the seam allowances, holding the back one down and out of the way whilst you trim the one in front. Indispensable.

Blunt tracing wheel – when transferring pattern markings, such as darts or pleats, from the pattern to the fabric I insert tailor’s tacks and then join the points indicated by the tacks with a dressmaker’s pencil. It’s not so bad if you have a couple of darts, but when making the Simplicity 2444  dress there are four darts on the front bodice, plus markings for pleats on the front and back skirt pieces. I was looking for a quicker way to transfer pattern markings so I bought a blunt tracing wheel and dressmaker’s carbon paper. I cut the fabric with wrong sides together, then slide two pieces of carbon paper (carbon sides out) between the fabric pieces and trace the pattern markings. I’ve found it best to roll the wheel downwards with a firm pressure.

Point presser and clapper – the latest tool I’ve bought is a wooden point presser and clapper.  I’ve wanted one for ages, but I could never justify the cost (nearly £30). However, I’m planning to make a few shirts for myself this year and I’d like crisp collars! I’ve used this only once so far, but what a difference it makes when pressing shirt collars!

I could manage to sew without any of these tools and get along fine, but I like to make life easier and if there’s a tool to help me do that, why not? Apart from the point presser, none of the above tools were expensive and I’m enjoying them very much. I hope someone has found this post useful!

Some blog awards

Well, once again, I haven’t managed to post every week. I’m going to have to let that sort-of-resolution go. The state of my health means that I’m not always able to take photos of finished projects, or indeed be in the right frame of mind to string together coherent sentences. There’s no point putting myself under unnecessary pressure; blogging should be fun and not a chore.

Anyway, I’ve been lucky enough to be nominated for three blogging awards recently (although I hardly deserve them, given my lack of posts).

Emily at My Vintage Visions nominated me for for the One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you Emily!

The rules for accepting the award are:

• thank the person who nominated you done
• add the “One Lovely Blog Award” image to your post done
• share seven things about yourself see below
• pass the award on to seven nominees see below
• include this set of rules done
• inform your nominees by posting a comment on their blogs see below.

Brooke at Custom Style nominated me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Thank you Brooke! She has been amazingly supportive since I’ve been learning to sew.

The rules for accepting this award are:

• display award image on your blog page done
• link back to the person who nominated you done
• state 7 facts about yourself see below
• nominate 15 other bloggers for the award see below.

Finally, Mrs B at Crazy Crochet Mama nominated me for a Liebster Blog Award. Thank you Mrs B!

The Liebster Award is to recognise blogs with fewer than 200 followers. The rules are:

• list 11 random facts about yourself see below
• answer the 11 questions set by the person who nominated you see below
• nominate 11 new bloggers see below.

Now I’m going to cheat a little. There is some repetition between the blog award rules, so to avoid a never ending list of random facts about me, I am just going to answer the 11 questions set by Mrs B for the Liebster award. I’m really not that interesting and I can’t think of any other random bits of info that I haven’t shared already. So without further ado, the questions and my answers…

1. What was the first thing you ever crocheted? A granny square. Very badly. My mum taught me to knit when I was young, but I could never get the hang of crochet, despite her best efforts. I had to spend many, many hours trying and failing before I worked it out. I don’t crochet much, actually, I prefer the process of knitting so much more.

2. What is your favourite film? Brief Encounter. Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. What’s not to like? I’ve seen it dozens of times, but I cry at the end every single time.

3. Who is your favourite band/singer? The Smiths/Morrissey. Always.

4. If you’re a crocheter/knitter what is your favourite yarn? It’s difficult to choose one, but I would have to say Excelana 4 ply at the moment, which I used to knit Ena’s Sweater.

5. When did you discover blogging? (reading or writing them!) I can’t remember how long I have been reading blogs, it seems like something I’ve always done (although I know that’s not the case). I started writing a blog in March 2009 called ‘Knitting Keeps Me Sane’, which was the precursor to this one. Believe it or not, I was even worse at posting there than I am here.

6. What’s your favourite book(s)? That’s a tough one. I did a degree and a Masters in English literature, so I’ve read a lot of books, from Middle English up to contemporary fiction. I can’t choose just one, it would be like trying to choose a favourite child! However, some books I go back to regularly are ‘Jane Eyre‘, ‘I Capture the Castle‘, anything by Jean Rhys and the Sherlock Holmes stories. My most used book these days is the ‘Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing‘, but that’s another story!

7. Favourite smells & flavours? I like the smells of vanilla and  cinnamon. However, my favourite perfume is Chanel no 19, which is a green, fresh scent. I LOVE chocolate but I like salty foods too (salted caramel anything, crisps, peanut butter).

8. If you won the EuroMillions, would you tick the publicity box, and why would/wouldn’t you? No, definitely not. I am a very private person and I can’t imagine anything worse than being all over the media. I would like to enjoy my fortune in peace, thank you!

9. Do you have nice handwriting? Do you like it? No, my handwriting is awful. It was reasonable until I went to university and then I had to write very quickly to get everything down in lectures. In fact, my writing was so illegible that one of my tutors used to ask me to read my essays aloud to him (this was in the olden days, before PCs were so common). These days I hardly write anything by hand, apart from messages in cards and lists.

10. Brown paper packages tied up with string? What are a few of your favourite things? Tea, gin and tonic, my bed, red lipstick, bags, reading, crafting (of course) and Monkey (the best £20 I have ever spent).

11 If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go? I would collect Mr GiW and take us both off to Paris to eat Laduree macarons and drink wine in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

I’m not going to nominate other bloggers by name, but if you follow my blog and you are reading this post, consider yourself tagged (if you want to be).

FO: Ena’s Sweater

Thank you so much for your comments on my Sew for Victory outfit. Every one of them made me smile I’m going to post today with more details of the jumper I was wearing for all the knitters out there.

As I mentioned, the pattern is ‘Ena’s Sweater’ from A Stitch in Time by Susan Crawford, volume 1. If you’re not familiar with this book, it takes vintage patterns and re-sizes them for modern women. ‘Ena’s Sweater’ was originally a Bestway pattern from 1940 and is described as “Designed by “Ena” of Home Fashions and Children’s Dress – An Attractive Lacy Jumper”

I used Excelana 4 ply yarn in Cornflower Blue, which is 70% Exmoor Blueface and 30% Bluefaced Leicester. It is lovely, lovely yarn – soft, cosy and not too tickly. I am planning to knit with it again very soon.

Here’s another photo of me gurning in the jumper… Mr GiW took some marvellous photos, despite the subject matter he had to work with.

I was a good girl and I swatched before launching into the project. I got the recommended gauge of 28 stitches per 4″ on 3mm needles after wet blocking the swatch. I never used to gauge swatch before starting a project, but I am trying to be a better knitter!

The pattern is a nice combination of stocking stitch and a fairly simple lace pattern. I enjoyed knitting it very much, although I felt the sleeve instructions were rather ambiguous. Thankfully someone from the Susan Crawford forum on Ravelry was able to set me straight.

For me, the pattern has two unusual features – it is not seamed at the shoulders and the sleeves are set in lower than usual.  Instead, the shoulders are fastened with press studs and this was the one bit of the project I hated. I swear it took me nearly as long to sew on 6 press studs as it did to knit the jumper!

In the book, there are buttons sewn on the shoulders, aligning with the press studs underneath. I didn’t sew on buttons, mainly because I couldn’t get the press studs symmetrical on both sides. Misaligned buttons would have driven me crazy, so I left them off.

You can see my Ravelry project page for the jumper here.

Sew for Victory project complete!

I finished my Sew for Victory skirt and by the deadline too! (the deadline was extended to 1st April). Here are my thoughts on the project…

I made the skirt from Simplicity 3688, which is a reproduction of a 1940s pattern. I cut a straight size 18 with no adjustments (which is unusual for me where skirt patterns are concerned). The fabric was a polyviscose blend in black and white dogtooth that I bought on a trip to a fabric shop with friends.

The skirt is made from 6 panels (2 front/back panels cut on the fold and 4 side panels). I serged the edges of the skirt panels – not historically correct but there was no way I was going to hand overcast all the seams! The pattern suggests top stitching the right side of the skirt panels along the seams, but I didn’t want to do that. I struggled massively with inserting a lapped zip, as described here.

I found attaching the waistband tricky. The skirt panels are bigger than the waistband, so they have to be eased together. I had no idea whether I should insert gathering stitches along the top of the skirt panels and ease the fabric that way, but in the end I used the technique from this YouTube video, where the ease is distributed using pins to divide and smooth the excess fabric. It’s fiddly and I had to use a LOT of pins to ensure I didn’t get tucks in the skirt panels. Then I slip stitched the edge of the waistband to the skirt on the inside.

I had serged the bottom edge of the skirt panels to avoid fraying. To hem, I pressed at 5/8″, sewed a gathering stitch at 1/4″, eased in the fullness, then pressed and basted. I sewed the hem up using blind hem stitch. The finished skirt length is 27″. Finally, I sewed a skirt hook and bar to the waistband. The pattern suggests creating a buttonhole, but I was worried about creating an evenly sewed buttonhole through several layers of fabric at the waistband.

So, the important question – do I like the finished skirt? Yes and no. I think it fits well, although as it’s a 40s style it needs to be worn with the right sort of underpinnings to ensure a smooth shape around the hips. I didn’t line the skirt, and although I don’t enjoy lining garments, I do think winter weight clothes benefit from being lined. It gives them a better weight and a more professional finish. I would definitely make another version of this pattern, perhaps using a better quality fabric.

Once I’d finished the skirt, I realised that I had nothing to wear with it on top! So I did some knitting for victory. The jumper is ‘Ena’s Sweater’ (1940), knitted from a pattern in A Stitch in Time vol 1 by Susan Crawford. More on that in my next post!

In case you were wondering, the other bits of my outfit are Gio cuban heel fully fashioned stockings, court shoes from Clarks and Besame Red lipstick.

Victory rolls

Hello friends. I realised today that I haven’t posted for a month, so I’ve already broken my (sort of) resolution to post at least once a week. However, I haven’t been well recently. Unfortunately my HS returned after months of remission and I’ve been feeling very poorly. This time it is affecting my left arm (which is mysterious, as it hasn’t afflicted me there for years) and so it has been difficult to sew or knit.

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post about my haircut. Alas, my hairstyling has not been going well. As I mentioned previously, my hair is thick, heavy and there is masses of it! It is naturally poker straight and it does NOT want to hold a curl. Ironic that so many women spend hours with straighteners trying to achieve what I have naturally, when I want curly hair instead!

I’ve been experimenting with different curling methods with varying degrees of success. I’ve been using my hot rollers, but the curl drops quickly. I tried overnight wet sets with setting lotion and sponge rollers, which resulted in the most horrendous frizzy clown hair that would not brush out. I’ve had to accept that sponge rollers are not for me, unless I want to look like Selma from The Simpsons. I’m now trying out pin curl sets… Given that I had never even sectioned my hair before, I’m on a very steep learning curve.

This is just a quick visit today, but I wanted to share with you the fabulous ‘do’ my hairdresser created. Check out these victory rolls!

I wish I could recreate this look myself. She made it look so easy, but cack-handed moi cannot get the hang of victory rolls. I had my hair done that day because Mr GiW and I were going to see Caro Emerald in the evening. He bought tickets for us to see her live as part of my Christmas present. She was amazing and we had a fabulous time. Thank you Mr GiW!

One final thing, as Google Reader is shutting down in July, I have switched my blog reader to Bloglovin’. Apparently I have to ‘claim’ my blog, so follow my blog with Bloglovin (if you want to). Bye for now and back soon (I hope)…

A hair cut

One of my New Year’s non-resolutions was to get a hair cut. For years and years, my hair has been the same – long and cut to one length with no layers. As you can see from the photo, it really had got rather long.

I never felt I made the best of having long hair – I wore it in a ponytail or pinned up every day. Latterly, I was having problems getting it to stay up, because my hair is thick and heavy. So I decided it was time for a chop…

I must be one of the few women who hates going to the hairdresser. I don’t find it relaxing or pampering; invariably I find it awkward. In the past, I’ve had very little to talk about with hairdressers, because (a) I’m a lot older than them and (b) I don’t have the kind of social life where I go out clubbing on Saturday evenings.

Through some judicious Googling,  I found details of a local salon offering cuts and vintage up dos. I made an appointment for Saturday, after explaining that I wanted a cut which allowed me to style my hair in 40s ‘dos’, but could also look modern for when I am feeling lazy.

I was VERY nervous about the appointment and I thought about cancelling, but I decided to be brave. I needn’t have worried. The hairdresser was lovely and we had plenty to talk about. She’s a knitter and she wants to learn to sew. Her partner is a member of the swing band I saw last year. The salon gets lots of women wanting vintage up dos and cuts, so she knew exactly what I wanted.

I had a lot cut off (my hair feels very short now), then she blow dryed it and styled it for me with hot rollers. This is the result (sorry about the crappy photo, I took it on my phone when I got back from the salon). What do you think?

I’m very pleased, but I will need to style my hair every day. Previously, all I did was wash and condition my hair. That’s it. I never used a hair dryer or styling products. The hairdresser advised using hot rollers, which I used (cack-handedly) this morning. But, knowing how lazy I am, it’s unlikely that I’m going to get up early every day to curl my hair before work. Does anyone have advice on hair curling or how to maintain a vintage ‘do’ with minimum effort?!

The sewing machine song

Last weekend, Mr GiW and I went to visit his parents. We had a lovely time and I came back with bags of fabric, thanks to his mum (who is an amazing quilter).

There was some chat about sewing machines, and they asked if I knew the sewing machine song. I’d never heard of it before. Have you? It was performed by Betty Hutton and it comes from a film called ‘The Perils of Pauline’ (1947).

 

Altogether now…

Ohhh the sewing machine, the sewing machine
A girl’s best friend
If I didn’t have my sewing machine
I’d a come to no good end
But a bobbin a bobbin and pedal a pedal
And wheel the wheel by day
So by night I feel so weary that I never get out to play!

I hate zips

The zip has been my deadliest foe ever since I started sewing. I’ve come to terms with the invisible zip, thanks to this tutorial from Colette  and I’m fairly confident with those now. I would have a go at inserting a centred zip without too many qualms. However, my Sew for Victory skirt (Simplicity 3688) is the first project where I’ve tried to insert a lapped zip. How hard could it be? *hysterical laughter*

I disregarded the pattern instructions and instead I consulted my trusty Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. Their instructions are something like this. I tried all of Saturday afternoon, but I could not get the darned thing inserted. My point of failure every time was crooked top stitching on the lapped side.

I gave up and used the method recommended by the pattern (also the method illustrated in The Sewing Book , my second most used sewing reference book). I tried all of Sunday afternoon and evening, but once again it was crooked top stitching on the lapped side letting me down. Even when I stuck masking tape on the fabric as a stitching guide, as recommended in this tutorial. Clearly, I am incapable of sewing in a straight line.

By this stage, I was ready to rip off my own arm and beat myself over the head with it through sheer frustration. Then I remembered my copy of Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing. Lapped zips are seen as a ‘vintage’ technique, so I thought her book might help. Gertie is my saviour. I followed her instructions for inserting a lapped zip using a sewing machine and it worked first time. The crooked top stitching on the lapped side was resolved by opening the zip and sewing from top to bottom, using the 3/8” mark on the plate as a guide. Hurrah!!!!

My top tips for beginners wanting to insert a lapped zip would be… Firstly, drink a large gin and tonic. Secondly, stick a safety pin in the lapping side before you start to help you identify which side is which whilst sewing. I had to turn the skirt inside out and back again several times and the safety pin was a handy point of reference. Thirdly, baste at every stage. I hope it will be a LOT easier next time, but I don’t think I will ever get over my hatred of the zip.

Image credit: Amazon