Visions of Summer

When it comes to sewing, my idea of
fun is designing and making summer clothes.
It's the opportunity to play with my favorite fabrics. 

Last summer, the focus was on cool rayon

 adaptations of the bog shirt.

This year the star of the show is linen...

in styles that speak of comfort, elegance and easy care.

I've chosen a soft, medium-weight, easy-care linen from
 https://fabrics-store.com/ 

 The stock number is IL019 Bleached FS Signature Finish.

I splurged on a wonderful 20 yard roll -
anticipating I could spend around an equal
amount for a wardrobe that would neither last as long,
nor give me as much wearing pleasure as my linen.

The best part is yet to come: COLOR!

This fabric takes fiber reactive dye beautifully whether I dye
in my washing machine or
 go for adventures with dye painting, and soy wax batiking.
 How much would I spend on a wardrobe
that is not only custom made, but hand painted?

My 20 yard roll of linen is a good value in anyone's book.

 Just think of it as "I LOve19" - a  top performer in a variety of roles:

When I pre-washed, I found little shrinkage,
and less lint in the dryer filter than I had expected.

I can wear it straight from the dryer
without ironing for a soft textured finish.
It just gets better the more it is worn, and washed.

Consider that linen fiber used to be processed by 
letting the stems of the flax plant rot in nasty ponds
 before beating on it with stones. It is among the oldest
surviving textiles in history, with an example 
being 4,000 years old. Thus - 

Linen is one of the most durable natural fibers there is, and
is perfect for warm weather and tropical climates.

Pattern: Nico, from Fabric-store.com

Pattern selection, and sewing techniques are important
to achieve an elegant look without ironing.

Keep it Simple and Light!

Seams need to be finished to eliminate raw edges 

(easy to do with French Seams).

The Fabric_Store patterns have excellent instructions for French Seams. 

The treatment of a french seam that ends in a slit was new to me, and I love it.

 Edge Finishes 

My favorite edge finish for any curved edge that must remain stable, is a "piped bias."
It looks like a narrow piped edge on the outside of the garment,
and a clean finished edge on the inside without the added bulk of a facing:
a truly elegant and functional technique.

The "piped bias" is  a simple solution 
to stabilizing and clean-finishing a curved edge.
I think the idea came out of something I once saw
in "ready-to-wear" and only now have gotten around
to figuring out how to make it.


The Piped Bias finish is being prepared for publication. 

The neck and armholes of the Nico Pattern are bound with bias strips,
and while the instructions are pretty good,
 they could have gone further regarding stabilizing narrow bias edges.

Nor do the instructions take into account
the chances of a neckline or armhole "gaping."

I hate to wear a top that, when I bend over, 

people can see inside my neckline to my waist.

The problem may stem from using the wrong size pattern!

Bias cut, and knit clothing is very forgiving when it comes to fit. 

But nothing can fix a neckline that is simply too large for the body.

Most commercial patterns are designed for an A or B cup bust.

There are two websites that provide excellent information

on adjusting the bust in a pattern. 

https://so-sew-easy.com/how-to-make-a-full-bust-adjustment/

includes the "Pivot and Slide Method" 

https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2017/01/10/sewing-glossary-full-bust-adjustment-tutorial/

illustrates the "Slash and Spread" Method

But if you have the correct size pattern, and your neckline still gapes:

I learned how to solve that problem when
 learning to sew knits,
and altering high end department store women's wear.
It would seem the two have nothing in
common, but the principle is common to both:
 to ease a neckline (or any curved edge)
smaller than the body of the garment
 without using darts or gathers,
so it hugs the chest.

In the alterations department, we called it "running a fur thread"
because we used the nylon silamide thread
 used for relining fur coats. To run a 'fur thread' in
a finished garment: along the inside edge of the neckline,
 take two or three running stitches,
pulling the thread tight but not tight enough
to make a gather or tuck,
followed by making a back stitch to hold the thread secure.
When sewing knits, I would stay-stitch on either side
of the center front
  while holding my finger tight behind the pressure foot
to force more fabric into each stitch.* 
You can seriously gather/ease a bias edge
this way, for setting in sleeves, for example.

The instructions for the Nico Pattern wisely advises to stay-stitch
the quarter inch edges of the seam allowance.
But once you remove the cut fabric from the pattern,
all bets are off, as the bias distorts.
So I stay-stitch right over my tracing paper pattern,**
 that is holding the fabric securely in shape.
After transferring pattern markings
I remove the pattern,
 and tear the paper away from the stay-stitching.

 To test the durability of "stay-stitching,"

I gathered (see* above for a gathered stay-stitch)
 and stay-stitched the bias edge of a large fabric scrap.

With only that one row of stitching to secure the edge,

 I washed and dried the scrap the way I would a garment.
The stitching held beautifully.

**I generally transfer my pattern to tracing paper
instead of cutting a multi-sized pattern.

I've used yellow tracing paper from my local art store for years,

but recently found a more convenient 36" width at Amazon.

 The Nico Pattern is cut without folding the fabric,

 so the 36" width of pattern paper is ideal.

Tracing Paper for Pattern Making

More to come...

2018 Study of Watercolor Roses

Roses are blooming in December in Mobile, Alabama!

The painting of the single rose, and bud was traced from a photo, with the focus on painting. Then I decided I needed to draw my rose. Shown here is a photo of the speciman, the photo placed in a grid sleeve, and an inked line drawing. To preserve my original sketch in the sketchbook, I scanned it and opened it in Adobe Classic Lightroom to heighten the contrast. Then the saved copy was printed, and the lines traced over with a Micron pen. The sketch is now ready to transfer to watercolor paper - 140 lb Hot Press Arches.

To make a "grid sleeve" I started with a presentation folder that had several clear page protectors.I put an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper with a 1 inch grid inside the page protector. Then with a "Sharpie" fine point, I drew the grid lines on the front of the page protector (I call them "sleeves"). A Micron Pen will not work on the plastic sleeve, but will smear. When the Sharpie ink dried, I sprayed the entire page with art fixative. To make a 'copy' of the photo in the sketchbook, I drew a 6" x 6" (i inch) grid and drew the rose. To help focus on the central object, I cut a 6" x 6" piece from cardstock to isolate the image. I also cut a 1" square from card stock to isolate each square. This was especially helpful for the complex center of the rose.

Helen Powers' Wedding Gown

100% Silk satin dress, with Swiss and French lace.

Getting ready

Detail of the skirt front

Detail of the train

Photo of Helen's sister Mary, wearing the dress in 1949.

Compound Learning

I think I want to learn something, so I pull up a You Tube Video

 and play it, while doing nothing else.

Overview

1. Watch and listen to the video (questions? If no, stop here. If yes, continue)

Visual

1. Turn off the sound and watch the video (questions?)

Audible

1. Close my eyes and listen to the video (questions?)                                                                                                                                                                            

Contemplation

1. Turn off the video and think about the video (questions?)                                                                        

Utilization

1. Apply the content of the video to the creation of something.                                                         (There will be questions)                                                                                                                                  

      Engage other senses: touch, smell, taste, where applicable.

What are some ways to experience the experience ?

Expand and constrict

Extend

Enlarge and reduce

Connect and sever

Density:  Gradation  and absolute

How does "it" contribute to the development of society

How does "it" contribute to the destruction of society

Consume or sustain

          Nourish AND replenish (the beehive in the carcass of the lion)

Stimulation

Respite

Cross Training:

         What does learning to spin fibers into thread have to do with building a rope ladder ?

One strand is weak - 12 strands is 100 times stronger. Why ?

               The twist, and opposing tension

If a two by four in a vertical position can sustain the weight of a section of roof, 

why does a two by four in a horizontal

Position break under the same weight ? 

Does the grain of the wood

have anything to do with it?  Does bamboo have a "grain" ?

How does it compare with wood ?

Does one large stick have the same strength as

a hundred fine sticks bound together ? Which is stronger ?

What does flexibility have to do with it, if anything ?

At what point is a subject exhausted ?

Flax to linen:

   grow

   harvest

   crush and rot

   comb

   spin

   weave

   cut

   sew

Silk ?

Can this material (content) be transformed ?  The simpler the content, the more potential there is for transformation.

The more potential for transformation, the more creative the experience.

 

 Delete my answers to questions and provide your own.

Dimensions - thoughts on Abundant Learning

Learning to see is a wondrous thing.
 First I saw a thought in a single dimension,
and wondered if there were more dimensions:
to thought, speech, learning, expression.
 ~Are the masterpieces of the ages merely multi-dimensional expression?

Learning styles: Since the 'experts' have debunked the theory of
 (1) one learning style, and
 (2) a learning style among several

 Is it possible to have all learning styles, at once, one at a time ?

On fabric:

What happens to the fabric when it is ___________.

     (subject to changes: wet? pulled? ripped? folded? wadded?)

What is the history of the fabric? The organic source? 

Its uses in earlier cultures? 

Its contribution to enlightenment?

 Its contribution to destruction?

Can the use of fabric be applied to infinite sustainability?

What if a stained and torn "rag" were ground up

and re-manufactured?

South by Southwest, the Quilting

Each quarter block will be marked with a stencil. The sewing line is not continuous,

 but I choose to use it regardless of the extra attention it will require. 

The stencil will be cut using the Cricut Explore Air 2. It's not yet decided if

I will use freezer paper, Contact paper, or cardstock sprayed with adhesive.

More on this later...

South By Southwest, the Pattern

South By Southwest

By Elaine Rutledge, © 2018

(re: the copyright – this pattern may be shared freely but may not be sold)

(Made using 2.5" strips, except the center of the center, which is cut 4.5" square)

Angled 45 degree Cuts are named by the direction they slant

Each larger unit will have all four corners the same color.

Then they are assembled alternating with a second color to form the 4 Patch Accent.

All units must have the same color placement for the flying geese to provide contrast.

FG = Flying Geese

Making the center

Sew the brown FG to the turquoise corner. Make 4 for each larger unit. For the second block,

Sew the brown FG to the Dark Brown corner. Make 4.

Sew the turquoise FG to the 4.5” square. Then sew to the brown FG.

Sew the 4.5” NW to the left of the center. The unit is made with a background, and a print each cut

With a NW slant, and stitched.

The 6.5 print/4.5 background piece added. It is made by cutting 6.5 strip, and a 4.5 strip, that when sewn on the NE angle, will measure 8.5”. The 6.5” measurement refers to the longest edge of the piece, if cut using a template.

The medium brown NW piece added, then the medium teal NE piece completes one fourth of the block. It should measure 10-1/2" including seam allowance

If you wish to make templates, download the Quilt Assistant, and draw the block in the

“Regular Pattern” option.

After you draw and color the block, according to the instructions provided with the software,

You can PRINT – Calculate Yardage! – Print SUPER ACCURATE TEMPLATES –

I tried making my own templates…(arrgh. Not Good). So, I printed the templates in Quilt Assistant, cut

them out and glued them to my template plastic, (the old-fashioned kind from Collins,

 that will melt if you try to iron over it.) If you cut down a piece of cheap white construction paper to 

print templates – the paper has “tooth” - it will slide less on the fabric. Using a 1/16^th hole punch,

I made the holes at each stitching intersection and asterisk on the template – to guide the machine,

stitching sewing dot to dot, ignoring seam allowance, and using a wider presser foot for more control.

I was afraid that making my templates, cutting/marking each piece would be too fiddly, but it really beats having to trim to size (maybe not the SAME size accurately.) It was so satisfying to lay the block next to my two tape measures, and have it the right size.

Assembling the Quilt

Blocks Set on Point

Note that corners are 2 halves of one quarter block. Side triangles are two quarter blocks, with one cut in half and sewn to the other quarter block.

Tame the Bias Edges!!

The dark brown border is Kona Cotton. I had 4 yards that I cut 3” strips on the lengthwise grain for stability (the lengthwise grain stretches less than the crosswise grain.) Three strips joined surrounded the quilt with some left over.

1.       Measure 14.25” on the border strip, and mark with a pin – Let’s call the point “A”.

2.       On the quilt, put a ruler down with the edge aligned with the corners, and pin alongside the ruler on the edge. Call it point “B”.

3.       Pin the border to the quilt, matching points A and B.

4.       Gently ease any quilt fullness into the border and pin. I had to go to the machine a couple of times to correct a poorly sewn seam. Steam set the section of border. Cover with something to absorb the heat and moisture and allow to cool and dry.

To absorb the heat and moisture, I have used:

A section of unfinished wood (1 X 2 or 2 X 4)

The cardboard from the back of a used tablet, weighted with a book

Brown Kraft paper, weighted with a book

The weight doesn’t have to be heavy. I don’t use a weight with the section of wood.

If an area of bias has stretched – you can resew to take up the excess. I prefer to guide it back to shape with the steam iron: gently moving the iron with the grain of fabric, first lengthwise, then crosswise…as many times as necessary until the ruffles flatten.

The Organized Quilt Maker!

Next to my sewing machine, I placed a sturdy TV table to hold a pressing board,
with a small cutting mat, and small iron.
The strip sets were pinned to the edge of the board,
 and when I wanted to cut one, I would lay that strip on the mat, and cut, then let it fall.
After stitching, I was ready to press without leaving my chair.