Pattern Work: Disneyland with Princess Periwinkle de Nîmes (M6076)

Another M6076, Palmer and Pletsch princess-seamed shirt. I've been altering the pattern (off and on) for a year now, working to get the perfect fit for me.
I think the original sleeve-into-torso seam was somewhat more dropped than what I've ended up with. I'm quite happy with the fit of this shirt - it really conforms to me, and the long curved princess-seams are flattering. Below is a photo of me wearing the Princess, recently,  at Disneyland.

Note that this denim is the very, very light weight variety, it looks more like chambray. Princess Periwinkle comes, of course, from Nîmes, the origin of our modern denim fabric.

A trip to see the holiday decorations at Disneyland with Cousin Martha, motivated me to get the Princess finished!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denim Discusses source of denim in Nîmes 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periwinkle_(color) - Periwinkles seem to be related to vinca - a rather invasive European flower a lot of people plant around here, and are then often sorry to have done so! I love the blue color though, much like the one in this shirt. It's also referred to as 'lavender blue' - I wonder if that's where the Burl Ives  song (it's really an old folk song but he popularized it in the 1960's) comes from? I always wondered about that, because all the lavender I know is purple 

EnchBySew-49: Fall Color Sewing

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Click on this link in iTunes   to download the 49'th episode of the Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast,  produced in November of 2016. Or listen directly on the web by clicking on this link.

~ ~ ~ This Month’s Show ~ ~ ~

Pensamientos Primeros/First Thoughts: Impact of Color on My Sewing Choices

Technicos/Techniques: Patterning and Sewing Color

Pensamientos Finales/Final Thoughts:Searching for Color in San Diego County 

~ ~ ~ Web Resources ~ ~ ~

Recently I've created several postings related to the fall colors mentioned in this months 'cast,  in my Postcard from California blog http://postcardfromcalifornia.blogspot.com

My regular sewing blog  - includes postings about the princess-seamed shirt Marigold are in the Me Encanta Coser/Enchanted by Sewing blog http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com

Marigold's Machine Button Hole Sewing

Yup - Even with care,  this buttonhole is a little crooked at the bottom edge. This doesn't show because the button covers it, but it's more proof that buttonholes are tricky. Frankly if I want perfect openings, I sew them by hand. Also, I don't stress about perfection!

1) I used a contrasting thread on Marigold's buttons holes, so I sure didn't want crooked threaded openings! Yes, modern machines are programmable to sew buttonholes neatly and repetively, but I'm often challenged by accurate placement. So I draw my buttonholes on medical supply tissue paper and sew them one at a time.

I make test sewing samples first 

Fabric Test Package - I make sure to include a piece of the same interfacing between two pieces of the shirt's fabric, so that I'm testing the same situation as my shirt

2) First I laid the buttons down on tissue. In theory you add maybe 1/8" over the width of the button. I try by theory and I try my gut reaction. Then I sew, cut and try the button in each hole

3) I make sure to put a wide pencil line at top and bottom - this is where a programmed buttonhole knows how far to go - but I  making the decision in each case to stop or turn. 

That's because of experience. Sometimes the fabric or interfacing gets stuck in the machine (even though I always use the right presser foot), and the programmed stitches aren't even on both sides. I use my buttonhole machine setting, but I make the choices each time as though I'm sewing the first, and I no longer use the programmed setting.

4) When I cut the button hole, of course I put a pin across the top so the seam ripper I'm using to open the buttonhole,  doesn't slice past the top of the opening. Again... experience!

5) When test sewing these buttonholes, I found I needed a piece of tissue underneath, as well as on top, in order to make the interfaced fabric test package (in preparation for the actual shirt) move unstickily along. I don't usually need the underneath tissue, but this fabric is a kind of loose, rough weave, and I found this quite helpful to keep my machine sewing smoothly.

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Marigold - A Princess-Seamed Shirt - Terminado - http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2016/11/fall-colors-marigold-princess-seamed.html

Thinking Ahead - Jacket - British Wool - Questioning at Crafster

Today I posted my questions to Crafster.org http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=450696.0

Working on not keeping materials in my fabric inventory for too long. I have a couple of other sewing projects going on, but preparing and thinking through how to work with this lovely wool, makes it more likely that it will get sewn once it gets chilly 'round here.  I also need to think about Seam Fnishes - I'm thinking either flat-felled or bound. This article has a lot of info and ideas for working with reversible garments

Fall Colors: Marigold - A Princess-Seamed Shirt with Sleeves (M6076)

M6076 - Doll is  covering up the phone/camera for selfie mirror shot!

I'm so happy I got this marigold yellow princess-seamed shirt done! Wore it twice on a trip to visit with my cousin in San Diego, and another two times since I got back from that visit.

I cut the original shirt out to be sleeveless (like Western Winds, Floribunda Bouquet, and Pinto shirts), but just a touch of fall rain got me interested in moving away from the no-sleeve look. So...

- I had to drop,  then piece the front and back at the bottom of the armscye, to extend

- I managed to cut sleeves out of a miniscule remnent

- I had to piece MORE scrap onto the sleeve, because I didn't gauge  the armscye changes right

- By the way.... I did not have a working sleeve piece for this pattern so I was finagling with the pattern piece the whole time!

And I still love it

It's all about color

I would never recommend doing this! I have cut out another version of this shirt (using a remnant that needed a home) - to fully test the pattern with the sleeve piece I think..... works.

Had I not loved the marigold fabric, I would have tossed this shirt, or just not bothered to work on the whole sleeve deal.

The artistry of piecing and testing... those are the kind of things that keep me....

Enchanted by Sewing