Field Trip: Bayside Sewing With Susan

I like the color and buttons on
Susan's new purple shirt.
It's a perfect color for her.

My sewing buddy Susan and I, haven't had a chance to get together since she moved from Half Moon Bay to Discovery Bay several months back. Yesterday I took the day off to go and visit her, and get in some buddy sewing time. I blogged a bit about the trip itself in my Windmills In My Head posting in my Postcard from CA blog, 

I'm embarrassed to tell you how much sewing goop I took along. No, I never did use my sewing machine or even shift the contents of three of the receptacles I dragged into Susan's wonderful sewing studio in her great big house. Not only does she have a wonderful big area to sew in, she also has a walk in closet where I observed a goodly fabric inventory hanging up along with her wardrobe. Though I don't think of myself as an envious person, I wouldn't turn down the opportunity for that kind of sewing space and storage if they came along!

And I love the cuff!
Hummmm where could I do this?

I'm not sure where six plus hours went. I know we talked non stop. I showed her my bustier and she showed me her numerous recent creations. I did some fix up sewing on my bustier and worked on a straight denim, elastic waist skirt. Susan pinned my hem in place and advised me on a couple of fit issues. In between helping me out she sewed on a new shirt project.

How many shirts had she finished? Six or more? Plus two pairs of cropped pants (those blue ones she's wearing above were one pair). And more than one darling little girl dress for granddaughters. What she's gotten done in the same amount of time as I spent sewing away at my bustier, really reinforced for me my desire to turn out as many shirts and pants as possible. Because it's fun looking in ur closets and being able to imediately pull out practical, attractive, well-fitting clothes that we really wear day in and day out.

I wish I'd thought to photograph all Susan's new shirts to show you.

Construction is great
But not a Susan garment

We also did a post-mortem on some of the projects we'd created for our classes at Cañada. What are we wearing and which not? Susan has decided she's not a big fan of knits, but I still am. While admiring her wardrobe space, we found a shirt she'd created for the "Designers Details" class Susan took while I was taking the "Intermediate Construction" class. The shirt turned out great, but she doesn't wear it. I think it's just not her style. 

I'm partial to the collar bits
Might be nice in linen...

Gotta love that collar detail, however. I think that would be nice executed in linen, with all the bits in the same fabric.

Visiting with a buddy who also loves to sew, and sewing together,  is the kind of field trip that keeps me...

Enchanted by Sewing.

~ ~ ~

Web Resources

Windmills In My Head http://postcardfromcalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/05/i-early-moonrise-over-windmill-farm-i.html

My No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Shirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/03/no-1-ladys-detective-agency-shirt-b5526.html

CA Romance Dress 1 http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/06/sewing-up-california-romance-vogue-8810.html

CA Romance Dress 2 1http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/08/romancing-dress-part-3-dress-comes-to.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Bay,_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento–San_Joaquin_River_Delta

Altamont Pass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass

Altamont Wind Farm Windmills are dangerous for local birdlife, but progress is being made http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Altamont-Pass-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-4230640.php

Camisa en curso/ Shirt in progress B5526 (Buddy Sewing)

I'm using this jungle print from my
fabric inventory, to make a test garment

 ¡Ya es hora!

Ain't it about Time!

You don't want to hear all the challenges my buddy Susan and I had getting Butterick 5526 to this point. The experience reminded Susan of the old expression "A camel is a horse designed by committee." Enough said on that front. Although I would add that we're not alone in our fitting challenges. Look at what this Pattern Reviewer , Sarah Sew and Sew,  wrote. Yes Sarah, we can relate to those too-high sleeve challenges. And I'm glad we went through all those muslins before I got to this looks-like-it's-wearable stage.

At this point 

* No cuffs - It's going to be a 3/4 just below the elbow fastening sleeve. 
* No collar or collar stand. I'll do a standard set this time, but I'm thinking about trying out that idea from the current Threads magazine on the lilac version. More about that when I actually do it!
* It looks like I need to design my own curved front facing. The pattern simply has a turned over twice facing which means I need to keep it buttoned up higher than I normally do to avoid having the back side of the fabric show. I'll test that on the muslin to make sure it comes together right.

We are so gol durned happy that the front and back bodice pieces and the set in sleeves are finally working with me and each other, that we're ready for a party. OK, a sewing party for collars and cuffs maybe.

In celebration of getting to this stage I reviewed my button inventory and realized I don't have any that look good with either the test garment fabric, or the lilac one I'll be making next. I was sure I would, because I have tons of repurposed buttons and a goodly number of new cards as well. But no dice. So, I put in an order at LotsOfButtons.com. They have free shipping after $15.00. So I'll see how that order works out and get back to you.

I want to wear this shirt for awhile before I cut out the beautiful lilac checked material I have planned for this shirt. For the lilac one, I'd like to try out several of the seams I've been practicing in class. Flat felled with french underarm seams perhaps? Rereading this it sounds like I think that French people have different kinds of underarms than Americans, so I couldn't resist leaving it in. Sarah Sew and Sew mentioned she used those seam types on her non-fitting but beautiful one.

At this point I just want to get the basic pattern working and wearable for my body and wear it enough times to see how I might tweak it.