Minding My Own Beeswax (Hand Sewing, Green Sewing)

You can buy beeswax with other sewing notions
But I like to use up the old ends from beeswax candles I buy at the Farmer's Market

In the final steps of finishing off my bustier project, I'm doing lots of hand sewing. I took this photo will waiting in the car, pick stitching away on the zipper, listening to NPR on the radio, and waiting for a family member who needed to be picked up after a medical procedure. (No, I was not driving!)

There's a traditional German saying "Langes Fädchen, faules Mädchen". That is about the extent of my knowledge in German. Anyway I disagree. A long thread may indeed make for a foolish girl (Girl? Are adult women and men never fools?) if she doesn't know enough to add some texturizer. I like a long thread that doesn't knot up as much as anybody. So I keep the old ends of my beeswax candles for just that purpose, running the thread through the stubs just after I rethread my needle, and also every so often while using the thread. 

Some people say you need to iron the thread once it's beeswaxed. But I never do. Also I imagine you might have some problem with beeswax piling up at the stitch entrance in glam fabric. But it works fine with denim, cotton, and linen for me.

You can, of course, buy hunks of beeswax for this purpose. You can also buy thread texturizer. I don't know what name that's sold under, as my old candle stubs work just fine. 

I love the smell and style of beeswax candles on the supper tableand I love to use the remains up to the last waxy morsel in my sewing.

With the scent of honey of honey in the air, as I pick stitch away on my bustier zipper, I'm  just that much more....

Enchanted by Sewing!

* * *

If English isn't your first language....

"Mind your own beeswax" , also abbreviated as MYOB, is an old idiomatic phrase used by children to indicate that someone should not be listening in on a private conversation, or asking questions that are not their own business. It's a joking reference to the similarly somewhat rude phrase, "Mind your own business".

Jeans Sewing: Drafting a Basic Pants Pattern

Learning to create the pattern  for my first pair of jeans, certainly has me
Enchanted by Sewing!

1) Summary - What I've learned
2) History
3) Resources

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1) Summary - What I've Learned

* Have now drafted my Basic Pants Pattern
* Jeans Pattern will be a variation on the Basic Pants Pattern
* A lot of time!
* Basics - Used charts in book (see Resources below) to draft a basic pants block. Created first pass at pattern from that block. 
* A double tracing wheel-  carbon paper to fabric tracer tool - (like Clover Double Tracing Wheel) was very useful for adding a 1 inch seam allowance to the original pants block. The reason I couldn't make that work before - lousy carbon paper from local store. Clover Chacopy transfer paper works much better. I bought both on the web.

I continue to use these time saving, transfer, seam allowance adding, tools on each iteration of the pattern.

* Alteration Time - Time is the key word here. I continue to spend a lot of it on this project
* Alter muslin, alter pattern, study results with fit buddy or in the mirror (for the front anyway). Repeat these steps until done.
* Fit buddy eyes me and suggests alterations
* Studying typical alterations is very useful - even those that don't sound like my fit issues help me to think through those I need to make
* Not all alterations are standard. Studying them helps me to develop my eye, and use my own senses about what needs to change in each pattern and muslin draft
* Mirror is essential. I used masking tape on fit lines, so I could see them better in the mirror when I was working on my own between classes (this really only works when altering the front!). My teacher thinks masking tape drags down the muslin. In order to keep going on the project, I needed that masking tape!
* Straight of Grain (SOG) is essential, as well as perpendicular fit lines. When I make changes, I need to relate back to the original pattern and these lines provide those relative points.
* Drawing fit lines is essential - waist, upper hip, lower hip, crotch, thigh, knee, calf. They need to be dark enough to see them in the mirror when I try on the current muslin
* Fit lines below the crotch need to stay parallel with the floor!
* Watch that straight of grain!
* In the curvy parts of the body, fit lines and SOG will curve. That makes sense, when I think about it.
* Thread basting fit lines takes longer. I like using a dark pen that shows through both sides of the muslin better
* Staystitch the waist line. Use narrow elastic to tie muslin pants on at the waist. Leave open at front (where zipper would go) but draw on stitching lines and pin on there when trying on.
* This process takes a lot of muslin. When I try to conserve muslin, sometimes it just adds a lot more time

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2) History

I've blogged/journaled many times about my determination to learn to sew jeans. In the summer I began this journey by working on jeans sewing techniques, but without the jeans! That is, I first sewed a jeans-style denim skirt. 

I had found myself intimidated by the many different, and new-to-me, skills involved in sewing jeans. When I sorted through what was keeping me from getting going, I realized that getting the fit right on a jeans pattern was a biggie, so I put that off and focused on materials and techniques - though I found fitting that skirt in heavy weight denim - versus the twill I'd used to test out the pattern - to be more work than I'd expected. I'm currently at work on the October Enchanted by Sewing Podcast, which will be an audio show about my experiences working on the jeans-style sewing skirt project. You can signup to be notified (no spam!) when monthly podcast episodes are released by visiting the show notes for the  Enchanted by Sewing Podcast.

This fall, I've begun working towards my first pair of actual jeans

I'm taking a pants drafting class in order to get a pattern that fits me. Alternatively, I could have worked on altering a commercial jeans pattern. There are several recommendations for jeans patterns others have tried, in the Pattern Review forum Make Your Own Jeans, You Can Do It! Several of those patterns, have detailed instructions about fitting the patterns to your figure type, as well as  many more sizes than are typical in Big-4 patterns.

I haven't ruled out using a commercial jeans pattern for a future jeans project (in fact I bought a couple when I was first considering taking this learning project on), but since I am a student in the Cañada Fashion Program, why not learn something about pattern drafting and fit in a classroom environment?

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3) Resources

* Jeans Sewing: Skirting the Issue - Terminado!/Done! 

This blog/journal post summarizes the work I did to create my jeans-style denim skirt. This project got me started on the path to jeans sewing.

http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/09/jeans-sewing-skirting-issue.html

* The Enchanted by Sewing Podcast is an extension of this blog. It's a monthly Audio Show where I focus on sewing specific garment styles and interview other sewists. You can either listen right on the web (while you sew maybe!) or download it to a mobile device like an iPhone, Android or other mp3 player. http://www.enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com

* In pants drafting class, we're using the book Building Patterns, The Architecture of Women's Clothing by Suzy Furrer.

* Pattern Review: Make Your Own Jeans - You Can Do It!
http://sewing.patternreview.com/blog?s=1431483

Notions: I Don't Give a Pin!

Pincushion Gal Helps Keep Me
Enchanted By Sewing

But Darling, we can't have your mother to stay. We're going to the country this weekend.

Oh fiddledeedee, I don't give a pin about going to the country!

You don't hear people complaining that they .... don't give a pin! for something anymore. Usually a more vehement expression is used to express disinterest in a companion's speech or interests. I suppose it's because pins aren't worth much anymore, though you can still find references to people paying for things using pins in the delicious Betsy and Tacy books. And how many people do you know who refer to their pin money these days?

I love my new friend, Pincushion Gal. Mostly she's content hanging out behind my sewing machine, but she has been known to go visiting as far as the ironing board. At first I kept knocking her over, because her heavier torso was supported by a rather frail little base. After a confab with my husband we came up with a solution to that little challenge. I stitched up a little sack of dried beans, using the end of a piece of flannel from the night shirt I'd just made him (another good reason to hold onto scraps!), filled the little case with dried beans, then attached the resulting bean bag around the base of the form with - you guessed it- pins! My gal doesn't get knocked off her feet anymore, despite all the work she does for me.

As you can see, it's quite tempting to add more than pins to the newest member of Sewing Corner. So handy to tack down bits of silk organza scrap (good spots to stick my threaded needles), spare bits of trim, beading, and the pretty little brooch I picked up from the flea market. And of course a lady like this needs a fan for flirting with her many admirers.

Hanging out with the new girl at my machine, keeps me, as always, absolutely enchanted by sewing.

Scraps:Covering Buttons (Letter to Sharmila)

Dear Sharmila,

In sewing class the other day you asked me about the covered button I'd made for my vest using scrap fabric from the project. Here's the lowdown.

* The covered button forms are available in normal places, like Joannes. There is a version with a tool or a no-tool one. I just get the no-tool type and snap them in place with my fingers. Maybe the other kind is good for heavier fabrics? I'm not sure.

There are different sizes of button forms
They come in round head
or flat head style
I have also used the flat head style for
creating beaded buttons, using
scrap fabric as a base to attach the
beading
Make sure the beads don't go to far out if you
do that, but far enough to cover the scrap fabric
You really need to make a test covered button with
the same sized forms to figure that out!

* I use a piece of scrap paper (like a recycled mailer card) to match the pattern on the back of the package. It's just a half circle, but of course I cut out the entire circle. Some covered button packages have multiple circles depending on the size you bought.

* Then I center the pattern over a great design in my fabric. I have also cut up an old stained embroidered linen napkin, making use of the embroidery and cutting away the stain. (I need to find the jacket I put that on and photograph it!)

* I glue stick the circle on top of the rounded button form. When you and I were talking about this, Ronda suggested that you could interface with a lightweight fabric, like silk organza, if you were using a light or sheer fabric, like the beautiful sari fabric you were sewing with when I first met you.

* Then I turn the form over and catch the edges of the circle on the teeth on the back of the button form. I have to do lots of smoothing of the edges to avoid puckering.

* Once I'm happy with the placement of the fabric and it's caught well on all the teeth I snap the button back in place. I always get confused by which side goes inside, but one part has grooves that fit better. I have to push hard, but eventually it snaps in place with a satisfactory click. They don't come apart after that.

* Sometimes I make them up with scrap fabric, not knowing how I will use them and just put them in my button collection.

Hope you enjoy making some. I'd love to see what you come up with!

Your sewing buddy,

Laurel

I forgot I had these with me yesterday.
I made three different types and tried them all out on my vest.
I might use one like a pin on the vest, just for decoration.
They are also nice on a purse or bag.