Kits 1 and 2: Refitting B5526, with help from Helen - my DTD

Fold and refold, and cut the sleeve out twice
on two different pices of fabric
(Yes, I remembered to cut out one left and one right!)
 to squeeze out a front, back and two sleeves from
1 1/2 meters. Luckily it's a wider fabric

In my most recent posting, I described several personal sewing kits I've been creating - the first two were for B5526 shirts.

Somehow I did something funny with my back pattern piece from B5526, but I managed to recreate it ...using muslin, pattern tissue, a lot of comparing to my No. 1 Lady's Detective Shirt

My fantasy version of
Helen
my Duct Tape Dummy

and a lot of help from Helen - my Duct Tape Dummy. It took me 4 hours... I started at 10 p.m. one night and went to bed at 2 a.m. No, I'm not actually a night owl, but that was the best time to get it done.

Yes, I do wish I hadn't been so casual when it came to storing away or properly marking that original pattern piece!

After refitting B5526  I cut out most of two shirts using a lilac Robert Kaufman gingham for one and a green print LIberty Tana Lawn for the other. For both I used half meters (19.5 inches) of specialty Liberty Tana Lawn fabric for the cuffs and front facing. I had to do a lot of fooling around to  squeeeeezzze the front, back and sleeve out of the 1 and 1/2 meters (a little over a yard and a half) of green Tana Lawn I got the first time I visited this wonderful London store. I've normally been counting on having about 3 yards when I cut out these shirts.

I'd been holding onto the Liberty fabrics since my previous trip to London's wonderful Liberty (* See my blog and podcast links below for more on this London trip and the fabric I bought there at Liberty), but since I got two full shirt lengths on my more recent trip, it was time to use up these originals.

I love this classic William Morris Strawberry Thief print
As a matter of fact, one of the new shirt lengths
from my more recent Liberty trip, is
the green version of Strawberry Thief
I talk about this in the podcast (*link below)

I didn't cut out the collars and collar stands yet, because I didn't recheck the collar fit, and I had some issues with that collar being a shade bigger than I'd hoped when I made this shirt in the pink mille fleur print, just before our trip to the U.K. I'll probably have to use bits of the alternate fabric for these, probably on the under side of the collar. I'm sure I'll have to piece the green print, but hopefully it won't show.

Feeling confident I've got a shirt pattern like B5526 working so well, helps keep me enchanted by sewing!

* Have you gotten a chance to see my post - Lovin' London's Liberty and listen to the June "Enchanted By Sewing" podcast show, Laurel Loves London)?

African Beads Embellish My Sewing (Suministros especializados/Special Supplies)

Reasons I like these speciality supplies?
       * They support Low-Income Women by buying their product (member of the Fair Trade Federation)
       * How much greener can you get? Recyling waste paper
       * Their colorful designs compliment my casual, arty, romantic style

* The Bead for Life web site says....

"BeadforLife's loose beads are the perfect way to make your next jewelry project more meaningful! Our beads are handmade from colorful recycled paper by women in Uganda who are working to lift themselves out of poverty and create a sustainable income. When you create jewelry using BeadforLife loose beads, you'll feel good knowing you're looking good and doing good!"

I received a bag of this beads for a holiday present. My sister-in-law bought them for me at a beading party, but I've since found that I can buy them directly on the web without going to such an event. Though I used to make beaded jewelry, I don't anymore. However I've sewn these lovely little recycled jems on a number of tee shirts and sweat shirts, in and around the neckline, and they add a nice touch. 

I sew them on with fishing line or heavy-duty clear thread. I go back and forth a couple of times through the hole to secure them. When I sew them onto lightweight tees, I stabilize the back side of the tee in the sewn on area, using scrap fabric or ribbon.

I usually wash my home sewn clothes in regular warm machine cycle, but I hang my homemade garments to dry. The beads haven't obviously faded after many warm/hot water machine washings, but I'm suspicious that they might do so over time if they ran through a hot dryer. I would recommend testing one or two of them in the dryer, if you like to dry your clothes that way.