Fitting Pinto: (M6076)Sleeveless Princess-Seamed Shirt - Perfect for Summer Temperatures

The word "pinto" in Spanish does indeed refer to a specific kind of bean
It also means "spotted" or "speckled" !

Last fall I first fitted a sleeveless version of M6076. I called my first version of this shirt Western Winds. I've been reaching for my Western Winds shirt repeatedly in these warmer days. It's on the wash line every time I hang up clothes. To prevent fading I machine wash my own-sewn garments but I hang them to dry on plastic hangers on our clothes line . There is really no more time involved, as the hangers can go straight into the closet once dry.

There is no sleeveless version in the pattern, so I worked out where I wanted the armscye to be cut. A french curve ruler really helps with that. I did create a muslin for that original version.

I'm finding that, despite marking up my first-version master pattern tracing and markup of the master pattern, as well as that muslin, I'm still needing to do a lot of basting on Pinto, both with a basting stitch and safety pins. I'm hoping the altered cutting and stitching lines I just made to the last version of the pattern will help me make the next version of this shirt more quickly! I marked all alteration cut and stitch lines in a specific marker color and dated them too. One thing I've learned about altering patterns is to do that. I've also learned that different fabric, in a fitted garment, need slight differences in the amount of seam allowance.

My side and shoulder seams are still basted. Next step is to sew over them with a regular stitch length.

As you can see I also haven't yet added the facing or collar. To make sure the various seams in this fitted shirt hung right I safety pin basted the two front pieces up the center front line for the time being. I can still pull the shirt over my head for fitting.

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Completed Western Winds - Last Version of this shirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2015/10/western-winds-terminadofinished.html

Ench By Sew-025: Restyling

Hey! 

The latest Enchanted by Sewing Podcast has been published!

Listening Option I) You can listen to the show right on the web by clicking on this link

http://traffic.libsyn.com/enchantedbysewing/FINALCastOct2014RestylingEnchantedBySewing.mp3

~ OR ~

Listening Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes 
( https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/enchanted-by-sewing/id566370325)

This month’s show  is  Restylin’.
It all came about when I started shaking the dreams from my hair. Restylin' is about my transition in sewing and wardrobe style . It involves looking at patterns in a new-to-me way, and working my brain around ways I want clothes to fit me.

The Enchanted by Sewing Podcast is, an extension of my regular sewing blog - Me Encanta Coser, which,  roughly translated means, Enchanted By Sewing 

My blog is written in English. The name celebrates the historical and modern use of the beautiful Spanish Language in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, where I live. 

This month I’m working on creating two tee shirts M6078 and V8323. The details are in these blog postings from MeEncantaCoser.blogspot.com
V8323 - Princess Seamed - Katherine Tilton Tee http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/10/princess-seamed-tee-shirt-pattern-work.html

M6078 - Retro Style Polka Dot Cowl Neck Knit top - Reminiscent of I Love Lucy http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/10/reworking-retro-style-polka-dot-tee.html

1) Pensamientos Primeros
– (Sewing) For my wardrobe’s sake (How about those red accents!)
2) Technicos  
Reworking my sewing style/methods. Pattern alteration experiences.
3) Pensamientos Finales
Transitions - Restyling  

David Crosby sang, 
“I almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day . . .”

4) Epiologue 
Redefining what I want to create

* * *
Restyling has me  shaking the dreams from my hair.   That’s just one more thing that keeps me . . . 
Enchanted by Sewing.

Wardrobe Refurbishing: A Sewist Loves to Rework her Wardrobe

Yeah! So much better with a well-fastened
waistband and belt loops

 When I daydream about sewing, it's the new stuff I focus on. Bet you too have a lot of goodies stashed away in your fabric inventory for which you have great plans. I don't, however, very often think about how to improve on garments I've made in the past. Refurbishing doesn't have the same éclat as creating. But when I think about it, it's often more satisfying to rework a garment that I've worn a bit and studied the value of for my lifestyle.

Recently I cleaned my closet, not really out of choice mind you! My husband needed access to the under-the-house zone. Access to the furnace and water heater in our little pre-war (that's WWII) cottage is only possible by crawling beneath the floors. Boy, do I appreciate him doing that work.  You better believe I don't complain that my only part in this project is to take everything out of my rather small 1939 closet, so that he can pull-up the trap door and slither through the opening.

When I shovel the contents of my wardrobe out, I often pause to sort through my clothes to clean out the inventory of garments I've got hanging in there. You know how it goes I bet - have I worn this in the last year? Am I likely to? Do I really like this piece? What's flattering? What needs replacing? Which things are just a waste of space?

Some decisions are hard to make, but there's an element of shopping my closet that makes the whole thing a bit more fun.

This eyelet peasant blouse I already had, is
 nice arty romantic look that really suits my wardrobe style

I wore these shorts (a green home dec print) a fair amount last summer, having finished them late in the summer of 2012. But they weren't a huge favorite.

Why was that? I wondered when I reviewed them against some of my other clothes?

1) The original waist closure wasn't well worked
2) The waistband, interfacing notwithstanding, doesn't give a crisp look at the waist.
3) I didn't feel like they went well with any of the tops in my closet or drawers.

So despite my latest June sewing goal, I stopped to do some refurbishing.

1) I sewed a new waistband hook  on either side of the waistband bits.

2) I sewed thread belt loops along the waistline.

3) I identified two white shirts that I already have, that look great with these shorts. (One of which I'd photographed in my original completion photo, but never actually worn with them!) In fact, when I biked over to the Sunset Open House last weekend, two different people unexpectedly complimented me on my outfit. At the time I was wearing the cap I made that matches the shorts and I think that makes it clear that the outfit is something I created. I have worn cap more than the shorts, because I'm pretty regular about skin protection, but it's even more fun to wear it with the matching shorts.

In fact, though I tend to think of tee shirts as being the appropriate garment for shorts, these white shirts give the garment a dressier more arty-romantic look than the tee-and-shorts style.

My cleanout work not only made my closet tidier, the resulting refurbishment project gave me one more reason to be ...

Enchanted by Sewing!

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Web Resources

The Lady Wears Shorts: http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-lady-wears-shorts-part-2.html

Suzanne Beaubien - How to Sew Thread Belt Loops

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAsF-zodUk4

Terminado! Sewing a Simple Denim Skirt Is Good Medicine

Things that make me proud of this simple elastic waist denim skirt?

* Got it done!
* Draped the pattern myself!
* Love the figure flattering fit!

BTW there are side seam slits too, from the knee part way up the outside of my leg. Haven't tried it on a bike yet, but I think that will work will. The slits make slipping in an out of a car quite easy.

I made the skirt originally to go with my denim bustier, but you know I'm a sewist with a plan (SWAP). This garment goes really well with several of my basic shirts and is a great wardrobe builder

I got more pleasure finishing this simple denim skirt than any sewing project I can remember. As I mentioned in my most recent podcast, Mind of the Maker, I'm having some health challenges that are putting a bit of a crimp in my recreational sewing time. Completing this project, slowly but surely, did a lot for my sense of mental as well as physical well being.

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Web Resources

Audio Podcast Enchanted By Sewing Episode 20: Mind of the Maker http://enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com/2014/05/ench-by-sew-020-mind-of-maker.html