Detour... Undies

I got a little sidetracked this week and wanted to make some new undies. I'm trying to reduce stash and I just got rid of two remnants of soft knits by cutting out 4 pairs of undies. okay... now I can buy more! muwahhahahaha!!! NOT!


There's a panty sew along on PatternReview.com and I was inspired to make some new undies (which I've been meaning to do, thus the knit remants in my stash). I used my TNT KwikSew 2908 pattern view B. I replaced the elastic waist with some stretch lace. I like the way wide stretch lace lays flatter against my skin than a regular elastic waist. There're fewer bulges that way.

Here's two that I finished tonite... tomorrow I'll finish up the other two before getting back to my jeans. I really needed new undies, and these are so much nicer and softer than the cheap Hanes stuff I usually buy. These are tencel knit, and I think the other set are rayon knits. Sooooo soft. Plus they don't dig into my hip with that bulky elastic bump at the side seam. I made a flat seam at the back of mines.

Here's a pic of the inside. On the instruction sheet, it doesn't say to tack the crotch lining down in the front, so it's usually left unsewn. I use a small zigzag stitch and secure it, otherwise I find that it curls.

No more Hanes for me. These are a quick fix for my sewing addiction. And they always fit just right.

Jalie or McCalls jeans? Alterations to both patterns

I'm so glad Spring break is over and I can finally get back to my sewing! Now that all the kids are back in school, and my workload is still very minimal, I can work on my jeans again.

Alterations have been finished on both pattern. Here's what I did after comparing each pattern to my favorite pair of Levis.

Jalie was the same in crotch measurements, so I'll start with this one first. I wanted a little more width in the upper legs and hip and considered tracing another pattern. Instead, I just added the extra generous 1/8" to the side seam from waist tapering to the knee. Most of my baggage is unfortunately located in the outer thigh, so that's where I added the space. If you click on the pictures, you can see the addition of blue alteration lines.


I also decreased the length by chopping off 4 inches from the botton. When I measured it out, the distance from crotchline to knee was pretty close to my measurements, so I made no length changes above the knee. I also made the adjustments necessary for the yoke/pocket/waistband pieces.

McCalls alterations are a little trickier. First I retraced a size 10 since 14 seemed way to big for stretch jeans. 10 was much closer in measurements to my Levis. After lopping off 4" from the hemline, I adjusted the back crotch length, adding 1 1/2" to make it a little closer in length to my Levis. I also tapered in 3/4" on both sides at the knee to add some shaping. This alteration was tapered from 2" below the crotchline to the knee, then back out to 0 at the hem. I added a generous 1/8" to the sideseams for a little extra space at the hip to waist. Thigh measurements were actually close enough that I didn't feel I needed to make any adjustments. Again, if any adjustments affected the pocket pieces and yoke, I made those as well. Click on the pics below and you'll be able to see the blue adjustment lines.


Yippee! We're getting to the good part.

Ready.... set..... CUT!

Jalie Jeans or McCalls?

The new Jalie Stretch jeans pattern just came out and I've been wanting to sew a new pair of jeans. I had started tracing the McCalls pattern a few weeks ago, but decided to wait on cutting them out when I heard about the new Jalie pattern.

Here's a look at the front and back pieces of both patterns. If you click on the picture, you'll have a better view of the differences between the two patterns. The McCalls patterns have 1" seam allowances, but even after tracing those in, you can see a significant difference in size. This is before any alterations were done. I went with the size charts and tried to trace the one that matched my measurements closest. Jalie pattern size T matched waist and hip measurements perfectly, while McCalls size 14 pattern was within 1/2" of my waist and hip. However, after tracing the two patterns and laying the Jalie pattern on top the McCalls one, you can see there's a significant difference not only in style, but in sizing! And yes, both require STRETCH DENIM. For a minute, I thought the McCalls pattern was for non-stretch denim... but nope, it lists both regular denim and Stretch denim, and there is a stretch meter on the side of the package. Hmmm...

In comparison, the Jalie pattern is much more fitted from waist to knee. The rise is a bit lower in front, and the center front slants at a slightly greater angle. It is also much closer in angle to my favorite pair of jeans.
The CB seams on both appear to have a bigger wedge cut out than my favorite pair of jeans, though both angles are very close.

Okay. So then I compared the measurements from both patterns to my favorite pair of jeans, and because the McCalls pattern seemed way too big, I included size 10 and 12 as well... here's how they fared (Favorite jeans, area measured, Jalie, McCalls 10, McCalls 12, McCalls 14):

7 3/4" (Front crotch:) 6 3/4" , 7 3/4", 8 1/8", 8 1/4"

12 3/4" (Back crotch:) 12 3/4", 10 1/4", 10 1/2", 11 1/8"

37 3/4" ( Hip:) 37", 37", 38 1/2", 40"

23 1/4" (Thigh around crotch line:) 23 1/4", 23 1/2", 24", 25 3/4"

22 1/4" (2" below crotch line - around the saddlebag): 21 1/2", 22 1/2", 23 3/8, 24 1/2"

15" (knee): 15 1/4", 19", almost the same as size 10

17" (leg opening): 20 1/4", 19 -20" for McCalls sizes

I did NOT take into consideration basic length measurements as those can easily be adjusted. So far, Jalie seems to be closer to what I'd want to wear.

Next post: Alterations

Uniforms

I spent last month sewing uniforms for the high school band and for a chorus group. What a lot of work... but now there's nothing for me to work on, just a few alterations. I wish my work was a little more steady, but I suppose these breaks give me a chance to catch my breath and work on things for my own family. And I can catch up on my housework.

Plans for this coming month (when I have slow periods):

Work on a suit for my daughter
Try out the new Jalie Jeans pattern
Make new business cards

Hopefully, the chorus group will have a picture to show so I can post it here...

HAHAHAHa I just reread my 2009 resolutions and had to laugh. Okay... lets get back on track. I'm going to put them in a list on the side of this page so I can see them every time I write a blog entry. I haven't followed it much, except for not buying more fabric and using my stash.

2008 Handmade Christmas gifts

This fabric covered box is made with a simple shoebox, some spray adhesive, and some leftover fabrics in my stash. I put in a few hair clips, a styling brush and some hair bands and gifted it to my 9 year old niece. My sister says she uses the box to carry around all kinds of other stuff, but her hair goodies are all over the bathroom. Oh well... so much for helping her get her hair things organized. I will post a How To when I make the next box. I think I will make a few to organize my own things...


Inspiration for the next gift came from a well loved toy (BunnyBuns) that my 13 year old daughter is still holding on to. This lovey was adopted from an older sister and has even been traveling to Japan.

Here's the lovey made for my niece (14 months). I hope she will love it as much as BunnyBuns. The pattern is very old and no longer available but in case you'd like to search for it on ebay, it's McCall's Craft pattern 3760. I used it many years ago in an attempt to replace old BunnyBuns. Of course, that bunny just couldn't take old BB's place and has since been donated to Goodwill.

I also made a binder cover using Pokemon fabric for my 9 year old nephew and filled it with those plastic collector card holders, but I don't have a picture. I used the same basic instructions for making a journal cover. You can find them here: Instructions for making Journal Covers
I also gave a few Journals away as gifts, as well as car seat organizers to my sibs. They are finding them very useful. And you can see them in my AirMama makeover post.

So since this year's gifts were a success, my family will be receiving more handmade gifts in 2009. And this time I will start earlier. I already have some ideas.

Traveling vest for mom
Backsaver Handbag (with organizing pockets) for my sister
Quilt for my daughter (she moved into a new apartment this year... I miss her)
Quilt with thinsulate batting for my son (he will be moving to Minnesota in a few weeks and I know I'll miss him too)

And of course, I still have to think of gifts for all the other kids in my family.... like DH.