Sewing Sunsets

Unfortunately, real life has decided to throw another curve ball.  I had hoped and planned to sew, but about nine days ago, my mom was sent to the hospital with pneumonia.   She is still there and still on IV antibiotics.  Unfortunately, she will seem to get better for a day or two and then have another major set back.  She is extremely weak and tired and just hasn’t recovered enough to get up and move enough to regain some strength.  My mom is 83 years old so this is very hard on her, and of course, I’m exhausted as well.  It’s hard to watch your parent decline and it’s especially hard when they are ill.

A few days ago, I did manage to get some hand sewing done, but this past week has been a difficult one.  My mom will be fever free for a few days and then she’ll have fever for another day or two.  It doesn’t help that she is getting very little sleep.  Not sleeping well is going to make it harder for her to heal.

I’ll update as I can and when Real Life settles down again, I’ll try to get back to blogging about sewing–and do some sewing as well.

Happy Sewing to you all!

www.sewseamless.com

Apparently, I have offically lost my sewing mind!    I knew that the project that I have been showing you recently looked very short to be a nightgown, but for some reason, that’s what I thought I was making.  When I just now checked, it was a previous project that was a nightgown, which was quite a bit longer. 

Sew….the black fabric with the mutli-colored music notes on it was sewn into a very nice pajama top.  My,my……see what happens when my pictures don’t cooperate?!

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Yesterday, I managed to upload a few pictures before my card reader decided to misbehave again.  At least, I think it’s my card reader.  I lost a few pictures, but hubby was able to retrieve most of them, thank goodness! 

Yesterday, I showed you the sleeve and started the process of pinning it to the garment.  The side seams haven’t been sewn yet, so this is really quite easy.

I’m not sure you can see this picture much better, but the sleeve has been pinned to the garment. It’s quite easy to sew the sleeve to the garment this way.  I sew with the sleeve side up because you can also use your finger so help prevent any puckers when you’re sewing. 

When I finish sewing the sleeve, I serge finish the raw edge of the seam, after I have checked to make sure there are no puckers and that I don’t need to do any un-stitching, of course. Then, the seam is pressed toward the sleeve.  I usually press this seam over a tailor’s ham because it is easier to press this way.

The next step is to pin the side seam and the sleeve seam and sew these in one long seam.  You have to slightly pivot when you come to the underarm seam, but that’s easy.

I placed the garment at an angle so you could see the seam better.  I chose to serge finish the raw edges before sewing this time, so after this seam was sewn, I pressed the seams open.  I also clipped just under the arm so that I could press the seam open a bit easier.  Sometimes, I like to sew this seam and then serge the seam and press it to one side, but I thought it might put too much bulk under the arms. 

At this point, the only thing left to do is hem the garment and this hem was easy.  The bottom was turned up twice, enclosing the raw edge and then I sewed it on the sewing machine.  I place my needle all the way to the left to sew this type of rolled hems.  Some seamstresses like to press the hem up, then press it up again, which makes it quite easy to sew, but I tend to “eyeball” it.

This pattern is the same pattern that I will use to sew pajama tops; you just cut them a little shorter.  Otherwise, the sewing techniques are exactly the same.

Sewing sleeves in flat (tutorial and pictures):  www.sewseamless.com/Page28.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page29.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page30.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Today is the day we are finally going to warm up!  I don’t like winter at all anyway, and it’s been far too cold for my taste for waaayyy too long.  I’m really ready for summer and 90 degree temps with lots and lots of sunshine.   Of course, there is one good thing about winter—those cold icky days make great sewing days.

I have really enjoyed sewing this flannel nightgown.  It is a very easy pattern and because it is a pull over style, there are no buttons or buttoholes to sew, plus the hem is machine sewn, so this is a fairly quick project.   I sewed the shoulder seams together, interfaced the neckline facings and sewed them together, then sewed the facings to the garment neckline, and then understitched.  That was the hardest part of the whole garment.  The next step was to sew the sleeves in and that was quite easy.

These sleeves are sewn to the garment before the side seams are sewn.  This is one time when it is important to mark the dot on the sleeve cap; it should be placed at the shoulder seam of the garment. 

The picture above shows the sleeve cap that will be sewn to the garment.  I found that I needed to run an ease line on the sleeve caps to make sure that they fit correctly.  I also slightly clipped the curve on the garment to help it spread out to fit the sleeve cap, so that the notches would match.  (The single notch indicates the front of the sleeve, and the double notch indicates the back of the sleeve.)  then I pinned the sleeve cap to the garment.

I don’t think you can really see much from the above picture, but I was pinning the sleeve to the garment.  I have more pictures to show you, but I’ll have to see if my camera, card reader, and computer are speaking to each other again. Uploading pictures has been a real challenge recently.  Hopefully, I’ll have some more, and better, pictures to show you in my next post.

Sewing sleeves (the easy way): www.sewseamless.com/Page28.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page29.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page30.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

This is a picture of the finished facing.  In the past, I’ve sewn the facings that are sewn on to a dress or blouse that has buttons and buttonholes, but this nightgown is a pull over style, so the facing is one piece, after the shoulder seams have been sewn and pressed open.  I serge finished the raw edges and then pinned and sewed the facing to the neckline of the garment.  The nightgown shoulder seams were sewn and and pressed open first. 

I know it’s a little hard to see, but the picture above shows the right side of the garment after I sewed the facing to the neckline.  At the slight “V”, I clipped to the stitching and because these were curved seams, I clipped the curves.  Even though the pattern didn’t tell me to do so, I chose to understitch the facing.  This was very easy since it was one piece.  I placed the seam allowance toward the facing, and sewed close to the seam, right on the facing.  After the neckline was pressed, this kept the neckline facing from rolling to the outside.

In the picture above, you can see the seam allowance under the facing.  I chose to use the free arm of my sewing machine to make sewing the neckline facings easier and also to make the understitching easier as well.

The rest of the nightgown was very easy to sew, and believe it or not, after sewing the facings, this garment was almost finished.

Sewing facings: www.sewseamless.com/Page6.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page16.html

Understitching: www.sewseamless.com/Page7.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page16.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

It is still way too cold today!  At least we don’t have ice today, but it’s still much too cold for my taste.  Of course, yesterday was a perfect sewing day and I made a huge mistake; I actually planned to sew.  Yep, you guessed it!  Real life interrupted again!   However, I can’t complain too much because this time, the interruptions were very pleasant ones.  And I did get to do a little sewing in spite of Real Life.

Yesterday, we talked about  applying fusible interfacing.  That’s actually a nice thing to do on a cold winter day. After the facings have been interfaced, it’s time to sew them together and then sew them to the neckline of the garment.  This particular facing is a bit different that what I’ve shown you in the past.  The pajama top that I’m sewing is a pull over top so this facing is one piece, which is very easy to sew.

The first step is to sew the shoulder seams of the facings together and press them open.

After I pressed the facing shoulder seams open, I serge finished the raw edges of the facing.  The next step is to sew the facing to the neckline of the pajama top, and even though the pattern didn’t tell me to do this, I chose to understitch the facing.  Because it’s one piece, it was really quite easy.

Sewing facings: www.sewseamless.com/Page6.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page16.html

Understitching: www.sewseamless.com/Page7.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page16.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

It is much too cold and icy here today!  Brrrr!!!  Of course, this type of winter day is a great day for staying home and sewing.  That’s what I hope to do today–sew.

As you know, I have completed several pairs of flannel pajama pants and moved on to sewing a couple of flannel nightgowns and pajama tops to go with those pj pants.  Flannel is one of my favorite fabrics because it is so easy to sew and the garments are warm and cozy.  You must pre-shrink flannel before sewing with it.  After I have washed and dried 100% cotton flannel fabric, I press it well so that all the wrinkles are removed before I pin a pattern on the flannel. 

Recently, I started sewing a flannel nightgown, which is a really easy pattern.  The pattern for the pj top is the same pattern, just shorter.

The first step is to sew the shoulder seams and press them open over a seam roll.  Then it’s time to prepare and sew the neckline facings.  The first thing to do is to  apply the fusible interfacing to the facing pieces.  Make sure that you have pre-shrunk your interfacing before fusing it to the flannel.  Because I use such small pieces, I place the interfacing pieces glue side up, spritz them with water, and hold the iron over the piece, not touching it.  Move the iron along the small piece of interfacing (sometimes, I give it a shot of steam, but I have to be careful not to shrink it too much!) and then lay the small pieces aside to dry.  Many seamstresses put the entire yardage of interfacing into a basin of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes, and then hang it over a shower rod to dry, or lay it flat to dry. 

When the interfacing has been pre-shrunk and is completely dry, it can be fused to the fabric.  I like to press the flannel facings before fusing the interfacing.  Place the fabric, wrong side up, and place the interfacing, glue side down on the  fabric.  It’s easy to tell the glue side of the the interfacing because it feels rougher. ( There are a lot of different types of interfacing on the market, but one of my favorites is Fusi-Knit, which is a knit type of interfacing.  I use it with cotton and cotton flannel and have had great results with it.)

Cover the piece with a press cloth, lightly spray with water, and then place the iron down firmly.  Use lots of steam and hold the iron down (applying some pressure), for about ten seconds.  Lift the iron, and slightly overlapping where you started, repeat the process until the entire piece has been fused.

The above picture shows the back facing (top) and the front facing, which is the “V” shaped piece.

When the entire facing piece has been fused, turn it over so the the right side of the fabric is facing you, and repeat the whole process.  This helps to ensure that the interfacing is fused well.  Make sure to use a lift and press motion, not an ironing (sliding) motion when fusing the interfacing.

I know it’s hard to see in the picture above, but that is the front facing that has had the fusible interfacing applied to it.   After the pieces have been interfaced,  allow them to cool before moving them.  The next step is to sew the front and back facings together and then sew them to the neckline. 

Tutorial (and pictures) for applying/fusing interfacing: www.sewseamless.com/Page4.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page15.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

I have had some time to sew lately and have actually completed a few projects. As you know, I have been sewing pajama pants.  I decided that I also wanted to sew pajama tops to go with these pants.  Before the holidays I had several opportunities to visit JoAnn’s and purchased some great flannel fabric to make tops to go with the pj pants.  The project that I will be sharing with you is actually a nightgown, but it is the exact same pattern as the pj tops; it’s just longer.  All the sewing techniques are the same.

Here is the pattern that I’m using:

Some of the sewing techniques that are covered are sewing in sleeves, understitching, and sewing facings.  In this case, the sleeves are sewn in flat, which is a very easy way to sew in sleeves.  The neckline facing is a litle different than the ones I’ve shared in the past, but it’s quite easy.  I’ll also review the easy technique of applying fusible interfacing. 

I’ve already completed two nightgowns and I’m moving on to sewing a boy’s bathrobe.  I’ll share that project next.

Here is more information (tutorials and pictures) of the sewing techniques that I mentioned here:

Sewing sleeves in flat: www.sewseamless.com/Page28.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page29.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page30.html

Understitching: www.sewseamless.com/Page7.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page16.html

How to apply fusible interfacing: www.sewseamless.com/Page4.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page15.html

Sewing facings (this will be a different type of facing than I will show you in my current sewing project):  www.sewseamless.com/Page6.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page16.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Before I share more sewing projects with you, I want to share some of my holiday thoughts–after the holidays.  One thing that always intrigues me every year during the holidays is that many individuals, organizations, and churches scurry around trying to make sure that the less fortunate have a good holiday by providing food and clothing and presents for these families.  This is a great thing to do and I think it’s wonderful that so many people are willing to help someone else have a great Thanksgiving and Christmas.  However, once December is over and January rolls around, I often think that the same people, who may have had a much merrier Christmas  because of someone else’s generosity, are forgotten for the rest of the year. 

As you know, I encourage those who sew, craft, quilt, knit, or crochet to donate items to the less fortunate.  You never know how one small quilt or a new shirt might encourage someone who is experiencing hopelessness.  Carrie Underwood has a song on her new album that illustrates what I am talking about here.  The title of the song is “Change”.  I love the sentiment and the message in this song.  The verses more or less ask the question of how we react to seeing some very real needs of the less fortunate and poverty stricken.  Do we actually get up and do something about it by donating our money, our time, or our talents, or do we simply tell ourselves that we are fools for believing that we can “change the world”?  I love the chorus that says something along the lines of  “do you tell yourself that you’re just a fool for believing that you can change the world?”  The truth is that one person may not be able to change the world for the better, but if each one of us helped those less fortunate in some way, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to us, we could change the world–at least we could change the world for the better for one person, a families, or even a few families.  Many years ago I heard a sermon entitled “The Power of One” which has always stuck with me.  A recent news story in my area illustrated this.  In this area, a retired grandmother decided to do something to encourage those men and women serving in the military, so she sewed pillows.  A friend helps her with this process and at the time the story aired, she had donated 6,000 pillows.  She goes to the airport to give the service men and women this small gift and token of appreciation as they are headed overseas to serve our country.  This is just one example of how one person can make a difference in someone else’s life.

This year, I want to encourage all of us to donate our hand crafted items to those in need so that the new year may shine just a little bit brighter and a seed of hope may be born in a discouraged heart.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Did you notice that I didn’t say sewing plans  for the new year?!   We all know what happens when I actually plan to sew, so I’ll just hope to sew a lot this year.

My camera has somewhat cooperated with me lately, so I have some pictures of recently completed sewing projects.

The picture above isn’t great, but hopefully, you can somewhat see what the completed apron looks like.  I didn’t have a very good place to display it for you.

The next project that I shared with you was a pair of pajama pants.  I have a couple of completed pairs of pj pants to show you.

I have made quite a few pajama pants recently, and I have fabric to sew pajama tops to go with them.  The pattern that I’m using also has a nightgown pattern with it, which is basically the same as the top pattern; it’s just longer.  I recently completed that project and will share that with you here.

Another project that I will be beginning soon is a boy’s bathrobe.  I pressed the fabric and got the pattern pieces together last night, so that is another sewing project that I will share with you in the near future.

My daughter asked me to sew her a couple of black satin pillowcases and monogram them.  I have sewn the pillowcases, but still need to figure out how to place the embroidery correctly.  Perhaps you can help me through that journey as well.

Besides sewing pj tops, nightgowns, and bathrobes, I also hope to sew some girls’ shorts sets and dresses, along with some sundresses for little girls. 

Those are my sewing “hopes” for the new year.  Hopefully, real life won’t get in the way quite so much this year.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com