8.11.2019

Sunday Sewcial: What Scares You in Sewing?

Sewing for Rob, Blazer fabric

My birthday just passed with nary a bratty word from me here, mainly because Rob was giving me a stupendous birthday week. Family, food, sewing, unplugging, and MOUNTAINS OF FABRIC. 

And, drum roll please: the go-ahead to make some wilder options for his closet, which is PRETTY MUCH THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT HE COULD GIVE ME. Y'ALL. HE'S GIVEN ME THE THUMBS UP FOR A BLAZER OUT OF THAT YARDAGE!! I mean, I don't need his permission to stitch up any of my cray, let's be real, BUT HE SAID HE'S ACTUALLY GONNA WEAR IT!!

Osgood Textiles Fabric Haul

Only the bottom two prints, snagged at Osgood Textiles on a birthday weekend road trip, are Not Rob. When he realized there was nothing on the cutting table for me, he made me walk around the cavernous store and pick more out for myself. Was mad, in fact, when I only came up with two prints. The bright green is destined for a gown, the paler green-- well, actually, don't tell Rob, but I feel like he needs some floral linen pants. Shhhh. That's just between us. 

Most of these surprisingly vivid options were given the thumbs up for vest fabric, something I've been wanting to make for Rob since our last Re:Fashion shoot, when he wore a sweet wool vest for one of the episodes. Hey, did you know Rob knows how to sew? Yep. He learned long before I did. What's more, Rob knows how to sew WELT POCKETS. The first thing he ever stitched was a fully lined wool vest with TWO of those bad boys! (You'll see evidence of this tomorrow.)

Now, this might come as a surprise to peeps who have been around here for a minute, as I normally jump into anything sewing related with wild abandon, but I have avoided learning how to sew a welt pocket LIKE THE PLAGUE since I started stitching over a decade ago. I decided it was high time to conquer that fear, and where better to start than a pile of birthday fabric. Comparing Rob's handmade vest to Simplicity 8023, I did a quick toile for fit, then got ready to tackle those pockets. Except. EXCEPT. That's there's a false welt on 8023!!! OOOOOO I WAS SO MAD! I was ready to go ahead and faux it up-- I mean, what is today's vest wearer even putting in those tiny pockets-- but then Rob's vest looked at me. Mocked me, even. You've been sewing for a decade, hoss? Huh. You must be pretty good. Rob put welt pockets in me. Right out the gate. I think he'd maybe been sewing about a DAY. 

HOW DARE YOU, SIR I yelled in response to Beginner's Welted Vest. I CAN DO ALL OF THE THINGS!  YOU THINK I'M SCARED OF POCKETS?! I DO NOT RUN FROM POCKETS!!! 

Welt pocket

Using a combination of vintage sewing books, internet sleuthing, and a cocktail or two, I made two practice runs before going whole hog. I figured out a few little tricks along the way that make for a neater finish, which I'll share soon...

And now I can't wait to make eleventy billion welt pockets. Luckily I've got plenty of yardage at hand.

Sewing for Rob: fabric haul!

(Yes, even the magenta plaid is his!)

I don't run from much in sewing, but I sure ran from welt pockets. I'd love to know what sewing techniques make you hide in the corner. Maybe it's something you've never tried, or something you do repeatedly and hate every time...Horsehair hems? Gathering fabric? French Seams? Dish!

39 comments:

  1. Welt pockets are it for me too.

    M Denman

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  2. Knits. Knit EVERYTHING! Knit edges. Knit hems. Knit necklines. That stuff just scares me witless! I have a serger and have created a couple items with it, but then I get to the hem, or neckline, or sleeve cuff and I need to use the sewing machine ... UFO pile. AGAIN! I've got a pair of panties - super cute, with pink diamante lips on the front and matching pink elastic - and the elastic is all pinned to the edges ready to go, but elastic is attached by a sewing machine and... it's mocking me, sitting there all pretty with the pins in place. Just mocking, I tell ya!

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    Replies
    1. AHHH KNITS! I started out on knits, not knowing they were the bane of many a sewists' existence! Maybe I can share a few tricks....

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  3. Fabric store men,
    find one and adhere,
    their hens teeth of platinum,
    when doth they appear.

    Seweth and stitch,
    for such a dude,
    adventuresome attributes,
    the best attitude.

    Lineth his blazer,
    if just the sleeves,
    in fabric that harkens,
    where his heart heaves.

    It's you, Oona,
    wence his love came,
    singeth his arm hair,
    with your private flame.

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  4. they're hen's teeth of platinum

    [I can spell and punctuate - Oona, you get me all first-drafty]

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  5. To stitch in the ditch...tried often, never with success

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    Replies
    1. ooooo that made me cringe for a while! I thought the answer was in the foot but I think I've had best results with a regular old foot. And fabric markers to hide the flaws....

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  6. Let’s see...putting on bias tape edging, non invisible zippers, buttonholes, I can do ‘em with varied success, but I don’t want to.

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    Replies
    1. That last part..."but I don't want to" 😂!!! I love Clare Schaeffer's easy non-invisible centered zip. Our DP for ReFashion says it's like watching a zipper being born.

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  7. I remember that I made a welt pocket once... long ago. That's all that I remember, so it must have been ok!

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    1. That was DEFINITELY a win, if you don't remember! I remember my first try from a week ago like a nightmare.

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  8. It took 30 years before I did an invisible zipper. And I still don't like doing them.

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    Replies
    1. On You Tube there is a video of Kenneth King putting in an invisible zipper. It's wonderful! Works every time.

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    2. You mean the one where he uses a surgical tool for the finish? I so want to try that!

      My first zip was invisible, I inserted it with a regular zipper foot because I didn't know better, and now it's the foot I use with the most success.

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  9. No sewing fears here... no one is harmed by sewing something incorrectly. I learn best from mistakes, and they aren't really mistakes if I can fix them.

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    Replies
    1. all very true!! But there are some things that never get to mistake/learning mode if we don't jump in and try it in the first place ;)

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  10. Welt pockets & bound buttonholes (same technique) make me crazy.

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    Replies
    1. YES. I'm currently deciding whether or not to do bound buttonholes---or tiny welt pockets. Doing these at the end of the project is part of the fear!!

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  11. Collar stands. Hate them. They never seem to line up with the edges somehow.

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    Replies
    1. THIS. Have you seen "four square walls" collar tutorial? I love it.

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  12. Corsetry intimidates me. I mean, I am fine with plastic boning, and probably would be with reeds or wooden slats -- but the thought of snipping steel stays makes me cringe. You can file wood or bone to smooth the ends and edges, but steel requires metallurgy.

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    1. Steel can be filed. 🙃 I have no corset experience, but a degree in Metals Technology. Lol...

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    2. STEEL CAN BE FILED?! *runs off to find inappropriate and probably dangerous equipment*

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    3. At a production of The Canterbury Tales musical at St. Andrews Presbyterian college in the late 1970s, we resorted to duct tape as a corset. Very cheap, very effective, very painful to the actress who had to "wear" the corset for three nights running.

      I think that she even opted to leave it on between performances, the second time we applied it to her torso (she held her own boobies up and out of the way while we wrapped her ribs).

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  13. Dislike gathering, waistbands, collar stands.

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  14. What techniques make me want to hide? Well, I have been sewing for a really long time and I was actually more adventurous in my first few years sewing than I am now but that's mostly just due to laziness.

    I can think of at least one thing though that scares me: bound buttonholes. (and there are probably others that I just can't think of right now) Vogue 2960 was supposed to have bound buttonholes but I just made normal ones because bound buttonholes are mega-scary. Red bound buttonholes would have been a great little detail on that dress though.

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    Replies
    1. I made this pattern, actually it was my very first sewing project when I decided to self learn using youtube videos, at age 51! The buttonholes were difficult and unpleasant to make and they look miserable. Then I learned that there are easier ways to make buttonholes.....

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  15. Marcy!! Welt pockets are also my lifelong sewing nemesis. Are they better if the fabric is fuschia? I suspect that might be true. These blog posts and comment threads are SO AWESOME. Giant hugs and all the fabric love to you and Rob! — xoxoxo Lainie

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  16. I have never tried welt pockets or bound buttonholes. I am expectantly waiting for your instructions that encourage me to try these since everything you do sounds like fun.

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  17. Welt pockets and bound buttonholes for the win!

    I've started sewing knits, but nothing super-stretchy (no serger).

    I haven't tried it, but tower plackets look scary. At least they would usually be done in an easier fabric.

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  18. Damned bound buttonholes... despite our tutorial with the vintage queen Gertie herself (where I was mesmerised by a see through ruler!! ������)

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  19. Knit scares me a lot. Learning about it , but still, knit is my sewing fear. You posts helped me a lot in overcoming this fear. Thankyou for valuable posts.
    Thanks
    Stitches

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  20. Thanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks, I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thanks. visit this website

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  21. I loved your post!! My arch nemesis is armholes, although I've gotten better at them- we still have a love hate relationship depending on fabrication.

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  22. Late to the discussion, but I am a button hole avoider. I have a silk blouse completed in 1989 that is still w/o button holes. My default is to replace machine button holes with bound ones. They are actually less scary and easier to control on almost any fabric. Except spongy silk crepe, as in my now-vintage unworn blouse.I hate that the last thing is the button hole step, which has a high probability of looking like crap and ruining an otherwise perfect garment. I don't have a fancy computerized machine, probably never will.Don't be intimidated by bound button holes, just use the graph paper method, very successful.

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!