A Pants Hack

Hello there! A recent post was about some life changes and my upcoming sewing plans. Well, speaking of life changes(!), as you might know, I've had to scrap the plans for my daughter's back-to-the-classroom wardrobe! Why? Well, for one of the best reasons possible. She and her husband are expecting their first child! I'm going to be a grandmother--and I'm still wrapping my head around that.

I am so happy for them. They will be wonderful parents and I want to do what I can to support them. I'm thinking babysitting, meal prep, hugs, whatever--but particularly sewing! Now, as you may know, Mehetabel (my not-her-real-name daughter) is 6 feet tall, and regular patterns always need to be adjusted. Throw pregnancy into the mix, and that adds another challenge. A challenge, yes, but not insurmountable! 

When they first talked about trying to get pregnant, I looked around for maternity patterns. There was nothing in the big four books! I found some current, independent patterns, and made some purchases. I also looked at eBay, Etsy, etc., to look for out-of-print and/or vintage-ish patterns, and made some more purchases. I didn't know what time of year all this would hopefully happen, but now I do: mostly winter. 

I should also mention that I still have many of the patterns I used when I was pregnant in the early-80s. I doubt Mehetabel would want any of those--including Nolan Miller's Linda Evans/Dynasty maternity patterns. I was also pregnant in a much warmer climate and primarily during the spring and summer, so our clothing needs were and are completely different.

On YouTube, several people have videos about how to hack RTW jeans for pregnancy. What a brilliant idea! I immediately bought a pair of Levi's on sale in Mehetabel's size--I could not find any RTW maternity jeans online that would be long enough, so this hack seemed like the answer.  Instead of winging it, I decided to use the stomach panel pattern pieces from a recently purchased older pattern: Butterick 5964. The rather cryptic information on the back of the pattern said to purchase fabric with 15% lycra/spandex for the stomach panel which wasn't easy to find. I did find some--only in gray--at Surge Fabrics online. I quickly bought some and awaited my package.

I was nervous about cutting into the jeans, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I used the pattern pieces to trace out the area to be removed, and used the stomach panel pieces to cut out the 15% spandex tummy piece. 

Sewing was a breeze. I sewed the panel piece on my regular machine using a stretch stitch, and finished the seams with the serger. I considered doubling the fabric as shown in one of the videos, but I was worried that that would make the garment too hot. So, using the pattern's instructions, I finished off the top of the panel but with my coverstitch rather than the regular stitch of the instructions. By the way, the panel fabric has 50 UPF protection, so her stomach won't get burned!

This was a super quick and easy project. The jeans fit Mehetabel well, and she's pleased with them. Although, if I make them again, I will probably start the tummy panel a little higher up and leave a little more of the front fly. Who knows if these jeans fit her throughout the pregnancy, but we'll find out!

Next up, I'm either going to make some gray jeans for me, or pants--or--a top--for Mehetabel. Definitely on the list: more maternity clothes. Who knows what I'll make?!

Thank you for your kind comments following my recent news. I am recovering very well and am looking forward to new challenges.

Until next time ~ Grammy Peggy

Conference Capsule: A Dress with a Difference!

Well, I'm back. I thought I would be back sooner, but life.  It's all good. Wonderful, in fact. In my last post, I'd written about sewing some outfits for my daughter to wear on hot fall days and nights. My daughter read that post, and she mentioned that I might need to re-think the whole concept. Hmmm. I'll wait a bit before I tell you why. You'll probably guess.

She did need some new clothes for a conference she was attending in Idaho. The other dresses I made were no longer comfortable, so I set out to make something appropriate for her.

I thought about a lot of different options, like the Tilly and the Buttons Indigo Dress, the Love Notions Pemberley Dress, and the Pattern Emporium Every Day's a Weekend Dress. But then I decided just to use the same bodice mash-up I'd used before, blogged here and here. But this time, I cut 3 inches off the length of the bodice. Instead of the flared skirt with a fitted waist I'd used before, I made two rectangles at 26" x 35" for the skirt, and I made smaller and shorter bodice ties.

The bodice was underlined with a mystery knit lining. I added stay tape to the shoulders and a stretch stitch on the seams which were then finished with the serger. The hems were done on the coverstitch machine. I added facings to the neckline to finish it, and they were hand sewn to the underlining.

Here's the finished garment--and it's a success! So after whipping up this first version out of this "Famous Dress Designer" polka dot ITY fabric from Fabricmart Fabrics, I wanted to make another one out of a pretty floral border print ITY from fabric.com. But I ran out of time!

So, do you know why she nixed my earlier wardrobe plans? That's right. She's expecting a baby boy in the spring! She's in her second trimester now. She's got her energy back and is thriving. I am so happy for her and Aloysius. They'll be wonderful parents!

Now you know why the plans have changed. Drastically. I have some maternity patterns in my stash, including ones I used in the 80s. However, I was heavily pregnant in the very hot summer, and her biggest times will be in the snowy winter and early spring. Also, the patterns I used were big and billowy--as things were at the time. Shoulder pads? No problem! Want to dress like a pregnant Princess Di? Sure! But those patterns just don't cut it for the here and now. And I knew Mehetabel wouldn't need a full-term maternity dress for the conference because while her other dresses were too snug in the tummy, she wasn't ready for a big waistline or dipping front hem. This change to the previous conference pattern worked just fine for her then 4 month belly.

Here she is in situ at the conference about a month ago:

That's it for now. Thank you for reading and thank you for your kind words on my last post. I really do hope to be back on the blog soon! Take care ~ Peggy

A New Top for Carmelita

Hello there! I hope you are staying well. I'm on a mini-roll right now, sewing-wise. After the Work from Home Module Sew Along, I dithered about what to do next. I often dither. I annoy myself with my dithering. I knew, though, that I wanted to make a top for my daughter's mother-in-law, Carmelita. Carmelita had recently purchased some pants and a coordinating top from J.Jill; the pants fit well but she hated the top. Going into the store to look for something else was not in the cards (thank you, pandemic), so I offered to make her a top if we could find coordinating fabric.

We were in luck. On the Girl Charlee website, I found two cotton/lycra possibilities. We decided to order both fabrics hoping at least one would work, but both fabrics looked great with the pants. At a later date, I'll make her a top for cooler weather with the other, slightly darker, fabric.

We were both visiting our kids, Mehetabel and Aloysius, and I asked Mehetabel if Carmelita could try on a top (unblogged) that I'd made her. I wanted to check the fit on Carmelita. The top is the Love Notions Classic Tee, two of which are blogged here and here. The one she tried on had 3/4 sleeves and a V-neck. The shirt fit well along the shoulders, neck,  and arms, but was a bit too snug on the torso.

So, I re-printed the top, choosing the Medium and Large layers. After taping the PDF (you know how I love doing that), I cut the top on the Medium lines for the sleeves, shoulders, and neckline; and I cut the bodice on the Large cutting lines. It's not that big a difference, but it gives her a little more room in that region.

The top went together without a hitch. I reinforced the shoulders with fusible interfacing. The seams were sewn with a stretch stitch. The seam allowances were trimmed with the serger, and the hems and neckline were finished with the coverstitch.

She likes the top and I think she looks great! Huzzah!

And now, a parting shot. CJ,  the assistant to my design assistant, is clearly being overworked:

The Work from Home Module Sew Along: Putting It All Together!

 

This work from home module got me back into the studio, and as a bonus, it gave my daughter, Mehetabel, some great pieces to incorporate into her wardrobe. For this module, I wanted tops with three distinct necklines: turtleneck, V-neck with a tie, and a crewneck. I also didn't focus too much on the bottoms because she'd already told me she'd be wearing yoga pants and slippers to work from home! When things open up again, she'll wear more formal bottoms in the classroom, like the Barb Stretch Pants I blogged here.

For the topper, I chose the Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan, made from Telio sweater knit in navy. This is my third Blackwood Cardigan. It's a winner! The cardigans are blogged here, and here, and here.

I knew a navy cardigan would be super useful in Mehetabel's wardrobe. And I knew the navy Jalie Eleonores I'd made about four years ago, first pairs blogged here, along with some favorite Levi's would be perfect for the bottoms. For the tops, I chose three comfortable knits from Stylemaker Fabrics in prints.

The first top I made was the Itch to Stitch Hepburn Turtleneck which was the only new-to-me pattern I used. This pattern also qualifies for my pattern challenge, blogged here. The fabric is cotton/lycra jersey with mustard, navy, and ivory flowers. The top is blogged here.

The second top I made was the Jalie Scarf-Collar Top, blogged here. I made this one from a geode print in burgundy, navy, and white. The fabric is a super soft rayon/lycra jersey. I'll bet Mehetabel will wear this one the most.

The third top I made was the Love Notions Classic Tee with the long sleeve and crewneck options. I love this cheerful coral print with flowers and ladybugs in white and navy. This is the most casual of the three tops but  it'll be fine on Zoom calls. This top is blogged here. 

She's wearing the coral top with her navy Jalie Eleonores.

So there you have it! One cardigan, three tops, and two pairs of pants = three great Zoom looks. Now I think I'll have to do another module!

The Work from Home Module Sew Along: Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan

As you probably know, I'm working on a work from home module for my daughter, Mehetabel. The idea springs from a challenge that Whitney, of Tomkat Stitchery (on Instagram @tomkatstitcherycarmel), is hosting: making/thrifting/buying three tops, 2 coordinating bottoms, and 1 coordinating topper to make a lot of different outfits--specifically for working from home. I have made three knit tops with navy in them, blogged here, here, and here, and today I'm showing you my latest Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan also in navy.

I have made the Blackwood Cardigan twice before, here and here, and I'm sure I'll make it more times as well. It's slouchy and stylish, and also very easy to construct. What's not to love? So when it came time to figure out what topper to make for this module, I thought this cardigan would be perfect.

Construction was done on my sewing machine using a stretch stitch; I trimmed all seams on my serger which made for a nice, neat finish. The shoulders were reinforced with fusible interfacing.

I bought the navy sweater knit a year ago from Fabric.com. It is Telio Cara Polyester, and it is soft and cozy--perfect for working from home--but it'll also work well once we can go out again. 2 yards is more than enough for me to make this cardigan, but I think I might have been shorted this time because I had to get very creative to fit all the pattern pieces on my piece of fabric.

In these photos, Mehetabel is wearing the sweater with a New Look 6150 shell made in double knit, blogged here. Her jeans are Levi's, although she's already told me she'll be wearing Lululemon yoga pants (and slippers) when working from home! This cardigan, in particular, will be a very versatile piece in her wardrobe.

Well, that's about it! Tomorrow or the next day, I'll show all the pieces together,

Take care and happy sewing!

The Work from Home Module Sew Along: Love Notions Classic Tee

I'm back! This time, I want to show you the final top for my daughter's work from home module (#wfhmodulesewalong). For this top, I chose the Love Notions Classic Tee as I've made it several times before and my daughter, Mehetabel, likes the top.

For this module, I wanted 3 distinct necklines for the tops. The first one, blogged here, is a turtleneck, the second one, blogged here, is a scarf-collar, and this one is a crewneck. I think this crewneck tee might be too casual for an in-person classroom, but it'll be fine via Zoom. She's wearing it here with Jalie Eleonore's in navy stretch cotton twill. I made these pants about four years ago and they have gotten a lot of wear. These pants, along with the Levi's she wore with the other two tops, make up the "bottoms" portion of her work from home module.

My first Love Notions Classic Tee can be found here. This one is the same except I added long sleeves. The fabric is from Stylemaker Fabrics and it is a cotton/lycra jersey. I love this shade of coral. It has a bit of heft to it, but that's okay since colder temperatures are on the way.

There weren't any issues sewing this top. As always, I stabilized the shoulders, this time with twill tape. I used my Pfaff's stretch stitch on all seams, serged all seam allowances, and coverstitched the hems and around the collar.

This top has a boxy bodice--perfect for those times when you don't want a skin tight layer next to your stomach! It should be a very comfortable top to wear while working.

Next up, the topper: Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan. Ta ta for now!

The Work From Home Module Sew Along: Jalie Scarf-Collar Top

Hello, hello! For my second top in Mehetabel's work from home module (first explained here), I made Jalie's Scarf-Collar Top. I've made this top once before, and it looked good but the fabric didn't have enough stretch, so it was quite uncomfortable. This time, I made sure to use a fabric with plenty of stretch, and this rayon/lycra jersey from Stylemaker Fabrics worked wonderfully. It is super soft and stretchy, and the colors work well with the module I've planned. Here's my first version:

This top is deceptively easy. The tie is the most difficult part, but it really isn't too hard. However, when I got to the point where I needed to pin the collar to the bodice, the instructions from my PDF conflicted with the Jalie-made video for this top! I re-pinned the collar three times, finally going with the video's instructions because I could see that they worked.

The photo above shows an ugly and confusing step. At this point, I was pulling the front and back bodice pieces through the snake-like collar piece. I still don't really understand the process, but just follow the directions and it'll work out happily ever after.

The majority of seams were sewn with a stretch stitch on my sewing machine. The only exception was the collar piece which I sewed with a straight stitch. All seams were finished on the serger, and the hems were done on the coverstitch. Oh, I almost forgot--the shoulders were reinforced with fusible interfacing.

Neither Mehetabel nor I could tie a decent bow--not the pattern's fault--so we opted for a single knot with the ties hanging. And she's wearing sunglasses throughout this post, because even though there's a hint of fall in the air (yay!), it's a bright, sunshiney day.

Mehetabel is wearing Levi's in these photos as they're one of her bottoms for the work at home module.

Next up, the final top for the module: Love Notions Classic Tee. See you soon!