How I add seam allowances

I made a short video to show how I use a 6 inch quilting ruler to add seam allowances to traced patterns. I use this method when I trace patterns from BurdaStyle and other European sewing magazines since they don't include seam allowances.

Trip to Barcelona

 

I'd been wanting to get here for many years and finally did. It was a lovely long weekend. You can see many of our pictures here on Flickr. (The Flickr interface may show you a sort of collage of all the pictures - you can click on the first one to see it and the description I wrote about it and then step through each one)

Of course I had to find the yarn and fabric stores.



All You Knit is Love
8 Carrer de la Barra de Ferro
 

Ribes & Casals
Roger de Lluria 7 

There were two other fabric stores on the same street as Ribes & Casals and they were all bustling on a Saturday afternoon. So nice to see people sewing...or at least buying fabric. Ribes & Casals was the largest with two floors - the lower floor appeared to be all thread and notions and stuff while the main floor was filled with tables piled with rolls of fabric. Though none appeared to be very high end, the quality seemed good and the prices were very nice - at least half of the prices I've seen in Germany.

My souvenirs:

Yarn, fabric and a Patrones!

 



The yarn is lace-weight merino/silk from Great and the Fibers, and the fabric is a polyester knit jersey. And of course I had to get a Patrones. I can get them in Germany but for almost 3x the price since they're imported here.

Knowing how to sew means never having gaping armholes...

I made this top from Kwik Sew 2844. I've had the pattern for so long now that it is out of print. 

 

It was a really simple thing to sew, just two pattern pieces and only shoulder, side seams and hems to worry about. However, when I put it on I had quite a bit of gaping in the front armholes and my bra was visible. Not good, but sadly also not unlike what I see a lot of women wearing. This pattern and, in my opinion, a lot of cheap RTW clothes like it, are not designed for someone with breasts! I wasn't going to wear it as-is nor did I want to throw it away, so I made bust darts to close up the gap and make it fit better.  And yes, I do seem to be in a black and white phase - out of the last five things I've made, four have been black and white. There is more colorful fabric in my sewing queue.

 

Even though it's out of print, here's the Kwik Sew pattern info and my review:

Fabric Used: 4-way stretch cotton lycra, with perhaps a bit too much stretch for this pattern but since I ended up making it less-snug the fabric drapes rather than clings, which is a good thing! I've had this fabric for a long time too, almost as long as the pattern.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, but I left off the front pocket and added darts.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The pattern is only two pieces (three if you include the pocket). I used my serger 4-thread overlock for the shoulder and side seams and cover stitch for the hems. I used fusible straight tape for the shoulder seams, as I do on all knits. I also cover-stitched the funnel neck hem, although the instructions call for just turning the facing over and securing it at the side seams only. A beginner can follow the instructions but they may be a bit confusing because they have you jump all over the place since parts of the instructions apply to the different views.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the simple lines, wider shoulder (hides the bra-strap well), and I think the funnel neck is a nice change from a plain round or jewel neck. I've had this pattern for a long, long time. I'd envisioned it in the fabric I eventually made it in.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I added the bust darts after I'd sewn it up. My measurements put me between the medium and large sizes in Kwik Sew, but the large ended up a bit too big and I had major "gap-osis" in the front armhole. I pinned out the excess into a dart and adjusted the hem of the armhole as best I could. Since the shoulders were a bit too wide as well so I had to adjust the armhole hem anyway. In hindsight I maybe should have started with the medium and done a FBA and added a bit to the waist.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I may make this again - with darts. Or I may experiment with the medium size and a FBA. Since I've never done a FBA, this may be a good pattern to try it on.

Conclusion: The top turned out really comfortable. I shouldn't have waited so long to make it!

Photos from a textile factory museum

A while ago - actually about a year and a half ago - I visited a textile factory museum in Ventron, France. I came across the photos and realized I'd never shared them. Here are some highlights, but you can see a few more over on my Flickr site.

 

The museum is in a lovely setting in the Vosges mountains of eastern France. Many families in this isolated area of France were once employed by this factory and others like it in the region. They were very proud of the cloth and thread they produced. But with the industrial progress after WWII, textile production turned large-scale and relocated to mostly Asian countries, causing the factories here to close.

It's a weaving bench...it's a yarn winding station

I'm glad I invested in a weaving bench because it is nice to sit on, complements my loom nicely, and I can use it as a winding station!

Special tools

I like a good tool. Even if it's a single-use item and there are ways to do the task without it, but perhaps slower and less exact, I'll probably buy it. There are a lot of sewing notions I didn't bring with me to Germany, due to lack of space here and the thought that I wouldn't need them. But every time I go back I find that I cram a few more in my suitcase (or mail myself a package). Last trip I brought my Fasturn tubes and my SimFlex folding measure, among other things. I really missed my Fasturn when I had to make some little straps. The SimFlex and my SnapSetter came in handy tonight for my finishing this sweater.

Special tools came in handy!

The SimFlex made it so easy to determine how many snaps to put on and the spacing. No measuring  and it was easy-peasy to make sure the snaps were set evenly on both sides.

The SnapSetter is a must-have for putting in metal snaps. I've used the snap/grommet-setting pliers before and it's impossible to apply even pressure over the entire snap and too easy to smoosh the snap out of shape. The SnapSetter assures the snap is set perfectly - the first time! I use a rubber mallet instead of a hammer so I won't break the tool. The lime green snaps were also from Snapsource (maker of the SnapSetter) and such a perfect match for the sweater, almost like they were custom made. I bought them so long ago they no longer carry them in size 24 in this color. Now I wish I'd brought my stash of snaps (next trip!).

Finally, this sweater I started in 2008 is DONE!

I couldn't resist

The Stoffmarkt Holland fabric market came to town, and I couldn't resist.

Stoffmarkt Holland is a travelling fabric market that goes to various cities around Germany, and this was their first visit to Stuttgart. They set up their goods in a downtown square. My husband snapped these pictures for me on his way back from his morning run, while they were still setting up and before the crowds.

Clockwise from upper left: Zippers! Rolls of precut knits; many bolts; realistic photo-printed fabric

Yes, there were crowds of shoppers. It was hard to get near some of the tables, and I had to patiently wait for someone to cut fabric for me.

 

And of course I bought fabric:

Top photo is 5 cuts of half meter knits. I plan to combine the two green ones on the left into a top and the three gray ones into another top. The bottom left photo is also a knit, with a photo-realistic print of trees and stuff. They had a top made up in the fabric and it hooked me on this fabric. I'll also use it for a top. The bottom left is also a knit and again they had dresses made up in the fabric and that helped a great deal to make me want to buy it. I bought three meters to make sure I'd have enough for a dress.