Email Box: Needle Longevity and “Visual Weight”

Hey Everyone- Thanks for your support and lovely words about Enid’s birth story earlier this week.  Mother and baby are doing well, though little G is still under observation.  She’s fine, just a little early so they want to keep an eye on her!

I’m still knee deep in some pretty big projects at the moment, which is keeping me busy from the time I get up til bedtime every day.  As much I enjoy blogging, it takes up a considerable amount of time and I’m being very productive during this short “offline” time.  I have such lovely things in cooking up for us!

I’ll be able to show you what’s been going on very soon, but in the meantime I want to share a few emails I’ve received lately, for questions relating to sewing (send me more, please, I do like these kinds of emails! stephc at 3hourspast dot com).  I haven’t published email questions before, but it often happens I respond to an email and think “I really should blog about that.”

click for source- very interesting and in depth about sewing machine mechanics and maintenence

click for source- very interesting and in depth about sewing machine mechanics and maintenence

This first question comes from Sharon (who is happy for me to share):

Hello,

I’ve been sewing for many years, am a devoted follower of 3 Hours Past, especially for your no-nonsense approach to body shape as each woman’s unique reality to be embraced, not something to be measured on a good/bad scale against some narrow cultural ideal.  I recently heard a fashion advisor on TV saying that only women with a “really great figure” [his words] should attempt to wear capris because they add weight visually to the majority of women (who evidently do NOT qualify as having really great figures).  I gasped and then scolded the TV, “If only StephC could hear you say that; she’d give you an EARFUL.”

Indignation aside, what about this advice I sometimes see in sewing publications to “use a new needle for each sewing project”?  I would go broke if I did that.   Do you use a new one on each project?  If not, what factors affect when you decide it’s time for a new one?  Do you have some ingenious method for keeping track of how many sewing miles, so to speak,  each needle has completed? I’m assuming this is more of an issue with sharps for wovens than with ball points for knits? I’d love to see a post on this some time at 3 Hours Past. Inquiring minds WANT to know ;-)

Oooh Body Image and Needle Longevity in one email!

Hi Sharon-

Haha!  I love your email, thanks for writing!  And you’re correct, I would most definitely not stand for such a silly statement.  Hysterical style advice about “this style visually adds weight” etc etc makes me roll my eyes so hard.  As if a bit of extra weight is the worst thing in the world?  What about being vain, or vapid, or cruel or petty or willfully ignorant?  I’d rather see little media clips about how to safeguard against that, but I suppose that’s not the world we live in.  Besides, the styles that are “supposed” to add weight or to slim people down change regularly.  Sometimes they swap categories.  :)

On needles-  it’s a good question.  I’ve had intensive machine training from all of the major brands except Singer and they agree that for optimal stitch performance, it is necessary to change a needle every  6-8 hours of sewing.  I have also found this to be true in my own sewing.  For example- if I have been sewing a woven shirt and I’m preparing to do the final pass of top-stitching/buttonholing, I will change my needle because a fresh needle produces better stitch quality for those vital, stitch-intensive areas.

That said, I have a jersey needle in my machine right now that has sewn 5 knit tops lately, maybe 10-12 hours of sewing.  That’s pushing it, but the work isn’t fine work.  It’s knit construction.  I’ll probably change the needle once I finish the last top I have cut out for this week…

click for source- schmetz

click for source- schmetz

Then at the far end of the spectrum, I’ve seen people with machines who haven’t changed their needle in years.  That’s a little like riding around in your car with a flat tire.  The funny thing is that those types are often very proud of the fact they haven’t changed a needle in years!  But just try sewing with the machine and hear a “pop” every time the needle strikes the fabric, and if you know what the mechanisms should sound like, you’ll hear how the machine is struggling to work…  That’s not good for the machine, or the fabric, or the stitch quality.  Sometimes needles develop burrs or “fish hooks” on the ends, too, just from regular use. (edit: Polyester is especially tough on needles.)

Sooooo… That’s a long answer to say there’s not really one right answer except to change the needle regularly for optimal performance, and yes, from my own observations I have to say I believe it does matter.  :)
Thanks so much for writing, you made my day.

Best

StephC

click for source article on Threads

click for source article on Threads

What do you think?  Honestly – I’m curious to know which is worse: being a little fat (or perceived as fat), or being vain?  What is vanity, anyway?  What styles have you heard add visual weight? (I’d LOVE to make a list… There’s no right or wrong answer here…) How often do you tend to change your machine needles?  Let’s have a discussion!

Birth Story from Brisbane

This isn’t a topic I’d usually mention, but yesterday I had a powerful experience that I can’t not share with you all.  This is not sewing, this is birthing.  If that’s not your cup of tea, check back in a few days because I’m fielding email sewing questions.  (Do email me some more questions, too!)
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Several years ago, I met Enid when I taught her to sew.   Once she got the basics down, I saw Enid again many times as she came to me to help alter her wedding dress and make a silk 1950′s reception gown.  That’s right, Vogue 1140 was her second make after beginner’s pajamas!   We built a friendship over the years, both of us strong and somewhat domineering women with small children and a shared sense of disconnect as immigrants far from home.  She’s English and I’m from Texas.

Last year, she became pregnant with her second baby and asked me to be her support person for the birth.  I said yes- for some friends that is the only possible answer.  Her first birth had been somewhat traumatic, with her baby being taken away for extra care and observation for several hours after a difficult ordeal.  This time around, she worked hard on learning breathing and pain management, educating herself about active labor to prepare for a positive birthing experience.  Enid is the type of person who knows what she wants and works hard to achieve it.  She balances that with an open-minded attitude, accepting that sometimes nothing goes to plan.
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I got a series of calls and texts from her first thing in the morning Sunday- the baby was coming, two weeks early!  I was down the coast for the weekend, but we packed up the car and hurried back to The ‘Bane.  When I arrived at the hospital a few hours later, I found her quietly timing contractions in a Birth suite Centre at Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital.

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We spent the entire day together in the Birth Centre, in a place outside time and reality.  It’s a large room with an oversized recliner, a fold out couch, a table, a homey bed, a shower, beanbags, a deep birthing pool and other special touches like an aromatherapy nebulizer (clary sage!) and a selection of soothing music.  It was dark and quiet.  In the time between contractions, I did my best to keep her calm and make her laugh.  (Sometimes I have a bawdy sense of humor, which seemed to work given our situation!)  We had a great time, riding the waves of pain that steadily increased in frequency and relaxing between.  Is it just me, or is labor and birth very different than TV and movies lead us to believe?

 She was very British about the pain, breathing strongly but barely moaning.
blue ball

At one point in the late afternoon, the contractions stalled and become erratic so we turned to Twitter for advice.  We’re both Millinneals, you see, so it’s second nature.  The first suggestion was an exercise ball, and our beautifully stocked room had one!  The ball radically changed the tempo and the speed of the labor as she gently rocked and we breathed through the pain.  In between, we managed quite a few adolescent jokes about blue balls, cackling mischievously.

this was before we filled it, early in the day.

this was before we filled it, early in the day.

The midwife and I filled up the birthing tub and waited for the right time to help Enid into the water.  She had been maintaining her “stiff upper lip” as the time between the contractions lessened and the duration increased.  She was desperate to get into the tub.  Something incredible happened when she slipped into the water, something unexpected that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

She sang.  Not a song, no words, but a strong sweet soprano sound tinged with pain that raises the hairs on my arms when I recall it.  It wasn’t a shriek, or a howl, or a scream, but a pure sound.  I held her, stroked her back and breathed with her through the sound and the pain and the occasional silences for maybe 40 minutes while she finished the journey all mothers must make in their own way.  I didn’t see her face the entire time, her head dropped and she focused on laboring.  Suddenly, at the end of a very strong contraction she jerked upright with brilliant eyes and suddenly I saw a perfect tiny baby girl in her arms, breaking through the surface of the bath.  Just like that, little G joined us.  We were in semi darkness, it was warm and quiet as she took her first breaths and blinked up at her mother.  I stood there sobbing and laughing at the same time for a minute or two before I had the presence of mind to document the moment for Enid through my lens.

E and G

She held her little girl close and without prompting this pushy, tiny female found her mother’s nipple and latched on.  She knew what she wanted and went for it!  Just like her mom.   The midwife and I helped Enid out of the water and into a recovery position, where she held her new baby close and the rest of the world melted away around them.  She cut the cord herself.  Our bodies truly do amazing things!

My own daughter was born down the hall from little G, five years ago.   As I was then, I’m moved by the consideration shown laboring women at Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital.  They understand labor.   They know births are unpredictable and unique.  They support the individual’s laboring choices while keeping a very sharp lookout for the health of both mother and child.  They are strong and kind, with clear voices and sensible grippy ballet flat shoes.

I really can’t say enough good things about the quality of care and what a beautiful experience this was.  That’s why I’m writing this with Enid’s blessing and encouragement- because it’s important to talk about good things.  We’re both grateful, as mothers and as transplants, and wanted to share.

You know what else?  That room, that birth, her pre-natal physical therapy appointments and the post-natal home visits are provided by Queensland as a matter of course.  I couldn’t believe it when I had my own child, I kept expecting to receive a massive unpayable bill but none ever came.   Public health is a priority here, I think it is an admirable attitude- the health of Queenslanders is provided for by Queenslanders.

There’s a special dignity to the concept of running a labor ward not for profit but as a service to the community.  It eliminates a great deal of anxiety from pivotal moments like these so it’s easier to focus on what’s important.  It’s not a perfect system, but I think it’s pretty remarkable.   Thank you, Queensland, for looking out for birthing mothers and their babies.

What are you grateful for?

Creating Order: SewingCake.com

Have you missed me?  I missed you.  After the presale ended last week* I became a drafting-production-sewing-coding hermit.  It’s been an extremely productive week.

For example, now I can show you the real sewingcake site- the one that has been living in my head and on my hallway corkboard for quite a little while.  For some time, when I looked at the sewingcake site I saw this:

Chaos in Cake Central

a shot of my sewing room after a ransacking

But now, it’s more like this:

Another shot of my sewing space

Another shot of my sewing space

I knew I had to spend some time organizing and refining the site so you could find what you need more easily.  It’s still not completely finished, but this is much closer to the visual reference type site I envisioned…

New Homepage

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The top of the main page on sewingcake.com still features the basics, and also a new contact page.  Below that is the slider.  I like the slider, it reminds me of the old 3 Hours Past header that I used to fill with pretty photos of the beach and fabric.  On sewingcake.com, the newest few posts will show in the slider so it’s easy to check in for the latest visual reference guide.

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Below the slider, you’ll find the heart of sewingcake: Support, Community and Cake Samples.

Sewing & Fitting Support

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This is the biggest section of sewingcake.com, devoted to sewing and fitting support for Cake Patterns.  Here you’ll find sizing and visual reference guides arranged by pattern.  It’s also possible to browse beginner topics, the sewalong archive, errata, or just dive right in to browse all support topics as a photographic index.

Community

Picture 4

The Community pages are all about you all and your sewing, and the variety of garments that come from a single pattern.  Y’all are amazing- dextrous fingers, big smiles, lovely fabric and so much enthusiasm.  (Can’t wait for the H-bird Sewalon!)  I played around for some time, trying to create community galleries to showcase your makes before finally completing the Pavlova Separates Community Gallery and the Tiramisu Dress Community Gallery.  I imported your photos from the sewalongs, and from blogs and social media.  Check it out.

If you are featured in the Community Galleries and wish to be removed, please contact me.  stephc at 3hourspast dot com.

If you are not in the galleries but you tagged your photo in the Flickr stream, try allowing sharing on your account.  I think that some accounts default to this setting, and that’s why some of the House Prize photos weren’t showing before.

If you have a blog post of a Cake Make and you’d like me to add it, email me the link please.

Cake Samples

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One of my aims with Cake is to create patterns for clothes that are worn.  To that end, I wear them myself.  To rags, generally.   I always tweak my first draft for wearability or simplicity based on my experience wearing the garment over a couple of weeks.  Does it chafe?  Does it bind?  Where and why?  How can that be eliminated?

I like to wear my samples because it’s one thing to sew up a pretty sample garment to wear for photos (nothing wrong with that, it’s just not me), and quite another to create a garment that washes well and looks nice even when exposed to Real Life.

 Over the next few weeks I have several new releases to show you (ooooh yes!  we have RiFFs!).   I hope you’ll see through the galleries how I mix and match with my patterns for different looks over time.  I’m also pretty pleased that I can easily show “ironing board fresh” photos alongside “washed and worn for a long time” photos.  That’s what I’m doing with these galleries.

The gallery pages are not complete, I need to collect all my own scattered Tiramisu photos and make a gallery- maybe in time for the reprint next month….

I’ll be writing a few times a week until the Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt patterns ship.  Then we can have some Shipping Season fun with Hummingbird cutting and fabric variations.  I have a dress…!

What do you think?

Please be gentle.  I’m no coding wizard.  But I would like to maintain an easy to use site, so I’m interested in constructive criticism.  Enthusiasm is always appreciated, too.

*I have had many emails lately from those seeking to purchase a Hummingbird pattern even though the presale is closed.  I don’t know what to do, so I leave this to you.  Should I:

1- Make them wait until the patterns ship, as has been done before

2-Make the Hummingbird pattern available now through Etsy for RRP, with a shipping notification in the listing

3- ?

Her Name is Pearl!

Her Name Is Pearl!

It’s official!  Our impeccably coiffed new Cake girl is named Pearl.  The voting was close over the weekend, but Celeste was narrowly beaten by Pearl.  Perhaps her name can be Pearl Celeste?  Do the Pearl and the Celeste camps agree?

Picture 26

We’ve only just begun playing with the Cake ladies.  (Trust me, I can see through time.)   I love the characters we’ve created to illustrate Cake, and you haven’t seen the last of Penelope, Esme, Maya, or Pearl.  In fact, I think it will be great fun to find them new dresses to wear.   I plan to spend some time soon refining the Petit Four doll patterns based on each character.  It’s been slow going with the PF patterns, but we’re on the right track now, more on the dolls soon!  We’re working on a man character, too…

In fact, with the Pavlova Shipping Season drafting/cutting posts, the Sewalong, and then the Hummingbird Pre-sale, I’ve been really active online lately.  It takes up a lot of time.  I need to step back for a few weeks and work on Cake drafting and development to the exclusion of much else.  The sewingcake site requires attention, as well.  I’m working to make it more user-friendly, so it’s simpler to find what you need- no gigantic changes, but small refinements and improvements.  And there’s all those lovely Cake kits to assemble and order pieces for…

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt

Thanks so much for playing along with the naming and for your support during the Hummingbird Presale!  I’m really excited about printing this one and putting her in your hands, the process has improved dramatically since I started Cake and our new printer offers much greater flexibility with ordering and service.  It’s a relief to be working with them.

I have a hatful of smaller patterns to release, patterns I’ve been sitting on for months while we worked on finding the best printer for Cake.  It was really frustrating- you want the pattern, I want to put the pattern in your hands…

Tip for aspiring indie pattern-makers: Don’t get the Big 4 to print your patterns.  Find anyone else.  The guy down the street with a coin operated xerox machine is probably preferable.  Or check out sewprint.uk.  Claire is a very smart woman.

And the winner is….*

The winner of the Stay Tape giveaway is Teresa!  I used a random number generator, and this comment won:

Picture 24

Thanks everyone for playing along, and for your support during the presale.  I have a couple of FO posts not related to Cake (GASP), so I’ll keep writing some. Just not as often for a few weeks.  Is that ok?

*it seems to me I still have a Lip Tar sampler from our OCC Cosmetics Giveaway hanging around my shipping area.  If you won and haven’t received your prize or another giveaway, please email me.  stephc at 3hourspast dot com. 

Hummingbird Dress Ups

Blue with Pinkie Pants

It’s April 7 in Brisbane, the last day of the Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt presale.  I had a blast showing you the work that’s gone into this latest pattern, and y’all have ordered almost 200 Hummingbirds!  Thank you, I can’t wait to finalize the work and put it into your hands.

I’ve shown you the “photoshoot” pictures of my Hummingbird samples over the past few days: the Blue, Green, Pink, and Orange Hummingbirds.   These samples are my clothes, and also my work.  When I spend time living inside my drafts, I learn how the seams interact with the fabrics and with wear.  In the earlier stages of production, this helps me make design decisions.

So for the last post of the pre-sale, I thought I’d mix and match my Hummingbird samples with each other and some favorite pieces.  Beware: PINK!  Also,  I had a major case of weird-face while we took these photos, so cropped them out.

The Merino Top

With my no wale cord Pinkie Pants
One more shot of the drapes!
A puff of breeze, organic cotton twill skirt
Merino top with denim Hummingbird Skirt

I noticed while we took these shots that I sew quite a lot of pink!  Not just for Hummingbird, but all the way back to the Pinkie Pants I made last winter.  It’s slightly chilly outside lately, which means I can wear them again.  I’m not sure what all this pink means (does it mean anything?) but I think it’s safe to say I’ve broken my Black habit.  A few years ago, I wore and sewed black to the exclusion of other colors and made a No Black rule.  Now I have the opposite “problem”!

This merino is very light and textured, suitable for layering.  I didn’t layer here, and it shows a little the way it clings.  I can live with it.

Tulip Time

Use of directional print.. Go in the door
Come back changed…
here with denim
Back view with organic cotton twill. This is the skirt view with less wearing ease.

This Tulip version of the Hummingbird Top began life as an “ugly cheap” muslin, but the obnoxious print has grown on me.  It’s interesting, too, because you can see the effect the peplum cut has on a directional print.  See the version with my Pinkie Pants?  The tulips are on their side because the peplum is cut as a single seamless piece.   Ideally, I suppose the tulips would all “grow” upward.

This is called “nap”- or more accurately, a directional fabric would usually be cut using a “napped” layout.  The instructions sheet only holds so many cutting layouts, so I opted for the simplest and the seamless peplum.  After the pattern ships next month, I’ll share a few stripe and nap “challenge” layouts for us to play with.

Blue with Dickey & Cuffs of Shirting

I wore this outfit today while we were out celebrating Lila’s 5th birthday.
These colors are SO much fun together! And I work in a business where I can get away with wearing colors like this together! This would be smashing in neutrals, though.
My photo-bombing girlie.
Denim!

This is another favorite.  This blue version is made with longer sleeves, sweater weight knit and woven accents.  It seems to wash and wear quite well, though the 100% cotton jersey has very little recovery.  When I first put it on, the top hugs my body closely.  Then it relaxes.  I think my perfect version of this top would be a heavier knit like this with just a touch of lycra to keep it from relaxing too much.

Hummingbird Green with my Tulle and Tencel Pavlova

Hummingbird Green with my Tulle and Tencel Pavlova

Speaking of PINK, I couldn’t help but show you my favorite Pavlova/Hummingbird combination.  The two sets of separates live very happily together in my wardrobe, by the way.  I wear this drapey tulle skirt with shaped Tencel lining and knit waistband all the time, it’s light and cool and fun to wear.

Overall, I think the most wearable Hummingbird is the denim one, though I have worn all of them multiple times.  I have some hemp-cotton denim heading my way, I’ll be sure to let you know how that fabric turns out.

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt

Hummingbird Presale Ends at midnight April 7 in Anchorage, Alaska.  The pattern will not be available for this special price again, RRP $22 once printed.

The Stay Tape Giveaway and Naming Poll close at the same time, I’ll announce the winner and the girl’s name tomorrow!  Thanks for playing along!  (So far, Pearl is in the lead!)

What do you think about all my pinks?  Should I branch out into neutrals and blacks?  The problem, of course, is that black doesn’t photograph very well..

And also… What cut/technique variations would you like to see tutorials for while Hummingbird ships?

Sewing Machines in the Congo and the 5%

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From our first release, each Cake Pattern envelope back has carried this promise to you.  I see the 5% as a small way to build connections between women of the cloth, wherever we may live.  It allows those of us who work with our hands as a hobby to provide support to those who work with their hands to feed their family.   Since the first Tiramisu sale, Cake has sent money to Action Kivu.

Action Kivu

Action Kivu is the organization which supports a sewing school in the Kivu province of the Congo.  It’s a region that has been much in the news for war, unrest, child-soldiers and violence against women.  The problems in the region are depressing, overwhelming, constant.  With all the news coverage on these issues, it’s easy to forget about the individual human beings caught up in this mess.

Amani Mataboro Tom is one of those human beings.  He chose to react to horror and violence with compassion. He is an educated man, and worked as an interpreter for various aid organizations.  His wife, Amini, is a seamstress.  Two of his cousins were raped in 2006 by rebels and subsequently cast out of their community.  Rape destroys the life of the victim as surely as a bullet in the brain would end it.  Mr. Amani and his wife took in the cousins and taught them to sew as a way to provide the women with a trade and repair their identities.

Word got out and more living casualties of war appeared at their home, which grew into a sewing school.   Now they also send children to school:

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This school, these kind people inspire me.  You can read more about Action Kivu on their website, and also at Handmade by Alissa.  Alissa runs a yearly fundraiser for Action Kivu, and her twin sister Cate works for them.  She recently visited the school.  I emailed back and forth with both women about the work done by Action Kivu, and it’s solid.  It’s an organization run by and for Congolese that works to repair lives one stitch at a time.

Your Contribution

I really look forward to sending quarterly donations to Action Kivu from Cake.   So far, we’ve sent $750 to Action Kivu.  This seems piffling until I think about the ways the money may be spent.  $750 provides:

  • 1 year of primary school for 10 children or
  • 1 year of secondary school for 7 children or
  • 3 new sewing machines for sewing school graduates or
  • A months’ wages for the 3 sewing school instructors

In fact, I rather enjoy looking through the Action Kivu Operating costs and thinking about how our money helps change the lives of people we’ve never met.  It’s a little bit magical.

If you’d like to donate to Action Kivu directly, then please visit their website.

Future Cake and Weaving Destination

Debi Fry is hard at work launching a social enterprise that markets organic cottons and ethical silks woven in small scale sustainable factories in India.  Weaving Destination provides a livelihood for women who have been victims of human trafficking, and their fabrics are gorgeous.  Debi and I are working together behind the scenes for several upcoming projects, I can’t wait to show you!  (Admittedly, it’s a few weeks away yet, but I wanted to mention it!)

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt

The Hummingbird Presale Ends April 7

What do you think?

Do you know of other organizations that help create financial independence for women through handcraft?  Let me know in the comments, I want to check them out.

Name That Girl Poll, Tins and A Giveaway!

Thanks for your warm response to the Cup Sizes for Derriere concept yesterday!  While I know it is not possible to create a pattern to fit every body shape, I think with the Hummingbird Skirt we’ll get pretty close and remove some of the angst that comes with fitting a straight skirt.  And there’s always the online class/sewalong with a virtual fitting room so you know you don’t have to figure it out alone.  (I have no intention of not doing sewalongs for these Cake releases… It’s too fun.)

Cake Tins: Amiable Sewing Companions

Cake Kits are light and thoughtful little crafting and sewing kits assembled by a sewing teacher- me! 

Organic Cotton Sateen Envelope Kit- Pavlova $8.95
Organic Cotton Sateen Envelope Kit- Tiramisu $8.95
Cake Kits Shipping
Cake Consumables Kit- $10
Magnetic Button Detail | Organic Cotton Sateen Envelope kits
Cake Roll sewing kit- $19.50
Weight carefully calibrated for inexpensive international shipping! $21 until April 7
Pocket Fat Quarter- $5
Pocket Fat Quarter- $5
Hummingbird Oragnic Cotton Envelope Sleeve Kit $6.55 presale price
Fingertip Knowledge Swatch Kit $5.95
Fingertip Knowledge Swatch Kit $5.50

I value practicality and sustainability, and those values translate into Cake Kits.  This means your kit isn’t some shiny gimmick wrapped in cellophane.  Cake Kits are useful, lightweight collections of tools, notions, and fabric swatches assembled to demystify your sewing.  I want your sewing to be as stress-free as possible, not a scary mysterious quest.

Pack em flat like Ikea for optimal shipping- $6.20 max ($1.20 Australia, $4.50 NZ)

Pack em flat like Ikea for optimal shipping- $6.20 max ($1.20 Australia, $4.50 NZ)

The tins are of the highest quality to withstand shipping as well as life in and out of your sewing room.  The Hummingbird Cake Tin is a little larger than a DVD case, and ships efficiently worldwide.  Cake Kit packaging is specifically chosen to be reused, composted, or recycled.

These kits are designed to work in harmony with individual Cake Patterns and with the free sewalong classes we enjoy after each pattern release ships.

You can check out the specs on Cake Kits in SewingCake’s Etsy Shop:

Organic Cotton Sateen Envelope

Fingertip Knowledge

Consumables

Kawaii pockets for everyone!

Hummingbird Cake Tin

Giveaway Time!

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Y’all know Sunni, right?  Sunni runs A Fashionable Stitch-  and online haberdashery shop which caters to the needs and wants of apparel sewists.  I buy my stay tape from her, she’s a reliable source for a brand I like.   She and I are separated by an ocean, but we belong to the same community.  I like that.  Besides, I know most of you can easily order from her and you’ll be in good hands.

Light, practical, strong, reusable and just a bit cute.

Light, practical, strong, reusable and just a bit cute.

When I told Sunni I include her stay tape in my Cake Tins she sent us ROLLS of it, gratis, for kits!  Thanks, Sunni!  This is a different type of collabvertisement- I include tape from Sunni’s shop in my class kits for you, complete with sourcing details so you know where to find more if you like it.  This keeps costs down and also helps spread the word about Sunni’s thoughtfully stocked shop.

If you don’t know Sunni, go check out her new *free* zipper class on Craftsy!  How great is that?

Name That Girl

What Is Her Name?

I didn’t forget!  Through all the fun this week, I’ve returned to our post about the naming the latest Cake girl.  She applies her lipstick in the reflection of her phone’s camera, completely oblivious to our conundrum, taunting us with her tailfeather flounce.  I read your comments and thought about the names you chose, and picked five for us to vote on:

Vote as many times as you like until the end of the day April 7th in Guam, when the Hummingbird Pre-sale Closes.   Thanks everyone for the wonderful name suggestions, I picked five that I thought suited her character best.  Now it’s up to you!

….And The Giveaway…

IMG_7072

I’m offering a small giveaway in conjunction with The Naming: two rolls of fusible stay tape from A Fashionable Stitch nestled in a cute little zippered bag I made from a Tiramisu Sateen Envelope Panel.  How is that for practicality?  You’ll be set with stay tape for a whole wardrobe of makes!

Isn’t she cute?  I love little zippered pouches like this!

To enter, just vote for a name and let me know in the comments.  If you have a strong favorite, why not try to sway the vote?  For another chance to win, tweet, facebook like, and/or pin this post and let me know in comments.

Cup Sizes for your Derriere : Hummingbird Skirt

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Yesterday I showed you what’s going on with the Hummingbird Top pattern linework.  It’s based on plain measurements, without assigning a waist length/waist circumference to a particular bust measurement.  I like this, and I think you will, too.

Hummingbird Blue Top with Hummingbird Orange Skirt

The Hummingbird straight skirt presents a sizing/fit puzzle I’ve been working on for a long time.  Last year, I started a hip-to-waist sizing survey to collect self-reported data on the waist and hip measurements of my readers.  As of writing, I have 700+ data sets.  I’ve returned to these numbers over and over again while I worked on the Hummingbird Skirt.

Start with the Hips

The Hummingbird skirt comes in five base “sizes”: 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 hip circumference.  Think of it as XS-XL sizing, with customization options built in.

Then the Waist

Hummingbird Skirt K Piece

Each hip has four waist measurement options, which are based on hip to waist ratios gleaned from my data (survey spreadsheets and hundreds of pages of notes).

Click here for a preview of the Hummingbird Skirt Back piece (with adjustable darts) and sizing guide.

No Pattern Will Fit Every Body

Side Seam 2

The biggest fitting issue associated with a straight skirt is the lower back/high hip area.  Among women, waist to hip ratios vary widely.  Further, two women with the same waist and hip measurements might also have very different body shapes in this area.  (Full stomachs, on the other hand, are much easier to predict and accommodate.  This is reflected in the Hummingbird patternwork.)

Waist to hip ratios are a function of an individual’s bone structure and weight distribution, and ruled by other genetic factors such as estrogen levels.  Science.  Our bodies are ever-shifting shapes, but ratios have relatively little to do with the individual’s relative weight or circumference.  It’s fascinating.

Picture 14For my Hummingbird Orange and Pink samples, I cut a 40hip and 30 waist.  I was between sizes and opted to start with the next larger set of measurements.

  The Hummingbird Mid-Construction Fit Check shows you how I fine tuned my fit for the closely fitted denim Hummingbird and the less fitted organic cotton twill version.

Swayback?

“Swayback” is a term used in modern sewing and pattern alteration to describe a range of body variations which may or may not have any relation to the actual medical diagnosis of swayback.  Swayback is blamed for creating wrinkles at the lower back.

an illustration of the "swayback" pooling. Click for an interesting intermediate/advanced pattern geek post on the subject at pattern, scissors, cloth

an illustration of the “swayback” pooling. Click for an interesting intermediate/advanced pattern geek post on the subject at pattern, scissors, cloth

I believe for many people, a swayback issue is less about posture or spinal curvature and more to do with the relative roundness or flatness of the derriere.  Swayback is like an FBA for your bottom.  Think about it…

Whether swayback is posture or a round backside, the net effect is the same.   So is the practical fitting fix, which often involves pinning out darts and extra fabric located in the small of your back.  It’s hard.

Cup Sizes for Bottoms?

Hummingbird About Town

I tend to think about swayback and backsides and so forth in the same geometric/topographic ways I think about breasts and cup sizes and proportion.  Larger bottoms = deeper darts and a curvier waistline seam, just like with busts.  That’s true whether you slash and spread the pattern for an alteration or draft your own.  The Hummingbird Skirt offers cup sizes for your derriere while working to alleviate wrinkles in the small of the back!

Read more at the Hummingbird Mid-Construction Fit Check.

The Virtual Fitting Room

Once the Hummingbird patterns ship and you receive them, we’ll have another 30 Minutes A Day sewalong which means I can work with you on fit.  (We’ll have a Sorting and a House Prize again, too, that was really fun!) I love our sewalongs, and rather look forward to fit challenges in the next one.  I’ll be there with you from fabric selection to cutting to finishing- the sewalongs are like a free online class companion to the pattern.

The Waistband Must Be Mentioned

Simple Straight Waistband

The waistband on the Hummingbird Skirt hits just below natural waist, and is a simple 1″ straight waistband with a lapped back closure.  It is discreet beneath an untucked shirt.  We had a few issues with the Pavlova Skirt waist binding, which sent me back to my drafting board to check and test every waistband length/width for Hummingbird. I also re-visited the method of creating a simple but effective finish at the waist, opting for a narrow straight waistband over the bound edge finish used for Pavlova.

I can not promise to create patterns free of errata any more than I can promise to be a perfect person, but at the end of the day I don’t want your sewing to be a painful experience.  I’m here for you.  Twitter, email, flickr, this blog and sewingcake.com.   I constantly field questions about fabric suitability and fit, which I enjoy.   I want your sewing to succeed.  I see my role in this as a facilitator to help you achieve your sewing goals.  That’s what Cake is about. (And pockets.)

Tiramisu and Pavlova taught me more than I can express about the process of creating a useful pattern.  During Hummingbird’s production I finally felt like I was in control of the process from beginning to end.  It’s one thing to draft and fit and teach and blog, it’s another thing to start a company.

What do you think?

Please, please ask me questions about cup sizes for your derriere!  I’ve been excited/nervous to show you what I’ve been working on and I’m happy to be challenged or questioned because I am sure about this sizing scheme.  I know it’s different, but I also know we’ll get many great Hummingbird Skirts from this pattern.

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt pattern on Etsy- special presale price only available until April 7!

Chasing Waterfalls in Tulips (and Tips for Jersey Recovery)

Mantis

Over the past week, I’ve shown you many made-by-me samples for the Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt.  I have the idea that simple but thoughtful cuts like Hummingbird lend themselves well to dressing up or down according to fabric choices.   Styling comes into play, too, but I can’t go past fabric choice as the most vital aspect of re-make-ability to create a versatile wardrobe.

I had a pet preying mantis as a kid, lovely creatures.

Today we’ll go uber-casual around the farm with my tulip printed Hummingbird Green top.  This is my in-laws piece of paradise in the New South Wales coastal countryside, a welcome retreat from the city for my country-reared husband and me.

Tulip Printed Cotton Jersey

This obnoxious print has been my go-to jersey muslin fabric for the past year or so.  I picked up a large roll at one of those Spotlight sales- $1/m.  I worked with this range in the past for Lila clothes, so I knew it would wash well without pilling.

zxEik

Jerseys stretch.  That’s what they do and why we love them.  But all jerseys are not created equal.  This one doesn’t mind stretching, but since it’s 100% cotton it doesn’t bounce back after until I wash it.  You know the fabric type I’m talking about.  The curve of the neckline on the Hummingbird Top is steep at the CF and I found no matter what I tried, I could not make the binding lie flat for this fabric.

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Nevermind, I thought, let’s just make this top wearable.  You can see here I turned the offensive binding to the inside of the neck edge and top-stitched it in place.  After much washing and wear, I can see this produces a clean and tidy neck edge that stays in place.

Hummingbird on a Hike

Tulip Printed Hummingbird Green

What’s more casual than a tramp through cow pastures to a hidden waterfall?  (ok-maybe lying around the house, but this is more interesting for all of us!)

Hummingbird Green | Tulip Printed Fabric

I paired this Hummingbird Green top with a pair of manky old shorts and rubber “gum boots” for our walk.  Not pictured: thick black work socks.

Hummingbird Green Tulip Printed Jersey

This is a prime example of what I mean when I say this fabric stretches but doesn’t recover.  It was a hot day, steamy, and the fabric expanded as I moved.  That’s perfectly normal.  It also means when I stand still, the excess fabric falls in wrinkles.  That’s ok.  That’s life.

Tulip Printed Cotton | Cake Patterns

This waterfall is near the top of a mountain, fed by both a spring and rainwater.  After the rains, the water rushes strong and fast down the rock face- this is a light-medium gush.

Hummingbird Green Tulip Print

It’s quite clean enough to drink, pure and delicious.  The air was soft and cool and smelled of rain on an otherwise hot and wretched day.

Chasing Waterfalls

It’s tall!  Can you spot my husband?  He climbed right up the rock face and sat in the stream, one day I’ll make it up there.

Working with fabrics with low recovery

When working with a jersey that doesn’t like to bounce right back after stretching, you have two options.  Here, I’m showing you the first- wear a shirt that bags a little bit.  The other option for those who prefer fewer wrinkles is to cut the shirt a size smaller than usual through the torso (I’d keep the arm openings the same).  The fabric will expand and hug the body with little enough extra fabric it won’t look like an elephant’s ankles.

Hummingbird Green with Hummingbird Orange in Denim

I find a good wash will cinch up the fabric every time.  To avoid the issue entirely, keep an eye out for jerseys made with natural fibers (breathability, comfort) with a tiny whiff of Lycra- I’d suggest 5% or less.  That smidgen of Lycra is enough to allow the cotton, bamboo, or etc to stay with you while you move.

What do you think?  How do you adapt your sewing to use jerseys with little recovery?  Have you ever made a pattern in both a fancy and a casual fabric?  What are your tips?

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt

The Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt pre-sale continues through April 7.  Thanks so much for your support, this is how we pay Cake bills!

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For a preview of the Hummingbird Top linework, a printable “proof” for you to check out, and the Top sizing guide, visit Sewingcake.com.  This is the next generation of the “customize your size” schematic that was so popular on the Tiramisu Dress.  It’s easy to cut a peplum top with a waistline seam right where you want it, and a fit that’s “just so” around the waist.  Check it out.

Finished Object: Denim Hummingbird

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!  Here, Easter weekend signals the end of summer.  Apparently.

Denim | Fishing

I’ve been down the coast for a few days, enjoying the water and a break from The ‘Bane, not to mention catching up with some old friends.  Before I left, I made myself a denim Hummingbird.  She’s a disaster.

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It’s the denim.  I’ve had bad luck buying denim lately, and this is the worst yet.  After we took Hummingbird Pink photos the other day, I ducked into Lindcraft in the city (beware!) to pick up a tiny bit of denim for this skirt.  The Hummingbird Orange in my size uses very little fabric, around .75m.  I hastily ran my hands through all their denim bolts and chose one I thought felt substantial.

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Nope.  That fabric had to have been “finished” with every filler known to the textile industry.  Once I washed it the grain sagged, the denim pilled and it frayed worse than velveteen.  (And let me tell you, velveteen frays like mad.)  I really really wanted to knock together a denim Hummingbird, so with limited time I cut and stitched this fabric.

Denim Hummingbird Orange

I used snaps on the shallow back pockets, and inserted an exposed metal zipper.  The seams are faux-flat fell, with double rows of jeans top-stitching at the front seams, hem, and pocket openings.  You can see here the disappointing quality of the fabric at the back seam.  I wore this skirt for an evening hanging out with buddies, and then for fishing and you can clearly see the dye has been rubbed off at the back seam.  From sitting.

Denim Side

At least she fits well!  To be honest, I’m not too upset that this skirt is already basically worn out and relegated to fishing wear.  I’ll strip out the pocket linings and the zipper and let her go without too much remorse.  I haven’t worked with denim and jeans rivets and hammers and metal hardware for a while, and it was nice to get my hand back in even if the resulting skirt isn’t fit to be worn.

Denim Fishing

So now I have a new research project!  I want to try to put together a list of “tests” for denim to determine if it’s good or bad.   Most of the time, I can pick it by touch and smell (and price is a good indicator of quality) but this time the crappy denim got the best of me. Never again!   This also means I can sit back, think long and hard about the particular jeans detailing I want, and then make a fantabulous visual reference for us!  (Because I must, I must have a nice basic little denim skirt from Hummingbird.)  I may try to source some indigo dyed hemp for a cast-iron “denim” skirt…

So lay your denim-purchasing tips on me, or tell me your own story of denim-buying woe.  I’d love to hear about your experiences buying denim.  Do you like rivets and snaps and sewing with hammers?  Do you have your own sewing hammer?

Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt

The Hummingbird Peplum Top & Skirt pattern is on pre-sale now through April 7.  $14.50 presale, $22 RRP.