Fish Print Shirt -- The Dramatic Conclusion!

Friends, he liked it!

And it fit extremely well.  And it flattered his coloring.  I was delighted.

My client is Shya Kane, whose personal transormation workshops, which he co-leads with his wife, Ariel, I've been attending with Michael since last fall.  Ariel and Shya's work is based on living in the current moment of your life and not resisting (aka saying no to) what shows up.  More about that below.

I brought the newly completed shirt with me to our weekly Monday night seminar.  The shirt is in the garment bag in the pics below.  (That's Ariel in pink.)











Shya wore the shirt all evening and got lots of compliments, as did I, when people heard I'd sewn it.  Shya even asked me to stand up during the meeting and take credit for it!  (Lots of applause followed.)



I could write many, many blog posts about Ariel and Shya and maybe I will.  Their approach is based on three basic principles:

1) Whatever you resist persists, and ends up dominating your life.

2) You can only be exactly as you are in the current moment of your life (and can only have been exactly as you were in every past moment).

3) Anything you can see (i.e., habitual ways of being) without judgment completes (aka resolves) itself.

You can read more about the Kanes on their website here, in their books, and on their Internet radio show, Being Here.

My introduction to the Kanes was through reading Working on Yourself Doesn't Work; another favorite book of theirs is How to Have a Match Made in Heaven.  They're all worth reading.

One of the most important things I've learned from the Kanes is that the circumstances of my life don't dictate my well being.  When I feel well in myself, life's little annoyances aren't annoyances at all, whereas when I'm upset, any little thing can set me off.  If I'm in complaint mode, I'll find something to complain about regardless of how well things are going.  Have you ever noticed how that works?

It was a joy and a privilege to make this shirt and a delight that it was so well received.

I don't know where I'll go from here with regard to sewing for private clients, but it's nice to know I've set a positive precedent for myself.

If you have any questions about the Kanes, just ask.  I'm happy to respond.

Have a great day, everybody!

My Fish Print Shirt Adventure

Readers, I am actually making a shirt for neither me nor Michael but rather for a mystery client!

I am using the fabulous Hawaii Print cotton fabric sent to me last summer by MPB reader Michael C.  My client is an avid fisherman and lover of the outdoors (as well as a "summer") and I thought this fabric would suit him to a T.  I hope so, anyway!





He wears a size Medium shirt (15 1/2" neck, 40" chest) and the pattern I am using is vintage Butterick 6751 from my stash.  Very nicely drafted.



To pick up the purple and add some additional pizazz, I have chosen to make the inside cuffs, collar stand, and yoke out of purple gingham.







I'm nearly finished and, frankly, I love this shirt.  If it doesn't fit, well, my Michael would be delighted to have it.  But I am crossing my fingers that it does fit.  Some detail shots below.

Sleeve placket.



Matching thread (purchased last week at Sil Thread).



Michael modeling the shirt, in progress, without collar or cuffs.



Collar ends.



Completed collar.



Completed cuff.



Back of shirt (yoke cut on cross grain; back has center pleat).





Front of shirt (without buttons), still to be hemmed.



I have thoroughly enjoyed making this shirt and I hope to get some photos to show you of my client wearing it -- if it fits, of course.

I've started thinking seriously about making shirts for paying clients and how I might price a garment that takes me, conservatively, 10 hours to make.  Any ideas/formulas?

If you sew for money, how do you charge for your work?

Hope your sewing projects are coming along swimmingly (no pun intended). 

Have a great day, everybody!

Peter Models the Zip-Front Hoodie and Tan Dress Pants!

The hoodie is officially in the house!  To see me modeling it, just click here.

But that's not all -- you'll also get to see me sporting the preppy tan dress pants I recently completed from a vintage 60's Simplicity pattern.

Not for the first time, the weather didn't entirely play along with the clothes I was wearing in the photo shoot, but I am hopeful that in the coming weeks temperatures will rise and I can put these garments into full rotation.

If this hoodie wasn't quite the "comfort sewing" exercise I'd been looking for, it's proving super-comfy in the wearing.  I don't want to take it off -- ever!

Is there a zip-front hoodie in your future?

Have a great day, everybody!

Grommets make me happy.

What is "Comfort Sewing"?

Readers, do you ever engage in the sewing equivalent of meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes -- henceforth to be referred to as comfort sewing?

Comfort sewing for me is making things that are quick and easy, ideally using patterns I've tried before.  This weekend I was hungry for some.

I decided to make a zippered hoodie using McCalls 5252.  I've used this pattern twice before, most recently five years ago to make two fleece jackets.  Time flies!







I wanted to make version E, which has three pockets and a hood.



You'd think with five additional years of sewing under my belt, this project would be a snap.  It wasn't.  Perhaps because my standards are higher and I want a professional-looking finish inside and out, this project took much longer than I'd expected.  Naturally, the instructions don't really tell you how to finish seam allowances cleanly and the word serger never makes an appearance.  Fortunately, Michael had an old ready-to-wear hoodie I could use for inspiration.

My fabric is a soft and plushy denim-colored cotton twill I'd purchased this winter.  It's extremely cozy -- more like heavy sweatshirt jersey than denim.





Though not mentioned in the instructions, I reinforced my pocket openings and shoulder seams with twill tape to prevent excess stretching.  I used only my Bernina 930 Record and my Brother 1034D serger (with four spools) for this project.









Most of the outside seams are topstitched.  This pillowy fabric sets off the stitching beautifully.





I decided to add a drawstring to the hood, something not included in the pattern.  Since I have a grommet kit, I added two grommets as well.  I interfaced the area where the grommets would go, to give the surrounding fabric extra strength.





Here's how things looked this afternoon -- sleeves and zipper still to come.



This is going to be a very handsome hoodie when it's done.  I may even make sweatpants with the remaining fabric; we'll see.  And that's it!

Friends, what's your definition of comfort sewing?  Do you ever engage in it?

Have a great day, everybody!

MPB Exclusive: Friday Fabric DYE-O-RAMA!

The first day of spring and it's snowing -- what better time to experiment once more with my Jacquard Procion dyes?

Today I dyed my blotchy tan shirt a mixture of fuchsia and black.  I followed the same directions I did last time with similarly successful results.  I soaked the shirt longer once I added my soda ash dye fixer this time, about an hour and a half total.  Then I rinsed it in hot water and machine laundered with a mild detergent.

Dark...



Darker...



Darkest!



After laundering but still wet, it looked like this: no visible blotches.







Before:



After! 



Whatever you call this color -- purple, aubergine? -- it's much more flattering. 

In other news, I found another sewing machine in the trash this week.







Indeed, the foot pedal, which did seem to work at first, almost immediately lost contact with the machine (hence the sign on the box in the photo).  The cheapest replacement I could find cost $25 on eBay.  Readers, I returned the sewing machine to the trash where I'd found it.  I probably would have bought the new pedal in the past but today, not so much, not for a plastic machine like this one.

And that's it!  I hope your first day of spring is a little less snowy than mine -- it's a blizzard out there.

Have a great day, everybody!