Civil War Generals' Wives BOM - Month 8 thru 10 and Future Sewing Plans

Wow!  Has it actually been since April when I posted my last block of the month?  Yes, I was three months behind on these.  I spent part of yesterday catching up since I will be receiving block 11 in about 2 weeks.  So here they are, in chronological order:

Block Eight - Flora Cooke Stuart, wife of General J.E.B. Stuart (CSA)

Block Nine - Maria Louise (Garland) Longstreet, wife of General James Longstreet (CSA)

Block Ten - Frances Caroline 'Fanny' Chamberlain, wife of General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (US)

Now that I caught up on my BOM, I don't feel guilty starting another quilt project.  It is difficult to find non-girly fabrics, but I scored this line at my local quilt store.  It is called VeloCity by Jessica Hogarth for P & B Textiles.  To make it even better, the store was having a 30% off entire purchase sale.  I need more masculine fabrics to make a crib quilt for my daughter's friend who is having a baby boy in a couple months and it is nice to have the fabric on hand because I also have three grandsons.

I'm heading to Hancock Fabrics tomorrow to search out a great fall jacket pattern.  I will also peruse my back issues of BurdaStyle magazine.  I'm anxious to get started on some fall garment sewing.  Do you have plans for any quilts or fall wardrobe pieces?

McCall's 6567 - Maxi Skirt

After the "wadder" early last week, I needed something that would give me instant gratification.  Here it is, and it has become my new favorite summer skirt.

The pattern is super easy and a beginner could sew this up quickly. From start to finish it took me about one hour to complete.  I did not follow the instructions because there are only two pattern pieces.  I simply sewed up both sides, but instead of the elasticized waistband allowed for in the pattern, I chose to use a foldover waistband.  I have a couple of RTW knit skirts with that type of waistband and I really like them.  To do this, I cut off the pattern at the waist where it allows for a self casing and treated my new fold over waistband just like stretch binding on a t-shirt.  I cut a piece of fabric 10" wide and approximately 2" smaller than the total top circumference of the skirt.  I sitched together the short ends of the waistband and folded the band in half lengthwise.  Then I sewed the waistand to the skirt, raw edges together and I simply fold it over when I wear it.

I've had this knit fabric in my stash for several months.  I think I picked it up at Joann's for 50% off during one of their spring sales.  It is a very lightweight one-way stretch nylon/lycra knit.  I adore the deep purple color.  Since I used knit fabric, I didn't do anything special to the seam finishes.  I simply used my serger to finish them.  If you choose to make this same version with the shaped front hemline as I did, be aware that the inside of the back will be visible.  I recommend a fabric such as this where the wrong side is not distinguishable from the right side and I recommend that you plan to finish the seams in some way so you don't have raw edges showing.

Serged seam and rolled hem

One word of warning about this pattern - it runs very, very large.  I cut an XSM and I still had to take 4" off the waist/hipline.  I usually cut a size medium or small.  The fabric suggestions on the pattern are for light to medium weight woven and moderate stretch knit fabrics.  I'm thinking a woven fabric would not have to be adjusted as much as a knit, but the pattern still runs large.

Have a great sewing week!

Sewing Machine Trading Cards

I have approximately a dozen of these cherished little trading cards.  They were a gift from DH several years ago. 

Around the turn of the century (1900 not 2000), sewing machine companies used these trading cards as a marketing tool to advertise their products.  Here's a close-up of one of the cards:

Now who wouldn't want to get their hands on as many of these little gems as possible?  Okay, maybe not a baseball player, but seems to me all other members of the human race would desire these as much as I do.  It is a sewingcentric world, isn't it?

My conundrum is that I don't have a manner in which to display them so I can enjoy them to their fullest.  I've considered and evaluated a number of items, but as yet have come up empty.  I would welcome any advice, suggestions, ideas, etc. from my terrific readers on how I might appropriately display my cards.  And if your idea includes upcycling or repurposing something to do so, all the better.  Thank you in advance for your comments.

Kwik Sew 3854 - Sailor-Style Shorts

This is such a cute shorts pattern - if only I could get them to fit!

I present to you, my valued readers, my latest wadder.

Notice the big gap at the back waistband and the gaping, droopy section in the front.  I adjusted and took these in (a total of 1 1/4") as I sewed them together, but they still need to be taken in a good 2-3 inches.  If I do that, I fear it will distort the style lines of the garment.  Therefore, they are oficially classified as a wadder.

I also think the back darts should be extended slightly.  They appear to be a bit short.  Or, maybe the length of the darts is okay if the shorts fit properly.  The pattern instructions are very clear and easy to follow and I really like the style of the shorts, so I will ponder whether or not to attempt another pair.  If I do, I will definitely cut a smaller size.

I'm moving on to another project.  I'm in the mood for a maxi skirt or dress, so that will most likely be the next garment that I sew.  The best way for me to get past a wadder is to quickly move on to the next project in queue.

Here's hoping you rarely have wadders and you are richly rewarded with success.