Marcy Jacket Update; a Tearful Confession; and Half of an Upcycle.

V9287 Marcy Jacket Update

The Marcy Jacket says, “Look at my pretty, pretty sleeves!!!!”

Good Morning! We have sleeves!!! I feel like the Marcy Jacket is jumping up and down like Pinocchio exclaiming “I AM a real boy!!” Only replace “boy” for “jacket” and you get the gist of what she is saying. She has waited so-o-o-o-o-o long for sleeves.

Image from Disney’s Pinocchio

If you remember, the most distinguishing feature of the Marcy jacket has been its tendency to fray, ravel, and shed at the edges. I have started wondering if there is some kind of silk or mohair woven into it. But honestly, what do I know? Working with the fabric has been a slight pain in the rear but the jacket is turning out beautifully AND I have learned a TON about finishing seams so it has been “productive pain”.

The sleeves say, “Kristi did it juuuuuuust right!”

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  Bias tape around the shoulder seams

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  Stitch and zigzag along the side of the sleeve.

Because of the fray, I thought about using French seams on the sleeves. But, I didn’t do it. I am sure those of you who actually know about sewing are breathing a sigh of relief. Google and I discussed the matter thoroughly and it turns out: A) French seams are easier on straight seams and harder on a sleeve (although she had complete faith in my ability to pull it off) and B) French seams look great with fine weight fabrics……thin breezy things like silk, chiffon, sheers, and organza. A fabric with more (ahem) bulk will look double-thick if you put in a folded over French seam. My shoulders would look like football shoulders, so no French seams. Instead, I used the “Hong Kong inspired” finish we created with the inside seams a couple of weeks ago. I only needed to do it on the shoulder seams. The underarm seam had the grain running across it, which made it more stable. On that section, I zigzagged the edges after stitching.

The 3 pieced sleeve: 1-sleeve, 2-cuff, 3-cuff facing.

Other than the extra fussing the sleeves were easy. There were more pieces than I was used to; The V9287 has a sleeve, a cuff and a facing for the cuff. Putting all the pieces together was like assembling a big beginner puzzle. I liked it. Also, the fabric has a little bit of stretch to it, so the sleeves fit into the armholes like a dream. No problems. Now, the only thing we have left to to do is put in button holes and attach buttons. Which leads me to………

The Confession

Sit down, we need to talk. There is something about myself that I have never told you. I know I should have shared this when we were first establishing our relationship. But you were so happy! And we were having such fun!! And, well…….I didn’t know how to bring it up into the conversation.

I don’t know how to make buttonholes on my machine. There! I’ve said it. It’s not that I don’t know how to make buttonholes at all…….I just don’t know how to make them on my machine. Why? Because the machine is smarter than me!! It does some kind of computer thing where it measures the button on it’s own and supposedly stitches the hole automatically. It should be easy. But it totally confuses and overwhelms me.

I don’t know what you do, but I am going to learn how to use you!!!!

In the past, I would put in snaps and fake buttons, make ties, use toggles, sew the buttonholes by hand or do ANYTHING to avoid a machine buttonhole. But my dear friends, I am going to learn for you! You are worth it to me. Thus far I have downloaded and read the machine manual AND watched a YouTube video. I realized that I didn’t have the right attachment (which may be why it was so confusing). So, I ordered the Automatic Button Foot Attachment from Amazon and it is sitting in a basket in the sewing room. (Yes, I hid the package from you. I’m sorry.) By next week I will be ready to make button holes. I can show you what I learned and we can do it together. Will you come back? Do you forgive me??? I’ll never keep a secret like this again!!!!!

The Beginning of an Upcycle….a Fuzzy Bear Upcycle.

I am getting better, usually I finish upcycling a piece and then go “Oh! I should have taken pictures along the way!” Today I am going to do one better. I will show you the start of an upcycle and make you wait in anticipation to see how it turns out. Clever, huh? Are you ready??…………..

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  So far, a little lacy stuff around the bottom

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  And my favorite image, a heart, on the back…..what next??

This sweater reminds me of a fuzzy teddy bear. It is also super soft. I am excited to see what I will do next, because I have no idea!!!

This started with a sweater that my Sewing Sister noticed at a thrift store in Portland. “Oooh, Kristi”, she said, “You have to get this!” She was right and I did. It reminds me of a fuzzy teddy bear and is super-duper soft. I bought the sweater and last week brought it to her house to work on. SS (Sewing Sister) had some really pretty silver lacy edging that she let me use and the heart was something she picked up for me on her winter “rain-bird” trip down south. In fact, at this point, nothing from the sweater is mine. I have a really nice Sewing Sister. I think I need to include something from my stash on the next addition. Any ideas????

Well my dear friends, it has been loads of fun. We put sleeves on the Marcy Jacket; cleared a huge hurdle in our Sewingjourney relationship, and started a Fuzzy Bear Sweater remake. Once again, it is time to say goodbye. Take care, have a great rest of the week and I will talk to you soon.

PS. You have a hope and a future. Never give up.