Crystal Blue Persuasion

It's common knowledge that you can't do Figure Skating without Sparkle. The more elaborate, unique, blinged out thing you're wearing, the better. Freestyle dresses have been turned away by Coach because they were not sparkly enough.

But Sparkle isn't cheap. Go online shopping for a figure skating dress, and you'll fast learn that the more crystal a dress has, the price goes up exponentially. A common practice in the Skating Universe is to buy a prefab dress and stone it yourself.

In the not-so-distant past, you could Crystal just about anything using The Device Which Shall Not Be Named. I have only found a few people willing to admit that they owned The Device Which Shall Not Be Named, because ownership of said Device seems to carry a cultural imperative that you create a denim jacket with a unicorn motif.



Nowadays, we use Flatback Crystal and some form of Glue.

Where do you get Crystal? Does it have to be Swarovski? How much do you need to buy, and what color? And most importantly, how do you stick it on the dress?

As it so happens, I've been in the thick of a few projects that are heavy on the Crystal, in addition to stoning a few dresses for my fellow skating parents. So, let's talk about the Crystal Mysteries.

Swarovski, as I've stated before, is quite possibly the most commonly known crystal around. Swarovski used to limit itself to crystal knicknacks, stemware and commercial jewelry, but then it discovered that hoardes of amatuer jewelers like myself were buying up old costume jewelry and prying out the stones to create our own things. (The old style round stones in sew-on metal settings were terrible.) So, Swarovski, smart company that it is, moved in to accommodate us, and now there is a vast array of beads and gems under the Swarovski Elements line.

Firstly, Swarovski Crystal is not a true crystal like quartz or tourmaline or amethyst. It's just leaded glass with a high refractive index, finely cut like a traditional gemstone. But when you facet leaded glass, the results are stunning.

You can buy Swarovski Elements any number of internet vendors, or even a local bead store. Bead stores, however, are more likely to carry bicone and cube shapes, and not the flatbacks needed for costuming. I've found the most unique shapes and cuts on Artbeads, and when I need common cuts and colors I just go to Fire Mountain. Keep your eyes open, always be shopping, always price compare.

Crystal Colors
What color you choose is dictated by the garment. When I'm making Jewelry, I steer clear of A/B (rainbow) Coatings as I find they look chintzy. But for Costuming, they look pretty good. I'd say the most common crystal I see is an A/B Coated one, but don't limit yourself. Swarovski offers an incredible array of colors, coatings, and foilbacked stones. Look around. Spend a little money to experiment. See what others are doing. Collaborate.

Crystal Sizes
Coming from Jewelry, I'm used to measuring my stones in millimeters, but apparently costume design uses some kind of arbitrary numbering system. I found this image, with the various stones and their size numbers next to a US Penny, which clears things up.

I've never gone larger than 5mm. In the right color, a 5mm can pop with just as much drama as a larger stone, and they are cheap.

What truly staggers me is that the only shape of Crystal I see out there is round. Did you know Swarovski makes a wide variety of shapes and facets in the Flatback Style? Doubtless, once you drop below a certain size, no one will know if it's a snowflake shape or a round shape from forty feet away, but all the same, I would imagine it would be fun to have a different crystal style than everyone else. Check out Artbeads' Swarovski Resource Page for colors, wire diagrams, shapes, sizes and a glossary of terms!

Snowflakes in a Rivoli Cut, 5mm AB Coat

About Hotfix
I've never used Hotfix, mostly because I'm too cheap to buy a seperate implement for the express purpose of gluing crystal, but also because I fear burning my projects. I'm not alone in my fear. If you have experience with Hotfix, please speak up!

Gluing them on.
Most people, I've found, use some incredibly toxic and annoying substance called E6000. I personally cannot stand this stuff. It's impossible to work with because the tubes are so much larger than the stones themselves, and you end up squirting way too much adhesive on everything. Or if you try squirting a set amount of E6000 into a dish and try using a toothpick or some other tiny pokey thing to poke the adhesive onto the place you want to glue, you drag tendrils of adhesive all over the garment. And you can kiss that dish goodbye, because E6000 is instantaneously permanent as all hell. Then you have E6000 all over your fingers for at least three days, from trying to wipe away the tendrils. I find E6000 to be the most unforgiving substance in the universe, and since I make tons of mistakes, I use something different.

I use Rosco Crystal Gel. Even Rosco found this surprising. Take a tablespoon of Crystal Gel, put it in a sandwich bag. Nip off the end and voila! Piping bag. Pipe a small dab of the Gel onto the spot you want a crystal. You can even let it sit for awhile, because unlike E6000, Crystal Gel does not start to set instantaneously. You have about five minutes.

I use tweezers to drop stones onto the Gel, and then I give them a little tap on the head to squish them into the Gel. If a little seeps up onto the side of the stone, don't fret. It dries completely clear. If you accidentally smudge the gel, you can wipe it away quickly with a wet washcloth, as the Gel is water soluble. (Unlike the Evil E6000.) Wash your implements before the Gel dries.

In a half hour, the Gel should be dry enough that you can pick up the garment. In 24 hours, the Gel will have cured completely.

I have used Crystal Gel successfully for the past year to adhere crystal to knits, spandex, fleece, stretch velvet and canvas. Because Crystal Gel offers a degree of flexibility, it doesn't seem to mind when the fabric underneath it stretches.

I have also never used Gemtack. If you have some Gemtack experience, speak up!

Do not use Hot Glue. Hot Glue is simply plastic that melts at a low temperature, and if it sticks to anything then you've found the exception to the rule. I got over Hot Glue in the early Nineties, you should, too.

Crystal will fall off. No matter what you use, you will have a failure rate. Even my prized Cherri Chau Crystal Barrette, advertised as being the only crystalled jewelry that would never lose a stone, has a few bare spots. Buy 10% additional stones to cover for failures. Check the garment before and after wearing to see if you've lost anyone. Have a moment of silence for the MIA and Presumed Dead stones, and replace as needed.

Consider Crystal on a Garment as you would Icing on a Cake. The right amount tastes wonderful, but too much or too little is ruinous. Fifty well placed stones can do so much more than a hundred just thrown scattershot at a dress. Make a drawing, lay out the stones before you commit with glue, sleep on it and collaborate with your fellow seamstresses.

Have fun. Don't be afraid to mess up. My beading Stash is replete with failed projects. Without failing, how will you learn what works?

Sewing Trims

Now that we've picked a trim, we have to get it onto our garment somehow. Our friend Sophie is sewing pants. Pants pose a challenge because you have to apply the trim onto a finished seam rather than a panel, and you end up working in a tube.

The trick is Patience, and Pinning. Pins are your best friend. Lay the pants down flat, and lay the trim onto them. Pin it down, being careful not to go all the way through to the other side of the garment.

To sew it down, choose a regular Sharp needle. (They're actually called Sharps, which seems intuitive but whatever.) You'll be tempted to use a clear Nylon thread, like this one.

Sewer Beware! It's clear, but not a great idea!

Be careful. My experience with clear Nylon is that it decays over time, becoming brittle. I have a netted beaded bag that is slowly disintegrating due to a poor thread choice I made. I'd be safe and choose a thread color that is a close match, like this burgundy thread on burgundy lace.

Start at the end, folding over the edge of the trim for neatness. Whipstitch the edge, and start working your way up. For a trim like this, I use a backstitch in roughly 1/4" lengths. For everyone using metric, go two centimeters long. Don't bother pulling the needle in and out, because you're in a tube and you're going to end up annoying yourself. Simply pull the needle staying on the outside of the garment.

Here's a link to a basic hand sewing tutorial with videos: http://cyberseams.com/article/105045/basics/how_to_sew_by_hand_basic_stitches.html

This is a pretty gaudy beaded trim, and beaded trims carry some caveats. They need care. This trim features glass tube beads affixed with cotton thread, which means the little sharp glass tube edges are rubbing against poor cotton thread, cutting it over time. Beads do fall off. Be on the lookout for loosies, resewing them down as you come to them.

See the sharp glass rubbing on that poor thread? It will eventually tear.

For slung sequins, I use a regular running stitch going through the holes of the sequins. If you look here, you can see my sewing threads on this leftover piece of trim I created for Pink Panther.

On the back, it's also easy to see what I did.

When dealing with stretch trims, use the same techniques, but don't pull the threads tight. Leave them a little loose to allow the fabric underneath and the trim to give. When we say, "tack on this trim," we really mean that. Just tack it on so it stays.

Check in with your trimmed garments before and after wearing, especially if they're a beaded or heavy trim. Check for torn thread, loose beads, or floppy bits, and re-sew them as needed. A beaded garment is a high-maintenance garment, and for something that is actually pretty Athletic wear, you need to repair abuse as it happens.

Up next, Appliques and You

Trimmings: What Kind and how to Sew Them

If you've ever taken a trip to your local fabric shop, you've likely seen the rows of carded wacky things that come on strings. They come in all colors, widths, materials, weaves and materials.

I spend a lot of time here.

They can range from a woven heavy metallic thread, to a simple string of sequins, satin ribbon, heavily beaded fringe, elastics, and crystals in metal settings.

Trims aren't just decorative. There are functional trimmings such as hook and eye, zipper, and grommeted trims. In short, it can be overwhelming.

Trims are sold by the yard and very in price according to their make, materials, country of origin, and a bunch of other factors, but the simplest way to judge is by how fancy it is. The fancier the trim, the likely the more expensive it will be.

If you need a long length of elastic in an odd size, the Trims Section is where you look.

What is not a constant is the more expensive the trim, the more tasteful it is. There's a lot of trims that are quite expensive, yet are horrific to behold.

$20.00 Per Yard Seashell fringe for a Snowplow Sam "Under the Sea?" Falling shells as an artitistic choice or Competitive Advantage?

So, how do you choose a trim?

Well, my process starts long before I even enter the fabric store. The music must be chosen first, so with music in mind, I'll sit down with some paper and draw out my ideal costume. What I would like if money were no object, if I were the most talented seamstress alive, what would I create?

Now, provided you aren't too ashamed of your art, take this to the fabric shop. Here, your design is going to get the ax hacking of a paredown as you shop for what kinds of materials are available, how much they cost, and what your skills are capable of actually doing. This isn't always a bad thing. Your design isn't going to get necessarily worse, it's just going to evolve to fit your reality.

With fabrics chosen, take a look at the design and see where a trim would accent, fit and work your design. We need some shiny things on the pants, so let's look.

This is an old pair of skating pants, you can tell by the worn-out knee. But layering Slung Sequins can add some Drama!

Don't be shy. If you walk into a fabric store, lay down some drawing and a pattern and a bunch of fabric, you'll look like a total pro and own the place. Your actions indicate, "Hey! I need some mofo trim here!"

This is also pretty for color and texture.

Unroll a foot or so of what you think might work and lay it on your fabric. Think of it in context of the overall color scheme and theme of the program. Does it work? No? Try again. And again. And again. Mistakes are imperative in the design process. Without knowing what doesn't work, you don't have a firm grasp of what does. Make mistakes.

Okay, so I find one I like best. I know Stitch's leg is 26" long, and he has two of them. I need 52" of this, minimum. I'll buy an additional 6" in case I, yes, make a mistake. It's sold by the yard, a yard is three feet or 36". A yard and a half is too short, so I'll bite the bullet and get two yards.

Next up: How to Sew the Stupid Things Once you Have them!

People Ask Me Things: Trims and Stoning

My email this week included this note from the UK, regarding Trimming and Stoning! Let's take a look:

Dear... Um... Stitch's Mum:

In the near future I am going to get some new skating trousers. The plan is:
- Sophie buys pattern.
- Sophie buys material.
- Sophie drives 100 miles.
- Sophie's mum makes trousers.
- Sophie hops, skips, jumps 100 miles home (while driving?)
- Sophie attempts to put some sort of decoration on trousers.

My question is: What would WWWMSLD? I know I can glue gems on but that will likely end in me sticking my fingers together/sticking fingers to gems/sticking fingers to face/etc.

I was wondering if you have an reccomendations to sew-on tye things as I can hand sew? (You should see me with a sewing machine... Who needs straight stitch when you can be... artistic about it? Anything more than 1 stitch per second is way too fast.)

I know people use these types of things but I'm thinking they'll be floppy and not lie more-or-less flat?

Oh, and I tried your tutorial think on how to sew little beads! I used quite-flexible tiger tail (something like that) wire on a hankie for my nan for Christmas! I don't think she'll ever use it to blow her nose on asn she may end up snorting beads... Imagine explaining that to the doctor!

Many thanks-
Confused in the UK

Well, Confused in the UK, your question is actually a bunch of questions rolled into one!

Let me start off by saying that when I visited the UK, I had lunch at a Buttery. As I hail from the American South where Butter is a staple, it was a bit of a disappointment. (Just kidding, I loved the sandwich.)

What I'm reading here is a question on Trims, a question on Applique, and a question on Stoning. How do we buy these things, and what do we do with them once we have them?

What I propose to do is that we break this down into a series of posts on how to trim and accent skatewear. A common practice is to buy commercially available dresses and bedeck them ourselves, so a tutorial would be helpful here.

Let's plan a trip to the Trimmings section of the Fabric Shop first, then learn how to sew on or glue those on. (I've done it both ways.)
Then we'll work with some Appliques. Those can be a lot of fun and a great shortcut.
Lastly, we'll work with Crystals and Stones.

So, Readers; If you have any questions, advice, or stories about your experiences with these Decorative Thingamabobbers, send in your emails now! They will be featured in upcoming posts to come to the aide of your Fellow Skate Moms! Next week we will be educational!

Thanks for the posting ideas, Confused!

PS:

You must have a very nice Mum to sew a pair of pants for you, as when I asked my own sewing mom to do the same for me, she sent me a very, um, polite email back. She sewed two pair of pants and then she was done with skatewear. I don't blame her a bit.

Embroidery Finishing

The embroidery has been done for awhile now, and here's how it looks. I think this took me about twelve hours. (I spend an hour on the train every day, which is when I do a lot of beading. So, figure twelve or fourteen days.)

I've torn away the paper, trimmed all my threads, and now we're ready to reinforce the back with our flexible acrylic.

This is Rosco Crystal Gel, and I love this stuff for crafting. Unfortunately, they only sell it by the gallon, and it's $57.00 per gallon. A gallon will last me two years, just be sure and lay down plastic wrap over the unused amounts and always use clean implements, lest the nasties take over your supply.

But this is a sample jar. It's plenty for these purposes. (I've asked the manufacturer about smaller size containers, and I've been told no. The product is hand-decanted, and a smaller package takes away profitability, which is understandable.)

This polymer acrylic stuff is permanent, clear, flexible, stretchable, water soluble, dyeable, washable, and holds just about anything. I've gotten it to adhere to smooth finished stone, but it does have trouble with painted metals. After you use this, you'll forget all about Hot Glue (ouch!) or two part epoxies (toxic!) You can get this sample jar from a local Rosco dealer, find one at their website, http://www.rosco.com/.

Using a clean paintbrush, go over all the back stitching. The Gel won't go through the fabric, it's nice like that.

Find the knots, hit them well. A thin coat will dry to the touch in about fifteen minutes, and it's 24 hours to a complete cure. When it's dry, take some nail clippers and clip any tails sticking up.

Stitch claims that the threads still feel sharp, so an undershirt may be in the works for this one.

I used the Gel to stick on the red crystal, applying those when the machine sewing was done. Instead of a paintbrush, I used a small piping bag and tweezers for crystal.

And that's that. We're all done, and we're weeks ahead of schedule, which is probably a good thing since I'm currently drowning in sequins for Ice Show.

If anyone wants a sewing tutorial, a more detailed bead tutorial (what kind to buy for best results) or a sequin tutorial, let me know in the comments!

Let's do some Embroidery

Seventy two days away, so I need to get going on costumes. My last embroidery project took about 48 hours, but this one is less involved so I'm guessing twenty. We'll see how accurate I am.

I cut the pieces for the two shirts; a white collared long sleeve for the solo program, and a blue velvet short sleeve affair for compulsories. What won't be sewn for awhile went into a storage size ziplock bag to keep it pressed and clean. After talking with another Coach who gave me this look of, "don't even try it in nonstretch," I changed my mind and decided to go with a lycra for the white shirt. Maybe with some good pressing I can get a clean look.

The thing to remember in sewing stretchy things is not to stretch them while sewing. This means no tugging, pulling, or coaxing it through the feed dogs. Just let it feed itself, watch it close, and go slow. When you are called to stretch the fabric while sewing, think of it the same way as crossing the streams with a proton pack.



It can work, you just have to be careful.

I don't have a serger, so I overlock everything and I get great results. But we're not sewing today. We're getting the bead embroidery started on the back panel.

Okay, here is our back panel. We're going to double overlock the edges to stabilize them before we start. This may not be totally necessary, but it makes me feel better. (Also, as this is a snowy white, wash your hands before handling it. This is going to get handled a lot in the coming days, so the last thing we need is this getting some gray tinge because my hands were dirty.)

Here's our overlocking in action. Note that I've got my Edge Foot on there to make things easier.

Here's my design, transferred to a piece of tearaway embroidery interfacing. You're going to sew the beads right onto this stuff, and pull it off when you're done. (It works, really.) Center it where you want it, and pin it down.

With the straight stitch setting set to the longest it can go, baste the paper design onto the back panel. Go slow, don't stretch, and try to make sure everyone lies flat together.

Here's our paper design basted onto the back panel. There's a bit of puffiness towards one edge, but I'm not worried. The beading will take care of things as we go, provided we pay attention.

These kinds of small errors are also okay, provided there aren't too many of them. As the beads go on, things will flatten out.

Here's all my beads and materials. My beading thread is a white Nymo, size B, a smaller gauge of the stuff they use to make shoes. Everything is packed up in baggies so I can easily take it with me, and I don't carry all the beads of the colors around, lest disaster strike and I spill a bag. (It's happened.) I only carry manageable amounts. Keep it organized, and work only with one color at a time to save your sanity, not going through multiple bags for one bead of one color and two beads of another.

Start with one bead. Just pick a point, sew it on, and secure it on the back with a surgeon's knot.

Here's the back view, and the knot. Don't worry too much about knots not holding, we're going to secure every stitch and knot when the entire piece is done with a flexible acrylic.

Bring your thread back up behind your first bead, and thread through it so you're coming out if it, as shown here.

Pick up three beads of the same color, and snug them against the first bead. Send your needle down through the fabric so the beads sit nicely against that first bead. They don't have to be really tight together, doing that can cause puckering and mounding. Just try to have them lay flat against each other.

Bring the needle up between your first bead and the new beads, and thread through again through the new three beads.

Just like that. After this, it's lather, rinse, repeat, over and over again. Fill in, three at a time. When you need to add thread, tie off and back on again with sturdy surgeon's knots. Get rid of the tails, they'll drive you nuts.

Flip it over and look at the back every now and then. The back does matter. You want it clean and neat. Places where the thread has knotted, gathered, frayed or whatever else thread does to irritate you means weak points in your beading. Weak points mean things can fall off, and that means disaster. When you make  mistake, (this is going to hurt) rip it out and start again.

And we're on our way! See you in a few weeks!

Time to get Crackin'

Whenever Coach doesn't talk to me I feel a bit bereft, but then when she does I feel overwhelmed. Today after lessons she found me and gave me the comp packet for January. Already? I told her we'd narrowed down music, and I'd cut it and see what she thought. This also made me realize that this year's comp outfit was going to be a challenge, and I needed to get going.

There's no boy's skatewear on the market, unless you count the black velvet uniform, er, shirt. This is expensive and boring. And boring. So let's make one.... it's not all that hard.

Tonight I did the first steps. I know that the fabric we liked doesn't stretch much, but I hate the way knits look on the ice. They don't look crisp. Boys need to be crisp. So my plan of action is to cut the shirt a size or two too big, and alter from there to allow room for movement yet give me the look I want. And yes, there will be bead embellishment. Beads go on before the shirt gets pieced together. So, to put a fine point on it, I only get one shot to get it right.

I've decided to try this plan first using the Halloween costume. Let's see how big that shirt turns out, and we'll see if it will work for the not so stretchy fabric later.
Let's get out our Jalie pattern, shall we?



Oh that's confusing.

What you need to do is match the size you are to the size on the pattern. So go measure your subject. Stitch is technically a size 7 with the waist altered in, but today I'm going to cut a Size 9, or pattern size M.

Wait! Don't cut this pattern! You're going to trace your size, saving your pattern paper for another day! Get out your tracing paper, which is about $14 a roll from your fabric store.

Now, even though I'm not going to do the gathered sleeve, I'm still going to cut out the whole pattern for it, just in case I can reuse this later. I'm also marking the short sleeve cut, since I think the compulsory outfit should be short sleeved. Transfer all markings, fold and grainlines. Also mark which piece this is, how many to cut, and what size it is.

Finished? Great. Now cut everyone out. Again, even though I won't be using the cuff or some of the other pieces, I cut them all the same, just in case. As this is a size too big, I may be able to use it later. Here is tonight's finished product, bagged and marked and ready to go. Tomorrow we will cut fabric for the Mummy costume, and see if the "slightly bigger" plan will work!

Printing Patterns off the Internet

So, the site I linked to earlier offers the option of downloading and printing your pattern at home, which is a little cheaper and serves the over-eager among us who hate to wait on the mail. Anxious to get going, I chose this option. What followed was an adventure in massive floor puzzles, scotch tape, and German.

I was fully prepared for a few 8x11 sheets with the pattern printed small, and I would have to do some math to transfer the pattern onto tracing paper. This was fine by me, a perfect rainy day project for my mother in law and myself. I logged in, downloaded their Document Viewer, verified my identity about six times, promised I wouldn't share it, and repeatedly swore to the website that I had the downloader already just please show me the pattern. Half an hour later, I got my first look at Pattern Part 1.

It was forty two pages.

Well, fortune favors the foolish, so I lightened the printer as low as it would go to save ink, and hit "print."

Stitch was taking the pages as they came off the printer, bearing them on a tray to my dining room/sewing studio, where my MIL and I were trimming the edges and taping them together, piecing them together by the Row and Column markings. As we kept going, we realized in horror that I had printed the Pants portion of the pattern, not the Jacket. But you can't tell because Parts 1 and 2 don't specify what they are, and the instructions don't tell you, either.

I went back to my computer, and clicked on Pattern Part 2, and this was thirty six pages. Sighing, I hit "print." While it was printing, I disassembled the Pants Puzzle and prepared for Jacket. Well, at least I have a pants pattern.

MIL gave up and took a nap on the sofa while I trimmed and assembled the Jacket pattern. I measured Stitch, which is always a chore because children hate to be measured, determining that we needed a size 7 jacket. I got out my tracing paper, and spent the next hour tracing and cutting my pattern pieces. I disassembled the jacket pattern for another day, and finally got to cutting fabric. Pink Satin, (which is funny because the pattern recommends denim, corduroy, tweed, or other hardy fabrics,) and black china silk lining. The pants will be standard skating pants, but I'm going to play with a pink applique stripe down the leg.

I started the process at 10am. I finally had cut, marked and interfaced fabric at 4pm. MIL came over as I was finishing transferring markings and shook her head. Stitch wandered over. "Is that for me?"

"Yes. This is how much I love you."

Stitch bounced a bit and spun.

So. Will I print patterns off the internet again? Probably not. If hadn't had the entire day to devote to the process, there would still be a floor puzzle in my dining room. It is rare that I have a day to devote to any one task.

Lesson for the week? Wait for the mail, or doom yourself to a frustrating day.

New Link; Land of Forgotten Patterns

Sometimes you need a costume piece. The kid is asking for something awful, and all you can find is baby peapod patterns, or the standard capes, or animal outfits for boys. The rest of the catalog costumes are devoted to girls. Endless princess variations, from Persian Beauty to Disco Queen. Yes, I feel your pain.

But lo! I have found the website for your specialty costume piece needs! Here I found not one, but TWO patterns for boy's Jackets! HA!

Check this out...
http://www.sewingpatterns.com/search.php?new_category=search&search=costumes

Barring the ghost costume which is a tad on the offensive side, this place is great!

Endless variation, but nix the mask for skating.

I would never get away with this. Never in a million years.

That's it. Everyone is Owls this year for Halloween.

Do people really use Halloween outfits for skating? Yes. I've seen most often on boys, who will re-use their Halloween Superhero outfits and it's a little strange. Little Girls (really little) will sometimes skate in their Disney Princess costumes. For Character Spotlight, you will often see girls in things that are more specialty costumes than skating dresses. It's a legit need.

Just be aware of what you're doing, don't put them in anything that makes it hard(er) to skate...

All things considered, she did pretty good! (Did you catch the blinkie lei? Did you? Blech!)

Johnny Weir is here!!

No, not the Johnny Weir. Johnny Weir is the name I've given my new sewing machine.

It's here, and I'm so excited to get it home and give it a whirl! (It has a darning foot, and a zipper foot, and a drop in bobbin, and a self threading needle, and a this, and a that, and this cool other thing...)

All joking aside, I have a lot of admiration for Johnny Weir. That guy can skate, and anyone who owns himself the way Johnny does has my utmost respect. So, Johnny, if I didn't tease you it means I don't like you very much. Please don't be offended by the fact I named my sewing machine after you.

Bad Idea or Utter Genius??

I had a thought on my third glass of boxed chardonnay last night;


Boot covers. I need to make a more sturdy pair so as to withstand Stitch's continuing assualt on his footwear. The thin nylon pair already have big holes in them after just a month. Stitch has issues figuring Inside versus Outside edges. Why not make a pair of boot covers and embroider an "I" and an "O" on the respective edges (Sides of the Skate) along with directional arrows indicating what direction he'll go on that respective edge.

Stupid Crutch or good Short Term Learning Tool?

This is my personal Axel.

Stitch needs new pants. This wouldn't be so bad had I not realized that the addition of a poufy waisted shirt and the attached briefs would make my original plan of "wing it with just an elastic waist" too tight.

So, I have two yards of black stretch, all my velcro and elastic, and a zipper. I have never sewn a zipper before. I have been consulting my Jalie instructions, and they are no help.

***

Fly
􀂃 Make sure the pattern marks on pieces A C and D are transferred onto the fabric (fig. 4). Watch how you draw these things on, because the fabric stretches, and when it does, your marks can get messed up. Clip front as shown (fig. 5). We're not going to really indicate how this is done, so just get yourself some paperclips and Macguyver it.
􀂃 Pin zipper (face down) to right side of right front, just below the single notch (fig. 6a). Did you get that? Are your marks right? Don't screw this up. Fold zipper tape as shown (fig. 6b) and stitch on zipper tape
as shown (fig. 7). Did we specify that you stitch the tape while folded or not? No? Yeah, good luck out there.
􀂃 Pin right side of fly to wrong side of zipper and stitch from top edge to the mark (fig. 8). Then, pin the right side of your eyelid to the bottom of your foot, and baste. Realize that your mark drifted by three inches because the fabric stretched under the weight of your pencil. Topstitch your eyelid.
􀂃 Bring seam allowance towards right front and topstitch as shown, taking in all layers (fig. 9). Watch your needle here because it's going to get fussy as the machine realizes it will actually have to work through more than two layers. Be prepared to disassemble the entire bobbin assembly at least twice.
􀂃 Pin left front to right front as shown at crotch seam and stitch (fig. 10) from inseam edge to the mark. At this point your machine will realize that this something you don't want to do twice, and the bobbin will run out. Rewind the bobbin and start over.
􀂃 Pin fly facing to right side of left front and sew 1 cm (3/8’’) from edge, from the waist edge to the mark (fig. 11). Have you screwed up yet? No? Good for you. Pour a glass of wine and continue.
􀂃 Pin other zipper side face down to right side of fly facing ONLY (fig. 12) and stitch 3 mm (1/8’’) from zipper tape edge. Switch from wine to vodka. Realize you have misplaced your mm ruler and wonder why in the hell Canada can't get with the program and use wonky American measurements. From here on out, MM will be referred to as Freedom Inches.
􀂃 Before flipping right side up, pin facing to right front as shown (fig. 13). Pin zipper to front as shown, right next to the facing (fig. 14). Hold up your work so far. Realize that the front side is stitched to the wrong side and pour a double shot of vodka. Get out your seam rippers. NOW you're sewing!
􀂃 This pin will be visible on right side of left front (fig. 15) and indicate where to stop your topstitching. Stitch over the pin. Break needle.
􀂃 Starting 3 Freedom Inches (1 1/8’’) from fly edge, find your pencil from underneath your tangled pile of velcro and elastic, trace your topstitching line on right side of left front, from waist to the pin (fig. 16) and topstitch all the loose threads and cat hair permanently onto the fabric. Finish the vodka.
􀂃 Flip wrong side up, remove pins and cut excess zipper (fig. 17). Yes. cut through the entire goddamn zipper. Don't be shy, just get out the kitchen shears and hack away. It's fine.
􀂃 Bring fly and fly facing right sides together (fig. 18), dig out the pincushion from under your foot where you've been grinding your heel in frustration and pin.
􀂃 On right side, bar tack through all layers as shown (fig. 19). What the hell is a bar tack? It's the bar, stupid. Go tack yourself to the bar. That's were you belong after doing this successfully.

Got that? Let's go through it again...

Let's Sew a Boy's Bodyshirt - 1

I have the day off today, to rest and recuperate and just take a little mental time off from my day job. So what are my plans? Catching up on sewing.

Today I need to make a white turtleneck and black pants for Stitch to use in the Holiday show. Girls just need to bring tights, but Boys need to bring the Whole Shebang. (This is because the Shebang is hard to find and the rink can't be bothered.)

I've made two bodyshirts now, so I feel confident enough to tell others how. What is a bodyshirt? Well, it's a shirt with Manties attached to it. Remember when they were babies, and they wore Onesies? I bought out Children's Place of the Onesie Turtlenecks because Stitch couldn't untuck them, no matter how hard he tried. His shirt was perpetually tucked in, and he looked great for an eighteen month old.

Boy's skating apparel runs on the same concept. A Bodyshirt is a Onesie for grownups. (Sorry, but that's the truth.)

http://www.jalie.com/mens-skating-bodyshirt.html

These patterns come from Canada, so allow 14 days for it to get to you if live in the Lower 48. Don't order the patterns a week before you need it.

Canadians seemed to have figured out how people use patterns. When you get this, you won't get the thin brown tissue patterns. You'll get something between regular paper and cardstock with all the patterns on it. It is your job to measure your kid and determine his size. Then, you need to get some pattern tracing paper and trace out the proper size pattern from the cardstock. Cut the tracing paper, and there is your pattern. Your twelve dollar pattern should last ages as they grow!

So, once you've done that, you need to get some fabric. I'm fortunate enough to live within walking distance of an incredible fabric store, which always has something suitable. Barring that, there are websites that sell appropriate stretchy fabrics. Bodyshirts must be four way stretch. Period. I tried to get away with a 2 way stretch, and it failed miserably. They're fitted, and can't go on and won't look right any other way. So, four way stretch. It's a common practice for me to go around lightly tugging on all the bolts of fabric in the store. Today I have a cotton stretch knit, 80% cotton and 20% spandex in white.

You'll also need some notions; the little other things. You need three snaps, 1/4" elastic, and thread to match whatever fabric you chose. We also picked out some bling. Well, it's me.

Okay, in our next post we'll start cutting and sewing. Stretch fabric is not the monster that some people make it out to be. In fact, I don't find it much different than other fabrics.