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Sep 11, 2010

How to 1) mesmerize your dogs and 2) make button loops!


First the dogs.  Reader Debbie Cook sent these lovely drumsticks to me in the mail, but they seemed a little small and tough so I gave them to the dogs.  They love 'em!


Thank you, Debbie, from Willy and Freddy and all of us!

Oh, and Debbie, next time when you make drumsticks, cover the pan with aluminum foil.  They won't dry out so much.  Or try a little Shake'n Bake.

Now on to the button loops.  I made them!





Here's how I did it.

I made tubes from bias I cut from my fashion fabric, stitching wrong-side-out at 1/2" and trimming.



With a loop turner, I turned the tubes right side out.  (This takes some patience when you're working with stiffer fabrics.)





For my loops, I cut the tubes into 2" pieces.  Don't press them; you want them to stay tube-like.



I attached Collins Wonder Tape (Thanks again, Debbie!) to the seam allowance.  It's VERY sticky.



Lining up the seam allowance to a ruler, I carefully stuck each button loop on, making sure they were large enough for the button but not too large (since they were cut on the bias they have some stretch).



Here's how they look from the right side.



Next I add the facing.



I stitch on the facing, trim the seam allowance, and then I turn right-side out.





Ta da!



They actually weren't hard to do at all; the tough part was making those tubes with the loop turner.

And that's it!  I'm almost done with the dress as you can see and hopefully Cathy will show up (she's been a little unreliable lately -- acting out, perhaps?) and we can do our photo shoot.



Here's the Burda pic of the dress btw: it's A-line tunic dress #102.



So it's a weekend of glamour and quasi-celebrity for me -- what do you have lined up?

Any button loops in your near future/favorite chicken recipes you care to share?

Happy Saturday, everybody!

28 comments:

  1. I might actually try button loops now! Thanks for trying them first. Chicken recipes for people --

    Chicken In the Jug (yes that's really the name)

    1.5 pounds chicken pieces
    1 stick butter
    1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
    the juice of one lemon

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place skinned, cleaned chicken in a deep oven-proof "jug" (think Dutch oven). Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Place foil over the top, then put on cover (I don't know why). Cook 2 hours.

    Old recipe from Bethlehem, TN.

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  2. The dress/loops look great. I'm looking forward to seeing Cathy's photo shoot. I don't think she needs any advice from Kevyn Aucion's books though.

    You got Willy & Freddy's attention with those drumsticks for sure. Debbie - make note of Peter's baking advice.

    Happy sewing!

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  3. Blogger keeps eating my carefully crafted and thoughtful posts :-) Error 503

    Anyone else having trouble?

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  4. Your..I mean, Cathy's dress is looking good. Buton loops are a pain, but so pretty when they are done
    As for chicken drumsticks, we cook ours Thai-style wih lime, chiles and peanut butter.

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  5. The button loops look fine, but I fear that Cathy will look like Little House on the Prairie. I hope you all can come up with some fierce styling ideas!

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  6. Looks wonderful . . . a terrific 70s vibe to it, very Carly Simon. Will you and Cathy be styling it like Burda? Espadrilles, ethnic jewelry, small pet, wavy hair? Anticipation is making me wait . . .

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  7. Cool! Was it easier to cut up the loops instead of using one continuous piece?

    Is the fabric blue, as in the photo directly above the Burda photo, or green?

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  8. I haven't sewn in three days and I'm beginning to get a funny twitch because of it! So, this weekend I'm going to make dh a pair of dress pants... then I can sew something fun without guilt.

    Your button loops came out beautiful, I have a pattern that will need them, maybe that's what I'll do after the pants.

    Have a great weekend :)

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  9. Oh! These are so beauuuuuutiful! Thanks for the tutorial.

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  10. Thanks for the poochie pics - can't get enough of those two cuties. And thanks also for the … er … cooking tips. ;-)

    Your loops look divine!

    But tell me - have you wound any bobbins on the treadle yet? I believe there were other things in that package besides paltry poultry.

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  11. Bobbins???

    Good Lord, I fed those to the dogs too!

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  12. Guess I'll have to wait a day to try those out.

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  13. I really like the fabric and the pattern.
    Personally, I would not have the nerve to sew it up, because my styling skills are so let's-see-what-they-have-at-Talbot's! However, I KNOW you have a vision for this. Looking forward to how you dress Cathy! Since I live in another city, that means I can copy the look and wear it as if I invented it.

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  14. Excellent button loops! I have never tried the Wonder Tape because I thought it would gunk up the needle. But I'll have to give it a try now. Great tutorial too.

    No recipes from me! I'm not a bad cook but it is just something I do because I have to, kind of like cleaning.

    I am still working on my sewing room; too many interruptions. I'm quite tired of the mess and want to get on to the sewing. Oh, and I get to pay bills today. Yipee!

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  15. Is Collins tape better than the Dritz variety? That's all I've tried so far.

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  16. Oh, Peter! Tubes are (one of many) the bane of my existence! You made it look so easy. I have not yet met a loop turner that doesn't whip my butt every time. By the time I finished (if I indeed succeeded in getting the darn thing right side out)my poor little tube is stretched, distorted, possibly torn, and otherwise a terrible hot mess. HOW exactly were you able to accomplish this so perfectly??????

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  17. Wow Peter, those button loops are a work of art...so perfectly aligned, and it looks just beautiful buttoned up! Nice job. Look forward to the photo shoot!

    Oh, and three words: beer can chicken:
    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-surreal-gourmet/beer-can-chicken-recipe/index.html

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  18. The Dritz fast turn tubes work even better than the tool you have - I couldn't believe the difference the first time I tried them. I'd highly recommend them if you have another project involving bias tubes.

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  19. Sandi, thanks, I must try them.

    Believe me, Beth, I could have shown photos of the rejects -- there were a LOT of them.

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  20. An easy way to turn long thin tubes right side out is to enclose a length of heavy string or cording while sewing. Sew one end of the tube closed to hold the string in place. (you want string longer than your tube). Slowly pull the string with one hand and then work the tube with your other hand getting the turn started. You will want to start the turn from the end you sewed closed. For wider tubes, I use the open/closer thing from an old set of window blinds. Again, sew one end closed. Work with that end first, turning it enough to poke the open/closer thing (or a wooden owl, etc) After turning, clip off the end you sewed closed.

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  21. Um. A wooden dowl will probably work much better than a wooden owl. My iPad likes to change words for me.

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  22. Beautiful, Peter! Would you believe that my favorite tool for turning anything is a wooden chopstick? (I have very few specialized tools at my house....)

    Well, I'm starting another vintage dress for Evie. I'm cutting it out today and maybe even getting it sewn up. I have to make a trip to the fabric store before I can make the matching pants to go underneath, so it'll end up being for next Sunday, but since I just finished one, I don't care. I was considering adding sleeves to it, since sleeveless season is almost over, but I'm tired and I just bought the kid a little white sweater that she can wear over it for cooler weather, so I've decided not the care! I'm making this because I love the simplicity of it, this particular pattern has fantastic instructions, and I've been trying to find the time to make it for months!

    My sister dropped in yesterday and otherwise spoiled my sewing plan for the next little while. She gifted me with a badly cut out dress for my littlest niece. (She ignored the grain line and cut it out crooked!) And since it's a poly/nylon fabric, I don't think that this will be any fun at all. She brought it asking for "help" and then left it. To add insult to injury, it's a multi-part outfit, and she only brought the cut out pieces of one part and the fabric isn't for sale anymore at Joanns. So I have to provide coordinating fabric, thread, interfacing, ribbon, and buttons for the stupid thing and try and make it look good when she cut it any old way it landed on the fabric! She claims to be able to sew, but she also brought me her mending to do... along with my destructive two-year-old nephew to stay the day. Lucky me, I now have to go repair the damage he caused to my bedroom, which he claimed for his own. To be fair, that is where the toddler bed is, but he didn't have to wreck it! Needless to say, it's been a looooong weekend.

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  23. Peter, your loops are beautiful. I followed your many leads and bought a vintage Singer Featherweight 221 recently. I've spent the last two days fiddling with it. LOVE IT. Now I know why you buy so many sewing machines. Oh and by the way, I met your friend Johanna. She's lovely.

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  24. I'm flying to London in a couple of hours and hoping that I can find some more attractive fabric than that stuff Burda sent you. You've done a very nice job on those loops Peter but I'm ready for you to go back to menswear and clothes that Cathy will actually wear more than once. I still think that dress looks like something for the Von Trapp girls.

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  25. Beautiful, thanks for the great tip!

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  26. Fantastic! I just had to make ONE loop for my cape - it was the most frustrating thing in the whole project - how you made all these so beautifully without going mad beats me!

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  27. Oh, I really love this one! If Cathy doesn't like it (I hope, I hope) maybe you would be tempted to send it my way?

    Oh, and that chicken in a jug recipe sounds yummy. If you want mine; which is for walnut encrusted chicken with basil and rosemary, just let me know. It results in the most moist chicken ever.

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