tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post5366631813376244720..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: My terrycloth shirt + "Knit Wit" GIVEAWAY Contest!Peter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-26615522565318474142010-03-03T22:57:02.458-05:002010-03-03T22:57:02.458-05:00Don't want the pattern (the story will explain...Don't want the pattern (the story will explain why) but I thought I'd share anyways. I'd been living in Quebec for a month, which is 8 hours away from my boyfriend. For his birthday visit I was going to make him a blue polo (all he ever wears are polos) but all the fabric store had was something more like a basketball short knit mesh fabric. I proceeded anyways. The placket ended up impossibly thick and too short and everything else got stretched out horribly. No birthday gift for him and I've hated knits ever since <br />- but now that I know to buy a smaller needle size perhaps that will fix my problems, because I ironically hate wearing wovens!Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204598010453409678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24947288390768985112010-03-03T20:04:32.958-05:002010-03-03T20:04:32.958-05:00The terry shirt looks great. Terry is a PITA and u...The terry shirt looks great. Terry is a PITA and unless like you, going for a vintage look....I'm gonna stay away from it. Some of my first sewing projects was sewing terry jumpers for my mom. Somehow I never gave up and finished them though not perfectly. <br /><br />Worst knit story of mine: <br /><br />You'll want to look at the photo first to get what I mean: <br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/48068493@N02/sets/72157623425762179/<br /><br />A client of mine asked me to create a gown resembling the Arizona flag. That in itself sounded like a huge undertaking thanks to the radiating stripes involved. However I was challenged and I almost never pass up a challenge. <br /><br />The first disaster of it was there would be 4 very specific colors involved and needed to be very similar stretch. THAT didn't happen. I found the 4 perfect colors but some stretched more than others, in fact the star fabric was a stretch twill while everything else was a stretch knit. (After the fact, it's a good thing it's a stretch twill because look at all the weight of those stones!)<br /><br />After days of pattern work I thought I had it masterminded, and timidly started cutting stripes being sure not to get them mixed up. I marked each one with numbered masking tape. <br /><br />The next fun part was overlocking each of these stripes together to create a perfect armhole/neck line ridge and a perfect point meeting under the star. Unfortunately 13 panels of fabric lead to a very big lump of seam allowance under the star. So, to remedy this I top stitched the seam allowances in one direction and trimmed them as close as possible. <br /><br />Half proud of my self and half terrified, it was time for a fitting. I was confident in my skirt so it was already basted to the bodice part for our fitting. <br /><br />:cue dramatic music now: My attempt of cracking the stretch factor code when drafting my own pattern failed. At the time I had no idea how to draft knit patterns from scratch. The bodice was too large but not large like I could take a 1/2" off the sides. these stripes wrapped continuously around the body from the star to the center back. <br />The real culprit was that each strip was too wide. <br /><br />Sounds easy, just take each of the seams and take them in a bit. <br />NOT SO. These seams radiate at different angles all over the torso of the body. If I were to take in each radiating seam, the skirt hem became very uneven and even the skirt hips were being tugged up as a result of the torso adjustments. Honestly IDK how I finally got it to fit. I literally was taking 1/4" off one side and then had to be sure to do something to the other side totaling 1/4" as to keep the hem length correct. <br /><br />This is THE MOST asymmetrical out of balance project I've Ever done. Well, that was until somebody saw the AZ gown and asked if I could do a version of the US flag. But with the US flag, I was equipped with better pattern drafting knowledge, and lucked out to find a collection of knits that were exactly the same in the necessary R/W/B colors. The US flag gown was glitter knit fabric though. What a mess!Brian Lingerhttp://web.me.com/dzynurbrian/Dzynurbrian/Welcome.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-12797373599025963042010-03-03T19:50:46.839-05:002010-03-03T19:50:46.839-05:00I haven't been a 36 chest since I was 12 (and ...I haven't been a 36 chest since I was 12 (and I'm pretty sure my husband hasn't either), so I won't be able to use the pattern. But I have a story. My knit horror story happened in early 90s when I got caught in the Nautical craze. I decided to make a knit white and navy skirt with thick navy stripes. It was a simple skirt with one seam. I cut out the fabric and qickly sewed the seam, obviously not matching the stripes. (and I knew better!) I ended up with barber shop pole skirt which never saw the light of day immediately landing in the trash.Lindahttp://www.sewinlikethewind.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-59936369087437286392010-03-03T13:19:14.683-05:002010-03-03T13:19:14.683-05:00I am also definitely not a 36 chest, but I did onc...I am also definitely not a 36 chest, but I did once sew right through my fingernail and into my finger when I was trying to sew an elastic into some stretchy purple velvety material to make a Halloween costume for my daughter. I thought I was going to pass out it hurt so much.Karalynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-16611669817421098972010-03-03T12:22:47.119-05:002010-03-03T12:22:47.119-05:00Peter,
DS (teenager) is a 36 and is fully grown,...Peter, <br /><br />DS (teenager) is a 36 and is fully grown, so this pattern would be great for him. He love, loves, loves vintage looks! Hey, I'm a 36 and fully grown too, so this is a two for one proposition.<br /><br />My worst knit nightmare was when I made a long silky knit evening gown in high school. I used a red mystery fabric from the store where I worked. It had been on the shelf for ages and was about to be thrown out for some reason. I talked the owner into giving it to me, and made the dress in three hours using a zig zag stitch from my mom's vintage singer. I would wear it that night to help host a charity dinner our youth group was holding to raise money for a summer missions project. <br /><br />Well, Peter, the dress fit gloriously. With my teenage figure (same as as DS is now), it was a winner. I felt like a movie star at the Oscars as my friends took photos of me in my long red gown, my thick brown hair falling in waves over my shoulders. Everyone wanted to know where I got my dress, and I proudly told them I'd made it that very day. <br /><br />You would not believe what a boost to my confidence that dress gave me until...I noticed that people were rather staring at me halfway through the dinner as I made the rounds to the tables, asking the guests if everything was to their satisfaction. At first, I thought they just loved my dress, but eventually I realized something was wrong. <br /><br />I quickly went into the ladies' room but didn't see anything wrong as I looked in the mirror over the sink. To be thorough, I went into a toilet stall and stood on the closed toilet seat so I could see myself full length in the sink mirrors straight ahead.<br /><br />To my horror, the side seams on my dress had developed runs, and the runs were so bad that in one spot over my back right hip, the dress was nearly transparent. My white cotton underwear showed clearly. I was wearing a see through dress at a church charity! <br /><br />Obviously, I could not go back out there in that dress. It was about ten minutes before anyone came into the restroom, or so it seemed. The first person, who happened to be the pastor's wife, took mercy on me and ran next door to the parsonage to get me some clothing to wear instead. <br /><br />For the rest of the evening, I hosted the dinner in a saggy, baggy gray dress with a cheap looking faux gray alligator belt cynching it at the waist. Gray is not my color. I was a size 4 and the dress was a 12. But, I did get to finish the event. <br /><br />The next day at church, several people told me they had heard that I'd been asked to change my dress because it was immodest. Someone had seen the pastor's wife bringing the gray dress inside and assumed as much. <br /><br />For the rest of high school, whenever I helped with a event at church, people would tease me by explaining what "appropriate" dress would be for the event. We had a lot of fun with that, though I admit that as a teenager, this was really embarrassing to me. <br /><br />I still don't know what kind of fabric that was that ran that way. I just wish I still had photos to share, both before and after. But, then, I am not sure I would want those after photos published on the forevernet (internet).PopoAgienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-47052439968311218582010-03-03T10:55:23.726-05:002010-03-03T10:55:23.726-05:00These stories are great. Keep 'em coming!These stories are great. Keep 'em coming!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-63069548475876664922010-03-03T10:36:32.843-05:002010-03-03T10:36:32.843-05:00Great shirt! and can you believe that I have that...Great shirt! and can you believe that I have that same color terry cloth fabric in my stash?<br /><br />My knit story... I was just a few months pregnant and was excited about making maternity clothes. I found a great JUMPSUIT pattern and couldn't wait to sew it up. I cut it a size bigger because I wanted it to accommodate my growing figure, it looked big... nah, the seam allowance will take up a lot of that so I kept sewing. After every seam I would hold it up expecting to see the cute outfit on the pattern cover... still not happening. Can we say denial? So, I put in the zipper, hem the sleeves and legs and try it on, I looked like a huge flying squirrel, but it felt good, maybe I'm being over-critical. I run in the den to show my husband. Silence. What? I asked. He says, it's a little big don't you think? No! It's a little oversized, that's the STYLE, besides, I need room to grow. His answer, "Honey, if your a** grows into that then we've got bigger problems than that outfit.<br />That was my last jumpsuit and I didn't sew with knits for a LONG time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-2060118667297894882010-03-03T10:36:21.547-05:002010-03-03T10:36:21.547-05:00Love your new shirt! It's SO stylish and I'...Love your new shirt! It's SO stylish and I'm sure that Michael will LOVE it. So glad you left off the buttons!<br /><br />I've worked with terrycloth a few times – the last project was a hot pink track jacket and matching pull-on capris. I can attest to its fiddly-ness for SURE. My Elna tried to eat the fabric three or four times, but the damage was negligible. I kept the super-comfy pants and s%!*canned the jacket after The Boyfriend said I looked like a giant bottle of Pepto. (I dumped said boyfriend very soon after… coincidence?)Darcihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02936847220360997738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-60089405912572448262010-03-03T09:57:59.387-05:002010-03-03T09:57:59.387-05:00Love your shirt! I think the color looks great on ...Love your shirt! I think the color looks great on you!Angelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11669454301859970896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-62443020917556412982010-03-03T09:24:35.565-05:002010-03-03T09:24:35.565-05:00You forgot to mention the shedding that terrycloth...You forgot to mention the shedding that terrycloth does... all over everything! And your straight stitch Singer probably does so well because of the needle hole being small.<br /><br />Knit horror story... can't think of one (or any horror story for that matter. I think they are buried too deep in my psyche.) May be that in my almost 4 decades of sewing, I've only made about 5 things out of a knit.Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12191713016037761271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-41022816552881206572010-03-03T05:52:33.406-05:002010-03-03T05:52:33.406-05:00I won't enter your give-away either as there&#...I won't enter your give-away either as there's no-one at my house that is that size. <br />However I do have a story to tell you. I had a piece of lovely voile which I knew was going to go close to maybe not enough fabric to cut out a wearable muslin shirt that I was making up for the first time. Everything fitted fine until I came to get the 3/4 sleeves cut out. But I fiddled and got both cut out. Yay!<br />Sewed the shirt up, it was coming along beautifullly, only minor tweaks needed as I'd adjusted the pattern beforehand for FBA and then came the time to put the sleeves in. Imagine my horror when I realized I had not turned over the pattern piece when cutting out the sleeves individually. So I had two sleeves the same. OMG what was I going to do. I had no more fabric except for 5" scraps. Rather than wad the shirt up and leave it in the corner, along with tears, I decided I'd fudge the sleeve caps and so turned one sleeve to face the other and re-traced the pattern piece so I now had opposite back and front notches on my sleeves and one for each side of my shirt! Amazingly it has turned out beautifully and the sleeve caps have fitted in and worked fine. <br />Lesson learned: always check before cutting out!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-45192353301337415732010-03-03T05:39:06.569-05:002010-03-03T05:39:06.569-05:00We don't have anyone that size here, so I won&...We don't have anyone that size here, so I won't enter, but I've only sewn knits a few times and didn't have much trouble with them. I am, however, going to be using some of that spring green knit I have in my stash to make a onesie for the new baby. I'm going to be using <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-4478-babies-romper-and-jumper.aspx" rel="nofollow">Simplicity 2549</a> and make a matching dress out of a lovely green fabric I have hanging around. (I'm thinking View B) It will be an adventure, that's for sure!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07717835382469677601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-30076283053199787912010-03-03T04:48:13.787-05:002010-03-03T04:48:13.787-05:00No knit horror story - but I will comment anyway.....No knit horror story - but I will comment anyway....<br />Love the terry shirt. Great decision on the interfacing. <br /><br />I used to sew knits quite a bit when I was in highschool and college and didn't know any better - my singer 201-2 never knew the difference and I was clueless. Zoom-zoom. Now a lifetime later I have not done much with them. I took a PR class on knits - it was great, but they still scare me. I do have an amazing piece of a knit fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics that I have yet to sew up - I am working up the courage - soon.<br /><br />But would love to be considered for the pattern - it is Ds's size and I love vintage (especially the "How To Sew Patterns", and he complains I never make him anything(mostly true.) <br />Pattifourkidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396302386295985290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-13421044040980585872010-03-03T04:47:57.172-05:002010-03-03T04:47:57.172-05:00Your terry towling shirt is FABULOUS.
TOM (The Ol...Your terry towling shirt is FABULOUS.<br /><br />TOM (The Old Man)hasn't been a 36" chest for many a year so I won't enter the competition, but I thought I'd share my last experience with my serger. Who thought sewing could be so dangerous? I was serging a seam & one of the needles broke off & hit me in the face (an inch away from my eye!). I need danger money to do this! I was lucky because the broken end hit me rather than the sharp point. From now on though I am wearing my glasses when I use my serger.Lila Leedshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11580943708767670334noreply@blogger.com