Quick Tip: Magic Pen for Marking Notches

While I was cutting out and marking my next garment I thought I would share with you how I prefer to mark-up notches on my sewing projects.

When I first starting sewing patterns (a wee while ago now!) the recommended thing to do was to make triangles out from the seam line, but that was fiddly cutting around the notches and depending on your cutting skills not that accurate.

Then rather than cutting around the notches, it was recommended to make snips (approx. 3mm) in the fabric to mark the notches.  Some still prefer to use this method.

However, MY best little sewing friend is my water erasable pen :-)  This is great on most fabrics except for the darker colours, which is when I swap to a tailor's white chalk pencil.  The chalk is just as effective but requires a bit more pressure to apply the mark.

All guides and marks can be transferred from the pattern to the fabric, without worrying whether it is the right or wrong side of the material, because after a wash all marks are magically gone.

When fabric is hard to tell which is the right side and wrong side, just like the Minuro Jacket I just completed (photos coming soon), I use my water erasable pen to mark-up the right-side (out-side) of the fabric.  That is, I only place markings on one side of the fabric - the side I decide will be the outside of the garment.

Actually, I do all the markings on my fabric straight after I have finished cutting it out.  This includes any gather points or centre points (as in the photo above), as well as notches.  I don't have to place the pattern on the other side of the fabric just run the tip of the pen along the other side to match the notch on the front.

I love my water erasable marker and wouldn't be without it. 

Not an animal print 'Summer Dress'

Animal prints are all back in fashion now, just not for me!  The fabric for my next project is a bit of a mix between animal print and camouflage, not that I am a huge fan of either, but this print just popped out at me.

Today was such a beautiful day in Wellington, which really inspired me to look at my next project - a new summer dress.  I've chosen a simple, slim fitting, easy to wear New Look pattern.  A little something to add to my summer work wardrobe.

 

The pattern only provides inner facing around the neck and sleeves, so just to make it a little more challenging I'm going to add a lining to the dress.  I really love the feel of a lined dress, and just cause I can!

Progress with my Minoru

I am so happy with how my Minoru Jacket is coming along.  I've just finished attaching the lining to the outer jacket and just have the finishing bits and pieces to do now.

I wasn't exactly 'in love' with the material I had chosen, but it continues to grow on me more and more as the fabric starts to resemble a jacket.  Hmmm, maybe that is the secret to fabric selection, because in other projects I have absolutely loved the fabric and then when the garment is finally finished I'm just 'oh hum' about it.  This project is just the opposite!

I'm really loving the lining of the jacket and with two inner pockets the inside of the jacket will look just as stunning as the outer.

The inside pockets should have had a square of velcro as a closure mechanism - but I'm not a fan so I've chosen to leave it out all together.

The two features of the jacket that I think really add to the overall detail and personality of the jacket is the gathering around the collar and the cuffs.  The cuffs were super fiddly!  

Other than that I've followed the pattern all the way.  Here is what I have so far - isn't the little hanging loop so cute!

 Here is the link to the Minoru Pattern by Sewaholic.

Matching Flower Girl dresses

I just couldn't resist getting these out from the wardrobe!  These are the two flower girls dresses I made for my wedding, one for my eldest daughter (who was just 1) and her cousin. 

These were made from the same fabric as my wedding dress - I even lined the skirt of the dresses.  The disappointing thing is that I don't have any official photos of the girls in their dresses, but they did look so cute!

 The ribbon around the waist was attached by hand and I only attached the top of the ribbon so the gathering in the skirt appears to drop from the ribbon.   I used clear plastic domes for the back of the dress with rose buds sewn on the outside - this was much easier (and I think looked better) than fluffing around with button holes.

Sometimes I still can't believe that I did all this!  There are some things that weren't perfect in my eyes, but I was the only one that knew.  But every now and then I get them out of the closet and admire my handy work and still love the look.

My Minoru Jacket Begins

On Saturday I received my new Sewaholic patterns (all the way from Canada).  So excited, but unsure about which pattern I would sew up first, I decided the best way to make this decision was a trip to the fabric shop!  

The Minoru Jacket was the winner!  The fabric is a light weight cotton twill in a winter white, and I'm going to call it that because 'beige' just doesn't sound appealing at all!

The lining is a tan and white, thin strip, that will just add a touch of class to the colour of the jacket.  The picture doesn't do the fabric justice at all, but then you will just have to wait to see the finished product.

This weekend was the beginning of daylight savings and I think this colour will make a very nice addition to my spring wardrobe, which when teamed up with jeans will make a very nice casual jacket for that evening barbeque.

Because I plan to make more than one Minoru Jacket I have decided to start by making the jacket without the hood. 

For the first time ever, I have washed the material before beginning.  So with fabric washed, dried and ironed today I cut out the pattern.

What I love about this pattern is that there were separate pattern pieces for the lining.  Oh and the fact that I, for the first time in my life, I will fit into a size 8 - not that the number of the size matters, it's all about how it fits in the end.

I can't wait to start sewing!