A comment from Claire Shaeffer!

Dear readers,

Today I received an email from Amazon saying that I got  a comment on my review of Claire Shaeffer's revised edition of Couture Sewing Techniques. And as I have already gave away in the title of this post the commenter was Claire Shaeffer in person! Yes, it was, a little bit, a celebrity moment for me. But what I was more excited about is that we, as readers of these books and customers of Amazon, have this great opportunity to influence what is offered to us by authors and publishers! So, here is the comment:

"Yes, authors read the reviews on Amazon. When I began the revision, I had several goals which included making the book more user friendly and making it different enough that owners of the first edition would want to buy it. I reviewed the posts for the earlier edition and listened to comments from my students.  

I own many of the garments photographed in the new book so I could examine them again and again if needed. This isn't always possible with museum garments.  

I cried at times because I had to replace many of the photos in the original book and highly recommend you buy it. There are some text deletions and many photo substitutions in the Revision.  

Yes, writing is sometimes painful; but, if you like the book, it's worth it. 

Claire Shaeffer"

Do you review books on your blog, or on Amazon, or anywhere else? If yes, what's your motivation to sit down and to write a review?

Sewing Gadgetmania: Walking foot and why you need it for sewing a Chanel-inspired jacket

This Gadgetmania post is also a part of my Classic French Jacket class project, for I am featuring here a walking foot – an essential tool for quilting the lining and the fashion fabric in a Chanel-like jacket. (I am still sick, by the way, so forgive me any incoherence here) 

What makes this foot special is that it has its own feed dog to move the top layer of fabric. Usually, we would use only the machine’s own feed dog that moves fabric layers from underneath only.

It’s only logical that with slippery fabrics (like charmeuse, or crepe de chine used in Chanel suit lining), the upper layer would shift without additional feed. If you use a walking foot, both layers are moved at the same rate, preventing puckering and pleating of the fabric. 

I have never heard about the foot before the class, and thanks to Dawn (she was my classmate in the Classic French Jacket Class) I am now using it for all my silk / slippery fabric projects!

Prepare paying some $60 to $140 for this tool. And, beware, the ones available for less on eBay are often not original ones, so read the description carefully. (I am not sure they are bad - but I always try go for original tools if they are a little more complex than a sewing needle)

I am featuring here my Bernina foot, but there are quite a few other brands available on the market. Just check the website of your sewing machine manufacturer for the available accessories. 

Have you ever tried sewing with a walking foot? What other non-beginner, or relatively rare tools are you using in your sewing?

Sneak peek of my Chanel-inspired jacket

Dear readers, I am having the flu (so annoying!) and won't be posting much today. But to compensate for the lack of posts, I am offering you a sneak peek of my finished jacket! Voilà!

Stay tuned for the Day 6 and detailed images of the finished jacket.

Classic French Jacket Class: Day 5 (or why it takes 17 hours to set-in the sleeves)

8:30 a.m. I am already in the classroom – the classroom is almost full again. It’s my last full day and I still have to accomplish a lot.

Yesterday, I finally booked my bus back to New York. Rosie, with whom I will be travelling, insisted I do it because ‘Amtrak is just so unreliable’. I gave in and followed her instincts.

Today, I plan to finish the sleeves and the jacket hem, which is currently pinned every half a centimetre. I also want to finish the jacket edges and start sewing on the trim. The sleeves, however, will take up most of the time.

Remember, I told you that it takes seventeen (17) hours to insert sleeves and finish them? Here is the breakdown of the steps, so You know what I am talking about:

• Make a muslin for the sleeves.
• Fit the muslin, make necessary alterations
• cut the fashion fabric and the lining
• quilt the lining to the fashion fabric
• clean up the sleeves and finish the vents
• insert the lower part of the sleeves (by hand!)
• fit the upper part of the sleeve on the body, pin it, and finish inserting the sleeve by hand.
• Finish the sleeve seam allowances and cover them with the lining fabric (by hand, again)
• Try the jacket on  to determine the sleeve length and finish the sleeve hems.

the upper portion of the armscye still has to be fell-stitched

By 2:00 p.m. I was able to finish all, but the last step of the sleeve

Susan quickly explains how to sew on hooks and eyes (I am not using buttons, because my trim is rather opulent) and how to attach the trim.

03:30 p.m. …after sewing eight hooks and eight eyes…. They are loose – I have to resew them

04:00 p.m. …still loose… Are they sliding out, or what?!  I have reinforced them everywhere!

04:30 p.m. Loo-oose!!!!

05:00 p.m. Damn! I cannot believe it! I went through the entire jacket construction epic without a major glitch, and am now failing at sewing on hooks and eyes?

Dawn, another class participant and an extremely helpful and resourceful person, suggests using silk organza to reinforce the loosely woven bouclé underneath. Did I tell you I had to open the edges of the jacket to resew the hooks & eyes?  Anyway, organza helps!

12:00 p.m. I decide to take the remaining work to my room, but, then, fall asleep in my bed while fellstitching the jacket edge again.

This happened because I wasted two hours complaining about my trim. My eyes are tired of looking at it and I have my doubts… I thought it was too dressy – and I wanted to wear it frequently. Shall I use fringed selvedge and chiffon strips instead?.. finally I am able to make a decision!

(to be continued)

I got a Star!

This morning I got an email from Patternreview.com (PR) telling me that I got my first star! It’s awarded based on the member feedback, and is a token of appreciation for the reviews of patterns, classes or books written by individual members (myself, in this case). I am so thrilled!

Here is my PR page with a new star (yay!):

Those who are not members of PR, go check it out – you are missing out a lot! This one-of-a-kind site features member-written reviews of sewing patterns, classes, notions, websites, books; it also offers online sewing classes by some of the best sewing experts. You will probably never want to start a sewing project without checking out PR reviews first.

The only shortcomings of the site are an outdated design and an overly complicated user interface. However, the advantages greatly outweigh this flaw, still, I hope, it will be fixed soon.

Meanwhile, I have signed up for an online class on PR, about which I will be reporting here soon.

Are you a member of PatternReview or any other sewing communities? Please share with me your favourite online sewing destinations!