For my students...tank top pattern and sewing it

Ok, talked to some of my sewing students, and the biggest request out right now is for a tank-top tutorial. Since clothing isn't my strong-point, this is extremely challenging, but thanks to the web...we have help!  I've reviewed this particular tutorial, and it's pretty darn close to how I was planning to explain it all. Using this help plus a few things I think my particular students need to know/address...here we go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxhh1MLsxCg

OK. Now that you've watched said video...read my points.
1.  Use a thinner paper (or even use scrap cloth like muslin)....posterboard is expensive, and extremely hard on your scissors. If I find out you used your fabric scissors to cut your pattern, I'm going to be terribly unhappy. :(
2.  She doesn't address the issues between the fronts and backs of our bodies. Boobies (yes, using that word now) take up room. Boobies and style should be accounted for.
   a. On the pattern piece for the back (yes, make a second one), cut the neckline higher than the neckline for the front. This will make your tank look more like what you'll get from a purchased pattern.
   b. Between the front and the back, the arm holes should look slightly different. The ones for the front should be dipped down just a bit more. Easiest way to learn this is to cut your first one the way she does, try it on, and don't feel upset if it needs a bit of adjusting. The thinner you are, the less likely you are to notice the need for this. To make the adjustment, keep the same marking points, but make the curve in the armhole a bit deeper, and slightly more towards the center of the bust of the shirt, not just towards the "fold line" of the pattern. In her pattern, it's more towards the center of her neckline. Bigger busted girls should also raise their neckline slightly for modesty. This will keep coverage. You can always make it deeper, but can't add fabric back once it's cut off.
3. Make sure to note that the edge of the paper (or line you've pre-drawn) is the FOLD line. You fold your fabric in half, and this edge goes even with your fold on your fabric. If you accientally cut your fabric here, you're going to have a lot of fix work, that in some cases, is more expensive than it's worth.

That gets the pattern done.

NOW to the fun part of sewing it! Once you've cut your two pieces (one front, one back), the next step is assembly. The side seams and shoulders...sew those with the 5/8" seam allowance. If you're using a knit (receommended if you're following her pattern method), you need to use a zig-zag stitch. Remember that this fabric will stretch, and your stitch needs to stretch as well. To hem the bottom, fold up the bottom edge twice to meet the hemline from your pattern, pin, and use the zigzag stitch on your machine to stitch at the edge of your folds to secure. To secure the edges of the sleeves and neckline, it's pretty much the same process...you need to use a zigzag. You need to test your stitches on scraps of the same material, and see how they perform over different areas of the fabric. You want to test diagonally across, horizontally, and vertically on the fabric. Some knits work differently depending on the direction. You want to make sure your stitches look good, as well as don't come out before you wear your tank out on its first wear.

Cathedral Windows and Such Ramblings...

I have been swamped trying to juggle school drop offs/pickups, during-school schedules, after-school schedules, workouts, and quilting.

Pardon the short post, but wanted to let you in on the quilting work I'm focusing on right now. The Mother-in-Law's quilt....a Cathedral Stained Glass Quilt.

This is not to be confused with this:
http://sohappytosew.blogspot.com/2011/02/cathedral-window-quilt-tutorial-part-2.html (Although I have to admit that I have yet to do one of those, and plan to before I go to quilting heaven..)

I'm taking my focus from a window I can't place (I don't know where the window is, and I don't know the name of the cathedral, photographer of the photo, etc. ...I'm so sorry that I didn't grab all that.) I've got a picture I accidentally drew over in MSPaint that shows the whole window. This is the main part I'm focusing the quilt around.

While I'll admit, mine won't be quite as symetrical as it would be to be a replica, I have an intentional reason to not do so (I may choose to explain later, I may not). 

I had considered doing something to pull this window: 

Which is the South Rose Window of the Chartres Cathedral. While beautiful, it is currently far too intricate for my timeline of 4 months, and I can't really change the colors or themes to reflect the recipient's choices of reds and golds. 

Ok...off to get walking to pick up youngest school person, then off to pick up next one. Tomorrow, driving the oldest one off to college again. I promise I will eventually get back to this thing. (Today, I just got the 4 main pieces drawn and freezer-papered for templates to use later. Woot! Progress!!!)

Travesty Called Time...and Other Ramblings

OK, Everyone....

I'm kinda back (again)....

To explain my absence (not really necessary, but will comment anyway), I have to take a two-fold approach.
One, my health has been really iffy lately...as in: not sleeping, hyper-sensitive to everything (light, sound, touch, etc.), and stress. We're still working on figuring out this sudden change, so please be patient while I expect to start playing russion roulette with meds again next month to see if we can find the problem.
Two, there've been more than a few "outside affecting issues" preventing me from wanting to post. I've held off in deference to detracting from the issues others have going on (where my posts would help some, it would distract others from paying attention to those truly needing it). I've also been swamped with multiple different things (and one of those is in the form of much-needed, paying work).

Now, to update you on the few things that are GOING to happen (I'm holding off on the "has happened" for a very, justifiable reason).

1. Christmas is upon us....Yes, it's the latter half of July, but that is when most quilters who've put off Christmas stuff really start worrying and preparing things for gifts. So that quilted pot holder or simple pajama pants that you got from us last year? Yes....it was in the works since MUCH earlier in the year. If not, it wasn't because something a bit bigger was in the works.
I've got one super-large order for Christmas. Last year I gave out three quilts to members of my family. This year, it's my Mother-in-Law's turn. I promised her last year that she'd get a quilt this year, and she finally gave me her color choices. My current plan (please don't hold me to this....anyone!) is a stained-glass, Spanish-Gothic inspired quilt. I'm planning to use window ideas from Spanish and southwest-Americana stained glass windows along with some of the features of her furniture from the room that the quilt will go into.

2. I am planning (hoping, really....planning may be too strong a word) to do some webcasts with sewing projects and/or sewing techniques. I've got some young sewists who've learned the art and procedure to sewing from me....and most of them don't live nearby for one reason or another. Most of them do, however, have internet access and would be happy to have my webcasts....so that's the plan/hope.

3. School starts in little less than a month for my boys (one high school, the other elementary), and for my daughter (college)....so I'll be running around like crazy with that in addition to work.

So....among the things that are going to happen...none of them leave me much time for this blog. That doesn't mean I won't be trying (I'm very trying at times), but it does mean that I'm now going to have to schedule time to work on it. See you in a couple of days again, methinks! (Sooner if I nail down ideas or finish ANYTHING!)

Doggie Bliss

Can we say spoiled???? I had about an hour break today between errands and decided to try my hand at making a "no-pull" harness for my beloved black lab, Bones. While he's attached at the hip to me when we're at home, he sometimes gets it in his thick skull that pulling when he's walking with me to and from the school in the afternoons is a great idea to pull me off course. He, he, he..... *evil grin*

So, I measured him using the 1" black nylon webbing that I have in my stash, and worked furiously to get it done before my next errand run. His first "try on" only included the top part. The second one went over his shoulders and under his chest. So far, so good.

THEN, for the next dry run, I included the chest strap (that has the clasp to lead the dog by). In order to do that, I had to clasp the parachute buckle that goes over his shoulders. Suddenly, he and my other two, lovable, adorable, but super-freakin' heavy pups decided that this was close enough to a true harness. Harness = walk. Walk = wagging tails and sticking noses in my face.

Unfortunately, if one dog goes, then all three WANT to go for a walk. This doesn't mean that all three get to go for a walk. Just means that they WANT TO. With these three, it means the following:

Bones: Rolls on his back as you try to latch a harness. Belly rub, too, Mom?
Sally: Very excited tail-wagging. Sometimes knocking stuff off of whatever surface it touches. Or into the walls. Also occasionally means the high-pitched notification bark that none of us like to hear from her. Ouch.
Panda: Cutesy husky mode. Tail curled up high, ears perked. HOWLING. Never fails. Bouncing and jumping everywhere.

So, I'm going with a dry-run of a potential harness, and I can't get any of the three of them to settle long enough to try it out on Bones.

I did finally get it completed (with trials), and got to test run it on each of them. Bones stayed more by my side than ever. Only a couple of sideways pulls, but not long or hard. Panda *shock-face* stayed calm and didn't pull. This isn't his usual operating mentality. He's the musher who pulls the sleigh, bike, wagon, whatever is behind him. Often this involves chasing a squirrel. We had a squirrel and a stranger as temptations during his trial run. No pulling (ok, a little, but nothing like normal where I feel I must get my shoulder set back into joint afterwards). Sally, she's such a special case all around. She's a bit unhappy with me right now. We couldn't go for her walk. The harness doesn't go down small enough to fit her slim chest. But what we did try it seemed to work for her. She didn't keep lunging when I turned to go back inside.

Overall, great test-run (and yes, construction and testing within an hour), and I have one working harness. Now to get the hardware to make two more custom harnesses.