Jacket photo and bra sewing photos

I wish I had the talent (or the desire) to do lovely wonderful technique posts...but alas, I don't. I take pictures then look at them afterwards and say to myself "who cares?" Yet I enjoy looking at the photos (and descriptions) that others post.

Okay, so it's not really my thing. But it is fun to see the close-up photos, so I will work on taking those, and I will try to take some photos of the "innards" also.

But for tonight I have a photo of the Fushia Lambswool jacket I finished. I wore it out tonight and had a quick photo taken first. Why is it that you put a garment on that you've sewn, and it fits well and you feel good wearing it, and then you see the photo and you go UGH!!!

The jacket feels good, okay, so it's a bit snug over the abdomen, I obviously don't have it zipped up, so who cares, or who knows. I'm just not happy with the photo. The other photo I had showed the jacket in a nicer view, but I looked like the wicked witch, which though appropriate for the Halloween season, doesn't make me happy to look at on a day to day basis.


I did the 2nd PinUp Girls bra today with minor alterations. Yesterday I did a straight 36E, today I did a 37E, added a bit at the CF cup, took a tiny bit out of the CF band and a few slight tucks in the cup. Adding the 1" under the arm was a good idea, but the other alterations didn't really help anything and there is a very small gaping at the front cup now.

I've decided that it's due to the underwires being a size too small (narrow) and I will order a bunch of new ones.

The photos I have are just close ups of techniques, so you can be nosy like I am.

This photo is the cup seam after it is top stitched and now being trimmed. Plus you can see that I'm trying to grow my nails out (it looks longer in this photo than in real life.) The color is OPI Catherine the Grape, a great plum color for fall, plus it matches my fushia jacket...lol.


Here you can see the top stitching on the cups and the cups sewn to the band. The channeling has been sewn on and the 1st row of top stitching done. The channeling does not need 2 rows of top stitching, but it is often done this way.


Here I am doing a small zigzag stitch on the elastic ruffle that is the décolletage trim. It gets folded back and zigzagged on from the top to finish the edge.


Here's the area I was sewing in, along with a good horror movie on Netflix. Oh, the movie was "The Haunting in Connecticut" if you are interested.

Analyzing bra fit

I'm wearing my new pink bra right now, just to see how things feel and fit. Last night it seemed a bit tight, today the band feels better and I have a few minor folds near the front of my arms, but I still have a small basket in the front.

I really hate to post the photos as I'm in "fat mode" right now, yet I know how helpful photos are that others post, so I'm just going to be brave.

Here's a photo of the "basket" which is pulling away from my chest. I'm also wondering if the center front needs to be a bit narrower. The channeling touches each other in the center front, but the channeling is also a bit wider than what I've used before.


Here's the photo of the bra on me. The more wrinkly side is the arm holding up the camera. You can also see the fatty armpit and back fat I have. Not a pretty site. In the photo it looks like the bra is too low under my arm, it really isn't. But at the same time I wonder about sewing a bra with more support under the arm. That is an area I really need support in. Bras tend to feel loose under the arm and tight at the lower band. Guess that has to do with my body shape. The slight fold shows clearly on the left side of the photo. I try to tuck my excess fat into the bra, but it doesn't stay there.


The fix for the basket is going up a cup size. But I've been looking at the pattern pieces and comparing the sizes and the F cup seems gigantic. But I can always just sew it and see how it fits. What's the worst that happens...I make a bra that's too big and fits comfortably when I'm wearing it at home.

Yet I still have folds to deal with, minor ones which probably wouldn't even be there if I was using a spandex based fabric.

Not sure what to do....off to examine pattern pieces some more.
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I'm editing to add that I think the issue is somewhat related to the underwire size. The underwires I have seem to be a bit small right now (as I've gained some weight back.) If I go up a cup size, or even partially, the undewire will be too small. Guess it's time to buy some different underwires.

Doing the bra thing again

Just finished up my review for a bra on Pattern Review. Sorry, but I won't rewrite it, so here's the link:
Pin Up Girls Bra Review

Photos though, those I'll show.




It fits almost perfectly. You know how it is, the boobs grow and shrink, I eat too much of this or that, etc...it's a tad tad tiny teeny bit too small. The plan is to make another, just a bit bigger with the same fabric.

Then to make it again with stretchier fabrics.

Sounds simple enough to me.

Fushia Lambswool Jacket Complete (well almost)

The jacket is done except that I think the sleeve lining is sewn a tad too short and is pulling up on the sleeve. How in the world does stuff like that happen? Luckily it's an easy fix as I sewed the lining down by hand (only on the sleeve, easier than that twisting turning inside out and upside down technique.) So I'll fix that as soon as I can.

Here's a photo on the super tiny dress form (hence folds and such.)


And just because people are nosy (I know I am) photos of some of the interior workings.




The sewing expo was fun, I just kind of glide through it these days since it's so much quilting and embroidery and embellishment. I hit the sewing booths, see what they have and go on by.

I bought some fabric at the Vogue booth, all knits, and the "One Seam Pants Pattern." Bought 2 patterns at Hancock (after seeing them in the fashion show.) Watched the fashion show, bought 4 patterns from Pegger Sagers, love the show and her commentating, had a good chat with her later. Then bought a solid wood sleeve board, and that totally made my day. Took myself out to lunch on the way home, and sewed some in the afternoon.

Decided if I'm going to sew that I have to find a way to work it into my now much busier schedule. I miss sewing. I have to clean and organize, decide some patterns/fabrics in advance, and just do it.

I really need to sew a few new bras too.

Plans for the expo

The sewing expo is in town for the next few days. Classes are starting today but my day to go is tomorrow (Thursday.) I've not signed up for any classes this year.

So...the plan is to go do some shopping, somewhat minimal shopping as I still have fabric from last year I didn't sew up, and I really don't want a giant stash.

But I have a pattern I'd like to make again, a few times more actually, so I'll be looking for heavier knits to sew up, you know, warm snuggly types of fabric.

Here's the photo of the top I wore to death last winter and I'm wearing it again this fall.


It's Jalie 2911 and definitely one of my all time favorites.


I got a goal today to finish up my fushia jacket. I haven't sewn in a week.

Slowly sewing

I've gotten to the point of sewing the lining in my fushia lambswool jacket. So far so good. I haven't hit any stumbling blocks and the jacket fits well as far as I can tell. I also did my first sleeve heads.

I don't know if others have done it my way, but I used a bias strip of my fashion fabric, and it worked just fine.

I'll try to remember to take some photos of my construction later on today.

Here's the jacket on the dressform that is 20x's smaller than me, hence the sunken chest area.


And Penny graduated from her puppy obdience class this weekend. I just have to share her cute photo.

I've been sick

Gosh, how annoying can this be? So I started a new job recently as a cashier at a local grocery store, and I've already had my 2nd cold.

I'm surviving, but it sucks.

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To sewing....how stupid can I be? Super stupid I guess. This jacket was what I would have "guessed" was a TNT. So I went ahead, sewed up the princess seams and top-stitched.

Oh...I didn't have top-stitching thread so I used regular thread in a triple-stitch.

Oh darn, forgot to just baste and check the fit.

Looks like I was able to eek out a bit of fit through the side seams.

I get frustrated when I forget simple stuff...like double checking the fit by BASTING.

It looks like it will fit though.

Give me another week to finish up, it's not going as quickly as I had imagined.