It’s quite obvious that I have no idea what to write for today’s post; either that or I have so many potential posts in my head (and in a folder on my laptop) that my writing chops are a bit paralyzed. Is this writer’s block?

I’ll scrape the far recesses of my sewing brain and try to organize some random thoughts. Last week or two, I sewed a lot; what resulted was a burnout-velvet tunic, two botched pairs of pants, and finally a fabulous pair of knit pants. To put things in context, the items referenced above (and below) were made for a wedding event in Seattle.  Deadline!!

The Pants: (wadder alert)

There are three ill-advised actions that must never be part of a sewer’s life.

First, never make a pair of pants from an untried pattern in a nice black gabardine from Pendleton Mills. What could possibly go wrong?   I leave you to draw conclusions.

Second, do not pull stunts.  I pulled out a “tried and true” KNIT pants pattern (see below) but used a WOVEN wool gabardine (no stretch whatsoever) and added to the side seams to make it fit; apparently not enough was added. This one is a total wadder (aka, a sewn item which is so bad it was wadded and thrown away).

Third, never sew with a close deadline. This is falling on deaf ears, I know……..

Roz to the rescue: Roz of Sew Much Fabric graciously met me early on a Saturday morning so that I could have the merlot ponte knit to make the “fabulous” pair of pants. I am forever beholden to Roz, with whom customer service goes beyond. With Roz, I feel like not a customer, but a friend.  Retailers, take note.

Pant Hem Tip:

Maybe you’ve used this clip tip, but here it is anyway.  Ponte knit, by its very nature, creates a somewhat bulky hem-crease at the seams. To alleviate that, I clipped a small wedge out of the seam allowances exactly inside the hem crease. It made a difference in hemming the spongy fabric.

What’s Wrong With This Top?

Stare at my velvet burnout tunic before reading on. Ok, I’ll spoil it for you. It’s the nap of the sleeves – I cut it the wrong way!! Well, it was dark at the event where I wore it, and no one there knew about fabrics and clothing design and construction. I hope.

Thanks for reading, friends!  I’m hoping to offer some coherent words next week.

Samina