Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Chat à zépingles : a sewing story

Today I want introduce "chat à zépingles" : this funny cat pin cushion is something I hinerited from my grandmother.

I allays saw this funny pin cat on my grand mother sewing table. I use to use it when I start sewing and I never stop to use it.

I am not sure who made it: my grandmother said it was my aunt and my mother said she made it. My grandmother and my aunt are gone for a long time now: who made it will still be a part of the mystery!
I am only sure, it was made in the 40's from my mother's winterdress: she was a child and she had grown the dress run too small for her...

It's not a very usefull pincushion, but it's mine and a part a my personal sewing story! In fact, I am not sure I can sew without it...
My children adopted it with the great fear of my husband ;-)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

When the parisian métro is out of order...

A few weeks ago, the parisian métro was not working well.
Stuck and unable to go home, my husband decided to take a walk in Paris...


Since the métro status was not improving, Hubby decided to have dinner.


I thank him for those so parisian photos.

I propose you a little game: can you recognise where excatly theses photos has been taken? I will give you the answer next week.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Update about the coat for my husband

Huby asked for a coat. I showed you my first try some weeks ago.

I enlarged the Burda pattern by extrapoling the larger sizes from the smalers ones on the multisize pattern. Today, I assembled an half muslin and pined it on my husband T-shirt (with my husband in the T-shirt... he complained a lot and was affraid by those so small pins ;-)

But I am not pleased at all with the fitting result (see photos above):
  • There is something wrong on the shoulder area (those sleeves construction are evil) perhaps it's only too large.
  • It's too small on the belly area but I will let the side seams out a little, as Debra Martin suggest me and I guess this will solve the fitting problem of this area.
  • the sleeves and the coat are a little too long but this is not really difficult to solve.

Looking carefully at the photos I decide to make another try.

The half muslin is two size larger than my first try: it seemes to be too much. In fact, according to my husband chest measurment one size larger will fit better on this shoulder and chest area.
I will measure my husband tomorrow to have his exact measurements for waist, nape to waist and sleeves lenght. With theses measurements I will try to make a better muslin for the next try.
A complete muslin is more time consuming to do than an half one, but it's easier to try for fit. And too much pins terrify my DH ;-)

To be continued...
Any advices or comments are welcome of course!