SWAP and I have broken up but we're promising to stay friends. 

I have managed to make 2 blouses, a shearling vest, and a "modern" trench coat. I also have a pair of paints half done and another pair that has been heavily altered. Not bad but all the new techniques and just life in general have kind of sucked the love out of this one. I am working on designing a core set of patterns for myself. The whole 6 items or less challenge had a profound effect on me and making new clothes for the sake of clothes themselves seems gluttonous right now. I have eliminated most of my fabric and pattern stashes and feel lighter for it. I am even losing weight without really working on it! So don't hate me but I have moved on from frenzied sewing.

So to avoid confusion and general frustration I am going to keep all my SWAP info here. To remind you (and me!) here are the line drawings for the patterns I am going to use along with the intended fabrics and techniques that I am going to work through.

11/2/10 SWAP 2011: The Accessories

11/20/10 SWAP 2011: The Jackets Fitting  

Here is the "thing" about SWAP, it works much better if you are using Tried and True Patterns. That is patterns that you have already fitted, worn, and worked out all the bugs so that when you make them up for SWAP you know you have winners. Yeah, I never really do that and this time is no exception. I have one pair of pants, the Vogue 2948, that had been fitted prior to deciding to add it to SWAP. So I go and change 90% of it so that it needed to be rechecked to see if it was still going to fit. Oh, did I mention that I am losing weight too so those pants are going to get sewn up last and need to get checked again. Due to the weight loss issues, I am sewing things in the reverse of how I would normally.

I tissue fit my "modern" trench coat (Vogue 1060) today since it essentially hangs from the shoulders and all of the fitting is handled by the tie waist. I know I never lose my bust (my sister and I may be the only women alive that can say that, but it is true!) so I did a full bust adjustment. This was weird because this coat has a cut on sleeve. I handled this by basically ignoring it. Sounds crazy but it seems to have worked. I cut the skirt off the coat at the lengthen/shorten line. Now I could just work on the top half, making it much easier to handle. Vogue kindly printed the bust point on the pattern so I cut up from the bottom to there and then from the bust point to not quite the edge at the notch at the shoulder. Next I cut from the underarm in toward but not through the bust point. All standard FBA stuff except that now there was a sleeve above the "dart" where on most patterns you would have the armscye. I trued every thing up and taped in the filler and added the skirt back on. Then I held it up with the back to match it up and it all looked like it worked! Next I had to see if I needed my "Full Butt Adjustment" and since the skirt part of this coat is flared I think I should be fine without it. Oh BTW, I cut a size G in this. This size fits my hips and waist but not my bust. I have found that the Sandra Betzina patterns are generous with ease so If I cut to fit my full bust the garment swims on me. Doing it the way I did means more work but a better fit and that is the point of sewing your own clothing. Having actually played with the pattern now this should sew up pretty easily and I may do this as one of my "before" pieces since there aren't a lot of techniques to play with here. The pockets that look like patch pockets on the line drawing aren't. It would do me some good to get this done ahead of time so I feel less stressed about the pants and shirts.

Okay, truth be told this is the piece (Vogue 1198) that is freaking me out. It is also the one that I want the most and the linchpin of the whole collection. Did I mentioned that it is lined, that I am doing the cuffs, collar, and "belt" in leather, that the body is going to be in silk tweed -embroidered silk tweed! Yes, there are going to be all kinds of new techniques on this but I may start it early anyway. I did start the fitting. Why do all of Sandra Betzina's patterns have gorilla arms? I have gotten the arms shortened and plan to work more on it tonight (adding an FBA again!) but Dang! there are a lot of pattern pieces! Even after I pulled all the lining pieces out. I am trying to decide whether to do a more substantial lining in this so I can wear it through the winter but I don't see me wearing it as a coat really so I will probably stick with a silky lining. I've got some Grey/Blue/Black leopard print silky stuff that this just screams for.

11/21/10 SWAP 2011: The Shirt Fitting

Do you have fitting challenges that make it impossible to buy shirts and unfortunately those same fitting challenges make it even more difficult to make the shirts you want? McCall 6076 is a fitting class in a pattern, truly! It tells you exactly where to make your adjustments, why to make those adjustments, and how to figure out just how much those adjustments should be. Admittedly, there is nothing avant garde about the styling, which is actually this shirt's genius. The collar is flattering on everybody, yes, everybody. The various princess-seam designs work with just about every figure imaginable. I am using variation C to fit my bust and hide my belly. How many garments are designed to do that? The split sleeve looks more feminine than a cuff to me and turned back it is out of the way and looks spunky. To me there is something retro about the simplicity of the design that is perfect for my SWAP. This is the perfect "cake" shirt, it gives you something flattering to put on that you can then add the "frosting" to. The pattern is now all cut out and fitted. I even learned about a "Y" FBA that I had never heard of that I am eager to see in action.

Next up: Cutting out the coat!