The Fabric Stash

How about a peek at the fabric stash?  Personally, I love seeing people's sewing rooms or areas -- I'm nosy like that.  I don't have a whole sewing room for myself - more like a side of a room. 

An old chifferobe contains my fabrics.  Here on the right side are my clothes making fabrics.  The ones in the middle are neatly rolled and easy to see and get to.  On the bottom shelf is a bit of mess with knits on the left and odds and ends between and on the right. (I'll straighten it up one of these days!  Maybe this week even.) The top shelf has muslin, quilting cottons I use for facings, and scraps.  The Blue's Clues sheets sitting there are for muslins - the kids outgrew them and they weren't good enough to send to the thrift store.  White paper lines the insides of the chifferobe so the fabric isn't touching wood and is easier to see.  The paper taped to the inside of the door is an inventory of what's in there along with the yardage of each piece.  A lot of fabric fits in there but if it ever starts to exceed the space I know to get sewing and stop buying!

Behind the smaller door on the left are quilting fabrics.  This isn't all of them -- there's a big bin in the hall closet too...and maybe a bag under the bed.

Here's the chifferobe closed.  The drawers hold sewing stuff -- threads, accessories, tracing paper, etc.  Underneath is a bin stuffed with batiste I inherited from my mother which I use a lot for underlinings and linings.  You can see the edge of my sewing table in the mirror.  I can easily open the chifferobe door and peruse my fabrics while sitting in my sewing chair.  Close the door and my fabric is neatly kept away from light and dust.  Works beautifully for me!

Oh, Thrift Store Smell...Gag

A recent thrift store purchase

If you've bought clothes in a thrift store you know the smell I'm talking about.  And it doesn't come out of some things very easily!  I've had luck using white vinegar to remove the offending stink.  I read to use it in the rinse cycle but that wasn't always enough so I use it in the wash cycle with the detergent and do a double rinse - sometimes putting a little in the first rinse too.  How much?  I don't really measure -- about a cup for a large load.

I've heard people have had success with Borax and baking soda -- and also a water/vodka mix that's sprayed on but I've never tried those.  I will not use Febreeze on anything!  I can't even put into words how much I hate that stuff!  It actually bothers my breathing!

I normally never buy anything that can't be thrown in the washer, but I admit I took my chances with the above jacket.  I washed it...in the vinegar  -- for the $3 it cost I thought it was a risk worth taking.  And it worked!  No smell and a perfect fit.

Have you tried anything else?  Any suggestions?

Edit:  2/3/12 - I tried the Borax on a couple of things and it worked very well for me.

You Don't Need a Vintage Pattern

... when it comes to many skirts.  After all there are only so many ways to make a skirt.  A lot of it depends on the fabric and the many details added onto the basic pattern.

Some of the same styles just keep coming back - or never even go away.

It's that hemline that keeps moving.  So easy to change to suit oneself!

Other than the fit at the hips (narrower on vintage patterns for those slimmed girdled hips), the only noticeable change in modern skirts to vintage ones, that I've noticed, is the waistband.

Instead of the waistband that's on nearly all vintage skirts (sitting up on the waistline) modern ones mostly either don't have one (and use waist facings) or the waistband sits down lower - I've seen this called a waistband but it resembles a small yoke. 

If you want the vintage style waist using a modern pattern, it's so easy to pop a waistband on it.

Still...sometimes it's just fun to use vintage!

Note:  all the top photos are from the Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki;  the Butterick 3042 is mine; the New Look 6079 is currently available.

Sci Fi Knitting To Date

I don't know if you remember my mentioning knitting a Dr Who scarf for son #1 ages ago, but just so you know, I did finish it.  Not last winter but in time for this one!  There it is - although in this photo it hasn't been stretched out yet.  At full lenth the scarf is supposed to be approximately twelve and a half feet long.  Apparently I'm a tight knitter - mine only ended up about eleven and a half feet.  Oh, well.  I have some leftover yarn and might make a half size one; it'd be a little easier to wear on an everyday basis.

If you want to knit one for yourself I used this pattern.

Keeping with the Dr Who theme I knit these Daleks about three or four years ago:

The pattern for them used to be on Knitting Pattern Central but disappeared - I think it's still out there somewhere if you search for it.

I also made not one but two R2D2 hats:

Two patterns for R2D2 hats are on Knitting Pattern Central.  I took elements of both patterns and sort of did my own thing.  One of them has duplicate stitch for some of the details - in which I found out I hate doing duplicate stitch.  The other was my first attempt at intarsia knitting - in which I found out it was really not difficult and kind of fun.

Somewhere around here is a little green alien I knit too.  Do I knit normal things like sweaters?  Nah, boring.

Still Here

No, I haven't been posting in a while -- stuff got in the way and writing, photographing, and posting was too much.  But now things have settled some

Above is a photo of my sewing table this morning.  It's a mix of the end of last year's stuff and the beginning of this year's.  A skirt waiting to be hemmed, another one waiting to be sewn up. Although I have a closet full of skirts I need/want more.  Some of my old ones are looking worn out and I gained a little weight last year (middle age stuff, ya' know) - so some skirts just don't fit anymore.  Half a dozen skirts are lined up with the fabric and patterns ready!  The Colette Sewing Handbook was a Christmas present -- a nicely written book for my modest sewing library!  There's also the Colette sewing pattern for the Jasmine top in my letter stand in the back.  The Beatles t-shirt thrown over the back of my chair is waiting to be made into a tote bag - that'll happen next time I put black thread on the serger.  And the doll's (Gene's) dress form sitting there wearing a crinoline?!  That just ended up there somehow.

I'm ready for some sewing - but first things first - oil the sewing machine!