Saturday, April 11, 2015

Sewaholic Granville #2

I tried to switch up my photo location by standing in front of a barn in the haze and wind.  I think I might just stick to my little wall from now on.  It never lets me down.

I had to squeeze in one last Granville before I start warm weather sewing. I don't have anything new to add, except saying that I don't think I'll get tired of making these or wearing them.   I love a gray/mustard combination in just about anything.  This was supposed to be a nice relaxing sew after my Pavot coat that took an entire month to complete, but I got compulsive about sewing over the last couple of days and stayed up way too late finishing. 

I did two new things with this version: tailors tacks on the bust darts and flat-felling the arm seam.  I think tailors tacks are probably most accurate, but I think I've decided I like drawing on my dart lines better because it gives me a line to follow.  And I had no idea how fiddly the flat-fell seam is on an armhole.  Is it just me or does that take forever? Was I just impatient?
As you can tell, I still have swayback issues which is extra sad because I did a swayback adjustment to the pattern (or so I thought).  I know the point of sewing your own clothes is to get a great fit but I was too lazy to try to fix it for this shirt.  Next time?  Or maybe never? Only time will tell.


The fabric is another Liberty print that I've been hoarding for several months.  The purpose of these next photos is to show my attempt at pattern matching on the pocket flaps.  It's not perfect but I'm satisfied with it.  May and Patrick are always talking about that on The Great British Sewing Bee and so I thought I should give it a go instead of slapping a pocket flap on there and hoping for the best. (***As an aside, I couldn't figure out how people were watching TGBSB season 2 because I couldn't find it when I searched YouTube on my laptop.  I noticed other people struggling as well. Then I thought to use my phone and there it was! Is that a browser issue? I don't know the lingo but help spread the word!)

When I uploaded these pictures I realized they highlighted an issue I had with this fabric.  If you look closely at the stitch lines you can see little loops.  Those don't normally occur with other fabrics.  Does anyone have ideas on why that might be occurring? I messed with tension and inserted a new needle with no luck.  I sew with a Bernina.

7 comments:

  1. I might know what is up with your looped thread. I also have a Bernina and when I took a craftsy class I couldn't figure what was up with my topstitching. Finally I got a decent stitch once I cranked my tensions up...way up! Like I was at a ridiculous 8. You probably aren't using top stitching thread but it might apply. As an aside, when I posted my issue someone else responded that I need the cordonnet foot with groove in it for topstitching with the thicker thread and when I went to see my dealer she said the same thing. Apparently the regular foot on the bernina for topstitching thread doesn't cut it.

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    1. Someone mentioned using a Microtex needle with a fine point. I have several things to try for next time. Thanks for the info and when I use topstitching thread I will definitely look into the cordonnet foot. I wouldn't have known to ask about that.

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  2. Your pocket pattern matching is pretty darn close to perfect I think. And Iblove the fabric paired with the Grainville, really cool!
    Thread loops in the seam on my machine usually means fabric dust under the bobbin chamber. Maybe cleaning could help?

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    1. I had just cleaned under the bobbin changer so I think the issue might be with the needle point or the tension I was using. I'll have to experiment.

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  3. Your shirt looks great. Pocket matching is impressive.
    If you want to watch The Great British Sewing Bee - Season 3, in your Google search, type in Youtube The Great British Sewing Bee Season 3 or click on this link:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne1pKTYCxyg

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    1. I was able to find season 3 on YouTube when I searched on my laptop, which is why I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find season 2 there as well. Thanks for the link though!

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  4. I like the effort to pattern match the pockets, it looks really good. My only thoughts on the stitching would be tension and needle. Hope you sort the problem out.

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