Simp 4138, and some Poly thoughts!

Im the first to admit I'm a rather free spirited sewist. I could not handle a SWAP if my life depended on and would probably go nuts just trying. But that doesn't mean I don't have goals and plans. I never have enough white shirts. White's a color that looks good on me. I'm a "Winter" and us icy winter types look good in white, not beiges. (Don't ask how much beige is in my closet!) So I had the goal to sew three white shirts/tops and that has been met. Now I'm on a skirt buzz. Skirts are perfect for my work and I hope to make a few. One thought is some of the patterns for skirts that I like take so much fabric. What you see above is not one of those. This is a simple 6 gore trumpet skirt, knee length. I fretted over the length. Every bone in my body that lived through the sixties is begging for a frumpy long skirt, really. I've taken pics and know that mid knee is the most flattering length on me. But for some reason I never make that length. I've decided, in my dotage, to poo poo the sages and wear my skirt lengths at my knees if that is what looks best. So what if said knees are a tad baggy. Photographs taken by my hubby brought me to this enlightenment.

What you see above is my perfect idea for work, a crisp white shirt, a belt to highlight my waist while it lasts, and a loose, flow-y, colorful skirt. I just feel so neat and crisp in an outfit like this. I know it's not coming down the runways right now but color is and so are those gladiator sandals so I'm good with that. Accessories are a great way to keep your maturing style updated. I actually love to wear classics and have trendy accessories. That has served me well. Plus it is something that flatters me at this age. Most runway business doesn't. I am not a fan of tee shirts or knits and I guess I go against the tide with those opinions but at this stage I am pretty sure of what is flattering and still comfortable for me and that's what I make.

The skirt is 100% poly "stuff" from Joanns. It has a crepey texture and is fairly opaque. I will wear a short slip with it.  These poly "silkies' are quite seductive with their wonderful color and design but they can be a bitch to sew well. Here are just a few hints that I thought might help. Haven't we all succombed to their look and price point?

Mark the right side of your fabric. Often the sides are just the slightest bit different from each other, not enough to notice until you put them together wrong. Lo tack tape does not stick to these. So I pinned the tape because pins don't want to stay in this fabric either. Which brings me to pins......

THEY WILL NOT STAY IN! That is unless you have the double pins from Clover. I found these to work wonderfully at holding this nasty fabric.

Start your seams on a piece of paper stabilizer that can easily be ripped right off. Use a "single hole" foot and plate. It makes it much easier to work with this fabric and prevent it from being sucked into the nether regions of your bobbin area. I like the 1/4 inch quilting foot as it is a great help for French seams.

This garment is all French seams. Because the fabric is a stripe I needed to cut the pattern out on the cross grain. That can be a gold plated invitation to pucker seams and I was very worried the French seams would not work on the cross grain. I have had that experience in the past. So it was time to make a sample. I made a fairly long sample with a French seam on the crossgrain and it worked beautifully. I hung it up to make sure it hung ok. You just have to sample these things when sewing, one of those lessons you learn the hard way.

 

Here you can see it hanging from a shelf with no puckers.  I did set my tension to "normal" and a stitch length of 2.0. I like small stitches when I am doing French seams, particularly on something that ravels. 

To do the hem on this fabric I used the Kenneth King Tiny Hem technique and it came out beautifully. I just love that technique and you can find it in the tutes in the sidebar. It is so quick and easy. 

So with this project I got some quick gratification, a good thing after working six days this week. Sometimes you just need a colorful easy hit of sewing and this filled the bill. I am not going to review the pattern because it is so simple and classic and there must be loads on Pattern Review. It is  easy classic. Now maybe I'll make one of the long versions, a la frumpy.......Bunny