Re-working a Badly Designed and Costly Pattern

Three Pair of Vintage Pants

Those pants I made and then modified a couple weeks ago, don't really fit right, and they are awful. So here I go again. The pattern, as so many are, is completely mis-sized (Very Expensive to find out they can't get a pattern right!! A brand new pair of jeans tossed in the trash!) So I am adding to both sides to bring it into a more correct size. It's a zipper fly pattern, but he wants button fly, so I am modifying that too. I am making them big enough to put a some elastic in the back, to make them easier to get on and off (like, leaving the button fly buttoned) and adding interior buttons so that he can use his beloved suspenders, and look like a character from 'Little House on the Prairie'.

1" bigger on both sides

Cut down the crotch to the pins

Beginning sewing 1 of 3 pairs

To add button fly, you need an additional fly set

I put the fly in (and out) 3 times..

The waistband is bigger than the pants

Putting in the pocket

They are starting to come along

Waistband is really thick!

I haven't added buttons or elastic

One pocket is a little wonky.

Made 2 right fronts, time for ripping

Waistband, hem and all the buttons...

The suspender buttons going on

With elastic, is it strong enough...

They are a bit too big, more elastic!

Rag Doll Princess Dresses

Not long ago, you will remember, I made a small rag doll and house, and sent them away to a new home. Today I am finishing some additional clothes for the rag doll, and sending them away to her, too.

 

Silver over-skirt not attached

With or without overskirt

Princess dresses are important

Tiny is pretty hard, and mostly by hand

Pattern size 52, waist size actually 46" NOT 52"

1/2 the waist band 23" total 46" NOT 52

The jeans I just made came back to me, he couldn't even get them on. It's terrible when you spend so much money on a pattern, only to find that it's badly made/designed and wont even fit the body your making something for, although the size you made (based on the pattern) was three sizes too big!

I understand fully why folks don't sew anymore when you can't count on these company's to creating sewing items especially patterns that will fit. They are doing such a horrible job at their job!

Can you imagine offering Home Ec classes, and no one in the class has a project that works or fits because the pattern companies can't be bothered to do a good job. Great message that sends out!

This solution was as bad as it looks. First of all, they still are too small. I'm getting them back, ripping out the back section, and then pulling them apart at the sides and adding a contrast fabric there, and then putting bits of it on the pockets to pull it together. Work begins in November!

Adding the inches back in!

First try, no additional waistband

Adding fabric and separate waist band

Bob Needs New Jeans, With Special Features

Bob asked me for a new pair of jeans, with a button fly, and internal buttons for his suspenders (like Charles Ingalls wears on Little House on the Prairie.) Button fly, because his historical pants that are button fly just slide off, no zippers to mess with or buttons, these need to be made as an historical pattern, so that they too, will just slide off... Lots of pattern changes and adjustments!!

From zipper pattern, button fly jeans

 

Coming Together

Doll Needs a Place to Stay

 Since every doll needs a place to stay, I made Tammy a place, based on an ad I saw on FB, something similar, but completely different. I used light plastic canvas and heavy duck fabric to help it maintain it's shape and stand up. It has several 'doors' in the closet, with pockets for clothes. It's not perfect, but I figure if it just gets tossed into a box, it's fine for that, and if on the other hand, it's loved, I can always make an upgrade.

Front of the 'House'

Back and garden

Back with strap open

Bedroom, bed, closet closed

Closet doors all open

Something Completely Different - A Doll

I saw a completely cute doll and 'house' and thought, I can do that, and maybe better than the original. So I set out to do just that. I'm creating a small doll, home and some clothes. Here's how it's going:

Made a pattern and cut it out

Started putting the pieces together

And stuffing as I go

Put her together with hand stitching only

Tammy and her clothes and 'house'

Tomato's and Watermelon

I've fought the critters, and continue to fight. Placing garlic cloves all over the place seemed to help, but the owls really appear to be doing the job. I've finally got some tomato's and watermelon growing. The strawberries I can't get to before whatever critter isn't afraid of the owl gets them. Here's hoping all the battles for the food are over!

 

And Yet More Quilts of Valor - Here's What I Will Be Working On Next

There's always something next! Always! Maybe not immediately, but still next. The quilts of valor that I make run between 90-125 hours each. That's a lot of time. 4.5-5 yards of fabric in each - the top, the batting and the bottom. That's a lot a fabric. especially in the top, as it's multitudes of smaller pieces built up to that 5 yards of designed top. And thread, and binding, and thinking, designing, changing and re-designing. And driving, shopping, shipping. There's a lot involved in every single quilt. And I can only hope that they each serve their purpose. I get to choose the patterns, and I like most of the patterns I have made, some more than others. Most that I've made this year I really like!

I began this one at the end of June, and finished it sometime in July, with all the regular things that also take up time in our everyday lives.

Matching the triangle sets

Preparing to Trim

Rectangle is the base piece

Hold onto the scraps

This is NOT how they go together

This is correct

Laying out the 2-pieces for colors

Assembing as laid out

Assembling, assembling...

From chaos comes beauty

Pinning the sandwich

Pinning didn't go so well...

The back of the quilt

The top after quilted

Binding is such fun! Ha ha!

Bound with words

Book Shelf Quilt of Valor

 Quilt Name: Leave the Past Behind. This one is a special request from a friend for a friend. Took a long time to create, as I 'built it' on the backing fabric. The recipient of this quilt has just retired from the Army, after 30 years. The quilt is named 'Leave The Past Behind'. The books with titles included are all books that look forward, suggesting research, learning, hobbies, and fun. The yellow is representative of the area of the Army that he served, and also the a wall covering with Bee's buzzing, bee's are all about pollinating new ideas in places where they didn't perhaps exist before. 

The globe with the blue jay is a reminder of his college, as are some of the books in the bookcase. There are plenty of books available without titles that could have titles embroidered on, should someone decide to do so. It's slightly smaller than many of the Quilts of Valor I have made, which are the largest size allowed. This is the mid-size or 'recommended size' of QOV's. 

I made the books as blocks, and then added the shelves. I spent a lot of time ripping out ad starting over. Building out from the actual book shelf, I finished it with an Army fabric. Of course, his name, the quilt name and all the information I include on the quilt is on the binding. The back is not as smooth as I like, because of the way the quilt was built on it.

Making Book Strips to create Quilt Blocks

Why The Viking Was Important

With instructions for quilt care (Never Pull String, Wash in a Bag on Gentle, Lay Flat to Dry) the what's and why's and who's, all the important information about the quilt, even an apology (Sorry for the Klingon) because sometimes, the machine decides to write gobbledy gook, there is no controlling it! This is why I needed my machine back and the Viking folks were such a bane to my existence with constant dishonesty and wasting hours and hours of my time with their stupidity. I don't think I will ever buy anything from that company again!

 

Quilt of Valor - Splashes of Blue and Red

Is this seven of seven, seven of nine or seven of eleven this year? It's seven of eleven Quilts of Valor made this year. Anyway, it's nearing it's finish, and then on to the next one. I made two at the same time, in this pattern and these colors. They were to be gifted to two cousins, and so I needed them to be similar. Of the cousins, one is still serving, the other has served and moved on to other things. 

The color was changed, by that I mean, on the second quilt, where you see red here, you would see blue there. These use the traditional log cabin block, set it on point and using just two color palettes, create an intriguing design, don't you think?

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