I appreciate all the sewing wisdom I can get! I wish that the public schools where I grew up offered home ec -- you can learn a lot nowadays from the internet, of course, but there's nothing like in-person learning for a solid grasp of the fundamentals, I think.
Thank you! I love the colors and patterns from the 60s and 70s, so it's really cool to hear that this fabric hits the mark! If someone could transport me to a fabric store in 1968, I think I'd be a happy camper. :)
One thing you may want to consider is getting a spray water bottle to help with the ironing. It's a variation on how the Granny's used to iron before a water tank was incorporated into the machine. They used to use a bowl of water and a sponge to lightly dampen the fabric before applying the iron - just get it wet enough to produce a bit of steam. _Thread Suggestion_ - I find that using an off-white / ecru colour works with most fabrics. It was my solution during the first lockdown when I started sewing. Most seams aren't seen. As for top stitching, it becomes a 'design choice'. _Scrap Suggestion_ - you could make a round meditation pillow/poof with deeply pleated sides to hold your scrap fabric. Build up too many pillows and you can leave them behind as gifts to the people you encounter. With my proto-arthritic knees I find them useful for when I'm working as a floor troll. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Thank you for all these great suggestions! Re: ironing, although my mini iron does have some steam capability, it's very weak (and it holds only about a teaspoon of water haha), so a spray bottle would make things so much better! I'll definitely pick one up. Very interesting about the older sponge technique -- I love learning about traditional sewing techniques. Lots of wisdom to be found there! Re: thread, the off-white is a great idea! I bought a large amount of true white thread when I first starting sewing, thinking it was a staple, but I've almost never used it, since it stands out against anything that's not also true white. Off-white would blend nicely with the muted color palette I prefer and, as you said, work with most anything! Re: the scrap pillow, I've been wondering what to do with my scraps given how little storage space we have. Can't keep them indefinitely, can't bare to part with them. :) I could definitely have used something for my knees when I was shuffling around on the floor cutting fabric (I like floor troll, I'll have to steal that), so I'll definitely make at least one for me, and then a second one when my cat steals the first!
@@mycatatemyroadmap LOL. The cat will definitely claim the first scrap meditation pillow at some point. Scraps are functional - never know when you need to patch something... I found the dimensions for mine somewhere on the interwebs. I did the exact same mistake with picking up too much white thread. Useful for mock-ups and basting. Poopie for blending in with your chosen fashion fabric. Who knew... I have to say - you Kiddos are living the dream. Especially the sewing on the road part of it. Absolutely brilliant. Well done. I still have a daydream of converting an extended body econoline into a "portable cottage"... fishing on old gear, sewing, travelling... _happy sigh_ How do you find the mini iron, by the way. Does it actually heat up enough? For the time-being I've given up on modern, leaks everywhere, costs too-too much, irons. I'm trying a travel iron from the 50's to see if the old tech works better... the one I found has never been used and was CAA approved for wiring... fingers crossed that it will be decent to work with...
@@stevezytveld6585 That's so kind of you to say, thank you! We've been traveling full-time for about a year and a half now and we really enjoy it, although of course it has it's ups and downs like everything. :) We often dream about one day converting a (definitely larger-size) van, too! The size of our motorhome (35') is nice in many ways, but it certainly limits where we can camp. Love the idea of a portable cottage -- we often say that the interior of our RV has a "cabin on wheels" vibe. :) As for the mini iron, I was lucky to receive it as a gift and I'm happy to have it for our small space, but having used it for a few years now, I probably wouldn't buy myself another one if it ever breaks. It works about as well as any modern iron (which, as you point out, is OK, but more imperfectly than you'd hope for the price). I'm very curious to hear how your vintage travel iron works out! Sounds like an amazing find. Older technology is so cool -- I would LOVE a vintage sewing machine one day!
@@mycatatemyroadmap I said goodbye to my beautiful 16 year old buddy 'Mr Garner ' in February. I miss him so much. Wherever I was in the house...he came too. When he wanted my attention he would lay on my fabric. LOL
@@mrgarner4796 I'm so sorry for your loss! Losing a beloved pet friend is such heartbreak. It sounds like he had a wonderful 16 years as a very good sewing helper. :) (And my apologies for my delayed reply -- I was away from UA-cam for a bit longer than I realized!)
This dress looks lovely on you. I'm 73 years old and sewed dresses like this back in the 60s/70s. Takes me back to when I would rush to the fabric shop in my lunch break on a Friday. Buy a new pattern and some fabric and Saturday morning make a new dress for my date that Saturday night!!! You did a beautiful job of sewing it. Cramped space? Not a problem. haha PS, I never use a rotary cutter when dress making. Call me old fashion but I feel the two never mix. Looks positively dangerous cutting around without a ruler to protect fingers. Scissors don't veer off and cut where you would rather they should not.
Thank you! Sewing in the morning for a night out sounds like the perfect Saturday to me. :) Starting out from a quilting background, it's so hard for me to give up my rotary cutter and learn to trust the scissors! I agree scissors are the more suitable (and safer) dressmaking tool, I just wish my cuts were a little straighter with them haha. I think I need both practice and the zen of accepting some imperfect seam allowances at first. :)
@@mycatatemyroadmap Oh well, I see your situation. Because all I ever did was dressmaking since a teenager and It has only been the last ten years or so since I took on quilt making I tend quilt using sewing methods I learnt when young. Saying that, I have learnt heaps from You Tube and am continuing to learn. Sewing is always fun and never boring.
When gathering lots of fabric , I usually zig zag cording around , then pull the cording to gather it up keeps having to deal with broken basting stitches and much faster.
This is a genius idea, thank you so much for mentioning it! I love the look of a gathered skirt, but it was driving me a bit nuts when making this dress. I'll definitely try your cording technique next time!
Thank you so much! And my apologies for the delayed reply! That's a great idea -- my next video (which should be out fairly soon) will be a short overview of my small sewing space and all the tools I use. I will absolutely link to all of my tools, my machine, etc. in that video, along with my thoughts about everything in my sewing toolbox!
When you cut with scissors, it’s better to not lift up the piece as you cut. That may cause distortions. Put your opposite hand on the pattern as you cut.
Thank you for the advice! I'm so used to cutting with my rotary cutter, so my scissor technique could definitely use some work. The larger pieces for this dress definitely weren't as accurate as I would have liked, so I'll be sure to do as you suggest next time!
Personally, I don't thing surged edges are beautiful, in fact I think they look UGLY. I prefer to put french seams. Your zigzag looks better than a surger.
That's very fair! Sergers are very convenient, but it does give more of a "fast fashion" look, as opposed to a polished "bespoke garment" look. French seams are my favorite, too!
Cute dress! Loved the vintage sewing box too. Happy travels 😊
Thank you so much! :)
I use a rotary cutter too now mostly. But the voice of my 1970 home ec teacher remains in my head! Wanted to pass on the wisdom!
I appreciate all the sewing wisdom I can get! I wish that the public schools where I grew up offered home ec -- you can learn a lot nowadays from the internet, of course, but there's nothing like in-person learning for a solid grasp of the fundamentals, I think.
Very cute, looks like something from the 70s ❤
Thank you!! I absolutely love fashion from the 70s -- so many beautiful, bold color palettes!
Beautiful work! The colors in this fabric are very similar to a dress that i made in high school in 1968! 😃💖🌟
Thank you! I love the colors and patterns from the 60s and 70s, so it's really cool to hear that this fabric hits the mark! If someone could transport me to a fabric store in 1968, I think I'd be a happy camper. :)
The dress looks great on you....I enjoyed watching you sew...
Thank you! I had a lot of fun sewing it!
One thing you may want to consider is getting a spray water bottle to help with the ironing. It's a variation on how the Granny's used to iron before a water tank was incorporated into the machine. They used to use a bowl of water and a sponge to lightly dampen the fabric before applying the iron - just get it wet enough to produce a bit of steam.
_Thread Suggestion_ - I find that using an off-white / ecru colour works with most fabrics. It was my solution during the first lockdown when I started sewing. Most seams aren't seen. As for top stitching, it becomes a 'design choice'.
_Scrap Suggestion_ - you could make a round meditation pillow/poof with deeply pleated sides to hold your scrap fabric. Build up too many pillows and you can leave them behind as gifts to the people you encounter. With my proto-arthritic knees I find them useful for when I'm working as a floor troll.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Thank you for all these great suggestions! Re: ironing, although my mini iron does have some steam capability, it's very weak (and it holds only about a teaspoon of water haha), so a spray bottle would make things so much better! I'll definitely pick one up. Very interesting about the older sponge technique -- I love learning about traditional sewing techniques. Lots of wisdom to be found there!
Re: thread, the off-white is a great idea! I bought a large amount of true white thread when I first starting sewing, thinking it was a staple, but I've almost never used it, since it stands out against anything that's not also true white. Off-white would blend nicely with the muted color palette I prefer and, as you said, work with most anything!
Re: the scrap pillow, I've been wondering what to do with my scraps given how little storage space we have. Can't keep them indefinitely, can't bare to part with them. :) I could definitely have used something for my knees when I was shuffling around on the floor cutting fabric (I like floor troll, I'll have to steal that), so I'll definitely make at least one for me, and then a second one when my cat steals the first!
@@mycatatemyroadmap LOL. The cat will definitely claim the first scrap meditation pillow at some point. Scraps are functional - never know when you need to patch something... I found the dimensions for mine somewhere on the interwebs.
I did the exact same mistake with picking up too much white thread. Useful for mock-ups and basting. Poopie for blending in with your chosen fashion fabric. Who knew...
I have to say - you Kiddos are living the dream. Especially the sewing on the road part of it. Absolutely brilliant. Well done. I still have a daydream of converting an extended body econoline into a "portable cottage"... fishing on old gear, sewing, travelling... _happy sigh_
How do you find the mini iron, by the way. Does it actually heat up enough? For the time-being I've given up on modern, leaks everywhere, costs too-too much, irons. I'm trying a travel iron from the 50's to see if the old tech works better... the one I found has never been used and was CAA approved for wiring... fingers crossed that it will be decent to work with...
@@stevezytveld6585 That's so kind of you to say, thank you! We've been traveling full-time for about a year and a half now and we really enjoy it, although of course it has it's ups and downs like everything. :) We often dream about one day converting a (definitely larger-size) van, too! The size of our motorhome (35') is nice in many ways, but it certainly limits where we can camp. Love the idea of a portable cottage -- we often say that the interior of our RV has a "cabin on wheels" vibe. :)
As for the mini iron, I was lucky to receive it as a gift and I'm happy to have it for our small space, but having used it for a few years now, I probably wouldn't buy myself another one if it ever breaks. It works about as well as any modern iron (which, as you point out, is OK, but more imperfectly than you'd hope for the price). I'm very curious to hear how your vintage travel iron works out! Sounds like an amazing find. Older technology is so cool -- I would LOVE a vintage sewing machine one day!
I love your dress and your choice of ties.
Ps... I adore your sweet Kitty too.
Thank you very much! Romeo is the best cat helper a sewer could ask for. :)
@@mycatatemyroadmap I said goodbye to my beautiful 16 year old buddy 'Mr Garner ' in February. I miss him so much. Wherever I was in the house...he came too. When he wanted my attention he would lay on my fabric. LOL
@@mrgarner4796 I'm so sorry for your loss! Losing a beloved pet friend is such heartbreak. It sounds like he had a wonderful 16 years as a very good sewing helper. :) (And my apologies for my delayed reply -- I was away from UA-cam for a bit longer than I realized!)
This dress looks lovely on you. I'm 73 years old and sewed dresses like this back in the 60s/70s. Takes me back to when I would rush to the fabric shop in my lunch break on a Friday. Buy a new pattern and some fabric and Saturday morning make a new dress for my date that Saturday night!!! You did a beautiful job of sewing it. Cramped space? Not a problem. haha PS, I never use a rotary cutter when dress making. Call me old fashion but I feel the two never mix. Looks positively dangerous cutting around without a ruler to protect fingers. Scissors don't veer off and cut where you would rather they should not.
Thank you! Sewing in the morning for a night out sounds like the perfect Saturday to me. :)
Starting out from a quilting background, it's so hard for me to give up my rotary cutter and learn to trust the scissors! I agree scissors are the more suitable (and safer) dressmaking tool, I just wish my cuts were a little straighter with them haha. I think I need both practice and the zen of accepting some imperfect seam allowances at first. :)
@@mycatatemyroadmap Oh well, I see your situation. Because all I ever did was dressmaking since a teenager and It has only been the last ten years or so since I took on quilt making I tend quilt using sewing methods I learnt when young. Saying that, I have learnt heaps from You Tube and am continuing to learn. Sewing is always fun and never boring.
It’s so pretty! Great work!
Thank you so much!
Hi: You could probably use your pinking shears for clipping around curves instead of cutting out notches.
That is such a great idea and a huge time-saver, I will absolutely try that instead next time I make a garment! Thank you!
This is lovely 🙂
Thank you! :)
So impressive to have made that in a day, and the end product is beautiful! Nicely done
Thank you! :)
When gathering lots of fabric , I usually zig zag cording around , then pull the cording to gather it up keeps having to deal with broken basting stitches and much faster.
This is a genius idea, thank you so much for mentioning it! I love the look of a gathered skirt, but it was driving me a bit nuts when making this dress. I'll definitely try your cording technique next time!
Great episode, fun to watch your creative use of space and tools!
Would you provide links to the tools? Iron, ironing pad, scissors, etc?
Thank you so much! And my apologies for the delayed reply! That's a great idea -- my next video (which should be out fairly soon) will be a short overview of my small sewing space and all the tools I use. I will absolutely link to all of my tools, my machine, etc. in that video, along with my thoughts about everything in my sewing toolbox!
Challenge to sew in a small space. Dress looks great on you.
Thank you! It is definitely a challenge, but it does force to me to be more organized while sewing, which is one upside! :)
So darling
Thank you!
When you cut with scissors, it’s better to not lift up the piece as you cut. That may cause distortions. Put your opposite hand on the pattern as you cut.
Thank you for the advice! I'm so used to cutting with my rotary cutter, so my scissor technique could definitely use some work. The larger pieces for this dress definitely weren't as accurate as I would have liked, so I'll be sure to do as you suggest next time!
um nice job
Thank you!
Personally, I don't thing surged edges are beautiful, in fact I think they look UGLY. I prefer to put french seams. Your zigzag looks better than a surger.
That's very fair! Sergers are very convenient, but it does give more of a "fast fashion" look, as opposed to a polished "bespoke garment" look. French seams are my favorite, too!