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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

I am so pleased

I took off the length of fabric woven with lime green on a sapphire warp.
Here it is fulled, through the washer and dryer,
ready to cut up into shirts.

First, the weave has "crazed." See all the little right to left ridges?
That's called crazing, just like the lines on old china.
It happens most frequently with "unbalanced" thread.
The sapphire warp is a very polished cotton; the lime weft is good old unmercerized.
Great visual interest when that happens, but it's not always predictable.

This fabric has such beautiful hand it's like textured water over my fingers.

It looks like the leaves of tulips in the spring.

Enough.
Here'w what happened next.


 I pulled a thread to get straight of the grain,


and cut the fabric there for the bottom of a shirt.
Don't believe the color; the fluorescent lights must want in on the action.


Ready to cut the front of the shirt. The front neckline is deeper than the back, generally.


The front is cut, per the chunks gone from the end. I pulled another thread for the bottom of the back and am ready to cut.


The sleeve. Keep your eye on that chunk of unused fabric at the right.


I will turn this unassuming little piece into true self bias.
(That's all sewer talk. Janet would be so proud of me.)


Can you see I've turned one straight edge back to meet the selvage side of the fabric, then cut open at the fold.


Thanks to the magic of the cutting pad my sister keeps on the table, the rest is easy peasy.
I laid the cut edge along one of the lines, and put the big straight edge at the two inch mark,


and with the rotary cutter made my two inch bias strip.
You can bet my grandmother didn't have it this easy.
Or mom.


OK, three shirts cut and ready to head over to the sewing machine.
Note the cones of white thread on the serger.
Sigh. Changing over is not sweet.
  

First, must find enough cones of dark green thread.
Yes, down there at floor level, and the little girls are in school.
Oh well.


On the serger and tied to the ends of the old white cones.


Through. 
Only one needle came unthreaded, but it didn't get away with anything.
Ready to rock and roll.


Shoulder seams.
That's enough.
I've made you slog through a "tutorial" before.
Let's go look at the shirt.


 Finally brave enough to use my bias for a tee shirt type edging.
I've been turning it back, like a standard facing, which is OK, but just a tad more formal.
Now my shirt is updated to the 21st century, 
and casual, too.
And I'm off to put the shirts in my Etsy shop.


40 comments:

  1. How beautiful! I am full of admiration for your skills. And I love that green, all the different shades of it.

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  2. VERY nice. I love the green/blue and my hat is off to you and your bias! Nicely done.

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    1. Sorry - my comment posted in triplicate :)

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  5. It's just beautiful! I'd be a nervous wreck taking scissors to that gorgeous length of fabric that you just wove (weaved?)..... I feel like I'm right there watching you... and being very quiet so I don't distract your thought process ;-)

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    1. People ask "how can you cut it?" and all I can say is what would I do with a room full of yardage?

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  6. I agree with the previous comment. I remember the nervousness of cutting into a length of fabric I've fallen in love with and only bought at the store.

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  7. Oh this is gorgeous Joanne, I'm in love with it! Not that I don't love all your work but GREEN!

    Oopsie, didn't mean to shout, lol.

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  8. I have no idea what just went on there...but I like it!
    Jane x

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  9. That fabric is awesome! Yes Spring is coming...soon!!!

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  10. It is beautiful, Joanne. I know it is a lot of work, but I can tell you love the creativity of it all.

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  11. Very pretty color.

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  12. You have the right to be pleased.

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  13. Very nicely done and just in time for St. Patrick's Day in a few weeks!

    betty

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  14. This is absolutely beautiful. Serger be damned for breaking one thread but know you are on top of that detail. Just a glitch to be handled. The crazing makes it!!

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  15. It's beautiful. I love the mix of colours and the crazing.

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  16. Oh my heavens! You are absolutely amazing. That serger looks scary to use.

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  17. Oh. How very, very beautiful. Loud applause.

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  18. great tutorial and I love the color of the fabric and I can just imagine the feel of it. Looking at your photos makes me want to get back to sewing again, it's been so long and I do miss it but then I think I'll spread myself too thin with too many projects.

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  19. Hari OM
    Simply gorgeous - though not so gorgeously simple!!! YAM xx

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  20. that is such a gorgeous color! you are making me want a whole new wardrobe.

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  21. Wow, quite spectacular. Love the color.

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  22. I love the colour...one of my favourites.

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  23. Absolutely lovely - just sounds so complicated and you make it all look so easy.

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  24. Nice top, the colour is lovely and the cut is very good.
    Merle..............

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  25. Beautiful - seeing it being made makes it even nicer.

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  26. those colors make my mind sing. I shall go with you...

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  27. Dear Joanne, this is exactly the colour I love (besides pink). If I get the right impression: is it an emerald green? The interesting mixture of a sort of turquoise with lime green (normally I'm not in for lime-green) I have only once seen (and bought :-) once before in a Svedish shirt.
    Do you also make shirts with boat neckline?

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  28. The craft part is beyond me, but just to read those words like weave, warp, weft and fulled and I am reading the history of my own allies and my own families.

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  29. I'm glad other readers commented that they didn't know what was going on. I don't feel so bad. This making your own fabric would make it very unique.

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  30. Can't wait to rec'v the shirt! The color is perfect for her amazing eyes, and she will love the feeling.
    I got your email...and keeping producing your amazing woven work!

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  31. Can't wait to rec'v the shirt! The color is perfect for her amazing eyes, and she will love the feeling.
    I got your email...and keeping producing your amazing woven work!

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  32. Amazing how it turned out. You're so creative.

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  33. You make it look easy! What a talent you have.

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  34. That is so pretty! Love the shirt!

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  35. helen's "sunken" chest worries me. how does she look so good in your clothes.

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