Category Archives: Notions

The Weekend Duffel Part 3: The Yellow Duffel Moves Forward

I thought it might be good to give a progress update on the Weekend Duffel project.

I went to Fabric Outlet to find new lining fabric for both bags. For the yellow duffel, I found a gray quilting cotton that was a shade lighter than the gray cotton-poly which shrank to the point of being unusable.  For the rocket blue duffel, In place of the navy blue lining I opted for a royal blue cotton-poly quiliting fabric which is a little bit lightweight, but was okay once interfaced.

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I ran both cuts of fabric through the washer/dryer twice, and ironed them with steam. I also pre-shrank the fusible interfacing, following the instructions given in the book Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket. Basically, you soak it in warm water, press between towels to get out the excess moisture, then lay aside to dry.

With everything preshrunk, I went through the tedious task of re-cutting the lining pieces and interfacing, and fusing them together.  This time, there were no incidents and everything turned out satisfactory. Continue reading →

The Orange Flannel Shirt, Part 2

The Orange Flannel Shirt is finished!  Overall, I’m pleased with the way it turned out.

A Thread Scare

I bought a sampler pack of Gutermann threads from Joann’s with one of their famous 50% off coupons.  It has 20 or so colors in it, including a shade of orange that perfectly matched my shirt fabric.

The problem is the spools  have 100 yards (meters?) of thread, which is not enough for a decent sized project.

After getting the main body and sleeves together, I knew I was running out of thread.  After finishing attaching and topstitching the cuffs, with the bottom hem and buttonholes remaining, this is how much thread I had left.

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Jeans Part 9: Buttons and Rivets

Goodness, the Jeans project (well, my “muslin” at least) is almost complete!

Today we’ll look at getting the buttons and rivets installed.

Early on while making the jeans, I decided to skip the pattern instructions to bartack the pocket openings, in favor of rivets – to try to look more like the “famous maker” jeans we’re all familiar with.  Plus, installing the rivets is something new to learn.

Tutorials

I found some some excellent tutorials on the internet to help me install my rivets.

  • BrianSews! has a three-part YouTube video tutorial which shows how to install the rivets as well the “tack button” which closes the waistband.
  • TaylorTailor also has a nice rivets tutorial.  Be sure to check out the comments in this article for more tips and troubleshooting suggestions.  It’s worth noting Taylor runs a small supply shop from his website that sells supplies for jeans making, including professional-quality rivets.

Supplies

Based on the recommendation in the BrianSews video, I ordered a batch of copper rivets and matching tack buttons from Grommet Mart.

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