Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tracing patterns















Here is Quinn with his new 'do.  I was all sad, as usual, to see the fine baby hair go.  The kids, on the other hand, love it and called him "handsome" all day.  















Asha is in need of winter clothes.  I have been busy tracing patterns from Japanese sewing books of Alison's and mine.  Unlike the individually printed and packaged American patterns, all the patterns from the book are drawn on top of each other on a couple big sheets of paper.  You find what you want, trace it on your blank sheet of paper, cut it out, pin it on the fabric, add the inseam, make the markings, and cut your fabric out.  It is a lot of work.  But it is SO worth it.  The clothes turn out really cute, and they always fit Asha well.  I used to tape the pattern sheet to the window during the day to trace it.  I would have complained about my sore triceps by now, but a roll of Swedish tracing paper changed that.  This material is durable enough for the sharp pencil led, yet very transparent.  In fact, it is durable enough to be sewn up for a fitting.  I did all the tracing at night on my table.  How quickly it goes when you don't have little helpers to distract you.  And thank you, Alison for leaving me with a roll of the wonderful stuff.        

Next comes choosing the fabric.  My goal is to only use what I have, two bins of fabric and clothes Scott and I don't wear anymore.  Stay tuned!  







 


15 comments:

Tine said...

I think tracing patterns are my least favourite part of sewing clothes. All the clothing patterns I have are printed that way ;-) The see-through paper makes it a lot easier I agree.
Looking forward to seeing what you sew!

twoplustwins said...

Marie,
wow you have blown me away with all the tracing for patterns. that is my least favorite part and so time consuming to trace, cut paper and cut fabric. I am excited to see asha's outfits and how cute they are. What clothes are you making...pants, shirts,...? all the work aside I love handmade clothes they look the way I want and always fit better!
~Kim

twoplustwins said...

Marie,
I noticed one of the patterns was burda, I am jealous already!
~Kim

Marie' said...

Kim,
I am making a night gown, pants (Burda), a jumper, some shirts, a skirt, and some oven mitts. The night gown and oven mitts are for Christmas.

Meredith said...

Can't wait to see how they turn out. Keep us posted:)

Mommymita said...

I think it is a good idea to do all the tracing first so the worst is behind you. Now it is time for the fun part and you've got us all anxiously awaitng what you will finish first

Allison said...

I can't wait to see the finished products!

1384 n said...

Wow! You are so amazing! You go girl!

Kimberly said...

I am always amazed by the projects you take on! I had no idea, in San Diego, what a seamstress you are! I can't wait to see how Asha's outfits turn out. Also, Quinn's new cut looks so cute...what a handsome boy!

Anonymous said...

アーシャちゃんのお洋服楽しみにしてますっ。そういえば私もよく友ちゃんとおそろいの服をお母さんに作ってもらってたなぁ。

Melissa said...

I hated the day we cut Andy's baby locks. Quinn is looking so grown up. That is amazing about the patterns. I didn't know they could be more complicated than the ones that come in the little packages. I'm sure it saves money and you get more patterns the other way but what a lot of work!

Marie' said...

Thanks everyone! I am temporarily getting sidetracked with a Halloween project, but I will get back to Asha's clothes as soon as I can.

Dawn W said...

Wow Marie, you are truly amazing. I don't even like the cutting out part - I don't think I could handle tracing before that as well. Can't wait to see the new clothes though!

Tribe M said...

YOu are so amazing. I would never have the patience for that. But your reward is so great with your beautiful finished products! I can't wait to see what you come up with. I don't know how you tackle such big projects. Once I get everything out to stamp or try something new it is so much work to keep the kids away from it that I hardly get anything done. So it just makes me less likely to try it again! Your blog always inspires me. Thanks for documenting your beautiful projects.

Marie' said...

Amanda,
I know what you mean. I have to slow down with my sewing projects when I have a toddler age between a year and a half and two and a half. It is just not worth it. The few times I plowed through a project, I regretted it later. I either made mistakes from getting interrupted too many times, or my house turned into a dump.