Saturday, April 26, 2014

New and Old, All in One

A car must be twenty years old in order to qualify for "historic" license plates; I have only a few more years to go to get my Social Security benefits; our 12 year old MacBook was called "vintage" by the Apple employee....so what do I call this aging Sewing Workshop Teagarden Tee pattern besides Out of Print?  Yes, I've owned this pattern for enough years to decide to either use it or lose it, a common theme in our household these days.  I bought the pattern itself fifteen years ago after a great local Sewing Workshop trunk show put on by Nancy Schreiber.  Didn't touch it until seven or eight years later when  friend stitched it up at a summer sewing retreat and let me try it on. I liked the lines of it so it moved from my file cabinet to my "must try" pile.  A few years ago I decided to cut it out in cheap junky surplus knit then stuffed it into a 2 gallon plastic bag to age.  I took it to at least two sewing retreats and back and forth to Florida.  (Recipes would usually call this step "mix thoroughly.")  Finally I have taken it out of my mental filing cabinet (the section marked Unfinished Things You have Halfway Started and Wish Would Go Away), pulled it from a plastic tub and focused my attention long enough to give it a whirl. 

One big pattern piece, plus gusset, that gets sewn up the back and center front then folded into place.....just like the Vogue Issey Miyake #2094, a version from before my garment sewing time
I used Sharon's hint to label all the match points  Communing with Fabric Teagarden Tee
quickie mock up for fitting purpose
Hey, not bad after all.  Now, my dressform has lovely straight and square shoulders so I will need light shoulder pads when I wear it.  But because of the wrap around origami design there are some pulls in the back on me.....and on the dressform, who has a younger, perkier figure.  
For once it wasn't my fluff making those ripples
So I'm not going to fret but will go ahead and make a "real" one.  I think 1 or 2" longer and then I'll cut it out in a soft, cozy brown rayon knit and sew it up.....sooner than the next few years, I promise.  It will be new to me, but an old design in "pattern years."
There's a little background to this project All those years ago I was already discovering this wonderful community of sewing aficionados on the web.  Long before pictures on blogs and Pinterest, even before Patternreview, there was an early sewing bulletin board. Two kind members of that community posted helpful tips for sewing the gusset on this pattern...and I am here to thank them for those encouraging remarks and explanations Cat Fur Studio blog  Mamafitz blog  After all those years and miles, I had saved their posts which made me smile and helped me make this top work.  Sew grateful, Barbara and Linda.
Yes, notes from 14 years ago.



8 comments:

  1. Long ago (late 90's I'm sure) I tried this on in San Francisco at The Sewing Workshop and Linda Lee helped me alter the pattern for me. I made it in at least three beautiful knits and wore them all. I still have the pattern, but not the same body--but this posting makes me want to give it a shot! Thank you. Gloria

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    1. Good to know that this one worked so well for you. I think I m going to like it. Thanks.

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  2. I love this pattern; have made it numerous times. Should pull it out again. by the way: your mamafitz link takes you to Peter's blog rather than the mamafitz blog--at least for me.

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    1. Nice to hear about another fan of this pattern. I checked my link and it takes me to her blog.....but she her last post was when she participated in Peter's shirt sew along. I think this link shows the tripod site with the gusset reducing pics: http://mamafitzz.tripod.com/gusset.html

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  3. So funny you should mention "Teagarden T: I'm making the second one carefully! That first one was a wadder...wrong fabric and not enough sticky markers..Now that is the secret...I hope it fits. Nancy

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    1. Best of luck with yours. It was a little frustrating to go through many steps before I could check the fit. I was just fortunate that my friend had done her version and let me try it on for an assessment.

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  4. Thank you so much for popping over to my blog and for your encouraging comment! All the sewing sisters out there have been so positive, I am glowing with delight!
    Now that looks like an interesting pattern. I am a bit scared of making something out of a stretchy fabric, I feel I need to have a lot more experience under my belt before I attempt that... But hopefully, I'll get there. xxx

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  5. Great pattern story and the top looks great. Like the unique silhouette.

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