Button holes placement help

In my older post, I made a button down shirt for my daughter here. I was looking for a tool to help me with equidistant button hole placement. I found it.  It is called the Simflex Expanding Gauge, which sounds like it has nothing to do with button holes or sewing.  But in reality, it is made for this purpose, as well as for other measuring needs.

For a closer look,  I have taken four pictures showing the gauge with finer details.

Picture 1 shows the Simflex out of the box. Picture 2 shows the Simflex when stretched like an accordion. The pointed tip has markings for the button hole length up to 1 inch (picture 3).  The rounded tip at the other end has markings up to l 3/4 inches (picture 4).

How about marking the placement for the buttons?  Well, a tip that professional seamstresses use in the factory is to first make the button holes, and then line up the finished side of the holes with the side for the buttons.  For each hole, mark a dot where you want the button to be, usually at the center, then sew the buttons.  This is a smarter way of doing it, because sometimes the holes are not sewn exactly according to its placement , and its alignment may be off from the button markings.  It's not possible to undo a button hole, so once the cloth is cut, it's cut. Therefore this is the method that is used in the factories.

Janome Mini Sewing Machine and Mother's Day

This is not a toy sewing machine, but a real sewing machine made by one of the most renown names, Janome. In honor of Mother's Day, you can purchase this fancy machine for 50%, valid until May 6th, 2012.

It's a great starter sewing machine even for an 8 year old, or a second machine for an experienced sewist. For more information, read the data below.

Small in size. BIG on features! The only 'REAL" sewing machine in its price range! If you are looking for a toy sewing machine, you are looking at the wrong machine. Sew Mini is made by Janome, the world's leading manufacturer of home sewing machines. In fact, Sew Mini is made in the same factory as Janome's larger machines, and incorporates many of the same helpful features. This is the perfect second machine for the experienced user, or a great starter machine for the young enthusiast. Click here to view the PDF Brochure Lightweight! Only 5 lbs. Easy to take out, set up and put away. You can even bring it with you when you travel. Easy to Use! Top drop-in bobbin is easy to insert and remove. Versatile! Straight stitch --4 lengths, Zigzag -- 3 widths, Straight stitch also available in left needle position. Perfect! For quick mending jobs, quilting, scrapbooking, costumes & doll's clothing. Janome Sew Mini Stitches To purchase this machine, click here.

Home-made Girl's Buttoned-Down Shirt

My daughter asked for a buttoned-down shirt and I obliged. Making such a shirt may be intimidating at first, but with patience, it can be done with beautiful results. First of all, you need to find a pattern for such a shirt. For me, I've been sewing with SureFit Designs' Children's Kit, which comes with a pattern drafting bodice for childrens' sizes. All you have to do is measure your child, copy the measurements, connect the dots for the back bodice, front bodice, sleeve, collar style and cuff patterns. The front bodice comes with a connected interfacing. You have to also make a back collar interfacing to join with the front interfacing.

The instructions to assemble the pieces are provided in the kit. They are very straightforward. If you want a placket (slit) for your sleeve to enable easier wearing when you put your hand through your sleeve, you can learn how to do it outside the kit.  There are several videos and tutorial blogs if you google them. I decided to sew a continuous placket, which I find the easiest. 

Here are some links:

http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/faced-placket
http://basicsewingtips.blogspot.com/2009/10/continuous-bound-placket.html
http://childrensfashionworkshop.squarespace.com/sewing-bits/2009/6/30/sewing-a-continuous-bound-placket.html

Here's a video tutorial for young girls on how to sew this placket style.



Sewing buttons and button holes can also be intimidating, but they are actually easy to do, with patience and the right tools. Your modern sewing machine probably comes with a buttonhole sewing foot and button sewing foot with a darning adaptor.  Here's a video tutorial showing you how to sew buttonholes using a standard buttonhole foot.




Here's a video tutorial on how to sew buttons on your garment.  You can only use flat buttons with a machine. I did mine by hand, which I find the fastest!



A great primer on sewing buttons and buttonholes can be found here.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/FACTSHTS/CT-MMB-189.pdf

So, after all these learning, I made my very own buttoned-down shirt for my daughter.

Soft Baby Book

One of the greatest things about sewing is that you can make your own gifts for your family and friends. My friend had a baby boy recently, and I sewed up this cute little soft book for him. I know, it's too early for him to read, but we all know that if you read to your baby (starting around 3 months, when he's alert) often, he will develop a love for reading when he's older. This is an investment that young mothers and fathers can take advantage of as early as possible.

The materials for sewing a soft, baby book, are so easily available.  I got mine at Walmart, a great place for arts and crafts and sewing supplies.

This product is a kit which comes with fabric and batting. It makes ten pages and measures around 7"x10". The words are short and sweet. The most important thing about the book is the pictures.  The bright colors of the pages are ideal for baby to stimulate his brains.

It is quiet easy to make, although I've never done it before. The pages are printed on the fabric and  you just have to cut around them, line them up with the batting in between pages. This is the result of my efforts. The parents (and I hope the baby too) love it!

Other fabric books you can make for yourself, available in Walmart are below:

Home-made Talis Katan

I had the occasion to make a talis katan for a Bar Mitzvah boy recently. A talis katan is a four-cornered garment worn by Jewish men and boys in order to fulfill the commandment to attach tzitzis (fringes) onto its corners as in verses Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:37-40.

37. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

38. Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner.

39. This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray.

40. So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your God.

 Today, we are not able to attach a thread of techeiles (sky blue wool) because we are unable to produce this type of thread from its original source. The majority of Jewry do not follow the minority opinion of the current generation that the source of techeiles is a snail Murex Trunculus.

There are halachos (laws) detailing the construction of the four-cornered garment and the tzitzis. After learning from my Orthodox Rabbi, I felt comfortable making this garment according to halacha. The minimum size of such a garment has to be 18 inches by 18 inches in dimension for a Jewish man over bar mitzvah, according to the ruling of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, zt"l.

The minimum size talit katan that should be worn by anyone over bar mitzvah age depends upon which Rabbinical authority you follow, as shown in this chart. If you are uncertain which of these opinions to follow, consult your Rabbi.

Hazon Ish                                                 24" x 24" (60 x 60 cm)
Rav Chaim Naeh                                      20" x 20" (50 x 50 cm)
Rav Moshe Feinstein l'hatchila, preferred  22" x 22" (55 x 55 cm)
Rav Moshe Feinstein b'di'avad, minimal    18" x 18" (45 x 45 cm)

source: HaSofer.com

Young boys under bar mitzvah age can be trained to wear talis katan as well, whose size fit their smaller bodies.

The fabric for the talis katan has to be wool (preferably) or another natural material (silk, linen, cotton).  Polyester is synthetic and shouldn't be used on a talis katan, as ruled by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, zt"l, even though you will find polyester and polyester-cotton blend talis katan being sold in the stores today. Those who do not go by Rabbi Feinstein's ruling have their own halachic authority to go by.

According to halacha, wool is considered the fabric of choice for either a tallit gadol (prayer shawl) or a tallit katan, but cotton is also permitted. Both the Vilna Gaon and the Chazon Ish purportedly wore a tzitzit garment (known as “arba kanfot” or “tallit katan) made of cotton. Many Chassidim, who typically wear the tallit katan on top of their shirt, choose synthetic fabric because they do not wrinkle like cotton, but Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ruled that only woven fabrics – wool, cotton, linen, silk – are viewed as real garments according to halacha. He argues that in this regard a tallit katan made of synthetic fabrics that are not woven would be considered akin to leather, which is explicitly exempt from the obligation of tzitzits.

Source: Ben's Talis Shop

Tying the tzitzis string is a mitzvah that according to my Rabbi can be done even by a woman, but preferably by a man. Tzitzis string can be purchased commercially from kosher sources. The following video is a great tutorial on how to do this.

I examined an existing commercial talis katan to see how it is sewn, and I noticed that the hem along the edges are sewn with a thicker embroidery thread using a narrow-rolled hem, made on a serger.  The corners are reinforced with a square patch that contain a small hole to insert the tzitzis. I fabricated a copy of this style of talis katan with a custom size, 18" by 20" for the Bar Mitzvah boy.  This is what I produced.

Modest Jewish Clothing, the Video

Our friends at ModestAnytime.com has just released a new video with acapella background music by Rabbi Ari Goldwag.  It's inspiring to those of us who commit to modesty, the Jewish way.

Pesach (Passover) counter with Vinyl

Every year we line our kitchen counters for Passover -- some have specially-made counters just for Passover, others line them with vinyl or other waterproof material.   I wouldn't recommend contact paper as they are very hard to remove.

Walmart carries good quality shelf liner that can be used for counters and shelves.

Duck 20" by 22 feet counter liner 

Duck 12" by 20 feet shelf liner

The cheapest alternative is to get yards of vinyl at your hardware store or fabric store.  They come in so  many different styles and colors, and you can use them to line your cabinet shelves as well. You will need some kind of tape -- packing tape, duck tape, or paper tape -- to hold them in place.

My favorite place to shop for vinyl under $3/yard is at Hancock Fabrics. The vinyl is reusable as they can be cleaned by wiping them off with a damp cloth and air-dry.   Here are a few selections:

   

You can also get clear vinyl to line your dining tables by the yard. As we speak, the sale price is $1.07/yard!

Hope these solutions are useful and save you money. Have a kosher and joyous Passover from my family to yours!

Reusable Fabric Purim Bags!

On Purim, a Jew is commanded to give a gift of two different types of ready-to-eat foods that would require separate blessings before eating to his/her friend. This is called "Mishloach Manot" and generally, Jews who are able, are more generous in their gifts than the required.  Jews have been very creative in wrapping these gifts and they can come in simple paper bags, to those glossy gift bags, to Chinese take-out doggy-bags, to attractively-wrapped baskets, to professionally-wrapped gift containers.

Well, for this year, I've decided to reuse scraps of fabric from my stash to make simple recyclable bags. I didn't spend any money on gift bags.  I also reuse leftover ribbons from last year.  The bag that I made is truly simple, it is a 12"x8" drawstring bag, that resembles a mini laundry bag.

Here are the steps illustrated in pictures.

Step 1:  Cut out a rectangular piece of fabric measuring 16"x12".  Cut out a strip of ribbon about 28" long. With the wrong side of fabric facing you, fold over the right-side of fabric towards you at the top edge to encase the width of the ribbon plus seam width (1/4", or 3/8" or whatever you prefer!).  Leave the ribbon inside the fold and hold the flap with pins. See Picture 1. Start sewing across the fold at the edge.

Step 2:  Picture 2 shows the sewed edge.  If your fabric frays, like mine above, I use a pinking shears to cut the edge to reduce fraying.  A pinking shears has zig-zag edges.

Step 3:  Fold the fabric in half so that the 16" length becomes 8".  See picture 4.  Then sew alongside the 12" width from below the ribbon to the bottom and then sew across the bottom edge.  

Step 4: Turn-over your fabric to see your final product.  See picture 5.

Stuff your bag with Purim goodies. Pull the drawstring ribbon tightly to close the bag and tie a lovely bow or knot.  Make a few more bags, stuff them, and you are ready to deliver them on Purim Day.  This year, Purim falls Wednesday evening, March 7, 2012, and lasts until Thursday nightfall.  For Jerusalemites, Purim is celebrated on Friday March 9, 2012 just like the Persian Jews in Shushan, as described in the Book of Esther.

Purim Sameach!

Two-hour Purim Costume

Purim is not complete without costumes for the kids. Thanks to the SureFit Design's Children's Kit, I was able to whip up a last-minute costume for my son.  He designed his outfit using Lego Digital Designer, an interactive software for building virtual Lego scenes and characters.  So, this is what my son came up with:

Star Fleet Commander

My mission: I only had a few hours to make this costume from scraps.
Sewing level: intermediate

I had to take my son's measurements and draft a master pattern.  Then, based on the design above, I had to start designing by slashing the master pattern into pieces to match the colors.  Three colors were used - white, black and red.  Well, red is not a good color to use for Torah-abiding Jews.  So, the closest thing was orange. The sleeves are orange and the main bodice is white and black.  The rest of the embellishments are either sewn-in or iron-on appliques.

In two hours, I produced the following out of scraps.

Basic three-colored shirt

The embellishments were left for my dear son to do.  He made cardboard appliques that were attached via Velcro to the costume.  Here's the final product.

Happy Purim!

Modest and Simple Knit Dress for girls

I have been having a wonderful experience sewing clothing for my girls, from SureFit Design's Children's Kit.  Once I've drafted the master pattern for my receipient, I can be as creative as I can with the patterns that I like.

Here is a very simple and modest dress with a high collar mock neckband, long sleeves, A-line skirt and gathers at the waist.  I chose a very fun fabric made of thermal knit from Fabric.com.  My daughter loves it very much as it is comfortable and enjoys wearing it for Shabbat.

Sewing gives me so much pleasure and I share my pleasures with my family and you.

Commercial A-line skirts

A-line skirts are the easiest to make.  However, if you are not a sewer, and want to get the standard S-M-L size skirts, you can.  When I had little babies, I didn't have time to sew much for myself, so I used to purchase my A-line skirts here. They come in Misses and Womens (Plus size) sizes and different colors.  Don't buy the red one, of course, as the color is not modest.

Flattering A-Line Knit Skirt You"ll think of plenty of ways to wear this season-spanning basic! Simple, flattering shape with concealed elastic waist. Belt not included. Polyester/Rayon Knit Machine Washable Imported Misses 35" Length

Flattering A-Line Knit Skirt You"ll think of plenty of ways to wear this season-spanning basic! Simple, flattering shape with concealed elastic waist. Belt not included. Polyester/Rayon Knit Machine Washable Imported Women"s 35" Length

Alternatively, if the length is too long, you can purchase custom-sewn A-line skirts at ModestAnytime.com as well.  They are sewn according to modest Jewish standards with ample ease at the hips and between 4"-6" below the knee.  If the length is too long, then it will not be modest.

ModestJewishClothing.com

You can reach this blog, through a shorter URL, via modestJewishClothing.com.  Try it.

Raglan-style Yoke Blouse

Raglan style sleeves

The Raglan style is actually not a simple style to create, as  it requires joining the sleeves onto the front and back bodices, and there is not supposed to be a shoulder seam.  The sleeves and the triangular part appear to be one smooth piece.  It is challenging for me, to say, the least.

Therefore, I kind of faked this style, by creating a triangular yoke from the shoulder to the front bodice, cut them out and then re-attach them. In this style, I do have a shoulder seam and the sleeves are attached at the arm hole as usual.

So, here is my attempt at a "raglan-style" yoke blouse, thanks to SureFit Design's Children's Patterns Kit that enables me to create a master pattern for my child. (I can't thank you enough, Glenda!)

Princess Style Dress for Girls

I've been using SureFitDesign's Childrens Kit to design clothing for my girls.  Now, I don't have to fiddle with commercial patterns and custom-fit them to be modest. I can just design like a professional and create lovely outfits for my daughters.

Princess style from arm hole to hemline

Princess style from shoulder to hem line

Here is one simple dress I created -- a Princess-style dress.  Most commercial princess style patterns require a bust dart.  But for Jewish modesty, the bust darts, which are meant to emphasize your bust, are out.  However, one can still design the princess style without a dart. It requires a firm hand to draw the curves on your pattern and cut them into two pieces and then re-attach them afterwards.  There are various options to the Princess style - vertical from the shoulder, or horizontal from the armhole.  I chose the former.  So, here it is.

Learn about Jewish modesty on YouTube

Here is a nice video teaching about Jewish modesty guidelines for tops.

Drafting your own Sewing Pattern

After having used commercial patterns for a while, I've decided to look into learning how to draft my own patterns.  There are several resources that you can use to learn how to do this.  Here are some of the options:

• pattern designing books
• pattern designing software
• pattern designing course

As for the books, the 3 books I've found useful that I've studied so far are 

The Joy of Tznius Pattern Book series by Moriya Chesler, Make Your Own Dress Patterns by Adele Margolis, and  Make Your Own Patterns: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Making Over 60 Dressmaking Patterns by Rene Bergh.  I'm inspired by Ms Margolis' writing on encouraging the novice designer to experiment with designing such as cutting and slashing the master pattern to create the look you've been dreaming of.  Ms. Bergh's step-by-step tutorial on drafting your basic bodice is very thorough, as it comes with very well-illustrated diagrams.  The very first thing you need to be comfortable doing is to take accurate measurements, and learn about the various measurements needed to draft a basic sloper (bodice) with darts.  Transition to dartless patterns is also taught in both books.  For Jewish dressmaking which focuses entirely on tzniut, Moriya Chesler writes in a unique perspective that not only combines important references to tzniut in her book, but she also explains why making clothing for modesty requires special attention to necklines and wearing fit.  Most pattern making books do not explain why slopers are designed the way they are.  But this is addressed in her books and comes with software (Excel spreadsheets) that make it easy for a dressmaker to record measurements and tabulate important data from the measurements to draft necklines, armholes, sleeve caps, bodice length, etc.  This is not software that drafts patterns, but software, like a calculator to help a dressmaker maintain and check measurements.  I think it's the only pattern making book in the planet that comes with handy software like this.  Reading her books (there are 3 volumes so far), makes me think that she's more technical than other pattern making authors, based on her engineering background mentioned in her books.  Another important detail is the ability to draft sleeve caps that fit the armhole perfectly.  This is sometimes called the "no-ease" sleeve cap design that many dressmakers find challenging to sew.  In addition, she provides online technical support for her community of sewers with updates to her book, questions that arise from her book and prompt with her correspondence.

There are several very expensive software out there that comes with pre-packaged design patterns which you just need to plug in the body measurements (taken accurately) and print out the pattern on your printer, made up of multiple sheets of paper, which you will then have to assemble.  I am not so thrilled with this method because what if the measurements were not correct and I've wasted so many sheets of paper.  Personally, I would prefer to get my  hands in action and draft the patterns which I can see directly onto tracing vellum. For me, that's more visual, and I can erase my mistakes on the spot without wasting the tracing material.  I won't offer the various dress pattern designing software out there which you can simply Google yourself, since I don't recommend this method.  It takes away your ability to learn and instead, transfer your dependence on software.

Pattern-designing courses are available online and offline. Some come with ebooks. Some come with kits.  PatternsThatFitYou.com offers downloadable PDFs that teach you how to draft anything from blouses to maternity clothing.  SureFitDesigns offers kits that come with instruction videos (some of them available on YouTube), master patterns with dot-to-dot drafting based on measurements, designing stylus (special curved and straight ruler with special markings), instruction books and pamphlets and tracing vellum.  I have learned tremendously from both options here and would recommend them highly. The nice thing about SureFitDesigns is that it offers a variety of kits -- women's darted blouse, skirt and dress patterns, children's garments, unisex pants and dartless unisex shirts.  The darted and undarted patterns come with default design ease, and I find the shirt kit offers the most modest pattern drafting for women. All the kits offer a very generous size option, with the ability to expand beyond what's printed on the  master patterns.

By combining these resources (except for the software), I believe you will be able to get a head start in learning to draft a basic pattern that fits you and then go on to making more elaborate patterns for yourself and others.