Must-Have Garment Makes

How many things in your life are non-negotiable? We could all list several character items that ultimately define who we are as a person - trustworthiness, loyalty, being loved and valued, living in the moment,  making a contribution, etc. Whatever thing you might think of, we know instinctively they are important to us, as we come back to them over and over again when we are looking for friends, a partner, or even a new endeavor.

"Must-have" or  "I need it now" things are probably negotiable, in truth.  But when we see something we like, it feels non-negotiable. We are drawn to it like honey and we know in hearts that "It is Right."  Our garments reflect choices that make us feel better about ourselves and express our creativity and uniqueness. Most sewists would tell you that's why they make their own garments...to have that freedom of expression.  So "must haves" become non-negotiables - a particular hemline, a belted waistline or a certain sleeve design. Our choices revolve around those things that fulfill that image of ourselves in our brains—until the next big thing comes along.

Wardrobes constantly change, and therefore so does our list of must-haves. Maybe there are certain colors or shapes you don't usually gravitate towards, but it only takes someone saying "Dang, girl! You look amazing in that!" to inspire you to branch out.

One of the pluses (huge plus!) of my owning a fabric store is that new patterns and fabrics are a daily experience, so what used to be on my must-have list is in a constant state of flux.  I could almost have a new list of must-haves every season. So technically, all these looks below are not necessarily "non-negotiable," per se, but they are among the garments that to me are timeless and will always be a integral wardrobe staple of my wardrobe. I just change the fabric, perhaps do a small pattern hack and Voila! Something new!

So what is on my list of "Must-Haves?

1.) A good, lightweight coat...

The Pilvi by Lotta Jansdottercoat is so simple to make 

and just by changing up the color, the fabric, the length, you can make it your own.

Fabrics to make your Pilvi - Boiled Wool, Linen, Denim,
Kolkata Textured Cotton Cloth, Indian Kantha Cloth

2.) A great tee-shirt...The Scout Tee!

Who says you can't make a tee-shirt in crushed velvet?

The Scout Tee is designed for woven fabrics.

The Lark Tee by Grainline is a close fitting knit tee, in either short sleeves, 3/4, or long.

The Lark Tee

3.) A pair of "you were born for those" jeans...

Love these pockets on the Safran Jeans by Deer and Doe

The Morgan Jeans by Closet Case patterns are designed for non-stretch fabrics.

Probably the most popular ever pair of Jeans - The Ginger Jeans, by Closet Case.

4.) An ever-versatile casual dress...

Dress No.1by 100 Acts of Sewing - we've made this pattern so often in many different fabrics!

I highly recommend the E.S.P. Dress by Decades of Style in a fun fabric you have been stashing!

5.) A pair of go-to pants...

Pant's No. 1 by 100 Acts of Sewing - sew simple!!
Shown with my all time favorite Tea House Dress or Top, by Sew House Seven - just amazing, right?!

My new favorite - Lander Pants by True Bias

and 6.) Something that reflects your inner soul...

The Metamorphic Dress by Sew Liberated. Her patterns are amazing!

And since our wardrobes change with the seasons and with new patterns and fabrics, we can update our "Must-Have" list any time we are moved to do so. So many patterns, so little time! Of course I keep a list of Must-Have fabrics - you can pretty much see what they are the minute you walk into the store.

Cotton Ikat...

Rayon of my dreams...

One of my favorites - the Cinema Dress by Leisl + Co

I've got Linen on my mind... 

What are your Must-Haves in your wardrobe?  Do you change it up very often or do you stick with TNT (Tried and True) patterns and fabrics?  I have learned that my tastes have changed over the years, mostly because I am surrounded by a knock-your-socks-off staff, a whole cache of cyber-sewist friends, and a willingness to put myself out there. Whatever your particular "destiny" or life-calling, you were made to do this:  to be a wardrobe trendsetter, to let your me-makes speak your own personal truth. And by all means, keep that mental list flexible and be open to new designs and new fabrics.

All that being said, my only true "Non-negotiable" is being at peace with my surroundings - don't really care what I'm wearing...

I love you, Mother Nature!

Love always,

Suzan

Raglan vs. Dolman vs. Set-In: Sleeves for Everyone

Knit garments are another factor in our garment sewing revolution and renaissance. The quality of knit fabric and the amazing new patterns by our featured Indie Pattern Companies are fueling our quest for Me Made garments! Tee shirts have become an important part of every Me Made wardrobe. With all the high quality knit fabric we have, now we can make our own custom garments using the many new patterns from women-run Indie Pattern designers around the world. Knit fabric can be made of cotton, rayon, and specialty fibers - all perfect for your next project!

A lot of experienced sewists sort of hit the brick wall when we come to the sleeves of a top, especially if they are the traditional set-in sleeve and even more so if the fabric is woven with little give.  Let's face it, putting in a sleeve takes patience and care, lots of pinning and sometimes even basting.

We've showed you in past posts of one of our favorite summer tees, the Lark Tee by Grainline Studios. This knit tee's set-in sleeves don't require a lot of easing at the shoulders and in the armhole, so as set-in sleeves go, they're pretty straight forward.

Sewaholic's Renfrew tee has set-in sleeves as well.  They, like the Lark Tee pattern don't require a lot of easing at the shoulder and in the armhole, mainly because they are both designed for knit fabrics.

But if you remain intimidated by the set-in sleeeve, why not try a tee pattern with a raglan or dolman style sleeve?  Jalie patterns have both of these styles and working the sleeve areas is pretty easy in both patterns.

Jalie's T-shirt Raglan (#3245) is a "baseball tee", especially if you use two different colors - one for the sleeves and neck binding, and another color for the body of the shirt.

  

We chose to make our tee using the same fabric for the entire shirt, mainly because we fell in love with this cotton and lycra celestial print. The sleeves are 3/4 length, perfect for a cooler summer evening. Raglan sleeves are attached to the bodice by sewing from the neck down through the bottom of the armhole in both the front and back.  After the bias binding is attached around the neckline, the sleeve seams are sewn together with the sides of the top, all in one piece.

Laurel's been playing with her machine's twin needle, so the the stitching around the neckline is very professional looking.  She used the same technique to hem both the sleeves and the bottom. Don't you just love this heavenly cotton/lycra knit? We still have some if you are interested or take a look at the other print options up on our Stonemountain & Daughter website.

One of our newer patterns from Closet Case Patterns is the Ebony T-Shirt pattern, which also features a raglan sleeve.  This top can be super easy to make, depending on the knit you choose - cotton knits would be a snap.

Wearing my Ebony tee in a reversible rayon knit with Heather Lou, the designer and owner of Closet Case Patterns! We just got more in of this reversible rayon knit with the dots and stripes - it's the perfect top!

Laurel and both loved this adorable rayon knit in a cactus pattern - I made a Briar Tee from Megan Nielsen and Laurel chose the Ebony.

HOT TIP:
Raglan sleeves are not difficult in the slippery knit, but we chose to beef up the sleeve hemline with a Design Plus Stay Tape. Lighter knits tend to roll at the edges and the stay tape make it easier to hem this really stretchy knit. (We also used this on the Briar sleeves and hemline - this stuff is magic!) This is a must have for your sewing tool kit!

After applying the tape, Laurel serged right over the top of it, but you don't have to - just hem!

      

Remarkably similar, these two tops.  Laurel's Ebony (raglan sleeve) is on the left and my Briar (set-in sleeve) is on the right.






















The Dolman sleeve is even easier to whip up. as the sleeve is just part of the bodice - no seams at all. Jalie's Dolman Tops pattern (#3352) and be made with 3/4 length sleeves or simply short!

The short sleeve version of this top only requires one yard of 60" knit fabric, so it's a great stash buster and a very quick make. Since I'm on a roll with celestial themed knits, I chose this black and white cotton and lycra knit. What a breeze to make!

There's that even stitching again.  Love that twin needle. Hint: Use wooly nylon in the bobbin!

The Jalie Dolman Tee shirt pattern has a longer curved hemline in the back.

Laurel's raided her stash for this cotton knit from several years ago...nice Dolman!

And of course if you really want to challenge yourself, try a fancy set-in sleeve in a woven pattern.  Here's a little sneak peak at the Dove sleeve, from Megan Nielsen patterns.

We have dubbed this the "Summer of Love", so why not a silky rayon tie-dye print? We were inspired after attending the Hippie Modernism exhibit at BAMPFA her in Berkeley. Many of the photos and exhibits took us right back to the 60's, even though a couple of us were seeing reminders of this era for the first time.

What we loved most about this exhibit is the reminder of how important sisterhood is...sharing lives, dreams, and hopes for the future over lunch, laughing at some of the get-ups that the "flower children" wore, and just being together for an afternoon in sisterhood is what we all crave.

Let's all come together for our Sewing Summer of Love at Stonemountain - Join our challenge and community and share what you are creating. "Fabric really brings us together, and sewing gives us a chance to slow down, take a breath, and create something with our own two hands.  With social media, we now have the opportunity to connect with other sewists around the world.  We may not all be converging on Haight and Ashbury, but we can come together this summer to celebrate creativity, community, and of course, love!"

Peace, Sisters.

Wishing you health, joy and great fabric you can feel good sewing!

SuZan Steinberg
Owner, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics
Downtown Berkeley California

Buy Local! Buy Berkeley!

Tee it up for Summer! Yep it's Me Made May Time!

Jalie 3352

With such a huge selection of knits available at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley, it's no wonder that making tee shirts for the Spring and Summer is one of our favorite sews. Whether it be cotton or rayon knit, the prints and designs are infinite, so every tee looks unique, even if you reuse the pattern over and over. We've even noticed that the overall quality of knit fabrics has improved over our 34 years here at Stonemountain, so we totally enjoy finding those unusual prints for you.

If this is your first experience with knits, you may want to try a more stable, soft cotton knit before you pick an even softer rayon knit...and by all means, save our luscious silk knits until you've got a couple of tees under your belt - slippery little devils! :) We stock great polyester knits as well, but we're thinking summer heat so the breathable natural fabrics are best for tees - save those polys for Fall and Winter.

We have been enjoying the focus on Indie Patterns for quite a while now. Over on Instagram, our sewing community is sharing their creations for Me Mad May! You can use the hashtag #memademay and always remember to tag #stonemountainfabric if you use our patterns or fabric! If you are not on there following @stonemountainfabric and @fabriclady3, do head on over!

One of our go-to patterns is Grainline Studio's Lark Tee.  It's an easy pattern for intermediate sewists, but even a beginner who's just trying their first knit tee can probably handle it. Perfect for getting started with #memademay or your summer sewing! Here one we've made in the past for me...

This graphic print was more challenging to cut out then it was to sew.

Laurel is addicted to the Lark - last Winter she made three of them in one sitting.

So naturally, as she looked forward to the summer months ahead, she returned to the Lark, but with shorter sleeves for the valley heat. The Lark has four sleeve variations and four necklines to choose from - that's what makes it such a great pattern.  We both also love that it is fitted and longer in the torso.

Why not do another "power sewing" day and make three at a time - especially when they all will use the same color thread! Much of the sewing on knits can be done with a serger - the side and shoulder seams, as well as finishing off the edges. Each variation of the Lark Tee neckline comes with a perfectly fitting neck binding pattern piece, so no guesswork is needed.  The sleeves are sewn in using a stretch stitch (you can use a small zig-zag stitch) and then finished with a serged edge for neatness.

Our Buyers Lauren and Liz are always talking sewing techniques with Laurel, and Lauren has been touting the twin needle finish on the hems. So let's give it a try, using a wooly nylon in the bobbin. We had to mess with the tension a bit to reduce the tunneling that sometimes occurs with certain knits.

Two spools of the same color thread

Laurel actually used a jeans twin needle, as the needles were farther apart. And she set the stitch length for 3.0

 Not a bad result...right?!

 On this rayon knit, she used the v-neck option and a deeper hem.

We love this cotton animal pattern knit...so soft and cute.

In the absence of an expensive Cover Stitch machine, this twin needle finish is great.

I think Laurel picked up some turquoise denim last month...this needs a pair of Morgan Jeans, right??

The third tee wasn't as cooperative with the twin needle as the other two fabrics, so we just reverted back to a multi zig-zag to finish it off.  In fact, the fabric got a little tangled up in the plate and whoops...naturally, the hole is on the front of the sleeve...oh well. Finished is better then perfect!

Whoopsie!

We love the shorter cap sleeve version too!

Most of our Indie pattern makers offer some sort of a tee shirt pattern, so don't be limited in your pattern selections. Why not also try this cute Dolman top from Jalie #3352...

Jalie 3352

Or this raglan tee, also from Jalie 3245...

Jalie 3245

After all, variety is the spice of life! And we certainly have enough variety in the fabrics to choose from.  Here's a couple I chose ( you know how I have that Celestial thing going)

                            

Get your tees started now, before the summer the heats up.

What are you most desiring to make?

I hope that my blog is serving to inspire you to get your summer sewing planned out!

With all the great new patterns and high quality of fabric at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics, we got this, right?!

Now step on over to the inspiring blog of my Berkeley Fabric store and read more about Me Made May and what our customers are doing with our fabric!

"It's so inspiring to see what our customers create with our fabrics and patterns!  We thought we'd gather together some of the garments we've seen on Instagram this past month, and we hope it inspires you too!"

Me Made May Round Up for Stonemountain!

Creatively yours,
Suzan
fabriclady3@gmail.com

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