Making the grade: trialling a customised pattern service (part 2)

A little while back, I mentioned seeing an ad for a new pattern service called Perfect Fit. Its the innovation of online store sewingpatterns.com and enables you to customise the fit of a commercial pattern. You simply provide a set of personal measurements, which is then used to adapt the pattern. The process takes about 7 days.

Now, doesn't the idea of buying a commercial pattern - where the sizing has already been tailored - sound attractive? I thought so ... and as promised, I purchased a pattern to see how well the service works.

Buying the pattern

There are currently 877 patterns from Butterick, McCalls and Neue Mode that are offered as part of the Perfect Fit pattern range. I decided that I would like to make a jacket and had the pick of 225 patterns. I settled on McCalls 5758, which is a semi-fitted, hip-length jacket with princess seams. I completed the order online, opting to receive the finished pattern as an electronic download (although paper patterns are also available).

Then I eagerly awaited information about how to input my measurements. The receipt said: Check your email for download instructions. If you do not receive your instructions via Email within 15 minutes, please check your SPAM folder. Hmmm .... nothing in my Inbox or Spam folder. There was in fact a bit of a delay (11 hours) between completing the transaction and receiving my next instruction by email. But, to be fair, this might simply have been a delay in the e-mail and not related to the pattern service.

Submitting the measurements

The e-mail that eventually arrived was friendly and simple:

Hello Liesl,
Thank you for purchasing a Perfect Pattern.McCalls 5758. Delivery: Download
Please use the link below to enter your measurements for this pattern.
Thank you,
SewingPattern.com

The link took me to a well laid out form. After specifying whether I wished to use inches or centimeters, I was asked to select my posture type (straight, average or curved) from a set of three pictures.

Next I had to enter 26 separate body measurements. These included everything from height, bust, waist and hip through to neck, wrist and ankle circumference. The nature and positioning of each measurement was explained using both text and a diagram.



On the whole it was quite easy to follow, except for this gem which left me a bit bamboozled. And I quote:

Hip circumference (including belly projecting): The tape passes the mostly projecting buttocks points; it lies horizontally around the body; at the front it goes the flexible plate vertically put on the belly to account its projecting . You may use hard paper band on width to put around the body and mark matching points; and take measure on flat.

Whaaa? Luckily there was a diagram to help out. I suspect that something was lost in translation (except for the mostly projecting buttocks points, which I understood all too well). Another small gripe that I had relates to the little drop-down boxes displaying measurements. Whilst it was possible to enter fractions of a centimetre (e.g. 0.1 - 0.9cm), there was no provision for entering whole numbers. Odd that. I had to select a fraction of a centimetre for every measurement.

All up the 26 measurements took me about 30 minutes, as I took all my measurements on my own. If you think this sounds a little slow, then I have to ask: Have you ever tried to measure your own inseam? No? Well, I could highly recommend asking a friend to help if possible - that way you will be able to avoid the sort of bizarre contortions and tricks that I needed to perform. If that is not possible, then it would be helpful to at least have a long mirror, to at least make sure you are measuring the right bits, in the right places!

Finally, Perfect Fit suggest that you also upload some photos of yourself wearing close fitting clothes (I added a front and side view of myself). There is also a free format field where you can add any extra details that you think might be useful.

The pattern

I now await my customised pattern. I can't wait to see how well it has been altered. I shall be sure to tell you all about it, when it arrives in about 7 days. In the meantime I will be sitting patiently on my mostly projecting buttocks points ...

Making the grade: trialling a customised pattern service (part 1)

A little while back I stumbled across the term "sewbie". It refers to a newbie sewer; a beginner. Being newish to sewing myself, I quite liked the term. Its kind of cute.

As a sewbie, my journey from stitching innocent to enthusiast, has traversed a standard sort of path.

It started with a bit of cutting and sewing and a pair of pyjama pants. Then a few button holes and a bit of easing and a matching pyjama top. Next came facings, darts and zippers and et voila there was a skirt. Then there was a period of consolidation: sewing from commercial patterns; drafting a few little projects.

All along, though, I knew I'd soon arrive at that sign-posted fork in the road. The big one, where one direction points to "Comfort Zone" (on the flat, of course) and the other to "Real Pattern Alterations" (up a steep hill).

When I did finally arrive, uncharacteristically I chose the hill. You might still see me there sometime: I'm the one puffing asthmatically and puce in the face.

There is, however, a little endorphin rush every now and then. Its exhilarating learning how to be the master of your own sewing destiny. To make something that fits properly; looks flattering; feels comfortable. Recently there's been a flurry of grading and slashing and spreading and redrawing of seam lines on paper patterns. My sewing space is a jumble of calico, tracing paper, pencils, rulers and tape as patterns are redrafted and toiles trialled.

In the midst of my latest class experiments on Misses' tunic top Simplicity 5409 (requiring an FBA, grading on the side seams and a change to the neckline), I received an e-mail. Something that really caught my attention. It was from sewingpatterns.com announcing an innovation: the Perfect Fit Pattern. This new service allows you to input your details (measurements, posture type and photos) when purchasing selected Butterick, McCalls or Neue Mode patterns. The pattern is then altered for you within 7-working days.

"And the cost?", I hear you ask breathlessly (if you are on the same hill as me, that is).

Well, I should say that the finished pattern isn't cheap. At the time of writing its US$24.50 (AU$36.10) for a downloadable version or US$27.50 (AU$40.53) for a paper pattern. This is at least US$10 (AU$14.75) more expensive than a standard paper pattern. However, if you consider the additional cost is really for a service - which I am assuming involves human intervention - it seems relatively inexpensive.

So it all sounds pretty nifty, huh?

At least, I think.

I can't help but wonder whether this will be a little bit like introducing the calculator into schools. (Call me old-fashioned, but does anyone really remember how to do long division, when it counts?). Can a remote pattern alteration service really dispense with the need to make your own changes? Will it be possible to sew lovely fitted clothes without ever knowing the theory or practice of pattern alterations?

I have decided to see.

In the name of "research" I have just purchased McCalls pattern 5758. Its a semi-fitted, hip-length jacket with princess seams. And I'd never have a shadow of a hope of making this jacket without alteration. Substantial alteration.

My measurements between shoulder and hip, includes 4 separate sizes and a bust-line that is 2 cup sizes above a standard, commercial pattern. Without going into inappropriate levels of detail, pregnancy, two gi-normous babies and c-sections, have not been at all kind to my shape. The words tummy and tuck were once uttered in the same breath by my very sensible and conservative obstetrician. (Whilst I sound somewhat grotesque, the reality is that I probably look quite similar to many other slightly overweight 5'4" mums!)

Now if all that doesn't all spell trouble for fit, I really don't know what does.

Anyway, I feel that with my dimensions, I am able to throw down a suitable gauntlet for sewingpatterns.com. Stay tuned - I'll look forward to telling you in up-coming posts about how I have found the service and showing you how well the end garment fits.

Think pink

It was my little niece's third birthday on the weekend. I was secretly pleased for another opportunity to use my recent pink 'n' frills obsession for good (biscuits) not evil (sons in skirts).

Here is my take on an idea from the inspiring Planning Queen over at Planning With Kids. Her version is picture perfect; mine is suffering from a distinct case of wonkiness. I'm putting it all down to the modifications I made to the recipe. Yes, definitely the modifications ... not the clumsiness (Note to self: the worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves).

The original Tea Cup idea uses store-bought biscuits (Iced Tic Tocs) and sweets (Allen's Freckles). To make the food Bargy-friendly, I made my own biscuits and pink icing and added hundreds-and-thousands (non-pareils) as the topping.

Bargy's life-threatening allergy to egg makes baking, cake decorating, and creating party foods, a challenge. I love cake decorating, but have long since packed away much of my treasured collection of Wilton decorating paraphernalia. Its just too tricky to do really fancy decorations without egg.

That said, there is an great egg replacer on the market - Orgran's No Egg - that is a lifesaver in the baking department. Its made up of inoffensive things like potato starch, tapioca flour and vegetable gum. Its brilliant in recipes that use egg as a binder (1 - 2 eggs). Where a recipe calls for eggs as the sole raising agent (2+), I sometimes add a little baking powder to help give a bit of extra ooomph.

A 200g (7oz) box of the powder is about $5 and contains the equivalent of 66 eggs. So there is an upside - our "egg" is now much cheaper and easier to store than the real thing. The sort of thing I'd now keep in the pantry for convenience, regardless of allergies. I can't, however, recommend making scrambled No-Egg!

Here is my tried-and-true, egg-free biscuit recipe, that I used for the Tea Cups. Its a fantastic cut-out cookie recipe.

100g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
1 really heaped teaspoon No Egg combined well with 2 tablespoons water (or 1 real egg)
2 teaspoons vanilla
225g plain (all-purpose) flour

1. Preheat the oven to 200 oC
2. Cream the butter and sugar
3. Add the egg (replacer) and vanilla essence
4. Stir in the flour and form a dough (it will be very crumbly at first)
5. Knead the dough on a floured board until smooth
6. Roll out thinly and cut out biscuits
7. Place on baking paper on a tray
   If it is important that your biscuits keep a precise shape, chill them for a short time before baking (this will firm the butter a bit after all the handling)
8. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden
9. Cool on a rack - they will be soft to start and will firm a little as they cool
10. Now ice them in pink, pink, pink*

* This step is optional; you may alternately go put your sons in dresses.

Review - Janome walking foot

Janome Even Feed Foot
With Quilting Guide
RRP AUD$65

I have recently bought my first walking foot. If you're not terribly familiar with one of these super-duper gadgets (like me, until a short time ago!), its purpose is to prevent layers of fabric from shifting or slipping as you sew. The walking foot has its own set of dog feeds, which means that as fabric passes beneath the foot it is held and fed evenly by both the upper and lower feeds. Walking feet can be used for tasks such as quilting and sewing temperamental fabrics.

Installation

To be honest when I first bought my walking foot home I was a bit stuck. I'd never used a walking foot or seen one in action. And when I spend serious dollars on a machine foot - the sort that one that does not simply clip on and off the machine - I really want ... instructions!

The foot came with one small diagram on the back of the packaging, showing it neatly installed. There was no guidance as to how to attach the foot to your machine and the diagram was missing a bit of information about what to do with a little lever that sits on the right. So I had to take my walking foot along to my evening sewing workshop and beg help from my lovely instructor. Who in turn said, um, er, how about like this? A screwdriver and some dis-assembly, careful positioning and re-assembly was required. I'm glad my confusion wasn't simply me being a bit thick (as is so often the case).

So Mr Janome, if you are listening ... some instructions wouldn't go astray!

Performance

As promised a couple of weeks ago, I have conducted a series of experiments with the walking foot to see how easy it made the sewing. (My sewing machine is a Decor 3018 and I used the foot without attaching the quilting guide. I changed machine needles to suit the different types of fabric.) Here are my findings. They are all just personal opinions and nothing has been done under strictly monitored, reproducible conditions. If you have used the same foot and have more information to add or need to correct something I have said ... please feel free!

Experiment 1 - Velvet

I was halfway through a project using velvet, when I purchased the foot. Using the regular foot I experienced huge amounts of slippage sewing the seams. This was despite very careful pining and basting.

The walking foot made quite a difference. The project went from being I think I am going to have a nervous breakdown to just this velvet is a pain to work with. It didn't make the sewing a cinch, but it was very helpful.

Velvet is my bete noir ... the less time I spend talking about it the better!

Experiment 2 - Quilting

I had never done a scrap of quilting until this experiment, so you may like to take whatever I have to say here with a grain of salt!

Floundering for something to do, I simply sandwiched six layers of thin batting between two pieces of cotton. Being the lazy girl I am, it never struck me to tack, let alone pin everything before getting started. I used my slothful finger basting technique. So under the circumstances and despite the user, I thought the foot did a brilliant job. The whole thing fed through very nicely, making the job of sewing my hugely complicated pattern (straight lines, pictured above) very easy .

(I believe that if you want to do something a bit fancy in the free-motion line, then you need to use a darning foot. I've got one of those, but given my slap-dash approach during this experiment, I don't think I am responsible enough to use it yet.).

Experiment 3 - Vinyl

With some previous experience of sewing vinyl, I was able to whip out some offcuts and replicate a little bit of a previous project. When I last sewed with vinyl there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. I really didn't enjoy the experience at all - the material stuck to everything; along every step of the way. This time, it was - to use a Mr Hoppo Bumpo-ism - a complete doddle. The PVC fed through like a charm, even when it was up to four layers. I would happily try sewing a vinyl bag again sometime soon.

Experiment 4 - Denim

I am currently sewing up some little trousers refashioned from Mr HB's old jeans, so had lots of left-over pieces to experiment with. I took a piece of nice thick side seam and folded it over, so that it was a suitable challenge and then sewed through it. I would never have made it over this kind of thickness with my normal presser foot. Again the walking foot was a dream. It lifted gracefully, but firmly over the top and kept the stitching on the straight and narrow.

Conclusion

There are loads of other things that I would like to try out with the foot: in particular knits and plaids/checks. I hope to get to them soon. So far though, I really am very pleased with the foot. If you have a Janome machine, I don't think you will be disappointed with this handy accessory.

Do you already have a walking foot? Do you enjoy using yours?

Update: If you would like to see how to attach a Janome walking foot, please see my illustrated post here. I have also scanned and uploaded some old Janome instructions here that I picked up at a sewing shop.

Is it a walk in the park?

It seems I have moved past open hostility and uneasy truce and am in new place. At the odd moment I have found myself enjoying using the new walking foot for my Janome machine. I think I have been smiling. Maybe even beaming.

I've been experimenting a little, trying out different fabrics and projects. I thought I might finally do a little write-up about this foot over the weekend. As a few nice people had left comments to the effect that they were thinking of buying one of these gizmos, I have had an idea.

Leave a comment before Saturday saying what you had in mind for a walking foot and I will try and test-run and document it for you. I won't make too many rash promises. This will all be limited by my ability ... and of course, how kindly disposed I feel toward said foot, by the weekend!

Click to print

I sometimes wonder whether advances in technology are making me a less patient person. I have become focused on the here-and-now of all things online. I like the freedom of shopping at any time of the day. And I am particularly fond of anything labelled download now.

So when I saw that sewingpatterns.com have a downloadable pattern service - Click 2 Print - I was immediately interested.

Have you tried it?

If not, here's how it works. After selecting your pattern from the online store, you pay using either credit card or PayPal. The store then sends you a receipt and you are ready to access your pattern. You log into a special part of their website where you can see your purchased item/s. From there you access your sewing instructions, fabric requirements and the pattern itself. You then print each part off and assemble the pattern.

So how good is this service?

Pros

• Once you have paid you can access your pattern straight away. Choose your pattern and have it printed minutes later. Got to love that!
  



• The patterns are discounted.
  
  For example ordering Simplicity 3634 (Misses or Plus Size Pants, Skirt, Knit Cardigan and Top) as a paper pattern costs USD$10.17, plus USD$5.95 for their basic postage option from the USA to Australia. The expedited mailing option is USD$16.95. The same pattern downloaded will cost USD$5.99.
  
  Not all discounts on the pattern price are as big; some are a matter of thirty or forty cents. If nothing else, you will save on postage - especially if you live outside of the US.
  



• There are patterns available from 17 companies: Simplicity; Its so easy; New Look; McCalls; Easy Stitch and Save; Vogue; Butterick; Kwik Sew; Brown Paper Patterns; Lekala; Loretti Fashion; See and Sew; Isabelle Pour La Femme Aimee; Hot Patterns; PrintSew.Com; Fashion Express; and Neue Mode.
  



• Each page of the pattern is clearly labelled with rows and columns, so that it is very easy to work out how to lay it all out and stick it together. If you happen to drop a stack of pages before assembly like I, ahem, may have, you can reorder them quickly.
  



• You don't have acres of brown tissue pattern to try and shove back in an envelope

Cons

• While sewingpatterns.com offers a huge range of patterns, only a subset of these are offered as downloads. Your choice of pattern will be limited to the delivery method.
  



• The assembly was way more work than I was expecting. There is a margin on a printed page where the printer doesn't print. Some trimming or folding is needed on every page to line the pieces up. As my (very simple pattern) had 25 pages - this was a bit of work. You need loads of sticky tape!
  



• Once you have assembled the pattern, you may decide that you need to trace off the pattern - as I did - rather than attempt to cut and use the printer paper. Though I know as good practice I should probably do this anyway, rather than hack into the original pattern.
  



• I purchased a Kwik Sew pattern, which outlines each size with a different colour. The outlines for some of the sizes didn't convert so well to grey-scale on my home printer and were a little feint (but to be fair, still readable).
  



• You don't have a nice paper pattern envelope to add to your collection! And with all that printer paper your new pattern is actually bigger for storing than the traditional brown tissue sort.

Would I use this again?
Most likely, yes. Its an especially cheap way of purchasing patterns if you live in Australia. I would only do it if I had time/motivation enough to afford to assembling the pattern: choosing and downloading the pattern is super quick; assembly and cutting, a little less so.