AMAZING Pattern Sale Coming soon!

Coming next week...

  For one week only, twenty-six pattern designers will be joining together to combine their best PDF sewing patterns (valued together at over $200.00) and selling them to you for the incredible price of $29.95! That’s over 80% off of the combined retail value!

Grab the bundle when it goes on sale next week and you'll be all set to sew for school and the coming holiday season! You'll have to wait until next week to see which patterns are included in this fall's bundle, but I can tell you right now that you won't be disappointed!

See you bright and early on Monday morning!

Are you excited? you should be - this sale is going to be amazing and we are so happy to be in it! Check back on the blog here first thing Monday morning :)

 

Selfish Sewing Week is Almost Here!!!

Hey all! I just thought you might want to know that there is a selfish sewing week coming up!!!  Yes, you heard that right - a whole week devoted to sewing for yourself! If you ask me it all makes perfect sense really, the kids outgrow their stuff so quickly - at least at a faster rate than I outgrow my things.

 Selfish sewing week starts on the 23rd of September... So let's talk about those selfish sews! We have PLENTY of options and all of the patterns shown can be found in the Etsy shop!

How about a lovely Jamie dress? 

Pinboard for more inspiration

or if that isn't quite your speed how about the Meghan? Lots of sleeve and neckline options on this one! 

Meghan pinboard for inspiration

Or maybe summer is coming up for you? The Vanessa is a lovely and COMFY option!

Vanessa pinboard to inspire you

We also have the Dana top which is another comfy option with a cute little bit of style on the square neck!

Dana pinboard

Now the Devon is a personal favourite - so fast and cute and great for summer or winter with the sleeve options in dress or shirt length!

Devon pinboard to inspire!

The Marlo is a bit of fun on a top! 

Marlo pinboard

The Patricia is a great option for a more fitted tunic and oh so lovely!

Patricia's pinboard

Or maybe you are thinking a fitted shift type dress is more what you need.. Then you need look no further than the Rebecca!

The lovely Rebecca pinboard

The Lucy is great as well - Maybe you have a winter holiday getaway planned? 

Lucy's pinboard

Next up is one of the most versatile and modifyable patterns out there - the Angie! 

You will want to check out Angies pinboard!

The Shana is great as a fall spring or summer top! I know my corduroy tunic length Shana is going to get plenty of wear once the weather starts cooling off!

The pinboard on this unique (but surprisingly easy tunic)

Or maybe you just want to be comfy cozy - it is fall time and I know my comfy pants are the first thing I put on when I get home! Then check out the Easy Fits - and they are easy!!! (like 30 ish minutes kind of easy!)

The pinboard for the Easy Fits

Or if accessories are more your thing - we have those too! Here is the pinboard link ! 

All the patterns shown can be found in our Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/scientificseamstress

and you can always find us on Facebook on the Fan Page or in the Lab Group

Day 4 of the Shana and Emily Sew-A-Long

The final day! YAY you for making it to here - the end is in sight ! so let's dive right in :)

Today we will start at the sleeves, in between the 2 notches (which you can't really see because of poor photo positioning (oops) you will set your machine to the longest stitch length (no backstitching!) and sew a gathering stitch or two. Do this on both sleeves.

Now take your first sleeve and match the edges up and the center gathering with the shoulder seam.

I pin each edge and center and then pin the in betweens - sometimes I need to take a pin out here and there to make sure the material lays nicely but for the most part I find this the easiest way to make sure everything stays where it should

Once you have that sleeve pinned sew it on! Make sure you are back to regular stitch width :)

Do those steps for each sleeve and then move on over to your serger or set your machine to zig zag. It is time to finish some edges/seams.

I brought it over to my serger and finished the sleeve seams I just sewed first.

Then I serged the sleeve bottom edges - where your hand will be :) If you don't have a serger you can skip this since you will be doing a double fold hem

Then Pin up the sides - be sure to match up your under arm seams! and Sew and finish! I serged first and then sewed - I sometimes do this if I know there won't be a fit issue :) 

I Then serged the bottom of the tunic - but again if you don't have a serger you can skip this step since you will double fold the hem.

Now fold up your sleeve ends and you bottom ends and sew! If you did not serge then do a double fold hem :) Remember there is a VERY handy folding template in your pattern :)

At this step I tried my Shana on. As you can see in the pictures the sleeves are a bit too long - even for my extra length sleeve loving self and I decided I wanted a bit of cinching in at the back for a bit of a more fitted look. I would NOT do this if I had made mine shirt length. But since i did more of a dress length I decided to. so make any final hemming adjustments as you deem fit.

If you did shirt length shana or if you did the emily - then congratulations you are done!!!! If you love the fit of you longer length tunic - then YAY you are done as well!!! If you want a cinched in back like mine - then keep reading :)

Now before I go on I want to say - if I was doing this again I would save myself the headache of stretching out elastic and just make a bias tape casing on the inside. So there you have it. 

Either way - cut a piece of elastic the width of your desire. I did the width (ish) of the small of my back.

and in my very accurate way of measuring I looked at that picture I took of myself trying on my Shana and thought I think it would look best to have the gathering about a hand width down from the underarm seams.

So I pinned the elastic to each end and then the middle and then the quarters.

And then pull the elastic (I have to hold it behind and in front where I am sewing to keep it tight.) Stretch as you sew if you do this method. but again. the bias tape casing would be much easier and give the same look, without the hassle.  

I sewed to the top and bottom of the elastic.

and voilà! DONE! and I ADORE my Shana !!!! Corduroy over tights with boots - fall cozy perfection! And this neckline - LOVE it!!!! 

Don't forget to get your Shana/Emily into the album over in our facebook group!!! Prize/s on the 4th of September, 2013! 

So do you love yours as much as I love mine?

Shana and Emily Sew-A-Long day 3!

Hey hey there! How goes things? Sew a long going good for everyone so far? I hope so! remember you can find us and get a hold of us the easiest in our facebook group :)

Today we are going to work on that back collar and then getting the front and back pieces together! 

so take your back collar facing and lay it as seen below (right sides together)and pin it around matching up each notch.

Sew that on by sewing along the pinned edge and then iron the seam to the inside as seen below

Now you take the second back facing piece and lay it over the top lining up the edges

Sew it on and then press over the the edges as per the pattern just like we did yesterday.

Now take your front piece and open up the two facings so it lays flat 

Now take your back piece and unfold those facings as well and lay on top of your front - matching the seams- particularly the main fabric and facing that will be seen on the front seams.

Pin the front and back together

and this is how it looks pinned together from the back - just thought I'd show it from both sides !

Stitch the shoulder seams (what we just pinned) and then make a snip on your main fabric before the collar bits on both sides- but do NOT snip through your seams! (it looks like I cut over the stitching - but that is because I was trying to hold the scissors and shirt and camera and I am not so coordinated)

Now zig-zag finish your main fabric seams - do NOT zig zag over onto your collar. Below you can also see my zig-zag settings. I don't change them from normal just switch to zig-zag and this is what it gives me.

Now press open your collar seams on the inside, you can see below I am finger pressing them open. 

Now all that ironing over you did yesterday and today with folding over a bit on the inside facing will come in handy! This step is easy, but a bit time consuming. Fold over to the inside your inside collar facing and line it up to the stitching edge as you can see below and pin it good! pin it real good :)

Once you have done that for the entire facing - front and back take it over to your machine and turn it right side out and slowly topstitch the edge! 

This is why pinning it to the stitching line is so important - if you are very careful in this step you should catch the inside facing all as you topstitch. If you missed some you can go back and unpick those seams and  re-align and re-sew or you can very carefully hand stitch any places where you didn't catch the facing in the stitching.

ok everyone - that wraps up day 3! The hardest part is over with :) How is everything going? Do you love it so far? Any questions/comments/concerns? Find us on facebook!