Fit issues

I recently bought a new sewing machine. New to me anyhow. It was made in 1957 and older than a lot of people I know, but for $20 including the cabinet- how could I refuse? I mean I only have 4 others at home already, but I needed the cabinet for one of them so it works, right? In the drawer of the cabinet was a few things of interest. One of them being a whole box of attachements. Including something I thought was a small shim or wedge of plastic. Mom said it was tailor's chalk. Hallelujah!

It came in very handy when I was pinning things on the jacket that needed to be cut down- like the sleeves, the chest where the side front and front meet and a few other things. Now I need to find more!  I used to use a bar of hand soap- it all washes away when you are done so same idea.

I removed the sleeves, turned the jacket body inside out and put it back on.  This way I would be making corrections, marks and pins on the 'inside' where nobody would see them when it is done. I pinned the front shut as if there were buttons on it doing their job.  I pinned the sides, bringing them in at the waist for a more contoured fit. I pinned the seam along the chest where the front and side front meet. I marked everything, pulled the pins and started ripping out all the work I had done putting it together- again. I am glad I found more than one spool of thread  in the same color before I started. I will probably need it!

I marked one side and fixed it, trying it on again before going any further. If it worked- great. If not, I can still change it, then do the other side the same way only doing it once instead. Here is the coat with the left side fixed and the right side still pinned. See the differences in how it fits and how it didn't before?





Doesn't the T-shirt complete the look?






The good news is- I will have to go back and make a lot of the same changes to the lining too. Doesn't that sound like fun? Hahahahaha Not!

While I had it all pinned, I sat on the edge of a chair to simulate driving. I moved, bent and straightened my arms, turned and twisted in my seat to be sure the jacket fit, looked good no matter what I was doing and most of all- would not be binding or constricting my movement no matter what. Who can relate to clothes that look good on the hanger or even on you, but you can't do anything in them? Getting older every day- I have no time or use for that crap.  I doubt anyone else does either!

After all of the changes were made to the body of the jacket I turned on to the sleeves. I had way too much fabric when sewing them on the first time around and had made two different pleats in the top as a way of seeing which way worked better and looked nicer. One more than the other, but really neither of them and since they had to come off- no big loss.  I had cut down the size of the sleeves and this left less to deal with in attaching them.

Here I have one sleeve pinned on the jacket- It's not perfect and I had to move carefully or get jabbed. But I wanted to get pics and see how it was coming together. I also didn't pin the front shut so I had to hold it.






The sleeves are that long on me... ^^^




My mom was always a person to 'pin baste' everything. Pin it, sew it, be done with it and move on. A lot of the directions say pin it, hand baste it (sew it with big loose stitches, sew it with the machine, then go back and remove your hand basting. It saves time, it saves thread and looks just as nice.  How you place your pins makes a difference too. If you place them the length of where you will be stitching, you have to pull them out as you sew. If you place them across where you are stitching, you can zip right over them then go back and pull them all out. Another time saver... lol

Word to the wise- Home Ec teachers in school want you to do what the directions say, not what mom does. This reflects on your grade. So does telling them- "This is how my Mom does it and her clothes don't look home made."

My mom also does a lot of thumb pressing instead of having an iron sitting out waiting for use...  I recently learned online- flat irons like you use on your hair- work just as well, no ironing board required. Did you see the one on the counter in the pics above? They work well for more than hair!

After snapping the pic's I pinned the other sleeve to the body and called it a night. I still have to work on the lining and get it caught up, then put it all together, hem the coat, hem the sleeves, find buttons and do button holes- for the first time in my life- add the collar and an accent piece and it is done! Then it is on to the hat and apron... The apron is easy enough, but the hat may be a challenge. At least there it still plenty of time for changes and corrections or altogether substitutions! I need to get started on it though. Depending on how it goes- I may enter the turnout class at the show in November.

Frustration and stress relieving

As some may know from reading the other blog Show in Style, your turnout in driving is just as important as your attire in the ring in other events- western, dressage, hunters, saddleseat, etc. How you look carries over to how you do in the ring. Your clothes, your style, it can help make you or break you.

You want to choose something that stands out, yet isn't completely over the top and obnoxious. You want to be remembered for how nice you looked, how well you stood out for good reasons and how well you did. You don't want to be the person everyone is talking about months later because of "OMG did you see what they were wearing? Wasn't it just hideous?"

A lot of people know that I sew. My skills are not quite those of my mothers and there are things I am still learning. Sometimes my sewing is enough to make her nuts. She just doesn't look too closely at my finished work (clothing) and it's all good. Mostly though, my finished work is horse stuff, not clothes. She sews clothes. That's her strong point, not necessarily mine... But I have her to go to when I am sewing clothes, get stumped and need the answers to make it right. I also learned to swear from my mother.

Anyone who sews knows it goes hand in hand with swearing. Horses carry that same familiar bond with swearing. Sometimes all you have to do is yell, throw in a curse word or two and man do the horses jump to attention. They know their silly games no longer fly and they better straighten up and behave like they should. All of this and you never laid a hand on them. "Knock it off you S-O-B!" and they stop whatever it is they were doing. Whoa dammit! is another one.  All of this relieves some of your stress- the swearing and the horses behaving- so you can go on and do what you need to do.

For my mother it was always "Shit, Damn and Hell!" Always those words, always in that order. My Dad, two brothers, sister and I knew something went wrong and mom was pissed. Anyone that sews also knows you will screw up. You will have to go back and rip things out, change things, fix them and make it better. How things fit is important. Your clothes either compliment your body shape or horribly accent all the things you find wrong with it. Make you or break you.

With the CDE coming up in October, I have been working on a jacket for the event. I picked up the pattern back in March, found a few pieces of fabrics to make the jacket, hat and my apron. I have scoured the internet for hat making information and am going to give it a try. The pattern I chose- the jacket is not lined. It is also not very 'form fitting' or anything like that. I am going to line it and have started making changes to it to make it more figure flattering. I have been frustrated, ripped out a lot of stitching already and have sworn both under my breath and out loud- A Lot!

It has two pieces for the back, four pieces for the front. I cut everything out, stitched the back together, stitched the side front pieces on and the shoulder seams and thought I would try it on. This was the beginning of the swearing. The side front pieces didn't come all of the way across the front of me. One thing running through my mind (besides a lot of swearing) was that at least I still have plenty of time to find and buy more fabric (and more swearing).

Then I looked over to see the other two pieces that make up the front of the jacket. Yes! There they were, laying there in all of their glory. I had also cut out the lining for this jacket. This is not part of the pattern, but I figured I would add to my frustration. I pieced things together in my mind and it seems like it should work. So I sewed the front pieces on either side, sewed the sleeves on and waa-laa. I upped the ante on frustration. It looked ok, but it didn't fit like it should. The sleeves were big, super long and didn't go on as planned. The front of the jacket puckered in places it shouldn't and was all over BIG. Add more liberal swearing to relieve the stress.... and start taking things apart. The lining was also all stitched together at this point and would need changes made to it too....

To be continued

Riders up!

I had brought my mare home last weekend and she needed her feet done again before any more work was to happen with her. I managed to work in 3 rides at the other facility while she was out. She is definitely a horse that is going to teach me a lot about riding as I will be bringing her along under saddle. I find myself telling her with each ride- "This is not all about you, you know. I need to work on things too."  I have issues with my riding as we all do. Fix one thing and something else needs work.

If you would like, I can do that in another blog- detailing the work and her progress there, leaving this one to grooming. Let me know in the comments as usual.

I trimmed her front hooves, (the size of dinner plates I tell ya!) and gave the backs a few flicks with the rasp. She has been wearing them down and they still looked good so she is good to go again. At least for a while... Yesterday I got on her.  I lunged her and she never went faster than a trot. I am really appreciating the laziness of this mare. I mounted and we walked around going to the left, going to the right, using my leg to keep her from dropping her inside hip and she. felt. really. good. It felt good to be in the saddle again too.

My back was a bit sore already from getting hay in the morning, but I wanted to ride and needed to ride, so I wasn't letting this stop me.  As much as she is built more suited to hunters, the dressage saddle fits her better, so I have been using it.  I also feel more secure in it, like it has a deeper seat which it doesn't, but whatever. I also worked on letting go of the reins and allowing her to have her head more, to pick her way around the arena.

I have a bridle with the cotton reins and leather 'markers' on them. I rode on the second marker before and it was too much contact for her. She is still learning to go forward and I need to let her. Instead I rode with the inside rein on the first marker and the outside rein on the buckle or first marker depending on how much slid through my hand.  I am learning to let go and trust her, as she is learning to go forward and trust me.

As it was, when we finally worked our way up to trotting, as I would squeeze with my legs and push her forward, she would round up and come back to me in a way, as she shoved off and went into a trot. The reins would go slack a bit and I had no contact as we moved off and sped up.   That was a little unsettling for me, but as we moved a few strides along, she started to stretch out and down. Then she would stop.  No reason, just stopped. It took a while and we finally went around on an egg shaped circle and made it most of the way around before she would stop again. We were making progress though so I couldn't argue or complain.

By the end of our ride we were doing complete circles at the trot. One direction, then the other. A circle and a half to the left, a 3/4 circle, half circle, circle, change direction and repeat.  I was able to post, (which is why my legs are killing me today, but it is a good thing. I know it is!) work on picking up the right diagonal from the start, having to change diagonals, but we were getting there. We were trotting on cue and stopping on her terms, but still stopping. I was relaxing and breathing and still on my mare. 

I was also learning to trust her and her me. I have to trust her. Her back is taller than I am and I was sitting up there. At one point I did adjust my leg, my right leg was not in position like it should be. I lifted my foot up and out to the side. Doing so, the stirrup leather 'popped' out from between the billets and slapped the saddle flap. She jumped forward, crowhopped twice and stopped again. "I told her that was unexpected and uncalled for." That was that. We trotted around a bit more, went the other direction and called it good.

For all of that, I am paying the price today. I might be riding my bicycle and logged almost 4 hours on it since the last time I accidentally reset the computer gadget, but my quads are aching today. The outside of my ankles, throb at times from keeping my heels down. Although I didn't think I used a lot of leg on her- my inner thighs beg to differ. My lower back- yeah we won't go there and before I even got on her, my shoulders cramped up in a way they have never done before. This is not what riding is about! WTH?  I guess I need to get my butt in the saddle more often...  :)  Maybe then I can wipe the grin off my face or it will become more permanent with each ride. Time will tell.