Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A serendipitous pocket




Well, in truth, it's not the pocket itself that is serendipitous. In fact, this pocket is not going to be particularly useful for anything now that I'm done making it.

But it happens that the goals I listed in my last post included mention of welt pockets as a technique that has left me confounded. And then, ta-da, Carolyn of Handmade by Carolyn posted a very clear and detailed tutorial on double-welt pockets. What made her explanation work for me where others have failed is not only her detailed step-by-step approach with photos but also her description of where you have to be precise and just how precise you have to be.

Mine is not perfect—the sides are just a bit off vertical, and the upper and lower welts overlap a little at the ends—but it pleases me no end. I do need to figure out how to make a skinnier button loop without having my machine eat it as I sew. (I have a couple of ideas on that: get a throat plate with a smaller hole, and start with a wider bias strip so that the feed dogs on at least one side have something to grab onto.)

So now I have a pocket on a patch.






An entertainment note:
Along the lines of my earlier plug for GeoGuessr, which I still think is one of the best online games ever, take a look at Kern Type. The instructions read, "Your mission is simple: achieve pleasant and readable text by distributing the space between letters." Tell me I'm not the only one who finds this addictive, please!

9 comments:

  1. Hi Patricia, That pocket looks great. Can't you build a color-block top or skirt around it?

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    1. Thanks, Julie. Good idea, but I wonder if it might come across a little too patchwork, because of the print. I think I'll just watch for patterns to incorporate welt pockets into. This one can go on my wall ;-)

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  2. Yay for the pocket! All you need now is a jacket to accompany it....!! :-)
    Perhaps the patch would make a good bag lining - could you make a bag around it? Perhaps less patchy than clothes.

    Geoguessr is a good way to kill time at work. Need to hide the screen when the boss walks in though!!

    Have you discovered pinterest? It's one of my favourite waste of times. A little addictive. And easy to spot the pinners who have no real life.... if you search for clevedonclaire you should find me (pic of a field of rape seed with lots of sky; it's actually on the English/Welsh border by a town called Hay on Wye).

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  3. Oooh just checked, my pinterest acc is under my proper name - Claire Newton

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    1. We went down to Boston on Friday to see a compatriot of yours sing (Johnny Flynn) and then spent much of the day yesterday slowly driving home through an unexpected blizzard. Anyway. I did find you on Pinterest: what fun it will be to look through some of your pins. I just bought V8944 and will probably lengthen the hem when I get to it. Are you working on V8614 now? It has beautiful lines. I did set up a Pinterest account at one point but have not used it yet -- which is probably a good thing, since my time management skills are sketchy as it is!

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    2. Oops, my goof now. I had been admiring V8944, but the one I bought recently is V1382, with a lower waist and different silhouette.

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  4. Hiya! I'm afraid that I will be Googling Johnny Flynn after I type this!! I had a productive Sunday - sewing, embroidery, cooking and baking! Really enjoyed myself and again asked my husband if I could be a '50s wife, but he said "no"; I have to go out to work :-( Oh well. More money for sewing supplies so not all bad :-) One of the things I did was to upload a whole load of photos to flickr and then from there to patternreview.com. I still have some more reviews to write, but at least I've started. I've not got any pics of V8944 yet, but will upload when done. I've decided to put poppers on the front so I can do it up; I've done the male halves (the easy ones), now just putting off doing the female halves as knowing me I will cock it up and somehow get them so they sag/gape/stretch.... I need to learn some patience.

    I like V8614; it looks like a nice and simple style, and versatile. Made up with silk it would be a lovely evening dress, or maybe a plain cotton or chambray for an everyday summer dress. Look forward to seeing pics when you are done.

    If this does not work - search for Clevedon Claire and you should find me. Lots of sewing pics and a few old garden snaps.

    No blizzards here. We were forecast light snow over night yesterday, but none came. It's getting a bit cold though (3celcius, no idea what that is in farenheit) and a bit of a chilly wind. Oh well, soon be summer!

    This is another blog that I follow; she makes some very nice items (and generally posts/sews each day!), but my word, some are blinkin' bizarre!! http://thornberry.wordpress.com/ Enjoy!

    Take care,
    Claire

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    1. It's great fun to see your creations, Claire. They're lovely. I see too that you have posted new reviews on Pattern Review, and I can't wait to look through them. The drop-waisted New Look dress has just gone on my wish list--had not seen that one before. Thanks for the link to Thornberry, too. She has posted a rather amazing bird-printed fabric today.

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  5. D'oh!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/60700975@N06/

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