naxie nee!

It depends on the style of the pants. Either straight or blind hem are my go to stitches for most wovens. I’m sure, at some point in time, I might even have sewn them by hand! I’ll use zig zag, double needle or ******ing for knits. I have yet to have a need for the blind hem knit stitch. I look forward to the future when I can invest in a cover stitch machine.

 

 

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I can’t believe my response was censored! I guess another, but less accurate, term might be “smocking” for fagoting stitch.

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I am finishing up a pair of cotton blend pants. My question is what kind of hem stitch do you use when sewing. I think I will just use a straight stitch. In the past I have used a blind hem stitch. I like the look of the blind hem, but it is a pain to take out later if I want to lengthen the pants in a year or two. What stitch to you like to use?

It depends on the style of the pants. Either straight or blind hem are my go to stitches for most wovens. I’m sure, at some point in time, I might even have sewn them by hand! I’ll use zig zag, double needle or ******ing for knits. I have yet to have a need for the blind hem knit stitch. I look forward to the future when I can invest in a cover stitch machine.

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A tip I got from my dad who was in the military for nearly 30 years. It works for me.

 

 

 

My final packing check for the last 30 years is very small.

 

 

 

Passport, tickets, documentation, credit cards, cash.

 

 

 

Anything I've forgotten I don't worry about because if it's vital I can buy it. Yes, I forget things. No, it's never been a real problem.

 

 

 

VP

Similar to your final check list- my “out the door” mantra is: passport, credit/atm cards, cell phone. Check. Everything else is just “baggage.” Even the cruise docs are retrievable from the cell phone.

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Just use your ATM card to get euros out of a machine once you arrive in Europe, you will get your bank's exchange rate, which is likely to be pretty good. It works just like at home, only the currency looks funny. Many, but not all, stores and restaurants take American credit cards. (Visa and Master Card mostly, AMEX less so, Discover in a few locations)

Be sure to alert your bank and credit card companies that you will be using your cards while abroad. Security features will now shut those puppies down.

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I sew the seams with a straight stitch, try on for fit, press open if desired, then serge each piece separately if open. Sometimes I serge the front and back pieces together, depending on the style of the pattern, or even the type of fabric. I find that I like the serger to also trim the seam allowances to about 3/8".

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Our table mate on a recent Princess cruise had celiac. She had alerted Princess ahead of time and the dining room staff took great care to provide her with meals she could eat. She was quite pleased with their service.

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If it's a knit, a size 9 universal. If it's woven, also a fine 9 or 11, standard point.

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A bunch of us were waiting for a shuttle that didn't come. We took a large cab, worth every penny.

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I like the patterns. Do you mean deciding which size to use or making sure you are tracing the correct line? If it's making sure you are tracing the correct line, I used to go over it with a bright color highlighter to be sure I had the right one when it came to the material.

 

 

 

Saw lots of very pretty dressy clothes material today, but absolutely nothing for a casual flowy jumpsuit... Well I take that back.. there was one very pretty piece, but it was $13 a yard and I need 5 yards. So that's just way too much when I factor in my time. At least right now... Does anyone ever order fabric online?

I have had good luck ordering fabric online. Since JoAnn's has driven all the competition out of business and has a disappointing selection of fashion fabric, it has become a necessity. One does need to have a good familiarity with fabric descriptions. It has been a couple of years since I have done this, so I can't recommend a particular site.

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We have been using maps.me for several years with good results. We download the locations we are visiting ahead of time when we have good, free internet. We have found the ship's wifi to be painfully slow and unless one has unlimited minutes, not a good option for downloading large files. Follow the crew ashore, when you see a bunch sitting around using their phone, you've found a free hotspot.

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Panama was hot when we there. What brand patters do you use? I jump around and use some of each brand. Of course the easy ones.

 

 

 

I found out today that my great niece want to be a dress designer . She is nine years old. Her mom is going to get her a sewing class in Joann's for her to go to with a friend. Sewing is good for her to have as a hobby. Who knows, maybe she will follow her dream later in life. She is really young to know what she wants. Or maybe she does know. I am going to try to find a girls sewing book for her.

I started sewing around that age, designing dresses for my dolls. It's great that her mom is getting her classes, especially with a sewing buddy. It's a skill she can use for the rest of her life.

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I have a question. When I sew I make a mess. The sewing room/office looks like it threw up. The room looks like it has noro virus!! I am trying to be neater with my sewing stuff. but it is hard. So my question is do you make a mess while sewing?

I make a huge mess, but have a sewing room in the States which usually doubles as a guest room so it occasionally gets cleaned. Our apartment in Vienna has a small room that is a dedicated sewing room. Just closing the door is a luxury to be sure.

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DH models the new jacket. Like so many projects, I see what should have been better. But, it's done and I can reward myself with something fun for myself.

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There were twelve pattern pieces that printed on 35 sheets of paper. One of the quirks/problems with Burda patterns is that they don't include the seam allowance on the pattern pieces. Once I added that and the hems, I needed to make new tissue pattern pieces because there wasn't enough space between pieces to just cut them out of the computer pages.

The linen fabric is very cooperative, which is a good thing because the pattern instructions assume I'm very proficient. Which I am, but I still put the collar stand (a wedge shaped piece) on upside down the first try.

I'm living in Europe, so can't get the American patterns reasonably. Burda didn't have this particular style jacket on the rack, so that's why I ordered on line. It was an experiment, the biggest cost has been my time. Here's a photo of the jacket progress, so far. I wish it had called for more interfacing in the fronts and we had to add the lining for the back.

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It's definitely a different type of experience for the pattern instructions.

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I am currently living in Vienna, Austria, so am sewing for European traveling, not so much Caribbean. More tailored looks. I've made a skirt, cropped slacks, jacket/shirt, dressier sleeveless blouse and some t-shirt tops for this upcoming cruise around Greece. I also made a formal dress that turned out to be a disappointment, so will dig deeper into the closet for the formal wear. I'm bringing some dresses I've made for previous cruises.

The last time we were in Rome was early December. I'm sure the pickpockets are worse during the warmer months. Thanks for the warning, especially about the "little darlings". The last year living and traveling around Europe has taught me to be more vigilant.

But, oh has it been fun. We are loving life!

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And yes, I recognize the above project puts me squarely into the "what was she thinking/drinking/smoking????" Category.

I was thrilled to stumble onto this thread. I could have been a charter member of the "crazy sewing before a cruise" club.

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What sent me for a loop with the pattern was I did match up the circles. But the top of the pants can be made into shorts and the seam/size lines did not meet up with the bottom half of the pants. Until I took a ruler and laid it down on the size 18 (from 7 to 7A). That is when I saw that it matched up. Then I drew lines connecting each size! I can't believe that I didn't see this or that at Joann's they did not see it either.

 

As for the fabric, I have a blue and green tropical print fabric. It is light weight cotton type. I had it in my box of fabrics. It is sheer but not see through.

Right now I cut another pair of pants out. So, I will sew them first and then start 6968! There is a lot of ease of fit in this pattern so I will make one size smaller.

Glad you got it to work out. Every problem is a learning experience! I've been sewing for 45 years and I'm still encountering new problems/learning experiences.

I'm not too terribly surprised that the staff at Joann's weren't able to help you. I don't think many of the staff members I've encountered really know how to sew.

13 days till my next cruise. Leaving here early to get a couple of days in Rome. Frantically sewing. My darling husband thought a white linen blazer would be nice...I'm using a BurdaStyle pattern ordered on line, printed off the computer (assemble pattern pieces). After three days of looking at all the pieces on the dining room table, I finally started sewing yesterday. The instructions have NO PICTURES. It's a good thing I have experience making jackets, not recommended method for beginners, just in case anyone was thinking of doing something like this.

The upside? I'm getting my darling husband out of sports team sweatshirts! A worthy improvement.

 

Mc calls answered me today and ask what size I was trying to cut out. I told then. Here is what I wrote them.

 

pattern: 6968

 

I brought pattern size 14 to 22. I am trying to cut out size 18. I taped the lower leg pattern piece 7A to upper piece #7 as per the instructions (there were small circles that need to be matched. I matched them) Then I went to cut the pattern to my size 18. I started at the bottom of the leg size marked 18 and when I got to the top (#7) size 18 (pattern piece 7A) matched up to the size 14 on the top of the pants pattern piece #7.

 

I don't think I am very clear in my wording. I hope they understand.

 

I just looked at this pattern in SewingPatternReview and someone else had a similar problem. Nearly all the reviews said the pants had very generous proportions. Thought you might also be interested in the thought to sew in a snap for the center portion and that the ties can be tricky to get right after having a few "adult beverages."

Hi all! I was asked to come share my good fortune with you. It's not exactly a sewing project more a cutting project. Let me explain.

 

My niece gifted me with a beautiful, mis-sized sundress. I think it was marked as a 1x. Maybe more light a 12-14. It's a jersey knit perfect for cruising. IF you're slim and young😏. Well I'm not. But I hated to just pass on this. Yesterday I tried on again with a sweater, nope didn't work. But I realized that it had elastic wide band under the chest. Called my sewing daughter to make sure this material would work(she has a serger and offered to roll the edge) and she said this doesn't ravel. So out came the scissors and I cut the top off. The dress did not come to my feet but now I have this full length maxi skirt perfect for cruising.

 

Now, what I take away from this, I've often seen dresses in resale shops or in clearance that I like, but they're too skimpy on top for me. I will now give them a second look to see if they can be converted.

 

Hope you like this beautiful skirt as much as I do. [ATTACH]322050[/ATTACH][ATTACH]322052[/ATTACH]

 

I have options, white or pink I think. This will be good for dinner on a casual evening. Jewelry would spice it up!!

 

 

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This was a brilliant re-purposing of existing garment. Great job.

Well, I am getting ready to sew my first swimsuit! Has anyone else done this? I've been reading a lot about it and it's not supposed to be as hard as I thought it would be. I got the fabric this weekend at Hancock's ($15) and if it goes well, I think I will order some fabric online where there are more choices. I will only wear tankinis with a skirt and I have a hard time finding ones I like (that don't cost $100!). I figure this way I can make it exactly like I want it - I hope. :)

 

Wish me luck!

I've made bathing suits, the biggest problem is if you need infrastructure for the breastworks. Otherwise, getting a "universal" needle to deal with the nylon knit fabric helps a lot.

I've ordered from Fashionfabrics with pretty good luck. Certainly more selection than Joann's.

I've got an old Kenmore four-thread serger that's still going strong, it helps so much in getting nice seam finishes.

Good luck, hope it turns out great!

Indiana71: Thank you so much for mentioning the mesh shower caddie!!! I just ordered one for our upcoming cruise since there will be three of us using one shower, one of which is my teenage daughter:eek: so now we will have enough room for US in the shower :D

My DH wasn't sure we needed that mesh caddy until after his shower the first day on board ship. He changed his tune completely.

We also brought a nightlight that I plugged into the outlet in the bathroom, that was really nice to have.

Another tip I picked up here was the multi-plug outlet. That also worked great, except when our cabin steward ran over the cord for the camera battery charger with his vacuum cleaner. Fried the outlets in addition to destroying the charger cord. So, keep those cords off the floor ladies!

Thanks Indiana71 for starting this thread. It's been fun and useful

centralcalicruzer: You brought up a great point - one that I forgot about!!! There is always a handbag sale onboard:)! For $10, it's the best souvenir and can be used anytime!! They don't take up much space either.

Thanks for the reminder!!

 

QUESTION: How about the rest of you - do you have an "I Forgot......." horror story??

It's not an "I forgot" story, but a horror nonetheless. We got in the car before dawn to to make an early flight for a cruise. We were several miles from home when I realized that my cross-body bag was caught in the door. After stopping, in the dark, we found that it had actually been dragging outside the car along the road, loaded with cash, passport and camera. Fortunately, the camera wasn't damaged, and the money and passport were wet, but still worked:p. The bag has hard-won battle scars, but I'm not holding that against it.

As long as I leave the house with my passport and credit cards, I figure the rest is recoverable, one way or another.

 

The Evening Handbag Experiment: I have 5 evening handbags ready to pack. On all previous cruises I gave DH my SeaPass & lipstick in the evening, so a handbag wasn't on the list at all.

 

I must say, it's been fun going to consignment shops looking for evening bags. They are quite plentiful and a real bargain!

BUT - will they be more of a nuisance than a valuable accessory???

Indiana - I always carry a bag while on the ship, small cross-body or this last one a small evening bag with a wrist strap. DH and I sometimes have different itineraries in the evening, so I need to carry my own seapass. It also holds a camera, you never know when you're going to need that. I also used it to carry the day's schedule of activities so we were less likely to miss a show or trivia.

My big question is always, "How small can I get it and still have it useful?"

CCFs are all about our cruise clothes, but I can tell from recent posts, that we care about protection from the sun.

 

The 3 Things That MUST Go on Every Cruise:

sunscreen

sunglasses

a hat

Amen to the hat. Just back from two weeks in the southern Caribbean. DH seems to have mostly taken pictures of me when we were on active excursions where there was a strong potential of getting wet. (Bathing suit with wet t-shirt, he claims that was no mistake.;)) The recurring theme in all the pictures was my hat, it's a hemp Tilley with a chin strap. Packs flat, can get wet and has a chin strap so it stays on even when on a boat. Indispensable.