keelyblog

I would like to start out with a little bit of fitting background information. When researching the Uniquely You dressmaker’s model, I had difficulty finding anyone with special circumstances write anything specific. So here goes!

I am 5′7″, 32 years old, mother of two, and have never had a model that actually looked like me. I could never even find one that mimicked my measurement, let alone my shape! I have an extra lumbar vertebrae. This causes 2 BIG fitting issues. 1)The bodice is always too short in any dress or dress pattern. 2) The extra couple of inches of space below the lowest rib makes for a small waistline. Sure, your thinking everyone wants a small waistline, however no clothing or pattern manufactures actually account for one! Add to this narrow shoulders, 32E cup size, and hips over 40 inches. Currently my hips are at 44″ and that is mostly out the back. They have not been under 40″ since I was 16 years old. So my measurements today are 39-29-44. However, that does not do enough to describe my shape. Shape is important when making clothing, so much more so that just measurements. Even sewing my own clothing has been frustrating–trying to fit myself on myself. I just don’t get that much time to sit and sew in one stretch, so I need to make every 15 minutes count. I like nice clothing, but end up in t-shirts and knit or loose a-line skirts, because anything more difficult won’t get finished before I give up.

Enter Uniquely You.
The premise of Uniquely You caught my attention immediately. It is a polyurethane foam rubber model that you squeeze into shape via a stiff cover. They offer a range of sizes of covers and 4 different model bases–none of which included all of my measurement. I was not to be deterred! I picked out (for Mother’s Day) the size medium foam base, as this was in range for my bust and waist, and size 8 cover. I knew both of these choices would be too small for my hips, but I do know how to add gussets. I was concerned that the medium-large foam base would not squeeze in enough for my waist–a concern that was confirmed after fitting the medium.

My husband ordered it from Atlanta Thread Co. because they have the best price, and were running a sale that covered the cost of shipping. It showed up the Wednesday after Mother’s Day. I was so excited, that even though no one was around to help I had to start fitting Thursday afternoon. I just couldn’t wait any longer! lol I followed the instructions included, making a few improvisations to better fit my shape. I put the waist darts in as instructed, but also took in the waist at the 2 back seams. Since my hips stick out the back more than the sides, this is the same place I always have to take in patterns. The top half was fairly simple to fit, even by myself. I put in extra darts, and even took some of the fabric in at the seams above my bust. Taking in the shoulder seams to account for my sloping shoulders, I did not need an further darts in that area. After getting a snug fit on my upper body, I decided to try it on the model just to see.

Serious problem right away! Although I used the stitch length recommended by the manufacturer, the fabric started to immediately pull at the seams near my waist. I tried double stitching those seams to no avail. The only thing left that I new would work was to reinforce every seam with twill tape. I couldn’t do this until all the seams were fitted, so I had to keep going.

I did pretty well fitting the hips by myself. After fitting the top, it was hard to breath and bend over in the cover. I fit the top of the hips, then added fabric for gussets at the thighs. The back side seams were completely open and the bias tape popped off at the bottom. I got the back fitted down to the curve of my bottom, the thigh gussets the right size, and then I needed help. There was no way I could accurately pin any lower down my bottom. Despite reservations, my husband agreed to help. The fabric would not quite meet down my bottom, even with the well placed thigh gussets. So I got out some 1 3/4″ gross grain ribbon for him to pin snuggly to each size of the cover fabric. This took an excruciatingly long time as I stood there not being able to breath or move, with my ankles and legs together! Whew! When completed, I sewed it up; tried the whole thing back on to double check, then reinforced all the seams, except for front center and zipper, with green gross grain ribbon (I was currently out of twill tape). The bias tape at bottom went back on as far as it would go, then some fold-over elastic made up the difference.

In retrospect, I should have not reinforced the side seams until checking the fit on the foam. The instructions warn that the first run at the finished sizing will be a little bit off because of the pressure the foam puts on the cover. Sure enough, every measurement was 1″ too big. Also, I had tried to add one piece of additions padding to make up for my thighs and bottom. This did not quite look right. Even though I had taken in the waist at the back on my cover, the foam underneath had the bottom rounding out too high for my long torso. This distorted the shape of my waist at the back. Since every other seam was strongly reinforced, the fabric was starting to rip at the zipper! Sigh. Off came the cover and one went the brain.

Reinforcing the zipper by folding the fabric over at the seam on each side, sewing it 1/4″ further in, then topstitching took care of the ripping fabric AND the extra inch. Then my big Ginzu knife came out to shave a bit off the top the foam butt. I cut the extra padding into 3 pieces–one for each thigh and one for bottom. I used 1.5″ foam for this project. Time for Foam Wrestling Round 2!

Squeezing the foam model into the cover sure works up a sweat, but it all went on without any further ripping or pulling. I added the extra foam where needed. The inch and a half was not quite enough at the bottom, so I added some batting in between the model and 1.5″ foam. Low and behold, the model looks pretty much like I do! Success in one day! And it was put to use for the first time yesterday to solve a problem on a 2yo unfinished dress!

Here are some pictures of the finished model:

Dramatic profile

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Right side, note thigh gusset

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Back, you can see that the top of the extra butt foam is higher than the extra thigh foam.

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Front, I have since adjusted the cover on the left to be down further from the neck a bit.

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So you all know how I despise, and refuse to ingest, chocolate that supports the child slave industry. I hear the wailing of mothers who have woken to find their sons stolen. And then I cry.

So on that note, here is how I’ve been making the most delicious hot chocolate ever. I may be addicted, it is just so good!

Ingredients (per serving):
1 tbsp cocoa powder that has been guaranteed ethically produced (I’m using an all Peruvian one by Holy Kakow)
1/3 cup organic powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of cayenne pepper (for 2 cups, I use 1/8 tps just for reference)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk (you can replace this with more almond milk for a diary-free version)

Directions:
Sift together the dry ingredients. Heat the almond milk and vanilla extract in a small pot over medium heat. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, making sure to smash out any lumps before adding more. I like almond milk, because it has all the best qualities of milk and of water for dissolving. By the time you get all the dry ingredients dissolved, your mixture should be boiling. Stir for a bit to make sure all the lumps are out. Then, while it’s still on the stove, add the rest of the milk. Stir until the hot chocolate reaches the ideal drinking temperature, then serve. Yum!

My friend has somehow let her serger become unthreaded, so I am going to try and explain looper tensions without pictures to help. Yikes!

I am also going to assume that you know what a serged stitch should look like and can figure out if the tension problem is the upper looper, lower looper, or a combination.

Tension and Sergers

I am assuming that you can figure out the needle tensions–as that is not dissimilar from a sewing machine and is usually not the difficult issue with sergers anyway. So we will focus on the loopers.

Every serger is different in threading. Some have built in ways to reduce or increase thread tension separate from the tension knobs. These are fantastic! Others only have ways to increase tension. This is why they will not feed Wooly Nylon well. My Viking is this way and that is how I became aware that the Gutermann Bulky Nylon will take the same tension as regular, polyester cone thread.

Using polyester cone thread, serger loopers prefer their tension knobs to be set between 3 and 6 out of 8/9 to feed well. So, basically in the middle third. If you reach 6 and the loops are still too loose, don’t keep pumping that tension knob up. You have to find a way to increase the tension separate from the knob. This is accomplished by wraping the thread around a guide that it would normally just go through.

Some sergers have this wrap-around technique built into their regular threading pattern. With these, you can pass the thread through the guide instead of wrap around it to lower the tension. This is how you should thread Wooly Nylon. However, even with removing that extra tension, you may need to adjust your tension knobs to lower than 3 for Wooly Nylon, and the thread will make up the difference in the uneveness.

If you try to go out of the middle-third range, your stitching will not be even or always accurately tensioned. Don’t ask me why this is, I just accept it as fact.

When you get the threads wrapped around and set just right, take a picture!

Mondays have turned into Beef-days around here. So, the last few Mondays, the kids and I try to come up with a tasty, dairy-free, after-dinner treat. Today I was looking at a months old, never opened, box of gluten-free puffed rice. Only one thing to do with uneaten puffed rice. Yum! I searched and stole ideas from various marshmallow-free rice-crispie treat recipes and came up with this:

Gluten-free puffed-rice deliciousness!
I cook better when I premix ingredients, so I will explain it that way.

In a bowl mix 1/3 cup of each of the following:
shelled, roasted, unsalted peanuts (or raw, unsalted peanuts; or date pieces if you are allergic to peanuts)
chopped pecans
shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds
Fair Trade (or some similar certified slave-free), semi-sweet chocolate chips (No one will think twice if you eat a few as long as you share with your helpers)
and 1 1/3 cup of gluten free puffed brown rice
Set aside

In another bowl or cup, beat together 1 egg, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1 tbsp of almond milk
Set aside

In a small pan, melt a heaping spoonful of coconut oil. To that add 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of peanut butter (or any other nut butter if you are allergic to peanut). Bring this mixture to a boil and add the egg mixture. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Let it cool a little bit and then let the kids stir in the nut, seed, chocolate, and puffed rice mixture. Unless you let it cool for a long time, the chocolate chips will melt in a delicious way. Smash the mixture smoothly into a pre-greased pan and stick in the fridge. Let cool in fridge a few hours.

These don’t hold together as well as using marshmallows, but they sure are more delicious than the traditional rice-crispy treat!

PS: Don’t even think about using slave-chocolate in my recipe! And if you use Nestle Tollhouse–may God have mercy on your soul! Argh!