Vol.31 Tsukiwa-jan

They say the rainy season will start early in the Kanto region, but we've been experiencing summer days recently.

Experts say that the amount of rainfall is more than usual.

Well, it's a blessing for motorbike riders.

So I have mostly finished sewing the Tsukiwari bear and Emishi bear that I cut out last week.

Cutting scene from last week.

As I said last time, this Ezo Kuma is very oily, so I don't think an amateur would be able to handle the stretching if they sewed it.

Adding oil makes the leather softer, making it easier to stretch despite its thickness.

If you are using a sewing machine with a general-purpose feed, if it is not adjusted properly there will be misalignment, and if you try to force it into place the finished product will be wavy.

I have some experience with the struggles I had when I first started sewing, so I do a good job of setting the stitches.

With leather, you can't use an iron, so you have to use a hammer on the parts you want to split. But if you hit it too hard it will stretch, and if you don't hit it enough it won't split, so it requires very delicate adjustments.

I think people who sew can do it by feel.

Here's a photo of the cuffs turned inside out.

This time I'm using buttons to make tapered cuffs, but since they are 1.5-1.6mm thick, it's quite difficult to turn them over.

Here too, slowly turn it over to prevent it from stretching.

I had the pattern maker do one side, but I couldn't flip it over lol

In this case, the fur part is about 2mm thick, so at the hottest part there are about 8 overlapping layers.

It's simply 1.6cm.

There are modern sewing machines that can sew this with ease, but my sewing machine has too much power and the #21 needle bends.

In such cases, adjust the handle by hand so that the needle falls straight.

If that doesn't work, use a hammer to crush the seam allowance to about half the thickness.

I did one this time too.

Of course, once it is bent it is discarded.

This is our 10 year veteran.

I take good care of it, having it checked by the sewing machine shop owner several times a year.

This is what is commonly known as sustainable.

This time, the lining is made of wool to increase heat retention.

The lining of the sleeves is usually made of cupra to make them more slippery, but this time we ignored this and prioritized warmth.

The table looks like this.

It looks black compared to the fur of the Ezo bear.

I think the most difficult thing about sewing with fur is maintaining the sensitivity of your fingertips so as not to let the fur get out.

When sewing the leather parts, I use vinyl hands to prevent slipping, but when sewing the furry parts, I lose feeling in my fingertips so I sew with my bare hands.

This time it was a moon pattern, so it was a little easier to sew.

I finished sewing up to this point and realized the zipper hadn't reached the finish yet.

So I'll stop here.

Maybe in time for the next blog.

I'll sew it up if I get the time.

I will upload a sewing video to YouTube.

See you later!

NORI