Black Shorts

Well, I have a finished object... or an FO as we call it in the knitting world. Here are my black shorts. These were made of a stretchy bottom weight fabric that is very satisfying to wear, nice and sturdy. But the stretch made sewing a bit tricky at the waist and the body of the shorts pucker a bit where they join the waistband. I never tuck my shirts, though, so no one will see it.

I COULD have bought a pair of shorts if I really wanted to, and probably spent less money, too! Except, I LIKE to be my own sweatshop! And also, I was still working on fitting those shorts. I think they're as good as my current level of skill and resources will allow.

Here they are styled with my Green Silk Sorbetto.

In other news, I'm NOT participating in Me Made May 2014 (I don't have enough RTW clothes for May, much less clothes made by me! Plus... I don't have a way to take pics of my outfits except in a mirror) OR the new Outfit Along with Lladybird and Untangling Knots (unless I change my mind, which I might).

Pattern: S1430

Price: $25 

Time: 4 hours

Note to Self: Black doesn't photograph well, stop trying! Also, raise the presser foot so that the fabric doesn't pucker as much next time you sew with a stretch fabric.

Green Silk Tank

A Sorbetto tank in green silk crepe de chine for your consideration. Boy was this fabric a challenge! It's light as air, and on the bias it flows like water. I lengthened the upper dart on this top, and it lies a little flatter, but I'm not sure I like the way it looks. Still it's a wearable tank! I bought the silk, sight unseen (in person, I saw it online) to make a Sorbetto to go with my orange Legacy skirt, but I do not think it will match.

Here it is styled with my cheetah print cardigan. I think it'll look good paired with jeans or with the black shorts I'll be making soon. Plus a skirt I have planned in the sewing queue.

Pattern: Sorbetto Tank by Colette

Cost: $50 (silk ain't cheap, folks), plus I have some extra to make a scarf with. Maybe as a gift? Though how many people does this color green look good on???

Time: 4 hours, that bias tape making was a killer

Note to Self: Hand baste darts next time to keep them straight while you sew them.

Petal Easter Frock

Here's a finished project! The second version of this pretty dress, the Sorbet Dress,  that turned out so beautifully and successfully! So... you'd think the second dress would have been just as successful, if not more so. But no, I'm afraid not, my dear reader. This dress has a fatal flaw. It's very pretty, especially on it's lovely recipient:

It fits nicely in the bust and at the waist and it a twirly, whirly dream of a dress for a 12 year old. She needs to wear shorts under it just for that reason... she sure does love her some dress twirling.

The princess seams make it so easy to alter a dress, but make it hard to finish the seams with seam binding or by zigzagging. The dress is lined so I just left them unfinished (for those literary types, this comment is definitely foreshadowing).

What's the problem you say? Where's this fatal mistake? Here it is people:

At the waist, at every seam is this pulled fabric. The organza is a poly and delicate, apparently, because at the slightest provocation it has pulled from it's place and made a mess. I had no idea how this had occurred, because it was there before the little lady had even worn the dress. But my friend Teena (an accomplished and experienced seamstress and costumer that I'm so glad to have as a friend) enlightened me. She said that the clipping of the curved seam had weakened the fabric enough to cause it to pull out at the least bit of stress (it must have happened during the hemming process). She suggested that the next time I have to clip delicate fabric I run two rows of stitching to reinforce the fabric or, alternately, that I serge the edge. I think I can go back and resew the seams at the waist, and correct the problem, but this is a terrible thing to happen after all that work! I guess I need to pull out the old serger and make friends with it again. I haven't used it in years and years (like 10 to 12 years). I only ever used it on one occasion and that was to make some contoured diapers for the baby out of flannel. I made probably 15 diapers and I think dulled the cutting blade, so it probably needs servicing before I can put it into action. I'm actually not even sure where it is! It's gone through four moves since I used it!

Pattern: B5872 (It had some weird construction at the shoulders)

Project Cost: $56 with pattern, fabric, lining, zipper, and Hug Snug

Time: 8 hours

Note to self: Reinforce those seams for delicate fabrics and pull out your serger and make nice with it. You could benefit from some ready to wear techniques to round out your vintage sewing repertoire.

Spring Wardrobe Planning, Part II

Here is another color palette I'm working from which is kind of unrelated to the peach/pinks. I decided to work with what was already in my wardrobe, to expand what was there, rather than start from scratch. This seems a more economical idea, after all... I have an aqua cardigan I bought from Lands End (seen here). Another reason this is an idea that's easy on the wallet is that I'm shopping from my stash. This bird print I bought from a quilting shop in town a couple few years ago. It's a cute organic cotton... and I have a quarter of a yard of coordinating stripes, but what can I do with a quarter yard of anything, but maybe some facings for a pair of shorts or pants??? I plan to make Colette's Sorbetto tank (a freebie pattern) from the bird print... using self fabric for the bias bound edge.

The second fabric is actually a twill curtain that I bought, though I forget when and where... but it has a hole in it, making it unusable as a curtain. Perhaps I can squeeze a pair of shorts out of it? It's a good medium weight twill, perfect for shorts. The third fabric is NOT an economical one. It's silk crepe de chine I bought from Mood Fabrics online, hoping to make a Sorbetto tank that would go with my rust colored linen Legacy Skirt. I didn't bother getting swatches (why oh why not??) and it doesn't coordinate with the skirt at all. It's a good foil for the blue, though, and I can see this tank under my leopard print shrug, looking quite nice with my black beads necklace. Pics after I make some garments from these fabrics, of course!

Progress on Aidez

Blocking... can't wait to wear it. Maybe to Maryland Sheep and Wool? I sort of messed up the trellis on the back, but not many would notice, and I left it there. Feel free to look and see if you can spot the mistake... I dare ya!

An Easter Dress

Hello! I decided to post some pics of my project in progress... it's an Easter dress for one of my daughters. It's in a burnout poly/cotton print that I picked up at JoAnne's recently. It's semi transparent, so some of the "guts" of the dress will be visible from the outside. Read "this might be a disaster". It's the same pattern as The Sorbet Dress, so I've dealt with the difficulties already and should be prepared for them... hopefully!

Cutting out the pattern using the muslin... I fitted this dress to my daughter, and narrowed the waist by three inches. She's a stringbean. A cute one.

And finally, a pic of the hem of the dress, using Hug Snug, just like the Sorbet Dress.

Beach Glass Wool

Just a little teaser... I've been working on this for a couple of weeks now, and it is so fun! It's in chunky wool so it knits up really quickly, and I love the color. I hope it's very warm because it's turning cold and we keep the thermostat at a chilly 63 for thrift's sake.

Something Wonderful

I've finished something astonishingly wonderful. The pride I feel in this sweater is akin, though less than, admittedly, to writing a book, or raising a child! It's a fair isle vest, knit in the round on size 3 needles in fingering weight yarn. It is gorgeous, no... absolutely breathtaking.

The hardest part was the waist shaping combined with the fair isle color work. A straight sided men's vest would have been much less difficult to execute. I DO have one of those in my queue, too. I also have another stranded vest on the needles, but it's a two color damask pattern and much more tedious to knit than this was.  As I said, I knit it in the round, using steeks to dilineate the decreases, and then I cut them with some scissors, picked up the neck and button bands, and knit 10 rows in two by two ribbing to finish it off... I just washed and blocked it yesterday and it's gonna sit on my model for quite a while, I think, till I NEED her for marking a hem or fall comes and I'm wearing it, whichever comes first.

Pattern: Corrie Fair Isle Vest, from Knit Picks

Cost: I can't exactly remember, because I bought this kit years ago, but I think it was in the $30 range... Palette yarn is only about $3.50 per ball, SUPER reasonable.

Time: Hours and hours of time, probably into the mid 40's for hours... but really it was a joy, every row was slightly different and the color changes were fascinating, the patterns wasn't nearly as difficult as it looks.

Note to self: Fair isle is fun, not hard, so do it more often!

Dressform

I have a new model... She's a trooper, I tell ya! Just stands there, modelling my clothes quietly, and she's just my size! Here she is in my new top and skirt... 

And here in my new top and an old skirt that I made two years ago.

These are both Lisette patterns, which aren't difficult to sew at all... the top was actually cut out on Tuesday morning and worn to quiz night at a local pub Tuesday night... of course, someone said it looked like blood spots were on it (sob). It's actually made from Japanese double gauze by Naomi Ito, and a dream to work with... presses beautifully, and has just a tiny bit of bite, I hardly had to pin the straight seams at all! It's thin but not see through, cool, and the prints have that lovely Japanese minimalist aesthetic and refined feel. I bought some that's a wee bit thicker for a summer dress that's coming up soon in the queue. The color of natural muslin, that thick cream color is good for my coloring.

The skirt is a nice cream corduroy... Good for spring or fall, though it's a wee bit short for my taste... perhaps I'll have to fit the next one more carefully at the waist and lengthen a smidge. For there WILL be a next one, the pattern is simple and clean and not difficult to sew. 

I think the buttons are sweet, but I've already replaced the ones I used for a St. Patrick's Day dance.

Patterns:  Both Simplicity, Skirt: 2211, Top: 2245


Cost: Skirt: $20, Top: $26


Time: Skirt: 8 leisurely hours, Top: 6 hours

Making Small Bouquets

My Austen rose, Carding Mill, is blooming again, and my mint is taking over the space beneath some bushes in front of my house... So I thought I'd make a little fresh smelling bouquet to grace my sewing table.

Painting in Color

Painting my dining room counts, I think! Painting the ceiling wasn't THAT hard, but it was a challenge. I think it was worth it!

Project Cost: Martha Stewart Paint Colors: Mushroom 1 gallon Satin, Powder Puff 1 gallon Flat. $28


Time: FOREVER I didn't bother to tape the trim, and it was a LOT of trim


Notes to Self: Find those pretty apricot Lusterwear tea things and get them displayed! Find a new china pattern to collect.

Make and Take

I had a very fun Saturday, this past weekend.  I went to a little cooperative venture for three businesses VERY close in proximity. the Red Thread Shop, where I made a sweet Christmas Ball Cozy in red sock yarn. This was my first beaded knitting project, and it turned out very nicely... I threaded beads onto the yarn before casting on, and then just pulled one up and knit it in, occasionally. The ladies at The Red Thread are very interested in having you sit and knit, stay and hang out... and served warm cider and cookies and coffee. They have a large, convenient range of basic yarns and a small variety of lovely luxury offerings, not to mention a perfectly wonderful place to knit!! 

Next, we had lunch served by Great Harvest Bread Co., which just happens to be next to the Red Thread Shop... I had a Turkey Cobb sandwich, which was delicious... everything I eat there is amazing... annnnnnnndddd, they just happen to have a coffee drink named after the owner of the quilt shop my next projects were constructed in! 


Kelly Ann's Quilting is right across the street from The Red Thread and Great Harvest Bakery. Here, I made a very sweet little woolen brooch with a few sequins and some jingle bells from some beautiful hand dyed wool felt... super soft and luxurious stuff...


I also made this little Christmas Ornament with some craft felt  and sequins and embroidery thread with a jingle bell.... I think I was the only one to really make one of these in the whole group of ladies! I did some hand embroidery and then attached the sequins and sewed on a backing with a simple blanket stitch. This project seems perfect for little seamstresses... I wonder if I could get my kids to do the project, Kelly Ann sent the templates for the felt home with me... very kind!!! 

I also bought a kit for a little table topper in some Christmas fabric that matches my house... It looks simple enough... The quilting fabrics here are GORGEOUS... and they offer machine quilting services, as well: an option for that quilt top I made last summer and never bothered to make a quilt out of...


I had a great day of Making in Color!

Everyday Mitts

Our house is COLD in the winter, warm enough when you're moving about being all domestic, doing housework or cooking, but downright chilly for sitting and knitting or blogging or reading or sewing. SO, I wear mitts in the house... even though my fingers aren't covered, wearing the mitts makes my whole hand warmer which keeps me comfy and the heating bills at a reasonable level. I made these last winter.

I have been on a green and brown kick for a while, so they go with lots of my casual clothes, like the outfit I threw on this morning...

 Since we're being all colorful on my blog, I did my eye makeup to match today, too!

  
Pattern: KIS Mitts by April Klich


Project Cost: Nothing, used scraps from other projects


Time: 3-5 hours, I can't really remember, it was last winter, I know I made the pair in one day.


Note to Self: Great Gift knit!