Rainy Day

My yellow shorts have needed an invisible zipper for a month now and last night I sat down, quickly hand-basted it down, then sewed it in without any problems. It took me maybe thirty minutes. Why do I out off simple tasks? And it's not like that's my first zipper either. I've installed my fair share.

The Sewing Summit is this weekend.

I'm a bit nervous, but mostly excited. Since I'm a local I decided to just go on Saturday. I've registered for two blogging/social media/photography classes and two technique classes. I'm sure I'll learn a lot and hopefully meet some new friends! I feel quite isolated in my creative hobbies and as a result mistakenly think that my interests are weird.

Besides feeling anxious about upcoming events, I've been putting together fall/winter sewing and knitting plans. Whenever I do this the plan snowballs. I'm trying to really limit myself and be realistic. I'm thinking about sewing two small collections, four to fives pieces each. One will be black, white, grey and teal. The other will consist of browns, mustard and oranges. 

My stash isn't completely out of hand, but over the years I've acquired a collection of fabric and yarn. I have several fabrics that I'll be using in my mini-collections, but there is a teal wool crepe (for a dress) and teal coating that will be purchased shortly. I think it's a really pretty, flattering color so I'm excited to add it to my closet!

I'm trying to finish Kaide as soon as possibly because I'm already losing steam and want to start something else. The first sleeve is halfway done. Oooh yeah, I have a long way to go. As a public knitter I have this conversation often:

They don't really want to learn.

Just kidding!

Hot Patterns Sleepwear

 After sharing a few pieces that need work, I wanted to share something that I made and love. After I sorted out some fit issues (more on that below), the sewing part was relatively quick. It was completed in May except for the ruffle. I didn't want to use my machine to attach it because the bias tape looked so pretty! Months later I hand-stitched the ruffle on. I'm glad I put in the extra effort. So here's another warm weather piece finished just in time for fall!

Pattern: Hot Patterns - 1093 Boudoir Of Bliss Ooh Yeah Baby-Doll

Mods: I traced off the pattern and made a muslin. The result was a lunch lady apron. The front piece was then slashed, spread, taped and glued. I have no idea what size I even cut out. The resulting pattern piece says 'custom fit based on muslin.' That is not very helpful information. Anyway, I will be very sad if I lose these pattern pieces because the fit is perfect.

The shorts were a size 8, but turned out so huge that I took in the side seams by TWO INCHES.

Fabric: Cotton batiste from Mood. I bought it there during my first-ever trip to New York a few years ago. It was an overwhelming experience.

Skirts!

At the beginning of the summer I had this great idea. I thought that if I sewed a few cute skirts then I would wear those instead of fishing shorts. Well, I made the skirts and still wore the shorts. I need some help with styling.

Pattern: McCall's 6333

Mods: Initially I added 4" to this pattern. When all was said and done, I lopped of two of the inches and took up a 2" hem. I'm 5'9" for reference. The instructions made me a little bit crazy and the only helpful thing I can say is this: Sew the elastic lines on the waistband accurately and don't serge/sew the elastic when attaching the skirt to the waistband. This will make you crazy. There will be weird, uneven bunching and you'll have to tear the entire thing apart.

Fabric: I used a linen (blend?) from Hancock Fabrics. I need to stop with the super-wrinkly cheap linen.

Because of the aforementioned stress and trauma, I sort of gave up when it came time to match stuff up. The pleated section does not match up perfectly with the flat waistband. Whatever. For the hem I just serged the bottom, then did a not-so-blind hem. I think it looks nice. Next time (there probably will be a next time!) I would insert the pockets into the side seam instead of the front panel. They are kind of awkward and I really like putting my hands in pockets. Otherwise I'm not sure what to do with them.

Pattern: Wiksten skirt
Mods: None! I think I made an XS because I wanted it to be high-waisted, but it turned out too small.
Fabric: Cotton chambray from Nuttall's - purchased during my brief stint working there.

The buttons aren't centered and I haven't sewn a tab at the top. I'll wear this more often when those things are fixed.

 

Pattern: Kwik Sew 3830 - View B

Mods: None. I think it's a size small.

Fabric: Lightweight denim

I really enjoyed making this skirt and think it's cute, but it's doing some really weird things at the waist. I think I need to take out some elastic. 

 

Pattern: Simplicity 2413 (OOP??)

Mods: None. Size 8

Fabric: Black cotton twill from Joann's

I love the idea of a tulip/pegged skirt, but this skirt does some weird poofing. The back is kind of a mess. Maybe because my hands were in the pockets? I don't think it's super flattering either.

Reading back over my post I notice a consistent theme - I don't like my skirts and they aren't flattering. Am I just not a skirt girl?? This fall I'm going to make pants and see how often those make it out of the closet. Sewing is so frustrating because even when I take my time and do a really good job, the fit could be completely off. Or the style all wrong. I started this blog in order to make better decisions about patterns and fabrics. It's already helping!

You might be wondering why my shorts are not done. I'll leave you with this:

Fit Issues and Muslins

One of the reasons I sew is to get a nicely fitted garment. I actually enjoy the process of altering patterns and making muslins. Here are a couple of tanks that I was testing out.

I forgot to do the exposed bias trim on the armholes. Oops!

I like to topstitch so the band lays flat.

Pattern: the ubiquitous Sorbetto
Mods: Size 2 with a 1/2" fba. I had to add a bottom band because it was too short. Next time I'll slash the pattern near the top and add about 1/8." The bust darts are a bit too high.
Fabric: Cheap-o fake linen from Joann's. I should've ironed this, but it seriously wrinkles so fast that I'm not sure it even matters.

I'm not sure I'll wear this on its own. The darts really bother me. Paired with a lightweight cardi, it might look cute in the spring.

I read the Sorbetto instructions first and loved the idea of doing exposed bias trim.

Quick n' dirty hem. I do these often.

Pattern: Tiny Pocket Tank
Mods: Size 4 with a 3/4" FBA. I left off the pocket because the poly fabric was impossible to deal with.
Fabric: Polyester heavy gauze stuff that I probably bought from Joann's.

Taking pictures has really helped me objectively assess my finished pieces. I didn't like the white tank top because of the fabric and color, but pictured here it's not so bad, right? 

It's practically October and I'm still sewing summer-y clothes. I need to come up with some solid fall sewing plans. I'm thinking a double-knit sheath dress, pants, knit tops and a coat would round out my wardrobe nicely.

WIPS to the MAXXX

I like starting projects. Finishing them is fine and all, but nothing beats the rush of beginning something new.

I'm mostly kidding, but I do get distracted very easily.

Beatnik is blocked with sewn shoulder seams and I'm currently picking up stitches for the collar. This is the worst part. While Beatnik was blocking I thought it would be safe to just swatch for Kaide. Well, the swatch didn't take long, so shouldn't I just cast on? No, no I probably shouldn't have. The pattern seemed to have errors, not a soul on Ravelry has started this sweater and my gauge was way off. I messaged the designer, then decided to go for it.

I think she's going to turn out fine.

Even though I'm using Berocco Vintage Chunky and size 10 needles (smaller than called for), the back will block to about 20 inches so I'll still have a sweater coat.

A while ago I saw this necklace from TopShop:

It was listed for $85. I thought that was absurd. Fast forward many months, some tears, probably $30 and I'm only halfway there.

cobalt!

I have a little helper.

So one side is done. That's it. I thought it would be so cute with a white v-neck and my yellow shorts.

Lastly, a really simple chain and seed bead necklace. I see similar stuff to this on Etsy all of the time. When I get sick of knitting hopefully I'll be able to make a few more pieces. I bought the chain and findings at Joann's. It lays down nicely when I wear it. Action photos to come!

Fall!

It's here! Our A/C is no longer running all day and I wake up with freezing extremities. This is good news. Of course I have HUGE fall sewing and knitting plans that I definitely won't be able to keep up with. The front of Beatnik is almost done, so hopefully I can block it today and sew it up this weekend. As soon as it's finished I'm going to get started on Kaide. It's almost over the top, but I really love the design and hope the dark gray yarn I'm using tones it down a bit.

Also, I ordered the Clover pants pattern from Sunni at A Fashionable Stitch so I can participate in the upcoming sewalong. Sarai has already made several suuuper cute pairs. There are a few bottomweights in my stash that would be appropriate for Clover, so hopefully I resist the temptation to buy something else. I have a cheap, herringbone, dark grey suiting that might be kind of cute.

No, my shorts are not done. But I almost have a sweater AND I've been making jewelry (i.e stringing seed beads). I'll post that later. With pictures.

Beatnik Progress

My shorts are soooo close to being finished. I just need to insert the invisible zipper and decide on the hem length. Instead of quickly finishing them up, I've been really distracted by fall knitting.

I started Beatnik a month ago, set it aside after screwing up and have since picked it back up. As of this morning I have the back and one sleeve finished. I'm really excited about this sweater and hope it turns out nicely.

Here are some other sweaters that are in my queue:

 

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