floral knit top: because i can

Andrea, dear, It's January 21st. Weather.com says it's currently 30°F ("Feels Like: 22°"). So why did you make a short-sleeve floral knit top today? 

Because the fabric arrived in the mail yesterday and it was just too freakin' ADORABLE to wait. Obviously. I wanted to attempt sewing with knits with my serger, so when I spotted 1.5 yards of this jersey on ebay for $7.50  (with free shipping) I snatched it up. I've been digging the orange-and-blue color combination lately, and I liked the scale of these flowers. 

The pattern is Simplicity 2594, view E -- the V-neck. It has three pleats in the shoulder seam and gathers in the center back. Are you wondering why in the world I didn't make View D, the baby pink version with the enormous lace sleeves and neck ribbon? Oh, have to save that one for a real special occasion. 

This top was fast and easy to whip up. I took the advice of the million reviewers of the pattern and didn't even look at the confusing directions for attaching the back yoke/facing and just made it up. I guess they were trying to get you to encase all seams within the yoke facing, but I didn't bother. I didn't even bother to hem the bottom of the shirt because it doesn't fray and I'll only wear it tucked in. Hemming knits has always been a pretty miserable process for me anyway.

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So I made this unseasonal top today, but most of my sewing effort this past week went into making a muslin for the Colette Negroni men's shirt. When I re-picked up this sewing hobby not too long ago, my boyfriend immediately requested I make him a pair of chino pants. Yeah, welt pockets and a fly zip and belt loops and a perfect slim fit. SORRY HONEY BUT NO. I'm no TaylorTailor.

Anyway, I have obliged somewhat and agreed to make him a shirt. I wanted the test version to be wearable if at all possible, so I picked a nice color in cheap cotton broadcloth and worked hard on the details. I used his chest measurement to determine the sizing, but his chest is narrow while his shoulders much broader. After I finally got a fitting in, I was saddened to realize it's too small -- and unfixable at this point. I'll have to start over and make a Medium. Here's the nearly-finished shirt (though still cuffless, with only three buttons, bad pocket buttonhole placement, side seams not flat-felled, and unhemmed):

OH WELL. Have you tried the Negroni for your honi yet?

minoru sew-alone

Oops, I made a Minoru.

How'd that happen? I fully intended to participate in Tasia's Minoru Jacket sew-along, which begins on the Sewaholic blog on Monday the 16th. Darlings, I know that a sew-along means sewing along with your bloggery buddies so you can learn from one another and share your progress and, for once, not wallow in sorrow about how lonely it is to be the only one in your social group with a weird domestic hobby for grandmas-of-yore. But I just couldn't take the wait anymore. Sew-along I didn't; sew-alone I did.

I bought this pattern when it was first released two months ago and I found an appropriate fabric right away, so I've been waiting forrrrrrever to start on it. As the date neared I thought, "Okay, I'll just get myself prepped, take my sweet time and approach everything with care." I did, too! (Meaning, I traced the pattern pieces and read the instructions ahead of time). But next thing I knew I had a finished jacket.

I shortened the collar by about two inches, so it wouldn't stand as tall or flop open quite as wide when the jacket's unzipped. I also added exterior pockets since the pattern doesn't have them. I didn't think it through, though, and just used scrap fabric that was already shaped this way. Kind of weird-looking and not the most practical fit for my hands, but it'll do! There are two extra interior pockets, too, to hold even MORE stuff (most likely candy).

I'm almost afraid to show you my lining because it is SHINY and BRIGHT CHERRY RED. Garish, you could say. I used flannel-backed satin for the lining, even though I'm pretty sure that's a fabric meant for bath robes. It feels luxurious, though, and adds a bit of warmth. I also like blinding people with it.

The jacket fabric is another thrift store score: 4 yards of 60" wool in a tiny baby houndstooth pattern for $8. I think houndstooth looks more like the state of Texas than an actual hound's tooth, but you know me: always analyzing fabric in weird ways just to get a good Google Image out of it.

What do YOU think?

I didn't realize the zipper I bought was the two-way type. How is this possibly useful?:

I actually really like this jacket. I say "actually" because unfortunately I've haven't really liked too much of what I've sewn since I started this blog (with a few exceptions). But this thing is great. It sewed up like a dream and I miraculously didn't make obnoxious mistakes like I usually do, though there are definitely imperfections. The sleeves look too long but I think they're supposed to be like that, if you look at Tasia's version:

The pattern instructions seem to assume some experience on the sewer's part but I was never confused about anything. My first fully lined jacket and I hardly blinked an eye. The elastic waist was kind of tricky to mark, place, weave through and stretch to fit, but it came out okay.

Detail shot of the inside of the front exterior pockets. I lined it with the cherry shiny stuff, too.

Detail shot of the hanging loop on the inside back.

Minoru, you won't be able to handle this 18 degree weather, but I think we'll be alright friends in the end.

If you haven't joined the sew-along but think you want to, there's still time. Tasia plans to have it wrapped up by mid-February, so even if you don't start on Monday I bet you'll be able to finish it by the end. This took me three evenings (and three bobbins - be warned, there's a lot of topstitching). Here's her page with all the Minoru tags so you can see all the related posts.


Oh, and this is important: can someone tell me how to pronounce Tasia? Is it just Ta-sha, or is it Tah-zee-a? Does it rhyme with Asia? Sorry, Tasia.*

*UPDATE: Mystery solved, guys. Tasia stopped by in the comments to clarify; it's pronounced Tass-e-ah. How beautiful!

"flower rock" darling ranges dress

Here she is, my Darling Ranges dress. 

Ever since I saw Paunnet's version of this dress, I knew I wanted one. It's a nice little button-up V-neck dress with half-sleeves finished in elastic.

Yea, we see you, center back crease.

This pattern is by Megan Nielsen, an independent fashion designer and pattern-maker based in the USA. Most of her current patterns are for expecting mamas, but the Darling Ranges Dress is one primarily targeted at... non-mamas? No. Both mamas and non-mamas who just happen to not be... expecting? Why is that so difficult to write? I guess I don't know an appropriate word that means opposite of pregnant. Anyway, Megan designs and sells lovely clothing for cool people like you and me, so go check out her current winter collection.

There's no facing in the bodice (a great thing), and I really liked the way the neckline is finished with bias tape. Yea, bias tape, my nemesis, but I can deal with it when it's only visible on the inside. The fabric I used is black and white rayon from ZinniaSnipSnap on Etsy. The floral pattern reminds me of those sunglasses-clad dancing flowers from the 90s.

Now my Google search history is filled with terms like "battery-operated dancing wiggle flowers in sunglasses with tiny instruments." What else is new. They still make these things in Japan, of course -- the world capital of questionably cute and completely useless robotic toys. They're called "Flower Rock," in case you're interested.

The pattern doesn't call for interfacing in the button placket. It just so happened that the day I was working on it, I received the Colette Patterns "Snippet" (weekly sewing tip) in my e-mail. It was about, guess what?, interfacing buttonholes. It said, "Not all patterns suggest interfacing buttonholes, but it's an important step to take [to prevent sagging]." I was like, "Is this a test?" So, I interfaced my buttonholes. I hope you're happy, Sarai!

Okay, she seems pretty happy.

Somehow I cut the bodice too short, so it's now kind of an empire-waisted dress. I'm not a fan of empire waists, so I'll mostly wear this dress with a thicker belt that creates the illusion of a lower waistline. This dress is comfy as all get-out, btw.

The fabric isn't sheer, but since it's white I thought a skirt lining would be a good idea. Plus I'm sick of making unlined skirts that stick to my tights as I walk (mustard skirt, I'm talking to you). I simply cut the same skirt pattern in the lining fabric, stitched it together at the sides, then attached it to the skirt at the top when I machine-basted the gathering stitches. 

Hey, serged edges! My new serger and I have gotten along so far, but every time I go to Joann's they're always completely out of black and white serger thread. I was too anxious to get started on this dress so I just used the black I already had. It's probably a no-no on white fabric, but I don't think it's that noticeable from the right side.

I want to make a sleeveless version in a darker color next!


Tell me: is this pattern in your stash yet? Get on it!
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linked to: sew country chick
and
Threading My Way women's dress link-up

a bit o' bloggery braggery

Aw, BurdaStyle, you shouldn't have! But I'll let you.

That's my blue dress in the middle there, as a "featured member project." This was from 12/30/11 - and of course I took a screen shot of it. I wasn't going to toot my own horn about it on my blog or anything, but then I saw this tonight:

That's my green "neverland" blouse (bottom right)! Well shucks, two features in two weeks. Granted, they're bottom-bar features but I ain't mad. Maybe one day I'll have a real bangin' garment that will show as the top main photo slideshow on Burda's homepage as the "member project of the week" or "HANDPICKED BEST PROJECT OF 2000-2050 OR MAYBE EVER." I need to step my game up. But first, baby Burda steps. I like it.

Last week or so I also noticed that one of the main traffic sources to my blog was an Israeli website, and finally today I went there to see how I could possibly be being promoted over yonder. Turns out a crafty blogger across the sea tried my round pintuck pillow tutorial (twice!) and was quite successful! I'm thrilled -- no one had told me they tried it yet. Her finished pillows are great. One in gray corduroy:

And one in floral cotton:

The direct link to her original post is here. It's in Hebrew but you can try to use Google Translate, or just look at the pretty photos. Anyway, feels good to know I offered some creative inspiration to someone halfway across the world. My pillow design was based off the Urban Outfitters' velvet pintuck pillow, the cool retro throwback pillow that costs $34. I still see the original Urban pillow everywhere (most recently on Elsie's living room tour) so I'm pretty chuffed that I figured out how to make such a hot commodity myself! See how I did it here.

New project photos tomorrow, I hope. It's pretty darling (hint? no?).

sew ablazin': simplicity 2250 jacket

The title of this post is supposed to be a play on "so amazin'." I sewed a blazer! That's kind of amazing. It's the simplest of all blazers, but it's still pretty blazin'.

Sorry for all the camera noise in these photos. Dark brown is difficult to photograph, especially when it's gray and snowing outside, in my already dark apartment. Waa waa.

This is the jacket from Simplicity 2250. Yea, that Cynthia Rowley sundress-from-hell pattern. You probably have this in your pattern stash, don't you? Maybe you somehow even managed to make this dress. Kudos.

The dress is definitely cute, but I gave up after having cut out all 15 pieces, 11 of which are for the bodice alone. I tried the first few steps but then realized that the instructions have you piece it together in the mirror image from how it is on the model (or maybe I'm an idiot), so I was all flustered. That fabric ended up becoming something else, and I ventured on to make the jacket pattern instead.

Cynthia Rowley headache

I actually made it in gray suiting fabric a long time ago so this is my second attempt. The first one was too big and my bias binding was a mess. This chocolate brown one's STILL slightly too big and my bias binding is STILL a mess, but at least it's better. I'm wondering why I can never sew on bias tape like a proper seamstress. I put together the jacket in a day. but spent probably a week (!!) fixing all the little sections of my binding where my stitches didn't catch both sides, or it was uneven, or too wavy, or stretched in wonky ways. I just have to accept that it'll never be perfect.

It's supposed to have a fabric belt but it didn't seem practical to use a fabric belt with a wool blazer. You know what else is not practical? Making this jacket in wool -- oops. I used a lightweight wool (thrifted, $8 for three yards!), but this jacket pattern is unlined so I'm a bit itchy in it. I'll try not to complain too much. Or just wear it over garments that have longer sleeves, like my zig zag Lisette dress in the first photos. Or add sleeve lining! Yeah right.

I think I keep clutching at the front panels to keep it looking fitted, because it ain't too flattering how it fans out in the back. It seems like it's too big, but I think that's just how it's designed. It has side panels, after all.

My pattern tweaks: added two inches to the overall length, and shortened/tightened the sleeves so they can be bunched up around my elbows.

new years eve... tunic?

via 

Happy 2012, everyone. We made it! I hope your New Years Eve was filled with champagne and dancing (if you're into that), and your New Years Day has been filled with...naps (if you're into that). I woke up this morning to blustering winds, no power, a downed wire in the back yard, and fallen tree limbs that cracked the chain link fence. I thought, "The end is here, and I never even got to try a Colette pattern." All is well, though.

So, I unfortunately ended 2011 with a failed garment. I decided to make a last-minute dress for our NYE party and began working on it New Years Eve Eve. I didn't have a pattern that seemed right, so I made something up that wouldn't need a zipper, facing, lining, bias tape, set-in sleeves, or anything requiring skill, dexterity or patience of any kind. I felt okay with how it was coming along and then... whoops... chop goes the scissors. Front and back:

Uh, yea, my cool new "dress" ended up being a weird & shiny TUNIC. It's above mid-thigh, which is too short for my taste so I declared it unwearable. I'm sure some leggy ladies could pull it off, but this lightweight fabric cinched by a waist belt rides up like crazy on me. Not good for dancing or, you know, raising my glass to toast.

I don't even know if this fabric is my style. It's one of those polyester materials that's labeled as a "silky print" at the fabric store. It was 60% off so I thankfully only paid $2.99/yd, or $5.98 total. The woman cutting it thought it looked like snake skin, but I prefer to think it's cobblestone, or tetris blocks. Orrrr maybe it just looks like confetti at a Halloween parade. 

So I rushed out at 6pm yesterday and snatched up a shiny blue skirt on sale at a local boutique so I'd have something to wear to the party. I could have tacked on some length in the waist or on the bottom of this dress, but I ran out of time. I could still do that but I honestly don't know where else I'd wear this dress. I could make it a blouse that I tuck into black skirts...? What do you think? Is it worth saving?

If you're concerned about that odd dark square on my chest/shoulder, it's just my new tat. Temporary tat. A party favor from last night that I have yet to wash off because I've been too busy sleeping and staring googly-eyed at the Internet all day.

Best wishes to you and yours for a year of perfectly marked hem lengths.

fit for royalty: burda 7376

Well, not quite, but I do love my new royal blue dress. 

Or is it purple? I can't be sure, but it's lovely either way. The pattern is Burda Style 7376... the first Burda pattern (magazine, pdf or print) I've ever used, but it was so easy to make I'm almost embarrassed I used a pattern at all. Good thing I bought it for only $2.99 or whatever when JoAnn was having a rare Burda sale. I figured with such a simple yet elegant design, there'd be a lot of these circulating the blogosphere, but I only found two (Byrdie Couture and Carry on Dancing). Two seems like a scant number compared to the thousands of Colette Ginger skirts out there. I'm a regular ole trailblazer.

This dress has NO closures. Rad. It has a V-front and back, so it's easy to slip over the head. From there it's just a tent shape. The only other design elements are the tucks on the shoulders and the two back darts for better fit. There's also the waist tie that's supposed to be sewn into the back darts, but I eliminated that in case I wanted to wear a dressier belt. Mine's also a couple inches shorter than the dress was meant to be. My favorite thing about this dress is that I can wear it for almost any occasion or season, depending on simple changes in styling and accessories.

I made the front neck about an inch lower than the pattern. It looked fine on the model's dress on the pattern envelope, but the model's tunic neckline looked much higher so I was afraid it'd turn out that way. I like how the V looks straight on, but the interfacing and front facing make the top heavy enough to gape easily, so I will have to wear a camisole.

The fabric is challis of some kind -- I think rayon, not cotton. I would completely adore it were it not for the wrinkle factor. After a 45-minute car ride I was pretty rumpled. But, it's the perfect weight, texture, softness and drape for this kind of dress. And the color is bomb.

...Eyeing a pedestrian on the sidewalk out front, hoping they won't catch me hovering in my doorway for seemingly no reason. I hate posing right there, but the rest of my apartment is as dark as the dickens.


project linked to sew country chick

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In other news, yesterday I welcomed a new baby Brother into my life.

This thing is just as mysterious to me as real human infants are. Wish me luck!