Laurel Ideas

So these may not be the best pictures, but they get the idea across. When the Laurel pattern first came out, I started dreaming up different ways to use the pattern because it's such a nice, simple starting point. I'd really love to make another version or two for fall/winter, especially in a tunic or dress length. I'm still working on that whole stashbusting thing, though, so I need to get myself in gear to use up some more stashed fabric instead of buying more. I have to confess, I did buy fabric for a maxi dress that I made but haven't photographed yet. It was something I couldn't make with stashed fabric, though, and was something I "needed" for a wedding and for a vacation - so that's my excuse.

Colette Truffle

I cannot believe it's April already. We had to deal with some health stuff in January/February (everything's fine now, but it kind of absorbed all my time and attention), and March was just a chance to settle back down. I finally got back to the sewing machine, and I finally finished and WORE my Truffle dress!

It was originally supposed to be my dress for a Delfeayo Marsalis Octect concert, but it became my dress for a Wynton Marsalis with JLCO concert. The concert and the dress each had a long process. I'd heard Wynton Marsalis was going to be in the area this March and knew my husband had been wanting to see him. However, the tickets to the local concert were sold out to subscribers before they even went on sale to the general public. It was such a bummer! Then in December, I was looking online and saw there was a show added in Napa! So I bought those tickets right away. We went to dinner at Celadon beforehand, and it was good. If you're looking for a  The concert was at the Napa Valley Opera House, which was built around 1880, closed down in the early 1900's, and renovated 10 years ago. It's a small, pretty venue. It was a very fun date.

The dress itself:

As I mentioned, this was supposed to be worn to a different concert way back in October. I got fed up with it and didn't pull it back out until last month. All it needed was a hem for the lining and a wash to remove the stabilizer.

Details

Fabric: 3 yards Silk georgette from Mood, self-dyed silk crepe de chine from Dharma Trading used to underline bodice (1 yard, 12 mm, 55") and to line skirt (1 yard, 16 mm, 55")

Pattern Changes: Fit alterations. I changed the bodice front darts to angled French darts. Added a lining to the skirt. Underlined the bodice, omitted lining, added all-in-one facing. Changed zipper to side; made back bodice one piece.

New &/or Improved Techniques: I handrolled the hem on the skirt lining - not very well, mind you, but you can't see it and I wanted to practice. First time sewing with silk - Sullivan's stabilizer helped. First time underlining; I hand-basted quite a bit and it was a little tricky to keep everything where I wanted it but I think it worked out.

What I Like: The silk! I don't know that I've ever really worn silk, but I quite like it. And the color is very pretty. The drape/ruffle is fun.

What I'd Change: The fit as far as the darts go.The zipper isn't great - I did a machine lapped zipper on the side and it doesn't lie flat (I blame the georgette's "bounce") but it's better than my last lapped zip! The fabric doesn't really work well with the bodice - that "bounce" that the georgette has makes the darts a little pokey, plus I didn't adjust them to the right spot. The muslin looked fine but they're not quite right in the silk. And I didn't take my time with the hems (they aren't even doubled on the drape, it's just a single press up) and they're going to fray. I also misaligned the drapey part of the skirt and kind of tacked it up, which you can see where it starts angling out from the waist. It's not as noticeable when I wear it.

A cardigan covers the dart issues and gives me a chance to wear my new-to-me vintage sweater guard! So in the end, it's a good-enough dress that feels nice to wear, and I feel like I learned a lot making it.

Wooly Jacket, Part 2

I knew I had more pictures of this jacket. I finally found them in a different folder on my computer. I realized I like this jacket with a longer shirt, as shown here. I wore it the other day with one that just came to the top of my jeans and didn't like the look quite so much. Funny how proportions change the look of something so much.

SSPC 2012: Pastille Dress - DONE!

My sister-in-law gave me The Colette Sewing Handbook for Christmas, and I highly recommend it. There are reviews about it all over the place, so check those out if you want more info. It's full of great tips and very clear writing, plus it includes five patterns. I decided to start with the Pastille dress, which is a fitted cap-sleeved dress with three horizontal tucks near the hem. I used a pink cotton with a red and white feedsack style print that I bought from a local fabric store.

Why, yes, I *do* feel awkward taking pictures of myself!

I haven't done a whole lot of pattern adjusting before, but I needed to adjust this one. I liked all the cutting, moving, adjusting, and most of all - getting results. I tissue fit to figure out how much to take out for the SBA I needed, and I made the muslin with those changes. Then I just sewed the whole thing with 1" seam allowances so I could let out anywhere I needed to. I did not test the skirt at all. I realized at the end that the waistline needs to be adjusted a little bit, so I may test it all in the future.

The main adjustments I made were the SBA, taking some length out, especially in the back bodice (although it still needs quite a bit more taken out), and straightening the skirt a little. It had quite a pronounced outward curve around the hips.

The other change I made was to redo the sleeves. I sewed them up as drafted, but ended up carving a good slice out of the outer edge to make them shorter and change the curve a little. They just weren't fitting correctly over my shoulders. I will most likely change them more significantly if/when I make this pattern again.

I made my first lapped zipper on this dress! This dress was designed with a centered zipper already, so I made a centered back lapped zip. I could (and probably will) move it to the side next time. I feel like it's kind of conspicuous right there, and I certainly need more practice with those. I must have had it misaligned, because I have a weird fold/crease at the bottom and I managed to make the top edges not line up at all. I did not want to redo it, so I'm living with it.

That zipper is one of the reasons (excess back length being the other main one) why I like this dress much better with a cardigan.

I will probably wear it without one also, because I want to be able to wear it during the summer.

Besides the general awkwardness, I was using a different camera and not sure of its timing...

And in other news, my Alabama Chanin skirt is *THIS* close to being done! I just need to attach the waistband elastic, which I'm going to do tonight (probably while watching Once Upon a Time). I also have my 80's pattern t-shirt all cut out, and I'm re-fitting my Clovers as shorts - hopefully a wearable muslin. I ordered a few things from Fashion Fabrics Club, and lo and behold they didn't send me any thread, including the Woolly Nylon I was hoping to use on my knits, or the blue knit for the McCall's shirt. So I need to see what else I can find now. But I'm still making progess!

SSPC 2012: Pomegranate Voile Dress and Update

I've completed 3 of my Spring/Summer Palette Challenge items so far; I've already posted about the PJ pants, I finished my Pastille dress this weekend (details to come), and I finally fixed my voile dress.

I made this dress last summer in anticipation of our trip to Europe. I used McCall's 5388, a shirt pattern, and just added length (using view D without sleeves) straight down to make it into a shift-style dress. I usually wear it belted to give it some shape, but I wore it yesterday loose and it was so comfortable. Now that it fits better, I don't mind the looser look.

I made a different view of this shirt WAY back when I just started sewing. I'm still a relative newbie, but I think that was actually my first garment. It was a mess; it's a very wide style and I used a quilting cotton that was NOT a good fabric to use, so I think I wore it once or twice and then stuck it in my use-this-for-fabric pile (do you save old clothes for their fabric? I don't always, but depending on the item I do). When I made this version, I chose an Anna Maria Horner voile (Diamond Mind in pomegrante), which was a much better choice.

I still think there might be too much ease in this pattern, but like I said, it's comfortable. The main problem I had with both versions was that the armholes were just TOO TIGHT. I lengthened the straps on both of them, but not enough. Besides, the neckline was hitting at the right place; the problem was the the bottom of the armscye was too shallow. So the other night I unpicked the bias binding, chopped a good inch out of the deepest part (and kind of eyeballed rounding it up so I still had a round-ish armhole), and sewed lace hem tape around the new and improved edges. I didn't feel like finding my scraps of voile, figuring out if I had enough for new binding, and recutting it all. It worked out fine. And best of all, my dress now fits around the top. It doesn't pull and bunch up under my arms. It's a weird feeling to have such a loose garment feel so tight.

OLD version - not the greatest pics but all I could find

NEW version, also not the greatest pic but at least you can see the dress

I'm glad to be making progress! A bunch of my fabric just got shipped yesterday (from Fashion Fabrics Club, it took a full week to even leave their warehouse - here's hoping everything arrives correctly), and I have the fabric for my 80's tshirt, from Girl Charlee - which was very quick with the shipping and the fabric looks just like I thought it would:

It's super soft and a little sheer so I'll have to layer but I quite like it.

Pyjama Party!

Pyjama Party time - I got my PJ's done! (About an hour ago...) They aren't the best thing I've ever made but hey, they're pyjamas. They're comfy and have pretty flowers on them, so the pretty much meet my requirements. Also, pink and blue fit right into my Spring/Summer Palette, not on purpose - 1st item for the Challenge done! And I've been working on bits and pieces of the other items and have fabric in the mail (well, hopefully in the mail...). So yay for sewing!

I didn't use a pattern per se, I just traced an old pair (if you look closely you can see the holes in those purple PJ pants).

I just laid them on top of the new fabric - a blue flannel with pink flowers, 1-1/2 yds, on sale for $2.50/yd or something like that - and added seam allowances with a hem gauge. I just marked every 4 inches or so down the length of the legs, and closer around the curves. Note to self (or anyone doing this): take out the elastic before you trace. It's very hard to get a big enough waist otherwise and you may have to hack it to make them wearable.... um... yeah. You may notice a pink gingham inset on my final pair. Way too small at first. Then I kind of twisted and did weird things when folding the waistband over for the elastic, but whatever. It works.

Final product:

Yay for soft comfy PJ's! I want to make another pair in a cooler cotton - I love flannel but with the weather heating up I don't see them getting much wear until fall. Now I'm off to check out the other pyjamas!

Wooly Jacket

Way back when, I decided I wanted to use this pattern - Cynthia Rowley-Simplicity 2443 - to make a little jacket. I wasn't in love with it as designed, and you can see my inspiration on my mood board. I changed a few things around and this was the final result:

I used a poly/wool/silk blend that I got on sale at JoAnn and fully lined it in a cotton jacquard from Denver Fabrics. I didn't want to spend much on the fabric because I had no idea how it would turn out. I don't know if I followed the procedure correctly but I semi-bagged the lining (I think?), referencing this Threads article.

I realized this is the first thing I've made that I really like. I'll probably add buttons at some point (the thought of adding the buttonholes is stopping me), but there aren't any significant changes that it needs. The construction could be better, but that comes with practice.

Plain sleeves

Lessons and techniques:

• Restyling a pattern: I basically left off all the extras - no pockets, no tabs, no ribbons, no d-rings. That plus the sleeve changes really made it look different.
• Drafting/revising sleeves: I based them off a different pattern, because I didn't want them to be quite so puffy, a little longer, and... see the next point.
• Working with the fabric: The sleeves as drafted wouldn't have worked well with this fabric especially with the lining. The outer fabric is pretty loosely woven (and ravels), so I added a lining with a lot of body to give it some structure.
• Adding a lining: I used the included facings and then used the body pattern pieces for the rest of the lining. I don't know when/if I was supposed to convert the front darts to gathers or anything like that but I pretty much just constructed a second jacket and stuck it inside out inside of the first one.
• Follow directions: I messed up on attaching the sleeve lining to the outer sleeves and ended up just slip stitching them together at the sleeve hems. I would have caught this if I did everything in the order I was supposed to.

All in all, though, I like this. It fits me better than the other things I've made and I don't have plans to alter it. (My Spring/Summer Challenge is half alterations and UFO's.) I thought I had a picture of me wearing it but it looks like I deleted all of them... they were very blurry. I'll update if I remember to take one. UPDATE: Found them! More photos here.

Spring & Summer Palette Challenge 2012

It's time for Colette's Spring/Summer Palette Challenge 2012! I may still be updating things from the Fall Challenge, but that's cool, right?

Mood boards are funny things. I start making one and then tend to gather together the things I'll actually use and/or make instead of inspirational items. I love seeing everyone's mood boards (Caitlin's is especially pretty and Sarai's is so fresh and summery) and I love gathering ideas and inspiration (Pinterest, anyone?). But I like to have a visual plan and that's what I always end up making. I'm leaning towards blues, coral pink, and red colorwise, and trying to build in some items I need in my everyday wardrobe. Here's what I'll be working on:

I'm planning on five "full" items and five "fix it or finish it" items (and may need to extend the "8 weeks" idea):

1. Pastille dress in coral-y pink feedsack print - Colette Patterns
2. Bright blue Clovers - Colette Patterns
3. Cream/red bird print t-shirt - Simplicity 5133
4. Navy blue shirt - McCall's 6031
5. PJ pants - self-drafted - part of the Did You Make That Pyjama Party!

6. Grey Clovers - Colette Patterns
7. Pomegranate voile dress - McCall's 5388
8. Blue roses skirt - Alabama Chanin
9. Chambray dress - Lisette Traveler - Simplicity 2246
10. Skirt from dress fail (was Simplicity 2443)

I'll share some details on these later. I still have projects from the Fall Challenge to share! (Actually, that last skirt IS from the Fall Challenge...)

Thrift Share Monday

I actually found these two weekends ago, but Monday was, well, Monday and slipped right on by without a post. I dug through the pattern box at a local thrift share a few weeks ago and didn't find anything. This time, I found 3 patterns that a) I liked and b) were the right size, or close to it.

They're all Simplicity, clockwise from left: 7167 (2002 button up shirts), 5133 (1981 knit shirts), and 8193 (1969 A-line dress with collar). I can't wait to make the 60's dress - wouldn't it be cute in a lace or eyelet? I also got some wide hem facing and a purple linen shirt. Total cost for all that: $2.

I also found instruction sheet for Butterick 4818 inside one of the other pattern papers. It's another 60's dress, and it has an interested curved seam and button detail.

I should add that this post is linked up to Thrift Share Monday here.

Pink Jersey Maxi Skirt

Way back when, I mentioned this skirt I was going to make. I did finish making it, and I've worn it a few times, but only recently got pictures and only even more recently put said pictures on the computer. All that to say, here it is:

I haven't been exactly sure how to style it, and honestly it's not my favorite thing. I did like this outfit, though. I think the issue is that I didn't make it wide enough. It's a super simple skirt, with two layers (joined at the top as if you were seaming two pieces into one big one), just one seam up the back and elastic at the waist. I think I may try to refashion it into something shorter with more fullness. It's comfortable, though, and I may try something similar in the future. Also, I created a funny little fishtail train thing at the back, because I sort of angled out the seam (if you can make it out through the blurriness):

I didn't exactly mean to do that but didn't think about how the fabric would drape when put together like that. I don't really mind it, though. Anyways, there's proof that I DID finish things from my autumn challenge!

Autumn Color 2011 Weeks 5 and 6

Well, I'm making progress on the challenge, but nothing is entirely finished. My rose skirt now has 3 out of the 4 panels stitched - after that I just have to cut away the centers of the appliques and actually assemble the skirt. I like to think that I'm 3/4 of the way done, but obviously that's not really accurate.

I also tea-stained the pink fabric I got for a jersey maxi skirt, because it was a little brighter than I'd wanted. I also decided I should probably get more fabric because it's a little bit sheer, so I ordered yardage in a different shade that's hopefully much closer to what I really wanted. Once it gets here, I'll decide for sure, but I think I'll make the skirt in two layers, with this one on the inside and the new fabric on the outside.

Before...

After

I also crocheted this scarf, in a yarn that I bought up in Truckee in January, but I can't remember just what it is... I need to look for the wrap thing, I usually keep those. I do know that it's handpainted, and it's such a gorgeous blend of colors... sort of a smoky blue, rusty orange, eggplant, cranberry, and a creamy white, plus a million other shades that exist where two or more colors overlap, like a deep purple that I'm pretty sure isn't an individual color, just the red and blue combining. It's perfectly autumnal. It's not done, though - I need to fasten it off and decide how I want the ends to connect - it's not exactly a scarf, it's more of a cowl that needs some sort of closure.

And then there are (always) a ton of other projects that I start to plan, or wish I had time for, etc etc. And things I need to finish, like altering my Traveler dress, lining my hoodie, making a dog bed... and making pillows from that Michael Miller fabric up with the pink jersey. I love that fabric. Hmm, the list keeps getting longer. Never shorter. Why is that?

And then there was MY anniversary gift...

For our anniversary this year, my husband bought me a Kindle! I haven't used it much yet, because I was trying to finish Lonesome Dove - that book is almost 900 (!) pages, but since I borrowed it from the library, I only had 3 weeks to read it. I kept it, um, longer than 3 weeks, but I finally returned it today. Still didn't finish... I think I'm just going to buy it used.

Anyways. What I really wanted to share was the case I sewed up for the Kindle. Ignore the blurriness of the pictures - the only day I actually remembered to take pictures, by the time I got home and took them it was getting dark and my camera wasn't liking that.

I used a black and cream, large houndstooth print, home decor weight fabric that I bought a long time ago as a remnant. I lined it with wool felt from a failed Christmas tree skirt project (also used in my wreath). FYI, if you try to felt felt (re-felt it? extra-felt it?) it might come out a bit ruffly and wavy. I tried to iron it, block it, etc and nothing really worked. Small pieces are OK, but nothing big. It is nice and thick, though, so it was perfect to give some protection here.

I'm rather proud of just how nicely the Kindle fits. It's snug but not tight, completely different than my past attempts at similar things. I tried to make a little case for my cell phone (at least two or three times) and it always came out way too small. WAY too small. This came out nicely, though. Snug and cozy... nice and autumn-y.

Little Things for Little People

As I mentioned, I've been making things that aren't for me, which takes time from making things for myself... but I like doing it. Plus, I have fabric for myself on its way to my house as we speak, so...

I already shared the sweater I made (and the, um, half a sweater I have sitting here). The next thing, which finally got mailed last week, is for our friends' kids. Inspired by these felt flash cards from Sew Much Ado, I made a pair of full alphabet + numbers 0-9.

I used grey felt for the backgrounds, a rainbow of colors for the letters and numbers - red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, and white - and a multicolored thread to sew the letters and numbers on. The stitching around each piece is basic grey to match the felt. The curves were a little tricky on some of the letters, maybe just because I'm not used to sewing felt and it moves differently under the presser foot than fabric. Overall it was a fairly simple project, just took a while to complete. I did things in batches; a group of letters, then a long pause, then another set, etc. I also ran out of grey at the very end. I used yardage for the grey instead of buying a bunch of sheets of felt, and I ended up one sheet's worth short. Of course, that's easy enough to buy, but beware that depending on how well you cut the felt, if you use yardage you might end up a little short. I used a rotary cutter but still had some narrow pieces that wouldn't work, either due to my measuring and cutting or due to discrepancies in the felt itself, I don't know.

I didn't mess with the grommets from the original, but I did make simple little bags to put them in.

 
I also added a few books to the box, and a little blanket for their baby girl. I somehow forgot to take pics of the blanket; I was sure I had already done that but I can't find any... you can sort of see it through the tissue in this picture:

The front is a brown flannel with multicolored hearts on it; the backing is a green dotted minky. That minky... so soft but such a pain to sew. I'm sure I'll use it again, but this was my first time and I didn't quite realize what it would be like. Any tips to make it easier are welcome!

Also, I've decided to switch out the plaid Traveler dress for a jersey maxi skirt for the Fall Challenge. I'm still planning on making the dress, and I ordered the fabric, but right now the ETA is mid-October. I also ordered a rosy pink jersey, so that will let me stay with my goal of 3 items. And the 2nd panel of the hand-stitched skirt is *almost* done.

Sharing...

Well, I'm home sick today. My husband was kind enough to share his cold with me.

Between sleeping and drinking lots of tea, I want to work on this:

All fabric is Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas for Moda

Which is actually 3 projects, one of which isn't even cut out yet. Project 1 is a tree skirt - we were going to pick out a tree yesterday, but since the husband was sick, we put it off (again). Project 2 is a "12 Days of Christmas" garland, because how could I pass up that adorable 12 Days of Christmas fabric? Project 3 is stockings to match the tree skirt.

Let's see how far I get with this...

Weekend Update

Well, I wasn't feeling great over the weekend; I think I'm fighting with a little cold. It was a moderately productive weekend, though.

Last week I actually made a lightbox, seen here:

It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. At least, it's sort of helpful. I don't have a good light to use with it, and as you can see, it's rather flimsy. But overall, it's better than what I was getting with poor lighting and a lightweight camera. Makes things easier.

I worked on this little guy (Etsy shop preview!); hand-stitched while watching Coraline. Which was interesting. I know I'm a little late to this, but hey, I'm not exactly a "cutting-edge" person. I liked it as a movie; the characters were fun and interesting. The whole stop-motion, crafty, handmade aspect amazes me.

I also made one of the autumn potholders.

It's super-thick and I love the stitched "veins." I felted two sweaters for this; the grey one was thrifted and the red one is an old one of mine (I'm too lazy to care for wool sweaters properly, so it had become too small). First time felting wool myself, and it was so fun! With the thrifted one, I turned a loose-fitting women's medium into a child-sized sweater about an inch thick. Not really an inch, but that grey wool is actually a good 3/8" thick now.

I'm planning to bring it to my mom's for Thanksgiving dinner. That bowl needs some food in it. So excited for the holidays to begin!

Weekend Sewing

This weekend is all about Etsy sewing, but I'm hoping to make some time for this project, too:

Yes, that's 90210 playing - the original

I'm just finishing hand stitching the binding. I used the Heather Bailey tutorial, available here.

As usual, I had a few small issues but nothing major. I didn't leave myself quite enough binding at the end and had trouble getting the ends sewn together. After a bit of time and ripping out some stitches I finally got it to work. I wrapped the binding around an old jar and unwound it as I went. I liked not having to fuss with a big length of binding falling all over the place. I think I'd do that again.

I also didn't think too much about the seam allowances. I sewed about half of one edge before thinking to test it and make sure it would wrap around correctly. It did not. More ripping of stitches and we were good to go.

I really like seeing the binding getting finished. It makes the quilt feel so pulled together. I can't wait to wash and dry it and see how nice and rumpled it gets. But I really need to work on Etsy items, so this project is on the waiting list.

His and Hers Pillowcases

A while back, I decided to make a "his and hers" set of pillowcases. I saw a floral flannel that I liked, but didn't think hubby would be too fond of the coral-y pink and the flowers. So I bought him a circle print.

Now that it finally feels like fall, I really wanted to get these pillowcases finished. I bought the two main fabrics a while back, but it was on a whim and I didn't really know how much I needed. Once I washed it up, I saw that I needed just a little more to get them the right size. I decided to make the cuffs match each other to bring the two cases together a little bit. There was a big sale at Joann this weekend, and since I was there anyways I bought the last little bit I needed. This was a pretty quick project, and I did hardly any measuring and only a little cutting. The construction is simple, too.

I used 3/4 yd of the "main" fabric on each one, plus 1/4 yd of the contrasting cuff (so 1/2 yd total of contrast for 2 pillows [or] 1 yd total per pillowcase). I washed it all first, then trimmed it up to make everything straight and make the two main fabric pieces the same size. I just cut the contrasting fabric in half (lengthwise - to get 2 long strips). I don't know what size I ended up with, but pillowcases are pretty forgiving so let's not worry about that.

I decided to use French seams to keep everything nice and enclosed. I also hadn't used French seams before and wanted to see how it went. I started by lining up one cuffed piece (folded in half, wrong sides together) with one body piece - keep wrong sides together first, and line up the raw edges. Sew along that edge (3/8" allowance?), then flip them around so right sides are together, like usual. Sew along there with a slightly bigger allowance (or trim the 1st one down and sew with the same allowance, but I didn't want to mess with trimming, etc). It helps to press the seam open after the 1st step, then press it again when you flip it so that 2nd seam is smoother.
You'll end up with a nicely enclosed seam. That's the finished seam between cuff and body below. (I didn't take pics of the other pillowcase because I sewed it right sides together to start and didn't want to rip the seam out. So it has one "regular" seam, haha).

I did the bottom seam next, exactly the same way (make sure it's all lined up, sew with wrong sides together, then right sides together). Then I trimmed everything before I sewed the side seam, because I must sew crooked and my sides weren't lining up nicely. :)

See how you have an ugly outside seam for a while? That's what you want for the first step. I am always messing up on right sides together/wrong sides together/make sure things match/etc etc. I had to keep reminding myself to do it this way, which is why the first seam on "his" pillowcase isn't a French seam.

You're all done! Just three seams to sew (6 if you count the inside out/outside in/doubleness of French seams).
Stuff with pillow.
Admire your new sew of pillowcases. (Ignore how they don't match the rest of your bedding).

Enjoy the lovely snuggliness of flannel.