sewing

Wednesday Project Roundup: Always Save The Good Scraps

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I sewed up a quick eye mask as part of a birthday gift for my mom, because Mom Law states they have to like something you made:

This is from scraps of peacock Liberty of London dating back to 2009, when I thought it was a good idea to use this lovely fabric to make a sack dress. I used a free pattern from Tilly and the Buttons and I used this tutorial to turn the strap covering the elastic. (Seriously amazing–sign up for Instagram just to see this sorcery.)  For the bag, I kind of winged it but had to review this tutorial from Purl Soho for the casing, since I haven’t made a drawstring bag since about 1990, when I was learning to sew in 4H.

This pattern makes a great gift–I have a box full of Liberty scraps to use up, so there may be more of these coming for Christmas/Doc’s family.

Tuesday Project Roundup: Jumpsuit Testing

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I have a jumpsuit on my 2018 Make Nine list, a copy of this Madewell one. Before I cut into the good Kaufman twill (in that brick brown that’s sold out everywhere) I wanted to check the pattern. So I got a duvet cover at IKEA during their January sale, cut apart the front and back, and used one piece to make a wearable muslin.


This was fast and easy and fit pretty well with minimal tweaks. The waist has an elastic casing as drafted; I tried it with the blousing but thought it made it look dated, so I ended up just folding the casing over on itself and topstitching it like it was an intentional waist detail. It works!

When I make it in the “real” fabric I’ll have to figure out how to do a swayback adjustment, but otherwise I think this is a good fit. Jumpsuits are so comfortable, guys–you’re covered up and look fashionable but it feels like you’re not even wearing pants. Yay loose clothing!

Tuesday Project Roundup: Baby Prison Vogue

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What’s cuter than a baby-sized, prison-striped jumpsuit?

Only a sunny yellow cloud version!

My friend who got married three years ago is expecting a baby boy, so I made the Brindille & Twig Baby Harem Romper for a shower gift and it lives up to all the hype–easy, modern, and really damn cute. (The hat is from this tutorial.)

The stripe fabric is Riley Blake knit from Fabric.com/Amazon; the cloud fabric is German via this Etsy shop. The colored cap snaps are from my new favorite place, Snap Source. (They have the best selection of snaps I’ve seen, ship really fast out of Michigan, and have the most fool-proof setting method I’ve used to date. I’m never getting Dritz snaps again.)

I used a three-thread overlock in my serger to do all the seams and threw some rainbow thread in the upper looper for the black and white version, just to give it a little color:

I wish I’d known about Brindille & Twig patterns seven years ago because there’s so much I could have made for my nephew. In hindsight, he got some really fugly things from bad McCalls patterns–too bad it took me so long to discover indie designers. But now there’s no going back!

When Life Gives You Lemons, Get Your Knitting Together

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I say “lemons” but the news is pretty good for my mom–it will be a long road ahead but she’s already beating the odds and will continue to do so.

But there’s going to be a lot of visits and waiting rooms in the future, so over the weekend I became obsessed with finding a bag that zipped to hold my sock knitting for all of it. Then I realized I’m surrounded by fabric and the internet, found this pattern, and sewed it up Sunday morning.

I had big scraps leftover from my quilted jacket and some natural canvas from an abandoned project, so I only had to buy the zipper. (Pin from Stay Home Club. I’m the president.)

The “open wide” feature is really nice for digging around in the bottom. It also makes it look like it is almost big enough to sit in–or at least big enough to try with your front feet:

Tuesday Project Roundup: Make Nine #3

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The snow day meant I could finish up my third project in the 2018 Make Nine: the Wiksten Oversized Kimono Jacket.

I had some doubts about the pattern–back in 2009 I found Jenny Gordy’s blog, right when she was launching the Wiksten pattern line, and I fangirled hard. I made the Wiksten tank and the Tova top a couple times each but I just…didn’t love them. I had a hell of a time getting the tank not to gape; the tunic always flapped open and never seemed to hang right.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten better at fitting and constructing or if the Wiksten brand has, but I LOVE the fit on this jacket. This is a case when I’m really glad I listened to all the hype on Instagram: It is perfectly slouchy but doesn’t fall off your shoulders; it is dramatically long but doesn’t swallow you up. (I made an XS with a swayback adjustment and a forward shoulder adjustment; I am 5’7″.)

The pattern itself is a free PDF download, but you have to buy Making magazine to get the instructions. I’ll be honest: I had the pattern downloaded and ready to go and thought, “I can wing it without $20 instructions,” but then my better nature prevailed. I got the magazine with part of a gift card to my local yarn store, and I’m glad I did: the construction makes it fully reversible, without bagging a lining. Clever!

About that fully reversible:  I knew I wanted the exterior to be golden tan, like the famous Elizabeth Suzann jackets (I even curved the pocket top on mine because I am a copycat). I got some Kaufman Essex linen-cotton in “Leather” from Fancy Tiger for the exterior, but it was a hair too light for the linen I’d picked up for the lining. So I switched to some IKEA heavy cotton/linen I’d had in my stash for a while.

Now I have a jacket that’s “sophisticated woman of a certain age” on the outside…

And “Swedish art teacher in Hawaii” on the inside.

 

(Yes, I made Doc take pictures on our snow day. Complete with outfit changes. He’s a good man, that Doc.)

Wednesday Project Roundup: Loungewear Capsule

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I’ve mentioned the StyleBee blog here before and how helpful many of her exercises have been. She also put together a “loungewear capsule,” which intrigued me but also sounded a little too fashion-blogger-y. However, she made some good points:

I’ve always felt my ‘after work’ clothes were blah and uninspired but never did anything to change that. I figured, who sees it? Who cares? But the truth is that I do and the crazy thing is I end up wearing these pieces almost as much as I do my core closet items (if not more!).

And I kept coming back to her VERY GOOD POINT to make sure your loungewear doesn’t show your pet’s hair. I’d been living in the same pair of terry Hudson pants I first sewed and a black hoodie (Toby is not black). I needed a few more pieces so I decided to make them all work together.

The “inspo” (since I’m going all fashion blogger today–image source is lost to the depths of Pinterest):

And the capsule:

I started with another pair of Hudsons in a really wonderful Telio bamboo knit–it has way better drape and recovery than the terry pair. It’s exactly Toby color, too:

The two tops are the Thread Theory Finlayson pullover–aka the same pattern I made for Doc for Christmas. (Yes, we are the couple with matching loungewear now.) I made the hoodie version for me in a gray fleece from Amazon:

 

And I made the shawl collar version in a drapey French terry blend from Fashion Fabrics Club via Amazon (I had some gift cards to use up):

I got fancy with the facings in my versions and used scraps of my favorite projects–Liberty and ikat. (The pattern has fantastic instructions for adding twill tape and making a professional finish.)

These three, combined with the original lounge pants and that flannel shirt, have been keeping me feeling pulled together at home for a couple of weeks now. The color palette means everything works together. Even better–all the cat hair is invisible now!

Tuesday Project Roundup: Second of the 2018 Make Nine

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This is my problematic copy of a jacket by the artist Natalie Ebaugh.  Here is the original inspiration (saved from her Instagram):

And here is my version:


Why is it problematic?

Well, firstly because I had a helluva time getting the sleeves to work. I blithely assumed kimono sleeves would be simple and just used the body of the StyleArc Sabel cardigan for a pattern. I ended up doing a lot of tweaking along the side seams to try to get a little more room in the sleeves. It’s definitely wearable but kind of looks like it has T-rex arms on the hanger.

Secondly, I feel like I entered into too gray of an area of copying with this. I thought making it would be similar to my Madewell knockoffs, where I feel cool for replicating a look and saving money, but I wore it to work and everyone oohed and ahhed over the fabric and the giant pockets and I just felt…flat. I couldn’t take credit for the good ideas of either.

Do I still love it? Yes. That fabric–Nani Iro “Beautiful Life–is what made me want to make it in the first place (I found maybe the last of the b&w canvas colorway from here). There’s moons and stars and planetary rings and TINY. COSMIC. HORSES.

Maybe the next time I want to copy something so closely, I’ll just buy the fabric and let my ideas percolate a little more.

Tuesday Project Roundup: First Of The Make Nine

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The first project from my list of things to make in 2018 is done! I’m pretty sure no one can tell which photo is from Madewell and which one is my recreation of “the lewk.”

Right? 

 

A clearer shot, because modeling is hard:

This is the Toaster Sweater from Sew House Seven made up in a really gorgeous thick, spongy cotton/modal sweatshirting from We Are The Fabric Store in NZ. (I blew my Christmas money on a big order from there to get free shipping and I was so impressed with the quality of everything.)

I thought the pattern would be fairly basic and didn’t anticipate using the instructions much. It was an easy sew, but the designer had a lot of nice tips in there, especially about using a twin needle to topstitch the seams:

I made a straight size M and ended up interfacing the inside of the collar, so it would stand up a little better. I also took off 3/8″ on the seam between the cuff and the sleeve but the length is still a little generous–and my arms are fairly long, so normal-armed people, beware.

This first project on the list is a roaring success: It’s casual but not as casual as a normal sweatshirt, I made it start to finish in about four hours, and it’s warm but not hot. And it looks like Madewell but wasn’t made in a sweatshop!

Tuesday Project Roundup: Guess What

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Hello and welcome to Karen’s Underwear Blog, where it’s all underwear all the time. Today we have some more underwear for your viewing pleasure, staged this time with a fake plant: 

I actually ponied up and bought fabric for these pairs (numbers 5 and 6) but don’t worry, it was during Stonemountain Fabric’s 20% off knits sale and I only needed half a yard. The pair in front has coyote and quail on it and is stretch cotton; the pair in back is brushed poly.

Things I’ve learned in Unofficial Undies Month:

  1. That pattern doesn’t lie when they say use fabric with at least 40% stretch both way. Some of my scrap pairs aren’t quite that stretchy on the cross grain and it makes a big difference in all-day comfort.
  2. The contrast bands are fun, but maybe a little too “kid’s Underoo.”
  3. The more you blog about your underwear, the more normal it seems.

Tuesday Project Roundup: More Underwear From Items Found Around My House

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Well, it seems that I can’t stop making underwear from fabric scraps and posting awkwardly staged photos of them for all to see:

After the resounding success of the last two pair, I realized I had nearly two yards of a brushed poly knit in my stash. I bought it for Hudson pants, thinking it was more of a camel color, but it was too close to skin color to be pants. But that made it great for undies!

I’d also been saving some scraps from making this dress circa 2011 (which I still love even though I don’t really wear dresses anymore). I tried out some contrast bands in the poly knit and used the last of the precious print for the front and back.

I feel like I’ve won the lottery–not only do I finally have comfy underwear, I can make them for FREE. If this turns in to Karen’s Underwear Blog, don’t be surprised.

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