Category: Tuesday Project Roundup

After I finished my backpack, I ended up making one more thing for my extremely short trip –a “tech pouch” to hold my Kindle and glasses and charging cords.

I had leftover stripe webbing and red zippers from the backpack, so I used snakeskin print denim scraps (from a pair of jeans I never posted) and went for a “MYOGucci” look:

I had everything in my stash–ripstop lining, interior zipper, grosgrain binding, and even the wide elastic for a pen loop.

After the struggles with my backpack, this went together really quickly, even if I broke my own rule and used another pattern from the Learn MYOG guy (something I said I’d never do after the fiasco with his other pack pattern). This “Tech Pouch” pattern is a new one from him and it’s definitely better (real marking points on the pattern, actual illustrations, and only $10 vs. $30).

This was pretty handy to have on the plane and I can even see using it instead of a purse for errands, since I’m quickly approaching the point I need my glasses for reading anything, not just screens.

I kept it pretty low-key for handmade gifts this year–I’m finally learning that December is full of government clients wanting to wrap up projects, plus two birthdays and regular holiday insanity, so maybe I shouldn’t plan the ultra-ambitious projects for gifts.

But a little valet tray to hold a traditional gift of car wash tokens for my Sunday Night Conversations friend? That took an evening and it’s always fun to play with cardboard and glue. I know he loves intalgios so when I saw this new paper from Parvum Opus, I had to use it. (And now he wants to carry the paper in his store, success!)

 

For my dad, I wanted something to go with a vintage tiki mug I found him. This is a wild swerve away from plaid flannel; the Hawaiian print flannel (from Joann) might be a little much for an old cowboy, but the thing about handmade gifts for a parent is they have to use them, if only when you come to visit. And it’s warm.

And finally, I sewed a little pouch to hold a Stonemountain gift card for the friend I’m going to the East Bay next month. Of course, the leftover fabric I wanted to use wasn’t heavy enough on its own, so I quilted it with leftover batting and more stash fabric on the inside. I even had a matching zipper and tiny D-ring!

I rushed the seam binding on the inside since I was working on this the Sunday before Christmas, but it’s sturdy and I don’t think anyone’s going to turn it inside out and inspect it too closely.

Doc got his traditional birthday shirt, the trusty M6044, in perhaps the best print ever this year:

Giant cats causing city-wide havoc! I found this at Miss Matatabi in the late summer and didn’t even have to think twice about buying it. It’s a nice shirt weight, too–almost an oxford.

I was able to pattern match the pockets but not the placket, but I think that’s OK. Everyone will be too busy seeing what the giant cats are doing to pay attention to the placket anyway.

I got some more pictures of the pattern I tested, which is releasing today: The Monty Pant from Daughter Judy.

Since testing, the designer has made the fit a little smaller overall and refined the zipper placket instructions, so you shouldn’t have any of the issues I did. Like I said before, I don’t think I would have picked this shape but I really love it. It helps that there’s an elastic-back waist and lots of room in the hip, but I also just like the vibes: a little 80s, a little modern I kind of want a corduroy pair now.

I just don’t wear office clothes any more so I styled these the way I’d actually wear them, but I think they’d really work with ankle boots and a button up, too.

Anyway, pattern testing was fun! Expanding my style horizons and getting to provide written opinions, what’s not to love?

I bought some cotton ripstop camo back in the summer when I was going through my nouveau prep/Magnum PI moment. As much as I was tempted to make tiny shorts, I went with pants–I’d had this image from J. Crew saved since maybe 2010. (It feels very 2010, right? Pattern mixing, heels with everything…thanks for the bunions, J. Crew.)

I used the Daughter Judy Brier Pants again, except in a straight size 12 (no grading at the waist) and with about half an inch taken off the rise.

I do love how the Daughter Judy block fits me–other than the rise, these are exactly as drafted. I even did some pattern mixing for my outfit (but am firmly at the “soft flat shoe” age).

It’s been an unseasonably warm fall so these summery block prints still feel appropriate. This is the last cut of the three I ordered and it was destined to be a shirt for Doc (so I could wear my blue tiger dress with it and we could attract comment, if we go out somewhere).

This is the staple aloha shirt pattern I use for him, New Look 6197. I mixed things up and used the Daughter Judy Genra Shirt instructions for the facings, which involve sewing them into the shoulder seam first for a really clean finish–a vast improvement over the New Look instructions.

This was a fast, straightforward project. It’s fun to work with these prints–look at all the fierce tigers staring at you!

Reader, fabric choice makes such a difference: The Bonnet Shirt/Dress in a shirting was stuffy and nightshirty. The Bonnet in a tiger block print? Desert Aunt Kaftan Time!

I don’t usually make a pattern three times in a row but apparently I really like this one. The sleeve details are nice and the band collar makes it fast (the collar/placket reminds me of a J. Peterman linen shirt I had in high school; I’ll try to dig up a picture).

 

I was a little worried about making a dress, since I haven’t worn one in years but because this is a KAFTAN it’s easy to just throw on and walk around in.

I’ve been sewing up the block print fabrics I found on Etsy into Bonnet Shirts/Dresses and this fabric in particular brought me so much joy.

 

It is pink! AND orange! At the same time! AND has fierce tigers all over it! Perfect for all your Desert Aunt wardrobe needs; that tunic length will also be ideal for a swim coverup.

 

The fabric is also really forgiving to sew–it’s not a tight or fine weave so things just relax with steam, and it doesn’t get the wear creases that a real shirting fabric does. Naturally, I want to buy even MORE of it. (I don’t need more fabric.) (Put that on my headstone.)

Since shorts season is ending, I thought I’d make some hiking pants. But every pattern I was seeing didn’t seem high-waisted enough to be comfortable with my hip pack. Then I remembered the splash that the Leila Makes Topo Pants made–Leila has a huge Instagram following and released her first pattern for a pair of climbing pants last year. The pattern said it was high-waisted to work under a climbing harness. Boom! Pants pattern acquired.

 

The pattern has some nice details, like a double front with knee darts, and the drafting was fine. She’s selling these as unisex, though, so I made the recommended full seat adjustment just by guessing how much my seat would need. The elastic at the ankles seemed like a weird insertion method and the instructions could have been tighter, but overall it wasn’t too amateur of a pattern.

I made these in a technical stretch woven (Eddie Bauer for Joann) and did not size down as the pattern recommended, so they’re baggy. But I don’t mind; I’ll probably grow into them as I keep squatting and I can throw a base layer under these pretty easily.

 

The pockets included in the pattern are unequivocally great, though: two deep front pockets plus as many holster pockets as you want to add (I made two and put velcro on one). I also added a zip pocket into the yoke seam, which was pretty easy to figure out. (You lose your ID in a lake one time and you put a secure zip pocket for ID ONLY on every pair of pants thereafter.)

 

And they’re definitely high-waisted enough to be comfy with my packs, so all in all a successful project. Plus I have some pants if I ever want to try climbing.

When I was ordering waterproof zippers for my pack from Ripstop By The Roll, I threw in a couple rain poncho kits, too. Doc has a rain shell but I don’t, but I was also thinking about coverage for our legs and packs. Ponchos were the answer.

 

I finished mine first since I still had orange thread in the machine from my pack. The kit had all the hardware and pre-cut fabric so it was a fast sew. It even includes a rectangle to make a stuff sack for it!

 

The instructions say you can add tie loops to the hem to use this as a ground sheet or tarp in a pinch. (Prepared for every eventuality? YES.) I skipped hemming the sides since the fabric was silicon-impregnated and didn’t seem like it was going to fray, but added two KAM snaps on the sides under the arms and used grosgrain tie loops as the snap reinforcements.

I’ll get Doc’s sewn up next and then we’ll have two ponchos, or one ground sheet to sit on and one tarp to keep the rain off. JUST IN CASE.