Pins and Needles

2012-01-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

Bits and Pieces

I realize I haven't posted in a while, and thank you to those who kindly inquired about me! I have been extremely busy with costumes for the past 3 weeks or so and it looks like I will be for the next couple of weeks.

The other news is that I have an immediate family member that will need two surgeries this winter and spring, which will leave me with helping out quite a bit to make sure things go smoothly. I'm not sure how much time I will have to blog.

That said, I will try to post a few things here and there when I can!

Parting Shot: Franconia Ridge. This was taken last week before the day before the last snow storm, from across Franconia Notch on Cannon Mountain. Even though we don't have a lot of snow at the lower elevations, there is plenty higher up on the mountains!

2011-12-20T18:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

This has turned out to be a very busy December for us, plus the children have not been feeling well. After a week of concerts and performing, in addition to school, they're pretty much done.

As far as sewing, I'm taking a bit of a break before tackling the eight dance costumes that need to be done. I did get a few pot holders done for my mother in-law. This is the style that slips over a long pot handle. The ones I made about 10 years ago or more have had a long and useful life and need to be replaced. There is nothing magical about these, just bound rectangles of fabric and batting stitched right sides together and turned right side out.

Due to school/work vacations, I will not be posting until the new year. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you take a few quiet moments to reflect on the true reason for the season we celebrate this month. See you in 2012!

Parting Shot: Mt. Lafayette. This is me at the summit of Mt. Lafayette on Saturday. Not much of a view this day, unfortunately - I've been up there in beautiful weather with 360 degree views into the surrounding valleys. With temps in the single digits and a moderate wind, we didn't stay long anyway!

2011-12-12T16:26:00.000-05:00

Costumes, Done For Now . . . .

Or at least until tonight's dress rehearsal when I'll see how much more work will need to be done.

I finished up the alterations to the Roman soldiers and organized them:

The Roman soldiers that needed to be altered have a new adjustable side panels - these costumes can now be adjusted a size up or two if needed:

Both priests are finished, too:

Should be an interesting evening!

Parting Shot: Mt. Washington. The highest summit in New Hampshire, as seen today from the summit of Mt. Jackson. Looks like it will be a white Christmas up there!

2011-12-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

Costume Progress!

After sewing for the past three days, I've made excellent progress on the costumes! The chief priests are done except for the hemming and headpieces. The Roman soldiers have been organized, and I've finished the two new red tunics and started the drafting for the alterations and traced out another helmet, seen below:

I also got that extra helmet made. It is shown below with the original on the left.

For right now, I know what's left to be done, just the alterations and headpieces, so I think I'll finish those things up in the next few days.

Parting Shot: New Car. We traded in my old car for a new car, a Subaru Outback Wagon. It is perfect for what I need it to do, and I love the color.

2011-12-06T17:38:00.000-05:00

More Costumes!

Thank you for the lovely comments regarding my daughter and her Christmas dress! She is growing up fast - no more Daisy Kingdom for her.

If you guessed that all that blue fabric that Wellie was sitting in yesterday was more costumes, you're right. It is the time of year for costumes, and between the Christmas program and dance competitions I am very busy. Thankfully there is no spring production that I know of. Yet.

For this year's Christmas program we needed Israelite Chief Priests. Of course, that's the one costume I didn't have in the collection. If you want shepherds, wisemen, angels, Roman soldiers, and a host of other Biblical characters, we've got those. Chief priests, no. So, I'm making two new costumes from scratch and reworking a few others to fit some larger frames than the last actors had who wore them.

With a modest budget and short time frame, this is best I'll be able to do for the moment, although I wish I had more of both! So far, I've got white plain robes (not shown), blue vests, brocade over vests, gold belts and headpieces. The white plain robes are almost done and the headpieces are cut but not even stitched. Do realize that these costumes are for XL men and look a bit sad on my small dressform!

Within the next few days, I hope to get all this finished, including the alterations to this pile of Roman soldier costumes. That will be it until next Monday's dress rehearsal in which I'll find out how much hemming I'll need to do before Friday night's first performance.

Never a dull moment here.

Parting Shot: Blue and Orange. Yes, Wellie loves costumes, too. He thought this was a neat place to hide this morning.

2011-12-05T17:50:00.000-05:00

Christmas Outfit #13 - McCall's 6396

Done!

Actually, it's been done, but things got a little crazy around here at the end of the week and I just did not have time to post the final product. At any rate, here it is:

This is what it looks like on her, although this is not how she'll wear it for Christmas. We haven't quite got all the accessories together yet, but we will! She needs to pick out some tights and jewelry, but that's a shopping trip for another day.

She's happy with it and I think it looks good on her. It is fun and a little different.

Parting Shot: In the Middle. Wellie is usually in the middle of everything and today was no exception. I walked into the sewing room to find him sitting in the middle of some fabric I had laid out on the floor to pin some trims to it. I'll explain this project tomorrow.

2011-12-01T17:05:00.000-05:00

Christmas Outfit #13 - McCall's 6396

Almost Done

This jumper is almost done, but not quite. At this point, I still need to finish the armholes, and then do all the interior hand finishing, along with adding a hook and eye. Between tonight and tomorrow that will get done.

Due to the way I inserted the zipper, I could not finish the jumper's armholes the way the instructions indicated. That's fine - I'm just as happy finishing them with a binding.

The skirt seems to be long enough. Along with tights or leggings, she'll be fine.

Maybe tomorrow I'll be done with this one!

Parting Shot: Hiding. Wellie is hiding under the tree because he knows he's in trouble for chewing on the Christmas tree and knocking off ornaments. He doesn't think we can chase him back there.

2011-11-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas Outfit #13 - McCall's 6396

A Lining, Zipper and Skirt

I got the lining, zipper and skirt done today. Now I just need to put them all together!

The lining is exactly like the bodice and not hard to make. What is hard to making it in reverse so that the bodice and lining match when the skirt is attached. Be very careful when assembling the lining! Because every piece is unique and the right side of lining is against the body, you will have to be very careful to assemble the lining in the correct order.

The zipper was pretty easy to install, other than the matching of the plaids. It took some basting and trial to get it just right before committing to stitching the zipper in permanently.

The skirt is not hard at all to make, even though it looks unusual. It is ready and waiting to be attached.

Looks like I might finish this one up in the next couple of days - hopefully by Friday!

Parting Shot: Christmas Tree. This is this year's version of our Christmas tree. Each year we decorate a little differently. We put the lights and garland along the window this year instead along the banister, just for fun and got rid of a lot of dangling ribbons, which were just temptations for Wellie. I need to find those white extension cords, too, the lights look sloppy in the photo!

2011-11-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas Outfit #13 - McCall's 6396

For this year's annual Christmas outfit, my daughter has picked McCall's 6396. She really like the asymmetrical skirt and that fact that it was different from a lot of what her friends wear. She also chose a brushed plaid flannel for the fabric.

Between her measurements and the pattern measurements, I ended up cutting a straight size 10, no alterations. For the skirt, I lengthened it 6", and I'm still not convinced that will be enough, we'll see.

As far as the cutting, I will warn you, this is a single layer layout. There is no way to cut two of each piece or the front on the fold. The bodice/skirt seam is totally asymmetrical, and no two pieces are a like.

I did get the bodice assembled for a quick fit to see if I needed to make any changes. Thankfully, there were none - it looks pretty good as a size 10, in the smallest cup size (this pattern also has the multi-cup sizing). So far, everything seems well drafted and the pieces fit together nicely, too.

Tomorrow I will get the lining assembled and the zipper installed and if things go well, I might get this done by the end of the week!

Parting Shot: Leftovers. My husband and I went hiking the day after Thanksgiving, and I brought along a piece of leftover pumpkin pie for the summit. It was a great snack!

2011-11-23T15:36:00.000-05:00

White Thanksgiving

Looks like we'll be having a white Thanksgiving this year after the snow we got last night! Not sure how long this will stay, but it will be here through tomorrow, at least.

I hope all of you have a great holiday, and find much to be thankful for! I will be spending some time with my family and will be back next week.

2011-11-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

A Quick Knit Top: Burda 11/11, #114

My daughter didn't have very many long-sleeved casual tops, and this one from Burda looked like a great top and a quick one to make. The bonus is that it was one of the patterns that had illustrated instructions.

I found a nice knit in the collection that I had bought for my daughter and she thought it would be a good match for the pattern. I had to be a creative with the layout and add a seam to the center back, but other than that, I made no other design changes.

There is no shoulder seam, the fronts and cut-on front facings attach at the center back of the neck, making a yoke to which the back is attached. You can see the horizontal seam in the photo below.

After attaching the yoke, I added the sleeves and then stitched the side seams. The Burda instructions indicate to sew the side seams first, then set in the sleeves. Either way is fine, but I prefer to put in sleeves in knits before sewing the side seams.

I finished up the hems on the coverstitch machine and it was done. My daughter loves and will be wearing it to school tomorrow. As a side note, by design the sleeves are a bit long and the body is tunic length, but that doesn't bother my daughter.

Parting Shot: Moosiluake. My hike Saturday was to Mt. Moosilauke, and although there was no snow, it was a beautiful day anyway, with lots of sunshine and lots of wind. This is a view back to the summit from the south peak.

2011-11-18T16:59:00.000-05:00

Vogue 8783 - Small Purse

Done!

Yesterday was an exceptionally busy day, but I did manage to finish up the purse! The purse is actually pretty easy to make, and even with my extra parts it finished quickly.

I added tabs and D-rings to the side at the bands. This made it a bit thicker when doing the final stitching of the purse and lining, especially because of the faux leather, but it turned out nicely.

I then made a strap for the purse. I cut a strip three times the finished width, interfaced the middle third, folded each side over the center and then edge stitched and top stitched to finish. This produced a flatter and sturdier strap than if I would have made a tube, turned it and top stitched it. I added the clips and it was done and ready to attach to the purse.

My daughter is happy with it, and has already figured out an outfit to wear with it!

Parting Shot: Vintage Simplicity 3447. This is one of my latest pattern purchases and it will be used for costumes for a dance ensemble of eight girls. The director wants red dresses with collars and black belts, so it should be a fun project.

2011-11-16T17:26:00.000-05:00

Vogue 8783 - Small Purse

A Little Progress

Sad to say, there has not been a lot of progress on the purse, although *maybe* tomorrow or Friday I'll actually get to work on it. It has been really busy here and yesterday I managed to lose my camera on a hike. Fortunately, another group of hikers found it and contacted me, so I went and picked it up.

I did get the zipper installed into the purse, and so far it looks like this:

It is now ready for the lining. Once that is done, I can make all the straps and get those basted in place, readying the whole piece for final finishing. I was able to pick up some hardware today, so I think I got a plan for adding the long strap that my daughter wanted.

So. Maybe tomorrow I can work on this.

Parting Shot: Tecumseh. Yesterday's hike was Mt. Tecumseh. The actual summit isn't all that exciting. What is exciting about this mountain is that it is home to the Waterville Valley Ski Area. The ski slopes are supposed to open on Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm not sure about that - there was no snow up there at all and it was rather warm this week! As you can see, the ski trail below is rather bare and brown.

2011-11-14T15:52:00.000-05:00

Vogue 8783 - Small Purse

So Far, So Good.

I did have some time to work on the purse yesterday, and made some good progress. Most of that work was cutting out the fabrics and interfacings and applying the interfacing. I chose fusible fleece for the body of the bag, and a stiff craft fusible for the faux leather contrast.

I also spent quite a bit of time marking the pleats on the bag. There are eight per side, so this takes a while to mark and then sew, but I like the result. I think you could probably use gathers instead of the sewn pleats, to save time or to give the bag a slightly different look.

Once the pleats were done, the contrast trim was sewn on and topstitched, readying both pieces for the zipper.

The zipper install is supposed to be the next step, but my daughter wants a long strap for the bag, so I'm trying to decide how I want to do that and if I'll need hardware for that. I do know that I need to think it through before adding the zipper, because that might be my attachment points for the strap.

Parting Shot: "Hiding". My son brought home his moose poster today and Wellie immediately thought it was a good place to hide.

2011-11-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

Vogue 8783 - Small Purse

Part One

My daughter and I were out shopping yesterday when she saw some really cute purses in plaid trimmed with brown leather. Today, while looking through my patterns and looking for a small project in between a few larger ones, I came across Vogue 8783, the latest Marcy Tilton purse pattern and thought that View B with the addition of a strap would make a cute purse for my daughter.

I even have brown faux leather and some plaid to make a purse with similar materials to the ones we saw.

The pattern only has three pieces, so it should come together quickly.

I'll probably work on it on Sunday; I'll be out hiking tomorrow.

Parting Shot: Warm Laundry. Pix found the warm laundry and made herself a nest. Wouldn't it be great to be a cat?

2011-11-09T16:37:00.000-05:00

Draped Blouse - Paco Peralta

Armhole Finishing and Side Seams

The only two things to finish the top are the armhole finishes and the side seams. The armholes are much easier to finish before sewing the side seams, so I've cut and pressed bias strips to bind the armholes. The binding and top are placed right sides together and stitched, trimmed and the binding is pressed to the inside.

At this point, you can proceed one of two ways. You can finish the binding by stitching it down and then stitching the side seams or you can stitch the side seams and then finish the binding. It really doesn't matter, it just depends on how you like the insides of your garment to look. I chose to sew the side seam first, and then finish the binding. I like finishing the armhole this way because the binding helps to keep the side seam's seam allowances in place without having to hand tack them in place.

That's it! All done.

Here it is, worn with the brown Paco Peralta wrap skirt and a RTW jacket.

Parting Shot: Posing. Kiwi was happy to see me come home again, so she was stretching and then just looking at me, as if she was posing for the camera.

2011-11-07T17:58:00.000-05:00

Draped Blouse - Paco Peralta

Shoulder Seams and Facing Finish

Once the front and back are prepped, they can be joined at shoulders. To do so, the facings are opened outward and one continuous seam from the edge of the facing to the edge of the armscye is sewn, pivoting at the corner. In the photo below, the facings are on the right and the shoulder seam extends down toward my thumb.

Once the seam is sewn, the shoulder seam is pressed toward the back and the facings are folded once again to the inside.

Lastly, the facings are tacked on the inside by hand to the shoulder seam.

Next (and last) up: armhole bindings and side seams.

Parting Shot: Happy. I was substitute teaching today, and Kiwi was very happy to see me when I came home, rubbing and purring everywhere.

2011-11-05T16:07:00.001-05:00

Draped Top - Paco Peralta

Preparing the Front and Back

The front and the back need to be prepared before joining them at the shoulder. I first need to answer Bunny's question from yesterday regarding the upper front. The portion of the front that has the drape is cut on the bias for a woven and on the straight of grain for a knit. You can see both sets of grain lines in the photo below. I cut mine on the bias.

For the front, the upper front and lower front need to be joined. The upper front has a point, which must be set into the lower front. The lower front is stay stitched along the stitching line and pivoted at the point, then clipped, as seen below.

After that the front is set in carefully, stitching along each long edge and pivoting at the point, as you would for any inset corner.

So far, this is what it looks like:

For the back, the back facing needs to be attached before stitching the shoulder seams. This is because the front drape is drafted with a self facing, not a separate one. Because of that, you can not construct the neck facing as one unit and attach it later. If you're going to use a zipper (I'm not for this version), you need to install it first, then install each side of the back neck facing.

At first, I was going to use a very light colored organza as interfacing, but once I made and finished the back facing unit, I was not happy with it at all. I ended up cutting a new facing and not using any interfacing, and I think this will be fine. The back neck is pretty stable between the stay stitching and the seam used to attach the facing.

Next up: sewing the shoulder seams and finishing the armholes.

Parting Shot: Sewing. Now that she's done with the drafting and dyeing, my daughter has to do the sewing on her project. If she gets it done, and I have permission from her, I show it to you although that might not be for a few months.

2011-11-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

Draped Top - Paco Peralta

Pattern and Cutting Notes

I've got the top all cut out and while I was cutting noted a few things about the pattern.

First, the back is not on a center fold. A seam will allow for an optional zipper, and a shaped seam fits the curve of the back better than a straight one.

Two, the shoulders are also curved, to better fit the shoulder than a straight seam.

For this version in lace, I've opted to cut the hem right along the scalloped edge of the lace. To do that, I've folded up the pattern along the indicated hemline and then placed the pattern along the scallops. I took care to center the back so that when the center back seam is sewn, it will make a continuous scallop all along the back.

You can see the scalloped hem better from this side:

I should be able to work on this tomorrow and finish it up this weekend. I'm hoping to post the steps, because there is a slightly different but logical construction order.

Parting Shot: Muddy. Today's hike was one of those with a combination of mud, ice and snow. There was snow at the summits, but at lower elevations there was mud.

2011-11-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

Draped Top - Paco Peralta

Introduction

I'm back from being busy with everyone's sewing and now I can try out a new pattern I just got from Paco Peralta. He's done a detailed post on this top with some sewing hints and it doesn't look too hard to make.

I'm going to make mine in lace and wear it with a matching brown camisole underneath. I have just enough of this brown lace with gold accents from my fabric collection to make the top. The key with this pattern is to pick fabrics that drape well, either in knit or woven. This lace is drapey and not stiff, so I think it will work.

Parting Shot: Melting. Almost all of our snow is gone. We've had a mild week and now everything is dripping.

2011-11-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

Busy, Busy, Busy

Thank you all for the compliments on the Donna Karan top! It did pass the wear test, so it will be staying around as a good alternative to a plain t-shirt.

It never rains, but it pours. That's how it is with some of my sewing. While I have a full workroom of things to sew, I can't show you any of it, because it is for clients and I do not have permission to show it on the internet.

Suffice it to say, that by tomorrow maybe I'll be able to work on something that I can show you!

Parting Shot: Mt. Hale. This was a shot of the summit of Mt. Hale on Friday *before* the weekend snow storm. I wonder how much snow is up there now?

2011-10-31T17:05:00.000-05:00

Vogue 1259 - Donna Karen Top

Done!

Because of all of the lovely snow we got (over 10"), I had all of yesterday to work on the top and got it done. Prior to that, I only had one seam finished.

For the most part, the directions were pretty clear and the top wasn't that hard to make. There are a few steps, about halfway through the instructions that you just have to trust, carefully observe the diagrams and sew. It does help to have a dress form and put the top on the dress form during some of the pinning. Clearly marking each fabric piece on the front and back with the pattern piece number helps, too. You can use a piece of masking tape, writing the number on the tape, and it will be fairly easy to remove.

I'm pretty happy with this top, and like the color better than I thought I would. The only things I would change is to finish the back opening a little differently so that the facings stay inside, shorten it a bit and cut a smaller size next time. I used a size 8 and probably should have cut a size 6, as the front drape sags rather than draping nicely. Tightening it up might help it, but this is the sort of pattern that you really can't judge the fit until the whole thing is complete.

I'm not sure if I'd make this one again, but I do like the fact that it is super comfortable to wear, yet is way more interesting than a plain t-shirt. I wore it today with jeans and a black sweater, but probably could pair it with many of my plaid skirts and other sweaters.

Parting Shot: Mt. Flume. Saturday's hike was trip to Mt. Flume in the Franconia Range. The summit is in the distance just over by the trees, and the summits of Lincoln and Lafayette are in the background, covered with snow. The weather was sunny when we started, but soon clouded up and probably contributed to us moving along so that we could get off the mountain and home safely. It had just started to snow at my house when I pulled into the driveway.

2011-10-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

Vogue 1259 - Donna Karan Draped Top

Introduction

Thank you all for the nice comments on Baby V's outfit. I haven't made these sorts of little outfits since my daughter was that little. Since she's 13 now, so that's been a while!

For my next project, I've chosen Vogue 1259, just the top. I liked the draped look and after looking at the pattern pieces thought it would be a good challenge. I have some gold jersey that I got from Fabricmart a while back when it was on sale. It was one of those fabrics that was cheap enough, and I thought the color was going to be a little different and just decided not to send it back. At any rate, if I don't end up liking the top no harm done!

The pieces are certainly interesting and have to be cut single layer; I've already cut out a few in the photo below:

I'll be sure to mark this one properly, as there are a lot of notches, circles and squares that will be needed to make this top correctly. I think I'm going to have to follow the directions, too, which will be a challenge, since I don't always follow the directions!

This should be a fun one!

Parting Shot: Boott Spur. Yep. That's it, and yes there was snow and clouds. Not very exciting, but the snow and ice was. These are the first signs that winter is on the way!

2011-10-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

Patrones No. 265, Models 41 and 42, Baby V Outfit

Done and Details

These little outfits are fun and quick to make because they are so small. This one is now finished and ready with a few other goodies to be shipped out to Baby V's parents. I did find my daughter's outfits in storage and got a measurement for the elastic, so the panties were a quick finish. (Thank you for the offer of measurements, Bunny!)

The dress was not too complicated, even though I made my own piping/binding for the neck and hem. I didn't really have to finish the dress that way, but I thought it picked up the pink in the embroidery nicely.

As you can see, the little sleeves are eyelet, too, which coordinates with the panties.

I even found some cute little buttons for the back:

I think the end result is cute and not overdone for a newborn. Let's hope her parents like it!

Parting Shot: Crystal Cascade. I was able to hike to Boott Spur on Mt. Washington on Sunday and along the way we passed the Crystal Cascade. Very pretty and not too far from the beginning of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail in Pinkham Notch.

2011-10-25T17:11:00.000-05:00

Patrones No.265, Model #41 & #42, Baby V Outfit

A Good Start

My brother and his wife had their first child last week, a baby girl and I wanted to send something hand made along with another gift. After looking through all my Burda and Patrones magazines, I found this little outfit in Patrones.

Last week I showed you the embroidery, and here's how it turned out, not yet made into the top. The fabric is a fine shirting, in pink and white stripes.

I actually started working on the little panties first, and decided to trim them in eyelet, rather than the contrast ruffle. I found enough wider eyelet to make the sleeves of the dress, so the dress will coordinate with the panties.

The panties are almost done, with only inserting the leg elastic left. I just can't remember how much elastic goes into each leg opening for such a small outfit! I'll have to dig out one of my daughter's outfits and measure it.

Next up: working on the top!

Parting Shot: Destruction. I have (or had) a ball of cotton yarn that I use to make baby piping. It did not escape the attention of a large orange cat who thought it would be a good idea to play with it. Sigh. It shouldn't be too hard to untangle.

2011-10-21T15:02:00.000-05:00

Portefeuille Skirt - Paco Peralta

Done!

I got the skirt done today! The binding took the most time to sew on, and then I remembered about the hooks and eyes and snaps. Here's the binding, front and back:

The inside of the skirt:

There are two snaps on the inside, plus two hooks and eyes at the overlap edge:

The skirt will still need a good pressing, but I'm really happy with it so far. I like the style and the fitting was easy due to the way it was drafted. The pressing will have to wait until Monday, as I will be gone all weekend for a winter hiking seminar at the base of Mt. Washington.

Parting Shot: Embroidery. My new neice's outfit has a little embroidery to personalize it, which I was able to complete between last night and today. I promise more details on Monday, when I get back and will have time to work on the outfit.

2011-10-20T18:18:00.000-05:00

Portefeuille Skirt - Paco Peralta

Almost Done

The skirt is almost done. All I need to do is stitch down the other side of the binding. It is even pinned and waiting, but time has run out for sewing today. It will be one of the first things I work on tomorrow.

Today, I stitched the skirt and lining together at the top edge and understitched the facing. I then basted the two skirts together, making sure everything was lined up properly and nothing was pulling in a funny direction. Putting it on the dressform helped tremendously. After that, I was able to stitch on the first side of the binding.

The binding is faux leather, which seems like a knit on the wrong side. I've cut it on the bias and folded it like a regular quilt binding. Cutting on the bias allows it to be shaped to the curve of the hem before applying it.

Tomorrow, finished photos!

Parting Shot: Pink. My brother and his wife just became parents yesterday with the birth of their baby girl. This is my next project, a little outfit for her. Details to come soon!

2011-10-19T16:41:00.000-05:00

Portefeuille Skirt - Paco Peralta

Lining

I was able to get the fitting changes done and the lining made today. The fitting changes were pretty easy, just adding a dart to each side of the back and taking in the side seams a bit. Nothing hard, but the way the pattern is drafted, it does make it easy to make the changes. I now have three darts on either side of center back, but it does fit nicely:

The lining is now all finished, too, complete with all the changes. There are separate pieces for the skirt lining and facings, but because I'm going to finish the edges with a binding and because I was a little short on skirt fabric, I'm not going to use those pieces. Instead, I cut the lining exactly like the skirt and stitched it the same way, and added only the waist facing pieces.

Both pieces are now ready to be joined at the top edge and then bound. I'll need to try it on one more time to determine exactly how long I want it. At this length, it is somewhere between my calves and ankles, which is not terrible, but not the same as the YSL skirt. I'll get that figured out tomorrow and see if I need to trim it.

Parting Shot: Lights. My daughter took this picture of the lights right at dusk last night. Notice we already have our reflectors in place. My husband has already started the winter yard preparations, and although the snow won't fly for another 6 to 8 weeks, we'll need those reflectors when we snowblow our driveway.

2011-10-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Kate Spade Chain Afina Jacket

This week's Make the Look is the Chain Afina Jacket from Kate Spade. This jacket isn't really anything earth shatteringly new in the fashion world, but what I liked about it was the trim. The jacket is your basic, slightly boxy jacket with welt pocket with flaps and a collar. The trim is what is interesting - the pockets flaps and other edges are trimmed with a layer of chiffon and chain. The Chanel jackets are known for the chain at the hems, but this jacket brings the chain to the outside.

I also liked this jacket because the trim is something you could add to a RTW jacket or to an existing jacket that you've already made.

If you want to make a jacket from scratch, there have been many patterns available for a jacket of this style, so you might already have something that would work, but currently available are Butterick 5535 and Butterick 5147. I like the latter, because it has a curvier shape, but obviously you need to pick what works with your body type. You'd have to add welt pockets or even just fake welt flaps to get the right look.

Butterick 5535:

Butterick 5147:

The original jacket is a black wool boucle blend, and Gorgeous Fabrics has a really nice one:

As far as the chain for the trim, you can purchase that from M&J Trims which has a wide variety of chains or try your local hardware store to see if they have something of the right size, weight and price.

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: Moose! My son had to make a poster on a mammal for school, so he picked the moose. He carved the stamps for the tracks by himself and together we stamped the tracks.

2011-10-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Portefeuille Skirt - Paco Peralta

Construction

I was able to get the skirt made up over the weekend and fitted. So far, the skirt is really easy to make and to fit. The pattern is well drafted, with a center back seam and plenty of darts to customize the fit, which means you can take in or let out the skirt where you need to so that it fits you perfectly.

I did get the lining bought today, but I will not cut it out until I get the fit just right. I'm actually going to finish the skirt a bit differently than the pattern, so I need to make sure that both the lining and skirt are the same size. I'll give those details when I get to them.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try to get the fitting issues fixed, which should be a simple matter of taking in a few seams and then I'll get the lining cut out, and finish making the faux leather binding. The binding is cut, but I've still got to finish folding and pressing it into binding.

Parting Shot: Finished Fabric. My daughter finished up her fabric this weekend. She's pleased with most of the colors except for the darkest blues, which we'll over dye tonight.

2011-10-15T14:28:00.001-05:00

Portefeuille Skirt - Paco Peralta

Introduction

My next project is another Paco Peralta skirt, the Portefeuille Skirt. This skirt is very similar to a current YSL design, so this pattern is perfect for getting a very current look. For this pattern, I'm going to be using a brown/black wool tweed blend that I've had in the collection and some faux leather. (Colors are a bit darker than the photo.) I'm going to bind the edge with a wide binding in the faux leather for a little bit of contrast. Paco recently showed a version of this skirt with piping along the front edge which looked really nice, too. I'm not sure of the lining yet, I didn't have anything in the collection, so I'll have to pick some up on Monday.

So far, I've got the skirt cut out. I've shortened it a little bit, and might need to shorten it some more but I'll wait until I can try it on before deciding. The other fitting change I've made is to shorten the portion above the waist a little bit. This skirt has a bit of a raised waist, and since I'm short waisted I can't really do any garment that is above the waist terribly well. I've opted to keep just a little bit of the raised waist by folding out about 3/4".

Tomorrow the plan is to get the skirt done so that I can try it on. Monday I'll buy the lining and I should have this done some time next week.

Parting Shot: Dyeing. My daughter needed some fabric for a school project so the easiest way to get the colors she wanted was to dye them ourselves. Both of these batches are almost ready to be put into a final wash.

2011-10-13T15:49:00.000-05:00

Simplicity 3935, Again

Done.

Yes, done. I cut it out last night, so it was waiting for me in the sewing room this morning. Between ironing my son's shirts and my husband's shirts, I got the top done. This really is an easy top and constructing it on the serger made it really easy. Quick double folded hems done on the regular machine and it was done.

Here's a closer look at the back neck. The pattern indicates to use pre-packaged seam binding, but it was just as easy to cut my own from scraps since I needed so little of it. I only needed less than 10" and couldn't justify buying a whole package of seam binding for such a small amount.

I'm happy with it and it was a fun project to make since it went so quickly. I don't think there's anything wrong with quick projects. Not every project has to be an epic, couture production. Really, does my daughter's pajama top need to be couture? It's flannel. It will be washed hundreds of times. It will be slept in. Honestly, I don't think so. Durability and neatness is the order of the day for this item and the four thread serging definitely made that possible, not to mention quick.

Up next: another Paco Peralta skirt.

Parting Shot: The Beginning of the End. While these leaves look pretty, they are only the start of what will come and what will have to be raked up!

2011-10-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

Simplicity 3935, Again

My daughter needs a new pajama top, so I've pulled out Simplicity 3935 again. I know the top makes up quickly since I've made several of these over the years. The fabric is an aqua blue flannel which matches the printed flannel of the pants that are still wearable.

The fabric is in the dryer now, so this should be mostly done by tomorrow.

This is just a quick project that I know will need to get done before starting on any other large projects. I'm waiting a little bit before I begin a really big project and may make another skirt before I get to it. For now, my daughter needs a warmer pajama top!

Parting Shot: Nest. My daughter was out taking pictures in the yard the other and found this nest on the ground and photographed it. I'm not sure how or why it came out of the tree, but the birds will probably build a new one next spring to replace it.

2011-10-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Kate Spade - Victoria Faux Fur Pullover

In my inbox today was an email from Kate Spade announcing some new arrivals, so I had to go and check them out. Among the lot was this tunic in faux fur. I knew I had seen the shape before and quickly found the pattern and faux fur to go with it. I then double checked the retail price. Right. You can *definitely* make this for less and be right up to date in fashion. Now, I know, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, or really any where south of the Mason-Dixon line, this sort of thing won't appeal to you. If you live in let's say, New England, Canada, the upper Mid-West or anywhere else where it might be windy or cold from November through April, this little piece might come in handy and be stylish, too. One thing though, faux fur can be warm, really warm, even hot, but then again, our winters are cold.

To make such a tunic, you'll need Butterick 5358. The collar from A or B combined with the body and sleeves of D would work well. Make sure to double check your size on this - you need to make sure the final product skims the body and does not cling. You can fold out those pleats at the neck - you won't need them and they'd be too bulky in faux fur anyway. The collar might need to be a bit large to accommodate the thickness of the fur, you'll probably need to mock this up in something really cheap before making and expensive one.

Faux fur varies quite a bit in the quality department, but Emma One Sock has some nice ones, including a dark brown Tissavel faux mink. Look under the "designer coatings" for the other ones.

If the EOS faux fur isn't in your price range, try Fabric.com. They have a nice selection of affordable pelted faux mink, including a chocolate brown, shown below.

You'll have to refigure the yardage for this, as the original is cut cross wise to the pelts - the pelts don't run up and down, but across the body. Of course, you may not want wide stripes around your body and opt to cut it out with the pelts going lengthwise. Don't forget about a half a yard of black grosgrain ribbon for the bow at the back of the neck, if that detail is something you want!

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: Fall Color. The leaves in the mountains were brilliant today. I went up to do some hiking and photographed these leaves along the way home just south of Twin Mountain, NH.

2011-10-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

Paco Peralta - Pleated Skirt

Lining and Done!

I had plenty of time yesterday and today to finish up the pleated skirt. The lining was easy to make, as it doesn't have the pleats of the skirt and was easily installed leaving me only the hems to finish. You can see that the lining has a waist facing and the long slits so that the skirt moves properly when walking.

I decided to leave the skirt longer, which is almost midi length on me, and make a very narrow hem. I had planned to make it knee length short, but when I pinned up it and looked at it in the mirror, it read more school girl than it should for my age. If I don't like it, I can always go back and hem it up later.

I'm really pleased with it. The skirt is well drafted and not complicated to make. The style would also look good in a variety of fabrics and lengths depending on the wearer.

Parting Shot: Moosilauke. My son and I hiked Moosilauke on Saturday. It was a really beautiful day for hiking here in New England, and we were treated to some nice views and cool temperatures.

2011-10-07T16:44:00.001-05:00

Paco Peralta - Pleated Skirt

Zipper Install

I was able to get the zipper successfully installed today and the second fitting done. I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but do consider that I'm working with a plaid, which requires careful matching. This project is a whole lot of careful matching: the pleats, the side seams and the zipper. The first side of the zipper was easy, that just gets sewn in. The second side is the part that takes a little more time because all the red and yellow lines of the plaid must match up, along with the wide navy/black sections. I put this zipper in the way I always do when I need to match up lines, detailed in this tutorial.

Needless to say, I had to re-baste a section a few times to get it just right, but the final result is good:

After that I was able to try on the skirt for a second time and adjust the back waist a bit - all I had to do was stitch the pleats a bit tight to take up some excess fabric. I'll have to change the back facing and lining to reflect that adjustment.

Now I can get the lining constructed and installed, some time this weekend, probably Sunday as tomorrow will be a nice day and I'll be out all day.

Parting Shot: P-51 Mustang. One more plane! On display along with the B-17 and B-24 was a P-51 Mustang. We were able to watch it take off and fly. This is a really loud plane for being so small! I can't imagine the sound of a whole fleet of these things in the sky together. As an Air Force brat, I've seen a lot of air shows and all the modern fighters, but these little planes are still pretty amazing. Thank you all for the comments regarding the other planes - I understand the connection some of you have with these historic aircraft and understand the sacrifices some made to fly in them for everything we enjoy in our country today.

2011-10-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

Paco Peralta - Pleated Skirt

Fitting and Lining Comments

I got the skirt fitted today, which really wasn't that hard. I let the side seams out just a tiny bit, but other than that, I'm going to leave it alone until I get the zipper in. I think I'll need to adjust the pleats in the back near the waist line, but I won't know exactly until the zipper is in. The zipper is ready to go in, and I should be able to get that done tomorrow morning, as it is already pinned on one side:

I finally bought lining today. Yes, I bought red, why not? Yes, that is the lining piece for the skirt. The lining is cut differently than the pleated skirt and is nice because it reduces bulk around the middle, which no one needs. In order for the wearer to be able to walk and for the lining to move properly under the skirt, there are some high slits at either side seam. I think this is an interesting way of dealing with the lining, and we'll see how it turns out once the whole skirt is done.

Tomorrow's tasks: get the zipper in and do another fitting!

Parting Shot: In the Air. Thanks for the comments on the B-17 yesterday! It was really a magical moment to see this plane take off. I've seen many planes in air museum over the years - many that have been restored and many that will probably never fly again, but not seen one really fly. Both my grandmother (my mother's mother) and great-grandfather (my father's grandfather) worked in the same bomber plant building planes during WWII, so that is yet another connection for me to these planes.

2011-10-05T15:17:00.000-05:00

Paco Peralta - Pleated Skirt

The Pleats

Now that my dad is back home from his weekend, I am back to the normal routine and back to my sewing projects. We had a great time, and I actually did do a piece by request and a muslin for a future project, but those are not projects that will be be blogged about.

Today, I pulled out the skirt pieces, got the side edges serged and started on the pleats. The are four pleats on the front and on the back, two on each side rather than pleats all the way around the skirt. Especially in a plaid, this gives the skirt a little more of grown-up look, rather than a school-girl look.

I am going to stitch these pleats in place in the hip area. I don't think you necessarily have to do so, but I like that look. There are no instructions with these patterns, so it is up to the individual as to how to complete the garment.

At this point, the pleats are ready to go, and I'll get those stitched up and the side seams basted before trying it on for a quick fit. After checking the fit, I should be able to get the zipper in and have something more substantial to show you!

Parting Shot: B-17. While my father was here, he was able to get a ride in a B-17, one of the heavy bombers in use during WWII. Being retired Air Force, this was a special treat, as he has flown in just about every plane the Air Force used from the end of WWII/Korean War through the late 1980's, except for this one. There are less than 10 B-17's still in flying condition today, so to see one of these planes actually flying was a true step back in history.

2011-09-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

Paco Peralta - Pleated Skirt

Cut and Ready

The skirt is cut and ready to go. That's a major accomplishment, considering I have family visiting this weekend for a long weekend and I've been extremely busy cooking/cleaning/etc. for the past two days.

I went through my collection of stuff and found a zipper but did not find any lining fabric for the skirt. I'll have to pick some either this weekend or early next week.

I'm not sure how much I'll get done this weekend - I might be able to sneak in some sewing. I won't be blogging again until next Wed., so have a great weekend and I'll be back then.

Parting Shot: Apple Crumble Pie. Since we're having family for a long weekend, I baked an apple pie. It looks good, but we'll find out after a turkey dinner tonight!

2011-09-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

Paco Peralta - Pleated Skirt

Introduction

Next on my list of things to sew this fall is the Pleated Skirt pattern by Paco Peralta. You can purchase his patterns in his Etsy shop. This skirt is originally drafted to be a midi-length skirt, but because of my fabric selection, I am going to shorten it to knee length.

The fabric I've chosen is a vintage wool plaid that I've had for quite a while. I got it over five years ago and I know it is much older than that. It is a classic plaid and I think it will make a versatile skirt for fall.

For the lining, I need to check my collection or pick up some navy blue lining. I'll do that tomorrow. As a side note, the lining is drafted differently than the skirt - it is drafted as a straight skirt rather than pleated like the skirt.

This skirt shouldn't be too hard, but it looks like a busy weekend, so it might not get finished until next week.

Parting Shot: Getting There. The fall colors are starting to show nicely in the mountains and in the next couple of weeks will be at peak. I was hiking yesterday and was able to get this photo of the eastern portion of Crawford Notch.

2011-09-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Anthro's Wicopy Skirt

After looking through some of the new offerings from Anthro, I chose the Wicopy skirt for this week's make the look. Although this is a simple skirt, I think it could be worn with a lot of different tops/sweaters/jackets for fall, and with or without boots, and with or without tights. There's lots of options here.

To make a similar, inspired-by skirt, the closest pattern I've found is Simplicity 2512. There are some differences, the first being that there are no pleats at the waist - which may be a good thing if you don't want all that thickness around your middle. The original skirt also has a paper bag style waist and the pattern doesn't. The paper bag style isn't really slimming or versatile, either, so I actually like the pattern better in that regard.

For fabrics, you could chose any wool plaid or boucle and actually splurge on some nice wool plaid and still make this skirt for much, much cheaper than the retail price. This wool from Gorgeous Fabrics is only $14.00 a yard, and a great plaid for fall:

This tweedy wool from Emma One Sock is pretty affordable, too and would work well with this fall's palette of colors:

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: Approved! The new music bag gets approval from Wellie. Glad my work is still up to his standards. LOL.

2011-09-26T17:52:00.000-05:00

Simplicity 2358, Music Bag

Done!

With both the bag and the lining done by Saturday night, all I had to do on Sunday was put the two together, finish the top stitching and add the strap. Not too much to do, but I was at point where I needed a design consultation with my son.

We had originally planned on accenting the strap with some leather and then using leather tabs on the front of the bag. I had two pre-made adjustable straps in my collection of sewing stuff, but the problem was that I could not use the straps and the leather in combination. The resulting product would be too stiff to use the sliders and because he's still growing, being able to adjust the strap is important. So, no leather. Since we got rid of that, the bag was going to be very plain.

I suggested some piping made of the lining fabric, because I had all the materials already and because it would add something interesting to the bag. He agreed and it wasn't too much work to make enough piping to go around the flap. I like result and the bag isn't as boring.

The bag wasn't as stiff as I'd liked it to be, so I did add an extra layer of interfacing in the front and bottom and then some really stiff Peltex stuff for the back. The bag is more stable, and more like what I imagined.

Just a peek inside:

He's happy with it and since piano lessons are tomorrow, he'll get to use it.

Parting Shot: Purse. I bought a new purse recently - this one is a dyed, woven straw type of purse, made in Southeast Asia. I loved the teal color with the black trim for fall.

2011-09-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

Simplicity 2358, Music Bag

A Lining

I've made good progress today on my son's music bag and I think I'll be able to finish it up tomorrow so that he can start using it next week.

I got the lining finished, including a patch pocket with dividers for pencils or whatever small items he needs to store.

The lining is also topstitched on the inside, which I don't recall seeing in instructions for a bag before, but it does look nice and will give the lining seams a little extra strength.

I just need to get the body together and finish this up - should be quick!

Parting Shot: Another Bag. Wellie has claimed another bag, this time my husband's laptop bag. My husband put it on the desk and within minutes, Wellie made himself at home.

2011-09-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

Simplicity 2358, Music Bag

So far, I've got the bag cut out and fused. I've also modified the pattern a little and picked up the magnetic closure that I'll need to for the flap.

Among all the cutting out, would you believe there are no inside pockets for this bag?!? There are a few pockets on the outside, depending on which view you make, but none in the interior. Um, I guess guys (to whom the pattern is apparently marketed to according to the cover artwork) don't need interior pockets for things like cell phones, ipods, memory sticks, etc.? I think I'm going to add some to this bag so my son can at least keep his pencils and other small things organized.

Other than coming up with some sort of pockets for him, I think I'm ready to sew this up. I think I'll be home most of tomorrow, so maybe I'll make progress!

Parting Shot: Fast Asleep. We found Wellie fast asleep in bag in my workroom the other day. He just made himself nice and cozy and took a nap.

2011-09-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

Simplicity 2358, Music Bag

Thank you all for the compliments on the Advance dress! I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to wear it many ways, like some of you suggested, this winter.

Between piano lessons, trumpet lessons and now Jr. High Band, my son needs a new music bag that will hold all of his music. His current bag barely fits his piano music, let alone the music for trumpet or band. We looked at patterns online and chose Simplicity 2358, view D with a few modifications.

He wants the front to be more like view A, with the tabs and buckles. View A is actually too small for his music; after measuring his books we found out we'd need to make either D or E.

We discussed fabric choices and decided to go with a black bull denim, a plaid shirting for lining, plus some leather for accents. I already had the shirting and leather, so all I had to buy was the denim and interfacing. I also had enough webbing in my collection to make the strap.

This shouldn't take too long to make, maybe I'll get it done over the weekend!

Parting Shot: Ocean View. Here is one of the photos I took in Acadia National Park from some cliffs near the trail, right off of the Park Loop Road.

2011-09-21T16:12:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Done!

The dress and belt are finally finished! The belt was easy to make, and I had the right sized vintage buckle already in my collection. If you're going to make matching belts, I've got one tip. You're going to have to place the belt over the tongue portion of the buckle and secure it. In order to do this easily, I make a button hole in the belt, and then easily assemble the buckle. Otherwise, you'll have to cut the belt and have a raw edge, which is not ideal.

Here's the dress on the form, all done:

Here it is, with me wearing it:

I'm happy with it - the pattern was well drafted and the instructions were straightforward. Made up in corduroy, this style is good for fall/winter wear.

Parting Shot: Sunflowers. My son's sunflowers did pretty well this year. He's got a variety of heights, but he really loves these tall ones.

Regarding yesterday's parting shot. The campground is on Mt. Desert Island, ME near Acadia National Park. Tent platforms are not uncommon here in New England. Their main purpose is to help prevent erosion and damage due to overuse or because the terrain is so uneven or rocky, making pitching a tent difficult. Most platforms have hooks or large metal eyes in the corners and along the sides for staking out a tent if the tent is not free standing; it is usually considered bad etiquette and damaging to install your own, although people do it.

2011-09-20T18:35:00.000-05:00

Busy Weekend!

I've had a busy, but great weekend away and am trying to get back to routine. I promise pictures of the finished Advance 7931 dress tomorrow!

Parting Shot: Tent Platform. For our trip this weekend trip to Maine, my husband was able to get this really neat campsite. The tent platform is right on the water and we were able to watch the sun rise over the ridge across the water from our campsite.

2011-09-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Still Finishing . . .

Well, I got the hem done. I decided to do this one by hand only because there is no other topstitching on the dress and I thought it would look better not to be stitched by machine. I serged the edge, turned it up once and then hand stitched it:

Some of the backs of the bound buttonholes are done, but not all as you can see.

Once those bound buttonholes are done, all I need to do is add the buttons and the decorative front tab. All that can be done in the car this weekend (see below), and next week I'll make the belt.

Parting Shot: Almost Ready. We're going to Acadia National Park in Maine for the weekend, and I think we're almost ready to go. See you on Tuesday!

2011-09-15T16:18:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Some Finishing Details

I am down to the finishing details on this dress and there are quite a few. For some projects, it seems like finishing is actually half the project! As far as the finishing, I have added buttons to the sleeve cuffs and made the decorative tabs for the front and back. I've already add the one to the back, it is just stitched to the back with the buttons.

I've also tacked down the facings at the shoulder and dealt with a small fitting issue. The waist was a little bit too big, but taking in the dress at the side seams was not an option due to the inseam pockets. My solution was to make the waist seam allowances into a casing and insert a piece of elastic just in the back to help the dress fit better. You can see both ends of the elastic, below. I just stitched across the ends of the elastic at the side seams and it was done.

It looks like all I have left is the hem, finishing the bound buttonholes and adding the buttons. I should have that all done between this evening and tomorrow morning. Oh yeah, and make the matching belt!

Parting Shot: Claimed. Wellie likes bags and packs for some reason. He's claimed my husband's laptop bag this time.

2011-09-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Collar and Facings

I feel like I'm finally getting to the finishing stages of this dress now that the collar and facings are mostly done. I say mostly done because I need to get the other side of the bound buttonholes finished. I'll need a few hours to sit down and do that, but that won't happen until tomorrow evening.

The collar is cut on the bias in one piece, but I didn't have enough fabric to do that, so I cut the collar in two pieces and made a seam at center back. I think it looks fine and certainly doesn't detract from the dress.

The front edges are now done and you can get an idea of how this is going to look once it is finished:

I should have this dress done in the next few days if I have enough time to work on it!

Parting Shot: Fungus. I've been seeing quite a variety of fungus on my hikes recently. Maybe it is the time of year, or maybe it is because we've had a lot of wet weather and warmer temps, but there is quite a variety in all colors and shapes. I liked these because of the color and texture contrast with the moss that they're growing on.

2011-09-13T15:45:00.000-05:00

Make the Look

Kate Spade - Bardot Sweater Dress

Sweater dress, well you know that sucked me in. Living in New England, sweaters and other cozy clothes are always important. A sweater dress is a bonus in my case. You see, I love really nice dresses and there are a ton of them and patterns for them out there. The problem is that I am always cold, even in air conditioning in summer. That means, I'm always wearing a cardigan over the dress, thus hiding the whole thing, and in the end it doesn't matter what the dress looks like anymore because of the sweater! Don't even think about winter. Sigh. Enter the sweater dress! Now, that's a concept the I can get on board with. The Bardot Sweater Dress is nice because it picks up on the color blocking trend, and if you look at the shape really closely, there isn't much to it.

There are two patterns that I'd suggest for making such a dress. For either, you will have a few changes to make. First, you'll need to figure out how you want the color blocking. That is a personal decision and your body shape may have something to do with it. Second, you'll need to adjust the sleeve length to your liking. Third, you'll need to add wider binding or bands at the sleeve ends and neck. Using that bow on the neck is up to you.

McCall's 6355 is nice. It also has some bust darts which is really helpful in giving the dress just a little shape. Your body shape may dictate that additional bust/waist darts and some side seam shaping maybe better for you, too. A belt may just solve all those problems, albeit, that's an addition to the original.

Simplicity 2054 is similar as well, has no darts at all and will still need all the design changes.

As far as fabrics, the original is done in a wool knit. Wool knit is cozy and luxe, but wool knit also needs to be taken care of properly. I'm going to guess that dry cleaning will be involved. If you want wool knit, and you want to color block, you'll have to be creative. Try Gorgeous Fabrics or Fabricmart. My suggestion is this: use rayon/spandex ponte knit. I know that's not quite a sweater knit, but it is a heavier knit and very warm (I've made things from it in the past) *and* it comes in quite a range of colors. Fabric.com has a nice selection of ponte knit and if you want to make a pink/red version like the original, they've got pink and red. Plus, you get the benefit of machine washing!

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: View. This is a view from near the summit of East Osceola that I took recently. While we were spared a lot of damage from Irene, the areas that were worst hit were our roads near any river or stream. Many of the roads in the mountains suffered damage and some are just starting to reopen. This view is near the Kancamagus Highway, which just reopened this weekend after many portions were repaired. A big thanks to the road crews who worked hard to quickly restore the roadways!

2011-09-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

The Sleeves

I was able to get the sleeve done and in the dress this weekend. The sleeves with cuff detail are much easier to make than they look.

First, the cuff is made, then made into a circle. There will be a button on the cuff for decoration, but I'll add that later during the finishing

Then, the sleeve is made and the sleeve is simply gather and sewn to the cuff - there is no placket, slit or anything else. Very easy. The seam allowances are pressed up and I've serged the edges clean. The original pattern has this seam allowance bound, but since I'm not binding anything else in the dress, and the rest of the insides are serged, I will just serge this, too.

Lastly, the sleeves are set into the dress. The sleeves went in nicely and I'm happy with them.

I also got all the buttons done. This dress needs 13 buttons, so this kept me occupied one evening.

Next up: assembling and attaching the facing and collar. After that, there won't be much left except some finishing details.

Parting Shot: Zealand Falls. I went on a hike recently in this area and got a nice photo of the falls. There was plenty of water this day and it was flowing pretty quick as it had rained the previous few days.

2011-09-10T16:14:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Bound Buttonholes Done for Now

The bound buttonholes are done for the moment. I'm not completely done with them, as I'll have to finish the facing side of them when I put on the facing.

I need some interfacing for the collar and facings, so I think I'll work on the sleeves for the rest of the weekend, get the interfacing on Monday and finish the dress next week.

Q/A: From Brenda, " . . . do you use a zipper foot to sew the end triangle piece? It seems that the folded over section would be thick and the triangle section not so much. That would cause the foot to be unstable." No, I don't, I've never had a problem with the thickness of fabric or instability. I always make a sample, and it is there whether I find out if I need to change something. If I needed to use a zipper foot, I would. Many people do and you should do what works for your project and your machine.

She also wanted to know, " . . . could you show or describe how you mark so accurately. What marking products do you use?" I always use one of three things to mark: a very sharp marking pencil, which means a lot of sharpening; a marking pencil that is similar to a mechanical pencil, you can find these with the quilting products or order one online; Fons and Porter is brand that makes one, I think; or the fine tip water soluble marking pen, and sometimes the fine tip ones are also found in the quilting section. I also use a see-through quilting ruler, marked with lines 1/8" apart. Other than that, it is just taking the time to mark carefully and redoing it until it is right before stitching.

Parting Shot: Walkway. We worked on our walkway today. We weeded, moved lilies and added these large stones. It looks nicer and will be better than the white pebbles when it comes times to shovel snow.

2011-09-09T16:50:00.000-05:00

Bound Buttonhole Tutorial #2

Here is the tutorial for the method that I used for the bound buttonholes for the navy corduroy vintage dress. This one is similar to my other tutorial, but I think simpler in some ways. The key with any technique like this is careful measuring and marking.

To start, you'll need to reinforce the area where the bound buttonhole will be on the wrong side. In some cases, the entire piece will be interfaced. In other cases, you can use a square of fusible interfacing to reinforce the area. You will need to mark the fabric carefully, with the center line of the buttonhole and the end lines of the buttonhole. The fabric only needs to be marked on the right side, but I like to mark both sides.

You will also need a patch of fabric for the lips of the buttonhole. The patch needs to be 1" high by the length of the buttonhole plus 1". For the sample shown below, I'm going to make a buttonhole 1" wide, so the patch needs to be 1"x2".

Fold the patch for the lips lengthwise in half with right sides together and press:

Unfold the patch and fold one long edge toward the center pressed line and press:

Press the other long edge to the center line and press:

Stitch down each side of the patch, exactly 1/8" away from the fold. This stitching needs to be exact as it will be a guideline for stitching in a few steps.

Baste the patch for the lips to the fabric, centering the patch exactly on the center line of the buttonhole.

Stitch along first stitching lines, using a very small stitch length. Be sure to start and stop exactly on the lines for the ends of buttonhole.

Cut through the patch directly down the center. Do not cut through the fashion fabric.

Carefully cut a slit through the fabric only, not through the lips. Cut straight across and diagonally into the corners being careful to clip right to the ends of the stitching. If you're concerned about your fabric fraying, place a small dot of fray check at the ends of the stitching and let it dry before clipping to the corners.

Turn the lips of the buttonhole through the slit to the wrong side and press:

Diagonally baste the two lips of the buttonhole together:

With buttonhole right side up, fold back one side of the fabric to expose the triangle at the end of the buttonhole:

Stitch across the wide end of the triangle, parallel to the fold. Repeat for the other side. This secures the end of the buttonhole.

Remove the diagonal basting and you're done!

Parting Shot: Happy. My husband got this picture of Wellie today, just enjoying the warm sunshine. Oh to be a cat!

2011-09-08T15:39:00.001-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

The Buttonholes

**Note on yesterday's Make the Look. TerriK suggested that the Quincy top by The Sewing Workshop might also be pattern to consider if you'd like to make an inspired by the Anthro jacket. Check her comments on yesterday's post for more info on how to make it more like the Anthro jacket.***

I did decide on the size of the buttons, which then meant that I could start work on the bound buttonholes. I chose the 3/4" size buttons for the reason that I thought smaller buttons would look better in proportion, especially on the upper part of the bodice where I had to take out 1" of the total length.

I then decided to check out a new (and easier) method of making bound buttonholes. My standard method is pretty easy, but I decided I wanted to streamline that process a bit. There is a tutorial for the way I usually do bound buttonholes, look in the tags amongst the Lacroix Trenchcoat posts. As with any project, I did a test buttonhole first to make sure I liked the results. I also tested interfacing to make sure it was what I wanted.

The rest of my time has been spent preparing to make the buttonholes. There is a a lot of measuring and marking upfront, besides preparing all the little pieces of fabric for the buttonhole lips. So far, I've got all the small pieces basted in place, waiting for the stitching, clipping, turning and finishing. Since there are seven buttonholes, I'm doing them all in an assembly line process.

I'm hoping to make good progress on these and have them mostly done by tomorrow. I should also have a new bound buttonhole tutorial for you tomorrow, too!

Parting Shot: Practice. Now that he has trumpet lessons, he has to practice! So far, it isn't too bad, and we'll get past the cow bellowing stage soon. I keep reminding myself that it has to be better than beginning violin.

2011-09-07T15:31:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Anthropologies' Ascot Swing Coat

Well, I'm going to pick on Anthro one more week and then move on to some new Kate Spade goodies, because I already had this coat in mind before I got the Kate Spade email. This one is the Ascot Swing Coat, and I think this is a fairly simple, yet elegant design. Coats can sometimes be difficult to make, with a lot of details, linings, fabrics, etc., but I think this one is pretty straightforward and would be easier to fit than a tailored coat. I happen to like the yellow color, but if you're making your own, you can pick the color!

I don't have a dead-on pattern for this one, but I've got a couple that I think could work nicely to get an inspired by look. First, a new pattern from New Look's Project Runway Workroom line, 6074. This one will need a little work to get closer to the original if you want to - extend the front collar to get that scarf like look, change the front hem a bit, add extra buttons and add a box pleat to center back.

The second pattern is Simplicity 2504. I actually think this one is the better of the two patterns as View C is very close to the original and already has a scarf and center back seam, so adding a box pleat would be very easy. Using the hem and buttons from views D or E would also be closer to the original.

For fabric, I'll recommend the wools that I did last week, but add that Gorgeous Fabrics has just added some really nice wools to her selection. Just click on the "new" tab at the top and you'll see them. Fabricmart.com still has a great selection of Shetland wools, too.

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: Trumpet. Yes, we're adding trumpet lessons to the mix for my son. Should be interesting in the afternoon since they're both in piano, my daughter is taking flute again, and now my son taking trumpet.

2011-09-06T15:48:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

The Skirt

I've been able to get the skirt made up. I know that sounds like I didn't sew much, but consider that the skirt has 8 gores, each edge needing serging, plus each gore has a dart, too. Add to that some side seam pockets, and you've got a good bit of sewing to do. Here's what the skirt looks like so far:

The center front has the button placket opening, so I've reinforced both sides of the seam with some fusible interfacing before stitching the center front skirt seam.

The pockets are all done:

Right now, I need to stitch the skirt and the bodice together, then work on the buttonholes. I could not find enough matching buttons for this dress as it needs 13 buttons, so I'm going to go with covered buttons for the moment. I'm also pretty sure I'm going to make bound buttonholes, but haven't 100% decided on that. First I need to determine the size of the button I need to use. The envelope illustration has those buttons looking pretty large, but I'm not sure exactly how big as the pattern does not specify. It will be either 3/4" or 7/8". I bought one package of covered buttons of each size and will see what looks best when I get the bodice and skirt together.

Parting Shot: Playing. Wellie likes to play with a rope of fabric. My son tied knots into the ends so that Wellie can grab it. Without front claws, he needs a little something extra when trying to catch the rope.

2011-09-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Bodice Construction

I've been able to work on the bodice and get it done to the point where I can either add the sleeves or start working on the skirt.

The darts were done first, then the front yokes were added. Note that the yokes and fronts are not even at the edge. They're not supposed to be, as the extension makes the button placket.

The back is pretty simple, being gathered to the yoke and then later gathered to the skirt.

With side seams and shoulder seams, the bodice is ready for the next step. I'm not sure exactly what I'll work on next, probably the skirt. We'll see - looks like a busy weekend.

Parting Shot: Bubble Wrap. Yep, Wellie likes to lick bubble wrap, too!

2011-09-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

Alterations

For almost every pattern that I sew, I go through a pretty standard set of alterations. This one is no exception. For starters, I use a size 32 in vintage patterns which gives me the smaller shoulder and neck area that I need as a petite. I've also shortened the bodice by 1", no surprise:

The skirt also needed to be shortened, but the pattern suggested to shorten at the hemline. In order to preserve the original width at the skirt's hem, I decided to remove the 4" I needed to remove in two sections of 2" each, as seen below:

The other thing I needed to alter was the sleeve length. The sleeves are drafted to be 3/4 length sleeves, but I'm not a fan of that length. Since the sleeves were almost full length anyway without removing the one to two inches that I normally do, I've added an extra inch and will do full length sleeves.

Any other changes will be done during the construction, which will most likely be just taking in the waist a bit.

Other than that, it is cut out and ready to sew!

Parting Shot: Self-Styled. He's not quite style conscious yet, but he is trying. He was concerned this morning whether he should wear the tan jacket or the black one. I told him to try both. Once he decided on the jacket, he asked if he should wear the red Converse. I said sure, they're a nice pop of color. So this is how he went to school today.

2011-08-31T15:31:00.000-05:00

Advance 7931, Navy Corduroy Dress

This Advance dress is the first piece of some fall pieces that I'll be making this year. I chose this pattern because I've had it for a while and never made it up, and I've been wanting a corduroy shirtdress since I saw one last year for sale on Anthropologie's website. This one isn't an exact copy, but you really can't go wrong with a designer shirtdress pattern from 1956.

This one is designed by Eddy George of Casual Time of California:

There are some nice details to this dress, and I'll share a few today and then we'll take a look at others when I work on the dress. First, this dress has gathers for a nice shape in the back bodice and three darts for bust shaping in the front. I've seen one and even two darts to shape the front bodice, but not three. There are no side bust darts, either.

Second, the skirt has 8 gores and darts to shape the hip area. This gives a much nicer, slimmer look than yards and yards of fabric gathered to a tiny waist. I've done those sorts of patterns before and unless you're really slim, they visually add weight where most people don't want it. This is better than even pleats, and yes I've done patterns with pleats and with the gore/dart combo and the gore/dart combo is the best of the three. Third, notice that there is a front button placket - no side zipper! Fourth, take a look at that shaped belt - that's a cool shape I hadn't seen before - we'll look more at that later.

I've chosen a navy fine wale corduroy for the dress because I happen to like corduroy, and it is a nice fabric for layering in fall and winter here in New England. I can wear it with a turtleneck and tights or without or add a cardigan or not, too.

There will be more details as we go along! Tomorrow: adjusting the pattern and cutting everything out.

Parting Shot: First Day of School. Today was the children's first day of school. My daughter is now in 8th grade and my son in 5th grade.

2011-08-30T15:21:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Anthro's Frilled Eschelons Peacoat

Thank you all for the lovely comments on the red cardigan/jacket/whatever it is. I think it will be versatile, we'll see!

This week's pick is another fall jacket/coat from Anthro, the Frilled Eschelons Peacoat. Right away, I'll have to say two things: one, that I like the blue color (Turquoise) better than the brown (Moss) and two, while all those ruffles aren't exactly me, I think they're different and fun. I liked this jacket because it is traditional but has a twist to it, and will work nicely for fall and early winter before you really need to bundle up. Of course, I know it is late August, but with school starting soon (tomorrow!) and fall just around the corner, this is the time to start thinking about or making coats and jackets. I will be ordering wool this weekend for a coat - not this one, but I am getting the supplies here!

Now, to make such a coat, I've got two patterns that will work quite nicely, although they're not exactly like the original and will need some extras to make them like the original. Butterick 5393 and McCall's 5759, although both are single breasted, they do already have a curved front that would work for this coat. You'll need to add ruffles at the hem, as many rows as you'd like. The amount of rows depends on your own taste and style - three might be too much or might be just right for you. You'll also have to work out the cowl style collar, of course, you might not want that either and just go with how the pattern is already drafted.

Butterick 5393:

McCall's 5759:

Of course, if you're confident in your pattern altering skills, you could take almost any double-breasted, princess-seamed coat pattern and copy the look.

For fabric, if you want teal wool look no further than Gorgeous Fabrics, who just happens to have some lovely wool:

Fabricmart.com also has a great selection of Shetland wools (on sale, too, another reason to get your fabric early!).

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: New Project. I've got a new project starting tomorrow and the pattern is already Wellie-approved. If I can keep him off the fabric, I'll be doing good! Details tomorrow.

2011-08-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

Vogue 2989, Red Cardigan

Done!

I was able to finish the cardigan over the weekend. Although hurricane Irene did come through, unfortunately for our neighbors in Vermont and New York, it tracked further west, so we did not have some of the worst rain, wind or flooding. So, we're fine and I do hope that everyone else stayed safe, and will continue to be safe until the flood waters recede.

All I had to do was hand stitch the facing, finish the sleeve hems and add the hook and eye at the waist.

I'm happy with the cardigan and I'll see how it works with my wardrobe. I think I'll be able to wear it many ways, both dressy and casual.

Q/A: From Fourkid: When you say that you baste your seams, I was wondering if you mean baste by hand or by machine? I baste most things for fitting purposes by machine. I hand baste if the item is being made in a couture style, the fabric is difficult to work with or I need the precision that only hand basting needs. This jacket in a stable knit doesn't fit that profile, so it got machine basted.

Parting Shot: Scarf Progress. I've made decent progress on my scarf, with most of this being done over vacation. When I got back, I purchased one more skein of yarn and when I get to the end of this skein, the scarf will be done.

2011-08-27T19:27:00.000-05:00

Vogue 2989, Red Cardigan

Part Three

Well, I thought I would get this cardigan would get done today, but it didn't. Between my daughter's friend being over to the house, lunch with the family and celebrating family birthdays, it just didn't get finished. All that's left is the hand work on the inside and hand finishing.

I should be able to finish this between tonight and tomorrow. I will show this on Monday, if we have power, which will depend on hurricane Irene and what happens here in New England.

Parting Shot: Cheesecake. My daughter wanted a cheesecake with peanut butter cups for her birthday cake. I used this recipe from Epicurious.com, and just substituted peanut butter cups for the Heath bar.

2011-08-26T16:30:00.000-05:00

Vogue 2989, Red Cardigan

Part Two

As I thought, so far, this has been a pretty easy cardigan to put together. I've got most of it together, but basted both the seam over the arm and the peplum/waist seam to check the fit.

The over the arm seam is important because I have narrow shoulders that sometimes don't fill out what is drafted. I actually debated cutting a 6 through the shoulders instead of an 8 (which is my usual procedure with Vogue patterns), but settled on a straight 8 because I knew I could fine tune the fit later. It turned out, after trying on the cardigan, that it actually fit nicely with no adjustments.

I did need to take out that inch in the bodice length after all. I just couldn't get away with it being the regular length this time. That's ok, that's why it is a good idea to baste and try something on before making the seam permanent.

At this point, all I have left is to hem everything, add the neckband and finish the inside of the neckband. Should be done tomorrow!

Parting Shot: Help. It seems that I always need help in the sewing room! What you don't see is Pix sleeping on the floor or Kiwi in the closet. They're also around for mental support.

2011-08-25T17:03:00.000-05:00

Vogue 2989, Red Cardigan

Now that I'm back from vacation and it is almost September, I thought I'd start the fall sewing. I've got more things planned, but the fabric for two larger projects (a coat and a vintage dress!) isn't here yet, so I'm going to start with some easier items. I did find out today that I'll need to make my son a pair of black jeans, unless I find a pair in his size tomorrow. It seems that while I was on vacation, everyone else was school shopping, hence a dearth of black jeans in my son's size. Anyway.

I pulled out Vogue 2989 because I liked the cardigan and wanted something that would be either casual or dressy. The peplum, of course, is an added bonus as I seem to like that design feature. I liked the fact that the pattern is for knits, and since I had some nice red ponte knit already, it seemed like a good idea.

The plan is to make this one as is, except to narrow that front band by 1". Being petite, I'm thinking that with two of those bands, my whole front side would be covered as there really is no difference in width for all the size ranges of the pattern. I'll probably need to shorten the neck to waist length, too, but I'm waiting on that change. I don't always do that alteration - it depends on how the garment looks on me. Sometimes I can get away with leaving it alone and giving an illusion of a longer body, sometimes not. I'll baste and check when I get to that point.

So far, it is cut out and the back is assembled.

This should be a fairly quick garment to make since most of it will be constructed on the serger, so I'm guessing that it will be done by the weekend.

Parting Shot: New Shoes. You know it is the beginning of the school year when the kids get new shoes. My son has plenty of fashion tennis shoes, but needed at least one pair that was more athletic, so we got these. His old ones are going in the trash - they survived the school year, the summer and one week of camp and it is time for them to go.

2011-08-24T16:06:00.000-05:00

We're Back!

We're back from vacation and although we had a great time, we're happy to be home and back to the regular routines.

While on vacation, my son wanted a very specific t-shirt, but it didn't come in his size. Of course, there was a solution to this. We bought the largest sized t-shirt and when we got home, I remade the t-shirt in his size using Jalie 2918.

He's happy and it was a quick project. Now I need to get some things together for fall sewing!

Parting Shot: Happy. Wellie was very happy that we came home. He spent quite a bit of time sitting with us and hanging around us when we returned.

2011-08-09T17:17:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Anthropolgie Fair Lady Trench

So I know it is August, and we've still got a nice bit of summer left, but soon enough the weather will start to get cooler and we'll start thinking about warmer things to wear, including outwear. If you're going to sew outerwear, August is a good time. It might not be exciting to deal with yards of wool fabric while it is still hot outside, but you'll be smug knowing that your new coat is already hanging in the closet when October brings coat weather. I thought I would start showing coats now, so that if you're inclined to make one, you can get a head start.

This week's coat is more of a lightweight trench, but I think it would transition nicely for fall before bringing out the heavy coats. For those of you in the southern hemisphere and heading into spring, this coat would work, too. This week's pick is Anthro's Fair Lady Trench. I like this one because it has elements of being a trench while still following the lady-like trend.

To make such a trench, I've found two patterns that will do the job, Vogue 8346 and Simplicity 2311. Both are very close the original and if you want to do a little pattern adjusting, you make them more like the original. The big difference is that the original has a waist seam, which allows for the lower skirt pattern pieces to be larger and gathered at the waist seam. You can do this yourself with your own pattern pieces, remembering to add seam allowances when you cut them at the waist, while also adding width to the skirt for the gathers. The original has large snaps, which is easily done. It looks like you'll have to add the contrast trim to both patterns, too. The Vogue is really a double-breasted coat, but I think that you could just make it as per the pattern without really have to change it to a single-breasted coat and not lose too much of the original inspiration.

Vogue 8346:

Simplicity 2311:

As far as fabrics, the original is made in poly blend poplin, and Fabric.com has just such a fabric, with a little stretch, both in a tan and navy if you want to stick to the original colors.

All photos from respective websites with links included.

***Thanks for all the lovely compliments on my daughter's new school pieces! I'm glad I got them done, because I will be on vacation from tomorrow through Tues. Aug 23. I will see you all when I get back!***

Parting Shot: New Scarf. I've finally started a new scarf, and think I have found a suitable pattern for the Frog Tree Alpaca yarn that I have. I've tried several patterns for this yarn and didn't love any of them, so I wasn't expecting much. So far, this is ok. I've adapted a neck warmer circular scarf pattern to be a straight scarf, the pattern is from Creative Knitting Jan. 2011, which I originally bought for a knitted hoodie sweater pattern.

2011-08-08T16:44:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Butterfly Skirt - Finished!

I finished up the butterfly skirt, which was pretty easy. The ruffles needed to be attached - the bottom one was gathered and sewn to the bottom of the skirt base. The upper ruffle was gathered at attached at the lines I had drawn on the skirt, as per the pattern.

After that, it was an easy matter to attach the waist casing, insert the elastic and finish it.

This was a really easy skirt and she's happy with it! That is it for the school wardrobe, until maybe sometime this winter. I usually make her a few things over the winter as she outgrows or wears out old pieces.

Parting Shot: In the Bag. My son got a bag from the local library for reading a required amount of books and Wellie has already claimed it.

2011-08-05T18:15:00.000-05:00

The School Wardrobe

Butterfly Skirt - Patrones, Modified

The next and last item to get done is the skirt in the butterfly print. We found a pattern in Patrones that we thought would work, but I still wanted to modify it so that it would be easier to make and wear. Here's the original, the main thing I needed from the pattern was the base to attach the ruffles to, which also is the hip yoke:

The plan was to eliminate the bottom ruffle, cut the skirt on the largest size and make an elastic waist instead of the zipper and waistband already drafted. This was not difficult. I traced the largest sized skirt, and to make everything easier, I cut 2 panels per ruffle, 11 1/4" wide x the width of the fabric (about 44") with a rotary cutter. This also put the ruffle side seams on the selvedge so there was no need to finish those seams.

Everything is cut and ready to go, and I've used my serger to finish the hems of the ruffles with a rolled edge hem. Looks good and was quick and easy!

I should have this done on Monday, although I'll be gone to Wilderness First Aid class for the next two days. See you Monday!

Parting Shot: Ready To Go. Here's my son, ready to go on another hike this morning. He's been having a great time hiking this summer. Today's destinations were Mt. Tom and Mt. Field in Crawford Notch.

2011-08-04T16:39:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Paisley Tunic - Burda 4/09 #121

I was able to finish up the tunic. Not a hard pattern and it turned out pretty nice considering the properties of the fabric. Here she is, actually wearing it:

I finished the sleeves the same way I finished the neckline, by placing the right side of the facing to the wrong side of the fabric and then turning to the outside when the stitching is done. It looks nice on both the inside and outside:

Up next: the butterfly skirt, this one should be easy too. Thankfully, it seems all her stuff is easy this year!

Parting Shot: Cheese. Paneer, to be exact. We made it today, and it really is very easy. We used Aarti's recipe from her Food Network show. Now to make it into dinner!

2011-08-03T16:24:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Paisley Tunic - Burda 4/09 #121

My daughter wanted me to make the tunic next, so I've traced the pattern, cut it out and started work on it. This was the piece I was not looking forward to making, only because of the cheap poly silky fabric that I've got to work with. It is the right fabric for my daughter and what she wanted in a tunic, because I certainly wasn't going to pay for silk just to let her ruin it at school. The problem with it is that it is shifty and slippery, thus my solution was to starch it. That's right, good old starch will make the fabric stiff and easy to work with. Once the tunic is done, I'll rinse it all out and it will be just fine.

So far, this has been pretty easy, this is pretty much your standard tunic with a slit in the front and long sleeves with shaped hem. The neck line is similar to the Simplicity I just made, with the exception that there is a slit at center front. Other than that, it is the same sort of reverse facing. I'll probably do the same thing with the sleeve facings, too. My daughter found some matching solid satin from my fabric collection, so that will set off the neckline and sleeves from the body of the tunic.

All that's left is sleeves, side seams and hems. Shouldn't be too hard!

Parting Shot: Kiwi. Usually Wellie gets a lot of Parting Shots, but Kiwi was at the window today, so I thought she should have her moment in the spotlight. I tried to get a good picture of her, but all she wanted to do was to check out the camera.

2011-08-02T16:09:00.001-05:00

Make The Look

Talbot's Matte Jersey Dropped Shoulder Dress

I had an occasion to be in the Talbot's Petite store in the Burlington, MA mall last week and when browsing and snooping through the clothes came across the dropped shoulder dress. This dress looked awfully familiar. Too familiar. With the exception of a few details, like lack of gathers at the neck, it was exactly like the dot dress refashion that I made recently from Burda 4/11 #115. Really, and in my mind, not quite as nice, since I had pockets and a bound neck and armhole - the Talbot's version does not have pockets and is narrow hemmed at the neck and armholes. I also know I did not pay anywhere near Talbot's retail price for this dress. Yes, you should go look at the price for this jersey dress made from two pieces of jersey and some elastic at the waist and no pockets.

To make this dress yourself, obviously Burda 4/11 #115 would do. If you don't have access to Burda, don't worry, I've got a couple of Big 4 options for you. Either Butterick 5211 or 5644 would work to make a similar dress. Butterick 5211 is pretty close, already has pockets and if you include a little extra length then you can add a waist casing and elastic. Of course you could just add a belt and skip all that, too.

Butterick 5644, View B is another alternative, although you'll have to add quite a bit of length because this is a blouse pattern and adjust where that elastic and casing will be according to where your waist is and how much blousing you want.

As far as fabrics, there is a lot of lovely matte jersey out there, but even you if splurge and buy some of the lovely Italian jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics, at $20 per yard, you can still make this dress for less than Talbot's is asking for theirs. Check out all her jersey here. Bonus: your size right away and your color choice if black or red don't work for you.

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: Windows. It was such a nice day, so each cat got their own window!

2011-08-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2211 - White Blouse

We got our power back within a couple of hours, but I didn't have time to finish up the blouse Saturday, so I finished it up yesterday. It just needed sleeves, side seams, sleeve bands and hem. All of those were easily finished between the regular machine and the serger. Here is the blouse:

I did the sleeve bands a little differently for this one. After attaching the sleeves and stitching the side seams, I prepared the sleeve bands. I stitched the short ends together, then folded the bands wrong sides together then stitched the entire band to the sleeve. I finished it off by serging. This was quicker than attaching one side of the band, folding it, then folding the long edge and hand stitching it down.

It turned out really nice and will look good not only for school but also for choir events where she needs to wear black and white. Next up: the Burda tunic.

Parting Shot: Stairs. We got the power back, so my husband was able to finish the new stairs to the deck. They look much better are safe to walk on, too!

2011-07-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2211 - White Blouse

My daughter came home from camp today, saw the skirt and immediately loved the pockets. She really seems to like them, so if it passes the wear test I might be making more items from the same pattern.

The white blouse is now being made and since this is the second time I've made this pattern it is sewing up more quickly. This is how much I've been able to do:

I would be a little further along, but we've lost power at the house so that is limiting how much I can actually sew. The power should be back tomorrow and I should be able to easily finish the blouse.

Parting Shot: New Steps. Our deck needed new steps, and today was the day to take apart the old steps and put new ones in. This project would be done today, but because of the power outage, my husband can't finish it up.

2011-07-29T17:23:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2224 - Part Two

This morning I was able to quickly finish the skirt. I stitched the waistband casing to the skirt, put the elastic in and finish up the hem.

I did not to make the faux waist tie as shown on the pattern - my daughter didn't want it. That made the skirt easier to make, too. Here's the inside of the waist casing, all finished:

I'm really pleased with the skirt! It was easy to make and looks comfortable to wear, not to mention the fact that it has pockets. I also like the fact that the pattern also includes pants and shorts, too. I'll probably make those for her, too, but won't have to buy another pattern.

Next up: the white blouse. It is already cut and waiting; I just need to change the thread over to white in both machines and I'll be ready to go.

Parting Shot: Kinsman Pond. My son and I did some hiking in Fraconia Notch the past two days. Here is he at Kinsman Pond before hiking up to the summits of North and South Kinsman. To quickly answer a question from the comments: no, my daughter does not like to hike, so we find other things to do together.

2011-07-26T16:41:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2224 - Part One

Since my daughter is at camp this week, I decided to start with an easy elastic waist skirt, Simplicity 2224. She chose the green leafy batik fabric for this skirt, a fabric which I thought was unusual for her, but she said she wanted to try something different.

The skirt itself is easy to make, and this is what I have so far:

The pockets are really easy to make. They're finished at the top with wide binding and then the bottom edge is turned up and stitched to the side panel. The sides are aligned with the edges of the panel and are included in the seams that join the side panels and center fronts/backs.

Since this is for a junior high student, and I'm not sure what sort of torture she'll put these pockets through, I decided to use two rows of topstitching when attaching the bottom of the pockets. I also added an extra row of topstitching when stitching down the top pocket binding to keep the look consistent.

Now, if I had another 30 minutes or so, this skirt would be done. The waist casing is assembled, and just needs to be added along with the elastic. A quick hem would then be the final touch. I'll be gone for the next few days, but I think I'll be able to finish this off and show you the final skirt on Friday.

Parting Shot: Mt. Carrigain. My son, husband and I were able to hike Mt. Carrigain this weekend. The three of us have never done a longer hike together, and it was good day. This peak is nice because there is an observation platform, and you have 360 degree views of a good portion of the White Mountains.

2011-07-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Shopping Day

Today we went down to Jo-ann's with a few other stops to look at RTW. We went to Jo-ann's first to survey what they had and to narrow down some choices. Based on what we saw in RTW, we'd go back after lunch and pick up the fabrics we needed at Jo-ann's.

My daughter ended up with three RTW knit tops. I would have had to order in this fabric and would have ended up paying more for the fabric than I did the tops, so I just bought them. She loves the colors and styles and it works for me.

As a side note, take a look at the finish of the neckline of the purple top. It was left as a raw edge and then stitched to a narrow piece of elastic while the elastic was stretched. When the elastic relaxes, it forms the gathers at the neckline.

For fabrics, we then decided on two skirts and two tops. We found another summer skirt in her closet, so we decided on just two more, rather than three. There's a paisely silky stuff for the tunic top from Burda, a white embroidered cotton for a white version of the Lisette top (which she'll need for warm weather choir performances, too), a green leaf batik print for the Simplicity 2224 skirt, and then a butterfly print for what was going to be the other Simplicity skirt with the flounces. We actually found an acceptable substitute pattern in a Patrones magazine that I have so I didn't bother to buy another pattern.

It was a pretty successful trip - she's getting everything she needs to fill in her wardrobe and she really likes all of it. We were able to edit and compromise on her list and I've ended up with less sewing to do. That's not a bad thing, considering we're having a busy summer!

Parting Shot: Ready To Play. Kiwi is ready to play with her mouse, now I just need to get her away from the dressform!

2011-07-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

School Wardrobe

Planning

Yes, it is that time of year again: time to work on the school wardrobe. I know it is early, but I just checked the calendar and school starts in 6 weeks and I'll be gone a total of 3 weeks (although not all at once). So, I need to get things together now, especially since my daughter will be at camp all next week and not available for shopping or fitting.

To that end, we went through her closet and cleaned it out of things that weren't working for her or were too small. That left a group of dark, heavier winter skirts, plenty of winter tops and sweaters, one lightweight skirt and 3 lightweight tops. What she really needs is warm weather stuff - more skirts and tops.

So, we looked at patterns. That's always a task I don't look forward to with her. She's very picky and her school has a strict dress code: knee-length dresses or skirts and no sleeveless tops. It might sound easy to do, but it really isn't, and then add in the challenge of dressing a jr. high student in fun, cute, but not overly mature (or revealing or sexy or whatever) clothes. Sigh. At any rate, we did find some things we think will work.

For skirts we have Simplicity 2224 and 2190 and Burda 11/09, #113. We're thinking prints or summery plaids and solid tops.

For tops, Burda 4/09, #121 in some sort of print to go with the solids skirts she already has, and a few of Simplicity 2211 (the Lisette pattern I just made) one of which I'll just modify to look similar to the Burda 3/09 #109 shown, plus a few Jalie knit tops (patterns not shown):

Tomorrow is shopping day, so we'll go to Jo-ann's and see what they have and then also do some other shopping. If I can get a good deal on something that is cheaper than fabric and my time, we might just get it! Outfitting my son will be easier. He needs three pair of pants and a pair of tennis shoes. Easy.

Parting Shot: Hostas. Our hostas are now blooming adding some nice lavender blooms to the mix. My husband has seen a tiny humming bird at the hostas a couple of times, too. I can't ever remember seeing one on our property, so the sighting was a first.

2011-07-20T09:46:00.000-05:00

Burda 4/11 #115

A Finished Refashion

The new dress was pretty easy to finish up! I had enough fabric to cut bias binding for the neck and armholes. The original Burda instructions include a facing and a binding. I wasn't so sure that this dress needed both, so I opted just for a binding to make things easy. I did end up adjusting the neckline to bring the shoulders in a little more; I probably should have cut a size smaller in the shoulders only.

For the waist casing on the inside, I used some commercial bias tape to make things really easy:

One of the children was able to snap a quick picture this morning before leaving:

So far I'm happy with it - the style is a little more updated than the previous dress and the front is bloused just about right, although if I made it again, I might add back an 1" to the bodice. I'll wear it out tomorrow night and see how it wears.

Overall, very easy to make, and I think you could make this dress even easier with a few changes:

omit the pockets
use commerical pre-made binding for the neck and armholes
skip the casing and elastic and just use a belt

That would get the total number of pieces down to two and construction would be really easy.

Parting Shot: Beach. The kids are ready for a day at the beach with their grandparents. It is supposed to be hot in New England today so it should be a fun time!

2011-07-19T15:26:00.000-05:00

Make the Look

Pop Quiz First!

Quick, tell me which pattern works to make this dress. I'll give you a hint - envision it without the belt.

Ok, if you chose this summer's ever popular Vogue 1250 by DKNY, you're right! This has been a real hit in sewing-blogland and I'm pretty sure you can make it for less money than the $129USD Talbot's is asking for their Drape Neck Dress.

Coincidence that both dresses are red?!?

Now, onto today's *real* make the look. This is Talbot's Flutter Pleat Tee:

I've got two pattern choices for you, Butterick 5327, View C (the fuchsia one) and Vogue 8731. The Butterick is the closest in style, although it doesn't have as many pleats - you might decide you want more and draft some in before cutting out. The Vogue, while close in style, but not exactly like the original does offer some different style opportunities and might be more flattering depending on your figure type. The Vogue is more of an inspired by sort of look, rather than an exact copy.

Butterick 5327:

Vogue 8731

Fabric choices for both are easy: knits! The Vogue does specify a two way knit, so be sure to check that before purchasing. There are so many options for these tops for you to make them in your color and pattern choice.

All photos from respective websites with links included.

**A special thank you to all who left a kind compliment on my daughter and her new outfit! I appreciate them!**

Parting Shot: Tuna! All my cats love tuna, so I end up having to share with them all. Wellie happened to get the can today.

2011-07-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

Burda 4/11 #115

A Refashion and Update

While looking through my closet recently, I came across a dress I've not worn much the past few summers. I'm not sure why, but I'm not reaching for this one at all. Maybe it is because it doesn't have pockets or because all that fabric is a bit bulky around the waist? Not sure.

I made it back in 2008, and I'm not sure why I'm not loving it or wearing it, but it was a good candidate for an updated refashion. There is plenty of fabric both length- and width-wise, so all I needed was a fairly simple pattern. This is supposed to be an easy summer dress, so when I came across Burda 4/11 #115, I knew I had found the right thing.

It only has three main pattern pieces, plus some other smaller (and to me, optional) ones and no closure. This pattern is pretty versatile and can be really, really easy if you want to make it that way. I traced off the pattern and then took a look at one of the two areas I was concerned with the most: all the blousing above the waist. The model photos show a lot of blousing and this didn't seem like a good idea to me. First, I didn't want all the excess blousing and second, I'm short waisted. Not a good combo. A quick tissue fit revealed that I could take 4" out of the bodice and still achieve a bloused look without being extreme.

In the photo below, the top of the ruler is at the waistline, and the bottom of the casing, as drafted is near the 7" mark. That's a lot of extra fabric, as you can see on the right side, I've folded out quite a bit.

The other issue that concerned me was the width of the shoulders, as I have narrow shoulders, too. I decided that I'd work with the neck gathers to get the right width when the time came.

I carefully cut apart the dress and had just enough length to cut out the new front and back and was able to use the old hem as the new hem. Perfect.

I decided I did want pockets, so I made the pockets pretty much according to the Burda instructions, but also referenced Roberta Carr's book, Couture the Fine Art of Sewing, like I did when I made the pockets for the burgundy jacket earlier this year.

Now that the pockets are done, all that's left is finishing off the armholes and neck and then adding the casing and elastic at the waist.

Parting Shot: Wrapped and Ready. My niece's gift is ready to ship. To finish the crafty theme, I decided wrap it in some fabric and extra ribbons for fun.

2011-07-16T14:39:00.001-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

Complete!

Here it is, all finished:

Here she is wearing it. She won't be 13 until next month, but with a very busy schedule and both of us being away on different trips at different times, making it ahead of time was the best plan.

Not too bad, probably need to think about a sway back adjustment in the future! ;)

We still need to pick up the rest of the accessories, but for right now, it looks fine. We were able to pick up some fun new sandals:

I really liked this pattern. The pattern itself was not hard to make and the results are really good. I'll be interested to see if the other Lisette patterns are the same.

Parting Shot: Envelope. My daughter has been working on some book making skills this summer, and that includes some envelopes and other paper goods. She made these yesterday, just out of circles of paper.

2011-07-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

The Skirt - Part Three

This is the last post for the skirt, and since the outfit is finished, I'll show you the whole thing tomorrow. The only thing that the skirt needed was a hem and decorative buttons. Because of the pleats and underlays, the hem takes a little more work, but isn't hard.

First, the hem needs to be pressed up all the way around to whatever depth you want it. For this thick twill, I've decided just to serge the edge and press up once. If this was a thinner fabric, I might have turned under the top edge or turned the hem twice. The thing to remember here is that you will have to clip the seam allowances of the skirt and pleat underlay so that the pleats will lie flat and the hem will not be super thick. Clipping the seam allowances lets the seam allowances in the hem area to be pressed open and flat, eliminating some bulk. This gets rid of potentially 6 or 8 thickness of fabric that will have to be stitched over to make a hem. Please note that the seam allowances should be turned in towards the pleat underlay, *not* like as in the photo below!

The other thing that needs to be done once the hem is stitched in place is to go back to all the pleats, fold them and stitch along the folded edge on the inside when the seam is. This helps to keep the pleats folded nicely.

Lastly, the skirt needed the decorative buttons and a good pressing. I took the extra time to press the pleats with vinegar. That's right, a pressing cloth soaked in good old white vinegar. It does smell a bit, but only during pressing, and the pleats stay nice and crisp even through several washings. I learned this trick a long time ago in high school from my mother who said that they used to do that with skirts back in the 50's. Still works fine today!

I'll show you the whole outfit tomorrow, minus an accessory or two!

Parting Shot: Mt. Madison. Mt. Madison was one of the peaks we visited yesterday. Here's my son at the summit with Mt. Washington behind him.

2011-07-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

Skirt - Part Two

Once all the pleats were done, I basted the side seams of the skirt for a quick fitting on my daughter. It was a little bit big, but easily fixed by taking out the excess at the side seams. This skirt does have multiple seams, so the are choices as to where you take out the excess depending on your figure type - just don't topstitch those pleat seams until you're sure of the fit!

After the quick fitting, the next step was the zipper. I used an invisible zipper instead of the lapped application in the instructions. It was easier for me and looks neater. With that done, I made up the decorative tabs. They're cute and easy to make and add a nice touch to the skirt.

Once the tabs were basted in place, I needed to finish the waist edge. The instructions have a grosgrain ribbon finish, but I find that grosgrain does not stretch and mold to a curved waist edge like petersham ribbon or bias binding. I opted to use a piece of bias cut from the skirt fabric. Before even sewing the bias to the skirt, I interfaced the top edge of the skirt to help keep it stable. It has a slight curve, and it is better stabilize than to have it stretch out.

I then cut a bias strip, 1 1/8" wide, pressed up 1/4" on one long edge and stitched the other long edge to the skirt, right sides together. I then turned the bias to the inside, pressing carefully and following the curve of the waist edge. This skirt does not have an extreme curve to the waist edge or else I would have preshaped the bias with stem before stitching. After pinning, I topstitched the pressed edge of the bias strip in place. Pretty easy and looks clean from the inside:

Hemming and button details are the last steps - I'll show you those later this week.

Oh, and I did get the buttons on the blouse, it looks better with the buttons:

Parting Shot: Almost Ready. We're almost ready for another two day trip to the mountains. This is a trip my son has been looking forward to. See you on Friday!

2011-07-12T17:20:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Anthropologie Drape and Twist Tee

This week's item is an easy one, Anthro's Drape and Twist Tee. Let's face it, it is summer and for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, easy to make, cool and easy to wear items usually get moved to the top of the sewing list. I chose this top for those reason and for the fact that I found a pattern that is almost exactly like it. This is one of those rare cases where I actually think the pattern is better!

To make this top, use Butterick 5497, view A. This top is almost exactly like the original.

Now, why do I think the pattern is better? Check the back view:

Yes, this is way more interesting than the plain back of the Anthro top:

The Anthro top is made up in a cotton/spandex knit, but any nice jersey would work. If you wait until the pattern is on sale, and you use one of the nice 40% coupon you get for the craft/fabric store in the mail, you could make this top for way less than the retail price of $58.00. You could even splurge and buy a super nice quality jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics - you'll need less than 2 yards for even the largest size drafted - and have enough jersey left over for a camisole or something small! You'd still come out ahead in the financial department. In this case, you'd have your choice of colors in case the original Deep Turquoise or Brown don't suit you. How about a Silvery Lavender? Or Deep Coral, or an Ikat Print?

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot: Crafty Stuff. My niece's birthday is coming up soon and her mother asked for some craft supplies. I've got more craft stuff than I'll be able to use in a lifetime, so between that and some goodies my daughter I picked out yesterday, my niece will have lots of fun stuff to work with!

2011-07-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

The Skirt - Part One

The blouse is almost done - I got the buttons today and will stitch them on tonight. The skirt now is being worked on in stages. So far, I've got the back finished and am working on the front. Since they are almost identical, I'll take you through the steps.

First, I've serged all the edges of the skirt center and side pieces and the pleat underlay, with the exception of the top of pleat extension - I'll finish those later. This is the best way to make the inside of this skirt neat without being bulky. Because this skirt has pleat underlays, this really was the best choice. I've also marked the large dots on the pattern - where the stitching stops on the seam before the pleat.

The next step is to stitch the center to the skirt side pieces. With right sides together, the seam is sewn only to the dot (the lowest pin) and then pressed open. From below the dot to the hem can be basted, if you want.

Now the pleat underlay is stitched in place. Place the pleat underlay on the skirt, matching the top and side edges, right side down.

Next, turn each side over separately and pin pleat underlay to the skirt piece.

Now, stitch along pinned edges, pivoting at the corner and ending (or beginning, depending on which side you're sewing) at the large dot that was marked earlier. Each side will need to be stitched separately.

To finish that last unserged pleat extension, I zigzag the pleat extension and pleat underlay together. This finishes and helps to give the pleat a little more support at the same time.

Now that the pleats are done, I can baste the side seams and check for fit. After any corrections, I'll be able to add the zipper and finish the hem. The last thing I'll do is make the decorative waist tabs and finish the waist edge. Just a few more days of work and this outfit will be done!

Parting Shot: White Lilies. The white lilies are blooming now, and we have quite a few, so my daughter made a pretty little arrangement this afternoon.

2011-07-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

Blouse - Part Two

I was able to get the blouse almost finished today. The sleeve construction was the other place I departed from the instructions. I decided to insert the sleeves in the flat and then sew the side seams to make using a french seam there easier. To start, I've attached the bottom bands to the sleeves, as seen below.

The sleeve units were then added to the blouse, leaving me with a long side seam to sew in a french seam. The wrong side of the blouse is shown below. As a side note, to finish the sleeve seam, I stitched 1/4" away from the first stitching and then trimmed close to the second stitching. I've done this before and while not a french seam or bound seam (too bulky for all this cotton), it still looks neat.

Once the side seams were done, I was able to finish up the hem.

All that's left is to hand stitch the sleeve bands in place, topstitch the sleeve bands and add the buttons. So far, this has been an easy and cute blouse to make!

Parting Shot: Mt. Moriah. My son and I went hiking this week to Mt. Moriah. It was his first 10 mile hike and he did a great job!

2011-07-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

Blouse - Part One

As you saw yesterday, I've started on the blouse. Although I like the pattern, I am making a few changes to the construction. Today I'll show you one of those.

The blouse has the faux placket topstitched in place and then the shoulder seams are sewn. I'm using french seams on the inside, and will show those at another time. The next step is to complete the neck facing. This is one of those reverse facings, which is folded to the outside and topstitched down. This is a nice technique, which leaves the inside nice and clean.

I departed from the pattern for this part by constructing the facing and the interfacing separately, then joining them at the outer edge with a 1/4" seam. The pattern instructions have you interfacing the facing pieces, join them and then turn under 1/4" all the way around the outer edge. Instead of fussing with that turning under, stitching them together, turning and pressing was much easier.

I then proceeded according to the instructions, by stitching the the facing to the neck edge with the right side of the facing to the wrong side of the neck edge, turn the facing outward, understitching and then topstitching the facing in place. Clean and neat!

Tomorrow looks like a good day to finish up the top. I've got one more construction change for that, too.

Parting Shot: Orange Lilies. We have lots of the orange lilies, and they're in full bloom now, which fills the entry way with color.

2011-07-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

The 13th Birthday Outfit

Introduction

Every year, I've made my daughter a dress or outfit for her birthday. Her birthday isn't until August, but we'll be taking another week's vacation the week of her birthday, plus I'll be in Wilderness First Aid class the first weekend of August. Add to that, the first week of July is already gone and I got 5 pair of trousers in today to be hemmed, so if I don't start now, this won't be done in time! I also need to think about school clothes, too, but I'll do that when this is done.

She wasn't sure what she wanted this year, so we went to look at patterns and fabric. She seems to like a vintage/retro look and really liked the Lisette patterns from Simplicity and chose this one, #2211, for a blouse and skirt.

Jo-ann's also carries the Lisette fabrics, so my daughter chose the teal twill for her skirt, but wasn't crazy about any of the matching prints. She eventually chose the print below for the blouse.

I have everything cut out at this point, and have started the blouse. While this blouse looks like it has a button placket, it doesn't. It is all decoration - which frankly, is easier to make. There are no buttons or zippers for the top or tunic or dress variations. Nice, huh? So far, I've been able to get the shoulder seams sewn and the faux front placket ready and pinned in place.

I should be able to get a little more work done on this tomorrow - hopefully up to the sleeves. After looking at the instructions, I think I'll be departing from them for a little bit and I'll show you those departures as the project progresses. Now, back to those customer's trousers.

Parting Shot: Lilies. We have some lilies blooming now. These are the only ones of this color that I have, but there will be white ones and of course, the orange daylilies.

2011-07-06T17:19:00.001-05:00

I'm Back!

I'm back from a vacation break and will show you tomorrow what I started sewing today. While I was gone, I did a lot of hiking in the mountains, relaxing and not doing much of anything to do with fiber. Strange enough, but a break from the normal routine every once in a while is a good thing.

Here are a few pictures of the most recent trip to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

My husband checking out some pictures he just took.

Panoramic view of Mt. Madison on the left, Mt. Washington on the right with the Wildcat and Carter Ranges in the center, across Pinkham Notch.

Mt. Madison reflected in Star Lake.

Panoramic view of Mt. Washington, NH, from near Boott Spur:

With just a little over 2 miles to the car, near the end of a 13 mile day and after a nice break at Mizpah Spring Hut, we are very happy:

Me at the very end of a three day trip, the parking lot (and more importantly, the car!) is right across the road.

Tomorrow: The start of the annual birthday outfit for my daughter.

Parting Shot: Plants. We finished our new low wall and flower bed by adding the flowers. Now the entry way to the house looks like this. I'll need to divide all the established plants again this fall, but the whole thing looks much better than it used to!

2011-06-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

Yellow Top, Burda 7/09, #122B

Done!

With so little to do on this top, it was easy to get it done today between strawberry picking and yard work. The last seam was easy and all the hems went in quickly, so there's not much to show except the final photos. (I didn't realize the hiker tan was so obvious until I saw the back view photo!)

While this top still needs to be worn with a camisole, it is cute and will be fun to wear this summer!

As a side note, I will be on vacation until July 6, so I will not be posting until then. I might be around on the internet a little, but I'll see you when I get back!

Parting Shot: Strawberry Jam. We went strawberry picking today and ended up making jam, too. My daughter and I made 18 jars worth, and there is a little extra in the refrigerator for eating now.

2011-06-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

Yellow Top - Burda 7/09, #122B

So Far, So Good

Since it has been raining here, we actually stayed home for the day! That means that I've been able to get to work on the yellow top and have made good progress so far and should be able to finish it up tomorrow.

Once I got all the interfacing to stabilize shoulders and hems fused in place and all the neck trim strips pressed, I was able to then do the prep work for the attaching the neck strips. Considering that I had a v-back I needed to carefully prepare that area. To do this, I used the instructions from Jalie 2805, the women's t-shirt pattern that includes a v-neck option. Since this neckline in the back was the same, the directions should work nicely. Here are a part of Jalie's instructions for reference:

I prepped the v-shape on the back by fusing a square of interfacing at the point and then staystitching up to the point, pivoting at the point and then stitching beyond it. I clipped to the point and put a tiny dot of fray check on it for a little extra insurance against fraying. The neckbands were also prepped by pinning them together at right angles and basting them together.

Then, the neckband unit was basted in place to the neck opening, just in the v-shape area. With that complete, I could stitch each side of the v-shape and along the entire neck opening. Each side was stitched separately. You can see in the photo below, that I've only stitched the one side.

Here's what it looks like finished:

Once that was done, I got the sleeves in place and one of the side seams done. The other side seam will be done once I finish the work with the ties.

The ties are made and have been basted in place, one at the side seam and one on the front edge. The front edge one is actually stitched in place, and will be further held in place when the hemming on the front edge is complete.

After that, I just need to stitch that other side seam and finish the rest of the hems.

Parting Shot: Earrings. I've started some bead embroidery earrings for my daughter - I should be able to get these done in the next few evenings. I just need to finish the edges and add the fringe!

2011-06-23T17:27:00.000-05:00

Yellow Top - Burda 7/09, #122 B

I bought some yellow knit from Fabric.com late in the winter and decided to save it for summer. Now that summer is here, it is time to make a knit top from it. This knit is sort of drapey, and a little bit sweatery, and is a good weight for where I live. Lisa had some of the same fabric and made a cute tank from it when yellow was one of the choir colors for the month.

I've decided to use Burda 7/09, #122 B for this top, with a few changes. One, I'm going to make the back higher and eliminate the keyhole. Two, I'm not going to do the binding that Burda suggests (a four-fold style binding, like a quilt binding), but I'm going to finish the neck edges the way the Jalie patterns do.

So far, I've got everything cut out and I'm starting to get the reinforcing interfacing in place and the neck binding strips pressed.

This should make up quickly, and I think that tomorrow will be a quiet day. That means I might get to work on this!

Parting Shot: Garden. This is my son's garden this year. We were delayed a bit since we bought a roto-tiller this year and waited for that to arrive. It has come in handy for the new long flower bed this year and will be good for all the gardening and landscaping in the future. We chose vegetables with shorter growing times, so we only have tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, beets and green beans this year.

2011-06-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Make The Look

Talbot's Tie-Shoulder Dress

This week's item is from Talbot's, the Tie-Shoulder Dress which comes in a print and solids. I chose this dress because it is simple, yet can be accessorized in a variety of ways and can be made in a variety of fabrics depending on where you want to wear it. You can make it elegant in black and wear it as a cocktail dress with the right accessories or make it in a gauzy print and wear it as a beach cover up, or even throw this on with cute sandals to go to the grocery store. Surely it is easier and better looking than some thing I've seen recently while out shopping. If you make your own, you'll save quite a bit of money, just check the retail price.

For patterns, there are two that are almost exactly what the Talbot's dress is, although one will be just a little extra, but very easy work. First, Butterick 5644. I know this is not a dress pattern, but if you add enough length, it will be! This pattern is for wovens and stable knits, but I can't see why a knit that isn't too stretchy won't work.

The second pattern to get this look is New Look 6980, View C, in a shorter length (or whatever length you want!).

As far as fabrics, any lightweight fabric should be fine as well as stable or not super stretchy knits. I think a border print would look great, too! Almost all online and well as even our beloved craft/fabric stores have fabrics that would work for this dress.

Parting Shot: Mt. Osceola. My son wanted to hike Osceola and East Osceola today, so off we went. Here he is at the summit ledges of Osceola looking out to the other mountains.

2011-06-21T19:29:00.000-05:00

The Applique Bag - Finished

Between playing taxi for the children today (and still have one more pick up tonight!), I've been able to finished the bag. I had to work on it in two different sessions, but I got it done. Here it is from both sides:

The top edges of the bag and lining are bound together, so there is no turning of the bag through a small hole to the right side. The front and back edges are bound first, and then the little bits at the side seams that extend right into the straps.

Because of the applique on this bag, I had to do the pleating just a little differently than on the other bags that I have made from the same pattern. I only made two pleats and closer to the sides.

I'm glad that is done, and tomorrow I'll be back with the regularly scheduled Make the Look post.

Parting Shot: Phase Two. The new bed will have accent lights, and we hope that by the end of the week most of the lighting part will be done.

2011-06-20T17:53:00.000-05:00

The Applique Bag . . .

Should Be Done Tomorrow.

It has been a busy sort of weekend, but I have managed to get the bag together and find enough matching denim in the collection for straps and binding. Here's both sides of the bag:

Really, there's not much left: cut binding, sew binding. How hard can that be? Not hard, but it seems like my children are just as busy now with activities as they were during the school year. At least it feels that way this week!

Parting Shot: New Bed. My husband has worked hard to make a new bed and new edge along our driveway. It is almost ready for plants, but we need to get the lighting in place first.

2011-06-18T17:11:00.000-05:00

Applique Bag - Part 2

Lining

Here's the lining for the bag. The fabric is a cotton sateen dyed by Vicki Welsh, and I've trimmed it with red binding. I've added a larger divided pocket and a key clip for this bag, since it is a bit bigger than a purse. I've also used a red zipper for the zipped pocket, just for fun and for visibility.

Now I just need to get the body together and this finished up. Maybe tomorrow!

Parting Shot: Carter Notch. I went hiking yesterday, and part of the hike went through Carter Notch and near the Carter Lakes. I had never been here, and it is a really beautiful area.