Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Wishing you all Merry Christmas,

Happy Holidays, and a Fabulous 2022!

 

Getting things done--Catching up on the brown capsule--three new tops!

 I didn't realize I hadn't posted the next few garments for the capsule. I'm moving slowly, but moving. 😁

Right after the brown tee, I made another. This one was completed 11/08/2021. No changes except fabric. It's my TNT tee with 3/4 sleeves in a lovely cotton or rayon jersey. Not sure which. The fabric is OLD stash, in a lovely cream with a tan print that looks kind of like number signs with a tiny tan square in the center. Sewed beautifully and is super soft and comfortable to wear.

Cream and tan TNT Pamela's Perfect Tee

Once the tee was completed, I had wovens on the brain. So I moved on with a button front Jalie #3130. I really like Jalie patterns because they generally have everything from a small child's size to a large adult size in one envelope. I had made this one before in a navy cotton and loved it. 

The fabric is "Tumbleweed French Linen" purchased from Sawyer Brook way back on August 13, 2013. I had 2 yards, 56" wide and not much in the way of scraps.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize until after cutting and sewing the body together (collar and collar stand attached, yokes sewn, side seams sewn) that the pattern was originally made about 40 pounds ago. I futzed around, procrastinated, and that type of thing until I finally bit the bullet and took it apart, recut, and started putting it together again. Everything was going well until I noticed that the collar had frayed and threads had raveled out of one side of the collar and collar stand. Then I was so frustrated I set it aside again while I cut out the next garment and started with it. 

I'm one of those sewists that can't stand having an unfinished garment waiting, and when I realized I was avoiding the sewing room so I wouldn't have that shirt in my face, I bit the bullet and started taking the collar stand and collar apart again. Eventually it was finished except for buttons and buttonholes. Then I also had the next garment waiting. The buttonholes and buttons for both garments finally happened yesterday, so I can move on to my next project.

                                            Tumbleweed French Linen Jalie 3130

And the final garment waiting to be blogged. This one is something I modified from one pattern I love into a different look. The base is the Hot Patterns Plain and Simple Shirt. I had the original, which is OOP. I knew I didn't want the original large lapels and collar, and wanted to update it a bit. 

I took the center front piece, removed the collar and lapels, then rounded the "L" shaped neck edge, added a fold under button band, and drafted a Mandarin collar to fit the new neck edge. I like it, but the next one will have a neck edge that is lower at the center front, and bound neck edges instead of the collar.

Fabric is "Historic Leaves Stylized Cotton Batiste" purchased from Vogue Fabrics 8/29/21. I don't know why I didn't notice, but it's only 42" wide. Even with 2.5 yards, I had minimal scraps. If I get something this narrow again, I'll add another half yard. Luckily, with the busy print, unless you look very closely, you can't tell the print isn't matched.

Leaf Print Cotton Batiste Plain & Simple Princess Shirt Modified

Both of the shirts had buttons and buttonholes completed yesterday, so I feel good about moving forward with the next thing. I'm going to modify the Morris Blazer (already muslined) for a woven, change the front to a rounded front edge, lengthen it a couple of inches and change to a long sleeve. I've got a dark chocolate brown wool ready for the pattern. Wish me luck!

I Guess the first capsule is browns?

This was started last weekend, but darn. I lost the post somehow.  I was waiting for pictures on me. I've given up on that for now.

There has been a gap in sewing AGAIN because I was ill for almost two weeks. I'm hard headed so it took a LOT to get me to the doctor, and then serious antibiotics to get me back from the edge. Better now but working slowly. Onward and upward.

Completed: New Loes Hinse Oxford pants in a tobacco brown ponte knit.

Fabric: Italian Turkish Coffee Stretch Ponte Knit from Mood. Purchased August 30, 2021. Unusual for ponte, the fabric is only 48" wide. I purchased 2 1/2 yards. It's very drapey and stretchy, and reads to me as much taupe as brown. The blend is rayon, nylon and lycra, and a medium weight. At $17.99 a yard, it puts these trousers at just under $50 total. I'm comparing them to Eileen Fisher knit pants, which sell for $168, and don't fit me nearly as well, so I'm thrilled! I had minimal, tiny pieces of fabric left. 

As of 10/30/21

My Sewjo is finally back. A trip to the acupuncturist did me a lot of good, and my hands are much more cooperative! During the week I was able to steal a few minutes here and there to do some sewing. 

Hot off the machine, I've completed another piece of the capsule ~ a TNT tee with three quarter sleeves. Fabric is from Sew Much Fabric and is still available. It's a lovely Viscose Lycra blend knit in "charcoal/Sable/Tan and Cream. It's only $11 per yard at 56" wide, so in my book an excellent buy. It will go well with both brown pieces, as well several pair of my wool trousers that will be altered soon. 

And best of all, I have another piece of cream rayon jersey with an abstract print in brown already cut out. Need to change thread colors, and it's getting started today.

I've got several pieces of fabric for a brown jacket, as well as pieces of brown print, and beiges to brown solids for tops. After these have gone into the wardrobe today, I'll be looking at a few pieces for tops. Keep tuned to see what's up next! 

Hope your sewing is going well!

Bespoke baby pants.

 I used the scraps from my shirt and a small piece of baby rib to make a pair of bespoke pants for my great-granddaughter. 

Like her great Grammy, she has heavy thighs and the pants in her size were tight, while the next size up were too long. They went in the mail Saturday so I expect to see some pics by the end of the week to see if our communications and measurements got it right. 

She's a super curious and active baby, already doing backward crawling and a "downward dog" pose so I expect before too long, she'll be crawling and around the first of the year, she may start walking. We'll see. Here's a picture of the pants. I used ribbing instead of elastic because I thought that would be more comfortable on baby skin.

Pattern is from the Kwik Sew sewing for toddlers book.

Starting my next pair of oxford pants today. More soon!

NEW TNT TEE SHIRT

 I generally blog things to remember what I have made. There's nothing new about this other than the fabric. It's my TNT Pamela's Prefect Tee with 3/4 sleeves. Fabric was purchased 8/13/2021 from Fabric.com via Amazon. It's Laguna stretch cotton print by Robert Kaufman. It's 95% cotton, 5% spandex. The listing shows light weight but it's a perfect weight for fall/winter/spring in my opinion. I bought 2 yards and have plenty left over for a pair of baby pants and possibly a shirt too. 

Hangar shot for now. Hope to do several more in quick order. My serger bought in 1995 finally gave up the ghost, so good old Amazon came through again. I have a new Juki air threader that's awesome.😁

More later!

Loes Hinse Oxford Pants

 They are done! I finished these several days ago, and am just getting around to blogging about them. They are an easy sew, and imminently wearable. I really love them and they have a wonderful drape. I think there will be several more coming .

Due to my particular body at this point in time, I made them with a size Large back and an X Large front piece. The only adjustments I made were shortening them by 2" and doing a 3/4" knock knee adjustment for my heavy inner thighs. The pattern calls for 2:1 stretch elastic, which I did not have, so it's done with what I had here already.

Unfortunately, my serger gave up the ghost about half way through. To add to that, the sewing shop I use is about three weeks out until they can even look at it. After thinking about it for a few days, and discussing with the hubs, (it was purchased in 1995,) I decided a new one was in order with air threading. Between my eyes, and my hands, that should make my life SO MUCH easier! Of course, I googled the best air threading serger, and to my surprise, Juki MO-1000 was top rated.  I know Juki has been an industry workhorse for decades, so feel pretty good about this one. We don't have a Juki dealer in town, closest is about 225 miles away, but to my delight, they have it on Amazon.. It's been ordered, and is on the way. Should be here tomorrow, so I'm cutting out a few things in anticipation.

Fabric is a light weight tencel-linen blend purchased from Vogue Fabrics 4/30/2020. That's like yesterday for my typical fabric purchase to finished garment  time frame. LOL

Hangar shot

Next will be a few tee shirts from my TNT pattern, along with a few baby things I have swirling around in my head. 

Hope everyone is finding time to feed their creative self! 

In House Patterns Cool Cowl~ unfortunate pattern placement

 I've been wanting to make the In House Patterns Cool Cowl forever! Last August I thought I'd lost enough to fit into the size range, so purchased the pattern with high hopes to be able to make it for tax season to wear under a jacketall. Life...

I printed the PDF last week and taped it together, knowing I would have several alterations to make before coming up with the right fit. Alexandra drafts for people much taller than I am! Luckily for me, Alexandra has published an excellent tutorial on how to lessen the depth of the cowl!

Here's my third attempt, and I feel like it's a good wearable muslin. Didn't realize the dark stripe would point at my bloated belly, but it is what it is. The fabric is a lovely rayon jersey purchased from Sew Much Fabric 3/25/2020 on sale for $17.00. When I saw the price, I couldn't turn it down. AND I still have enough left for a tank top.

 I have made a few more adjustments to the pattern since inspecting this one, noticeably a 1" forward shoulder adjustment.  Overall, I'm extremely happy with this top. I happen to love the look of a cowl and this checks all the boxes. I expect there will be more over the next few months. Without further ado, 

    IN HOUSE PATTERNS COOL COWL WEARABLE MUSLIN

I do need to figure out why I have the folds from shoulder point to boob. Hopefully the forward shoulder adjustment will eliminate that issue.

I've got the Loes Hines Oxford pants traced and ready to muslin next. I've been pretty interested in them for a while. They remind me of "Katherine Hepburn trousers" from her early movies, and I believe the elastic waist will be good to have on the days my hands don't want to deal with button and buttonhole or hooks and eyes. Unfortunately, I'm not tall and willowy, but I'm hoping for the best.😁

Hopefully I'll have more to share soon!

 

The In House Patterns Lila Top ~~FINALLY!`

 It's been a L-O-N-G time since I was able to do anything creative! In the last year plus or minus, I've had three surgeries, and sewing fell by the wayside despite my best intentions! After lots of physical therapy, not yet complete, I am getting around and able to do things, albeit not at the speed or with the accuracy I had previously. It just takes time, I am being continuously told.

I've been planning, scheming, reading blogs and Instagram posts making all sorts of things in my mind and my dreams even though those didn't produce any garments! LOL

Finally, I'm able to sew again, but slowly and with a lot of “frog stitching." I'm quite enamored of Alexandra Morgan's In House Pattern Designs! I have purchased several patterns and done a few of her "work along" classes. IMO, she has excellent tutorials and I'm on a waitlist for one of her upcoming courses.

Because of all that, my first foray back into creating was a skirt block following her tutorial, which then got adapted to a flared skirt pattern. She did have instructions to turn the flared skirt into culottes which is my final goal, not yet started. As per usual, my ADHD kicked in, and I was off to new ventures. 

A granddaughter got married towards the end of June, so much planning and time was spent arranging the visit with family from the East Coast, West Coast, and everywhere in between. We had most of a week together, and it was wonderful, if exhausting, to see everyone. It's been a long time since we were together, and unfortunately my oldest granddaughter couldn't make it due to Covid precautions and an almost brand new Great Granddaughter. 

That said, over the last several years since retirement, I’ve lost about 50 pounds, with more to go. That’s the good news. The bad news is with the advent of my seventies, the weight loss, height loss due to new knees, (who knew you got shorter with knee replacements?) and an aging body, nothing fits me, and all my TNT patterns have been discarded. More good news is that it is making me better at fitting, and between tutorials, classes, multiple fitting books, etc., I can more easily see what needs to be done to make things fit my particular shape.

I have been looking for an updated shell pattern to wear for work under a jacket for years to no avail. I wore them all of the time in the nineteen eighties with my suits. All of a sudden the proverbial lightbulb went off, and I realized In House Pattern Designs Lila Pattern would work if I used the sleeve from View A with the body from View B. I had purchased it a while back, and got out my scissors, paste, tracing paper, and rulers, and put the PDF together. Alexandra has excellent instructions as well as more information about the pattern than most!

First thing I realized due to the pattern information, was this pattern was drafted for someone 5’8”, while I am 5’2 ½” now, and the size I used, 14W, is drafted for a C cup. Okay, I always need to make alterations anyway, but that is good to know. I had many alterations to complete, and did two muslin test garments, a wearable muslin, and the fourth one is (I think) just right.

Here’s a picture of the wearable muslin that still needed a bit of tweaking.

Lila Pattern wearable Muslin

Back to the drawing board, more adjustments, and another top in gingham. At this point, I believe this one is as close to what I want as I can get it, so with this gingham garment, I’ve re-traced the pattern off onto heavier drafting paper and it will be used for a rainbow of shells to wear for tax season! Hooray. My first forays back into sewing are working out well, thanks to Alexandra Morgan, and all the fitting gurus I’ve followed over the years. Well, and a lot more patience with myself and my limitations.

Gingham Lila Top wearable muslin

Also, one of the most exciting things for me is that Alexandra did a quick tutorial on how to figure out your shoulder slope and apply it to your patterns. With my narrow, sloping shoulders, I wish I would have had this information decades ago when I started to sew. It will make a huge difference out of the box so to speak.

If you’re looking for classic, well drafted, Indy patterns, fitting instructions, or pattern drafting for your body's quirks give In House Patterns a look. I’m so pleased I found them!

Onward and upward!