Celeste

I saw several versions of this Merchant & Mills Celeste top on Instagram and thought it would be a good pattern to try with some lighter weight cotton shirting I had. This was my first go at a M&M pattern and I looked forward to trying it out. 

I was hoping for a transitional top that would work with high waisted slacks or jeans and look casual, but a step up from tees. I changed a couple of things from the pattern - as you do - but I think the pattern works well for what I was searching for. 

Since this is for wearing in slightly cooler weather the first change was swapping out the pattern’s short sleeves. I like the look of fuller sleeves, so I grafted the bishop-styled sleeve bottom from NewLook 6010 onto the sleeve cap of the Celeste. I guess it could be called a ‘cheat’, but I figure why re-invent the wheel? And, although I wanted this top for wearing with high waisted bottoms, I really don’t like tops that are too short so I added about 1 1/2”/3.8 cm length to the bodice. I thought about cutting the waistband on the bias for some added interest, but it’s quite long and didn’t fit well on the yardage I had. Everything else was as per the pattern. I’m happy with the results & look forward to wearing it tomorrow.

And on the knitting front - another simple project from PetiteKnit. Just started the Sophie Hood using Sandnes Garn Alpakka Ull - 60% alpaca/40% wool. It’s an easy knit, but loooong - should be finished soon though.

Thinking Ahead to Autumn

 

Still summer weather here, and it will probably linger, but I always feel better about having a few pieces ready for when it does get chillier.

I haven’t been much of a vest wearer in the past, but I’ve enjoyed  the black linen one I’ve recently sewn, so why not knit a cozy one for autumn?

The pattern is the Stockholm Slipover V-neck by PetiteKnit - a very basic style, but this was my first experience using one of her patterns, so I went with a simple piece. Yarn used was Sunday by Sandnes Garn, color 5591 (Night Sky) held together with Silk Mohair by Isager in color 54. In all the years I’ve been knitting this was my first use of double strands, and I was a bit apprehensive, but it was no trouble at all and was a pleasure to knit with.

It doesn’t photograph well - or perhaps I should say I don’t have the skill to take a good photo - but I really liked the slight difference in color of the 2 yarns. Since they’re just held together, not plied, the lighter color shows up randomly - although probably only to the wearer. I’m sure most people won’t be close enough to see the flecks of color and will see it as a solid dark blue.

Now to decide on an under layer to make. I like the blue/white stripe, but I’d really like a collar and long sleeves for cooler weather. Nothing has jumped out at me yet, but it’s always fun to look!

“Coming Up Roses”

So, once more I’ve been tempted by that magic phrase “fabric sale”. 

From a recent DuckaDilly Tana lawn remnant sale - Carline Rose by Liberty. I had long wanted to make a blouse from this vintage rose print. 

As you may have noticed it did not become a blouse. Why? For some reason - poor eyesight, computer display, lust blindness - I had not realized that it was not red roses on a white background, but rather beige, bone, ecru, whatever - not white. Sigh. I just can’t wear beige, especially close to my face — even the luscious red roses wouldn’t keep the beige from giving a “gosh, you look tired” cast to my face when I tried draping it in various lighting.

Luckily, I had wanted a new summer robe and I had enough yardage to make one and it all came together as a good solution to using lovely fabric. After all, I still enjoyed looking at it, it felt nice on, and the only other person who will most likely see me in it is colorblind! Going to call this one a win, but I’m also going to try to be a little more careful buying fabric that I haven’t seen in person.

Chain Reaction…or, one thing invariably leads to another

 

It all started because I wanted a pair of wide-legged casual pants. I had some nice black linen that wanted to be sewn, so off I went. Pattern chosen was the Darby by Style Arc - minus the rather large patch pockets. It is alleged to be a 7/8 length pant leg, and that seemed like a good idea for summer. 

As it turned out, either my legs have shrunk, or the average Australian is quite long legged, or perhaps both are true - they ended up being full length on me. More on that later.

I had expected to wear them with an ordinary white cotton tee (which I didn’t have, but when has that ever stopped a sewist?) but when I tried them on with a different tee I realized I wanted a shirt with a collar in a black & white geometric check. You will not be surprised at all to know that wasn’t in my closet either. Rather conveniently, however, Fabric Mart was having a sale on cotton fabrics just at that moment so - problem solved.

Pattern used was Butterick 6026, a Katherine Tilton shirt that has sunburst pintucks - which I decided to leave off as I already had sewn one and who needs two sunburst pin tucked shirts? I also shortened the sleeves to just above the elbow.

For the vest/waistcoat/gilet/whathaveyou, I used the instructional pattern from the Lutterloh pattern system. I had made it once before, of course my original draft was nowhere to be found, but it was easy enough to make a new pattern. There are no instructions for sewing up Lutterloh patterns, so you’re on your own for making up and finishing techniques. I had lined the first vest, but for this one I just drafted facings for the neck, front edges and hem and did a simple turn under for the armholes because I wanted to keep it light for our summer heat. Fabric was a leftover piece from my pant yardage.

I’m still not 100% convinced I love the look of wide legged pants, but I think it may help (a bit) in terms of proportion to shorten the legs to just above my ankles. At any rate, I hope so. 

Deep Stash Dive

Just in time for extreme humidity warnings and high temps — a cotton/wool blend sweater meant for transitional weather. Cool to slightly warmer or vice versa, but not for the equatorial steam bath we’re currently experiencing. Oh well, considering how long this yarn was aging in the stash it’s a minor miracle that it got knit at all.

The pattern is Sunshine Coast by Heidi Kirmaier, with minor changes . The yarn is the now discontinued Sierra by Cascade Yarns, a 80/20% cotton/wool blend.

This was my first Heidi Kirmaier pattern, and it took me a minute to get comfortable with her pattern writing style, but soon it made sense to me and I was off and knitting. The minor changes (and they are suggested in the pattern) was to add a few rounds of garter stitch to the hems to prevent roll. Another suggestion was to work an I-cord bind off. I am narrow of shoulders, so I also added to the neckline to bring it in closer.

And just how long was that yarn languishing in stash? That remains a mystery — my only clue is that it was purchased sometime before our 2002 move, so at least 23 years! I should probably feel embarrassed to have let it sit so long, but instead I’m going with feeling glad that the yarn finally met its ‘meant to be’ pattern and will be happily worn when seasons change. 

Breton Non-conformiste

 Judging by the number in my closet, I’d say stripes are my favorite print. Show me stripes that aren’t quite stripes? I’m there for them. And bonus points for red and white!

The fabric is a nice weight cotton with a bit of Lycra from EOS Fabrics (formerly Emma Onesock). 

The pattern is ‘Boatneck Blouse’ by Wardrobe By Me. As boatneck styles go this one is fairly plain, and the neckline itself is not too extreme - in other words, it doesn’t come to a sharp point at the shoulders and it has a shallow dip in the front rather than being cut straight across. Loose fit, but not too boxy, and a choice of full length or 3/4 length sleeves. I was surprised to find that the neckline called for a woven (bias) binding - perhaps for added stability? I had some trouble getting a smooth application, and found the pattern piece for the binding came up a bit short. That may be on me, as I brought the neck in about 1/4” at the shoulders. If I were to make this again, especially in a sturdy cotton knit such as this, I would bind it in self fabric.

Everything except the neck binding was done on the serger, and hems were done with the cover stitch feature. It’s been a real pleasure working with the Bernina L890 - lovely stitch quality and very easy to convert between serger/coverstitch.

UPDATED:  Apparently the too short neck binding wasn’t (entirely) on me as Wardrobe By Me just updated the pattern to include altering the binding pattern piece by adding 2 inches length.

Ode to a Sewing Chair

 

It’s been 10+ years since I’ve had a decent sewing chair, and it’s hard to believe how much nicer my sewing experience has become and harder still to understand what took me so long to get here.

Back in the day, I had a secretarial chair, brought home by DH when his office redecorated. It was sturdy, comfy, cushioned, and rolled easily on our floor - just about perfect. Nothing lasts forever though, and it rolled its last just before we moved here. I was too busy to choose a proper replacement, and ended up getting a cheap, hard plastic desk chair ‘for now’. It had no cushioning, no support - for back or tush - and every time I bent forward to get something from the floor or a low drawer I felt like I would slide right off the seat - yikes! But no more.

Now I’ve finally come to my senses and gotten a new chair. Spurred on (probably) by the incomprehensible tariff threats of the current WH resident, it seemed to be sensible to get a new chair while they were (a) still available and (b) still affordable. So (drum roll) my new chair - a Reliable SewErgo 200SE. Designed and manufactured in Canada (proudly, I expect, as that is how most Canadians roll). It is sturdy, easily assembled and comfortable. The only thing that keeps it from perfection (in my eyes) is that it doesn’t come with wheels - which is honestly mentioned in all the descriptions of it I’ve seen (again, that’s how Canadians operate) - and in any case, you can get wheels that fit it pretty easily. In fact, since I took that pic it’s been tricked out with some slick rollerblade-type wheels.

So thank you Canada, for making a very nice chair, at a reasonable price, and sending it across the border to a sew-er who appreciates the chair, and appreciates you as a neighbor.