A little crochet

It's been sewing, sewing, sewing, and the other crafts are getting a bit jealous. So, here's a bit of crochet --

Stats: pattern (for the fronts) is from an old Hayfield booklet (7121) "Crochet in DK" Yarn used - some perle cotton that I had on a cone, probably a heavy fingering weight? Mods: well, the back of the pattern was to be done in solid dc stitch -- really, I think we can do better than that! So I paged through a few stitch dictionaries, and came up with one I thought would be compatible with the fronts. If you're wondering why not just use the stitch pattern from the front -- well, me too -- it just seemed like something I wanted to do!

I think it works fairly well. Now, back to the sewing room.

Lutterloh

Lutterloh -- have you heard of them? I bought the system, back in the day, and when I had a lot of fitting issues I was dealing with. I had thought it was a fitting system, but it turned out that what it really is is a pattern drafting system. So, basically, any issues you have with fitting need to be addressed with the patterns you develop with this system just as they would with any pattern. It got put aside. Time passes, and I've learned more about changes I need to make for my body type, plus, weight has been lost and certain issues have disappeared. I see a review on Pattern Review for a cute pair of shorts made with the system, and think -- maybe it's time I got that out again.

I decided to do a test garment with just about the simplest pattern around -- a one piece pattern for leggings. I thought this would be quick and easy, plus would give me a rough idea of whether I was anywhere near the ballpark as far as fit goes. It was quick, it was easy, and the fit, while not perfect, was perfectly wearable and good enough for me to try something a bit more complicated -- these longer length shorts.

Don't look like much, do they? I find with Lutterloh you need to look beyond the somewhat awkward illustrations at the actual "bones" of the garment. These shorts looked promising to me for a couple of reasons -- front pockets, and a good length for my purpose. So, off I went. You can visit the web site for a demo, but basically, pattern is achieved by plotting out points using a special tape from a diagram like this one --

I decided to give the pattern a try 'as is' in order to see what I thought of the various components of fit. Also, my trial leggings had made me think that the crotch depth/shaping, which can often be an issue, would at least be passable. I figured I would probably need to take some length from the legs, but knew I could do that after the fact. And, what do you know, I ended up with a pretty decent pair of shorts! Yea, Lutterloh! (forgive the unmodeled shot -- legs are still pale, pasty white here at Mingling Yarn and are most definitely not ready for prime time)





And here's a closer look at the pocket area --

The fit is good in the hips/crotch, but needs to be smaller in the waist. I think I took that in by about 1". The legs did indeed need to be shortened by about 1 1/2" in order to hit me right above the knee. Other than that -- pretty darn good! I will definitely be making these again, and I will definitely be trying another Lutterloh pattern.

A few thoughts, pro and con. On the plus side, there are a lot of good, basic styles in the collection. Updates can also be purchased separately; I believe there are 2 per year. It's nice to have such a variety right at your fingertips. I'm also fairly sure that you can interchange components such as sleeves, etc. As for minuses -- well, you really need to know what you're doing in terms of putting garments together -- there are no instructions. Also, you do have to plot, and draw the patterns out, which some folks might consider tedious. I don't think it's any more of a chore than tracing out patterns from Burda, My Image, etc., but there are those who don't even like to do that. It's not really a minus -- insofar as it's the same for any pattern -- but keep in mind that this is NOT an answer to your fitting woes, but simply another pattern line. For anyone who thinks they might be interested in the system -- visit the website (link above) and watch their demo. It's probably not for everyone, but I find it intriguing, and will be trying it again.

...and more sewing

Or, one photo, two sewn garments. We're all about economy here at Mingling Yarn.

Both patterns are from Style Arc -- I absolutely LOVE that pattern company! Great personalized service, and did I mention -- the patterns actually fit me with very little tweaking. The top was the free (with purchase) pattern for this month -- Amy Knit Top. It's sewn in a rayon/Lycra blend. An alternate view shows the top tied at the sides -- not my best look, but the multi-level hem gives a different look too. Quick and easy to sew, and I really like the cowl neckline.


The pants are Willow -- a slim, cigarette style pant. They're made from a poly/Lycra blend from Fabric Mart , which they describe as a "microfaille". This was a recent selection from Julie's Picks, so I'm not sure if it's still available. These are most definitely a slimmer pant. Darts in front/back, side seam zip, no pockets, slit on the outside lower leg seam. I forgot to do my usual leg length shortening on these (when I first made them) and boy, that was NOT a good look! I really think these look better when they hit the ankle without any folds or puddling in the length. I was concerned about the close fit, so made another pair adding a scootch more room in the hip area, and keeping the legs as they were. I'm not sure if my scootch was more of a sco-o-o-tch, or whether the different fabric I used made a difference, but those could have been just a bit tighter. Both pairs are certainly wearable though, so I guess now I have options -- skinny day/chubby day!

To Dye For

Just playing around with color -- Rit Liquid Dye (tangerine) to be precise.

The idea was to dye some wooden beads and string them for a simple summery necklace.




It didn't take long (10 minutes?) for the unfinished wood to soak up a nice shade of orange. Also pictured are a couple of beads that were colored with marking pens, then given a light wash of diluted acrylic paint.

I thought it might be fun to see if I could jazz them up a bit with a little primitive decoration, so out came the wood burning tool --






Burned beads are on the left -- I think I like the looks of the undyed one best. Just a little dicey working with such small surfaces -- careful not to burn those fingers!

Of course, there's always dye left over, and who wants to waste? So, a mad dash through the sewing room to find some stuff to dunk. How about a little lace and some buttons? Still the same dye bath as the beads, but isn't it interesting how different materials take up the dye differently?




Nylon lace, natural shell buttons on the left, plastic (I think) buttons on the right.

Now, I wish I had some different colors to play around with -- that was fun!

Spring Forward

After years of playing seasonal catch up -- sewing shorts and capris in the blazing heat of August, and woolly knits in deepest, darkest winter -- I have finally managed to have a couple of items ready before they are actually needed!

First, a pair of casual striped linen pants from Style Arc (who else?) -- the Peta pants. The leg length was shortened a bit, but no other pattern alterations. Although I made drawstrings for the pants legs, I decided not to go with that look, so didn't make the buttonholes on the pants hem to run the drawstrings through. Maybe I'll decide to do it later, maybe not. I'm pleased with the fit, and I think I now have a TNT (tried 'n true)for casual summer pants. Yeah!

As if that's not enough, I also finished a tunic length shirt -- the Sacha shirt, also from Style Arc. I used a cotton windowpane check from Fabric Mart. My only alteration to pattern was lowering the bust dart. I wear this type of shirt a lot, so I'm very pleased that I now have a TNT for this one too.

If I were a clever girl, I would have made them in fabrics that worked well together, but...you go with what you have on hand.

Meanwhile, despite the temperatures claiming otherwise, it's still winter, and I still need some long-sleeved tops. I recently tried a new-to-me pattern company (magazine) My Image. Like Burda Style, you have to trace these patterns from a magazine insert, adding seam allowances and hems. Unlike Burda, they are a little easier to see to trace. This cowl is from the winter issue.








I traced the size closest to my measurements, and made no alterations to the fit. The shoulder seam is too long for me (narrow shoulders), but other than that the fit wasn't too bad. The body is meant to have elastic ruching, which I left out. Not sure that I really need more wrinkles in that area! Unless (or until) Chloe of Style Arc drafts a long sleeved cowl that fits as fabulously well as her Creative Cate I suppose that this will do.

More Wooly Goodness

Completed a couple of weeks ago, but not shown -- Velynda, from Chic Knits . Knit in a now (sadly) discontinued yarn from Nashua Handknits, Julia.






The photo is not very well lit, but perhaps this closeup of the stitch pattern will show a little better:
















Notice also the closely matching vintage buttons!

And then there's a project that languished on the needles for many months, no idea why, as it's lovely yarn from the talented dyer Carol Sulcoski at Black Bunny Fibers. The pattern is Beret Gaufre, available as a free download from the also talented Veronik Avery. Apologies for the lack of French punctuation.