An Optimistic Beginning

 Right now it’s just a small swatch, but I hope eventually it will become the inspiration for a summer cardigan. The yarn is a cotton/linen blend, and the color is a denim-y blue.

Last autumn I was watching The Marlow Murder Club on PBS, and I was taken by the wardrobe of the lead character. A ‘woman of a certain age’ (although I suspect less of an age than I am!), who dressed attractively in clothing that suited her and the life she leads. I was particularly smitten by a crocheted cardigan, and decided I could use something similar in my own wardrobe.

My first thought was to suss out the exact stitches used in her garment and copy the style of her cardigan. Go big or go home, right? And I did find two stitch patterns that echo very closely the stitches used in the inspiration piece, but discovered that actually working them didn’t give me much pleasure. I was also concerned that I would have trouble working out smooth shaping in those particular stitches. So, I made the sensible decision to go my own way and try something that works for me and my life, climate, etc., etc.

It will take a while, and I may not get there in the end, but here I am, all optimistic and ready to begin.

And, as a comparison, here is a swatch of the stitches I think may have been used in the original:

Lovely patterns, but that spider web stitch would have given me fits in any neckline shaping.

Take Two

 

Continuing with my experiment in adapting my darted blouse block pattern to tops for early Spring wear is a cotton voile shirt. (Fabric from Mood)

This one has a round neckline with front slit. No closures, it slips on over the head with the neck binding extending into tie ends. In real life the ties don’t blend into the background of the body quite as much as they do in a photo. Sleeves are slightly lengthened from the previous shirt and are gathered by elastic in a casing. The sleeves are a single layer of voile, but for modesty the fronts and back have been underlined with batiste. Not sure how necessary that was due to the dark navy background of the print, but better safe than non-wearable. 

I think there may be one more top using the darted block before I move on. I have a nice cotton shirting with a thin stripe that could be fun to play around with for a short sleeved collared shirt. I keep being enticed away from that by seeing some pretty tops with scalloped edging that I’d like to try in a solid linen, but I prefer to sew solids using my shoulder princess seamed block, so we’ll see which top wins out.

Blocking It Out

 I rarely make resolutions in the new year, but this year I decided it was time to get serious about learning how to adapt my basic patterns (also known as “blocks”) into garments I’d like to have in my closet. Specifically I’d like to concentrate on tops, as I seem to have a fairly good selection of slacks already. As always, I like to start with a simple garment to maximize my chances of success.

It’s still winter weather here, but thoughts turn to Spring. My first attempt is a top seen while browsing the British retailer Nobody’s Child. Not particularly Spring like in fabrication (neither in the modeled garment nor my rendition), but it appealed as a loose, somewhat billowy shape for those mild first days of the season. 

I started the project with my basic blouse block from Fashion Patterns by Coni. 

I had to make several changes to the pattern to get close to the styling of the top, but I felt they were simple enough that I could do it.  I’ll just mention the steps I took to alter the block, as I don’t feel competent enough to give pattern alteration lessons, but I often use “Make Your Own Dress Patterns” by Adele Margolis and “Patternmaking Made Easy” by Connie Almaden-Crawford (yes, the same Coni as above) when I need guidance for simple changes and drafting.

First, the back - separate the back into a back yoke and lower back. Add seam allowances where separated. Rotate shoulder dart to armscye then add amount to shoulder seam to create wrap to the front. Add a few inches to width of lower back to allow gentle gathers when attaching to back yoke. Create back neck facing by tracing back neckline and adding width (I used 2 inches as my facing width).

Front - remove the same amount to front shoulder seam as I added to back. Add fullness for gathering to front ‘shoulder’ seam by rotating fullness from the bust dart. I have a ‘generous’ bust dart & was hesitant to rotate the full dart take-up to the shoulder in case it would appear too full in a smaller space. Add seam allowance to center front and redraw neckline to a slightly curved vee - I did not free hand this, but traced what I wanted from a different pattern - no need to re-invent the wheel! Create front facing by tracing new center front and adding width. Draft a tie strip and a ‘modesty’ underlay for the front opening - both simple rectangles, but requiring math to determine dimensions.

Sleeves - I traced the sleeve cap from the block, but frankenpatterned the lower arm fullness and length from another pattern in my stash. I was very fortunate that both patterns had very similar sleeve caps - I basically just had a small discrepancy at the underarm to fuss with. Created a narrow sleeve cuff - again, just another rectangle.

And here’s what I ended up with - 

I’m sure it’s not an exact copy, but I think it comes fairly close. Fabric is from LAFinch - Two Tone Chambray.

Notable differences - shorter ties for closures. Narrow band for sleeve - I ‘think’ the original may have an elastic casing? And mine has a bust dart in addition to shoulder gathers. 

I’m happy with how it turned out and look forward to warmer days to wear it! 

What Took So Long?

 Back in November I was looking forward to sewing with an organic cotton fleece fabric that I had ordered from Stylemaker Fabrics, so this simple top has been looooong in the making.

I decided to go with Sew House Seven Toaster sweater pattern. I’ve made it before and enjoy wearing my previous makes, plus it seemed well suited to this thick cotton fleece. 

So, what took me so long? There were (still are) a lot of strong feelings after the disappointing election we went through here in the US, which probably contributed to sewing inertia. Then again, maybe I’ve just come around to the idea that I have enough clothes for the life I lead. Who knows? I really do need to think more about needs vs. wants especially in matters of wardrobe — closet space is not infinite.

In any event, embarrassing as it is to have taken so long to complete this top, it has proven to be a soft, warm, comforting piece of clothing. I do wonder if it will hold up well, or start pilling — only time will tell. 

Unplanned Sweater

 

Unplanned, because although I wanted to knit a sweater I had something else in mind. Just one small problem — I ordered yarn at the wrong weight for the pattern I wanted to use — argh!

No worries though. We are fortunate to have so many pattern choices these days, so an alternate was quickly chosen.

The yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky (yep, chunky is the word my eyes skipped over when ordering) a 50% alpaca/50% wool blend that comes in 100g, 120m skeins. Using 5.5mm (US 9) needles it was a quick knit, even for a slow poke like me. The pattern is Banner, by Ellen Mason.

I made a few minor changes — most notably sleeve length. I’m not sure why anyone would want a heavy winter sweater with 3/4 length sleeves, but I certainly didn’t.

If I were to make a sweater from this weight yarn again, I would skip the stockinette beginning to the ribbing — it isn’t enough to give a nice roll, it just makes it look a bit ruffled. 

This wasn’t what I had planned, but it’s a warm and cozy sweater that will work well with almost everything else I’m wearing this season so — I’m calling it a win.

PowerWool

It’s been quite cold here lately, so comfy/cozy and warm has been the theme for how I’ve been dressing. Icy sidewalks have kept me inside, but I still need extra warmth from my clothing to feel comfortable. 

I have plenty of sweaters and warm tops, but not so much casual and warm bottom layers - especially in knit fabrics. I stumbled across a fabric that I hadn’t heard of before - PowerWool, from the Polartec folks, and decided to give it a try.

Description from their website:

PowerWool® Lightweight Heather Poly Jersey/Wool Grid By isolating a merino wool interior and a synthetic fiber exterior Polartec® developed a hybrid fabric with distinct surface features to optimize wicking, breathability, odor resistance and durability.  Wool's natural odor fighting properties are given a boost, and the unpredictability of shrinking and shape loss caused from washing is prevented through the resilience of synthetics.  Polartec® Power Wool™ adapts to such divergent conditions that it can excel during a wide variety of performance activities and diverse environmental conditions. This performance ability to balance both breathability and warmth provides consistent comfort at all times.  This soft, stretchy fabric isn't just the best technical underwear of the outdoor market, it is ideal for shirts and aerobic wear. It outperforms all next-to-skin fabrics on the market because its patented construction has two unique surfaces: the soft inner layer rapidly wicks perspiration away from the body, while the durable outer layer spreads moisture for maximum evaporation. I used a legging pattern from Kwik Sew, upsized to give more of a slim track suit fit and with added leg cuffs, and had a comfy pair of pants that I’ve been wearing quite a bit lately. It’s a lightweight fabric, so not meant for outdoor wear on its own, but works quite well on its own indoors. So quick to make, and so comfortable to wear - I call that a win!

On the Wild Side

 It seems to be accepted these days that it’s hard to save money by sewing your own. While that’s certainly true of many fast fashion clothing items, there is still money to be saved on many other things. 

I was browsing on line to get some ideas for new pillows for a couple of living room chairs. I was smitten by some tiger print pillows from a major (US) home goods retailer. Just two problems though — the pillows weren’t quite the right size (too wide) and they were selling for about $300US a piece, and that didn’t even include the pillow form. 

The fabric was lovely (Tigre by Scalamandre) in a silk blend. Hmmm, maybe I could find some yardage at a good price and make my own? The hunt was on. Now, this particular print is available in two different fabrics - a less expensive silk/cotton/viscose blend, and the pricier silk version. I was looking specifically for the blend. Prices were all over the place — from $450 per yard up to $875 per yard (and that source had a 2 yard minimum order!). Well, the fabric is lovely, but that was just too rich for my blood.

I still liked the idea of an animal print for the small lumbar pillows so I started looking at fabric that might give the look at a lower cost. I didn’t find a tiger print that I liked, but I did find another big cat print (leopard? cheetah?) that appealed for a price I could live with — $48US per yard. Not luxurious silk, or even a silk blend, but all cotton, which I keep reminding myself is better suited to our lifestyle anyway (sigh).

So, in the end I didn’t get an exact copy of some pricey pillows, but I think I did achieve the look at a price point that was comfortable — I’m calling that a win for sewing. Oh, and my pillows have animal print on ‘both’ sides of the pillow, not just the front! 😀