Bits and Pieces

After cool and dreary weather we've suddenly had bright, sunny and warm -- but not to worry, in a few days we'll be back to not so nice. Gather ye rosebuds...

The small knit project Every Bit Cowl is finished and blocked. 

After many months of searching a button has been found. I can't say the project it is meant for has been finished, as I have still not sewn it on (sewing on buttons = least favorite chore), but at least I know where it is now. I picked it up years ago at a Stitches East convention - it's a depiction of a Chinese zodiac rat - which is not only my personal sign, but also very appropriate in this Year of the Rat.

It will (eventually) be sewn on a Hanne Falkenberg Tokyo cardigan (seen in background).

And speaking of buttons - the last sewing guild meeting I went to was about buttons, and we brought in some of our own to trade/give away. A single ziggurat-shaped button caught my eye, and I took it home to perhaps use in some way. It wasn't really big enough to use as a single focal button on a garment, so I thought I might use it as part of a pin for a hat.

I decided to bead a background for it and sew it to a backing fabric. The beads are Miyuki Delica size 8, the pattern and shape are adapted from Pattern 108 from Etsy seller All You Can Bead.

The hat it is meant for has yet to be sewn (of course) but I'm hoping it will add an interesting little note to it when done.

Back to Sewing

Still not feeling like tackling large projects, but taking baby steps to get back into a sewing mood.

I like coverups when cooking, but dislike feeling constricted by ties, so I had intended to get an apron pattern that I could just slip into (there most likely is a specific name for that style, but it's escaping me). Never got around to it, and then -- well, you know what happened next.

Fortunately the folks at Tessuti Fabrics are offering a free downloadable pattern for just what I wanted. Having difficulty linking to the pattern itself, so just click on the 'patterns' tab and take a look at what they offer -- including the freebies.

The fabric used appears to be a linen blend. It was a piece in a free bundle from Fabric Mart many moons ago, so it's just a guess as to what it is, but it was here and available, so there you go.  The pattern didn't take too much paper (about 25 sheets) and was reasonably easy to glue together (a chore which I absolutely hate!). I didn't pay too much attention to the directions until I got to the bib facing -- pay attention there if you want the nice, clean finish shown.

So, nothing earth-shattering, but a needed accessory and a small push towards getting back in the sewing groove.  I'll take it!

It's the Little Things

Life is still unsettled, and concentration needed for larger, more complex projects still eludes me. Instead of feeling guilty for not getting more done I've decided to just go with the flow -- can't pull it together for larger things? -- then smaller projects it is. 

I've been crocheting for a few years now, and working with beads almost as long, but one thing I haven't done is combine the two. So, why not now? I've long admired the work of Ann Benson (Leopardskin Pillbox hat anyone?) so when I found myself on her Etsy site I decided to give bead crochet a try. This bracelet, in fact: 

I didn't have any steel crochet hooks small enough for the project, so had to wait a bit for my order to come in.  I'm a bit worried about my ability to manipulate such small hooks (the pattern recommends 1.15mm or 1mm sizes) but the real test will probably be whether or not I can thread the beads on the working thread in the correct order. Stay tuned.  Here's a peek at the tiny (to my eyes) hooks: 

At least the handles are padded!

The Hitchhiker scarf mentioned previously is now off the needles, and I am still loving the rich red color.  Taking it's place on the needles is a cowl - Every Bit Cowl, which seems to be a nice combination of cowl/shawlette. I'm using some deep stash Fleece Artist SeaWool (now discontinued) in an unknown colorway.  The pinks and greens are giving me a springtime vibe, and that's just what's needed at the moment.  This pic shows progress almost to the point where the work is joined and worked in the round:

It's been a fun knit so far, with just enough pattern changing to keep it interesting, but still simple enough for TV knitting -- perfect!

Knitting for the Long Haul

It's a topsy-turvy world we're living in right now, and I am finding that it helps to have a long-term project to work on each day as a temporary replacement for the usual schedule of my retirement era life.  Something other than sewing face masks, or constantly updating grocery lists in search of that elusive delivery slot, or other activities that are necessary, but are also an ever present reminder of the mess we're in.

For me that project is a knitted cardigan -- Simple Yoke Cardigan, by Purl Soho. It's a fairly plain, easy knit, but it becomes a long-term project due to yarn weight and needle size. I'm using Dream in Color Smooshy with cashmere in color Brilliant and size 1 US needles (2.5mm).

Not much to look at so far, as it's pretty scrunched up on the needle, but I am happy to be cruising along with only 300+ stitches instead of the 500+ I had before putting the sleeve stitches on holders to work later. I'm only a little over an inch beyond the sleeve divide -- at this rate it may turn out to be a lifetime project instead of a pandemic one. 

To mix things up a bit I also have a backup -- also thin yarn, but much smaller.

The Hitchhiker Scarf by Martina Behm. This one is being worked in Rohrspatz & Wollmeise "Fluffy" in color Rosenrot (which I think translates to Rose Red). The color is so rich and vibrant that it makes me smile every time I pick it up. 

I don't have too much more to knit on this one, although the rows do get longer with each set of repeats.  I'll miss it when it's completed and put away for cooler weather.

Other than face masks, sewing has been on hold for a while. I suspect that warmer weather will find me wishing I had done a little garment sewing, but I'm finding it hard to concentrate on that these days.  I've made various mask styles -- most with ties or cords as my thin elastic has all been used -- and family seem to prefer the shaped masks to the pleated versions that most hospitals are asking for.  I never expected that my first Marfy would be a face mask, but there you go.  I've also tried the pattern from Craft Passion as pictured below.

 It uses a long tie (or in this case a shoe string) that loops around the back of the head, through the sides and then is tied in the back.  I found it slightly trickier to get a tight fit on my first try, but was able to adjust it to suit eventually.  It will be interesting to see how various family members rate the wearability of the different styles.  So far only the Marfy version has been road tested.

Stay healthy, keep busy, and stay indoors everyone!

Dyepot Redux

Still talking about dyeing fabric/garments, and this is the project that started it all for me. Last year I was browsing various style blogs and came across a photo of a linen duster. I can't remember which blog now, but the photo showed a white duster, in a sheer linen fabric, in a boxy style reminiscent of Eileen Fisher (which it might have actually been). I believe the blogger mentioned that it was from a sample sale, so the picture was the only guideline I had. It seemed like a potentially useful garment for my life -- a little extra coverage for summer sleeveless, but light and airy to not add (much) extra summer heat. And to add to its appeal -- I had a pattern that closely mimicked its style lines -- Kwik Sew 3732.

Finding a sheer, see-through 100% linen was the first challenge (more on that later) but once sourced it was an easy process to adapt the pattern -- which was mostly lengthening the bodice and the sleeves -- and sew it up.  Once finished and on the hanger it looked like the perfect summer accessory. And then I put it on.  I'd sewn the pattern before, so fit was not a problem, but there was something about it that just didn't work for me.  At first I thought it was too plain -- too minimalist -- too lab coat. Maybe if I introduced some decorative hemstitching to the seamlines? In the end though I simply hung it up in my closet, where it stayed until my recent clear out.

I'd been thinking a lot about what colors suited me now that my hair was no longer dark, and it finally came to me just what was wrong with my duster.  It wasn't too plain, it was just too white -- I now needed more contrast.  

So, dye to the rescue.  I wanted color, but still nothing too dark in order to keep things light and summery, so I went with aquamarine.

It was just enough to leave the lab coat vibes behind, and it was a color that looked good with the many navy garments already in the closet. Now, it can join the working garments instead of hanging uselessly in the closet.

I didn't have a lot of luck finding the fabric I wanted to use in my sources for apparel fabric, but on a lark I looked at the offerings in home dec fabrics -- bingo! -- sheer woven linen. Most likely meant for sheer curtains (which might also be a good source of fabric) but it worked up just fine for a duster.  Granted, not many of us would want to end up looking like Granny's sofa, but there are often lots of fabrics which can slide easily between apparel and home dec, so it is worth checking out what's available. One of my favorite jean jackets was made from a rustic cotton from the home dec line of Tommy Bahama -- now I'm wondering how that might look with a cooler toned color over dyed?

Changing It Up

Just trying for some normalcy in these crazy times...

Like a lot of other sew-ers I have a stash of fabric. Some of it is newer, some of it is gently aged. All of it was purchased because I liked it and saw a need for it in my wardrobe, and all of it was bought with the idea that it suited me in terms of color. And then -- I decided to stop covering the gray in my hair and let Mother Nature have her way. And suddenly all those warm, earthy colors that suited my dark rusty brown hair looked really bad with the silver that framed my face. Arghh! 

The nicer fabrics may find new homes, or perhaps be suitable for non-wardrobe uses, but I've been using some of the more ordinary fabric to make 'practice' garments in new patterns in order to work out fit issues.  Useful, but still -- I felt bad that I was not using them for their intended purpose.  What to do? Well, in my case -- get out the dyepot!

The first fabric shown was sold as a cotton shirting.  It is (in natural daylight) a pale golden yellow on white background with thin black stripes.

Better with an aquamarine over-dye, but still not exactly what I wanted.

Let's try something darker -- indigo (the color name, not the dye plant!)

That's what I want -- a deeper color without any warm overtones. In real life the blue is more evident -- this pic is much grayer than it is. By the way, the aquamarine overdye shown in the original pic was only done on a swatch -- not the full yardage. So, the indigo was not on top of the original color and an aquamarine overdye.  The top, which you're only seeing a small portion of -- is Courtney by StyleArc.

I also threw in some seersucker yardage. This was a medium brown stripe on a white background.

Now we're talkin'!  This fabric took up the dye exactly as I'd hoped.  The brown stripes are now a darker shade of indigo and the white stripes a lighter shade.

I did the dyeing in my top loader washing machine and used regular old Rit dye (liquid). Followed the instructions on their website, with one exception -- I did not put the dye solution down the dispenser. Instead I put that (and the salt solution) into the tub after filling it with water, then let it agitate for a couple of minutes to insure proper mixing before adding my fabric. There are specialty dyes out there for different types of fibers and I'm sure they do their job well.  In my case, I went with what was readily available and relatively inexpensive since it wasn't critical that I get a precise result. As always -- YMMV. 

Going small...

Sewing has slowed to a snail's pace, but craftiness continues with small projects. It's a great morale boost to actually plan, start and finish something. 

I like to keep small tools handy and close by my machines, but after knocking my thread snips off the counter (and point down into my bare foot) I knew I needed to keep them safely corralled. I could have searched out a small container from around the house - but sew-ers gotta sew - so I used some scraps to make a small basket.

It's simply some fabric, some PelTex double-sided ultra firm stabilizer and some Kam snaps. There are tutorials online for making folding baskets (usually labeled as bread baskets) but I've made a couple of substitutions to the usual supply list based on what I have on hand and my own preferences. For instance - the PelTex product was left over from a previous project, but it is also more rigid than the usual interfacing or batting.  Instead of ribbons or bias tape I like to use plastic snaps -- it's a more streamlined look, plus I have a nice assortment of them.

Here's the materials I used: PelTex double-sided ultra firm stabilizer - 5 pieces cut as follows - 2 pieces 7.25" x 2.5", 2 pieces 3.25" x 2.5" and one piece 7" x 3.25"

Fabric: quilting type cotton - 2 pieces 13" x 10"

Snaps: Kam plastic snaps - 4 complete sets (4 male/4 female plus corresponding caps)

And here's how it was laid out:  

My method was to fold over and press the outer edges of the fabric rectangles by 1/2" on all sides. Then I carefully laid out the Peltex pieces as per the above diagram - note that there is a space, or channel, between the pieces - they do not butt up against each other. They are placed on the wrong (non-public) side of the fabric as you are sandwiching them between the 2 fabric pieces. Next, carefully place the remaining fabric (right side up) over the PelTex layer being sure to have the bottom and top fabric layer lining up accurately. I lay everything out on my ironing board, as the next step is pressing the sandwich as per the PelTex instructions. This will bond the stabilizer to both sides of the fabric.

Finally we sew - edgestitch around the entire border to close everything up. Then stitch around the base (the larger piece of PelTex in the center of the sandwich) in the channel between the stabilizer pieces. You could also stitch around the other pieces, but I didn't on this project - the pieces are well bonded to the fabric, plus I don't think I'll need the extra security of stitching as I don't intend to wash this (famous last words!).

I eyeballed the placement of the snaps by folding up the corner edges of the box - they ended up approx. 5/8" in from the outer edge of the box and 2.5" from each corner point. Since you need to poke a small hole in the fabric to install each snap, I simply marked them by making a hole with my stiletto awl. And done - maybe not the usual method of making these boxes, but it worked for me.  Dimensions given are, of course, for the size basket I wanted to make, but it is a fairly easy math problem to change it up. I will say that the 2.5" height worked very well to make a basket deep enough to keep everything in place, but not so deep that you had to go digging for your tools.

And lastly - another small project - "Crooked Trail Cap", a slouchy cap from KnitSpot knit in Green Mountain Spinnery Ragg Time.