Dress

Maisie and I with friend Barb at my son's grade 8 graduation.
This was the only year both of my children will be in the same school. By the time she starts highschool, he will have finished university.
I thought the ceremony was on Wednesday eve, but it was actually Tuesday so I had to miss the last class of my textile arts course. It was a frenzy trying to alter his trousers and get my dress finished. The skirt was from an outfit I made for a wedding a few years ago. It was kind of big and droppy as the skirt so I wore a black one. I cut an empire top and added the skirt to it but the hem hung longer at the back than front. Once I saw all the asymmetrical hemlines in fashion now I remembered the dress, pulled it out and finished it off just in time.

Catching up post

Thanks everyone for your comments on my recent projects. I did not get to finish my tree skirt. It seemed pointless since we decided not to have a tree this year. My husband had to work over the holiday on ten hour shifts so the kids and I had a week with my Mum and brother and his family over Christmas. Maisie and I shared a room, occasionally with the Boy as well. Since then, she has been plastered to my side. This is the first break from her I have had and as much as I love her, I really need it!

I tried on the teal jacket yesterday and the fit is not too bad on the altered side. I will mark it, change the pattern, then sew it as is. Having some distance from it makes for a much more objective opinion.

Maisie received some Dora the Explorer slippers for Christmas. Here she is the first night after receiving them.

I made another hat for Maisie for Christmas, utilizing the time being driven to Niagara to embroider.

It uses the same basic pattern I made for the owl hats, but I didn't add the straps.

Maisie here is dressed up in her new fairy costume and turtle neck with some funky tights and her new hat (pre-tassels). There is alot going on here even before you add in the silly faces!

Teal Jacket, post 2

I am not liking this.
I have it all stitched and seams pressed. I was looking large in this so I put the side darts in. Still looked large, so I have made the darts even larger. Still not in love with it.
I am going to go the collar or edge trim and go back to the fitting. I don't want to overfit it. I have the sleeves cut and stitched, but not pressed. If I need to take it in any more I might need to change them so they have to wait as well.
The collar pieces are separate from the main body, unlike most shawl collars and they enormous! I will not be cutting them from the correct fabric yet. I want to muslin this separately to see what I will do.

On a more pleasant note: Maisie made me laugh today. She found a piece of black fur in the studio, picked it up and started calling "Blackie? Blackie?" as if it would answer her. Blackie is one of the cat's names. As much as I pretend not to like the cats I would never turn them into fabric!

Another teal jacket

I am working on a version of this jacket-Vogue 1147. I started it mainly because I needed some of the leftover fabric to make a custom ordered hat, like this one, but smaller.

The teal is a boiled wool/rayon blend. I want it to be like a sweater, so I am not sure if I will line it. I may not even add the collar on this one. If possible I would like to develop this into a TNT pattern and make several different versions of it.

In order to cut it out, I first needed to make a muslin. The measurements of the finished garment on the pattern envelope looked close, so I cut out a size F in a wool that I found too scratchy to use. The only alteration was that I shortened the length above the waist by an inch. It fit around at first, but wasn't flattering. I really looked like I had a barrel body.

The back is cut for a lot of curve to it. As a pear shape, I don't have as much bulk above the waist as below and not as much curve to my back apparently.

I pinned out the amount I thought it needed removed from the back and tried it on again. There still seemed to be a lot of excess under my arms and through the waist. As a plus size I am always glad to have something go around, but this as just too big through the waist. The bust was good, although not defined. The back did not dip into my sway. Both aspects are fine. I want a looser style, but still shaped somewhat to my curves. The pattern has a one piece side front and side back and I thought I would like the A-line shape in there. I played with all fitting seams, then finally added a dart where the side seam would be. It extends from just below the armhole, getting deeper toward the waist, then tapering out to the hemline again. This forms a more fitted sillhouette, but is not tight in any way.

At this point I have the teal cut out and the dart marked. I am going to leave it unsewn until the rest is together and have a look at what is needed in the actual fabric. It might be fine without it since every fabric acts differently.

Jacket Progress

I have the jacket, trimmed and turned and have begun quilting it. I have started stitching it at the edge and joining the lining to the body at the seams. The shoulders are open to make the quilting easier.
I am not sure if my stitching is an appropriate size or not. You can see it in the interior photos.

I love this weighty silk charmeuse from Gorgeous Fabrics.

I have been inspired by the tweed jacket that Ann has begun at Ann's Fashion Studio. I really like her pockets and might add some lower pockets to this one. I am trying to decide how to trim the jacket first.

For Karendee-Thanks, Karen I hope it will be nice when done. I basted the interfacing just inside the seam allowance by hand and catch stitched it along areas that aren't near seams. I am kind of winging it as I usually use fusibles, too. I trimmed it out close to the stitching line once the seams were sewn and removed the basting. I used a method described here LindayT's Blog to cut the interfacing.

Teal Tweed Jacket

I managed to get my new jacket cut out. I used the teal tweed from Emma One Sock and a silk charmeuse from Gorgeous Fabrics . The fabric was surprisingly symmetrical with the slubby additional threads that run through it.

I have decided to use a modified version of Cherie O'Dowd's ( I think) Chanel-ish technique from Threads to make the jacket. I don't have a lot of time right now, so I used the same pattern from the ruffle jacket as the base. I just won't add a ruffle. I lengthened it to be approximately the same length as the completed ruffle jacket and took in the shoulders a bit.

The technique has you sew the shell and lining together, then bag them out, then quilt the jacket. I might hand quilt it still. She doesn't use any interfacing for support in the jacket at all and I planned to do it like that, but couldn't. I ended up using some cotton in the shoulder areas and down the centre front and some bias in the hem.

Another Teal Jacket in the works

I have a thing for teal jackets. They go well with a variety of my dark neutral basic tops and bottoms: black, charcoal, espresso, chocolate, taupe, even sometimes with navy.

I have purchased, but not yet received this fabric from Emma One Sock,

And this one from Fabricmart Fabrics. I hope they work together. I would like to use the crepe to make bands on a Chanel style jacket using Vogue 7975. I will probably make it a V-neck or add a collar though. I don't find a round neckline flattering on me.

I resisted the first one for quite a while because of the poly content and my experience with the pilling of the not-all-wool brown tweed coat. However, upon reading more accurately, I realized that the base is all wool, with synthetic embroidery, which seemed more satisfactory to me. It was $45/yd and I got 1 1/2 yds, but at a roll end discount. This is why I will need to find a coordinate for it.

Teal jacket and Ashy top

The Vogue 2923 jacket is finally finished and has been worn out ot my January book club meeting. I was a bit overdressed compared to everyone else, but dont really care. I gave a soft press to the ruffle to hold it in place, but it does what is wants anyway. That is probably better.
The fabric is a wool knit I purchased last year. I threw 1.5 yards of it into the washer and dryer to felt it a bit. I used the unfelted wool for the ruffle and faced it with a silk from Gorgeous fabrics. The jacket is supposed to have a lining in the front, but I couldn't get the knit and woven to play nicely and gave up on that plan. Because of this the seams had been trimmed and topstitched and could no longer be serged nicely. However the fabric does not fray or lose fibre, so I just won't show anyone the inside! I used bias to bind the sleeve hems and decided I liked it enough to use as the finish. The texture contrast is pretty. There are three buttons and thread loops holding it closed.

Underneath is a rayon/cotton/lycra knit top from EOS in a colour Linda called "ashy". It suits the colour, not really brown, not really gray, but a heathery mixture of the two. I did a neckline treatment that I saw on RTW and liked. I cut the top from a pattern I made from RTW, cut 2" off the neckline and sewed a 2" band back on. The band was cut to the size of the opening and had a CB seam. I left a small part of the CB seam open, inserted 1/4" elastic into it and adjusted the length until the neckband was gathered up slightly and laid flat on my neck. You can just see the gathers at the neckline in the pictures.

Teal jacket and other UFOs

My teal jacket is nearly done. I have to bind one armhole and add closures, which will be either button and loop or hook and loop.
I tried it on for my husband and pointed out that it is not too ruffly. His reply was "Oh, no. That jacket is all straight lines and angles." Now, you have to understand that he dislikes anything ruffly and nothing about me is straight lines and angles, so I am not sure how to take it. I just figure it is a good "girl's night out" kind of jacket. That way he doesn't need to look at it.

I am trying to knit every day and so to create some beautiful sweaters, scarves, dishcloths, whatever. This is not stash busting, but stash using. Some yarns I purchased specifically for dischcloths. Marji discusses her view on stash busting here. I have to say that I agree.

I have pulled out several works in progress. There are three little sweaters started for my daughter. One sweater that might still fit my son if finished soon. I even have one I began for him as a baby. He is now eleven. Most of my friends have finished having babies. I am sure some little guy will need this before I have grandchildren. I used to do a lot of colour work with nothing but basic texture. I think I got sick of weaving in the little ends. This one just needs the ends woven in and the front bands knit, then to be sewn together. The shoulder seams are sewn and the neckband is knit. I even have a little hat knit. This one will get done soon. I swear it. I am getting low in the gift cupboard anyway.

Needle felted hat

This is my new hat. It is my first attempt at needle felting. I like it, but keep wondering if I will look back on it one day and cringe at my workmanship.

I eyeballed the design, did the needle felting using fleece from Vogue Fabrics and sewed the hat up.
Afterwards I decided to add some embroidery. This was NOT the correct order to do the embellishment, believe me.
I did a blanket stitch around the top seam of the crown and added some fly stitches to the little trefoil design that goes around the crown.
The hat is a teal boiled wool type fabric (wool/rayon blend) with the underside of the brim in a black/brown faux Persian lamb fabric. The lining is a lightweight polartec fleece.

Pattern is McCalls 3400

Getting back to real life

Well, the mad rush is over. Now I can slowly try to get back to real life. It usually takes a week or so. Many businesses are busy over the Christmas season, but it is always slow for us then. The rush is October/November and I just cannot afford to turn away orders. So I nearly kill myself with busy and alienate all my family and friends. Not pretty, but it is my life.

I really need to clean up the sewing studio before I attempt any major project, but I really feel like doing something for me. Maybe a hat or a cardigan. Nothing that requires the entire table to cut out. I don't have the energy to clean it off yet.

I did do some wash swatches of my teal knit. I have three yards, so plenty to do the jacket, but I am afraid I will make it and not like the style. If I wash all but the ruffle I won't have enough to do both. With three yards I could get two collarless jackets out. Indecision is the reason nothing gets done around here.

Jacket thoughts

photo from Neimen Marcus

There is a discussion on Artisan's Square regarding this Armani jacket with a flounce.

Mardel shows it at great length in her flickr photos. It looks gorgeous and feminine without being too much. I am not really a ruffle person, but I like this jacket.
With the Armani jacket in mind, I recently purchased this pattern.

Erica Bunker has made (twice, I think) and loves it. I think you must to make it twice.

I have a few aspects to consider before I get to it.

I have a teal wool knit and a heavy silk charmeuse that is not too shiny and matches it perfectly so I was thinking of fulling the knit to use for the body and possibly the silk for the flounce. I had initially thought of using the knit for both, but am not sure how I would finish the edge of the flounce. I would use a single layer for it and don't mind that the reverse shows. I could then bind the edge in the silk or serge it in matchign sewing thread or work a blanket stitch on it.

Anyone have any thoughts?

The Armani example has a shawl collar under the flounce that gves it a bit of body and I like that.

In the Vogue pattern the flounce becomes a band around the back without any fullness. I like that, since I have fullness of my own there that I don't want to emphasize. If I do the flounce in silk, would I continue the silk around to the back band also, maintaining the flow of the design and crealing a horizontal band across my bum, or use the wool and possible diminish the interity of the design?

I guess I have lots to think about as I finish up my last few orders.