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.

Not sewing, but still fibre

Needle felted teddy bear for my son. It is about 1 1/4" high.

This is my first 3-D needle felted object and I think it turned out kind of cute. I wasn't sure how to do this, but you can learn a lot just by trying. For example- keep your fingers out of the way.

I think I am going to like this hobby, but not as much as my son is!

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

Coat finally finished

I had hoped to get it done before New Year's, but just finished up the coat today while Maisie napped and the boy brushed the cats.

Here are a front view with the front open, a 3/4 view and a close up my son took which shows the colour and weave better.

I had a set back when I decided to interline the lining with flannel. It is very warm, but snugger than the mockup was. It doesn't help that I have gained about 20 pounds recently. I almost gave up on it, but really wanted it out of the sewing room. In the end it fits fine, even with the flannel.

Christmas morning

No pictures yet.
My daughter opened the package that contained the t-neck and fleece pullover I made her.
Her words? "Look, fabwic! Sanks mama." She didn't realize they had been sewn into something.

The Great Coat Sew Along not all wool coat

Indecision keeps me from completing many things, so while I have been contemplating design alternatives, I have been working on the "real" GCSA coat instead of the trapunto one.

I purchased a wool blend fabric from Emma One Sock last year. It looked gorgeous and I ordered quickly. As many people know, she who hesitates is lost when ordering from some websites. Small yardages can sell out quickly. It wasn't until I received the piece that I realized two things. That the fabric was not all wool and that there was a metallic fleck to it. I wasn't sure what to think. However the fabric has grown on me and matches a few things I have. OK mainly fabric I have, but a few garments as well. I cut out and began the same pattern as below in the single breasted version, but shortest length. All went swimmingly for a while. I got the pockets done and was working on the side seams when I noticed that one of warp yarns was working it's way out of the fabric. On the not-on-grain side seam and sleeve seams it looked like little caterpillars were growing out of the fabric. The funny thing is that this thread was synthetic, with a metallic yarn through it, so exactly the part that I liked least about the fabric. I tried to ignore it, but I ended up needing to serge the entire coat, which had now been more than half sewn. Retro serging, I call it. I had even double stitched the sleeves in, but I still had to serge them. the seams were really shredding and I was afraid it would fall apart.

Give me all wool anyday.

Trapunto revisited

The second two photos show the as yet "unstuffed" length of the knotwork. I drew the design on Warm and Natural batting, then sitched the unders and overs in a straight stitch through all the layers, backtacking at each stop. To make the section leading onto the fabric (as opposed to the edge) I used a stitch on my Janome that is straight on one side and a multi width zig zag on the other. I had hoped that the stitching would give enough dimension, but decided to add yarn to create more. I trimmed the rest of the batting away close to the zig zag stitching.
For the trapunto, I opened up the start of each line with a seam ripper and pulled acrylic yarn through to the end of that line. I read somewhere that acrylic is better than wool or cotton. It doesn't pack down like wool and lose dimension, nor is it hard and high to sew through like cotton. I used two strand of a worsted weight.
The result has a few puckers from the amount of shape of the design, but this is such a soft wool I hope to be able to press them out to some degree.
I am making the same style coat in another fabric first and then will get to this one. Practicality won out and I am making the warm one first.

Christmas presents

Using different binding/edging finishes on Simplicity 3802 aprons!

If you look closely you can tell by the chocolate stain that the Christmas tree apron has been worn already. The black print has tiny neon kitty heads on it. I am saving the kitty one for a Christmas present.

Also made: bathrobe, mock t-neck, fleece pullover.

Robe from Kwiksew 3509, top pattern taken from RTW.

To finish: scarf, head wrap and apron for Mum, purse for Mum, apron for DB apron for DSIL, lots of jammies.

Hats Off for Charity!

There is a local charity that helps out women who live on the streets. It provides them with an occasional meal, a bed to sleep on during the day if needed and clothing. Many street women have a mental illness and really need all the help available.

I have been making hats and scarves to donate to them. Our local chain fabric store used to have a stamp card programme that gave you a gift certificate after you had spent a certain amount of money. I used the stamps to purchase polar fleece fabric and made some basic pillbox style hats with an additional band for warmth. The clips on the three lower ones denote a smaller size. I will need to get some stickers on there.

I also knit a few basic beanie style hats in Paton's Soy Wool Stripe yarn.

This is a hat in boiled wool leftover from a jacket last year and trimmed in faux fur as well as a few velvet and faux fur scarves using B4882. I was at an open house at the weekend to sell some products in order to donate the $, so I made a few other styles also. These are what is leftover and they will also go to the charity.

The hats are a modified version of M3400

Finished Trapunto

I joined the Great Coat Sewalong earlier in the year and am no where near completion on my coat. I have changed my mind about what to do so many times. I finally decided to use some soft black wool twill from stash and put a celtic knotwork design down the centre in trapunto. Well, I have the trapunto stitched with batting and stuffed with acrylic yarn for some more depth.

Now to cut out the coat! It is a OOP Vogue pattern # 2449. I plan to do a long single breasted version, with a bit of flair in the skirt. Fortunately it is a timeless style and will still be wearable in years to come. However it won't match the scarf I knit in the summer.

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.

November 11- Lest we Forget

I can't read this without crying.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae

SWAP Fabrics

Above is a silk tweed from www.emmaonesock.com shown with a selection of neutral bottom weights and a raincoat fabric. The bottom weights are a charcoal denim with a coppery reverse, a war greay pinstripe fabric, a darkwash denim and a dark wool with a slight plaid meanswear type.
I could go bright with a silk tweed jacket, or neutral and practical with the rainwear. I am actually thinking of a raincoat with a zip out liner that would carry me from Fall through to Spring.

Busy

Gosh- I have been busy at work. I am again starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and am thinking about sewing for me again. Well, that includes the kids and extended family as well.
I have been planning Christmas presents this year. I am trying not to buy too much.

As for recent sewing for myself, I reworked the tapestry jacket below. I shortened it, removed the ribbon trim and added some darts. The fabric was really nice to work with. I didn't think it would press or take darts so well. I finished the teal trosers as well and wore them with a teal top made from leftover fabric from last year's SWAP. If I look frantic in the pictures it is because I kept shutting my eyes in previous photos. My DH was making me laugh and I was trying to keep my eyes open.

I hadn't planned to make it so long and forgot until I had it cut that I have bought extra fabric to make myself a purse from it. I am not sure if there is enough left now.