My space-age, Swiss-Milkmaid dress

Every so often, I make something that I look at and say - what the heck?

This dress (that I affectionately call the space-age swiss-milkmaid dress) fits that bill. What a disaster! Everything about this dress was painful and flawed. Ah well. It will go straight to the back of my closet, where I'll never wear it, but at-least it was a muslin, and at-least I got to finish a UFO, started way back in March.

Let's review it, shall we?

Fabric: One yard of a yellow cotton, about $4ish.

Pattern: BWOF 04-2008-118.

Pattern notes: Ouch, this really, really stretched my sewing skills. First, all the curved seams in the bodice involved in setting the white band really challenged me. The skirt, with hidden welt pockets behind the a mock-welt pocket, and a inset-seam to get it all together, coupled with unclear pictures and typical BWOF instruction (I really was guessing at the assembly most of the time) - that was a disaster. Along the way -

- I realized the dress, cut in a size 38, but with no petite adjustments, didn't fit. I therefore had to rip the bodice and skirt apart, take an inch off the bodice bottom, rip out and re-sew the bust darts, cut an inch off the skirt top, and then put it all back.

- I sewed one of the pockets wrong, so it was upside down. It was bizarre. And there was no good way to adjust it, since it was already a welt-pocket. I adjusted by just cutting into the pocket fabric, and flipping it. Not pretty.

- The yellow - too thin. I wanted to line it, but at the end of the day, I was done. It was all I could do to finish it. (In the pictures, I'm wearing a slip.)

Also, my skirt - disaster. If you look at it, it puckers like crazy - at the side mock-welt-pockets, at the front, and pretty much everywhere else.

Actually, who am I kidding? The bodice is a disaster as well. It is all a disaster, honestly.



Time taken: Clearly, forever. I had to keep putting this away, I was getting so frustrated with it. Let's go with about a week of work?

Good things: It was a muslin. I didn't ruin my good cloth.

Bad things: Where do I start? It isn't just that I made a ton of mistakes with this. At the end of the day, I learned a lot, and that was worth-while. No, what frustrates me most of all is that this looks pretty horrible on me, for all that work. Either yellow isn't really my color, the pattern isn't really my pattern, or more likely, all of the above.

Question for everyone - the pink & orange fabric still exists. Should I make a version of this dress, keeping the bodice, and using a plain skirt? Or, should I just call this a dismal failure, and move on?

Finishing UFOs

This quilt top has been half-finished for at least a year, and I was determined to get to it this week. All that was needed was cutting the setting triangles, sewing the rows together, and adding borders.

I'm loosely thinking of actually quilting it myself, even though such efforts ALWAYS end in swearing, annoyance and deep hatred of my sewing machine, the quilt, and anything/anyone unfortunate enough to get in my way.

But... I should learn to do quilt properly, shouldn't I?

Sewing pattern review - BWOF 07-2009-120

I'm not actually sure why I made this dress. Let's see - Tany's top was very inspirational. I was looking for a quick, easy project, which this was (sort of.) Also helping was the fact that I had the fabric handy. Finally, I definitely have a personal style that's sort of boring, and I thought this dress would jolt me out of it.

All of which remain true.

But then, I look at this dress and ask - where would I wear it, really? (Blog readers, if you exist. Please comment! Should this dress be worn at all? And if so, where?)

Anyway, all of that aside, construction details.


Fabric: A gift from my mom's friend. She went to India, and got me two saris to cut up. (I think my mom is getting heartily sick of me going into her closet and stroking her saris covetously.) This was a bit of one of them.

It is a polyester chiffon-like fabric, a giant PIA to work with. Slipped like crazy, so it is a good thing this pattern will tolerate that kind of thing. I lined it with a solid green rayon-ish fabric. (Which I happened to have lying around, score!)

Pattern: BWOF 07-2009-120. A weird mix of views A & B. I wanted a dress, but with short sleeves.

Pattern adjustments: A fair bit. When I first made this up, in a size 38, it was huge on me, and perfectly shapeless. I took 2-3 inches off the sides, to get it to present shape. I followed their instructions about adding elastic, since I really needed it. My sleeves aren't also as much off-the-shoulder as the patterns, because I took inches off the side, which ended up shortening the sleeves.

Also, since I lined it, I didn't bother with bias strips at the neck, I just sewed the lining together with the fabric at the neck, right sides together, flipped, and top-stitched.

Time taken: This is generally quick, but it took me a couple of evenings because I was fiddling around with it, trying to avoid the shapeless effect, and doing things to prevent the fabric from fraying like the devil (FrayStitch.)

Good things: Well, it does take me outside my clothing rut. Also, sewing a BWOF pattern the same month? Haven't done that in about a year, I think. This pattern is also pretty easy to put together, which is good.

Bad things: Where do I wear this? Really? Where? My life needs more martini-drinking with girlfriends, I think.

Post-script: I'm loosely tempted to make this again, in a sheer black. I won't, since I own about 10 black dresses. But I am tempted.

Also, I do realize I'm wearing it off the wrong shoulder. Who knew? I've never worn an off-the-shoulder anything before.

Pattern review - Simplicity 2933

It honestly doesn't get easier than this. This dress has no sleeves, minimal fitting - it went together like a breeze, and I really like it.

Let's see - a bit more detail.

Fabric: A gift from my aunt. (People who have figured out that the best gift to get me is fabric - those people are awesome. Well, fabric & beer.) She bought it in India, it is a synthetic with really nice drape. I figured it would fray like crazy, and accordingly took precautions - my side seams are French seams.

Pattern: Simplicity 2933 - view A.

Pattern adjustments: This has the potential to be a bit mu-mu-ish, so I cut a size 8, and it fits pretty well. To give context, my normal Simplicity size is 8-10 on top, and 10-12 at the bottom. I took an inch off at the torso, and inches off the hem to get it to hit above the knee.

Time taken: Not long. This was pretty straightforward. An evening's worth? Spread over several, my life is crazy.

Good things: The fabric - I love it!!!! Plus, honestly, while I think it avoids looking mu-mu-ish, it is really easy-fitting, so remarkably comfortable.

Bad things: A tiny little thing, and something that happens to me in RTW as well - there's a bit of excess fabric in the underarm area. If I wanted to bother, it would be an easy enough fix, but honestly, I'm too lazy.

Overall though - I really like this dress, it feels easy and effortless, and that fits perfectly into my life.

Sewing Updates

The dark red BWOF dress really grew on me. I wore it out, and got a ton of compliments on it. And after musing on it, I decided I really liked the fit. It hid all the bumps, and showed all the curves. :)

I realized my picture was pretty blurry & terrible. Here's a close up of the fabric. It is darker than this, and I really like the orange lines running through it.



And since I'm still working on my third dress (sigh!), and don't have pictures of that to share, I'll show you this skirt instead. It is Simplicity 4036, and only took me about 4 months to shop for and insert the zipper. The fabric was a Fabricland remnant, ~$2.50 or so, and I'm incredibly happy with the way it turned out.

Two new dresses

The second version of BWOF 02-2009-124. I took the inch off the torso, which seemed to make it too loose through the waist... I think this dress needs something - it feels very monotone. Opinions, please?



And the second version of Simplicity 2896. This time, with back darts.



This was Canada Day sewing (and finishing up.) I have at-least one more dress planned for this weekend, so, here's to hoping I'll find time to sew.

Sewing pattern review - BWOF 02-2009-124

More from the Feb 2009 BWOF issue. There's a lot of great versions of this dress - however, the one that made me trace and sew was Allison's fantastic version.

This dress was supposedly a muslin. The fabric is a 15-year old dupatta that I've been meaning to turn into some kind of dress. (My version is unlined.)

Holding the pattern up to me, I figured I didn't need to take any inches off the torso, which turned out to be decidedly untrue. At that point, however, the zipper was already in, so I took an inch off the shoulders instead. When I make it again, I'll also add a bit of extra ease at the hip, it feels a bit snug to me.

Otherwise, the dress was super-easy in construction, and sewed up quickly.

Good things:
This dress just goes to show, you don't need complicated patterns - sometimes the simplest pattern looks pretty good.

Bad things:
Well, it isn't a bad thing necessarily, but this dress turned out way dressier than I would have imagined - mostly because of the gold detail in the fabric. I haven't worn it yet - since relatively few of the things I go to involve dressing up to this extent.

Conclusion: I'm actually going to sew another (less dressy) version tonight, since I'm going out tomorrow, and have decided I've nothing to wear. So, its fairly safe to say I really like this pattern.

How am I supposed to get anything done?

When this happens?



Biscuit managed to get inside the plastic bag, and sit on my fabric. Little brat!

Although, to be honest, I'm not getting anything done anyway - I'm sick and I'm in my PJs feeling sorry for myself.

Dear mom. I lied to you.

Yes, mom, I know I said I'd make this shirt for you.

I lied.

You have plenty of shirts, mom. (Ok, so do I, but stay with me here.) And I really wanted this one. See how good it looks?

And its perfect for my regular day-to-day dressing - pretty shirt + jeans.

So, ma. Sorry. I lied. You can't have it. I'm keeping it.

Love,
Reethi.

P.S. BWOF 12-2008-113. Remnant of fabric from this Vogue dress.

On the bookshelf...

As I said in my last post, I recently became a library member. (To explain why this deserves comment - I have to get out of my front door and cross the street to get to the library. That's it. Its only taken me 11 months to do it.

Anyway, I'm taking full advantage of the ability to order from any branch and have it delivered to my branch. Here's what I've been reading in the last few weeks.


The Enchantress of Florence - Salman Rushdie. I liked this book! I grew up in India, and we learned all about the Mughal dynasty in history class. This book was an interesting take on a world that I knew a little about. (However, suspend belief in things like the linearity of time.)

House of many ways - Dianne Wynne Jones Ah, I really, really wanted to love this book, I really did. But alas, no. It was ok, readable, but nothing special. (On the other hand, this book is sort of a sequel to my all-time favorite book - Howl's Moving Castle, and Castle in the Air is also really good, and I recommend both of them highly.)

I'm reading Alice Waters and Chez Panisse right now. I'm finding it a bit heavy going, to be honest. Its filled with listings of menus, names of people that worked at the restaurant, etc. And detail of this sort mostly bores me. I wanted to be interested, but I don't think I'm cut out to read biographies, much though I'd like to.

Mini Project Week - Tuesday - Library tote

Ok, we'll call it the increasingly late mini-project week...


- Toronto is going to start charging $0.05 per grocery bag, which is an excellent thing for the environment, and one I support wholeheartedly.

- And I also finally went and became a member of the library.

- Plus, its getting close to the 4th of July.

- And finally, I have a lot of fabric.

All of the above led to this tote, which I am planning to use for groceries/library books/general errands around town. It is a nice large size, and I love the colors.

That's it for mini-project week, folks. This one is late, I just finished it.

I made 5 things - all very easy, some of them were UFOs, some of them were really simple things I'd been planning for a while, and some of them were projects designed just to use up supplies. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun with this. I'm not giving up garment sewing, of course, but on an ongoing basis, I'm going to sprinkle in the odd crafting project to mix it up.

Mini Project Week - Monday - Using up remnants, with a little help from Anthropologie

More inspiration from Anthropologie, this time, this pretty scarf, which is actually fairly reasonably priced at C$21. Still, I did have all the ingredients at home...

Summerset commented about me already having supplies, but that's actually the big inspiration for this week. I have a lot of supplies sitting around, and I'm trying to use it or lose it. It does not help that I'm a packrat, and parting with anything feels like heartbreak (see this project, for example).

The fabric is a very sheer synthetic chiffon-type, left over from a sewing project (another 2-year old UFO, which I should make a note to finish), the trim I bought over a year ago at a thrift store in Michigan for 40c. Simple hemming, and sewing the hem on - about 30 minutes of work, tops.

And the result is that I have a fun summer accessory, and I've used up a tiny, minuscule portion of the supplies. Win-win.

Mini Project Week - Sunday - Finishing a UFO from 2 years ago

(The Biscuit had to participate in the photo shoot.)



(Once the photo shoot was over, she decided to guard the corridor against intruders. Because, you know, she's ferocious.)


And now, for those that want it, Biscuit-free commentary:

All these pj's needed was hemming, and yet, they've sat in the UFO pile since April 2007. I was cleaning recently, and found the PJs, so perfect mini-project.

(Full confession, work + social life has been crazy, I'm falling behind mini project week. This was done today, but I've labeled it Sunday, since I still hope to catch up with the rest of the week.)

Rather than hem, I decided to make them a tiny bit more interesting by using a coordinating bias-trim at the hem edge (the picture below). This project literally took me 10 minutes. I'm off to do another mini-project now, and try and catch up.

Good stuff - summer vacation plans!

Summer sewing is going to be very slow going for me. I'm going to be insanely busy at work (I'm traveling to 4 provinces in the next 4 weeks, enough said.)

But, better still, I have a bunch of travel for fun I'd like to do - I'm planning on driving the James Bay Road one weekend, I'm going to be in Montreal next weekend with a girlfriend (we are going to drink beer the entire weekend, good times!) and I want to go away to Europe in the August/September timeframe (I've been lusting after Barcelona, especially after watching Vicky Christina Barcelona... so maybe there?) My job can involve a fair bit of Canada travel, so I'm sure I'll toss in Vancouver in the mix, as well as Quebec City - I've never been to either place, and I'd love to go to both.

I'm excited about all of this, but most especially the James Bay road. I'm a bit nervous about doing this by myself (no gas stations, no cell phone reception, kind of out of options if the car breaks down or something) but also, really excited. Here's a bit of an excerpt from the James Bay Road info site.

The James Bay (Baie James) region of northern Quebec is located in northeastern Canada along the eastern side of James Bay. It is a vast wilderness area of taiga/boreal forest, reached by a single road - the very remote James Bay Road (Route de la Baie-James) - 620 km of forest and taiga and not a single town along the way!

I've a big map of Canada in my office, and I keep looking at it, and dreaming of these vast stretches of openness. I'm a very city girl most of the time, but I really do enjoy the remote, middle-of-nowhere road trips. I think Radisson, which is my northern destination, is as far north as you can go by road in Canada. And then, there are no roads, at all, which is a fascinating concept for someone who grew up in densely populated India. (Where there are bad roads, but still, roads.)

And, just to keep this from being yet another picture-less post, the picture above was from early April, I did a bit of a whirlwind visit to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon. (That's my buddy Dave in the picture, we went to school together, and I totally used his apartment as base camp. Bad Reethi.) I had a total blast!

Mini Project Week - Saturday: Quick & Easy Placemats

Way back in the time tunnel, JoAnns was clearing out a lot of its home-dec sample squares, and I bought about a million of them to make bags.

I don't really make a lot of bags anymore (although that's my mini-project for today), so I pulled three vegetable-themed samples together, and cut them out to make placemats. (Quick UFO reality check - I cut these out in March, they were for a friend's birthday - also in March. Finally sewed them together yesterday. Is it strange to give someone a birthday present 2 months late?)

Anyhoo, this is pretty simple sewing. Make placemat-size front, cut placemat-size back, sew right sides together, leaving a bit to turn; turn it through, slip-stitch the opening and iron well. (I might need to re-iron, since the placemat in the picture looks a bit wrinkled. I also opted not to use interfacing, but that's mostly because I didn't want to cut it out.

Of course, I didn't make just 1 placemat, that would be a sucky birthday present. I made a set of 4, and will give it to my friend when I see her this week.

Mini Project Week - Friday: Copying Anthropologie

I'm copying Amanda - and am going to try to do one mini-project a day this week. I've a ton of half-finished projects/easy craft projects, etc, and I'd like to take a stab at paring that list down.

Yesterday's project was copying the Gentleman Juggler necklace from Anthropologie. I love Anthropologie, and now, they even have a Toronto outlet. I, however, do not love their prices, and when I saw this felted bead necklace, I knew I could rip it off fairly easily, and significantly cheaper than the CAD 120 they were planning on charging.

I burrowed around - I conveniently had both copper chain as well as felted beads sitting in the massive pile of craft supplies, and I got to work. I threaded copper wire through the beads, and attached a bead on every link of the chain.

And here it is.



Other project details: My total cost - about $5. Total time taken - about a hour, while watching Law & Order reruns on TV.

Sewing review - Simplicity 2896

I've been going through a greens & blues phase - all the fabric I'm attracted to are in these hues... I've three dresses finished that are in this color family (one a disaster, the other two I love) and best of all, I was wearing a green scarf the other day, and some friends told me that green is a really good color on me.

Bringing me to this dress, the dress pattern in Simplicity 2896, my new favorite dress.



Fabric: A remnant from Joann's, bought when I crossed the border to stock up on patterns - 6-8 months ago? About $3, I think, and I have enough left over to also make a top, so I'm very happy.

Pattern: Simplicity 2896.

Pattern adjustments: I cut a size 10 on top, and a 12 at waist and hip - this is my standard Simplicity size. I took an inch off between bust & waist, and then enough length off so the dress would hit just above my knee. These are pretty standard adjustments on me.

Oh, and I completely left out the back darts - I just forgot, until the dress was almost done. Ah well. Here's a photo of the back - yes, there is some ease there, but I don't think it looks terrible.



And also, I didn't even open the instructions, so I've no thoughts at all on whether they are good or not.

Time taken: One evening's worth of work, so 3-4 hours. I'm a slow sewer - this is as straight forward as it gets, really, no sleeves, no waistbands, nothing that would slow things down.

Good things: I really like that the pattern has a combined neck & armhole facing - so, no fiddly bias binding. Also, I just love how this dress fits me, it skims rather than hugs my body, so I loved what they did with the sizing and the ease on this pattern.

Bad things: Really, none at all.

Conclusion: Love it! Love it so much, I have already cut out the next version (using this red fabric.)

Gratuitous Cat Shot

I couldn't resist. Biscuit is adorable. (Even when I found her asleep on my stomach at 5am. She's adorable, but heavy.)

Sewing review BWOF 02-2009-108

Finally, the camera batteries were charged, I had some spare time, so time for pictures and review.

The Feb 2009 BWOF issue rocked! I wanted to make almost everything in this issue. So far, however, the only thing I've made is this 1.5 dot t-shirt, so I better get cracking.

Fabric: A Joann's buy, from forever ago. I've used portions of it before, but I had enough left over to squeeze out this t-shirt. I don't know how much I paid for it? Probably $3-$4 a yard. Only problem - this fabric is really sheer. I'm wearing this tee with a tank top underneath, for modesty's sake.

Pattern: BWOF 02-2009-108.

Pattern adjustments: I cut a size 38, my standard BWOF top size. The only thing I did was sew the shoulders together, and then finish the neck edge, rather than finishing the neck edge and then sewing the shoulder.

Time taken: Pretty quick - this is a basic t-shirt, and it doesn't take long to sew up. 2-3 hours?

Good things: I love the boatneck tee, this is a nice basic, and it fits well.

Bad things: Bleah, the hem. I know I'm probably the only person that would notice that the hem is stretched out, but I do notice it, and I don't like it. Ah well. I'll still wear it.

Conclusion: I do like this style - it is a nice basic, and I'll make more.

This last month...

flew by.

And sigh, the dress didn't get done. (Actually, the muslin's sitting in half-finished state as well.)

What did I do this last month?

- Went to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon on vacation.
- Turned 36.
- Sewed a tiny little bit - one McCalls dress, the BWOF boatneck tshirt that everyone's made with great results (mine's good but not great), one Butterick tank-top like thing. The camera batteries have been dead since Phoenix though, so no chance taking or posting any pictures.
- And a whole bunch of hanging out with friends and family, which is all good, but also busy and doesn't leave that much time for posting.

So, in May, I'm going to try to commit to staying home and sewing a bit more. I'm aiming for balance, either I sew far too much, or far too little. I'd like to shoot for just right.

What was I thinking?

13 pattern pieces. Welt pockets. Tons of inset seams. Tons of curved seams. A ridiculously busy life. A 3 dot BWOF pattern.

What was I thinking?

At the rate I'm going, if I get the muslin done by the 19th, I'd be shocked.

The Birthday Dress: Part 1

Deciding what to make:

I think it was last year (coincidentally, around April) that I talked about making this BWOF dress in orange and pink.



A year later, I'm going to get cracking. I've traced it out (12 pieces! good grief!) and now I need to add seam allowances and make a muslin.

Why am I making a muslin, you ask? Only because this is rated a 3-dot pattern, and I've never made a 3-dot pattern before. I want to make sure I'm up to the challenge, before ruining the good fabric.

My wearable muslin (despite this excellent post, I can't bring myself to cut and sew without getting something out of it, and good fit doesn't count for me) will be in yellow, with white bands.

Now, off to add seam allowances and cut it out...

Sewing review - Vogue 8386

I'm not sure if this dress caused my biggest sewing slump yet, or if it was inadvertently caught in the middle. All I knew is, all I had to do was sew the hem, and sew the bodice to the skirt (already basted, too) and it took me a month to do, due to vanishing mojo.

That being said, I really like how this dress came out. It is my not-so-dressy alternative to the little black dress. The fabric is from Fabricland - it has been sitting in the stash for almost a year. (Waiting to be made, I always knew, from the day I bought the fabric, that Vogue 8386 was what I was going to use it on.)

This is my first Vogue pattern, and for the most part, things went smoothly. However, two things caused me a bit of grief.

- The instructions tell you to understitch the self-lining on the bodice - but this caused my bodice to stretch out, which I was NOT happy about.
- To get the bodice to fall right, without huge gaping in the front, or flashing the entire city took about a hundred tries basting the damn thing in place. And I'll probably still need a safety pin, or double-sided tape (just like the celebrities!) when I wear it - I'll be too self-conscious otherwise.

Right now, I've plans (damn this social life) Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I've a nagging feeling I have something going on Tuesday as well, which leaves me no time to sew. Aargh. I do have a project on the go - BWOF 02-2009-108, the boatneck tee, which everyone in the world has made. Also, my birthday's coming up, and like Trena, I want to make a birthday dress. We'll see.

It fell off a cliff...

My sewing mojo, that is. This is the first time since I started sewing that I've completely not felt like sewing, and I'm very perturbed.

Not coincidentally, my social life is busier, although when people I haven't spoken to for a while ask me what's going on with me, my stock answer is Nothing Much. Which is true. So, I'm busy doing a lot, but not anything really meaningful. Again, perturbing.

Friday, I'm trying to keep one of my new year resolutions - to cook one new dish a week. So far, I've really not kept this resolution well, but on Friday, I've invited people over to dinner, and hope that this will spur me to cook something new.

I started work on my first Vogue dress last month, before the sewing mojo fell off a cliff. Maybe I'll finish it this week? Here's to hoping.

Sewing review - BWOF 11-2008-103 B

Finally, some consistent BWOF sewing. I've used November and December. If only I make something out of January, I'll be sort of in the game.

When at my parents a few weeks ago, I traced out BWOF 11-2008-103B. It finally got sewn up over the last week. (The big delay? Adding seam allowances to the tracing. I swear I sat at that step for over 3 weeks. When I finally got to it, it took 10 minutes while watching tv.)

Fabric: Fields Fabrics, in Kalamazoo, over Christmas. What fun I had at that store! (And how much money I spent!) I bought 1.5 yards of this red knit fabric, paying about $4.50 a yard, so about $7 (which is $8 or something in Canadian dollars, but I'm not that technical on this blog.) I'm hoping I have enough left of the fabric to squeeze something else out of, even if it is very tiny.

Pattern: BWOF 11-2008-103B.

Pattern adjustments: I cut a size 38, my standard BWOF top size.

- Omitted the hem allowance, as well as took 1.0 inches on the lower front piece, and the back piece, in the torso area, to petite-size it.

- Omitted the shoulder seam allowance, since this pattern runs very low.

- Finally, I changed the sewing order, as detailed below, to raise the neckline. (Allison did it by raising shoulder seams, but I am petite, and I would have had to raise it even further, hence my method.)


1. Finished the back neckline, as detailed in the instructions.
2. Joined the back shoulders with the front shoulders. Did not finish the neck at this stage.
3. Joined the center seam of the upper front pieces about an inch, to raise the neckline.
4. Attached the lower front piece (with band) to the upper front pieces.
5. Finished the unfinished portion of the front neckline, not by turning under and sewing, but by using bias tape (same as for the back piece.) I was afraid the front, which is on the bias at that point, would stretch out of shape, this way, there is still a tiny bit, but it is very minimal.
6. Finished rest of shirt (I also set the sleeves in flat, as I do with all knit sleeves.)

Cost: Fabric - $7. Pattern, $11, since I've made nothing else from this BWOF. Total $17.

Time taken: I sewed this sporadically over three evenings, an hour here and an hour there. This is a 2 dot pattern, it is easy to sew and there's nothing complicated about it.

Good things: It fits really well! Plus, I love how bright this print is, and the new, better and more modest neckline.

Bad things: One side of the neckline doesn't lay flat. It isn't super obvious (you can see it in the picture, however.) My parents think that only I'd notice something like that.

Conclusion: I finished it last night, and I wore it to work & out after today, so its safe to say I really like it.

January sewing recap

(Shamelessly copying Carolyn.)

I do love the end of year recaps people do, but I'm never too organized to remember what I've sewn - and when I saw Carolyn's monthly recap, a light bulb went off in my head! 12 Monthly recaps = 1 Yearly recap. Awesome.

(Pictures to follow, for those without, when I get home. Did I mention work is slow? Work is very slow. Thankfully, things will pick up next week.)

- Three quilt tops got made - this red one, this pink one and this green one. None of them got quilted though.

- Four (or five, depending on how you count the twin-set) tops got made, three for me, one for my mom. The red paisley, the black, the twin-set and my mom's BWOF. I'm also very happy to say that all of them got worn to work. (Well, except my mom's top, but she's worn that out too, so she must like it.)

- Three skirts got made. (And one UFO has been created - go buy that damn zipper already, Reethi!) The red suede skirt has been worn, the other two I'm saving for spring. (Thin cotton + no lining? Not for winter.)

- Three UFOs got finished. One blue knit top, which needed hemming, one pair of pants (needs a photo), which also needed hemming. And one brown t-shirt, pictured above, which needed the arm-holes finished. The blue knit top has been worn. I'm trying to figure out how much I'll wear the others. (The top above? Some weird armhole pulling, and serious bunching in the back. Maybe under a jacket, where all of those flaws will be hidden.)

So, grand conclusion? I completed 13 projects this month, and added 9 pieces to the wardrobe. I did go through the wardrobe and pull a bag of stuff I don't wear for the Salvation Army, so clutter was kept to a minimum. However, any month in which I sew 13 things is a month I didn't do a lot other stuff in (like, say, going out). Winter does make me hibernate, but this is somewhat ridiculous.

Wherever there is a quilt...

There's a cat who thinks I laid it there for her to lie on.



Such a good life my cat has.

According to Tim...

I read Tim Gunn's article on wardrobe essentials, and I clearly lack essentials.

1. Little Black Dress - I have, umm, atleast 8 in my closet, none of which get worn because (a) they make me look fat and (b) they are all strapless and summery.

2. Trench coat - I've never owned one. Never. And I'd like one.

3. Classic dress pants - I've many of these, but again, mostly summer versions (or they don't fit, or are a bit too tight, and I'm hoping to lose 10 pounds to fit into them.)

4. Versatile Skirt - finally, something I own. My red suede skirt definitely qualifies, as far as I'm concerned. But I would like a black wool version (I own one I bought a while back at Banana Republic, but keeping with the theme above, its a bit snug.)

5. Fitted Blazer - hmm. I own suit jackets, and one plaid blazer. I think the plaid one qualifies.

6. Classic White Shirt - I own just one, it makes me look fat. I don't really wear shirts a lot, since I don't like tucking in. Do I need one? Probably.

7. Day Dress - I own a few, like this mock-wrap dress. More summery than winter. I'd like a shift dress though.

So, according to Tim, I lack essentials.

Filling in the gaps in the essentials should dictate February and March sewing, so let's commit.

The February & March sewing list:

1. This little black dress, in a black sweater knit from stash.

2. Classic dress pants - I need to experiment with a few pants patterns, but I'm making a commitment here - 4 pairs of lined pants by March. I'm sick and tired of the 3-4 pairs I own that get non-stop rotation in winter. Plus, I tried shopping for them, and couldn't find them anywhere under $80.

3. This BWOF 01-2008 top in white eyelet from stash, which is going to be as classic as I'm ever going to get with a white shirt. Or maybe I'll make this BWOF 12-2008 shirt instead?

4. This 05-2008 BWOF dress will serve as my day dress entry. I've a few fabric choices for this, including a nice brown plaid. This dress is unlined, and I'll have to figure out how to line it (I'd break out into all kinds of hives if the wool-like fabric touches my skin...)

5. This BWOF 12-2008 skirt will be my versatile skirt entry. I've a rust/brown striped fabric that I can make it with.

Which leaves a trench coat and a blazer, both of which involve me being a LOT braver about sewing than I am. Let's see. I'll be pretty happy if I get all of the above list done.

Simplicity 4036 - the gallery

In January, I made 3 completed versions of Simplicity 4036. (And one, waiting for a zipper.)



While I will probably never be fully sold on the TNT patterns, (I like experimenting too much), I do understand Carolyn's point.

A day late...

And a dollar short. Ah well. I was in seriously cranky zone yesterday, and though I did finish the recycle skirt, I wasn't in any mood for pictures.

So, let's document the project.

The before - 2 pillowcases, bought in India, both too small for North American pillows. But with the prettiest print...



In-between - All ripped out, waiting to be cut.


And the end result - this pretty, Anthropologie-like skirt (using Simplicity 4036).


A few technical details:

1. There is a center front seam in this skirt, to take advantage of the border. Also a center back seam, since the fabric wasn't wide enough to cut on a fold. However, my zipper is set into a side seam, since I think back zippers are stupid.

2. I wanted to keep the full border at the hem, so the sides are a fair bit longer than the center. It doesn't look visibly uneven, and therefore works, but a skirt with a flatter hem might have worked better.

And the entries of the people that actually finish contests in time are here.

I'm going to have to wake up early tomorrow morning...

...to finish up my recycle/reconstruction entry for the PR contest... All I've done so far is cut it out. Good news - it is Simplicity 4036, which goes together very quickly.

It feels very Anthropologie, which I like, but since it is thin cotton from India, it is also spring/summer wear. And it is most certainly not spring/summer here. I need to start sewing winter clothes. (I'm wearing the same set of 3 lined pants pretty much all the time, so it is definitely time to make some lined pants.)

Some great entries in this contest so far. Trena's hat blew me away, Dawn made a really cute top, and I'm in awe at this coat.

I don't need an alarm though, to wake up early. Biscuit is the most effective alarm clock - she jumps on my tummy at 5.30am, and yells at me till I pet her. Once I wake up, of course, she wants nothing more to do with me. Spoilt little monkey! (My parents, who struggled to wake me up for school for at least 12 years think this is the funniest thing in the world.)

I'm glad its Friday! Last week at work was very busy, this week has been super-slow. Super-slow weeks are very frustrating for me, and I much prefer them fast-paced.

In the Pink

"In the Pink" quilt top - made with leftover fabric from this dress, from a tablecloth I made for a friend and some stash white (hopefully, I have enough left over for the project I bought it for.)



The final quilt top for the never-seen triplets.

Started Sunday the 25th, finished Monday the 26th.

Now I just need to quilt an entire weekend, to get all the quilts done.

40 & 40 in 60

Start perfectly random post

I'm not a tidy person. In fact, I'm quite possibly the world's messiest person. And, I'm an incredible pack rat.

One of my resolutions this year, (as it is nearly every year) is to try to be neater/tidier. To try to do that, I've been doing this thing most of January I call 40 in 40. (Or 15 in 15, or any number in same number.)

Basically, I put away 40 things in 40 minutes.

I really like this, it gives me a sense of accomplishment, and as long as I don't mess up more than 40 things a day, I'm actually making improvement. Eventually, I'll get to that clean apartment.

Now, since I avoid cleaning and tidying like the plague, I count magazines as individual items. Those 10 Burdas that are on my bed, for nighttime browsing? 10 items. I'm looking for quick wins.

That's the basic 40 in 40.

Adding a twist is the de-cluttering portion, which I did today. Basically, it went - put 40 things away, and find 40 things to get rid of in 60 minutes.

Obviously, I'd rather tidy than throw away things, because while I easily put away 40 things, when it came to stuff for Goodwill or whatever, I had 16. I need to work harder at this.

Anyway, feel free to adopt that method, if it helps. Oh, and I always appreciate tips/tricks when it comes to cleaning. Trust me, I'm hopeless.

End perfectly random post

Sewing pattern review - BWOF 12-2008-113/114

I'm at my parents this weekend, along with Biscuit, as my cousin is visiting. They have a lot of floor space, which is great for tracing BWOF patterns.

Not a lot of tracing got done, between hanging out with family, and preventing Biscuit from walking on the pattern sheets. However, I did manage to trace out and sew BWOF 12_2008_113/114.

Way back in the time tunnel, when I made this dress, I had enough of the fabric left over to do something, except I didn't know what. Since my new goal is to use stuff up, I pulled it back out, and made this top from it. I keep calling it 113/114 since it is a hybrid - it has the length of the top, but the shorter sleeves of the dress (all I had fabric for.)

Since I had a dress with the same fabric, and its pretty distinctive, I made this top for my mom. We are about the same size for shirts, so I just fit it to me, and it also works on my mom. Nice! (Plus, I can borrow it from her.)

Fabric: Fabricland - remnant from the dress. It was about $5 a meter (finally, real money!) I had about 3/4 of a meter for this, so about $4.

Pattern: BWOF 12-2008-113/114.

Pattern adjustments: I cut a size 38, my standard BWOF top size. Omitted the hem allowance, as well as took 1.5 inches off the length above the waist, to petite-size it.

Cost: Fabric - $4. Pattern, $11, since I've made NOTHING else from this BWOF, (or for that matter, all the BWOFs since September.) I also need to apply the "use it or lose it" principle to the magazines. Total $15. Finally, a number more than $5.

Time taken: Not long at all. 2 hours to sew, about an hour to trace. (Half of which was spent playing with Biscuit.)

Good things: Yes, I said I'd give this to my mom, and yes, I will, but I think this top looks amazing on me. I love it! I'm definitely going to make more, and quickly. It hides the extra pounds without looking like it is trying to. Love!

Bad things: I'm giving it to my mom. Ah well. Atleast I'm being nice.

Gratuitous cat shots: Sorry, can't resist. Biscuit wanted to join the photo shoot. She doesn't really like being picked up, and yet she's picked up all the time, she's too cute to resist.

Sewing pattern review - Simplicity 4036

As promised, photos of the red suede skirt. And a full review, since I've evidently never reviewed this, despite this being my go-to A-line skirt pattern.

The inspiration for this skirt really came from this post.
I loved the entire look, and was determined to replicate it. (Which I did to dinner last night.)

Fabric: Thrift store. I think I bought this in my bag-making days, to try to make a handbag. That obviously didn't happen, which was great, since I wanted to make a red skirt... Paid $1? $2? This skirt is fully lined - lining fabric, $0.50 a meter when a local store was getting rid of its apparel fabric line.

Pattern: Simplicity 4036 - now OOP. I've used this pattern before, tons of times. In fact, this was the first pattern I used when I started to sew, way back in June/July 2007. Still using it, which indicates how much I love it.

Pattern adjustments: I cut a size 12, my standard bottom size. (Its a bit snug, indicating its time to go see what that 'gym/exercise' thing is, that people keep talking about.)

Apart from length adjustments, the other thing I do with this pattern is set my zipper at the side seam, and cut the center back on the fold (subtracting 5/8" for the seam allowance.)

Also, for this pattern, when lining, I omit the facings, cut the front & back pieces with lining, and understitch the lining similar to the way I'd understitch the facing. Since I hate (irrationally) facings, this works very well.

Notions: One invisible zipper.

Cost: Fabric - $2.50. Pattern, $2, though I've used it enough times that realistically this should be 40c (or less.) Zipper - $1. - In all, $5.50. (The joy of sewing from stash, as well as making a really cool, fun skirt? Priceless.

Time taken: Not long. I do my sewing in spurts, so it is hard to track. Around 2-3 hours.

Good things:

Its a red skirt! How cool! It fits well, works as both a work skirt as well as a going out skirt, depending on how I accessorize, and my harshest critic (the youngest brother) approved.

Bad things:
See above comment about losing weight. Also, one of my back darts is a tiny bit wonky. I never tuck in, so it doesn't matter. Besides, only a fellow sewist would even notice.

A post with no photos...

Sorry! I've decided I really hate the lighting in my apartment. I think my photos come out grainy and dim. I'm currently on the hunt for a tripod and an external flash...

A lot of people are talking about sewing resolutions. I don't have very many specific sewing resolutions, but I do have three general principles that I'd like to follow this year -

1. Use it or lose it: I have wool/craft stuff/lots of fabric that is just sitting there. I'd like to pare this down. No indiscriminate tossing out of the stash, but I'd really like to end 2009 with a lot less stuff than I have in 2008.

2. Finish the UFOs: This is really a subset of the first one, but I have a ton of projects where all I have to do is hem, or put in a zipper, or whatever. There's no excuse to not finish that stuff at all.

3. Do things other than sewing: I read a great blog post on Crossroad Knits called Resolved (via Carolyn, thanks!) and it really struck a chord with me. There's a lot of other stuff I'd like to do in my life, some fun, some less fun, and sewing can suck up incredible amounts of time. I want to sew less, plan my wardrobe more, and make each piece count.

Sewing since the last post:

1. Made a red suede skirt with Simplicity 4036. This is my go-to pattern for a simple A line skirt - why is it out of print? It is fully lined, and with boots is warm enough to wear in fall & winter. (I live VERY close to work, so that helps.)

2. Cut out 2 other versions of Simplicity 4036, while I had the pattern out. One in a peach swirl print, the other in a chocolate brown cotton. (In prep for summer.) Both were remnants, so I'm pleased that I used them. But does my wardrobe need another two skirts? Probably not.

3. Decided to enter the Refashion contest on PatternReview. Again with the using stuff, I bought some pillowcases over 5 years ago in India, but they were the wrong size - they didn't fit any North American pillow. (Indian pillows are smaller, who knew?) Because the fabric was absolutely beatiful, I've been carrying those pillowcases, through atleast 3 moves. I finally ripped them out last night to make a skirt - they'll be yet another version of Simplicity 4036.

4. Finished 2 UFOs. This blue knit top, that just needed to be hemmed, and khakis, made using Simplicity 4135, that also just needed to be hemmed. Both have been in the UFO list for atleast a year, so I'm proud of myself.

Pics to follow - I'm hanging out at my parents tonight and tomorrow, so I'll get one of them to take a few pictures.

Two quilt tops...

I owe my parents big-time. They brought me meters and meters of fabric from India. (Eye candy photos to follow this weekend.)

So, when my mom mentioned she wanted to make baby quilts for a friend who'd had triplets, I willingly (for a change) volunteered to help.

The first two - over the last two evenings...

This one I already had part of the blocks left over from another project. Hence, easy.


And this one, inspired by this quilt



I'm not looking forward to the actual quilting though.

Sewing review - McCalls 4923

I feel like I'm on fire. Its been a difficult work week, but I've managed to come back home and do something sewing related most days this week. Granted, I've clothes to put away, laundry to do, etc, but I'll get to it on the weekend.

Fabric: A great find from WalMart's $1 bin - a printed cotton knit. I bought 2.5 yards? I really liked this printed knit, it is cotton, I think, and the fabric felt very cheerful.

Pattern: McCalls 4923 - now OOP. I've used this pattern a few times before, here and here. This time, I made both the shell and the cardigan using the same fabric, so Twin-set! (I actually find very few cardigan patterns, for some reason. Dunno why, twinsets are always ridiculously expensive, RTW, and I'd make as many of them as I can find fabric for.)

Pattern adjustments: Standard pattern adjustments - took 2 inches off the torso. I also adjusted the shell to finish the neck and edges using binding, vs using a knit lining.


Notions: 5 blue buttons, from stash. These buttons actually came off this fabric - yay for reusing!

Cost: Fabric - $2.50. Pattern, $2 - but I've used it a few times before, so, in reality, less. And buttons, from stash.In all, under $5. (This does seem to be a recurrent theme with me, but its mostly because I'm sewing from stash, and for the longest time, I wouldn't buy very expensive fabric, since I didn't want to fail on expensive fabric.)

Time taken: About 4-5 hours? It was broken up in chunks on two evenings, Tuesday evening I cut and sewed the easy seams, and then, today, I finished up.


Good things:

1. I love the fabric, and it went together quickly.
2. It fits well.
3. I'll get a ton of use out of this.
4. I managed to avoid the hem stretching too much. I'm not sure if this was because of the fabric, or using the right needle, or whatever. I still think I need to practice this more, so I can be generally sure of not screwing up.


Bad things:
None, baby. I love this.

The grand conclusion? Pleased as punch.

The view from my sewing machine

Biscuit loves the spool of thread. And knocking my pin cushion off the table. And watching exactly what I'm up to.

Sewing review - Simplicity 3566

Whoa there! Cut, sewn and reviewed in one evening? Wow. (Yeah, laundry didn't get done. Whatever. I rather have a shirt.)

Fabric: A Joann remnant bin find from the last shopping trip on the weekend after Christmas. There was 0.8 yards, and it cost $1.50 or so.

Pattern: Simplicity 3566 - view C.

Pattern adjustments: Very little - just took 2 inches off the torso (lower front piece, and back, the pattern had lines on where to adjust.)

Notions: 1 black invisible zipper, from stash.

Cost: Fabric - $1.50. Pattern, either $1 or $2, bought during pattern sales. Zipper, $1. In all, under $5.

Time taken: About 3 hours, not including the time taken to cut the pattern tissue.

Good things:

1. Well, I like the fabric.
2. It went together very quickly.
3. I used a tip from RTW, I put in the zipper so it opens upward, not downward, and the open ends are at the hip. (Does that make sense?) Anyway, I love that - usually the zipper under my arm makes me itch.

Bad things:
1. I cut a size 10, grading to a size 12 at the waist & hip. But the top feels tight at the bust. I think its because this fabric is a medium weight.
2. There's a weird lumping of fabric around my waist? I have no idea why - it is especially bad on the non-zipper side, so it isn't my zipper insertion skills. It isn't too tight at the hip either, so I really don't know why. (Off grain cutting? That's all I can think of.)

The grand conclusion? I'm a little blah on this top (because of the lumping thing). But, it will get worn - its very perfect under sweaters and the like.

1st project of 2009 - McCall 5629

Although this project was cut in 2008, finishing it took a back seat to last minute Christmas presents. Jan 1st, I had some time to kill, so I pulled it to the forefront, and told myself to finish it already.

Fabric: Ah, how I love this fabric. Its some kind of synthetic, but it feels very soft and touchable. My aunt bought me the fabric from India (I love fabric presents!) I think all my relatives are very, very afraid I'm going to steal their saris, and are buying me fabric in an effort to keep me out of their closets.


(Live action shot - actually showing the colors of the fabric. So pretty!)

Pattern: McCall 5629. There's only 1 other review of this on PatternReview, and I'm convinced the reason is the TERRIBLE pattern photo. I'm sorry, the photo makes the top look shapeless and simply horrible.

If I didn't have an RTW top that has similar lines, and that fits me well, I would have never either bought the pattern, or made it up.

Pattern adjustments: I adjusted the heck out of this pattern to try to ensure the top fitted me, and I didn't look pregnant.

1. Since it was apparent this was not a fitted top, I went down a size. My normal McCall size is a 10 on top, I went down to an 8.

2. Did my usual petite-sizing, which involves taking 2 inches at torso (helpfully marked by the pattern lines. I also wanted this top to hit at my hip, so I cut length on the hem till it did so.

3. The biggest piece of alteration was to get the pattern to be more fitted. According to the finished garment measurements, the lower edge width of this top is 52 inches. Whoa! Sensing complete shapelessness, I took 2 inches of width off the bottom from each piece. This results in a total of 8 inches taken off, leading to the much more manageable finished edge width of 44 inches.

There also appeared to be too much ease at bust, so I (rather daringly) took 1 inch off the armsycle, 4 inches total. Since I'd adjusted the armsycle, I also adjusted the sleeve to take some width off.

See the diagram below - its easier to see what I did this way. My changes are in pink.



Notions: 3 black buttons, from stash.

Cost: Well, the fabric was a gift. The notions and pattern was from stash, so we'll call this a free top. More usefully though, the fabric sells for about $1 a meter, and I used about 2 meters. The buttons cost $1. I would have paid either $1.99 or $0.99 for the pattern, since I only buy patterns when they are on sale. Total cost therefore, $5, approximately.

Time taken: 3-4 hours? Wasn't keeping very close track, since I was also cleaning and watching TV at the same time.

Good things:

1. Did I say I love the fabric? I love the fabric.
2. I also love that I don't look pregnant, thanks to the alternations I made.
3. It went together fairly quickly.
4. The instructions have you form the casing out of the yoke and the yoke facing, which is pretty clever.


(Ties left undone - sexy!)

Bad things:
1. My own fault, but if I had stopped to do the math, I'd have realized that subtracting 4 inches from a finished bust size of 37 would lead to 33 - which is my bust size. No bust ease, which causes the yoke to ride up a bit. The busy print thankfully conceals most of this, but I know its there.
2. I think the tie is too thick. I like skinny ties.
3. How puffy are these sleeves? I was actually going for the view C, the flutter sleeves, till I set in the sleeves and realized they looked RIDICULOUS. Doing a quick save, I inserted some elastic to gather them instead. But, too puffy. And I even took 2 inches off the width. Way too puffy.

The grand conclusion? I'll reach for this top a lot. It has some flaws, but its easy to wear, the color works on me, and I love the fabric.