Vogue 1179 - Probably the easiest dress in the world!

Ok, how awesome is this dress! I opened the pattern envelope and pulled the uncut pattern out at 7.30pm yesterday - by 11.00pm, I was completely done sewing this dress. And I'm a distracted sewist - in between, I watched bits of TV, played with Biscuit, checked email, blah, blah.

3 pattern pieces. Very little fitting required. Nice and roomy, but yet not 'when are you due?'. I love this dress.

- I bought the fabric on my recent trip to New York Easter weekend. I was originally thinking a wrap dress, but that would have been more complicated fitting, and I wasn't in the mood for that. It is some kind of synthetic knit - $4 a yard, I think. (I think I bought it at Chic Fabrics, on W38? 39?)

- I didn't pay attention to fabric placement on the back, otherwise, I'd have centered the print. Meh.

- Yes, I realize this is not on my May sewing list. Bad Reethi.

I made PJs!

Ok, the excitement of the title is probably unwarranted.

But, after the intensity of the jacket, I needed a bit of a palette cleansing project, if you will. Uncomplicated sewing was in order.

Of course, I could have just pulled out anything and started sewing, but since I had a list, I pulled it out, and looked, and the PJs got made.

The fabric is one of the oldest in my stash, it dates back to the days I lived in Michigan. I didn't really even sew garments then, and I'm pretty sure I didn't have a project in mind when I bought it. However, it really is *perfect* for PJs, no?

The pattern is the same as before, New Look 6523. 2 pattern pieces, easy-peasy. 2 hours of work and I was done.

While I'm pretty happy with the PJs, I'm not sure about the palette-cleansing bit. I had the entire weekend to sew, dear Readers, and I regret to say that I didn't sew at all. Instead, I cooked, read a book, and did nothing. I seldom give myself permission to do nothing, and it felt weird. Long weekend's now over, and I feel a teensy-bit irresponsible, which is totally ridiculous, of course. Enough, I say!

Sewing pattern review - Simplicity 2443 Jacket

I'm too much of a beer snob to drink Blue - it's a friend's cooler. 

While I've had Simplicity 2443 in my pattern collection for a while, the Best Of pattern contest really made me pull it out and get to work on it.

Here's some stream-of-consciousness-thoughts:

- I cut a size 10 shoulders, sleeves, and graded to a 12 at the waist.

- For a change, since this is a project that's above my typical skill level, I read the instructions, and followed along. The instructions were in general, quite good. If I make this jacket again, I'd only deviate from the instructions for the pockets - I'd cut a template out of cardboard, and steam my fabric around the template, to get even pockets. (Mine are reasonably wonky. It's all part of the charm.)

Close up of front

Close up of front

- And the plackets. The instructions there were really, really indecipherable. After trying the Simplicity method and failing horribly (hello, seam ripper!) I used this method described by Gigi instead. My fabric was a bit thick for this, and had I not been in a hurry, I'd have tried a third way, but it works, and the jacket's done, and that's what's important.

Placket close up

Placket close up

- Inside seam finishes - I kept it simple, and just serged exposed seams. Works fine!

- The fabric is from the stash, a gift from my aunt. It's kind of linen looking, but it is thicker, and more upholstery weight. It is perfect for an unlined jacket, thick enough to provide warmth.

- I'd neglected to take my fabric along when buying ribbon - so my ribbon was white, while my fabric was cream. Aargh. I'd a moment of sheer angst, and then, I remembered that I could tea-dye it. One cup of strong tea later, the ribbons match great.

- I really, really need top-stitching practice. The pockets? Not the best sewing in the world.

- I love the sleeve length, and the d-rings and cuffs add a trace of fancy without too much extra work.

- This is a pretty complicated project for me. The contest deadline kept me going (just in time, eeks!), but if it weren't for the contest, I'd have been tempted to stop lots of times. I'm glad I stuck to it though, this is a great jacket in a neutral basic, and I'll get lots of use out of it.

In conclusion: One off the list for May, woo hoo, and I just realized, this jacket is cream, and works for the 6-PAC as well. I love when that happens.

A quick, slightly bad photo of my new jacket

I'll update tomorrow with better photos, and a sewing description....

I love outsourcing!

Outsourcing my quilting, I mean.

Once again, I sent off a quilt top to be quilted, and lo-and-behold, like magic, it came back all done.

At the time, I was a little meh about the quilt top, but wow, it looks amazing! I'm pleased as punch.

I still need to bind it, of course, but binding a quilt is relatively easy. I foresee only a few months of procrastination.

Sewing plans for May

I'm one of those people that love to plan - lists are my favorite things! (Executing these plans - that's a different matter entirely.)

Anyhoo, there's a couple things I'd like to participate in the next few months, plus a vacation I'd like to sew for, etc. Plans seemed to be a good thing...

Here's the list:

1. PatternReview Contest - BestPatterns contest. I'm planning on sewing Simplicity 2443 - the very cool Cynthia Rowley jacket, in a cream/beige solid. (Fabric from stash, a gift from my aunt. Thanks, Chandrama!)

 

The deadline: May 15. (Umm, get going, Reethi.)

2. PatternReview Contest - One Yard Challenge. During PR Weekend in Montreal (way back in 2009, I believe, gulp!), I bought this gorgeous green fabric with bright pink flowers on it, expressly to make a simple skirt. The fabric was $17 a yard, and I therefore only bought a yard. I'm going to sew it on the cross-grain. I'm searching for the perfect pattern for this - I'd like a minimum of seams, so as to not break the pattern up.

 

The deadline: Also May 15. (I guess I know exactly what I'm doing this weekend.)

3. The 2012 Summer 6PAC Seasonal Collection Sew-Along is intriguing. I'm going to use whites and beiges as my two basic colours, I think. Related to this, I'll be sewing...

4. I've told myself the only way I can buy a June Burda Style magazine is to sew one thing from the May issue, and one from the April issue. For May, I want to sew pattern 127 - it's a jacket, in a white eyelet (possibly underlined to give it a bit of structure.)

5. And from the April issue, the cool sailor pants. (I can't be bothered to navigate the increasingly piss-poor Burda web pages. Burda's one of the few companies whose web presence seems to get worse over time, not better. Its rather staggering in it's complete lack of functionality.) The sailor pants - I'm thinking in a white linen-looking fabric.

6. If I magically find spare time after all of this, I'd like to sew a cream cardigan and a cream inner shell. My fabric is wool, which might be a bit warm for May, but (a) Toronto weather is unpredictable, (b) my store-bought cardigans are crying to be replaced and (c) I need to use the stash!.

4, 5 and 6 will work with the constraints of the 6PAC sew along. 


7. Also, if I magically find time, another pair of PJs. I've been living in the pair I made for the PJ Party, I love it to death, and making another one sounds lovely!

Ahem. Well, I'm certainly ambitious, right? 8 items, 20 days? Sweet, crazy Reethi.

SWAP 2012 - All Done!

Of course, I finished sewing by the end of April, but I made my mom take all my photos yesterday. She did a great job! I sent off my email with all my pictures, and now I'm done!

My SWAP was really a rather meandering path - I had ambitious plans to make a raincoat, a suit jacket, and other such items. I did have to downgrade the ambition, but I kept consistent with my overall goal, to make wardrobe basics that would match well with many other items in my wardrobe, and wouldn't end up as orphans. I made 2 t-shirts and 2 blouses - I'd determined at the start of the year that I was quite short of tops. I also made 2 pants (another key wardrobe need), and 2 dresses. For the remainder 3 pieces, I made 1 button-down shirt, 1 jacket (my hoodie), and used a black cardigan (overshirt) as my  pre-made piece (it was made sometime last spring.)

In general, I find it pretty difficult to stick with a sewing plan, and this was no exception. But, I've done a wardrobe once before - almost 4 years ago, when I first started to sew, and there are pieces from that effort that still exist in my wardrobe. I know - painful though it is when I want to sew a summery dress - basics are what I need - pretty counts, but having something to wear is key. Especially in my life - I work for a large corporation - vintage inspired dresses aren't going to cut it at work.

And now the pictures! 

Me-Made-May '12 - the first week

A week of Me-Made-May, and I only took one sucky (by my admittedly low standard) picture. Go me!

Day 1 (Tuesday): Big work meeting, so I dressed "corporately". (I need to start making jackets, sheesh. Cardigans aren't really corporate enough for meeting the super higher-ups.) In the evening, I traded the pumps for black boots, added my hoodie for extra warmth, and headed to play trivia with friends. (A standing Tuesday night tradition.)

The dress is BWOF 09-2010-122. The cardigan is McCalls 5890.

Day 2 (Wednesday): Just a regular work day - I still need to be business-casual, but felt ok about adding colour. To work, I wore the blue shirt and the grey pants. In the evening, I was going to scope out a neighborhood I'm thinking of moving to, so I grabbed my hoodie and a scarf for warmth, and headed out. 

I"m wearing my Blue BWOF 09-2007-101 t-shirt, grey pants (copied from an RTW pair), my McCalls 4261 hoodie, and am carrying this scarf (it's hard to see in the picture though, but it's in my hand.) 

Day 3 (Thursday): Another work day, this time though, I think I was super-casual. (Bad Reethi.) I didn't really go out in the evening - my parents came over bringing birthday cake, I was already in my pjs, and so, I cut birthday cake in pjs. Which is pretty sweet, really. (Elastic is especially useful if you are eating massive amounts of cake.) 

I"m wearing: my black and white striped t-shirt (copied from RTW), and my red suede skirt - Simplicity 4036.

Day 4 (Friday): I woke up at 3.00am to catch a 6.30am flight to Florida - a really good friend was getting married in Tampa. On the plane, I was wearing my Day 7 outfit and my hoodie. Once I got there though, there was a pre-wedding dinner, and I changed into a Butterick 4443 dress for that.

Day 5 (Saturday): Ok, this is my low-effort photo. There were meals with friends, there was catching up to do, and in the middle of all that, a photo for Me-Made-May just didn't really seem that important. I took this photo of a Simplicity 3503 dress in my hotel room right before I was going to shower and change into this McCalls 4444 dress for the wedding.

Day 6 (Sunday): Brunches, beaches, breweries, and the new Avenger movie. This was a good day. I made up for yesterday's photo by actually asking a friend to take my photo - on the beach. I didn't really want to leave. I'm wearing the dress I made for this year's birthday - Vogue 8667.

Day 7 (Monday): Reality intruded - mini-vacation over, I flew back to Toronto. Anything I wear on a plane is always chosen for comfort - this outfit included. (I've still resisted wearing PJs in public - but if there's ever a public place I'd want to wear pjs - it'd be a plane.)

I'm wearing my BWOF 06-2011-114 pants and an old Simplicity 2938 flowered shirt.

And that was my first week of Me-Made-May '12. How was yours?

Random mumblings

- It was the last day of the SWAP yesterday. I think I've made enough pieces to function as a cohesive whole. I was going to take photos last night, but was at work late (ugh!), and so I've earmarked some time this evening to take photos.

- I'm pretty excited to be done with the SWAP. We'll see how many pieces actually get used all the time, but I'm optimistic. I'm wearing one of the pieces today!

- A little bit of a quandary on what to sew next.

- A while back, I cut out a yellow dress, I should finish it.

- I'm getting incredibly good use out of my hoodie (I use it practically daily.) I should make another one!

- Any kind of outerwear will get disproportionate use, worth remembering.

- For the rest of the year, I'd like to tackle more complicated projects - jackets, pants (I think pants are complicated!), etc.

- I haven't made a single Burda pattern from this year's supply of magazines. That's ridiculous, people. If I don't sew something from the April and May issues in May - I'm not allowed to buy the June issue. (And I want to buy the June issue!) But, I don't want to 'cheat' by making a super-simple t-shirt either.

- I'm off Friday morning to Tampa for the weekend - a friend's wedding. I have most of Friday to myself. Any Tampa readers?

- I'm on a fabric fast the rest of the year. Or so I think. (My brother and I have a bet on this, since he mocked my fabric fast. I've $50 riding on it, so, whenever I look at a piece of fabric, I'll have to ask, is it worth it's selling price + $50? Thankfully, the answer has been "No" so far.)

- Though, I'm going on vacation in June, and it'll be hard not to buy a piece of vacation fabric. Hmm. Maybe I can bargain for an exemption...

Signing up for Me-Made-May '12

It's that time of the year again, dear Readers, and I'm ready to play!

I, Reethi from 'Weekend Crafting' sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '12. I will wear only me-made and refashioned clothing (excluding underwear, socks, camisoles, tights and outer-wear - though I will wear my me-made-hoodie as much as possible) each day for the duration of May 2012. I will also approach the documentation aspect of this challenge with enthusiasm, making an effort to take nice pictures in a timely manner. 

I have a super-early morning meeting with some super-higher-ups at work, so nothing like jumping of the me-made deep end, no? I'll manage, I think/hope. (Note to self, sew at-least one jacket.) 

I'm late to the party!

The Pyjama Party, that is...

But hey, just a day late? That's akin to a miracle for me. 

PJs are a funny thing, dear Readers. I sleep in the most ghastly things - old torn t-shirts, usually - the kind that you toss into the rag bag automatically. For me to pick new fabric and make myself a pair of PJs? - that seemed ultra luxurious. 

In for a penny, in for a pound, I say! I picked out newish fabric - I'd bought this white and black polka-dot fabric at King's Textiles pretty recently. I'd originally had it earmarked for a blouse, but I threw caution out the window, and instead made a pair of PJs.

For a pattern, I used New Look 6523. I cut a size 12, and lengthened the pattern by 2 inches at the hem. I sort-of-followed Melissa's tutorial for elastic insertion. 

The best part of making PJs? You can have a bit of fun taking photos. 

The orchids on the night-stand are gorgeous, no? They are a birthday gift from my parents. 

I'm still in the PJs, I can tell it is going to be a lazy, lazy Sunday. Perfect. 

The easiest pair of pants: BWOF 6-2011-114

Dear readers, these pants are easy to sew! The gap in posts had everything to do with hoping for a day that was warm enough that I could stand outside in short sleeves and take a photo for the blog. Finally, I gave up - you get to see the background of my living room. (Which looks surprisingly clean in these pictures. It's really not. That's the only clean corner, cause it houses the not-so-often-used TV.)

I traced a Burda size 40. (That's what happens if you eat every bit of junk food in the universe, btw, under the guise of not-being-so-harsh-on-yourself. A therapist friend of mine agreed that that method doesn't actually work on all people.)

I shortened the pattern - both front and back pieces in 3 places - between the waist and hip by 1 inch (thereby shortening the crotch), right before the knee by 2 inches, and then, at the hem by another 2 inches, I think. It worked beautifully, I'm pretty happy with the way these pants fit.

Originally, I figured I'd do what Tany did and leave the elastic exposed, but my elastic was cream, and not wide enough, and it just looked weird and unfinished. So, I ripped that out (seriously, after 4-5 years of sewing, I'm still to sew a project without resorting to the seam ripper at some point!), and used the fabric as a waistband, creating a casing for the elastic to slip in, etc.

I didn't topstitch the elastic in place, as the instructions suggested, since my thread doesn't actually match my fabric, and I draw the line at that much sloppiness. For the same reason, I hand-hemmed.

And it has pockets!

You did want to see my butt, no?

Anyway, this is a pretty strong contender for the SWAP - yay!

(I'm wearing it with this shirt... the pants are linen-y, and there's a fair bit of contrast with the shine of the top. I'm not convinced it works entirely, but I was having one of those mornings where nothing looks ok, and half my wardrobe ended up thrown in annoyance on my bed.)

The Black and White striped t-shirt

Evidently, I feel some guilt about the immense amount of stash accumulation that's happening chez moi. And so, this striped fabric - bought over Easter weekend in New York - was very promptly transformed into a t-shirt.

I used my Banana Republic pattern, but finished the neck off with elastic, vs. a neck band. (I tried the neck band, but hated the look, and spent some quality time with a seam ripper.)

I really like this pattern - it's easy and comfortable. I anticipate making many more!

Teaching other people to sew

My mother is routinely annoyed with me, dear Readers, for my general all-purpose refusal to sew for her. (I make exceptions, but rarely.) And my cousin keeps stealing my clothes. (And on this trip - this bag.) To all of them, I've said one thing - I'm happy to teach you to sew, but I'm not going to sew for you.

So, when in New York, I had an hour (and 7 people trailing after me) to buy some fabric. I bought 5-6 pieces. ~$30. I was dwarfed by the spending of the people trailing after me, who were there only because they were humouring me - my dad bought a couple of pieces of wool for pants (he has them tailored in India) - including one DKNY wool (at Chic Fabrics), my cousin bought two knits if I promised to show her how to make a t-shirt, and my mom bought one woven, if I promised to show her how to make this shirt. (Ridiculously easy, with minimal fitting, this will make a perfect beginner project.)

Damn, they took me up on the offer to teach them to sew.

Back at my cousin's house, post fabric buying, we got going. I deconstructed a favorite but now torn t-shirt of mine from Banana Republic. I bought it years ago, so it's unlikely to be on the web site, but it's relatively shapeless, made cute with little gathers round the neckline, and the neck, sleeve and hem edges are finished with bands, therefore avoiding the dreaded rippling and stretching that can happen when hemming knits. It's a pretty perfect little pattern.

I used one of my newly purchased fabrics to make a trial version (entirely my own fault, but I loved it on the bolt and told him to cut it without touching it. It was kind of poly when touched, bleah.). I intended to make this trial muslin for my mother, but that didn't work out so well - the hem band was too small, and in the end, the only person it fit was me. (Oops. Really. I really tried.)

Then, my cousin got to work, rather nervously. (I don't understand the nervousness. It's just fabric, buy some more if it doesn't work out. How else will you learn?) She knew how to do all the simple bits - she's a pretty detail-oriented quilter - so stitching straight seams is easy for her. She just needed help with the hem band, the neck band and the sleeve band. I showed her what to do, from a comfortable arm-chair, and voila!

She looks rather pleased with herself, no? And she should be pleased with herself - she just made a t-shirt. And since I left the pattern with her, she can make many more!

Rebellion!

Let's be honest, dear Readers - I knew this moment would come. The moment where I was sick of the SWAP, and just wanted to sew something - entirely without a plan.

Yeah, the only surprise is that I stayed true to the course for this long.

Anyway, I had a couple of hours tonight, and instead of diligently cutting out my black t-shirt, my black skirt, or my cream skirt, I wondered if I had enough options to stop sewing today. (I might, I'll need to ponder on that for a bit. More on that in a bit.)

And then, I cut out a pair of hopefully easy pants.

The pattern is BWOF 6-2011-114. Clio made it in an awesome floral print. Tany had just used regular wide elastic and left it visible - a brilliant idea that I'm totally going to copy.  I'm making it in a drapey tan fabric - a gift from a friend. (My friend Beth helps a puppy shelter by sorting through stuff they get for donation, I think. I'm a little vague on the details. But whenever someone donates fabric, she sets it aside for me. How cool is that? I'm rather spoiled, I think.)

So, sometime - maybe Thursday or Friday, I'll sew it up. (Tomorrow is the big one-day-ahead-of-birthday party, where the Vogue dress will get a preview. Needless to say, I didn't fast the last 10 days. Spanx. Enough said.)

Ok, now to the SWAP. I spent a bit of time assessing options. Here's where I'm at.

This is the list of garment categories.

Button Down Shirt w/Collar         
Blouse or shirt   (collar is optional)                 
T-Shirt           
Vest                                
Overshirt                 
Dress             
Jeans
Trousers       
Shorts or Capri Pants       
Skirt   
Jacket (jean jacket, windbreaker, hoodie, etc.)                     
Coat  (suit or sport coat)
Overcoat or Raincoat     
Bathing Suit & Coverup 



- You need to make 11 garments from 7 distinct categories.
- The start date was Dec 25 (important for me, as I'll need to separate what I made before and after Christmas.).
- I can use 2 garments that are either store-bought, or pre-sewn, lowering my total to 9 garments required. (I was hoping to avoid this, but I'm now bored. I might do this.)

So, against categories, I have:

1. Button-down shirt w/collar -  Light green checked shirt.

2. Blouse - Pink and brown flowered blouse. I did cut this out in Myrtle Beach, but since I got to Myrtle Beach Christmas eve - I'm fairly certain I started this after Dec 25.
3. Blouse - Lace blouse. Same thing as above, I cut it in Myrtle Beach.

4. T-shirt - Cowl-neck t-shirt.
5. T-shirt - if I abandon the black-t idea, I sewed most of a t-shirt in New York that's black polka dots that would work well. (It's less than an hour to finish, so I should get on that!) Or, I could use another yet-to-be-blogged t-shirt (white and black stripes) using fabric I bought in New York. (Wait, I haven't confessed to that yet, have I?)

6. Dress - Greige dress.
7. Dress - Purple flowered dress.

8. Trousers - grey pants.

9. Jacket - my hoodie.

Hmm. I'm running into a bit of a wall when I contemplate skirts - I have too many skirts! I don't need more skirts. I might use a pre-sewn skirt - I have a couple of summer black options.

Which means, I'll either need to make another jacket or another pair of pants to finish.

Hey, suddenly, my BWOF pants make sense. A plan, without even meaning to have one.

Dare to Wear Love at the Textile Museum of Canada

I headed to the Textile Museum yesterday with my mom. They had a wonderful exhibition on called Dare to Wear Love - a whole lot of designers creating dresses from African fabric, as an AIDS benefit, I think. Lots and lots of inspiration! (It was really, really hard not to touch the clothes. I might or might not have taken advantage of the fact that no-one was around, and might or might not have peeked at some construction details.

If you are in the area, well worth a quick stop. (And if you live in Toronto, you can get Textile Museum passes through your library card.)

I have a hoodie!

Dear readers, I'm quite excited - look, I have a hoodie! It's remarkably practical, I can wear it every day, how very sensible of me. I'm quite surprised at myself.

The pattern is McCalls 4261. I thought the order of construction was pretty silly - everything left the raw edge visible, there was a yoke that was overlaid over the front shoulder, and all kinds of other silliness. I ignored most of the instructions, omitted the yoke entirely, and looked at an RTW hoodie of mine for sewing clues.

I would change a couple of things the next time I make this.
- I didn't interface the center front, I would. I think an interfaced front would hold up to the weight of the zipper better.
- The top-stitching on my pockets are seriously wonky - again, interfacing and tracing out the pocket attachment line would have helped greatly. Next time, will do so.
- Oh, and I'm going to adjust the height of the hood - this one is too big, I think?

And yes, of course there's going to be a next time! Hoodies are cool.