Category: finished objects

Zero Waste Gather Dress

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I finished sewing my Zero Waste Gather Dress today. I’d been waiting on the buttons to arrive. They came in the mail yesterday, and I sewed them on today!

I absolutely love wearing this dress. It was also a fun sew, as the pattern is mostly measuring and cutting rectangles with no paper pattern. I didn’t make any modifications, except to skip the side hem facing insertion. I didn’t think it was necessary with French seams. This means this dress isn’t technically no waste, but it mostly is.

Pattern is Zero Waste Gather Dress by Birgitta Helmersson. I made Size 1. Fabric is printed floral linen in Poppy from Linen Dream Shop on Etsy. Buttons are Indigo Velvet Agoya Shell from The Button Bird.

Friday FO: Marvel-ous Shirt!

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I finished sewing Bob’s Marvel shirt. It’s a perfect fit! And he loves it!

Pattern is Tropical Shirt from Wardrobe by Me. Fabric from fabric.com. The blue is Kona cotton in Paris Blue. Buttons from ButtonsNDesigns on Etsy.

I had a blast sewing this shirt. This was my first yoke burrito, and I enjoyed learning that! I had no trouble with the buttonholes. (Interfacing is key.) I struggled a bit with the set in sleeves and the split hem. I finished the seam allowances with French seams, and that complicated things. I’m going to watch some tutorials on split hems so I can improve next time.

Wednesday: It’s a Wrap! Or, a Haunted Hap?

Posted on Posted in finished objects, holidays, knitting, shawls and haps, UncategorizedTagged , , , , 16 Comments
While running through the haunted woods behind her house, the author’s shawl gets hung on tree branches. Should she turn and rescue it? Or keep running? What is she running from? Is it the Blair Witch? Hold on… Wait a minute… She IS the witch! Stop running, witch! Put your shawl back on and go home.

I finished knitting my Halloween Livie shawl! Pattern is Livie by Tamy Gore. Yarn is Spectacular from Knit Circus in Trick or Treat and Quoth the Raven.

I started knitting this last October, but realized pretty quickly I was not going to be able to finish it by Halloween. I was also annoyed that I had to take the stitch marker off every right side row and move it. Fast forward to July 2022: I loved knitting this! It was great TV knitting, intuitive and repetitive, and the whole stitch marker thing became part of the rhythm. (I guess I was more grumpy and stressed last year. Funny how that works.)

As much as I love a good wrap, let’s face it. I’ll be wearing it more like this.

Friday FO: This is Halloween 🎃

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I finished knitting my Pumqueen Cardigan, and I love it! Pattern is Fall Favorites Collection by Meghan Regan. Yarn is Cascade BFL. The yarn is a little toothy but silky, and has wonderful drape and stitch definition. Buttons from The Button Bird.

My next Halloween sweater will be the same pattern, but a short sleeved gradient pullover with purple cats!

This La Bien Aimée gradient has been in my stash since the great yarn hoard of 2020. I bought the purple to go with it, and over dyed the green. I wanted the green for the cat’s eyes. Now I’m thinking a pale teal would have gone with the set better. The original green of the yarn was too pale. This yarn is sport weight, but it’s superwash so it will grow. I’m also a loose knitter. Don’t worry. I’ll knit a swatch. Maybe that will also help me decide what to do about the green.

Friday FO: Linen Clyde Jumpsuit

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I finished sewing my Clyde Jumpsuit. I love it! I’ll be wearing this regularly the rest of the summer. Pattern by Elizabeth Suzann Studio. Fabric is mid weight indigo linen from my stash.

I brought up the shoulder seams by an inch. I’m not crazy about the low back, so I may try to sew the next one with the back neckline the same as the front. I’m not sure why my bias facings aren’t laying flat. Maybe I need to pull them tighter when sewing, although I did try to do that. These are all reference notes for the next time I sew this pattern.

I saw on Instagram that someone made this pattern with corduroy. I’m wondering if I could pull that off for a winter version. I have some teal corduroy in my stash. I was saving it for another pair of overalls, but I’m wondering if this pattern would suit better. I’ve never sewn with corduroy before, so that should be interesting. It might be better to sew facings instead of bindings with the corduroy since it’s so thick.

Friday FO: Free Range Slacks II

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I wrapped up my second pair of Free Range Slacks today in this medium weight olive linen from Fabric Mart. They were having a linen sale, so I stocked up. This color is a bit on the gold side, but I love it. And yes I will be wearing it just like this, with a fitted tee tucked in.

My next sew will be the Clyde Jumpsuit in indigo linen from stash. After that, I’ve got a Florence Top and a Gather Dress in more linen. By the time I’ve finished those, it should be the end of the summer and I’ll be thinking about fallish makes in corduroy and wool, but probably knitting mostly.

It’s funny I don’t wear linen in the fall, winter, or spring. I could certainly wear linen blouses or dresses under wool sweaters, but I don’t. It’s a hang up, like wearing white dress shoes only between Memorial Day and Labor Day. (Not that I have any white dress shoes.) Or not mixing metals in jewelry. I recently bought a pair of small hoop earrings with gold and silver in them as an intentional way to buck the fashion police. “Look at me! I’m wearing gold and silver together! At the same time!”

How about you? Do you wear linen during any other season except summer? Or do you have any other arbitrary fashion rules you question but follow anyway?

Free Range Slacks

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I finished my first pair of Free Range Slacks. They won’t be my last. Here I am trying to figure out how to wear them with my birdie tank. I realized the top was too long for this silhouette. I cut two inches off and re-hemmed it.

Here’s how I ended up wearing them. It’s fabulous to be wearing pants without any pain. I’m planning to sew another pair in indigo linen, and a couple of cropped tops to wear with them.

Pattern is Free Range Slacks by Sew House Seven. This would be a great first slacks pattern for a beginning sewist. Fabric is a mid weight black linen from stash. There’s not enough left to make a matching top, but I get to wear my birdie tank, which makes me happy.

2021-2022 Year of Projects Finale

Posted on Posted in art, finished objects, knitting, sewing, Year of Projects29 Comments

This is my finale post for a Year of Projects 2021-2022. My goal was to not deviate from the list too much, which is laughable.

Fiber Art

Eight of the ten pieces. Two I wasn’t happy with so I didn’t include them here.
  1. I had a solo show in September 2021, and I made a body of work for this show. I finished ten pieces.
  2. I grew flax and tried to process it to weave an art piece. This was unsuccessful, as I over-retted the flax.
  3. I experimented with fresh leaf indigo printing from my garden.

In 2021-2022 I finished 21 pieces of knitting:

21 knitting projects finished!
  1. Pride Socks for Bob
  2. The Lonely Heart is a Hunter Mystery Knit Along (Rav link)
  3. Milkshake Cardigan
  4. Cemetery Drive Cowl
  5. Nova Scotia Strong Hat for Margie
  6. Autumn Advent: Point Edwards Mitts
  7. Sleepy Hollow Socks
  8. Back Porch Shawl
  9. Number 9 Beanie
  10. Marled Alaska Cowl
  11. Christmas Ranunculus sweater in The Fibre Co. Arranmore
  12. Unbearable Hat for Henry
  13. Celtic Myths Showl
  14. Gourd Party Socks
  15. All Sass and No Squatch Hat
  16. Musselburgh Hat for Freya
  17. Clog socks
  18. Spring Thaw Bandana Cowl
  19. Vertices Unite
  20. Ocean Moon Shawl
  21. Blueberry Popover Day socks for Bob

In 2020-2021 I finished knitting 22 items, so this tracks. Although I now have 29 items on my knitting to do list. I hope to increase the number I finish this coming year. I’ve got three sweaters on the needles. Last year I knit two sweaters, but somehow I finished four sweaters the year before.

Finished Sewing

  1. Emerson shorts in natural linen
  2. Halloween PJ Pants 1
  3. Halloween PJ Pants 2
  4. Ophelia Overalls in Purl Linen
  5. Barcelona Dress in lavender linen
  6. Pietra Pants in dark blue chambray
  7. Piedra Dress in Headless Horseman fabric
  8. Plateau Joggers in olive French terry, black merino interlock, navy and gray speckle cotton fleece
  9. Mile End Sweatshirt in black merino interlock
  10. A Logan Shacket with plaid flannel
  11. Mile End Sweatshirt in Pink Velour
  12. Clare Coat
  13. Gray Speckle Piedra Dress
  14. Born to Knit Melba Dress
  15. Paranormal Day Dress
  16. Felix Dress in floral cotton voile
  17. Black Melba Dress
  18. Eggplant Linen Felix Dress
  19. Charcoal Melba Dress
  20. Spoopy Project Bag

It’s difficult to keep count of finished sewing since I tend to sew multiples of the same pattern. This year I made a lot of PJ pants, joggers, and dresses. Comfort has been key as I try to manage my health.

Spinning

I replaced my spinning wheel and took a class to get started.

Most Proud Make

I made a coat! It wouldn’t win any sewing awards, but it is wearable. I learned interlining and how to bag out a lining in a garment. I expect I will get a lot of wears out of it this year if we have a cold winter.

Favorite Makes

I can’t choose one. These are the items I find I’m using most. I guess I’m a shawl person now.

This is my final post for Year of Projects 2021-2022. You can find out more about the group here (Rav link) or here: Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list. I’ve enjoyed being part of this group. I’m thankful Liz mentioned it to me! Next week I will post my plans for 2022-2023.

Friday FO: Spoopy Halloween Project Bag

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I finished sewing my large project bag. I love it! It’s perfect for my Halloween sweater. It has a zippered outside pocket, inner slip pocket, and drawstring closure.

Pattern is Juniper Basket by Sotak Handmade. She graciously allows makers to sell items made from her patterns on a small scale, handmade basis.

I made a couple of small mistakes, which is why I sewed one for myself first. I’ll make the next one for the shop, with a few minor adjustments. I’m thinking black zipper and drawstring instead of natural. I would also like to reinforce the base.

This is the bag design I am making for the Volunteer Sunflowers Shine Box from the indigo eco print fabric I made last summer. It feels good to get one of these bags sewn so I can plan for the fulfillment of those orders. Expect more project bags to pop up in the shop going forward!

A Very Moony May: Friday FO

Posted on Posted in finished objects, knitting, shawls and hapsTagged , 28 Comments

I finished my Ocean Moon shawl by Ambah O’Brien. I love it. I’m definitely going to be participating in more mystery knitalongs.

There’s one more clue but I think I’m done. I chose the simpler lace option as I’m a more simple elegance type of gal, but the other moon lace option is gorgeous!

Yarn is Fiber Optics Kashmir (superwash merino, silk, and cashmere) in colors Ebbtide, Storm, and five miniskeins of the Oceans Six gradient. Pattern is Ocean Moon shawl by Ambah.