In preparation for The Boleyns, A Scandalous Family, and also the 365 Days with Anne Boleyn lecture series next year, I purchased some Anne Boleyn Hever Rose Portrait fabric on Spoonflower. Thinking this print repeat was pretty large, I also ordered some red Tudor Rose fabric to use with it. Oops! The Tudor Rose print repeat is even larger!
My plan was to pay homage to the Tudor square necked gown by sewing a square neck Fern blouse, using the Tudor Rose fabric for the bodice and cap sleeves, and the Anne Boleyn portrait fabric for long flowy sleeves and an extended peplum. Since both fabrics have a large print size, I may need to rethink my plan.
Hey y’all, antidepressant withdrawal symptoms are no joke. I napped every day this week. I craved bacon and potatoes. I’m still battling taste bud malfunction. I haven’t knit a stitch in days! Here’s what I did get up to.
I ordered a new hula hoop. This is a beginner hoop named Mystic Dragon. She’s being patient with me. I can keep her going for a few seconds. I’m following another over 50 hooper on Instagram. She’s slow and gentle with her movements. I am encouraged!
We went to the farmer’s market today and picked up the first apples of the season. Thank you Covid gods for leaving my apple taste buds intact.
I heard an interview with author Adrienne Dillard on Talking Tudors and decided I needed to order this book. Her next historical fiction about Jane Seymour and Margery Horsman is coming out in November. Having just finished watching Becoming Elizabeth, I was really in the mood for this. So far, so good! Other books have been swept aside in the wake of this one.
I sewed two new Tekura Tees. Ready for October! Who am I kidding. I will wear these year round.
Many people don’t like that corporations and probably the government are tracking all your online activity. I could care less. I’m not doing anything anyone could be interested in. Except when the Coastal Grandma alert goes off and a company I have never heard of mails a paper catalog to me of everything I want. This is how they get you. Look at this jacket! Unfortunately, everything in the catalog is over $150. Fortunately, I know how to sew.
I found a pattern on Etsy for $3! And I have fabric that will work. At first I was thinking the teal corduroy. Now I’m wondering if the wool plaid would be better. I purchased it for trousers but it has a soft hand. Either way, I’ll have to buy a lining fabric. Which one do you prefer? I’ll probably go with corduroy. I’m not sure about quilting this wool fabric from Heavens to Betsy via The Woolery. Although I could quilt along the tartan lines, so there’s that.
One of the things I wanted to do this week was try out some of the stitches on my sewing machine. As a self-taught sewist who learned on a mostly manual Singer from the 1980’s, I’ve never taken the time to learn about the special stitches and presser feet on my Juki, other than for zippers and buttonholes. I think the few I may use someday include overcast, blind hem, and bartack. I never use the zig zag since I have a serger. Anyway, this was fun! Who knows. Maybe someday I’ll find a use for the letter stitches. Who doesn’t love a little personalization?
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.
Then why am I sewing so much? We could blame the weather, but I almost never leave the house.
Sewing
After yesterday’s exercise in frustration, I needed a sewing win. Enter the Tekura Tee. This pattern popped up in my inbox from I Think Sew and I was drawn to its simplicity. I had some Born to Knit fabric left over from a Melba Dress, and decided to sew a “muslin” with it. I didn’t have enough fabric for a seam allowance, but I went with it. It’s a little snug. Adding a seam allowance for the next one should rectify that. I’ve got more knitting tattoo print interlock that will be perfect for this pattern, and maybe I’ll make a navy and white polka dot one as well.
I dyed some Virginia cotton and wool blend yarn with tansy from my garden using an iron mordant this week. You can read all about it at this link.
Knitting
On the knitting front, I picked up my Hansel Hap for TV knitting. I’m almost ready to start the center square decreases. I also started the colorwork on my 2 Spooky Halloween Hat.
I finished sewing a Number One Shirt in Halloween fabric from There Will Be Cute on Spoonflower. This was supposed to be a quick and simple sew. Instead I’m calling it a “learning experience,” with points below.
Wrong fabric choice. For some reason I ordered this print on poplin instead of lawn or quilting cotton. Poplin is too stiff for this design as it is meant to be sewn.
I went with the suggested size, but it was too big. I should have cut a medium. What I ended up doing was sewing the entire shirt in size large, and then cutting it apart at the side seams. I also cut off the hems. I did pick apart the shoulder seams and took off the bias facing at the neckline.
Oh my, the bias facing. I cut my own, and basically I made it too wide. I couldn’t get it to sew on without puckering the fabric. Also, poplin. What was I thinking? I redid the neckline four times, finally going with a narrower facing. There are rows of needle holes in the fabric that I am hoping will wash out.
I still think it’s a cute top with high waisted baggy pants. I’m going to pair it with some Audrey Pants in black brushed cotton twill, when it’s early October and I want something Halloweeny to wear but it’s too hot for a wool sweater.
I watched some sewing tutorials on YouTube, and one of the things I learned was to keep my sewing straight when sewing on a curve. Meaning: move the fabric around so that the sewing line is straight. This is a different approach than what I usually do, which is to stretch the curve while sewing. Anyway, it’s a lesson well-learned and I won’t be forgetting it.
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.
I managed to get out into the garden this morning to weed and noticed it’s time to harvest the tansy! Tansy is one of those dye plants with natural tannins like indigo, so it doesn’t need a mordant. I decided to test a Hapazome print on the edges of my remaining indigo printed Virginia cotton.
I’m pleased with how this came out. Now I need to decide if I want to continue to print on this fabric, or order more. I think I will order more, as I want to experiment with black walnut leaves and iron mordant.
I may also kettle dye some Virginia cotton and wool yarn with tansy this week. Since this blend of fibers doesn’t take readily to acid dyes or fiber reactive dyes for plant fibers, a natural dye pot may be just the thing it needs!
My flax is also ready to harvest. There are a few stalks that are already too far gone with ripe seed heads, but most is still ok. So that’s another fiber art project this week.
Knitting
I’m super close to finishing my Halloween Livie shawl. One more section then bind off!
Sewing
I should finish my Gather dress and Bob’s Marvel shirt this week.
Spinning
Since I came down with Covid, I didn’t spin for the last week of Tour de Fleece. I need to oil my wheel and get back to spinning.
I wasn’t able to finish knitting my Halloween Livie Shawl this week, but I’m getting close! Instead, I started some new sewing projects.
This Gather dress in printed linen is waiting for buttons and buttonholes. In the UK this is called a “Buffet Dress” because you wear it to the all-you-can-eat buffet. At least I think that’s what they mean. I’m looking forward to swanning about in it.
I’ve made a start on Bob’s Marvel shirt. We’re going with retro blue accent on the collar and pocket top, and probably blue buttons. My pattern matching skills are on point!
Did you finish anything this week? Or start anything new?
Okie in Ohio 