Tag: sewing

Saturday Sewing Lesson

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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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

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.

Year of Projects Week 5/52 — Tansy Hapazome

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Fiber Art / Natural Dyeing

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.

This has been a Year of Projects (YOP) update. You can read my updated list here, and my original list at this link. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry or Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list.

No FOs Only WIPs. Plus Bad Pics!

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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?

Wednesday WIPs: That’s Good Sewing!

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I’m recovering from Covid and haven’t been too productive. (Don’t worry. I’m fine. Just tired and snotty.) I spent all weekend on the couch binge watching Season 6 of the Great British Sewing Bee. Bob hung out with me on Sunday for a bit, and commented he wouldn’t mind having a men’s tropical shirt, which was one of the challenges for holiday week.

I’m on it! Besides, I was going to knit him a Knitter’s Dude cardigan for his birthday, but I haven’t cast on yet and his birthday is in September. Why not sew a shirt instead?

I looked around online, and found a new-to-me pattern company, Wardrobe By Me. I’m using the Tropical Shirt pattern. Bob is lanky, so I’m grading sizes between a Large in width and 2XL in length. It looks to be a pretty straightforward pattern. I have some Marvel superhero fabric on the way which he likes. I’m looking forward to practicing my buttonholes!

There is a good chance I will finish knitting my Halloween Livie shawl this week — at least if my arms stop feeling tired and rubbery from the ‘rona.

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.

Dye Hard: Yarn of Projects

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I’ve been traveling and entertaining the last couple of weeks, as well as focusing on the mystery box stuff, so I don’t have much progress to show. I’m still knitting on the Blueberry Popover Day socks, my Pumqueen Cardi, and Arrowhead. But as promised, here are pics of my haul from the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair, in order of acquisition.

BFL fiber for spinning
Darning Egg and Damsel Plum yarn in two weights from Knitting Notions
Bulky in Salmon Run and sock in Squash from Laughing Cat Fibers
Litha and Taurus from Dye Mad Yarns

Did I buy more superwash? Yes. I need to draw the line on superwash. It’s great for socks and summer shawls, but not warm enough for winter knits.

I have been editing and updating my Year of Projects list. I make minor changes to my knitting plans throughout the year. However, I made some significant changes to my sewing list. Me Made May taught me I need to make more tops and pants. I have enough summer dresses. Below is the new list. I’d love to finish the first three this month.

  1. Ottobre blouse in Liberty blue paisley lawn and black linen
  2. Two A-line Tees in batiked cottons for summer
  3. Pietra Pants in indigo linen
  4. Audrey Pants in navy stretch cotton twill and gray cotton twill
  5. Ophelia Overalls in teal corduroy
  6. A Logan Shacket in navy wool flannel
  7. Ottobre Coat in black wool floral embossed coating

Bob gave me this natural dyeing kit from Botanical Colors for my birthday. It arrived yesterday! I’ve never dyed with prepared natural dyes before, only from foraged botanicals or plants from my garden. I’m looking forward to trying this. Funds raised from the sales of this kit supports sending vital supplies to displaced children and families in Ukraine as well as supporting Botanical Colors’ BIPOC scholarships.

I have been dyeing hard lately. I’m going for another experiment on cotton yarn this week. And then I’m going to dye some wool yarn in fall colors for the shop.

This has been a Year Of Projects (YOP) update. You can find out more about the group here (Rav link) or here: Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list. You can read my updated list of projects here.

Eggplant Felix Dress with a side of Kale Chips

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I sewed another Felix Dress, this time in eggplant linen. It’s fully lined in the same fabric. I love a floaty linen dress in the summer. It looks great with my Ocean Moon shawl as well as my jean jacket. Pattern is Felix Dress by Grainline Studio.

I also sewed another Melba Dress, this time in charcoal jersey. I don’t think you need a photo of another plain Melba Dress. I do love wearing them, though.

I harvested all the greens from the greenhouse. It’s getting hot, and they are starting to bolt.

I tried out kale chips in the air fryer. I tossed one leaf in olive oil, pink Himalayan salt, and nutritional yeast. I left it in at 200 degrees F for 15 minutes. They came out great, except for the stems. Tear all the leafy parts off the stem first.