FiberArts Afloat, a misnomer

A Knitting Interlude

2009-11-28T12:57:00.003-06:00

Pattern: St Enda by Alice Starmore
Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermans Wool

I have one seam left to sew on this baby.
Two days ago it still looked like this

It's for my daughter-in-law Megan, for Christmas.
Mark and Megan were here for Thanksgiving, and I got it out and checked the size on Megan before starting to stitch it together. Hard won experience has taught me that getting it right beats out the surprise factor every time.
The size is good - perfect actually - so I stitched together the sleeve saddles and armscyes and then knit the neckband on. To make the neckline lie flat and come closer to her neck - as I know the neckband has been a complaint/issue with these patterns, I knit the first two cable rib repeats with a size 6 needle, the next one with a size 4, and the last with a size 3. It looks great and I know it'll block out flat.
So, I have one seam left to sew, which I will do after dark tonight. Hence the daylight pics with that last side seam left open.

Hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Now, while the football is on and dh is happily esconsed in front of the television, I'm heading down to the sewing room. I know Carolyn is sewing this weekend - anyone else?

Sewing Bag and travel supplies

2009-11-24T08:04:00.008-06:00

CarlaF commented
Looks like fun! One question, in the pictures, are you using a scrapbook bag to store your notions?

No, The bag I use is one specifically made for sewing gear and was made for BabyLock. About 6 years ago I took some training from Tacony on Babylock machines because at the time I was working and teaching in a store that sold BabyLock machines. The gift from Tacony to all who were taking the training was this bag. Amazingly, it's taken me until this trip to take the bag out of the packaging and fill it up. I really like having everything contained in one bag. The pics I took and put on flickr were really bad but I did that because I was putting it in checked luggage and I wanted a record of sorts of what was in it.
This is what the organizer looks like opened up. There is a back zip pocket that is perfect for full size patterns and a front pocket that will handle wider things. There is also a carry strap that I haven't hooked on - I have enough to carry over my shoulder without adding this heavy bag.

The closest I've been able to find on the net is this bag by Bluefig Notions

MeredithP wrote
So as you discuss your project, what kind of sewing gear did you have to take?
As you can see above, all the regular sewing tools.
I carried 4 pair of sheers. No rotary cutter, there aren't any mats nor room to use them.
It is not necessary to carry a machine, there are machines in the classroom. But, as I had visions of sewing in the room in the evenings and wanted a machine I knew, I did carry my Singer Featherweight. It fit in my regular carryon luggage. Heavy though.

My list to go looked like this:

Notions bag packed with everything from marking tools to thread, needles, pins, measuring tools etc.
muslin
sheets of wax tracing paper
pattern
fashion fabric, underlining fabric, interfacing, lining, fur

I'd planned to buy a separating zipper for my project while in NYC.
You are expected to have your initial muslin done before getting to class, and are emailed directions on how to construct it. I carried muslin with me and tracing paper as I didn't make my muslin until I was at Cidell's.
I also had grand visions of getting a lot else done, so I carried WAY too much.

Like the houndstooth jacket to fit - (never opened the bag except to show the project to Mardel, Robin and Carolyn.)
And the red silk dress that needs finishing that Susan was going to hand place the draped chiffon hipswags for me - never got opened.
and the brown wool yardage and pattern that I thought I'd make a skirt from to go with my class project jacket - in that nighttime that I wasn't sleeping (ha!)
And the purple skirt which needs the lining inserted and hemming, and the purple pants which need hemming, and...you get the idea.

See the list of expectations on the previous post - Don't expect to go home with a finished project, there just isn't time. So why I thought there would be time for all these other things too, I'm baffled.

You can get by with the notions you need to sew and the fabric and supplies you need for your project.
*********************
aurelia.donka said...

ACK! I just saw a pic of you and Robin at Mood where you are holding a piece of red and white striped fabric I've been looking for. Would you mind e-mailing back the fabric info so I can call Mood and have some shipped out?

Aurelia, if you change your profile settings on blogger it'll give a reply address when you write a comment rather than "no-reply blogger" on the id info. The way it is, your profile is hidden so it's impossible to find if you have a blog, and there is no email information. (Your address won't show to anyone except the blogger where you left the comment, and then only if they get comments by email.)

That stripe you inquired about is a rayon jersey and is really a deep deep cranberry, not red.

More Sit and Sew And Travel

2009-11-23T13:28:00.005-06:00

Thoughts on travel from a Midwestern girl who drives everywhere:

First, let me say I have a whole new appreciation for those of you who are rely on public transport to get where you’re going. It takes a lot of patience to maneuver the rails and buses. But don’t ever think that Americans aren’t helpful or that they are nasty to tourists. I had help everywhere I went from strangers as I tried to manage my luggage on and off public transport. Including a man who offered to tote my large suitcase up the stairs at Penn Station in NYC when an elevator simply couldn’t be found. LOL, half way up he stopped and said out loud “why am I doing this”. That bag was heavy.

I’m flying Southwest – where “bags fly free”. That is, if they weigh less than 50 lbs. If they weigh more than 50 lbs they cost $50 bucks. That poor man lugged my heaviest bag which weighed in at 67 lbs up one LONG flight of stairs.

So, I’m now at the airport waiting on my plane to return to my real life. It’s been fun and I’m So glad I did this.

If you haven’t seen the pictures from the girls night out at dinner in NYC on everyone else’s blogs, the whole group can be found at my flickr page.

Sit and Sew and my project

What to expect when you sign up for a 4 day Sit and Sew in NYC with KK and SK:

a lot of expert help.
a garment that will fit you when you finish it
to employ methods of construction that you are unfamiliar with, and some that take a long time. Expect to underline whatever you’re making, whether it’s a skirt, a pair of pants, a dress or a coat.
a constructive positive learning experience. No one is berated, no one is made to feel stupid (as I’ve seen in some other class situations), everyone is allowed to work at their own pace.
expect to leave class with a project that needs finishing. Don’t expect to walk into class with a complex project and be able to complete it in 4 days.
Exceedingly crowded work conditions
A stimulating environment that is really motivating and will leave you wanting to go home and sew...and sew and sew

Kenneth King is marvelous!
day 1 he demostrated a bound buttonhole made with the piping method
day 2 bound buttonhole using his grosgrain ribbon method

He also wears the most intriguing clothes. He's the "20 bucks" man. He kept showing off these intricate incredible clothes that he finds at thrift shops - and it seems that his price point for everything is $20.

We all know that I love Susan. She demonstrated how to put in couture linings, and held several other tutorials including a handpicked zipper and other hand stitches.
We had the privilege of meeting both her kids this time around too. They both flew in to the classroom late Friday before heading out for a family evening at the opera.

fitting session

tight work space

When I get home I'll start documenting the process from conception to completion of my project.
Remember this?

After leaving the Sit and Sew yesterday afternoon I made my first excursion ever to the Port Authority (what a place!) to catch the bus out to Carolyn's. The directions were absolutely perfect, including which escalators to take to get to the right gate.
Carolyn and I had a relaxing evening chatting about - what else? - Fabric. LOL, and can we talk fabric! I got to wallow in her fabric closet. It's all it's cracked up to be...
And the jury is out on who has more - or less - right now I think we're in a competition to say "you have more than me". Whatever, if they quit weaving fabric right this minute neither one of us would be in danger of having nothing to sew for a long time to come.
Carolyn, a big public Thank you! It was fun and relaxing and we'll do it again sometime.
oh, and Carolyn is on a campaign to catch me up on having "followers". LOL, I was exceedingly late to convert the old blogger format to the new one, which allowed all those fun things on the sidebars including follower box which adds people to your blog reader. It's really pretty convenient I will say, and I wonder why it took me so long. So Carolyn, since you posted for people to add me to their list of blogs they follow I've gained more than 30 followers! wee...
Hugs, M

Dinner in the City!

2009-11-20T22:06:00.004-06:00

So, getting on with news on this fantastic trip...tonight several sewists who regularly blog or post on Stitchers Guild or Pattern Review got together for dinner. Can you imagine that we found enough to talk about for 3 hours that it seemed like 15 minutes? It was a great time.

At dinner, from left Carolyn, Robin, me, Mardel, Claudine, LindsayT, and NancyK

Click on their name for links to each blogger.

It's late and I'm really tired, and I've got class again all day tomorrow, so I'm just going to leave you with this teaser pic and tell you that more pics will be coming and that you can probably read more from each of these amazing women.

Go see Mardels blog to see what she's doing in class. She's going to be writing about the muslin process she's going through. I can tell you, it's been really interesting to watch.
Don't know if Robin will be blogging tonight at all about the coat process.
Meanwhile, I've finally gotten my jacket cut out and have started the underlay process.
I hope to get to posting about the process tomorrow.

Thanks for all your thoughts and input on friendships that you've developed on the net.

It's all about the muslin

2009-11-19T21:11:00.008-06:00

too late at night, working on the next muslin

Ok, there are a myriad of posts to be written about this fabulous trip.
Tonight, ... it's been a day and a half, and all I'm going to do is post some pics about fitting the muslins.
First, working on the pant pattern for Cidell.
After 3 muslins and a few alterations, I'm thinking we have a pant pattern that will work so that MissCelie can make pants, which BTW, she IS tall enough to wear!!! Hear that MissCelie? I mean, how on God's Green Earth are we to deal with a MissCelie's Pants when all MissCelie wears are dresses?
And, speaking of wearing dresses, isn't this chic?

Date: Wed November 18
Robin of "A Little Sewing" picked me up at Cidells' and then we made the 11:44 AM train to NYC. Not without a little drama - guess who left Cidells house with the cell phone locked inside? hmmm? Yeah, well, moving on.
We had a wonderful time chatting a mile a minute. As we were about to get off the train at Penn Station the man ahead of us turned around and said "It isn't any of my business, but are you going to a knitting contest?" We both laughed. "nope, but we are going to a sewing seminar"
So, go ahead, and look over at Robins blog to see what we did as soon as we left Penn Station. Pictures notwithstanding, I'm not the only one leaving Mood with a stack of fabric.

Then Mardel got in.
dinner (or is that drinks?): I think Mardel is my twin of a different mother and it took until recently for us to find each other. We are having such a wonderful time.

Date Thurs Nov 19
More on muslins, this time it's fitting in class
Kenneth King pinning the sleeve onto my jacket muslin
look at his jacket - isn't it just fabulous?
Kenneth King fitting the muslin on Robin while Mardel looks on.

The class is Sit and Sew given by Kenneth King and Susan Khalje. Both are excellent teachers, both are talented at garment construction, and both are contributing editors to Threads Magazine. Both are also personable, and a lot of fun. We'll be blogging about this over the next few days, but I can already tell you, if you can swing it, it's worth it!

interlude at lunch time - the requisite picture with Kashi -(and see who's there to show me arou d Kashi's?

Me, Kashi, Carolyn (diary of a sewing fanatic)

Don't even ask, 'cause I'm not saying. Except that I will let you know that Kashi has some of those incredible Japanese cotton engineered prints left....

And, to cap off an excellent day, an excellent dinner with great friends.

So I leave you with this thought.
This is an amazing age, the age of internet. I've met face to face several friends this trip. And I use the word "friends" deliberately. These are women I've "known" through their blogs and through various message boards - principally Stitchers Guild and Pattern Review, and then private emails and eventually telephone conversations.
These are friends who're as important to me as many people I've known IRL all my life.
These are women who share my passion - sewing and fiber arts - but more than that, they share various life experiences that are common to us all. And we have become friends. Who would have thought that through the medium of the written word on a public medium that one could form lasting and important relationships?
These women are my sisters and friends. I'm grateful for their friendship. We've come a long way baby.

You're reading this blog, therefore, you're connected online. Have you formed friendships that you feel are important to you through this online medium?

It's been a FUN day!

2009-11-16T21:17:00.003-06:00

Can I tell you how much fun we're having?
And what a delightful person Cidell is?
So, about today:
First, We had breakfast. I'd have gotten pictures but I was too busy eating.
Then we had a measuring session

Then Cidell left to go to work for the AM. I found out that I hadn't underlined all of the houndstooth, and not only that but I failed to bring the rest of the batiste with which I was underlining the jacket. Oops.
So I started my muslin for the brown jacket. And I got to use Cidells PINK rotary cutter - woohoo.
not only that, but I spent more than a little time looking through the Bunka books and the Pattern Magic books she has. Great Stuff!

Then Cidell came and picked me up and we proceeded to go to A Fabric Place, aka Michaels retail store.
Michael is wonderful in person. I introduced myself and he immediately knew me from being an internet customer. Renee turned to me in surprise and exclaimed "you buy enough here that he KNOWS you?!?" LOL, um... I plead the fifth, but in my defense, Michael immediately piped up with the fact that they know all their customers.
I found the underlayment that I needed for the jacket as well as some lovely lavender cotton shirting to go with the purple passion project items. In addition, that RPL that Sherry sent out the email about last week - great stuff.
We also caught up with a friend, Leslie, and went to have snacks.
Then we returned here to make a bit of progress on a pant pattern for Cidell. Because time was getting short, we decided to go immediately to altering a commercial pattern.

Time for dinner. Three of us went out to a wonderful restaurant - Woodberry Kitchen - and the came back and realized we hadn't done the requisite picture session. This is what you get after some good food and wine.

Click here for more pics. Tomorrow it's time to stitch together muslins and to make use of the Bunka books for the bodice draft.
See Cidells blog for more ...

Today, it's Baltimore

2009-11-16T09:24:00.004-06:00

I'm coming to you today from Cidell's.
We're working on fitting a pant pattern for her and some general other stuff.

AND I'm about to start on my muslin for the Sit and Sew in NYC given by Susan Khalje and Kenneth King that I'll be joining along with Mardel and Robin.

At the sit and Sew I plan to get help re-fitting this jacket.
I began this project too long ago to recount and got distracted for reasons I can't quite remember. Anyway, I fit the muslin to myself, cut it apart and used the muslin as pattern and cut the houndstooth. Then I mounted the houndstooth onto the underlining - and that's as far as I got. Now I've lost 25 lbs, and have been exercising to the point that Anything fit to me as far back as 2006 will no longer work. I really want this to work. So, today I'm basting it together in the hopes that Susan and Kenneth will have some fitting magic that will let me finish this jacket. I'd like to wear it to Katies graduation next month.
After getting it fit I'll take the project home and finish making it there.

Because I have a project in mind for this class. And I lugged all the materials with me. And I've had conversation with Kenneth King and he's going to help me to sew with the fur. I've never sewn with fur before.
The project proposal:

So, look for a post later tonight on Cidell's and my Adventures of this coming afternoon.
Cidell has graciously agreed to document the whole pattern drafting and fitting process. It'll be fun!

On the Road....and Sew Baby!

2009-11-14T09:17:00.000-06:00

After packing, before getting on the plane on Thurs.
Pattern: Vogue 1035 - Alice and Olivia. Love the draft. This is the second time I've made this pattern, however these were cut back in the Spring, and I needed to recut and take in and take in, which distorted the line a bit. I finished these last week amid my sewing frenzy.
Fabric: A silk herringbone from Fabric Mart that wrinkles like the devil. These did not travel well. Heck, look at them just after packing, they did not fare well in the wearing just to pack.

*********************

Coming to you from Atlanta GA this AM. Unfortunately, due to technical problems, the pictures I wanted to upload will have to wait til this evening, Please check back. Good stuff in store.
For this week, I'll be playing "Where's Waldo" as I plane and train hop. As I said in an earlier post - time to meet some more of those sewing bloggers....

And, on to regular programming:

I bring you an interlude:
Sophie of the big brown eyes, my favorite big girl niece, this is for you.

insert garment pics

Pattern: SewBaby Twirl Top and Pant
Made as a class sample for a class I"ll be teaching at The Quilted Fox in February.
The pattern is simple and goes together beautifully.

What I love about this pattern: It's printed on tissue paper and is multi-size, yet each size is printed individually. No complicated deciphering of which line to cut, no tracing in order to preserve the next size in the envelope. This, IMO, is especially valuable in a pattern designed for a toddler where you are likely to want to use a pattern multiple times and sew more than one size.

Fabric: A selection of quilting cottons. This outfit calls for 1 yd of the primary fabric and then 1/3 yd of 4 coordinating fabrics.

Follow up to Knitting from Japanese patterns

2009-11-09T21:48:00.004-06:00

First, the excuses: it was dark when I was finally ready last night for a pic or two. Dark this AM when dh left for work, Dark when I got home from work.
Pics will come, someday, I promise.

Meanwhile:

LisetteM asked:

I have a couple of questions about the Japanese knitting patterns. First are the sizes small? I recently read an article about a Japanese RTW line of clothing which only goes up to a size 6.

All you have to do is look at the schematics to determine the size. I tried on a bunch of the designs at the trunk show at Kirkwood knittery, and I have to say that the only thing that was consistently small were the sleeves. The diameter of the arms were really small. At least the patterns designed for the Habu yarns tend to be really goemetric and square, so they're sort of "one size....". Which means, If I felt they fit me, then they would be huge for the majority of the Asian population of women. I'm not exactly a small woman.
I do find that many of the Japanese patterns are written in one size only.

Second, are the Japanese knitting patterns different enough from the more easily available and easy to comprehend american and european patterns that gets you excited to go through the extra trouble?

Some are, some aren't. I have the books I got because I wanted the pattern for Am Kamin, and for the oak leaf pullover. To my knowledge there is nothing like either one of these patterns written in English.
And regards reading Japanese patterns, Kim, (knitinbrit) offered up these links:
Here's the book - Clear and Simple knitting Symbols

Very helpful!

I have found a lot of great info online. Have you checked this link out too?
How to Read Japanese Knitting Charts

BTW, if you haven't read Kims' letter to Dear Santa aka Cute Guy, then you should - it's hysterical.

And my own Cute Guy - probably has H1N1
Guess who's sleeping in the guest room tonight? - no silly, not him. ... I won't put him out but oth, I don't really want the flu at this point.

****************
Just a thought, Have you met, IRL, any of the bloggers that you regularly read or correspond with?

I've met Kim. Time for us to get together again actually.
And I've met several other knit bloggers, including Jae, Lorraine (no longer blogging), Elizabeth, and I don't exactly remember how many others. A few, certainly. Oh, I've actually met the infamous Franklin, of Panopticon fame. Jae even came to stay with me on the boat this summer.

But, I think I can say without exaggeration, ~~I've never met another sewing blogger. I talk regularly on the phone with several, but I've never met, in person, any of them.~~
I'm an idiot - I've met Summerset. Totally slipped my mind when I wrote that - but we got to meet in a fabric store! and then had a lovely lunch. She was on her way to Paducah to show one of her art-garments. Summerset, I apologize for my memory slip. It was wonderful.

Time to change this, time to meet more sewing bloggers?

sample sample sample

2009-11-08T08:18:00.006-06:00

Moving on to the next items in the purple passion project, this morning I'm deciding on treatments for the front of yet another skirt.

I know, all are pics of the same sample. Trying to get good pics. Sometimes it really helps me to see it in pictures to see what's working or not.

I used the patch method of making a bound buttonhole. This fabric is lightweight and the patch method is good for light-med weight projects.
But I'm thinking that
a. the lips are too wide. This whole buttonhole was marked on 1/4" wide overall, and is only 7 stitches wide. (Yes, I count stitches on my buttonholes - it's 21 st long by 7 st wide). Next one I'll make 6 st wide. I'm using a 1.5mm st length.
and
b. that I like the contrast piping for the front edge of the skirt, but I don't like the contrast for the buttonhole. It's just too much!

What do you think?

see how the stitching line is one stitch above the marking? Next one will be one stitch below the marking.

Hopefully later this afternoon I'll nab the hubby and we'll do a photo shoot of the finished garments. Productivity reigns here at Fiberarts Afloat.

Reading Japanese Patterns and

2009-11-06T20:49:00.005-06:00

What a great little bit of knowledge!
It's amazing though, that this information isn't more readily available to Americans and that we need to take a class to find out something so logical and easy.

Yesterday I mentioned that I was taking a class in reading Japanese knitting patterns given by Takako from Habu yarns.
It was interesting! And she is delightful.
It's also so logical and easy to read the basic schematic armed with just a little bit of information. Takako explained that they (the Japanese) had to come up with a way to write patterns because they don't have the ability to abbreviate their written language the way we do. We can read K1P1 Dec 1 st eor and know what it means. They can't. So they came up with a way to abbreviate the directions on a schematic, in a box, and then they use a chart that can be easily generated on any excel spreadsheet, or for that matter written in any sheet of looseleaf or a spiral binder. Easy Peasy.

The following schematic is from one of the books that I own, not the schematic we worked with in class, and not a schematic designed for Habu yarns.

See the directional arrows? (I've drawn a red box around them, in the center of the page). Those are the direction that you knit. Which is interesting. They have you start then with either a provisional cast on and then later knit your ribbing on, or else do a regular cast on and pick up stitches to knit your ribbing. She did explain that they don't hand hold - no directions for which cast on, no directions for which method of decrease. Basically their patterns are written expecting you to know how to knit, and how to choose the correct techniques.

See the box with those 3 rows of numbers? Again, I've drawn a red box around it in the upper corner of the schematices. That tells you your frequency of decreasing, or increasing, for shaping.
Starting reading from the bottom of that box, it reads on row 2 (of this section) decrease 3 st, one time). It's abbreviated 2-3-1

But, of course she is with Habu. Habu has incredibly interesting yarns, but they don't do anything that even remotely resembles texture work. So, what information I still lack is a key to reading those charts for cables and textures. Kim, I'm going to take you up on your offer of a key.

Now, I'm certain there is just as easy a key to understanding the schematics in books such as
Pattern Magic
And, have you seen the books Cidell just got? Ohhhh my, I'm covetous.

The Purple Passion Collection

2009-11-06T09:17:00.005-06:00

Note that Finally I have moved over to the updated template from blogger. Which means I lost all my sidebar etc. I'll fix it all in the next week, and it'll be so much easier since I won't have to do it all in the html that I did before. Thanks for your patience.

Even before SWAP (sewing with a plan - designed to coordinate the items in your closet so that you actually sew clothes that go together), I tended to buy fabrics for collections.
I cannot tell you how long some of this has been in the collection, nor how long two of these pieces have been in "production". What I can tell you is that I'm thrilled to be finally sewing it all up and wearing it this fall. (note, all photos pertaining to this collection can be seen on my flickr page here)

Pattern is Vogue 7769 - so OOP that it isn't even in the OOP part of the online catalogue.
Fabric is a Loro Piana felted wool that has a variegated orange yarn couched onto the wool. At first glance looking at the wool it is not evident that the design is actually an ascending diagonal line.

I spent two days that dh was out of town with the piece laid out flat on the living room floor getting the layout correct so that the pattern would match as well as possible across seam lines.

I am VERY pleased with the match.

Other fabrics in the collection are
-a burnt orange microsuede - see skirt hanging behind the dress form.
-a wool herringbone tweed for pants and a skirt
-a poly woven swirl fabric recently purchased from EOS for a dress (see below)

not pictured yet, still in flat fabric stage)
-a solid wool menswear flannel in purple heather for a skirt
-a hammered silk for blouse in softer purple
-a rayon jersey for a CJ wrap top in royal violet

The pant, under construction
Below: the line drawing for the planned dress and the swatch to make it. On the agenda today, get the pants lined and to the point of hand sewing, and muslin the dress.

To go with all of this I'm finally (FINALLY!) finishing the Irlandais Colchique sweater that I began in *ahem* 2005.

This is the stage it was left in January 2006.
As you can see I've finished the knitting and have begun sewing it together. I've also got the button band knit (finished it last night). Just need to knit the collar now and need to finish sewing it together this weekend. This is what it'll look like when it's done

Yarn: Inca Alpaca from Classic Elite
*******************
More Knitting news
Later this afternoon I'm scheduled to take a class at Kirkwood Knittery on reading Japanese Knitting Patterns. The class is being taught by Takako from Habu. I'm excited.
oh, and it's so late this afternoon that dh has decided to get a cab back from the airport - he's returning from yet another week overseas. I won't be able to pick him up at 5:30 because I'll be knitting! How's that for an understanding hubby?

The Incident with the Plaid

2009-11-02T19:59:00.001-06:00

What Not to Do

KwikSew 3850

Much of the sewing that I'm doing at this moment is driven not by what I would love to make, but by obligation. I'm teaching several classes at SewItSeams in St Louis, and class samples are a must. So, awhile ago Cindy asked me to teach a class on matching plaids. She's been bringing in plaids, however has been hearing comments that people are reluctant to buy them because they don't feel confident matching plaids.
ok. This of course means that I can't use an old piece from stash. It's imperative to use fabrics available at the store.
The plaid pictured here is not my typical color palette, but it's the best of what she had in stock when I needed to pick out fabric. Oh, and I have to use patterns available to her - which means Kwik Sew or one of the independents.

So I chose Kwik Sew 3850 - Pattern pic up top. Cute skirt. Pencil skirt shape - which means it's not a straight skirt but narrows at the hem. That's ok, it'll illustrate what happens to your plaid.

The night I bought the fabric, the bolt had just come in. Thursday. Evening. I got the first 1 1/2 yd of 60" wide Pendleton wool plaid from this bolt.
At the cutting table on Sunday afternoon I got a wild hair, and decided that the skirt with the pocket and pleat front was much more interesting. I'd purchased fabric intending to make view B, no pleat, no pocket. So I traced and laid out version A.

As you can see, I simply couldn't make the pocket fit. No problem I mused. I'll just pick up another 1/4 to 1/2 yd, depending on where the plaid fell, on Tuesday when I was there for my next class.
Honestly, as I picked up scissors to cut, the thought occurred to me that I should wait. I had plenty of yardage to cut view B and match everything. But, surely, since I just took home the fabric on Thursday evening, the bolt would still be in the store. Surely.

Um, nope. I called Monday to put a hold on 1/2 yd. And was told the fabric was gone already.
See that area in the above pic where I laid the pocket. I had cut up that area for facings. So there wasn't even the possibility of piecing the top of the pocket.
I considered using a contrast for the side front. But really, aside from the fact that it would look dopey - what kind of teacher holds a class on matching plaids then wimps out with a contrast solid in the area where the match is most challenging? This skirt languished and hung up my mental ability to sew again. Stupid stupid mistake.
Then, last weekend, a store employee - Dawn - to the rescue. She'd purchased a large piece, and had already changed her mind about what to do with it, so she allowed me to cut my pocket from her yardage. I paid her for 1/2 a yard, since I had to cut a rather large rectangle from way off the edge of her goods.

Honestly! Costly mistake. I get a good discount for yardage I use for class samples. I paid Dawn the regular price of the fabric. Ouch - for a pocket side front. But, I limited her possibilities because of my dumb mistake.

Construction pictures on The skirt: Pictures taken after dark as the camera battery died taking other pics during daylight hours. oops (yet again, an oops)

Pocket and pleat installed. You can see that the plaid doesn't match at the side seam. It's important to choose which match is more important when it's evident that only a portion will match. I'm very pleased though with the match vertically and horizontally across the pocket side front. The lower skirt front is slightly wider than the pocket side front, so I worked from the center, where the pleat is stitched down and therefore closer to the pocket. The lower skirt sticks out further away from the body more toward the side seam.
Skirt back. There is a kick pleat at the hem, so right now it's just basted below the black line I drew on the CB seam.

Side seam. Because I centered the plaid motif on this unbalanced plaid at CF and CB, the squares along the side seam fall where they will. It's a good example though for the class.

So now this skirt too is to the point of needing lining and belt carriers.
I thought I had plenty of Ambiance still in stash in light colors. Not so.
So while I was still in the stages of wondering what to do about the pocket I read about Buttons and Bolts sale. Unfortunately another independent fabric store is closing. I'd never heard of them until they announced their close, when someone put up a notice on Stitchers Guild.
I placed an order and acc'd to the website it shipped Oct 26. Still not here. When it gets here I'll line the skirt. Then it goes on display at the store, in anticipation of a January class.
edit to update: I wrote this blog post yesterday and scheduled it to post tonight. Well, I got home from work a little bit ago, but just this minute opened the box from Buttons and Bolts. None of the lining I anticipated getting was in there. Crap! Another delay on finishing this skirt. I'm teaching tomorrow night, after working tomorrow day. I'll have to buy lining then.

Moral of the story Do not cut until you've checked your layout and are sure you can fit all your pieces on the fabric. I'm still feeling a bit of the sting of such a moronic move on my part.
***********
Stash Acquisition
Not what I'm supposed to be about these days. Ha! Once the sewing bug bit again I've been sorely tempted more than once. I've been adding a piece here and there.
From Buttons and Bolts ~~I've got 20 yds total of China silk (habotai, not the poly stuff) and Ambiance coming, all purchased for less than $3/yd.~~
and, two pieces of denim, a white shirting fabric (thought I already had one but cannot find it), a ~~black wool crepe (which I just found in the trunk, the piece I did have but thought had used up), and a piece of cotton lawn~~.

More Stash Acquisition
If you follow Stitchers Guild you also know that SWAP rules and plans are up. The last fabric that I have yet to add a pic for for my planned SWAP - I'm thinking of calling it Winter Blues, is a piece from Emma One Sock. Purchased last month.

Think I'll still be buying fabric once we move to the boat? Isn't this blog supposed to be about using up the STASH?

In honor of the sun

2009-11-02T08:01:00.003-06:00

In honor of the sun, which has decided to put in an appearance again in St Louis, I thought I'd bring you some more boating pics from the summer.
It's been raining here for weeks. I heard on the radio this AM that they've closed President Casino downtown due to flooding at LaCledes Landing.

So, without further commentary

a boat under spinnaker following us into harbor at sunset

a day outing on Lake Michigan off Pentwater with my dad and his wife Joan and friends Art and Linda.

Linda, on the left holding the book, is a knitter too and I first met her when she decided to knit the doubleknit ski hat that I've made so many of.

Sewing Going On (knock me over with a feather)

2009-11-01T20:22:00.007-06:00

Burda 09-2009-110

I'm slowly getting my sewing mojo back. That is, my sewing mojo to sew for myself.
I'm just going to say this to get it out of the way, then we can move on....
I haven't sewn for myself in any significant way in over 2 years, mostly because I was really unhappy with my weight. I know - sew for the body you have, yada blah blah etc...
But the truth is, I didn't, didn't want to, just didn't. I got a significant amount of sewing done, from home dec sewing for the boat and house to sewing a Mother of the Bride dress for my BFF, to all the sewing I did for the girls and for my sister.
Well, finally, last April I got off my tush and did something about the weight. It's a slow process. I'm working out, and eating better. Nothing more fancy or complicated than that. So far I'm down a little more than 20 lbs but not quite 25 lbs. That's a depressingly slow 3 lbs/month. I've got more to go. But I'm finally at a weight where I can bear making clothes for me.
re: the few things I did make for myself, it's all too big. Way too big. See end of post for the pic of what's gone to the Goodwill.

Meanwhile, I'm developing a healthy dose of sympathy for those who don't know what size to choose when starting to sew. Even though I measured, and I know I've lost weight, evidently I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I need to cut a smaller size.
I cut the largest size Burda publishes, and added 1" side seam sm allowances.
after several on-and-off adjustments during a fitting phase, I ended up moving the pleats over 3/8" in front, taking a deeper dart in back and taking 2" seam allowances on the side seams. I didn't need to take it in quite so much at the hip as the waist, but I traced the waist 2 sizes smaller.

For the fitting I stitched on a Petersham ribbon at the waistline, just so that I wasn't dealing with a waistline that wanted to stretch. Here is a washed out photo of the skirt as it is now.

You can just see the white basting lines holding the pocket closed on the right.
Now I've got to add the lining. Fortunately I didn't cut that out Wednesday when I cut out the skirt. The lining is cut on a fold and eliminates the pleat fullness. I've also got to use a bit of the leftover scraps to cut out some belt loops.
I have a piece of cotton that I'd like to make a shirt out of to go with this.
I played with images yesterday (or was it Friday?) after work. Mostly I was trying to see if I could make it work to use the gathered front blouse over this pleated front. I don't think so. I wanted it to be my test blouse before cutting into a piece of purple silk. Not going to go.
But, what do you think about the ruffle collar one? Cidell made it quite awhile back and challenged me to make it to try to figure out that facing. I'm only a little late... ;)

*******************

I did mention an incident about the plaid last post didn't I?
Well, I was saved by a very kind lady in this area who gave up a part of her piece to save my skirt. I'll write about it tomorrow, and post the rest of the pics, but here's a teaser.

And while we're on the topic of major blunders, in knitting news:

*******************
"to save time, take the time to knit a gauge swatch"
hmmm, Yup.

'nuff said.

And, say bye bye - it's all gone to Goodwill. (well, the red maxi is still on the bed in the guest room, await the fate)

Your input requested

2009-10-14T22:30:00.005-05:00

The Knitting Corner
Someone who is near and dear to me is knitting the Honeycomb Vest from Knitty.
After getting a long ways into the project, it's been decided to add sleeves. I offered to write a pattern for a sleeve.
It'll be easy once I get my schematic down. The question I have, and this is really a construction/pattern drafting question and not a knitting question, so all my sewing friends, this question is for you. Must I redraw the armscye? I think so.
My inclination is to rewrite the pattern for the top of the bodice to add shoulder width, in addition to writing a pattern for a sleeve. I'm thinking that the armscye is cut in so far for the vest that it'll be impossible to get a nice sleeve set in. Oh, and I'll need to eliminated the ribbing and add pattern stitches anyway at the armscye.
Below is the schematic.
Confirm my thoughts? I've drawn the line I think I need to have in red.
edit to ask:
This is being knit in the smallest size. The wearer is a size 0-2 RTW. The depth on the armscye as written is 7.75". Since the consensus seems to be that the armscye needs to come up, anyone have any ideas about how deep that armscye should be? Sommerset? Jae? Someone who's petite or sews for that size typically?

The Sewing Studio
Meanwhile, I've pulled some real bonehead moves in the sewing dept lately.
One is failing to stop by either Joanns or Hancock last weekend and pick up a Simplicity pattern.
Awhile back someone posted some Anthropologie items on Stitchers Guild, among them this top

Photo of Anthropologie Top, no longer avail on their website
I heart this top. Mostly the fabric, and the sleeves. I don't so much love the actual fabric as the idea of it. The color at the hem bleeding into the monochrome of the top. And the texture. And I love the sleeves. Right after I saw it, I began thinking about how to duplicate that sleeve. The next week I saw the Simplicity pattern offerings, and there was a blouse, with this sleeve. Or something close enough to an approximation of it. Cool! Look up when Simplicity will be having a sale. Can't make it.... Look for the next one. Even write it on the calendar. Then forget and don't even look at the calendar. Dang!
The blouse: Simplicity 2501

In any case, That top, the design elements, have stayed with me. I think I have to keep thinking on it, and see where I end up with it.

Tomorrow: The incident with the plaid. Just plain dumb move on my part.

The things you find on Ravelry

2009-10-13T08:38:00.011-05:00

Warning, this post is almost all about knitting.

Gotta love Ravelry.
I finally got around to putting my Judy's Colors stocking on Ravelry, and by the time I did several other projects for this stocking have appeared. When I bought the kit there weren't any.
Well, along with the other projects was a link to an errata page at Judys Colors.
Wouldn't you know!
First, the colors in this brocade knit fabric are close enough that it's hard to see that some of the trees look as if they're missing a limb in the center. It only shows up when you get out the camera. So I just blithely knit the leg of the stocking, following the chart, as written. Yesterday, when I took pics, I thought "those trees look lopsided".
Well, duh, there is an error in the chart. I like to think that if I had been working in a higher contrast yarn combination that I'd have seen it. I have to confess, I'm not ripping it out.

So, this probably isn't the best segue into announcing the fact that I'd like to get into the pool of test knitters for Minimissimi's new wrap cardi Winter Rose. (isn't it pretty?)

Photo belongs to Minimissimi at www.vaivai.com
Gotta love that Friend Activity function on Rav, since it helps filter what you look at by showing you what your friends are tagging. This sweater first came to my attention when Tany tagged it as a favorite.
A couple of years ago I knit the Adrienne Vittadini lace cardi with the surrounding ruffle for Helen.
I found then that I work well with deadline. And, I'd like a sweater like that for my own wardrobe. I've been thinking about going back and knitting the Vittadini for myself, but then this came along, and it's a bit more updated. So I tossed my name in the hat to be a test knitter.
I think that Minimissimi's sweater coat is brilliantly designed. How to take bulky cables and make the design actually visually slimming in a coat is brilliant, IMO.

Other happenings at Ravelry:
Hands On Retreat has been announced. It's a knitting retreat scheduled for May in Chicago. Terri Shea and others will be teaching. Franklin Habit is the keynote speaker. How much fun can that be? So, I already booked my room and plan to go. ... Guess what! It's at exactly the same time as PR Weekend in Philly next May. Last night I told Cidell this, and she just wailed at me "I don't want to hear this!" oh (expletive deleted). Registration and class sign up for Hands On Retreat is coming up soon, and I need to make a decision. Philadelphia or Chicago in May?

Ravelympics have been announced and teams are forming. What to knit, what to knit?

photo from Karabella pattern circular

I do know that before the winter olympics in February I'm going to get my USA scarf knit. I bought this pattern and yarn just after the last winter Olympics, knowing that I wanted it for the next one.

So, did you participate in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics? In Ravelry's Ravylmpics? are you thinking about it for February?

ohhh, wouldn't it be great if the Winter Rose pattern were ready for test knitting for February, and That could by my Rav project.? First I've got to get selected though. Cross your fingers for me.

Finding my Voice

2009-10-12T18:12:00.006-05:00

Lighthouse at the Entrance to the channel at Holland MI.
Note the direction the flag is blowing - the wind is out of the south. We had about 5 days all summer long with winds out of the south. Weird winds this summer.

Well, when I wrote that last post, June 14, I had no intention of being off-line so long.
And the longer it got, the more difficult it became for me to find something important enough to blog about.
I'm still not certain that I have a enough to write about that is relevant and worthy of your reading time. But I do have some friends out there in the blogosphere who've been encouraging me to get back online, so I'll give it a go again.

First up, I'd like to finally, 4 months later, acknowledge those who left links to their lists.
NancyW wrote a post about lists here
Rose's sewing list is here
Jenny made up a list specifically after reading that last post, then decided she was overcommitted (a not uncommon state of being for those who play with fabric and yarn).
Trudy left a link, but alas no list. She more than made up for that though, with a link to her 8 year old daughters sewing blog. How cool is that?
Most everyone else admitted to making lists, either on paper or in their head. And nearly everyone confessed to rather sketchy follow-through on the lists.
I do think it would be interesting to check back on those lists now that summer is over and see how closely anyone met their listed goals.

I did make a list of sorts last spring.
1. Go sailing...
dh and I made a long list of places we planned to sail to over the summer. Ha! Mother nature was not cooperating. We got in about 1/2 the sailing we'd hoped. The rest of the time we hung out on the boat at the marina, and made new friends. Had a great time.
Generally There was too much wind, generally coming from the wrong direction, however sometimes there just wasn't any wind at all. And, it was the coolest summer on Lake Michigan in recent memory. Cold actually.
I'll add sailing pictures over the next coming months, just so that you don't get innudated all at once. I wouldn't want to bore you with a whole bunch.
This is a pic from a glorious day out on Lake Michigan. We were sailing back to Lake Macatawa from Pentwater Lake and had perfect winds and sunshine
item 2 on my list:
Make a needlepoint Christmas Stocking for my daughter-in-law.
DS#2 asked me to make her one just before they got married last October. When I reminded him that it took me 7 years to make his, he replied that I didn't have to finish hers for This Christmas.
He wanted an angel, so we looked and looked and found an angel that he liked, and I began stitching on this in May. I worked on this project all summer, almost to the exclusion of everything else. And, I finished the stitching in September, right after Labor Day.
I ordered Velveteen and cording, and now I just have to block it and put it all together.
She was stitched on 18 count canvas using a variety of fibers.

detail photo of the "ribbon" line at the hem of the angels dress. I used metallic threads, silk thread and beads to stitch that area.

I'm reasonably certain that she never looks at this blog, so I'm thinking she'll be surprised in November when we give the kids their Christmas stuff. I have a box of ornaments and decorations as well as my own kids stockings here. This is the year that both boys are married and both are in their own houses, so it's time to give them their stuff.

But, I can't be without stockings for the family. So, I've started knitting the stockings from the "fabrics" collection from Judys Colors.

For the little bit of knitting I did this summer, this is all I accomplished.

Next time: More sailing pics (or at least "living on a boat" pics), another project or two, and more of my 2009 lists including the Reading List!

I hope you find me again. I promise not to go AWOL again, at least not without notice.

I Love Lists

2009-06-14T16:23:00.003-05:00

I love making them.
I love checking things off of them.
I love comparing mine to others ..tehe

Check out Carolyn's lists on her Saturday Bits and Pieces post
love the 9 things list from Nieman's.
I'm going to get to work on my "pink thing" just as soon as I close this post.

Then I was following links while reading others blogs and perusing FayesSewingAdventures
and see that she has a list on her sidebar of 10 sewing goals for 2009. What a great idea.
Not a list of things she wants to make per se, as much as a list of skills to master or patterns to create and the like. I like that idea.

So, I'm off to make some lists too - I do all sorts of thinking while I'm at the cutting table, and the cutting table it is for me this evening.
What am I up to?

The pink thing.
A dress to wear next weekend to a wedding in Pentwater MI, using a fabric grouping that I've been meaning to get made up for a couple of years.

So, do you make lists?
What is on your list at the moment? If you write a blog post about your lists come back and link it here in the comments and I'll publish the links next week when I publish my lists.

Another pencil skirt

2009-06-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Pattern used: Vogue 1082, a Sandra Betzina pattern

Fabric / Fabric source: A cotton/lycra blend from Sew It Seams in St Louis MO.
I purchased this fabric with a regular 2-main-pattern piece pencil skirt in mind. If I'd stuck with the plan, I'd have a skirt that I'd really like to wear.

However, when I got home and went through the pattern library, looking for Vogue 2770, my TNT pattern, I came across this from Sandra B that I hadn't made yet.

Did I have enough fabric to engineer my print placement? No. But, I thought, "I can just lay it out and let the large-scale floral print fall randomly and it should be fine." HA!
Never think that "random" is going to work with a large scale print. It doesn't.
Check out the dress that Phyllis made and all that she put into the layout of the large graphic print fabric. What makes the dress work is all of the care and thought that went into the layout. The skirt that I featured yesterday, I spent as much time considering layout and in prep as I did in the sewing.

You'll notice, I ended up with a large blue flower on each hip. And a tulip smack dab in the center front panel. And then, worst of all, 4 tulips in a row across the back. Ugh ugh ugh.

Construction details:
Unlined skirt,
Piped in a solid royal blue bias.
Invisible zipper
Waist stayed using white twill tape.

I like the pattern, I like the fit, generally.
I cut a size E at the waist and tapered out to a G, then kept taking it in and taking it in until I had 1 1/4" seam allowances at the side seams. Which means that the proportion of grading I did worked, but I cut too large a size to start with.
Next one I make from this pattern I'll start smaller.

The styling: I'm wearing turquoise sandals, the turquoise is in the skirt. And I wore a silk twin set in royal blue, same color as the piping. To my eye, after looking at these pics, I think it's time to let the twin set go. I like the tucked in, but think I'm going to take a cue from the Lucky article and make a blouse to work with this too.
And truth is, I don't like the royal top/chartruese bottom combo.

Just Skirting Around

2009-06-09T05:30:00.002-05:00

"Every now and then your wardrobe needs an injection of something, new, trendy and fun. That was the thought when we spied the pencil skirts shown in the large graphic prints and florals in the June 2009 issue of Lucky Magazine. These skirts provide a great way to update a classic...so with that photo spread and a little conversation...we were ready to create our own versions. Following are our individual interpretations of an updated yet classic pencil skirt."

Inspiration:

A feature in Lucky Magazine highlighting the pencil skirt done in large scale prints/graphic prints.Photo from Lucky Magazine

The Challenge:

Create a pencil skirt works on our own body and use a bold print. Participants are Carolyn, Cidell, LindsayT, and Me. (I proposed the challenge to a few sewing friends after reading Carolyn's post of May 9 )

The skirt:

Pattern used: A modified version of Vogue 2770. I first made this skirt in a black wool crepe and still wear it. Love the shape and the fit. I moved the slit to the back and placed the front on the fold. This truly fits the definition of a pencil skirt. The hem is 4" narrower in circumference than the hip. A walking slit is definitely required.

I really studied the Lucky Magazine skirts for the styling and the details. Notice on the photo above that the hemlines on these skirts are right on the knee or an inch below the knee. Notice also the tops. Tucked in. Classic shirt styling or blouson peasant style.
I pulled a top from my closet (an older RTW wrap top - didn't realize how badly that back fit - ugh), but have plans in the next weeks to make a blouse for my pencil skirts. To tuck in. I love the way the waistband motif matches with the skirt motif and finishes off the center. However it's all covered up by the wrap blouse.
It would be easy to wear a jersey knit top with this too, but I'm liking the way they're showing it.

Fabric / Fabric source: A silk / cotton blend twill from Fabric Mart. I originally purchased this to make a maxi-dress this spring. But when it came I was less than thrilled with the hand for the dress I wanted. And when I ended up needing an alternative for this skirt, this fabric came handily to mind.
Lining: Ambiance.
Underlining: Fusi-knit or Sof-knit (have 10 yds of this stuff but can't remember exactly which it is)

Construction details:
Engineering the print placement - The success of this garment is totally dependent on the placement of the print.
I held the fabric up to me and moved the motif up and down to figure out which would be the most desirable placement.
Fortunately, the scale works out well for this project. I decided to place the waist right at the horizontal pink motif that separates the turquoise vertical paisley curls.

I underlined the skirt using a fusible.
Click on this photo to make it larger and read the text.
The skirt has a contour waistband. To stay the waist and prevent it from stretching out I used a selvage edge piece of silk organza.
To hem the lining, which is free hanging except where it is stitched to the back slit, I borrowed a technique from Carolyn and used a piece of vintage lace.
To support the waist closure and reduce the strain on the zipper I inserted a tab at the Center back behind the zipper on the left waistband and stitched a button to the waistband facing on the right.

Doing the goofy model pose

All in all I'm very pleased with this skirt, and am going to love wearing it.
Thanks Carolyn, Cidell and LindsayT for keeping this project on track and making it fun!!

See tomorrows post for a less successful attempt at the pencil skirt in a large / graphic print. As I stated above, print placement is Everything!

Vogue 8571, a quick knit dress

2009-06-07T06:57:00.005-05:00

The DressMe wearing Vogue 8571 (someday I'll learn how to stand straight in front of a camera - looks like I'm lurching to the side)

I said I'd get some sewing done this week!
The Fabric
Staring me in the face, on the front of the lower shelf of my rolls of fabrics, has been this awesome rayon print that I got from Lucy's Fabrics, was it one year ago, or two?
You may recognize it as the same print that BWOF made this top from in 06/2007 issue. Stacy made the top in this fabric and it's darling on her. I've been holding onto it, waiting for the right pattern to show up to make it. The top was just a bit too bare for me to wear.

The Pattern:
From one of the recent pattern sales I'd picked up Vogue 8571, a Very Easy Vogue knit dress pattern.

Description: MISSES' DRESS: Pullover dresses A, B in two lengths have bodice front and back gathers, self-faced neck band and flared skirt. A: length is mid-knee. B: length is mid-calf. FABRICS: †† Two-way Stretch Knits Only: Cotton Lycra*, Nylon Lycra* and Rayon Lycra* (* Dupont Registered Trad-emark). Unsuitable for obvious diagonals.

I made View B. The difference being, on me, View A didn't fall mid knee, but well above it, and View B fell just below the knee.

Construction Notes:
I cut a size 16 in the bodice, tapering out to an 18 in the skirt, and took 5/8" side seams in the bodice then trimmed them, and used a generous 1/4" serged seam allowance through the skirt. Unorthodox way to grade out a pattern, but 5/8" seam allowances in a knit like this are ludicrous.
As far as the print - it's huge, so all I did was check for large motifs and make sure that none were in embarrassing "bullseye" positions, then I just went for it.

As is typical of the Big4, the instructions for constructing the bodice are more appropriate to wovens than to knits. At least they didn't recommend a zipper this time. None is needed.
What they recommend:

Stitch the side and shoulder seams of the bodice Front and Back together, and run gathering stitches along the neck and empire waist edges.
They have you interface the neck bands, then gather the bodice directly to the neck band. Then you stitch the neck band facing to the neckband at the neck edge and then understitch, then hand stitch the facing down to the bodice.

What I did:

Inside Front Bodice

lined up the bodice front pattern piece with the neck band pattern piece and folded out the amount of gathers, then cut a lining piece for the front using tricot from stash. I then gathered the bodice front to the lining, stitching the lining to the fashion fabric wrong sides together.
I interfaced both the neck band and neck band facing pieces with fusible sof-knit, then stitched my shoulder seams, then stitched the facing together with the band at the neck edge, understitched as instructed, then turned the facing to the inside, pressed. At this point I stitched together the lower edge of the band and facing and trimmed off the excess of the facing using the serger. The understitching combined with the turn of the cloth meant that the facing was hanging about 1/8" lower than the band. *It should be noted that the pattern calls for 5/8" seam allowances, and I used 1/4" seam allowances at both neck edge and lower edge, so my band is approx 3/4" wider than the pattern is drafted for.
I then stitched the neck band to the bodice all the way around and then pressed the seam allowance toward the bodice. This is perfectly acceptable in knit construction. The seam allowance need not be enclosed as it should be for a woven. And this rayon presses beautifully.
I then stitched the bodice to the skirt, which I'd already stitched together at side seams, and hemmed on my new coverstitch machine (whew, there is a learning curve there). At this point I put it on, and didn't like how loose the empire seam was. So I went back and serged on a piece of clear elastic stretching the elastic as I stitched. The result is that the lower bodice pulls back nicely to the rib cage. Fortunately I'd stitched my empire seam together on the sewing machine, which allowed me "try on" time without a serged edge to contend with. If I'd attached them with the serger I'd have had to figure out how to stitch the elastic on without adding the bulk of another row of serging.

Clear Elastic serged to Empire seam allowance

Inside back bodice neckline

Note that I did not line the bodice back, which means that I was gathering the neck edge directly to the neck band, which was a bit tricky in a jersey knit that just wants to roll.

Back ViewConclusion:
I like the dress. I love the fabric! Love it. Comfortable rayon knit to wear. Classy looking.
I still like the design of the Maggy London dress from 2 seasons ago better, but I wore that dress to death and decided I needed another, different knit dress.
Will I make this again? Maybe.

Long and rambling catch-up

2009-06-03T07:48:00.013-05:00

We're back. I thought I'd have internet access on the boat, but at this point, we haven't bit the bullet and paid for the service up there, so, I've been offline since ~May 20.
I'm going to just try to catch up quick and dirty like, then add a few posts with more detail before I take off again.
1. The Boat - pictures at end of post
We got some sailing in, and a lot of work done on the boat. It's still quite cold up along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Every morning was a fleece vest or rain gear wearing AM, midday generally we could shed down to short sleeves, but by sundown we were back in fleece.

Me standing at end of pier where Holland lighthouse is located (see pics end of post). This pic was taken May 25. Note the fact that I'm wearing a skirt (very comfortable jeans style made from stretch woven cotton. I spent more time in that skirt than in the shorts I made), and wearing a sweater and then a fleece lined vest over. Temps were dipping into the 40's at night. I think we saw a high of 72 one day! :)
That thing in the background? - It's the dredging apparatus that blocks half the mouth of the channel everyday, and then they've got half the channel marked off with bouys. Hopefully they finish all this before we get back up there.

2. Knitting Progress
I got a lot of knitting done on the Apres Surf Hoodie I've been working on for myself.
My progress

The pattern pic.
Enough so that I can take a pic and it'll look like something. I love this knit. It's an easy lace pattern to memorize, and it's getting a lot easier for me to "read" my lace. I've always been proficient at reading cables, but lace - not so much. I've knit in the round up to the neckline and armscye split and am partway up the front above the armscye. I figure that puts me about 1/2 way. I still have 2 sleeves and the hood. The yarn is RYC cashsoft 4ply. Dreamy to knit with.
Oh, project monogamy on the boat is a lot easier. There's only one project to work on!

3. Current sewing
1. I've gotten a bit of sewing done lately too. Finally got out the camera and took some pics.
I finished a knit dress for my sister using BWOF 121
The fabric was from Gorgeous Fabrics last year, and the pattern called for a contrast and a wrap skirt. I decided to make it slightly less "Duro"-like and just ran the print the other direction for the contrast bands. I also eliminated the wrap part of the skirt as I didn't have quite enough fabric for that. Tany made a gorgeous version of this dress last year.
2. I finished a pair of black cotton shorts to take with us.
Forgive the picture. I wore them last night and they're wrinkled, but I didn't get a pic of them on me.
Pattern: Vogue 8365. The same pattern I used last Feb to make the yellow linen shorts and the turq blue cotton ones, that have both been tossed. I failed to stabilize the waistband in the yellow with staytape, and they stretched to the point that I could take them off without unzipping. Given that I have a large difference between my waist and hip measurement, you have to know, that is a LOT of stretching. The turq pair would have been fine, except I used an old and awful fusible interfacing in the waistband and it puckered and looked horrible. I couldn't live with it. Fortunately that incident caused me to clean out my interfacing drawer and toss out all the crap.
Anyway, I knew that I wasn't wild about the pattern, but I got so many nice comments on the shorts that when I found the pattern again - having thought that I'd tossed it too - I made the mistake of using it for these black shorts. The rise is too low. The cut is just a bit flat in the rear. Even though I raised the CB for sway back alteration, they're still not right. So, I'll wear these, but this time I did throw the pattern in the trash can. I'm getting better at that.
Next pair of shorts I'm going to try the new Burda - the paper-bag style that BeeBee just made, or the Alice and Olivia Vogue 1059 pattern that I've been using and loving for pants this past winter.
3. I made a full length body pillow using a white matellase from The Fabric Company in Chesterfield MO, for the boat of course. The walls of the boat are a bit chilly and I wanted something between me and the wall for these cold spring nights. No pics, of course. Easy construction. Zipper closure, no welting, boxed corners.

4. I'm currently working on BWOF 02-2009-105. Birgitte made a great black/white version of this dress last month. I'm loving this pattern every bit as much as she did.
I have the bodice made and will finish the skirt today and put it together. I'm making it two tone, using bits of fabric that I had in stash. This is an embroidered silk dupioni that I've been hanging onto for several years, trying to figure out what to do with the 7/8 yd that I had. This is NOT the way to match patterns. If I'd had enough fabric then the motif would match across the front. However, I'm not totally unhappy with the way the motifs are, and the fit on this bodice is fabulous. The skirt is a black rayon linen look. I'll review it and model it when it's done. Actually, I intend to wear it to work tomorrow.

4. Inspiration and future planning
I'm in love with this dress on the St Johns website. And, although I need another piece of fabric like I need a hole in my head, I'm looking for the possibilities.
There is this piece from Manhattan fabrics, but I'm thinking it's probably too heavy, and I'd really like a knit. Then, there is this from Elliott Berman. Not exactly the right thing, but closer. Then there is the problem of the graphic print to go with it. Anyone seen anything anywhere that might fill the bill?

5. The next wedding
is in September. September 19 at the northernmost border of Illinois. Could be hotter than blazes but most likely will be a lovely cool 70ish degree day. Avg high is 74 and avg low is 52 for Sept for that part of the country.

The bride has chosen red for her bridesmaids,
and her mom has chosen a pretty tea length navy blue dress.
I need to choose an appropriate color and style for a noon wedding that will be followed by a luncheon that will include dancing.
I have some ideas, but I'm open to suggestion at the moment.

6. Comments and emails
Like everyone else, I love getting comments and emails. I'm especially enjoying the emails that I'm getting from some of you telling me your boating and sailing stories. Who knew that someone many of us in sewing blogland know spent a part of her younger wilder days living on a houseboat? And I'm hearing from others who have the same / similar dreams and plans. And of course others of you who think I'm nuts!
Thank you all for putting up with my OT boat ramblings. I'll try to throw some sewing/ knitting content out there in the next week or so. There are some things on the table now that are blog-worthy.

Some pics:

Holland LIghthouse at entrance to chanel taken from land side

Entrance to channel taken from boat

Frieghter passing behind our boat slip

sails up
Lake Michigan shoreline off in distance

Launched!

2009-05-18T09:44:00.008-05:00

Before we left I did a bit more sewing for the boat.
The drawing above gives the dimensions for the pullman berth in the master cabin. Ever tried making a bed with square/rectangle sheets when the bed is built in and of weird dimensions?
I decided that I needed to make "fitted" sheets.

I began with a fitted sheet for a queen size bed, and opened up the fitted corners. Then I found I needed to add back some of what had been cut out of the corners when the rectangle was made. So I did that, then cut the sheet to the dimensions I needed to fit the mattress, plus 6" all the way around to fold around and under.
I don't have pics, but next I used the serger to apply the elastic to the corners and ends, and it worked like a charm. Best of all, the sheets are a perfect fit.
Now I need to go return the mattress pad I bought and exchange it for one of the more padded "feather-bed" ones. Then I'll go through the same exercise as above to fit it to the berth.

And, As the ticker up top indicates, it's past launch day and we're in the water!
A pictorial story follows. Last up is the seagull who's taken up residence on the piling straight across the dock, Keeping watch on our boat. I think he was really just waiting to see if we'd feed him some of the crackers and cheese we were sampling in the cockpit.
BTW folks, it's still bloody cold up there. When we woke up on the boat yesterday AM it was 52F in the cabin of the boat, and 40 F outside.

It's a good day to shop

2009-04-28T08:18:00.009-05:00

As the weather gets warmer (and we get closer to launch) knitting becomes less inviting and sewing is taking a higher place on my limited time priority list.

I need summer clothes badly. And shoes I can wear.
I have the habit started 3 or 4 seasons ago of just getting rid of everything at the end of a season that I'm either sick of or what doesn't fit or what is looking worn. Last fall I was heartily sick of the few things that I'd been wearing all summer.
Need I tell you that my clothing options for warm weather right now consist of gym shorts and 2 dresses? The blue/red stripe Bottega Venetta knockoff with the smocked back, and Vogue 8386 in the grey/yellow dot knit. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't get rid of the knit dress, as I'm a bit sick of it already and I've only worn it 3 times this season (last week) (grin).
and

I have no shorts. I have a few knit tops, but they're all looking a bit worn around the edges, and they're all turquoise or pink.
So, I'm ready to whip out a few fast items so that I'm not reduced to wearing the same thing to work every other day when I'm at home, and wearing gym shorts when I'm not at work.

Hot off the machine: BWOF ??-????-??? skirt
in a fairly beefy navy linen

Don't remember the issue the BWOF skirt came from. I traced it off last fall, and didn't label it. RuthieK advised this week on SG to label your patterns as soon as you trace them. Good advice.
I also Can't remember how long ago I got this fabric, nor from where. I know I didn't have much of it, so I ended up having to face the hem. I chose to use another remnant - a seersucker, that's been kicking around here for awhile. I also made the pocket bag and the fly facing from the same seersucker. Then, instead of interfacing the waistband, I decided to face it on the outside with grosgrain ribbon. Back in the day I had instructors who taught us to use grosgrain as the waistband stabilizer inside the waistband. I just decided it would be a cute touch to have it show. So, it's topstitched to the facing side of the straight waistband, then I just hand stitched the fold to the seam allowance inside, as I normally would.

KayY asked about what I do to get the waistband square to the facing and fly front. I had to think, since I don't think I do anything special. But then I was demonstrating to a student last week in class, and the lightbulb went on when a student asked why I was offsetting the stitching line coming up to finish the end of the waistband. I generally come over one or two yarns of the woven fabric when stitching straight up to finish an edge, in order to accomodate the "turn of the cloth". Here's a pic, before the buttonhole and button were finished.

So, what am I shopping for?
Zappos my friends. It's been a long long time since I've gotten any new shoes. I felt like I was overdue.
See a theme here? Looks like I'm going to be ready to celebrate come 4th of July.

Just for good measure, and to be certain I don't get into comical territory, I added this pair in yellow.

So I've got a navy/white summer jacket/top on the sewing table now. And... look for details soon, a BWOF dress or two, or three. Many thanks to Cidell for her loan of two past issues of BWOF that I'm sure I have, I'm sure I do, but I can't find them.

News: I'm hosting the BWOF sewalong at Sew It Seams on Manchester in St Louis beginning Thursday evening April 30, 6PM-9PM. If you're in St Louis, consider joining us.

Let the summer sewing begin!