The most frequently asked question: Where do I buy my labels? The answer: Namemaker.
Camera straps will be available some time in the middle of April. I will let you know the exact date when it gets closer.
OK - back to my vacation.
I forgot how much fun sewing with elastic thread can be until I made the All-Weekend Sundress from Weekend Sewing. And once I started, I couldn't stop.
I started with the skirts and then moved on to dresses. The skirts took 1/2 yard of fabric each, and the dress, slightly under a yard each. I didn't follow my own tutorial, but instead went with the directions Heather gives in Weekend Sewing. Her way is easier and better which made these pretty fast projects....about 1/2 hour per skirt, maybe an hour for the dress. The girls are saying that they will wear them. I hope so. I increased the odds by making sure that their respective garments matched their new saltwaters. Fingers crossed.
Our spring break starts today at 3:00. I'm looking forward to some down time and just hanging out. I'm not sure if I will be in this space or not. Have a great weekend and see you soon-ish.
I could have finished in February if I had really tried, but I didn't. Instead, I knit the last 3 rounds of sleeve number two and then cast off on March 1st. I blocked it right away and finally, about a week after it had dried, bought some buttons to finish it off. I have worn it three times and I love how it fits. I was worried that I made it too small, but kept reminding myself that garter stitch grows and it would be fine. It's more than fine. It's perfect. What I do not love is how the Malabrigo is starting to pill. I was warned, but I went ahead anyhow. That's okay. I'll deal.
Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Size: XS - 37.5"
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Forest, 5 skeins (with most of the 5th skein unused)
Needles: Size 7
Modifications: I made the bottom band and arm bands wider to match the width of the button band. That's all.
And yes, that is my bathroom, re-painted. Still missing outlet covers, though. Why rush these things? I'll get to that someday.
Instead of writing three more posts, I decided to put the remaining projects I made from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross all together. The reasons are simple: I didn't make many modifications and I am ready to talk about something else. So here you go.
The Trapeze Dress/Blouse
When I traced the pattern for this, I cut 10" off of the bottom and just followed the same hem line. Easy enough. I sewed it up in a cotton swiss dot-like fabric that I got on sale. I bought 2 yards and that was more than I needed. The sizing on this was just as true as on the summer blouse - I made a medium and it fit without any modifications. I sewed it following the directions exactly, except I skipped the pocket bit as mine is a shirt instead of a dress. After I sewed the straps between the facings, I tried on the blouse and had Fatty pin the straps in back so they would cover my bra straps. That part is definitely a two person job - get a friend to help you. After the straps were sewn, I tried it on and decided on my hem length. I cut another 2" off the bottom (making my cut pieces 12" shorter than the dress pattern) and gave the blouse a generous 1" hem. Ta da! I love it and am looking forward to wearing it lots.
Pajama Pants/Shorts for Everyone
I made the Child's L/XL for Jane and Kate. I had 3/4 yard of each print (60" wide) and that was more than enough. I traced the pattern so the inseam would be 5" before hemming. They are a quick project and go together fast. Instead, of leaving the casing opening in the front and hand sewing it shut, I left the back open, inserted the elastic and then stitched it shut with the machine. I added ric rack to the bottom for cuteness - the girls love it. The pattern states it will fit up to a 28" waist. I think that is pushing it. The finished waist measures 28", so there is no ease in that number. While they fit Kate just fine (she wears a girls' size 8), Jane (who wears a girls' size 10) can just get them over her hips. The rise is perfectly fine, though, so when I make them again, I will just add 1/4" or so to the side edges so there is a little more ease.
All-Weekend Sundress
I am really pleased with how this project came out. I made it in about 3 hours with my regular sewing machine - no serger necessary even if you are using a knit. The knit I bought was 60" wide and is a cotton/rayon blend. I bought 2.5 yards and it shrunk down a bit so I couldn't cut the ruffle (the bottom part of the skirt) 20" long. My pieces were 16" instead and I think it's fine. I loved sewing with the elastic thread - Heather's instructions are perfect and it was super easy. I also loved that with a knit, there is no hemming. Bonus! I didn't make any modifications to the pattern pieces and sewed it all according to the written directions. I made a size M, although my hip measurement falls in the L range. It fits perfectly - the elastic thread gives it a lot of ease. I still need to make the spaghetti straps....
All right, that's it. I whipped up a skirt for Kate today and I have a finished sweater to show off. Be back soon.
The yard sale wrap skirt is the cover project for Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. This is a great beginner to advanced beginner project - easy and pretty fast, too.
I started with 3 yards of an Amy Butler print. Heather shows you cutting the skirt out with the fabric folded. Unfortunately, the L/XL size would not fit on the 42" wide fabric once it was folded in half (21"), but I imagine the S/M might. Regardless, I was able to flip the pattern piece around because I had a somewhat non-directional print to get 2 pieces out of the width. If my fabric had an obvious right side up, then it would have taken me tons of fabric - maybe 7 yards or something crazy like that. Keep that in mind. After I cut the six panels that the pattern calls for, it was apparent to me that I was going to need a seventh. I knew that Amisha had added another panel to hers, so I wasn't that surprised that I need an extra one too. She made a S/M and I made a L/XL. Suffice it to say, you should plan for that extra panel by buying extra fabric. I didn't have enough left on my 3 yard piece, so I cut into a 1 yard cut of the same print for the seventh panel and the waistband pieces. I used 4 yards total, but you might be able to get away with less if you plan better than I did.
The sewing was fast. The panels are joined using French seams. Don't let that deter you! I had never sewn French seams before and Heather's directions were very easy to follow. Plus, they look so nice! After the panels were sewn together and the sides hemmed, I added the waistband. I found the left waistband piece to be wider than the center waistband piece. I solved that easily enough - I just cut it so they fit together. The waistband was sewn and top stitched in about a half an hour. When it came time to hem, I didn't feel like messing with a hand sewn rolled hem. Instead, I just pressed 1/4" to the wrong side, folded it back and pressed again. Easy enough.
The skirt sits up pretty high on my waist. I think if I were to make it again, I'd try to adjust it to sit lower - either add another panel, or maybe take some length off the top. Of course, if I did that, I would have to add length to the waistband so it would wrap around and tie properly. I also think I would look at the skirt length a bit more. I wore the skirt out the other day and still found it to be super comfortable. Heather wrote a great article about hemlines here. Read it - you won't be sorry. I now know why the jean skirt I bought last fall never makes me feel good. It's too short.
All right - next up I am going to talk about those p.j. shorts, the all-weekend dress and the trapeze dress/blouse. All in one post because I am so ready to move on. Later, people.
The Everyday Tote was the second project I made from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. As far as bags go, this one is pretty straight forward. I had this great Lotta Jansdotter fabric that Leslie sent me that would be perfect for this bag and was ready to start cutting until I realized I was going to need way more than 1/2 yard (42" wide) to get this one done. When I talked to her, Heather mentioned that the pattern should read that you will need 1 yard of each the outside and lining fabrics. So now you know.
Back to me and my dilemma....remember, I rarely have any cut fabric bigger than 1 yard? The Denyse Schmidt gold and green polka dot was in my stash - I had 1/2 yard (54" wide) which was just enough after washing to lay the pattern piece on it side by side, instead of on the fold. I did add 1/2" to my traced pattern to make up for the seam allowance I had to put in the bottom. Follow? Same goes for the lining. Because the Heather Ross print I chose is directional, cutting it on the fold would have given me upside down flowers on one side of my bag. That wasn't going to cut it, so I cut 2 single pieces instead.
The straps and the strap linings are cut on the bias. The pattern has you cutting them from the same two fabrics you are using for the outside of the bag and the lining. Well, I had no large polka dots left, so I went back to the stack and pulled out a coordinating Denyse Schmidt print from the County Fair line. And of course, I didn't have enough of the lining to line the handles so I chose another Heather Ross fabric from the stash that coordinates perfectly - the green horse print (from the West Hill line - can't find a good link). I also cut the pocket out of the horse print. I measured the pattern piece and then cut a rectangle twice as high so I could fold it to double it and make it a bit heftier.
I sewed the bag exactly as Heather describes except I had to add the bottom seam. No big deal. All went well until the handles. I could not wrap my brain around the written directions in conjunction with the illustrations and the photo. I really think this is not Heather - it's me. I couldn't get quilt binding out of my head, so that is basically what I did. It doesn't look anything like the photo so I know it's wrong. I considered ripping it out, but then realized that it looks fine and my time wasn't worth it. When I make the next one - yes, there will be more - I'll try something different.
I think it is super cute. And as I told Heather, I love that I can fold it flat to stick in my purse or maybe even a suitcase. The shape is fantastic, too. I might even shrink the pattern down a bit to make a smaller, kid-sized version. The thought of my girls carrying their own stuff to the pool just makes me smile.
Questions? I'll answer them in the comments again. Monday, it's the yard sale wrap skirt. Until then, have a great weekend.
OK - it's settled. I am going to dish more about the projects I made from Weekend Sewing. I figure a good place to start is the beginning. And the beginning for me was the Summer Blouse.
As I mentioned to Heather, this was the project that got me itching to sew. I looked around the sewing room for some suitable fabric and really didn't have much to choose from. I tend to buy small amounts of quilting fabrics - a yard or less generally. The ones I did have more yardage of were busy, colorful prints that I didn't think I would wear as a shirt. Then, peeking out of a pile of wool, I saw a corner of this pink and white check shirting that I had bought at Mood in New York over two years ago. I pulled it out and was happy to see I had 2.5 yards. The choice was made. For the facing, I used the only Liberty lawn I had in my stash. I had cut into it for my string x quilt and had a little less than a half a yard, but it too was enough.
I chose to sew a size Medium as I know from knitting sweaters that my bust measurement is 38". I was a bit hesitant, but cut into the good stuff anyhow. I really hate making muslins. I know you are supposed to, but I just don't bother. No worries, though. This fits great in the bust. Perfect, actually. I am a C cup and there was no bust adjustment needed. Bonus.
Sewing the facing for the placket is pretty easy. Heather's directions are really clear and I found it simple enough. The little band on the inside of the neck is bias strips and pretty easy to do, also. I just made sure with both of these steps to take my time and really read the directions all the way through. It worked. The only thing I did differently here was that my little button loop is just folded in on itself, not a turned tube like Heather describes. Easier for me without the proper tube-turning tool.
Setting the sleeves was easy. Heather explains it well and I had done that before so I was pretty confident that it would work out. Once I got the sleeves in, I tried the blouse on and found that it was a bit billowy for me. I am narrowest in the ribcage with curves (read: big on top and on bottom) and the bell shape didn't flatter me much. I set my machine on the basting stitch and took in the sides. I sewed straight down from the dart to the bottom - the seam ended up being about an inch at bottom end. I tried it on and it was good so I re-did it with a normal stitch length and then cut the seams accordingly.
The length was a bit on the short side for me. I am long in the torso and I normally add length, but kind of spaced on that part. So, necessity being the mother of invention and all, I cut some bias strips out of the facing fabric and sewed them to the bottom of the blouse to make up some of that length. It worked well, but next time I would just add length to the actual pattern pieces.
After having the blouse on and off a bunch of times while fitting it, the slip stitch I did to close up the deep v of the placket started coming loose. I knew this was going to drive me crazy so I took the blouse back to the machine and used a smallish zig zag stitch and sewed right over the seam line. It looks good and hasn't budged a bit. I then sewed on the small, green vintage button. I don't ever button the blouse though - next time I would probably skip the button loop and button.
Questions? Fire away. I will answer any questions in the comments so everyone can benefit. Back tomorrow with the everyday tote.
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
125
Timestamp: 2009-03-18 18:43:53 UTC
I wish I had 220 books to give away, but I don't. I only have one. If my counting is correct (and I hope it is!), the winner of Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross is:
Katherine, email me your address and we will get the book on it's way to you.
So, I was thinking about dishing a bit more about each of the individual projects I made - the fabrics, the details, the modifications, etc. Would you all be interested in that? Or should I move on? Let me know your thoughts and I'll go from there.
Enjoy your day! Spring has really sprung around here.
This post really made me want this book! I hate sewing clothes for myself, I'd like to get better at it.