Easy Peasy

This post is really to remove the "Under (Temporary) Maintenance" post as the last post, because I really have not done much since my last "sewing" post (which was a wadder to bring you up to speed). 

The good news is I believe I fixed the issues I was having with my blog. Replying to comments seems to work again. I can add new entries to my two blogrolls at the right. My archive of old blog posts at the left is expandable/working again. There are few small things that aren't back to my preference, like typefaces and sizes, but I'm going to just let it roll for now because I just don't feel like spending more time in the HTML bowels of the blog. 

So, back to the sewing stuff. I am making the absolute easiest thing in the world. A black ponte knit skirt, which uses one pattern piece cut two times. You'd think I'd be done by now. But you'd be wrong. 

I was going to use my RTW skirt (on its last legs hence this project) to create a pattern, so I'd get lengths and widths correct. Then I went a step further and decided to just modify an actual pattern instead of, I don't know, drawing lines on paper. The problem with drawing lines on paper was I have no idea where any pattern paper is at the moment, so modifying an existing pattern seemed easier. Neither method was going to be particularly hard. It's a tube of fabric with elastic at the top. 

I used Kwik Sew 3256, which I last sewed 7 years and many pounds ago, and which I actually cut instead of tracing. I used the top section of View A. 

I still have the skirt hanging in my closet so I could try squeeze it on and figure out adjustments. I added up adding many inches by just adding copy/printer paper (thank you office!) to the sides and bottom with Post-It tape (LOVE this stuff!). That way my original pattern can survive unharmed.

I should have had the skirt finished yesterday but I was having the weirdest problem with skipped stitches. My trusty main machine has never done this before. I finally changed the needle and was back to sewing. But that put me off for the afternoon so I've still got the side slits to sew around, and black thread on black fabric + over 40 eyes at night (who are we kidding? Over 60!) don't mix. I hope to finish it up tonight or tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you're interested in someone who is undertaking a much more interesting and challenging project than my stupid-easy black skirt, I encourage you to go visit Bunny's blog and follow her as she makes what's going to be a fabulously fancy sparkly wonder! 

Also since I can't help it, I leave you with another photo of Cyrus. Who is definitely in the running for Most Spoiled Dog in the World. 

A New Work Outfit: HotPatterns 1189 and Kwik Sew 3256

I just can't resist this work bathroom for selfies. It has a huge mirror and great lighting. Plus it's a solo room, so  no chance of being embarrassingly "caught." I finished this top on Sunday and the skirt last night and wore them both to work today.

The top is a Hot Patterns Fast & Fabulous Shirt-Tail T. It's definitely a fast sew and the first-try fit is better than the similar Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee I made earlier in the year. I like the lower scoop neck of the F&FSTT better than the boatneck KKT and the shoulder seams hit me better. The KKT tends to pull backward. The F&FSTT also has a bit more drafted-in waist shaping, which could easily be added to the KKT if one were so inclined. The F&FSTT also has a couple more styling options with the cuffed sleeves and the optional piecing and/or flounces. As for overall sizing, I agree with other reviewers that this pattern runs large. Even larger than most HPs on me. I used a straight 14. This is at least one size smaller, and maybe two depending on the style, at the hips than what I usually cut for HPs.

My fabric (an ITY) is sorta striped so I chose the pieced front. Unfortunately, the striping isn't obvious enough that the piecing is truly noticeable. Still, I do like the way the zebra stripe changes direction. I'll make this again and either use a more obvious stripe or, more likely, color/pattern block it.

The back is seamed and I chose not to perfectly match across that seam for more visual interest.This actually looks more pieced than the front. Hah.

This fabric is pretty lightweight and I felt the sleeve cuffs wouldn't stay cuffed without some help so I interfaced them with some Palmer/Pletsch Light fusible interfacing. I like the extra body it added to the cuffs.

I wish I had added some interfacing to the neckband. It's OK the way it is, but it would be a lot better if it had more heft. The neckline is also a tiny bit too wide for me. It's better out of the envelope than most HPs on me, but note that the neckline is the same size/width for all sizes so you'll definitely want to think about muslining it. I thought about it, and plunged ahead anyway. :-)

The neckband non-heft and width and having a long scrap left over inspired a necktie/scarf. I like that the tie adds visual interest (Does this print actually need more visual interest?) and takes the "T" up a notch for office wear and under cardigan.

All I did was use a 3-thread rolled hem to lettuce the edge a little bit. Easy-peasy, and now I have a scarf to wear with other things too.

Here's how I was actually dressed today. Tampa was in the 40s this morning. OMG.

I've been meaning to make a longer black ponte skirt for quite a while and finally got around to it Sunday/Monday. I pulled out this old Kwik Sew pattern. I'm sure many of you have it also, and have probably made it. The longer View A was a thing about 10 years ago. I think it's pretty much a classic and I've always had a thing for flounces. I only wish I hadn't waited so long to use this pattern since I short-changed myself some skirts over the years. I did add back waist darts by tracing them from my TNT Magic Pencil and before that I shortened the whole skirt from the top about 4 inches (since it's pretty straight down from the waist and the flounce was already attached and who wants to rip all that out?). Without shortening it, it would've been nearly a maxi on 5'5" me. Whenever I make it again, I'll also probably narrow it too since it's on the wide side and I'd like it more pegged. It's a KS Plus pattern and I'm on the edge between their Regular and Plus sizes.

I did keep the slit, although I noted many of the old reviews on PR mentioned sewing it closed. I'm not sure why since it's low on the leg, even after I chopped off the top, so it's not even remotely revealing. I like the added visual interest.

Here's a couple of totally dorkus pics in my back yard after work, with the sun doing odd shadowy things to my face.

I still have the post on Big 4 ease coming but it's more fun to post finished projects. I'm hoping to finish it during the upcoming long Thanksgiving weekend. I'm really looking forward to the time off and hope to get into the sewing room some more.

Kwik Sew 3873 and Cashmerette Concord Mash-Up: Reveal

I took this past Thursday and Friday off with big plans to sew for 4 days. Well, all I managed to finish was my mash-up of Kwik Sew 3873 with a Cashmerette Concord Tee bodice, but I'm happy with my new dress so it's a win. The weather was just too nice on Saturday to stay inside all day but the biggest speed bump was my second thoughts about all these prints together, resulting in a bad case of analysis paralysis.

Cutting went very quickly, especially considering how many pieces there are. Since I was using 3 different fabrics and most pattern pieces were able to be "nested," I still have plenty left of each print for future projects.

I had the print mix in my mind before I started, but once I had everything cut out, I started second-guessing myself and visualizing Mrs. Frizzle. I ended up staring at it all on my cutting table for about a day before I finally decided to just do it. Once I actually started, the sewing went fast. The Kwik Sew pieces for the skirt curvy sections have notches that line up perfectly, making alignment and construction very straightforward. And since I morphed the already-tested Cashmerette Concord Tee for the bodice section, fitting alterations were eliminated.

With the bodice and skirt sections stitched, it was time for some more navel gazing. I had initially cut out sleeves from the same print as the bodice but then thought maybe I wanted contrasting sleeves. I put out a call for an informal poll on Instagram and the opinions were about equal for both options.

I decided the matching sleeves were a little less Crazytown and since I already had them cut out, they won. I'm happy with that decision. A contrast neckband finished up the print mixing.

I shortened the sleeves about 2-1/2 inches compared to the KS pattern (not the Concord sleeve) because while I wanted to try the longer short sleeve length, I decided it was too frumpy on me. After the first full try-on, I also shortened the back bodice 1 inch at the center graduating to 0 at the side seams. This was more to fine-tune the morph of the Concord in lieu of a real muslin. It also meant frog-stitching the back waist seam, but since I hadn't serged that seam, it was fairly painless.

Finally, since I have to carry a key card at work and without pockets I have nowhere to hang it, I added a loop at the front right waist seam for clipping the card onto it. I have to say that I LOVE this feature. Dorky, but so useful!

All of the mirror pics show how I wore this dress to work today, including my key card. It's the end of the day so I'm a little wilted but life is life. I'm never going to win for most beautiful blog pics. Hah.

And one more just because. The bottom "hem" isn't really. I just left the cut edge raw. After wearing all day, I think it probably grew a little too long and I may go ahead and hem it at some point when I want to veg with Netflix and pin a million pins on a very wide skirt hem. In other words, don't anyone hold their breath on that one. :-)

Final verdict: I love the dress! It fits nicely, thanks to the Concord bodice (by the way, if you're busty/curvy, go get this tee now! I am not affiliated, yada yada ... just really happy with the pattern). The dress skims lumps and bumps,and the twirl/swish factor is awesome. I even like the print mix again. It feels summery and fun. I'll definitely be visiting this pattern morph again, just in a more subdued way. I think I'd like it as a skirt too.

Parting shot: My Mother's Day gift from Alex ... New ceramic pots and colorful crotons to put in them. I love them!

In the works and on deck

(Can you believe it? TWO posts from me in the same week!)

So it's Spring here in Tampa. For about another minute until it's All Summer-All Humid-All The Time … for months. And I'm ready for some new clothes.

First up, is the new Cashmerette Concord tee. This should have been a very quick sew over this past weekend. To be fair, it IS a quick sew. It just wasn't a quick decision on sizing so actually starting took some time. And let's not mention Netflix sucking me in.

In-Progress Concord

I was originally to be a tester but my sewing is so scarce and scattered these days that I pretty much just wussed out. Jenny very kindly sent me a paper pattern anyway. I'm a bad tester. But I am an honest reviewer, so maybe it will all work out?

Concord back pattern with curves!

With the paper pattern in hand, it meant I had to trace. It also meant I had to "sacrifice" some old never-used costume pattern so I had tracing paper to use, or something resembling it. (I know I have actual pattern tracing paper but I have no idea where it ended up after the move last July.) Tracing isn't a big deal. I have to be honest, though, and say I actually prefer PDFs just because I don't have to trace and I can just print another if I mess up.

So back to the sizing conundrum. I tend to run a little bit narrow in the shoulders and from the Concords I'd been seeing on blogs and Instagram, it looked to me like the neckline runs wide. After cutting and partially sewing, I agree with myself that it does have a wide-set neck opening. In the pic above, the neckband isn't yet sewn on (and in real life it's not even cut out), so the neck opening looks even wider than it will when finished.

Although my B-W-H measurements would put me in the 18-20 range, I started with the E/F cup and traced at 14 for the neckline and shoulders, gradually increasing to 16 at underarm/bust level, and then out to 20+ for hips/bum.

So far, everything is going great. Except my fiddly fabric. I thought I would do some colorblocking, and as you can see, I did. But I'm probably going to be sorry. This rayon knit is very flimsy and there is definite rippling where the two colors come together. I'm pretty sure that the neckband stitching will be meh too. So, I'm dubbing this a wearable muslin and we'll see how it goes.

The pattern itself is very nice. It's nothing earth-shattering for me because I now have years of fitting/altering experience (and a few TNT tees), but I can see that it's going to be a good fit (pun intended) for busty/curvy ladies who don't want to roll their own (paying homage to 4/20 today hahaha!). It should be very easy to get a great tee with a more modern fit than most other commercial tee patterns right out of the envelope. Just heed the possibility of a wide neckline. Oh, and maybe slim sleeves. They looked on the smaller side to me as I was tracing/cutting but I'm withholding final judgment since I haven't actually sewed up the sideseams/sleeves and tried it on yet.

The instructions look comprehensive and I love the 3/8" seam allowances. At the larger end of the plus pattern spectrum, that 3/8" seam allowance can make a real difference in pattern layout on fabric. Plus, it's just so much easier to sew and serge with a 3/8" SA. Jenny also says that there's a slight forward shoulder adjustment built-in. (This doesn't help me, of the erect posture brigade, but it might be of interest to you?)

I'm hoping to finish this up tonight and tomorrow night after work so I can then start on …

… Kwik Sew 3873. And yes, they still don't have the best illustrations/photos. But at least you can see the seamlines and I think it's going to be a fun summer dress with mix/match prints.The sleeves definitely need some de-frumping and KS has always run big in the armhole for me. If the Concord trial above is a win, I may just morph the two together (or if not, use my TNT).

Stay tuned. I promise I'll be back soon with an update on both.

This and That

Yeah, it's been a minute since my last post. Er, no excuse. Just no blogging mojo. Right up there with the mostly missing sewjo. But there has a been a little teeny tiny bit of sewing so I'll document it for posterity. Nothing exciting, but at least I've finished some things. Which lately is a major accomplishment. :-)

First up, but the last things made, are a Hot Patterns Sunshine Top (the original) and a circle-ish Simplicity skirt. I haven't worn the two together yet, but I have worn the top. It's so nice to have a new Sunshine in my wardrobe. For this one, I went down to the size 14 for the neckband and shoulders, which is perfect. I had sewn it before with a 16 neck/shoulders and it fit, but flashing a bra strap was likely without deploying some strategically placed Hollywood tape. Now, no more worries for that. I think this top took me 5 weeks to sew. Not literally all sewing time, but for some reason I just couldn't force myself to sew even though I knew I wanted this top DONE and it took about that long in 10-minute spurts. Ahhh. That sewjo is a mysterious beast, no? I'm hoping it returns with a vengeance soon because there are things I want NEED in my wardrobe.

Stripe matching like a boss at the sideseams. Just don't look at my completely mismatched sleeves. I totally spaced on those and then was too lazy to fix it. It's really not a problem, so while I'm pointing it out here, I've already forgotten about it in real life.

Here's the famous and flattering neckline. And finally a clear photo. I have no idea why my camera didn't like the full-length shots but if I had to re-do them again, this blog post was never going to happen.

Here's a crappy (sense a theme?) mirror shot of the finished SBCC Mimosa top, which is what I was sewing last time I blogged. I did actually finish it fairly soon after and I've worn it a TON. I really, really needed a white blouse for work. It's a great layering piece and the front tie makes it a little less boring white shell and more pretty white blouse.

Less blown-out photo, easier to see details. One of these days I'm going to remember to cut the ties different lengths so they finish at the same length when tied.

I also got a wild hair and sewed two doggie hoodies. It's a Kwik Sew something ... too lazy to go look.

Now Alex and Charlie semi-match. Actually, the wild hair was Alex egging me on to do it.

Dani didn't get one. She doesn't get cold easily and would probably freak out if we tried to put her legs through the sleeves. She's got quirks.

Alex putting the final touches on his investment house. It rented in a week and the tenants have been in it for almost a month now. Go Alex!

And lastly, for no good reason, here's a pic of one of the two new palm trees in my yard. Summer is coming.

Hopefully, I'll be back here soon. I've got a new project on the cutting table.

Kwik Sew 3764 Done

It's done. I really hope whatever my next project is turns out to be something I like better than the last few. I don't dislike this jacket but the fabric is not going to hold up or be washable and it's actually pretty darn warm, which means it won't get worn a whole lot here in Florida. Plus, the zipper isn't really correct (it's a 2-say separating zip) and it gets caught every time I zip it. There's really no taming the chenille next to the zipper teeth.

When I first made/hacked this pattern, I added a back yoke and CB seam. I decided to keep these when I was retracing smaller.Yeah, you can't see them at all and what you can see looks all off-grain. It's not, though, which you'll see below in the inside shots.

I had thoughts to line this and even cut a lining. But I decided I didn't want to fight with the chenille anymore and besides being a warm layer already, the black inside looks and feels OK without a lining.

I serged most seams with black thread but left the CB seam flat and just serged the raw edges of the seam allowances separately. I also stitched down the back facing. All stitching just sinks right into the chenille so you can't see from the right side that the facing is sewn down.

Here's a closer shot of the back side of the fabric. It's just strange stuff but it definitely feels nice and snuggly.

I skipped the zippered welt pockets. I was already fighting with the main zipper and the chenille and I didn't want to make pockets I'd be fighting with. Instead I added simple patch pockets, which you have to squint very hard to even see in the photo below. I like that they're mostly invisible but still there to hold key cards or my phone.

A wearable muslin, for sure, and at least know I know the new size and minor adjustments fit. I think I'll make this again soon with stretch denim. I really do like the pattern and I do need things for weekends and casual Fridays. A leather version of this or the Style Arc Ziggy or the new Islander moto jacket are still on the must-make list but further down the road. I think I need to hit a thrift store for some leather something to practice with.

What's on Zillie?

Zillie (my dressform) holds my in-progress, or in this case, stalled projects. I liked this fabric because it's all of my colors and a little sparkly too. But it's been in the stash for YEARS and so I'm not entirely sad to be tossing it. A little sad, yes, but onward and upward.

This is the pattern. The problems are there in the photo, if only I had paid more attention. But I wanted to try a different silhouette than my usual. Yeah, no. There is just way too much fullness and fabric at belly and below. Camouflage is one thing. Ridiculous added volume is another. Plus the way the print "landed" is also unfortunate.

From the side ... can you see how much width this thing adds? Would make an awesome maternity tent. ;-) Needless to say, I won't be finishing this one. And you won't be able to convince me otherwise.

Next up is KS 3764.

I'll be finishing this one, if only as a wearable muslin until the fabric disintegrates. Which, I'm guessing, won't be too long from now. This is also years-old stash, bought from a co-op. I think it's really cheap upholstery fabric. It's not a knit. Just a bunch of chenille on an open-weave kind of backing. Weird stuff. And I have purple too.

But the last time I made this KS pattern, I hacked it to make a RTW knock-off and I was much bigger than I am now so I had to trace smaller and start somewhere. Cheap upholstery fabric is as good a place to start as any.

It will be OK as a muslin. I really would like to make a leather moto jacket sometime soonish (like before 2016?), but I have no idea where to get good leather or how many hides I'd need, etc., etc. so that project will be a while before I even start. And then bright, shiny will likely distract me for a while along the way too. Maybe I can get Peter to shop leather for me??

I'm planning to finish the jacket this weekend and hopefully make something else that I actually like. The week whoooooshed by with the Monday holiday and I'm happy to be heading into another weekend. Maybe I'll even get through a few things on my list.

Thanks for all the very nice comments on my last post about the sneaky way to fix a gaping neckline. I'm not brilliant, though  ... just doggedly determined not to surrender. Hah.

A few personal notes ...

The job is still going splendidly. I really like my workgroup and what we're doing. No, it's not a creative design job but the money is the same and it's 100% stress/drama-free. At this stage in my life, that's much more important. I can be creative on my own time, right?

I've started looking for a new place for Alex and me to live. I love my city neighborhood and my 7-minute commute but this house and my landlord have major problems that can't be solved by me. I'm not in a hurry this time, so it may be months before anything actually happens on that front. But if you hear of any great Tampa rentals, let me know.

Not sure I mentioned it earlier, but the Marine was promoted to Sergeant. He's doing well but looking forward to getting out in 3 years. He has other life plans and wants to get at them. At least he's now only 6 hours away so we'll see each other more often between now and then.

I'm also now a quasi-grandma. My stepson and his girlfriend had a baby boy last week. Alex is beyond thrilled about being an uncle. I'm hoping to see them all soon. They live on the other side of Florida, about 3 hours away. I just need to figure out dog care. Alex's dad will be coming from VA to meet his grandson in a couple of weeks and Alex will drive over then to see them all.

And that about rounds out what I've been up to. And, Susanna, I haven't forgot you. Just slow-going around here.