Not Much to Post About

Hi all! Thank you for stopping by to see what I'm up to!

I sewed this week (of course!) but only finished my warm and cozy nightie. To see it ,look at my right hand sidebar at A Few of My Favorite Things
because it didn't warrant a whole post. But I can tell you,I love it and it is deliciously cozy and according to DH,very cute.My sisters, however, thought it was ridiculously big and too heavy. ( I have three sisters and we get together every year for an overnighter at a hotel and to begin our Christmas shopping).But enough of that.

I had the pleasure of running into Ann of Ann's Fashion Studio not once but twice over the weekend and dear fellow sewists, this lady is every bit as nice as she looks.We had great chats and I was very interested in hearing about her Uniquely You dress form.She has a link on her blog post so check it out. I'm just about ready to break it to DH that I would like to have one for Christmas.

I'm also just about ready to begin my on-going fleece Hats and Mitts project for children in need but I do want to finish a couple of pieces I'm working on using this blue animal print Ponti de Roma knit. So check back with me later in the week for more details.




Happy Halloween Everybody (We only got one Trick or Treater this year! Boo-hoo!)

Today's Fit ,Vogue 1197

I just got back from Ottawa where I spent six days with darling Riley. So I thought I'd show you a few pics of the little sweetie.



We got very attached to one another on this trip and we both cried when I left.Riley is now 11 months old and she is crawling and creeping all over the place. She is such a joy as all you grandmothers out there will empathise with..

Now on to sewing stuff.

I finished this top before I went to Ottawa.




It took me about six hours from start to finish including the cutting out which I did one layer at a time in order to match up the design.I did a fairly good job of matching as you see here.




Stats.

Pattern, V1197
Fabric, poly/wool blend very light,almost sheer sweater knit ( I have to wear a cami underneath).

Needle used, an 80/12 universal needle worked very well.

Stitch usedI used the stretch stitch for this piece but I basted the side seams first because as you know, a stretch stitch is pretty permanent.

Size used, I cut the upper back and shoulders size C and the front and side seams a size D.It's a good fit. My measurements are between the C & D.

Changes made,I combined the two views by using the cowl of A because I didn't have enough fabric after matching the front and back. I changed the finished length from 34.5" on view B to 25" because I really don't like a long tunic on me.

Problems encountered,The strange shape of the sleeves caused some difficulty.Here is a pic of the pattern piece.





You are suppose to make the shirring by sewing a length of elastic while stretching it along the bottom third or so of the sleeve. When I did this, I found the shirring to be lumpy.I decided to ditch the elastic and to sew double gathering lines, draw them up to the right length and secure the gathering with stay tape ( I used the selvage of silk organza to avoid bulk)




This worked better than the elastic but the result is still a little lumpy. Next time I'm just going to cut the sleeves straight and long and then gather both the top and under sleeve. I'm pretty sure,that will solve the bumpy gathers problem.



I also stabilized the neck with silk organza selvage before sewing on the cowl. I then ran a row of top stitching around the neckline so the seam would lie flat. This step is not in the instructions.



I'm pretty satisfied with this top although the cowl doesn't look anything like the drawing on the pattern envelope. I would like to try it again and try my idea for the shirring on the sleeves.



Other Pics here.

My next project will be a nice soft and cozy wool knit nightie/lounger out of this fabric and loosely based on the pattern shown .



Have a great week and I do hope you found time to sew this weekend!

Messoni Knit Twin Set

I hope all my Canadian Blogger friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did here in New Brunswick.

Thank you to all who stopped by to look or left a comment about my last project. I've worn my jacket a few times already and it's going to Ottawa with me on Thursday.

I finished my cardi set. I had a few issues with this pattern, Simplicity
2474 (for the cardi) but it turned out very well and I really am happy with the end result.



Here is a pic and then I'll reveal where the problems were.



The fabric, is a Messoni sweater knit bought at C&M Textiles in Ottawa. I don't remember the fiber content but it doesn't act like a polyester . It's more like a natural fiber.

I didn't do my usual FBA because I usually don't need it in a knit garment but I should have as this knit is quite stable.

The length was fine but the front band was a lot shorter (about 3") and that required a much deeper hem than I like. I solved this by adding another 1.5" to the band.When it was sewn on I didn't like the way the two side fronts hung (sort of on the diagonal) so I ended up reshaping the center fronts so that I cut off a piece that measured 1.25" at the bottom CF amd tapered to nothing at about chest level.I had to baste the band on a couple of times before it hung straight down but now I like the results.

I should mention that when cutting out the cardi and tank that I didn't double up the fabric but cut one side at a time likr this. That's the only way really to assure that the stripes don't end up uneven at the hem.




For the sleeveless tank I used S3191 which is a really nice pattern for the cardi and the tank.I made the neckband and collar band from strips cut crosswise in the direction of the stretch and I think it adds a nice touch to this simple top.






While I was at it ,I decided to make a tube scarf after reading the article in Vogue Patterns Magazine.I only had a 12"wide strip left but it was enough and I think it will be a useful accessory.



Sorry no photo of me wearing the set . I just didn't feel like doing anything to my hair today!

Have a great week!

Next I'm working on this.

Another new Coat/Jacket...Vogue 1060 #2

If you've been following my blog from the start (since July 2008!!) you might remember this coat made from V1060 (Today's Fit by Sandra Betzina..



Well I liked this coat but was disappointed that it was just too tight. When I compared my measurements with the Today's Fit chart, I was well within the size C
range as I had been when Sandra herself measured me in Aug. 2006.And although I almost always add one inch at the side seams for insurance,this time I forgot. To be honest I've worn this one very little.

I've had this piece of really stretchy and soft two sided denim that I bought from Julie at Timmel Fabric ( I miss you Julie),since 2006 and suddenly it told me it wanted to become Vogue 1060!I don't know why it didn't tell me this before because IMO, the pattern and fabric turned out to be a perfect match.

First thing was to alter the pattern. I had no idea how to do an FBA on a dolman sleeved garment so I winged it .This is what I did.



It worked fine except that I over did it a bit and could have used less space in the bust area. Live and learn.

I decided to cut the shoulder and neck area in Size C but the chest and hip area in a size D with an extra half inch fit assurance and that worked very well.
I also had to cut the coat about 4" shorter than the pattern because I just didn't have enough fabric.

After sewing in the darts I found the the waistline was too low so I simply raised them a bit (I didn't have to unsew them for this,but just reshaped them and they ended up a little longer but that didn't affect the look of the coat.)


I omitted the front and collar facing as I wanted to show the other side of the denim.I serge finished the edges and then top stitched them into place.



This is how I dealt with the collar.



I used the rust side for the cuffs. ( I know I didn't match the stripes but I just didn't have enough fabric)



I omitted the tie belt and added machine stitched buttonholes. First I sewed oval cuts of interfaced fabric to the wrong side and top stitched them in place. Oh yes and I used rust thread in the bobbin so it would show on the right side at the pockets, hem,the center back ,top of sleeves and around the buttonholes.



I chose buttons from my stash that had large holes. They were big enough to accommodate suede lace also from my stash and this is what I came up with. I think it makes for interesting closures don't you?.





So here is the finished product.




I really like this one and have a feeling it's going to get a lot of wear for a long time to come
.


More pics here.

I hope you've found time to sew this week.Next up for me is a cardi set made out of this yummy Messoni knit bought at C&M Textiles in Ottawa last year.