Look What I Found !

I'm still making wraps/ponchos for my sale this Thursday but I do have something to show you today.

In the fall , I made this navy cotton knit  cardi/jacket , wore it once and then completely forgot about it until recently.

                                                 ( Oh dear. It so didn't photograph well ! )

The pattern I used is an OOP Simplicity which I've long wanted to try.

The fabric is a cotton double knit I happily found in a bin at Fabricville.

I lengthened it a bit I think andI omitted the back pleat because of a shortage of fabric and that changed the silhouette I was aiming for, but it's Ok.

I changed the style of the inseam pockets to my very favorite one layer pockets  learned from Sandra Betzina.

The raglan sleeves sort of demanded shoulder pads so I added them and that's Ok because I happen to like shoulder pads.

I finished the seams with a Hong Kong finish mostly because my serger broke and I had to but I love the look of this treatment . Please look here if you're not familiar with Hong Kong finish.

I left out the two bottom buttons because I bought the wrong number but I'm thinking I'll add them. Oh. But that would mean making another buttonhole . Hmmm. Probably won't happen. Lol.

This is great little topper for my scuba knit dress which I wore today to church.

or to wear with trousers or jeans.

                            See my cute boots !

I'm so glad to have rediscovered this piece in the coat closet ! It'll get lots of wear this spring for sure!


Next time I'll show you the cape and the poncho I made for door prizes at my sale this week . I love them both and kind of hate to give them up.

Until later

Sewing For A Good Cause

Wow! It's been a while and I'm starting to miss blogging so here goes.

Most of my sewing time throughout October and November was spent on making stuff to support our local Food Bank and Resource Center. Now , in January when the Food Banks are depleted because of Christmas, they need donations more than ever. I've decided to continue making the same project and selling them to help out as much as I can

What is this project you ask ?

I belong to a Bible Study Group and one day a member's daughter was visiting from Toronto. She was wearing this really cool wrap and graciously let me examine and measure it. Before long I had made many, many versions of what I'm calling the Five Way Wrap and quickly made $150 for the food Bank. I'll show you various versions on my dress form first and then give you some particulars.

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This is a favorite and I think I'll keep it.It's an eyelash knit. and so fun and cozy!

This composite shows why I call my wrap the Four (or Five) Way Wrap.

Now for the specifics:

Each wrap requires about 1/2  to 2/3 meter of a drapey and preferably knit fabric but wovens will work..Various weights of fabric work and make each wrap unique.

A serger,though not a necessity, makes the sewing of this project much easier.
With a serger,you can make one in about a half hour including the cutting out.

Decorative threads for serging add a little extra something to the wrap.

A beautiful selvedge can be utilized.

And many different fabrics can be used although knits of course are preferable but I have used chiffon with good results.

Below,in order from left to right are as follows:

A crochet knit, a sweater knit, in the second row, a textured knit,a lace knit, a mesh knit,and in the third row, a boucle knit,a burnt out velvet and a ponte knit.

http://dianassewinglessons.blogspot.ca/2017/01/the-four-or-five-way-wrap.html

Reversible fabrics are a great choice as well.

Ok, this post was to inspire you to try one of these great wraps. For consruction details , please go to Diana's Sewing Lessons where I show how to make one.

Have fun. I know I've had a lot of pleasure creating these and please wish me luck at my sale which will take place in a couple of weeks.

In case you've missed me ( Lol ), I'll leave you with a pic or two of me wearing my wraps.

I keep making more wraps and finding new ways to make them special , so that keeps me from posting this. Just look at these !! On the right, I bound all the edges and really took my wrap up a notch. On the left, buttons down the seam add a sporty touch.

To give an idea how they look on.

And a few more shots.

I've never had a project that inspired me quite as much as this wrap. I am getting tired of it now though and will be glad to finish the seven I have left to make.

Thank you so much for stopping by and please tell me if you plan on trying one of these.

More later from