I found the instructions for the area of the front neckline to be difficult to follow. In the line drawing above, it looks as if lots of seams come together in a V. The shoulder area of the garment has multiple pieces as you can see in the picture. In the front, it needed to connect with the hood opening without a bunch of lumps. Ultimately, I simply played with the pieces coming together until they behaved. I'm quite happy with the result.
Now Sewing
Friday, March 8, 2024
Siberian Parka
I found the instructions for the area of the front neckline to be difficult to follow. In the line drawing above, it looks as if lots of seams come together in a V. The shoulder area of the garment has multiple pieces as you can see in the picture. In the front, it needed to connect with the hood opening without a bunch of lumps. Ultimately, I simply played with the pieces coming together until they behaved. I'm quite happy with the result.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
E-Vest Re-Make
This is a make from last year that I never used as the subject of a blog post. It was perhaps because I wasn't sure I liked it that much. In fact, when I came across it recently I could not remember which pattern I used. At first I thought I had used the Valencia jacket and omitted the sleeves. But, indeed, it was from the Sewing Workshop eVest pattern. And here is why I thought it was the Valencia.
Online description: The easy-to-make eVest is an adaptation of our popular Valencia Jacket pattern. The loose-fitting vest has soft fold-back lapels and angled front drape. The wrong side of the fabric shows. Options for hemming or binding edges are included in the pattern download.I think that the adaptation is just that the sleeves were omitted. Maybe. The Sewing Workshop folks are champs at reworking a pattern, I think.
I remember it as an easy make, probably from a short cut of fabric I had acquired - too little to make much of anything but a vest. But I like the fabric and NOW I think I really like the vest.
Version 1:
Friday, February 9, 2024
Against Trend on the Toaster
The Toaster Sweaters pattern from Sew House Seven is a Best Pattern of the Year (2017) over on Pattern Review with 98 reviews! It's been simmering in my stash for a while, so in keeping with my semi-New-Years-Resolution to use what I have, I sewed it up. I kept pulling the pattern out, thinking about all the people who love it on Instagram. And I have had a French terry in stash for a while too. Check. Check.
About that French terry. I think I bought it from the Sewing Workshop a few years ago. It is a beautiful clear royal blue, a color that makes me happy.
As you may know, terry refers to the fact that it is knitted so that there is a smooth side and a looped side, like you see in a standard sweatshirt. I had not sewn with it, except to fix my sweat shirts.
Lucky for me, Gini, of the Big Sew Along on Youtube, did an episode, "Everything I know about French Terry." Gini does lots of pattern reviews on her Youtube channel and occasionally fabric reviews. I learned that the loops on the back function to wick away moisture, making a garment comfy in various kinds of weather. That function, though, is limited to cotton and cotton blend French terry. A burn test revealed that mine is rayon. Dang. At least it's not polyester.
It's not like I don't ever buy rayon. This morning I'm wearing a kimono I made with rayon challis. I enjoy wearing it over my PJs and feeling a tiny bit dressed. And I already owned this rayon French terry, so...
All of this to say that my first experiment with the Sew House Seven (view 1) was not successful. The envelope lists Sweatshirt fleece first and French terry second. And it has a helpful stretch diagram to make sure you choose a knit with enough stretch. And this rayon French terry has plenty of stretch.
But it is too clingy. Well, that's rayon knit in a nutshell, I think. It is good for me to note that. My bad.
Based on my measurements, which admittedly I took after-the-fact, I fit comfortably into size L. So I traced and made a size L - view 1. I chose view 1 for my first try with this incredibly popular pattern*.
O.M.G. I just read their description of view 1 - it is described as *close fitting* !!! Oh, the things I learn when I compose these blog entries. Well, totally my fault, y'all.
I chose view 1 due to the ragland sleeves which I find easy to fit. But now I realize I got exactly what I ordered - a close fitting top in a clingy knit.
I did make some changes to the pattern. I lengthened it by 4 inches in order to omit the lower band. I took a 2" hem. It's too short. I also omitted the cuffs on the sleeves, figuring I could add those later. After my first try-on, I reduced the side seams from 5/8" to 1/4". It is still not a particularly good look for me.
Next time I will measure the tissue in key areas, like the tummy area. I will test the stretch of the knit. And I will tissue fit through the shoulders.
I've just discovered some Black French terry in stash. Luckily it's cotton. Maybe it will become view 2 of the Toaster Sweaters pattern.
* You should see all those happy Sew House Seven Toaster sewists over on Pattern Review, as well as Instagram. People love this pattern, I'm telling you. I shall not give up!
Monday, January 29, 2024
The Vest Version of Vogue 1970
After completing the jacket version in pinwhale corduroy, and wearing it a bunch, I knew that I had to make the vest. There is not much that is different about the vest beyond omitting sleeves. The package includes a slightly different collar for it, but all else is identical.
Since I found the jacket neckline to stand a bit far from my neck on the jacket, I made an easy adjustment, bringing it closer to my neck on the shoulder seams. The pattern description describes these as companion or nesting pieces, but that did not turn out to be the case for me. Anyway I do love a vest during the winter months here in the southeastern USA.
I had this primitive table runner from Common Threads in Taos NM that needed to become something. BTW, that is such an interesting store. They sell some fabrics by the yard, and lots of table linens, scarves, and a few simple linen garments. The pieces are from overseas with lots from India and Central America. The owner gives a little discount to those of us attending Diane Ericson's Design Outside the Lines. I attended one in September 2023.
This piece is actually narrow (maybe 5") loomed pieces that were hand-stitched together, almost 36" wide. A black thread with a simple overcast stitch was used and it's a little rough in places. This also meant it was a bit fragile to handle. So I carefully cut each piece out, one at a time, taking each to the sewing machine and stitching around each piece at the stitching line. I also carefully serged the edges. The combination seems to have given it enough stability to sew.
Since it was still soft and fragile feeling to me, I underlined it with Thai silk remnants from Laura Murray. I'm sad to report that she no longer sells that fabric. And she no longer comes to the Sew Expo here in Atlanta. Boo.
The underlining gave it just the right amount of body, I think. Also, due to my choice of *fabric* I folded out the little pleats over the hips. I am glad I did. The look is much smoother and more appropriate to this fabric.
I used some remnants of another piece of Laura Murray's Thai silk to make bias facing for the armholes and the hem, as well as front facings on the straight of grain. And I used some cotton batiste remnants for the pocket. That's right, just one pocket.
While cutting the pieces out, I was careful to preserve a longish piece to fashion into a collar. The collar is the width of three of the strips hand-stitched together and the length of the circumference of the neckline. This meant that I had selvedge on both edges of the collar, making it easy to stitch each edge to the neckline without a lot of bulk.
After a few tests, I was brave enough to make buttonholes in the front, using some funky buttons purchased years ago, probably at a Sew Expo. I placed one button at the neckline, attached with a Thai silk bias tube.
I am pretty pleased with this. It has a nice weight to it, but is soft and comfy. Like the green jacket version, I'll have to be careful to avoid wearing it every day!