Cowl-neck, stripey Sadie tank

OK. I actually finished this a week ago, but have not had time to post it.


I used the same BurdaStyle pattern as this shirt, but used the version that adds a cowl neck.

The Sadie has a nice fit to it, I think. It's a little snug, but I like it. I could go up another size, but then I think it would be too large.

This material is from the stash Nannie gave to me. I did not cut it so that the material would stretch from seam to seam (which would be the correct way) because I wanted the stripes to be horizontal. Getting the shirt on, therefore, is a little tough, but not impossible.

I had plenty of material, so the neck and arm bindings are made from the same material, making them softer and lay better than my first Sadie tank top. (You can't see the neck binding as it's behind the cowl neckline.

I didn't like the shirt at first. I thought maybe it was too tight or didn't look like a good fit. But after I wore it for a day, I really fell in love with it!

What do you think?

Leafy Embroidery

It's finished! I completed the embroidery on my polo-to-tank-top shirt on Friday evening. Not too bad for an old men's polo shirt, huh?

Haa, haaa! I like this picture of me scratching my head.
Chris meant it as a joke, but I think it's one of the best shots he took. :)

I really don't like having my picture taken. Blah!
This is probably the best "normal" shot  Chris took.

What do you think?

You can read more about the changes I did to the top here. I used BurdaStyle's Sadie pattern.

Here's a close-up on the stitching around the collar.

The spot on my neck is actually in the camera. We thought it was the lens, but it's actually on the mirror or something else in the camera. Can't seem to get rid of it.

I used a decorative stitch on my old Singer called "Sephora." What do you think?

You can see where the embroidery hoop was. :)

The embroidery pattern comes from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching. I used her "Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-to" book. I love how the embroidery thread matches the collar and sleeve thread!

The Margie Shirt

It is finished!

The Margie

I'm calling this shirt The Margie after my mother-in-law. She gave me the material with a turtle-neck dress pattern that she never started. I think the fabric worked perfectly for this project!

It really didn't take that long to finish the shirt, but I didn't get down to the sewing room for a few weeks and it's taken more than a week to get this post up. So, what do you think?

I still had a little trouble with the neckband, but I figured it out after talking with my mom and grandma and looking at the pattern instructions again. It's not perfect because there's pinches of fabric here and there, but I really love how it turned out.

It's still been cool enough to wear this shirt and it's thin, so it's perfect for a cool spring day. I'm so proud and happy when I'm wearing it!

Here's the Kwik Sew pattern if you're interested and you can find it here:

I don't know why I waited so long to work with a knit! I've always heard that knits are super hard and you should get comfortable with woven material before tackling this type of project.

Phooey, I say! This was so easy. It did take awhile to figure out how to put on the neck band, but the rest of it was easy-peasy. I can't wait to tackle my next knit!

And I am so happy I've discovered how to use the blind hem foot on my Singer. It's so easy and quick! Though I don't mind hand stitching a blind hem, I think my blind hem foot and I are going to be very close friends. :)

Also, though it's sacrilege, I also cut out this pattern instead of tracing. I usually insist on tracing patterns so that they will last longer, but I was impatient to get sewing.

I don't know why I make a big deal to save the pattern papers whenever women's styles change so much. If I limit the use of pins, it should help the patterns last just as long as it would otherwise, right?

I'd much rather spend what little time I have sewing, not tracing. So, I think my days of tracing maybe over. I'll hold onto the tracing paper to make my own patterns and for drafting, if I ever progress to that level of seamstress.

Washed out sewing room

Although I didn't get time to sew last weekend (or pay taxes) it probably would have been hard to do given all the rain we had. Check out my sewing room!

Yes, that's water. My sewing machine and serger are located in our unfinished basement, which gets little rivulets through it when it rains. This happens despite the fact Chris has worked hard to water seal our foundation.

And it rained yesterday and is again today. It's days like this (or when it's bitterly cold) that I wish I had a sewing room on the main floor of the house! Then I'd have more time and days to sew because my equipment would be in much more hospitable environs. Oh, well. It is what it is. :)

I probably won't tackle the knit shirt again this weekend because I have to work Sunday. But that means I'll have a 3-day weekend next week! I may designate next Friday as Sewing Day. Yippee!

Until then, I'll continue to work on Chris' cardigan. And watch episodes of Battlestar Galactica on Netflix. :)
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Amazon has the complete Battlestar Galactica series! We're watching the 4th season and are pretty addicted to the show.

Sewing project: my first knit!

I'm still busy working on Chris' cardigan and I'm also whipping up another pair of men's gloves for a friend.

Sundays for the last three weeks, however, have been dedicated to the sewing room! I did not get to spend much time at the ol' Singer last year but I'm making efforts to do so for 2011.

Right now I'm working on my first knit project. Knits, as I understand it, are much harder to work with because the material likes to stretch and can be slippery. I haven't had too much trouble so far.

I'm using a dark blue fabric that I think is jersey. My mother-in-law gave me the fabric along with a pattern for a turtle neck dress. I had planned on making a turtle neck (shirt, not dress) but after buying this pattern with Hancock Fabrics gift card money, I decided to use it for this instead:

I'm making shirt A. I've already created the neckband and sewn the shoulders together. Next I'm trying to figure out how to attach the neckband to the shirt. I hope to make time to do that on Sunday.

To buy the pattern, visit Kwik Sew's website here.

A FO and another on the way

Ta Da! A FO for me! (That's a Finished Object for the uninitiated.)

Sorry about the dark photos. Although we have windows throughout the house, there isn't really any space that's good for shooting crafty photos.

This is the best shot of the front I could get. I don't think you can see the stitching as well here. The shirt has a V-neck collar.

This is Jane Snedden Peever's "Surf and Turf" pattern from "Crocheted Sweaters: Simple Stitches, Great Designs."

I made a tan crocheted hoodie like this last year for my sister-in-law. Mine is burgundy and a size larger. I debated whether to leave off the hoodie, but decided it gives it more character than just a plain ol' vest. I also added two inches to the bottom for a longer fit and I really like that.

The color is off, but here's the hoodie without me wearing it. I took some close up shots to try and show the stitching but they didn't turn out all that great. I really need to figure out a good place to shoot photos!

I did not, however, make the tie/belt that is included in the pattern. I didn't think it was needed and it would just be something I'd have to try and keep up with each time I clean the shirt.

On the hook now is the Hot Cross Slouch Slouch Beret by Jennifer L. Appleby, which was published in Interweave Crochet's Winter 2007 issue.

This yarn may prove to be too stiff for this pattern. I've got six more rows so we'll soon see how it works out!

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Here's some books from Jane Snedden Peever. I don't know much about these books, but I enjoyed making the Surf and Turf pattern (I did make it twice after all!) and these books might be really cool to check out.


I've also included "Interweave Crochet" and "Interweave Knits," both really good magazines filled with all kinds of patterns and inspiration.

       

Shirt ideas

As I said in this post, I'm planning to tackle some easier projects for awhile. I'm burned out from jackets, pants and other detailed projects. I need some quick satisfaction!

Here's what I'm thinking of tackling. I may not get to them all, though I would like to, especially as Christmas gifts.

These are all from BurdaStyle and the images below belong to them:

Madison -- I want a sweater dress to wear this fall and winter and thought I could make this in wool or thick cotton. Any other suggestions? I also wonder how hard it will be to add sleeves. I would want short or cap sleeves or 3/4 length sleeves.

J.J. Blouse -- This will be cute with pencil skirts and slacks for the fall. BurdaStyle also has it styled with a long sleeved shirt underneath and that might work to carry it into the winter. I think, maybe, a jacket will work too. (Yes, I know. This looks detailed. I told you I love detailed stuff. It's hard for me to get away from them!)

Sadie -- I would make the tank top, either cowl neck or the plain. I could see this in a fancier knit so that it could be used under jackets and cardigans. I probably would not make the dress. I had one of Chris' cast-a-side polo shirts, but now I can't find it. It's green and soft. It would work perfectly for this.

Natalie -- I was thinking of making this as a gift. I really like the seams in the front and the collar. This is one of BurdaStyle's plus-sized patterns and can be easily adjusted for different sizes. I would love to hear your color combinations for the collar and body of this shirt. BurdaStyle made the collar red on a black shirt.

Ellinor -- Another potential Christmas gift. I would even make this for me. It's nice and simple. Any suggestions? I was thinking a sheer fabric with a colorful ribbon would look nice over tanks and other shirts.

Lydia -- This would probably be a Christmas gift. I usually don't wear long-sleeved T-shirts, unless they have a V-neck collar and maybe a 3/4 length sleeve. I don't know how to alter the neckline for a V-neck, so this will probably be a gift, if I make it. If anyone knows how to alter the neckline, please let me know.

I'm hoping these will be quick and will be relaxing and enjoyable! Picking out the fabric and notions should be wonderful. If y'all got any fabric and color suggestions, please share!

After I've finished off a few, relaxing pieces, I've got denim I bought last year and I plan to make jeans. Hopefully I'll be recharged and ready to tackle them before the end of the year!

Review of final 2009 crafting

Here is a quick review of the final projects I hammered out in the final few months of 2009.

For me, there was the A-line skirt that laid around for months. I finally finished it when there was snow on the ground, way to cold to wear it until summer 2010 rolls around.

I struggled over how to sew on some fabric to make the back part of the skirt as wide as it needed to be. I finally cut out some fabric and just sewed a simple seam. I can tell where the additional fabric is, but the pattern is busy so it shouldn't matter much.

Since this was a remnant given to me by my grandmother, I shouldn't have been too worried if I messed up or if someone noticed where I added on the additional fabric. But I did. So I kept putting of completing this relatively easy pattern.

Now I don't know why it took my so long. This is made from Simplicity 2906.

I also made socks for myself from "I can't believe I'm knitting Socks," By Cindy Guggemos. I've spoken of this before and I love it. This pattern is the eyelet chevron.

It's a difficult pattern, but I liked it so much, I made my mom a pair for Christmas. And I plan to make my sister a pair too. Hers will be made in variegated yarn in beige, blue and brown.

I also made Mom placemats out of quilting fabric and a wide piece of double bias tape.

Since Mom, Dad and my younger sister and brother went to Hawaii a few years ago and really enjoyed the vacation, I thought I'd try to capture that. I went in search of a pattern with palm trees. But instead I found this and fell in love with it.

It depicts all things Hawaiian, from the islands and their names, to hibiscus flowers and ukuleles.

I also made some of Chris' family members how fiber treats.

For Anita, Chris' sister-in-law, I made her a sleeveless hoodie.

The pattern is from "Crocheted Sweaters: Simple Stitches, Great Designs," by Susan Huxley. I actually received that book from Anita and Richard, Chris' brother, last year for Christmas. I thought it fitting to make a gift from it. :)

I made a size medium and it fit Anita pretty well. It was a little snug, but that's what she liked about it. It wasn't big and boxy as some crocheted sweaters tend to be. I also made the shirt longer than the pattern called for because it seemed to be pretty short.

For Chris' dad I brushed up on my embroidery and picked out three designs to stitch onto handkerchiefs — a "B," a snowflake and a mortar and pestle, since he's a retired pharmacist.

I'm also finishing up a wool shawl for my mother-in-law. I didn't get it or my sister's socks finished in time for the holidays. But I'll get their presents to them as soon as possible. They know they're coming.

I also baked four zucchini, two sweet potato and two lemon poppy seed breads for

Christmas and gave them away with homemade peach honey. I've heard rave reviews all since Christmas. :)

Labor Day Weekend crafting

Since Chris and I aren't heading to West Virginia for some camping, rafting and visiting a friend this weekend, I'm going to take the opportunity to finish up my last summer project -- a skirt.

My grandma gave me a bunch of fabric from her stash lately, and besides the shorts I completed earlier this summer, I had plans to make a skirt.

I'm also in the process of teaching myself how to draft patterns. I'm excited to embark on this adventure and can't wait to see how the ideas in my head translate onto paper.

I'm using Rene Bergh's "How to make your own patterns: An easy step-by-step guide to making over 60 patterns." You can buy a copy here, although I have a different edition.

I haven't picked up a pencil and paper yet, but reading through the instructions gives me hope. I didn't realize how easy patterns can be made, just using various measurements of your body. I figured it would be much more complicated.

Besides basic skirt, shirt and trouser patterns, the book also gives you instructions on how to make different bodice details, such as tucking, darts, gathers and cowl, boat and v-necks.

I'll let you know how my new adventure goes into creating my own creations. The theme for my first designs is wild columbine . . . a beautiful wildflower you can find growing in rocks and crevices here in the mountains and elsewhere.

My favorite is the red columbine with a yellow center. Here's a good photo that shows you the color. It's so striking! I'm surprised such a color combination exists in real life.