Tank from the Loes Hinse Tank Dress Group Pattern

Another remnant project. I used this fabric last year for a project that didn't work out and had just enough to sew this tank. The fabric is another Textile Studios purchase--a woven rayon with some texture.

 I have made this pattern several times before in both dress and tank versions.

However, I wanted the back to have a little bit more coverage so I don't always need to wear racer back underpinnings. My test worked so it's onward with other versions of this pattern!

The SewWest Closet: old black jeans from Ross, the Foster Grants, and Th!nk Birkenstock-style sandals (also old but I'll hate to give these up when they're worn out).

Textile Studio Basic Top

I've been fooling around with this pattern and have already posted 3/4 sleeve and long sleeve versions. But it's summer--short sleeves come in very handy in the heat and as layering pieces.

For this round, I've been working on adjustments to eliminate shoulder pad ease. I think I've just about got it, although I'd like the sleeve cap to be higher on my shoulder. So that's the next round of adjustments.

Because I'm experimenting, I used a remnant of Kaffe Fassett rayon from Fabric.com that was left over from this Simplicity 2416 skirt that I made several years ago. I haven't been able to locate any more Kaffe rayons since then, only cottons. Since the top was a success, I now have coordinates that work together as a dress (with the addition of a sash that I also made from remnants), or with other garments.

FYI, that circle on the left front is actually lower in real life than it appears in the picture! :)

I'll definitely be playing with this pattern some more in the future since it's a quick make and a wardrobe builder.

The SewWest Closet: the shoes are B.O.C. by Born. Sunglasses by Foster Grant?

A Quartet of T-Shirts

I hesitated to even post these because you've seen a ton of Kwik Sew 2565 T-Shirts on this blog. But I live in Ts, and I've been remiss in posting again, so here are the latest from my TNT pattern of all time.

The first three are from the now-defunct Textile Studios. I can't swear to it, but I know I bought several fabrics from there when they were going out of business.

The first one is made of a double layered synthetic that has dimensional flowers cut from the top layer that are tacked down to a base for a tattered effect.I'm still in the process of doing some additional tacking on the machine just in case. The neckband is a mystery knit that I found in the stash. It's kind of a swimsuit type of knit but I'm really not sure where it came from.

 The next two are ITY knits and were easy to work with.

The fabric from this one came from either JoAnn's or Hancock's some years ago. It's knit in a subtle Asian design as well as having the print. Long sleeves work well at the office even though it's very hot here. The air conditioning indoors can be quite cold! We're wearing red on Fridays to support a co-worker who's overseas with the National Guard, so that's another reason I used this fabric. 

I have three more short sleeved T-shirts cut out and ready to be made from this pattern; all are solids that came from Gorgeous Fabrics. They go together quickly, so it's good to have them ready if the urge to sew hits. 

And here's another picture of the pattern that I used. It's long discontinued but a classic look.

What I Did on My Winter Vacation

I was fortunate enough to have some time off over the holidays and was able to spend a good bit of time playing in the Sewing Cave. I was able to finish several sewing projects and a crochet one as well.

My first project is the third twin set I've made using the Loes Hinse Sweater Set pattern. It's another older one of her patterns that's still on the Casual Elegance site.

A fast make, and I loved how this set came out. This version was made with 2 yards of a rayon blend sweater knit I bought from Casual Elegance last winter. I couldn't resist the chunky knit print on the fine gauge knit fabric!

The sewing was pretty straight forward, following Loes' techniques. I used a combination of a narrow zigzag and serging for assembly, with only a few hand stitches at the hem of the cardigan (as instructed by the guide sheet) and at the center front neckline (not on the guide sheet). I added an additional button and buttonhole to the front placket since my chosen buttons were smaller than the recommended size.

My next project used the OOP Kwik Sew 2565, which I can always count on for a good T-shirt.

I've made a bunch of these over the years, but when you've got a well fitting basic, why re-create the wheel? My most current version was traced off in 2012. It's a combination of sizes, the neckline has been dropped a bit, and I've adjusted the fit due to weight fluctuations (sigh). I like that the pattern has curved side seams and even has bust ease built in, as well as a high cap for the sleeve.

I originally planned to make this T when the weather is warmer since the fabric is a printed knit lace. However, I noticed there was a big pull in the fabric that had resulted in a hole when I was getting ready to put it away. I didn't want to risk any additional damage, so I cut out the T and sewed it without even washing the yardage first. I have better control using the sewing machine when sewing delicate knits like this, so I used a narrow zigzag for assembly, and a wider zigzag for the hems.

The fabric came from Casual Elegance, but since I had this sitting on the cutting table for a couple of weeks before putting it away, I can't say if the fabric was flawed or if kitty paws were responsible. I've always had a good experience when purchasing from them in the past, so I suspect that Smudge is to blame.

I made a couple more pairs of pajama pants from cottons in my stash. These two I bought from the estate of a sewing friend. I have enough of the black print left over to make another project. For the pattern, I used the McCall's 2476 pattern that I've used many times before.

This particular pattern is probably out of print, but the major pattern companies seem to always have a few sleepwear patterns in their catalogs. I've found that most of the pants are very similar to each other. I do prefer a Miss pattern to Unisex ones because I don't need as many adjustments that way.

The last two projects didn't require patterns since they're scarves! The plaid one came from a remnant that a friend of mine gave me, so I'm not sure of the exact fiber content. One side is a plain weave and the other is brushed. I really like it, and it's already seen a lot of wear. The crochet one is just double crochet and is made from reflective yarn from Red Heart. I wear it when DH and I go on our early morning walks. It's warm and since the yarn is bright and reflective, it also adds a bit of safety.

The plaid scarf was originally a large square with fringe on all sides, but I was unhappy with the way it looked. So I re-cut it into a narrow strip, saving some fringe on either end. The long edges are machine sewn.

A close up of the crochet scarf shows the reflective qualities of the yarn a little better. I went with with double crochet throughout and improvised as I went. It's simple and utilitarian, but that's what I was going for.

TSW Cortina Shirt, Part Two

Seeing that it's still Christmas vacation and I had a little time for photography, albeit inside. Here's me wearing the Cortina I made recently. Unfortunately, the pink is a bit plain for a stand alone piece, although it works well with other items in my closet.

As I mentioned in the previous post regarding this shirt, I've worn it with this cardigan I made from the Loes Hinse Sweater Set pattern.

The SewWest Closet: NYDJ jeans, Ivanka Trump suede boots.

TSW Liberty Shirt with Border Print

Another Liberty Shirt; I think this is the fourth one I've made, but they all look a bit different based on the fabric This time I used a cotton that came from JoAnn's and has been in my stash for several years. I had just enough and resorted to a mandarin style collar in order to make it work.

The fabric had a border print on both selvages and I had enough to center the pattern along the back hem and the sleeves. The photos below show the border print in more detail:

I had just enough of the lemon print for the fronts and collar.

Here are the illustration from the envelope and the technical drawings to give you an idea of what the design looks like. This pattern is a favorite of mine, and I love how it looks with the border print!

These photos are also from the wintery post-Thanksgiving photo shoot, so I'll try to get some photos on me later so you can see how it looks on a person.

TSW Cortona Shirt

This garment was inspired by Martha's lovely ikat Cortona that she posted on her blog. I bought the pattern (Siena and Cortona) when it first came out, but seeing it made up encouraged me to give it a try. I actually ended up making two of them. The first was a little snug for my taste but the second one is fine. It was easier to adjust the fit than I imagined, although making a large slash into the front pattern piece took a leap of faith!

The fabric is a cotton and linen blend that I located in my stash when looking for a suitable prototype fabric. In other words, something that had enough yardage, wouldn't require design matching, and wouldn't be a big loss if it didn't work out.  I have no idea how long I've had it or where it came from. The buttons also came from stash and matched perfectly. I think they were originally on a RTW sweater from many seasons ago.

The predominant feature of this shirt is a horizontal dart at the waist that starts near the center front on each side and continues to the back to form a slight peplum.

I eliminated the center back seam from the upper back because it wasn't really needed and eliminated the need to exactly match up the center back along two seams. I made the narrow button cuffs as they appear on the pattern. I would like to add "Lucille Ball" cuffs like Martha's on a future version for a little more flair.

Here are the pattern envelope and technical drawings to give you some more information regarding this design.

 I'm pleased with how it came out and will make this again, although it's a pretty distinctive design. It would be interesting to see how a stripe or print would look, or without sleeves as a summer top.

I hope to be able to model this for you in the near future so you can see how it looks on a person. Alas, today's photo shoot was indoors due to iffy weather and wind. I've already worn it to work and it went well with a Loes Hinse cardigan I made last winter

Butterick 5567 Vest (OOP)

This little vest is another prototype using stashed fabric. I'm not sure exactly when or where I got this, but it's an "ethnic" cotton featuring various strips of fabric sewn onto the red base layer. Because the strips were sewn horizontally across the fabric, I cut it on the cross grain so the strips could be vertical instead. I barely had enough even for this little garment.

This pattern just recently went OOP, but it's still on the Butterick website, and I bet its still in many of the chain fabric stores like Jo-Ann's and Hancock's. I made View C with a couple of changes. I left out the darts because I didn't want to distract from the fabric appliqués. I also narrowed the hem from 1 1/2" to 1/2" so I could fit it onto the fabric.

I also used a coordinating fabric for the facing and inner collar because of thickness and not having enough left of the red. Fortunately, I had this black batik in my stash!

Is it perfect? No. But it's still something I'll wear anyway. When I make this again, I'll add some width to the front so it'll close (the pattern calls for a snap closure at the neck) and so I can add the darts. I also think this vest is a little too short, even for me, so I'll add some length.

The SewWest Closet: I'm wearing the exact base as on the last post--same photo session! So here are the Walmart T, black TSW Hudson pants, and Fly London shoes again.

Butterick 6176 Kimono

This is a kimono I recently made from a stashed poly chiffon from Joann's. I've been seeing them around lately and thought it would be a nice addition for my wardrobe. This one is a prototype to see how the pattern would work. 

I made view C, which is around knee length. As you can see from the technical drawing, there were several variations of length, trimmings, and a choice of straight or curved hem.

 

There isn't really much to say about the construction itself, since the pieces are basically rectangles. The challenge was hemming the edges all around the circumference of the garment as well as sleeves.  Because the fabric was ravelly, I serged around all the circumference, then basted in the 5/8" seam allowance before pressing in the double folded hem (including mitered corners on both fronts). Once all that was done, it was fairly simple to machine hem the entire thing. Sleeve hemming was basically the same process. 

I wore the kimono to church on Sunday and was basically happy with it, although I think there's a better way to handle the finish of the garment. I'd prefer to have a more "authentic" kimono treatment (a band) around the front openings, but that should be fairly simple to figure out. I have a couple more fabrics that I'd like to make into kimono jackets since they're nice little coverups for an otherwise plain outfit.

Another view of mine. You can see a little bit better that the fabric is sheer:

The SewWest Closet: in addition to the kimono, I'm wearing a black T shirt (Walmart!) and a pair of black linen TSW Hudson Pants. The shoes are Fly London.

2014 First Day of School Project, Part 2

I'm well underway with the making of the matching capris for the peasant tops I showed you in the last post. So far, I've completed a blue linen blend pair. This fabric is from stash and came from TSW.

 and two gray cotton pairs. I bought this fabric from JoAnn's last year for boys' pants but the gray looks perfect with the fuchsia, yellow, and gray print tops.  Since they're both the same, I'm just showing one:

They are View E of the same pattern I used for the tops (Butterick 5776). I stopped by JoAnn's on Friday and got a green linen look fabric to match the two remaining tops. The final two pairs are all cut out and ready to be sewn.

A good thing too, this project comes to a close on July the 10th when the outfits have to be turned in. It does not appear there will be any little boys' outfits this year but that will be my priority for next year, assuming that we'll be doing this project again.

This weekend, my sister in law Dorothy came to visit from New Jersey for a little getaway.

Instead of doing a lot of touristy things, we mostly stayed around the house, logging a lot of time on the back patio.  We did go out for a couple of nice dinners and a lunch, since she has become addicted to chile.  She and I also went shopping on Friday at ABQ Uptown--Coldwater Creek, the Loft, Lululemon,  Ann Taylor and Alfred Angelo. I'm not much of a RTW shopper but did find a few items. Of course, Coldwater Creek is liquidating and the pickings are really getting slim, but I did find a couple of t-shirts that are wearable for work and some baubles.

(Note to self: find something to clean the permanent marker stains off the cutting mat.)

I also found a cute t-shirt at the Loft, which was a total surprise. It's eyelet on the front and sleeves, and the back is knit. Sorry for the odd angle but this was the best of the lot for showing the eyelet.

It's wearable as is, but I may make a couple of minor tweaks to improve the fit. The darts are too high for me and of course, that bugs me as a sewist. So I'll be adjusting them.

Lululemon is a new store for Albuquerque. However I'm dubious that $100+ yoga pants will go over with the local citizenry. Or maybe they'll be wildly successful, who's to say?

We stopped into Alfred Angelo, because Dorothy is MOB for an upcoming wedding and is trying to get some ideas for a dress. She doesn't sew and will be buying a gown.  I do sew and will be needing  dresses for the wedding and rehearsal dinner. October will be here fast, so I'll have some work ahead of me.

2014 First Day of School Project

The Albuquerque ASG is repeating this project this year.  Unfortunately there are still a lot of kids who don't have clothes for school. We had such great support for it last time that it was an easy decision.

I set aside several pieces of fabric that were left over from other projects as well as some donations (thanks Patti F.!).  I'm using Butterick 5776 again for the little girls' tops and pants.

I was able to cut all the tops out at a recent Material Girls meeting:

Two sessions of sewing and the basic tops are done. I'll decide about embellishments later because I still need to make the pants.

The first three are made out of lightweight linen from JoAnn's, which I originally used for a couple of tops for myself.  A watercolor print:

I had enough of the fuchsia/yellow/gray floral for two tops. Matching tops for twins, sisters, or best friends? I hope so!

The next two are cotton. The green came from JoAnn's and was previously used for the Mary Bridge project:

This cotton came from Nob Hill Fabrics in Albuquerque. I previously made a summer nightgown from this:

I have two pair of gray cotton pants and a pair of blue linen blend ready to be sewn. I'm still trying to find stash fabric for pants to go with the green floral and gold/red/purple floral tops.

If time permits, I'll start on some outfits for boys. We have a visitor next weekend, and I have mandated overtime for a few weeks as well.  I'm not sure I will get to all of it by the July deadline, but I'll have least five outfits finished.