FO: Gertie's Cherries Rayon Sorbetto

On my recent 4th of July fabric binge I was lucky enough to get 1 yard and 4 inches of Gertie's teal rayon with cherries at Joann's on super sale. This was all that was left on the bolt and I've wished there was more ever since I purchased it. The fabric is buttery soft and drapey - just what the doctor ordered with this awful heat and humidity. Ugh, Florida summer, how I hate you. Since I had so little fabric, I knew whatever I made would have to be super simple. While looking through my patterns i pulled out Colette's free Sorbetto and when all the pieces fit I just started cutting.

The Sorbetto is the first thing I made myself back in 2012 when I started thinking I could sew clothes for myself. That poor shirt never gets worn due to bad fabric choice - quilting cotton just will not work for this one unless you don't mind looking like a box. This rayon on the other hand would drape beautifully and really make the pattern flattering. The only problem showed up when I realized that I had no idea what I was doing back when I fitted the Sorbetto, so I had to change quite a few things on the fly. Somehow I had a crazy amount of excess at the shoulder - I think I removed 3 inches total on each shoulder seam - which was a simple fix, but left the top a smidge shorter than I prefer. It's still wearable, just not 100% perfect. Ah well, you can't have everything. I just won't raise my arms ever.

I also don't really know what's going on at the sleeve. The sleeve is actually an add-on pattern piece someone other than Colette Patterns produced. The sleeve pattern only came in one size (I think it was an 8 or something like that) which was way too small for me so I had to scale the piece up way back when. I did this by eye-balling it around the edge to what I thought would be the right size. It worked on my quilting cotton version, but the sleeves were a bit long in hindsight so I shortened them to the length of a dress sleeve pattern I like. Something about the overall cut (maybe it's a grain issue?) seems to make the sleeves flip out in a weird way. Again, not a deal breaker - just not perfect. I do love the drape of the fabric though :)

Here's my fancy surprise on this shirt - it's finished with self-bias ... that I made ... out of rayon! I have to say I impressed even myself that I pulled this off. Knowing that rayon can be shifty, I started out by spray starching the area for the darts so that I could get them nice and straight. This worked like a charm! My machine was already set up with my walking foot, so I just kept that on and in combination with the spray starch it was a sure fire. I had no shifting while I sewed at all! From there, I decided to use the spray starch on the bias tape too. I received a Simplicity Bias Tape Maker from my in-laws for Christmas this past year and I am sad to say I hadn't used it until now. This machine is a boss! I'm kind of embarrassed to say it, but I've never successfully made bias tape before. I always end up cutting it wrong or burning the crap out of my fingers and have to stop. This machine made it so much easier. 

Once you cut the bias strips and get them sewn together, you just load it on the spindle and the machine does the rest. The only tricky part was threading the bias tape through the tip - rayon is not so good at this. I just sprayed the first few inches of the fabric with spray starch and threaded it through -  no problem! Beautiful! I did have to press down slightly on the little iron piece and hold the folded tape that was coming out so it didn't bunch up, but I'm pretty sure that's because I was using such a drapey fabric. I now have really pretty bias tape, and I can't wait to make more! (By the way I'm not being endorsed by Simplicity or anything, I just really love this machine and wanted to let others know about it - Amazon usually has the best price if you decide you need one!)

Obligatory mannequin shot - because everything looks better on her :) I love this print, don't you?! If I could have, I would have bought enough for a dress but they don't even have it available online. *sigh* Oh well. I'm borderline on thinking this shirt is too plain - do I have a problem? lol I can't decide. I mean, I know it's cute, but I think it could be cuter with something going on at the neck like some buttons or a trim. I haven't found anything that looks good with it yet though, so I'm open to your thoughts.

Detail shots - I used matching minty thread so it didn't take away from the awesome print, and I think that turned out nice on the hems and neck. The bottom two shots are peaks at my self-bias. Since the shirt came out a little shorter than intended, I'm glad I went with the bias since that kept just that little bit more at the hem. Also the front center is slightly shorter than the rest of the shirt, so I'll need to adjust for that next time. At least now I know how to adjust the pattern for the next go round!

Well, there you have it. A cute but simple top that's perfect for the Florida heat. I will certainly be making more shirts like this, and I have a complete obsession with rayon now. So prepare yourself!

Summary:
Fabric: 1 yard 4 inches cherry printed Gertie rayon from Joann's - $4.19
Pattern: Sorbetto by Colette Patterns - Free!
Hours: 4
Total Cost: $4.19

FO: Blue Beignet Skirt

I have a new finished project that has (sort of ) been 2 years in the making! The Beignet Skirt!

This is a project that I actually planned out and bought fabric for 2 years ago (possibly longer) - I loved the style of the Beignet skirt and this was one of the first Colette Patterns I acquired (it was given to me for my birthday). When I was super new to sewing clothes, I was really gung-ho and planned all these projects I really did not have the ability to fit and make. That didn't stop me from buying fabric before I figured this out though, so the fabric and lining have been in my stash ever since.

A few weeks ago, I decided I was finally ready to tackle this project. The funny thing is - I have no idea why I was so obsessed with this fabric, lol. Not only is it a fairly light color, which I try to avoid on my bottom half, it's also polyester. This is a suiting that I got from Joann's and I remember that I was so excited about it that I would check every time their sales changed to see when this would be cheapest - I can't remember what exactly it was called, but I know it had "Rebecca" in the title. It's an ok polyester, I guess, and it's a pretty pattern (almost linen-like white streaks printed on the teal/blue), but it's pretty thick - almost 70s thick. Yeah. Needless to say, this project turned out a bit too warm for the current weather here in Florida, so this is an AC-only item. Luckily past Megan purchased the coordinating lining (Ambiance with "Rebecca" in the title too), and it just happened to be bemburg rayon, so there's that. In the outer fabric's defense, it did sew really nicely and didn't fray, so that was nice. I had to use a clapper religiously while pressing if I wanted to even be able to tell it had been pressed at all, but we got there in the end.

The best part about this project was the result of my muslin - this pattern fit great right out of the envelope! That has never happened to me before! Once this was discovered, I happily cut into my long-saved fabric and got to work. I made this skirt over the course of a few weeks since my schedule has been incredibly busy these past few months. I spent a few hours one night cutting, then marking and sewing the outer shell the next night, then had to wait over a week before I got to go any further. By that time it was my day off, so I was able to spend most of my day finishing it up and by that night I only had to pick my buttons - a major instagram related dilemma in and of itself, lol. I had always planned on using white buttons with this fabric, but when I went to Hancock Fabrics to purchase them I also came across some teal/blue and white swirled ones that matched perfectly - and I am not exaggerating that, it was an exact match. I was so torn! I put pictures up on instagram, and literally everyone said to go with the blue ones. By the time the skirt was done, I just still couldn't get my original plan out of my head, so I went with the white ones. Sorry, everyone! lol Even when the buttons were picked, it had to wait another 5 days before I had the time to sew them on. Oh, the joys of adult-ing.

Now that the skirt is finished, I can see that it's a little too big just at my hips and below, so I will be slimming that area down next time around. Other than that, I could not be more proud of this skirt! This skirt is by far the most complicated this I have sewn so far - not that it was incredibly hard, just time consuming due to all the different pieces and how it is lined.

I did make the belt and belt loops as the pattern calls for, but I figured that realistically I will probably end up wearing it with my shirt untucked as well, which would look like above. I don't really love this look now that I look at the pictures (it seems to make my hips look wider since it's a bit too big there), so I guess I need to figure out a longer white shirt that won't constantly come untucked like every other shirt I own (I have a long torso - it's unfortunate). The other issue I have with the color is that ... I literally have nothing to wear with this skirt except white shirts, lol. I think it looks super boring with just a white shirt, but none of my cardigans really go with the style of the skirt, which has lead to rather frustrating times getting dressed. So, I've technically made more work for myself, lol, but oh well. I like making t-shirts anyway. I'm more excited about the accomplishment of actually sewing this piece, so I'm not that put out about it.

Here is the true star of the show - the insides! I seriously wish I could just open up this skirt and show everyone, or wear it inside out or something - I'm so thrilled I was able to do this. The skirt has pockets, but they are between the layers so everything looks neat and finished inside. I know the edge along the buttons looks a little puckered in this photo, but that was due to the slight stretch in this fabric (again, spongy polyester suiting). I swear that everything was 100% smooth in there before I put the buttons on. Ugh. Oh well, I'm still proud. It looks so professional :) I just love it.

Details! Just take a look at that curve - gorgeous! I went really slow and pinned the daylights out of it like a princess seam, then cut lots of notches to get it like this. I was seriously amazed when I turned it right side out :) I also ended up hand picking the blind hem, and this is the first time I've ever had to do that. I'm a big fan of my machine's blind hem, but this stinking fabric showed everything like a line of puckers along the bottom when I tried to do it by machine. My hand stitches aren't perfect, but it's much more "blind" than it would have been otherwise. I machine stitched a narrow hem on the lining though. The pockets are perfectly hidden inside the side seams. And oh my gosh I cannot even describe what I went through over those belt loops. This polyester hated to press, but that is incredibly compounded when you're working with such teeny tiny pieces that are only supposed to be turned under 1/8th of an inch. Ugh! My clapper came to the rescue, but I will confess a few minor burns to my fingers in the process. They came out really well, all things considered. I also didn't include a pic here, but I posted on instagram of me using a mallet and blade from work to cut the button holes open - this fabric was so thick that my little snips just couldn't handle it, so I brought it to work with me and hammered them open. It worked very well, and I didn't have to buy yet another expensive sewing tool - score!

Here is the only somewhat feasible looking outfit I was able to make that didn't look too crazy-pants (or does it? lol) And here's a slightly embarassed confession - this was my first time making more than maybe one or two button holes on my machine. I did have to unpick two of them, but only because I didn't get the needle exactly lined up with the others. I call that a success :) I impressed myself there as well.

Anyway, in spite of its little quirks, I am ridiculously proud of this skirt :) I also am proud to say that I managed to tick this off my list before my 30th birthday, so I was able to wear it on the big day. This project was a bit more expensive than my typical el-cheap-o projects, but I have now lived and learned, lol. I'm a total tight-ass, what can I say? 

Summary:
Fabric: 2 yards Polyester with linen print "Rebecca" - $12.00, 2 yards Ambiance Bemburg Rayon in "Rebecca" - $10.00 (all fabric from Joann's two years ago)
Pattern: Beignet by Colette Patterns - birthday gift 2 years ago
Notions: 12 buttons from Hancock Fabrics - $2.20, 1.5 yards of Riley Blake Bird Print Twill Tape - $2.99, teal thread from Hancock Fabrics - $3.00
Hours: 12 hours total (including muslin making)
Total: $30.20

So yeah, another project in my wardrobe :) I'm planning a denim version next ...

WIP Wednesday: Knitted Parts and Skirt Sewing

Knitting has occurred this week :) I managed to finish this flesh colored egg ...

This is the body for my Baby Doll I'm working on :) I finished this piece up last night, complete with a nylon stocking filled with poly pellets inside. The nylon fills up about 1/3 of the body piece and the rest is stuffed with regular poly fill. I love how the pieces feel when they have poly pellets inside - nice and hefty. I'm really glad the pattern calls for them. I can't wait to keep going on this project. Next is the head!

 I also am working on a Beignet skirt by Colette Patterns. I made a muslin last Thursday and it actually fit me perfect right off the bat - it's a miracle! I actually purchased this material for this exact project, lining and all, about 2 years ago. This project was way to ambitious for me at the time, but I know I can handle it now. I'm a bit worried about getting all the button holes lined up, but hopefully it's not a big deal. We shall see. I sewed the outside of the skirt together last night, complete with pockets, and I hope to get the lining and whatnot done in the next day or so.

In reading news, I'm halfway through The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky and I am loving it. It was slow going at first, but I am really into it now and I have a feeling it will be a favorite. We shall see.

So that's it for me this week :) Head over to Gracey's Goodies to see what others have in the works!

WIP Thursday: It Has Begun!

Sorry I'm a little late this week - a day late and a dollar short as they say. But better late than never, right? It's been one of those months weeks. Anyway, I think I'll start with progress on something you already are used to seeing, lol.

I finished the right front of my Emelie! Isn't it exciting?! It's looking more and more sweater-like all the time.  Even with my nice progress and excitement around this sweater, I have had to put it aside again :( I am getting a jump on my holiday gift knitting this year so I'm not a frantic crazy person like usual (well, let's face it, that will probably still happen, just for different reasons, lol). Anyway, I officially started my Christmas knitting on Sunday night and I already have one item 90% finished!

This is the only sneak peek you get, I'm afraid. I hate not being able to show what I'm making here, but I would hate for one of my family members to actually read my blog and spoil their gifts (I don't think they do read it, but just on the off chance...). I just had to show something because this is a project I've always wanted to make, but just couldn't justify for myself. So someone else will get it instead, lol. Don't you just love the colors?! The gray is Patons Classic Merino in Pearl Gray and the variegated is Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Alpine Pearl (ooh, fancy!). Even better - both of these yarns came from a thrift store! Crazy, right? I can't believe someone would donate Malabrigo anything, but it was 100% unused and even wound into a cake when I bought it. I love the subdued colors and I love this combo of purple with gray. Anyway, I think this year I will show mysterious closeups like this so at least I can say, "Look! I MADE A THING!" and have something to show for it :)

I've also been plugging away diligently on my first Dahlia dress. As usually happens though, I have hit an unfortunate road block. I'll admit, I did make this project much hard than it should be - I decided to use a super drapey rayon-type fabric, then decided to underline it, then decided to match the pattern - all of these things I have never done before. I thought I was in the clear after a ton of work on my muslin last week (like I am talking ALL of last Thursday was spent in my sewing room) and I cut into my "real" fabric. I've slowly poked along, working on things a little each night and Monday was the day I finally got things together enough to try it on and double check ...

It doesn't fit.

I think I've figured out my error, but that doesn't make it any less depressing. I must have cut out the bodice piece along my sewing line by mistake because no joke I cannot even make the side seam touch where the zipper should go. I know what I need to do - remove the entire bodice (which means undoing more than half of what I've already done), recut the main fabric and the lining, and reinsert the new pieces. Man, is that going to suck. On top of it not fitting, I also discovered that this fabric is so not "me". When I have it on, all I can think of is how I would never buy a dress in a store with this type of print. *le sigh* Oh well, I am going to finish it anyway just for some much needed closure. Honestly, I really just didn't need that this week, lol.

Here's a little look at my technically failed pattern matching - though it was a diagonal print so I don't know why I'm disappointed. Also the fabric is totally printed off grain - so yeah, I just did the best I could. Also here is a look at the insides - all nice and enclosed. Ah :) I treated the bodice as 'underlining' simply because the pattern doesn't give any lining instructions, so you can see the seam allowances, but I enclosed the waistband and did the skirt as 'lining' to keep things more flowy. I've learned that really drapey fabric is not exactly flattering on my lower half. For my body shape, "flowy" seems to equal "clingy", which is why I decided on adding a lining at all. The lining is there to pull the drapey pieces over my lumps in a more pleasing manner and it has definitely succeeded :) I really wish I was the kind of person who could just make up the dang pattern with no lining, but I will pick lining it every time - it's just so much nicer!

Oh, and I tried making bias tape for this project and I am honestly having to curb my ill-mannered words while typing this just by recalling that horrific experience. I followed the directions of the Colette Sewing Book with the black cotton batiste I used for the waistband and I even used a bias tape maker - what a load of crap that thing is. I've read countless sewists out there on the internet saying casually, "I made my own bias tape for this project," without batting an eye - WHAT AM I NOT GETTING HERE?! Is it really this eye-gougingly-frustrating for everyone and they are trying to sound nonchalant, or am I just missing the bias tape making gene? No joke, I actually had to make myself not scream in frustration and throw the wad of fabric across the room. To save my sanity I dug out some pre-made bias tape from my stash and used that. I'll willingly admit that I don't like this option - the fabric is really scratchy, especially compared to the rest of this dress - but I didn't have to try making it again so I'm ok with it. Ugh! Bias tape!

So, those are my projects this week :) On top of my crafty problems, I discovered 3 big time house problems in about 3 days - not fun! Hopefully things are going a bit smoother for you, lol. Anyone else started their Christmas crafting?

WIP Wednesday: Progress and New Projects

Well, I've managed to keep my knitting pace steady ... until this past Monday (but I'll tell you about that in a minute). On Sunday night I made a thrilling yet terrifying progression on my Emelie cardigan - I separated at the arm holes!

Technically I have deviated from my original plan for this sweater over the past week, lol. I measured the body and it was 11" long sometimes about a week ago - this is where I was originally going to separate for the arm holes. I decided to hold it up on my body to double check and while the length was ok, it hit me that I've only made cropped cardigans and it sure would be nice to switch it up a bit, lol. So, I kept knitting until I hit the next length up - 13". The pattern then has you put the left front and back on scrap yarn (I use extra cables thanks to my amazing needle set), and just work on the right front.

That's an arm hole alright! I did manage to screw up the armhole pretty quickly and had to tink back about 6 rows (including bound off stitches - ugh). I was really excited to make this great step in the progress of this sweater, but at the same time I am terrified that the length isn't right, lol. I've never made a bottom-up cardigan before and that is definitely one of the main draw backs in my opinion - no length tweaking. Hopefully I got it right though :) I'm excited to keep going.

Monday night brought a sudden change in my routine. Colette Patterns sent out the sneak peek of their newest pattern, Dahlia, and I was immediately in love. I quickly (and responsibly) searched through My Pattern Stash just to make sure I didn't already have anything similar, then snapped that baby up. Because I signed up for the sneak peek, I got a special discount so I snagged the pdf for $8.80 - sweet! I immediately printed it out, put it together, and traced off my size(s). (I traced the 14 and 16 in two colors on the bodice because I straddle the sizes so I can try to see how it ends up). Then last night I cut out my muslin from a sexy thrifted sheet of the 1970s. Brown and orange plaid, mmm... lol.

I managed to get the darts and boob gathers sewn before I needed to go pick up something exciting from a friend :) I'm really curious how this will end up fitting straight off the bat. I've learned a new trick for my hollow chest adjustment that is about 10 times easier than what I was doing, lol, so I'm going to try that out probably. I can't wait to have more time to spend on this project. I even have

fabric in mind for my first version:

Remember my Sewing Studio Haul from this past July? I had plans for everything picture here except for the green/gray/black check fabric on the bottom left. I knew I wanted to make it a dress and use the black batiste above it for the waistband, but I hadn't picked out a pattern yet. The green check fabric was an industry remnant, so I don't know the fiber content but it drapes beautifully like a rayon. So, my plan is to make the Dahlia with the sleeved top and gored skirt out of this :) Even better - Colette Patterns made a guide to using plaids or stripes with this dress and you can download it for free, so I know this will come in handy on this fabric as well.

So, that's what I am up to this week :) I've actually been doing more (non-crafty) things as well, but I will report on them later. Tami doesn't seem to do the WIP Wednesday link ups anymore, but you may get lucky and see more links later here.

"Sailor Moon" Jasmine Top

Guys, an amazing thing has happened over the past week with me - I've suddenly really wanted to finish some ridiculously old WIPs! This doesn't happen often, so when I get the urge I just go with it. The item that started it all was something I can't even figure out when I originally began making. I know I lived in my current house, so it was at least within the last year and a half. I'm guessing about a year... 

After my first attempt at the Colette Jasmine Top, I foolishly thought I had the fitting kinks figured out and decided to cut right into my "good fabric" and make the version I really wanted. I quickly realized that I had no idea what I was doing fit-wise ... again. The first failed muslin (pictured in the link above - ugh) was made up in a size 18. I was so worried about not making it big enough that I figured I would just take it in to fit instead of trusting the pattern measurements. This was my first time using an "indie pattern", and I knew the sizing didn't have as much ease as the bigger pattern companies. This time around, I laid my "altered" finished muslin on the pattern and decided to go with a size 14 - big difference, folks. The fit was much better off the bat from this simple change. Maybe one of these days I will stop thinking I'm larger then I actually am. Maybe.

So before I tell you all the actual problems that made this top take a year to finish, let's look at the OK finished product, shall we? I seriously love the design of this top. The sleeve cuffs and collar are awesome. That notch at the sleeve is so cute :) I know it's hard to see in the pictures because if the lighting, but the base fabric is actually a pale gray-blue color. The fabric is a wonderful chambray, which can we please wax poetic a moment about chambray? It is delicious stuff. It's wonderfully light weight and comfy for Florida weather for one thing. I'm excited to make something else with it in the future :) The collar and cuffs are in a not-quite-navy-but-not-quite-royal blue cotton poplin. Both of these fabrics were purchased at Hancock Fabrics way the hell long ago with this shirt in mind. I could've sworn I blogged about the fabric at the time, but I can't find mention of it anywhere. It was definitely back in 2012 though, and I vaguely remember it being on sale - maybe like $4 - $5 a yard? It couldn't have been much more than that since I'm notoriously cheap, lol.

Ah the back - you can start to see my fitting issues here with all these wrinkles. Yeah, it's like that all the time. I even stood up very straight and smoothed out the back before I took this pic - no dice. At least I don't have to look at them when I wear it, lol. I'm still not 100% sure what to do to fix this in the future - maybe go up a size on the back pieces? I'll play with it before I make the top again.

Here's a look at the collar without all my hair in the way. The collar is one of the parts I'm most proud of to be honest. I finished the body of the top as well as putting the collar together last year before I stopped working on this, I just hadn't actually attached the collar to the shirt yet. That is where I picked this up this past Thursday. I had a few hours to kill while my husband was at a meeting and I suddenly decided I was tired of shuffling all the cut out pieces and pattern around my sewing room all the time and thought I could tackle it before he got home. I was delusional in the amount of time I thought I needed, but I did end up finishing it that night :) The collar is not perfectly rounded at the shoulders and I apparently couldn't be bothered to switch to blue thread (seriously, white thread in a blue collar? What was I thinking?) I can see the stitches at the points sometimes, which kind of drives me nuts, but I wasn't about to take the whole thing apart. I was moving forward with this, not back!

So the first thing I had to do after basting the collar down was tackle the neck facing. I decided to get clever all that time ago and cut the back facing similar to ready to wear shirts - a.k.a. so you can't see the annoying facing while on the hanger. I thought I knew how to do this - I thought wrong. Instead of using the facing pattern piece and drafting it longer, I used the back pattern piece and just cut it about 1/3 down the piece. This was fine in theory, and it worked at the actual neckline, but not anywhere else. Tell me, past smarty-pants-Megan, where you supposed to encase that bottom edge of this facing, hmmm? Yeah, this pattern doesn't have a yoke. So I ended up using pinking shears along the edge. I also completely forgot to catch the sides of the facing in the sleeves when I set them in. This was a modern-Megan duh moment, but oh well - I was not about to unpick the sleeves and redo them since I had to set them in twice each just to get them like they currently are. So I tacked the edges to the sleeve seam allowance by hand. I also hand tacked the facing at the shoulder seams and behind the loop at the front point. There is nothing in this world that I hate more than a facing that wants to pop out all the time, so I stitched as much as I thought I could get away with. It definitely helped, though it still pops out when I put the top on. Oh well.

Now for the official problems (yeah, I bet you thought I'd already started them, huh? That was nothing, lol). The sleeve cuffs stick out like little wings on my underarm. The weird thing is ... this is how the pattern is drafted. Anyone else out there have this happen on this pattern? I was super careful to follow the weird zig zaggy line on the sleeve just as pictured in the pattern booklet. I'll be addressing that on future versions for sure.

Even though the fit of the size 14 was much better, it still had issues - most notably with it gaping away from my chest. I know now that I need a "hollow chest adjustment" on anything I sew, but I had no idea at the time. I just sewed it together, pinned in the excess wedge at the neckline, sewed it again, tried it on, and repeated. I got it to lay against my chest in the end, but I just couldn't make it not crease oddly mid-boobs. I have two creases that don't ever go away when I wear this. I now know why this is - hollow chest adjustments need to be made in the pattern. You remove the wedge, then re-true the center line so it is straight. Straight center line = no creases over the boobs. Essentially the way I sewed this would have worked if my boobs were box shaped, but they aren't. Thus, I live with creases. I don't think it's something anyone will ever mention when I wear it, and I'm sure some people have this happen with most rtw tops. It just drives me crazy when I look down. At least the collar looks good from above. Maybe that will distract my eye :)

It does look nice on the hanger though :) Shame we have to wear things and ruin them, lol. I love that I can't see the yucky insides or a funky facing when it hangs too. I will certainly be perfecting the concept of the longer back facing in the future. It's just so nice to have everything enclosed. Very professional. Also, I was a good girl and followed the directions this time with the inside of the sleeve cuffs. I hand sewed them! And I didn't want to shoot myself. Always a plus.

And it just wouldn't be right to make a nautical shirt and not include this picture. I wore this top to work the day after I made it, and while I didn't get the dreaded, "Oh, did you make that?", I was told two other equally annoying fun things: "You look just like Sailor Moon!" and, "You look just like a stewardess from Catch Me If You Can!" The Sailor Moon comment was from my husband, who seems to forget that Sailor Moon had a WHITE shirt with RED stripes on the collar (my sister later agreed with him though, so the name stuck in my head). Admittedly I did wear this with a navy blue pencil skirt, so it looked very much like a uniform, so I can "get on board" with the stewardess comment. If only I had a pillbox hat, I would totally live that one up. Instead you just get a photo of me acting ridiculous. I can't wait for people I know to think that this is a serious/legitimate photo pose for me, lol.

In the end, I still love the style of this top and I love this color combo. I just wish the fit had turned out better. I know I will make this again sometime, but I will certainly do myself the courtesy I never have before - make a legitimate muslin. I just need to get a few things straightened out and then I will have an army of these. Wouldn't this be cute in a knit?! Maybe then I won't have to make that muslin. Hmmm ... lol.

Summary:
Fabric: 2.5 yards pale gray-blue chambray, $12-ish; 1/2 yard navy/royal blue cotton poplin, $3-ish
Pattern: Jasmine by Colette Patterns, Free (birthday gift, woo hoo!)
Hours: There's really no telling, but I spent about 5 hours on it on Thursday

WIP Wednesday

Well, I'm afraid I have to bore you with seeing my giraffe again lol. I do have a few other wips to show now too.

 I now have 2 legs totally finished for my Not So Itty-Bitty Giraffe and another more than half way done. The legs have been the most boring part about making this. They seriously take me several hours each and it's just knitting a tube - snooze-ville. Hopefully this justifies why I will make a leg or so and then start a crocheted animal to pep me back up again lol.

I also have decided I want to learn to knit continental style. Not only does my typical English style seem to take a long time, it is also totally killing the pinky finger on my right hand as that is how I keep the tension. This decision is easier said than done though. It's like learning to knit all over again. While I am certainly better with my hands than I was last June when I learned to knit, it's still very cumbersome for me to knit continental. How do you people do it? I am able to hold the needles correctly now, which is a far cry from before, but it's still very hard for me. I pressed on though and went back to my tried and true Knit Lab Craftsy class and watched the section on how to do the stitches again and just mimicked Stefanie Japel's style. I was able to do it a little and you can see my results above. It doesn't look bad in the photo, but it is very loose - much looser than my English knitting. Maybe this is why I can never get gauge right now? Everyone else's stitches are done in a way that makes the looseness normal. Anyway, I will keep trying and hopefully pick it up so I can be speedier. Purling is crazy hard for me - I just can't pull the yarn in the right direction with my left hand, and I keep having to grab the yarn with my right finger and pull it down anyway which seems to kind of defeat the purpose of trying to go faster. Anyway, we shall see...

I've also started another Colette Jasmine Blouse :) This one is in a lovely pale blue chambray and the cuffs will be a bright navy blue. After my weird fitting problems last time showing me in the end that I just cut out way to big of a size, I figured I could just cut the right size from the start and avoid the problems. Not so, folks. Apparently my boobs are not as full as "the norm" for how wide my bust measurement is, because I had to seriously adjust the curve of the bust. And by adjust I mean basically remove it completely.

Those are my seam lines, lol. I had to revert to the old put it on, pin, sew, put it on again, repeat method. It still isn't perfect, but at least now it doesn't create a weird right angle at the apex line and it doesn't gape away from my upper chest. I'm still working on it. I'm just hoping I don't have the problems with the collar not fitting right this time because of my adjustments.

So that's what I'm working on this week. To see everyone else's, head over to Tami's Amis' blog and look around :)

Sewing Update: New Projects and New Stash Stuff

Well, I got in a sewing mood last week and decided to start my Jasmine blouse I've been planning. I bought this cute Amy Butler fabric when I went to the Sewing Studio back in July. I bought it with no real project in mind but I had to get it because it was only $1.50 per yard. I got all the was left on the bolt, but that was only 1.75 yards. I lucked out - it was just enough to squeak out the main pieces and sleeves of the Jasmine :)

I picked up the cream cotton to use for the tie, cuffs and facings when I was over at Leigh's learning to crochet - it was the closest match I could find but it's not perfect. It's honestly such a slight difference, I don't think anyone will notice but me. I decided to do the plain ties and whatnot before I started the project because I definitely wouldn't have been able to fit all the pieces in the pink fabric. Also, since I had so little of the pink fabric plus since this top is cut on the bias, I couldn't even begin to try and match up the pattern at the seams. This is the biggest thing that bugs me - it wouldn't be so bad if the seam didn't go right down the center front, but oh well. I'm beginning to look at this as a wearable muslin (a.k.a. a practice run to try and see if it fits correctly so it doesn't matter if it's not perfect). My husband says it still looks good, but I'm pickier than that. So, I started sewing it up :) So far I've got the darts in and the main pieces sewn together - now I'm onto the cream colored pieces and sleeves. I'm hoping I'll feel motivated and whip this baby up so I can wear it soon. We shall see if that happens, lol.

On a different sewing note, I went by Hancock Fabric on Thursday :) I really only went for their 99¢ Simplicity pattern sale, but it decided to monsoon outside so I was kind of stranded. Fabric stores are a dangerous place for me to be stuck it - well, dangerous for my wallet. I meandered around and found a bunch of their sale fabrics that would just make such cute tops :) Mostly I had Jasmines on the brain and I really wanted some plain fabric so I wouldn't be bugged about the pattern not matching at that center seam.

Starting at the left, the royal blue cotton poplin and the pale blue chambray will be another Jasmine top :) Can I just say - I LOVE chambray! I would have never even known what it was except that Valerie of Threads Thoughts and Things is always saying how much she loves it. I lucked out and each of these fabrics were about $4 per yard (not my usual ridiculously cheap prices, but still good for a nice fabric). The chambray will be the main part of the blouse and the blue poplin will be the ties and cuffs - this combo has a very nautical feel and I love it :)

The teal and brown paisley will also be a jasmine blouse with the brown cotton as the ties and cuffs. I'm a huge sucker for paisley as well as that minty teal color. This is a random pattern, so I know it will still look ok without matching it up in the center. Also, it's quilter's cotton - I just couldn't resist :) The floral pattern is actually going to be Simplicity 1886 - I want to make option B but with the ruffle in the middle from version E. I must confess, I originally wanted to do a Jasmine with this (he he) but I couldn't find a good color for the ties and I thought it would be too busy to make the whole thing with. I picked up the Simplicity pattern on this trip to (see below) and decided it would be cute and simple. The fabric is a cotton poly viscose of some kind and it's nice and light so I know if will be comfortable. The red is cotton poplin that will be a solid color Jasmine :) What can I say? I'm addicted. I anticipate a closet full of these one day.

Now for the main reason I was even at the store :) I read a lot of sewing blogs and whenever I see something someone made that I like, I write down the pattern number on a list in my phone. That way, I have an accurate list of the patterns I want for whenever a store puts them on sale for 99¢ - then I get a big stack of them. I grabbed 3 patterns for bolero style jackets (something I really need more of), 4 dresses, 1 retro dress, 4 tops and 2 skirts. The fairly plain skirt pattern (2451) is seriously one of the most used patterns I see online. It's a very simple skirt that can be changed up in lots of ways. My personal pattern collection is getting pretty crazy in size (don't even get me started on the patterns I have for sale, lol), but it's nice to have all the ones I could want to use so I don't have to wait for another sale when I finally decide to make it. I believe that the pattern sale will be this weekend too, so check out Hancock's sale ad if you need to stock up yourself :)

Me Made May: Sorbetto Top + My First Muslin

It's official! I actually made something that I was able to wear during the month of May! Even though it's not any of the projects I originally planned or worked on throughout the rest of the month, at least it's something :)

Introducing the Sorbetto Top:

For those of you who aren't all up into the online sewing world, the Sorbetto is a free downloadable pattern made by Colette Patterns. It's kind of all the rage online and I had to see what all the fuss was about. I don't like sleeveless shirts though and I found this pattern  from the Sew Weekly to add a sleeve (also free to print). I also used this project to make my first ever muslin. I've been watching the Couture Dress class on Craftsy and Susan Khalje shows how to make a muslin (which is a rough copy of your garment that you use to make sure it fits correctly before you sew the real thing), and I figured this would be a simple enough project to give this technique a go. So, first thing's first, I had to print out the pattern and assemble it before cutting it out.

I started by ironing my muslin material and then pinning the selvages together, a technique Susan Khalje tells about in the class. The selvage is the hard edge of the fabric and by pinning them together, you ensure that your grain lines in the fabric are all parallel. This is important to make sure your garment will hang correctly on the body.

Then I pinned the pattern on the muslin and cut it out.

Once the pattern was roughly cut out, I had to transfer all the markings from the pattern onto the muslin. Susan Khalje shows how to use tracing paper for the transferring, but I didn't have any I didn't want to wait so I just folded the edge of the pattern up and traced along the lines. Once I had the pencil lines drawn, I went over them with permanent marker.

I then pinned this fabric pattern on myself how it would be worn, drew lines where it needed to be adjusted, and then made the lines over with permanent marker. Now I had my pattern :) It sounds so official as I type it now, I'm still a little in awe that I did all this.

On Memorial Day, I went to Hancock Fabric to take advantage of their awesome sale, and found this cute 100% cotton print for only $2.00 per yard on sale (I bought 5 yards - lol). I like this because it's got some interest going on that doesn't look cartoony and it's also thicker than the usual cottons you find like quilting cotton, so I knew it would be better for clothing than some others I had used before. Also, it was inexpensive so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't end up liking my top. The weirdest thing with the fabric was matching up the bias tape - I couldn't find any pinks that matched. In the white sections of the fabric there is a weird greeny-yellow line, and I found some bias tape that matched that really well - it's a very strange color, but it was called 'canary' on the package.

Anyway, I got all my supplies and whipped this baby out in a matter of 2 nights - mostly it took that long because I kept trying to pick things out and alter them slightly. Here is how it came out:

Overall, I like it. It was easy to sew and the directions were very good. I wish that I had made it fit tighter now that it's all done, and I may alter it slightly later on. Also, I may add a few embellishments like this to jazz it up a bit. Unfortunately, since it fit so loose, I felt like I was wearing a scrub top all day. This top will definitely get worn, but it may end up being a pajama top - we shall see.

Here is the pleat detail - my fabric is so busy that you really don't see it in the other pictures.

So there you have it - my first Sorbetto :) And my first completely Me Made garment that isn't a part of a Halloween costume! And I even made it just under the wire to be a Me Made May participant :) I'm very excited about reaching my goal, even if it wasn't with the pieces I originally planned. The others are still in the works and I will post about them when they finally get finished.